第１０１１堀：改めてダンジョンとは何か？ (Part2)
"That’s not actually a strange story at all. First off, I mentioned earlier that dungeons have rent, right?"
"Ah, right. You said they use DP to maintain them, didn't you?"
"Exactly. You use DP—Dungeon Points—to maintain and operate the dungeon, but what do you think happens if you can no longer pay that?"
"Eh? What happens... hmm, what does happen?"
"Well, I suppose you wouldn't know. If you can't pay the DP, the dungeon undergoes a forced financial and spatial liquidation. Everything except for the spaces absolutely essential for dungeon conquest—including items and facilities—is reclaimed until it fits within the amount of DP you can afford. It just keeps shrinking."
"Huh. Why would they do something like that?"
"Luna says that back in the day, there were Dungeon Masters who would just hole up and do absolutely nothing, so they implemented this expense system to light a fire under them."
"Ah, I see. Wait, if that’s true, wouldn't dungeon ruins cease to exist entirely?"
Hairen’s point was a perfectly valid question. If you can't pay the DP, it gets reclaimed and the dungeon vanishes. So, why do dungeons remain as ruins?
The answer is...
"First, they aren't actually 'ruins' to begin with. Most of them are still functioning as dungeons. That’s the state of almost all of them on the If Continent."
"I see. Comet was still alive, and it looked like the folks from the Betu Sword were running it in her place. So, since you said 'first,' does that mean there’s another reason they remain as ruins?"
"There is. Or rather, this might be the primary reason dungeons remain as ruins. Simply put, it’s when a dungeon is conquered and the core used for maintenance and operation is stolen. Once that happens, there’s no way to collect DP anymore. That’s why the dungeon just stays there as it is."
"I see. That’s how it is. Wait, whoa, my parfait is melting!?"
Distracted by the conversation, she had stopped using her spoon, but noticing the tragic state of her parfait, Hairen began eating in a panic. Well, if you spend that much time chatting idly, it’s bound to start melting.
"I get the story now. So, the reason there are no traces of dungeons on the west side, in the Zurable Great Empire, is because they all moved to the east, to the Hain Empire, where the rent is cheaper?"
"Probably. Besides, rather than just abandoning a dungeon, if you cancel the contract, you get some DP back, even if it’s not the full amount. Kirika, that’s what you were trying to say, right?"
"Yes, exactly. Considering the number of years that have passed since Hairen-sama deployed the Great Barrier, it makes sense that no information regarding dungeons remains on the west side. Keeping unnecessary records is a luxury only those with plenty of breathing room can afford. Though, I do doubt that the Adventurer Guilds would have absolutely no records left. However, since we requested information from the Zurable Great Empire’s Adventurer Guilds under the guise of researching monsters, it is likely they simply didn't submit information on dungeons that had already ceased to exist. As proof, adventurers from the Zurable Great Empire who travel to the east were well aware of the dungeons' existence."
"In that case, if we tell the Adventurer Guilds that we want to research the monsters that appear in dungeons as well, information on the dungeons themselves might naturally start to gather."
"Yes. I would be grateful if you could proceed in that manner."
"Understood. I’ll do that for my future research at the Adventurer Guilds."
So, the policy for gathering information at the Adventurer Guilds was decided, but...
"So, judging by Kirika’s story, that means on the east side, where the Hain Empire is..."
"Naturally, it means there’s a Dungeon Master there."
"..."
At the observation from Surakichi-san and John, everyone fell silent. In the midst of that, Hairen seemed to have finished her parfait.
"Phew. Man, that was delicious. Wait, why is everyone being so quiet? If there’s a Dungeon Master, we can just go and defeat them, right?"
At Hairen’s words, which sounded so simple and obvious, everyone wore an expression that screamed, *'Hey, do you really think it’s that easy to defeat one?'*
"What? It’s not like Yuki would lose. He’s the husband Kagura and the others are so proud of, right? He’s the second coming of Sota! He’s so ruthless he treats gods like mere mushrooms."
"I appreciate the high praise, but when I fought Aquenoki, it was before the enemy could fully deploy their dungeon—or rather, they couldn't utilize the dungeon functions to their full potential, which is why it was easy. But this time, the opponent has already deployed their dungeon. And they’ve been gathering DP like crazy throughout all these recent wars..."
"Ah, I see. In that case, it’s going to be a pain with enemies swarming out, huh?"
Contrary to Hairen’s carefree acceptance, I felt a massive sense of unease and found myself at a loss for words. It seemed Kirika felt the same way.
"Master. I felt something off; may I speak?"
"Yeah. I felt it too. Tell me what you’re sensing, Kirika."
And so, the dungeon discovery report meeting began to veer in an unexpected direction.
Having reminded ourselves of the true nature of dungeons, we will now proceed to gather information on the dungeons and the Hain Empire. Now then, how will this turn out?