第９７掘：非常識
**97th Excavation: Absurdity**
**Absurdity**
**Side: Quar**
We are currently in a town in the Kingdom of Gartz that houses a dungeon.
No, to be precise, we are inside the dungeon itself.
We’ve reached the 47th floor.
But before that, let me explain why a town would exist in a place with an unexplored dungeon.
As you know, dungeons are dangerous entities, often called natural disasters, that surpass even Demon Lords and dragons.
So why build a town there?
In a sense, it is for protection.
Each country handles dungeons differently, but Gartz, in particular, utilizes the dungeon as a source of income. They coordinate with the Adventurer’s Guild to establish branches, build towns, and use them for monitoring and securing revenue.
There is always the risk of powerful monsters swarming out, but the judgment is that it’s better to be able to respond immediately, and it’s good for filling the national treasury, so towns centered around dungeons are formed.
Ah, our dungeon is a different story entirely.
It’s not even in the same category for comparison.
The control of it is held entirely by the representatives, led by Seraria-sama.
By the way, since Litea houses the headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild, they take a similar approach to Gartz, surrounding the dungeon with a town and using adventurers and knights to monitor it completely.
We in Roschur have few dungeons; only three have appeared in the last few decades, the most recent being eight years ago.
Therefore, we monitor them by building adventurer guild branches and knightly facilities in nearby towns and villages.
In the past, Roschur had no dungeons at all.
In a way, it’s a source of revenue, which is grateful for the national treasury, but the increased danger makes it a complicated issue.
"What are you spacing out for, Quar? Pull yourself together. You’re supposed to be the guard, aren't you?"
"Ah, ah. My apologies."
As I was reflecting on the history of dungeons and lost in thought, Seraria-sama, whom I am tasked with protecting, sliced through an Ogre-Shnaid and approached me.
An Ogre-Shnaid—a species classified as relatively strong even among Ogres.
Normally, it would take several general-class individuals—those at Level 50 capable of leading an army—to finally take one down...
"Hmm, it seems they’ve finally stopped falling in a single hit around here."
"…Yeah. I thought it would give us a bit more trouble."
"Indeed. Even for a rear-guard like me, it’s a breeze."
...First was Ratz-sama. She was apparently an adventurer who used a spear, but she slaughtered the Ogres effortlessly with her fake body.
...Next was Kaya-sama. She apparently worked hard in her village’s self-defense corps, and she, too, had no issues, easily slaughtering enemies with her sword and magic.
...Finally, Rurua-sama. As a former saint of Litea, she should have been high-level, though not to the extent of Seraria-sama... but even so, it’s brutal to see her bludgeon an Ogre to death with a staff.
*"Yuki-sama!? Are you safe!? I thought I saw an Ogre-Shnaid!!"*
"Yeah, I'm fine. Seraria and the others wiped them out."
*"Did you get any good metal? Orichalcum, perhaps?"*
"Ah, let's see. Yeah, some Orichalcum came out."
*"Oh, that’s good. Even if we try to summon it with DP, the price is high—not that it’s impossible, but if we summon it recklessly, it’ll crash the market. Why don't you collect it there?"*
"True. How about we stock it little by little, claiming it was obtained here?"
*"Ah, that works. Smithing exports are starting soon, and while we can substitute anything with DP, doing so too easily would deplete the mines elsewhere."*
"That’s true. Our dungeon must focus on exporting finished goods; not buying from others would be a problem in itself~"
...And deep within this dungeon, the one thinking about future policies is Yuki-sama, Seraria-sama’s husband.
He hasn't fought at all, but his ability is something Seraria-sama praises highly.
I am aware of Yuki-sama’s strength, but I don’t have the nerve to have such relaxed conversations deep inside a dungeon.
*"However, it is regrettable!! I wanted to go with Yuki-sama too!!"*
*"Now, now, Shera-sama, you have the role of liaison with Yuki-san and the others..."*
*"Narjia-san, you do it!! Why must I, his wife, be separated from him..."*
*"Even if you say that, Yuki-san himself said that Shera-sama was the most suitable person for the job."*
*"Uuu~!!"*
And so, Shera-sama stayed behind to keep track of Gartz’s movements.
Well, she is a member of the Gartz royal family—or rather, she still is—so she is indeed the most suitable.
Then there is Narjia-sama.
Narjia-sama seems interested in Gartz’s weaponry, so she remained in the royal capital, acting as part of the group staying behind in place of us who went out for inspection.
Rock-san is currently in talks at the royal capital’s guild.
"Sorry, Shera. I’ll buy you a souvenir on my way back. Please bear with it for a little while, okay?"
*"...Instead of a souvenir, I want a passionate embrace and a night that never ends."*
...Lately, there’s been nothing but talk of a "pink-colored" nature.
Even Seraria-sama says things like that quite normally.
The world is a mysterious place.
"However, Seraria-sama. Are we still proceeding? We are already on the 47th floor. According to the guild’s reports, the maximum reached is the 34th floor. I believe going any further is dangerous..."
I said this, trying to stop any further dungeon exploration.
Yes, according to the information, we have already descended far beyond the floors the guild has data on.
Normally, dungeon exploration is done by carefully clearing one floor at a time.
For every floor you descend, the monsters become stronger and the traps more vicious.
Even if you can easily wipe out the monsters on the current floor, there is no guarantee the next one will be safe.
"In the first place... it’s absurd to reach the 47th floor in five hours!! This is overwork!! We should really turn back!!"
Yes... 47 floors in just five hours...
That’s about seven minutes per floor.
It’s insane.
It’s an impossible speed.
"Hmm, I suppose that’s true. Hey, dear? Isn't it a bit much to be diving for five hours straight?"
"Ah, that’s true too. It is a high pace, isn't it?"
It’s not just a "high pace"!!
"So? How did it go with what you were talking about?"
"Hmm, I’d say it’s about fifty-fifty."
"Oh, you managed to do half?"
"...Does that mean?"
"Yeah, I’ve finished seizing control of the floors we’ve descended so far. ...It’s like Monopoly, isn't it? If you pour in enough DP, you can seize control of a floor, and using the dungeon core placed in the upper levels as a starting point, you can seize control of other dungeons."
Yes, Yuki-sama has been seizing control of this dungeon as he advances...
If there were other Dungeon Masters here, they would probably be crying right about now.
I’m sorry, it’s short again.
I’ve been writing various things, but I can’t seem to write a story that feels right, so it turned out like this.
Sorry...