When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 23

A massive insect-type monster suddenly appeared.

At first, a violent tremor shook the ground, leading people to believe it was an earthquake. Many crouched down in fear.

A direct earthquake beneath the capital, Tokyo, would be no joke.

Since the buildings didn’t collapse, people gradually shifted their focus to assessing the aftermath of the quake.

How much damage had been done?

Moreover, if it had been a major earthquake, aftershocks might follow.

And if this was just a foreshock, a stronger main quake could be on its way.

Fortunately, the shaking didn’t last long, so many began checking for earthquake updates—only to find their phones showing no signal.

Assuming it was a temporary communication failure caused by the quake, people cautiously stood up, discussing their unease with those around them.

Should they evacuate?

But before they could decide, the next thing that came wasn’t another tremor—it was a grotesque, ear-piercing screech.

This wasn’t an earthquake.

Those who peered out their windows were met with the terrifying sight of a towering insect-type monster.

Panic set in instantly.

People poured out of buildings, running for their lives in sheer terror.

In this world’s history, cases where monsters escaped from dungeons were rare—something that happened only a handful of times.

Even then, most cases occurred overseas.

In Japan, it had only happened once.

That singular event was the Stampede seven years ago.

Back when dungeons first appeared in this world, a monster outbreak devastated a city.

A legendary explorer, Ransetsu, literally risked his life to stop it.

Ransetsu never made it out alive.

Yet, because he prevented civilian casualties, he was widely revered.

His name remains recorded as history’s first S-Class Explorer.

After all, around the same time, a similar Stampede overseas had resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

Ordinary people stood no chance against monsters.

Even with heavy firearms, low-rank monsters might be manageable, but mid-rank and above?

Completely ineffective.

And when it came to high-rank monsters that led Stampedes, they didn’t just shrug off bullets.

They didn’t even acknowledge them.

So when people caught sight of the giant monster, there was only one option—run.

Amidst the chaos, the Dungeon Association moved swiftly.

Under Chairman Kamiya’s leadership, the corrupt elements of the organization had been purged.

With morale restored, the dedicated staff responded immediately.

Upon detecting the monster’s emergence, the Association relayed emergency alerts.

Chairman Kamiya issued a rescue request to explorers stationed near Tokyo.

At the same time, he arranged for Okita and the rest of “Myoujou” (Morning Star) to return immediately.

Explorers gathered for emergency response.

The two most elite teams, “Hagakure” and “War Angels”, took the lead.

They, along with numerous other parties, answered the call.

Despite their fear and hesitation, they refused to stand by while their city was ravaged.

The explorers rushed to the scene.

Some guided civilians to safety.

Some fought off attacking monsters.

Some provided healing and deployed protective magic.

Even guild staff, who lacked combat abilities, played their part—coordinating evacuations, relaying information, and minimizing casualties.

However, the monster they faced was overwhelmingly powerful.

It was, after all, the boss of the 100th floor of the Pacific Dungeon—a high-rank dungeon.

Even among elite explorers, damaging it was a struggle.

While they managed to defeat the monsters accompanying it…

The boss itself remained virtually unscathed.

Yet, for some reason, it wasn’t launching an all-out attack.

Instead, the monster swayed its massive head, scanning its surroundings before latching onto a skyscraper.

What was it doing?

The explorers couldn’t decipher its intent.

Regardless, they continued their efforts—

Believing that Okita and the others would return soon.

And then…

A massive mantis-like creature clung to the skyscraper before us.

After receiving Mikawa Yumeno’s urgent call, we had ripped through space-time and returned immediately.

The journey back was near-instantaneous, yet within that brief moment, I must’ve whispered “Please don’t be a cockroach” at least a hundred times.

Yumeno-san had been so flustered she’d only described it as “an insect-type monster.”

That had sent me into pure panic mode.

“Oh, that was close.”

A dragonfly-like monster flew straight at me.

I kicked it down.

Looking around, I could see the boss monster was indeed a mantis.

The surrounding creatures?

Dragonflies.

Grasshoppers.

Ants.

This? This was manageable.

Beside me, Haruka had the same expression.

She was probably chanting in her head, “Please don’t be a spider.”

I was sure of it.

Still… that mantis was huge.

It clung to a 30-story building, raising its scythe-like forelegs.

The eerie clack-clack sound echoed throughout the city.

Its grip was powerful.

With its sheer weight pressing against the structure, the building was strained to its limit.

Not to mention—

Its entire body was metallic.

At this rate, the building wouldn’t hold much longer…

Oh. It collapsed.

Immediately, I unleashed my full magical power, spreading it across the area.

Using teleportation magic, I transported every single person inside the building to safety.

I think I made it in time.