第１０２２堀：地方ダンジョンの情報 (Part2)
"Wait, not only is the entrance blocked by trees, but the path to reach this dungeon is completely overgrown. Who would even use this place in such a state? Looking at the situation, isn't it obvious that this dungeon has been abandoned?"
Milly was right. A dungeon needs to attract people and monsters to generate DP. Yet, the entrance is sealed, and there isn't even a path leading to it.
"Steve and the others mentioned that, too. So, Milly, you share the same assessment?"
"Naturally. It doesn't function as a dungeon at all. Given the circumstances, it seems more like a place one of the Dungeon Masters from the list Luna gave us created on a whim, only for them to have passed away long ago and for the place to be forgotten."
I found myself agreeing with that opinion. If this were a dungeon still being maintained by a Dungeon Master connected to the Hein Empire, then...
"Or perhaps it's a hideout? Yuki, is there a Gate inside the dungeon? That would help us determine its purpose."
"Ah, I see. You're right. If a Gate were installed, it would make sense as an evacuation point. That would explain why the entrance is blocked and why there are no approach routes."
Comet voiced her agreement with my theory, and the others nodded, seemingly convinced. Now, as for whether a Gate exists...
"Unfortunately, there is no Gate. Take a look at the internal dungeon data."
I accessed the dungeon's internal information, and... what is this? The dungeon only has five floors. While the mazes on each level were strangely elaborate, the total area of the dungeon was, at most, 400 meters square. To top it off, not only was there no Gate, but there wasn't a single living space to be found. In other words, looking at the interior, it was clearly built solely to lure in adventurers.
"This is completely a dungeon for beginners, isn't it? Right, Tori?"
"That's right. It looks very similar to the dungeons the Adventurer Guild prepares for children."
"...It certainly looks similar. But the monsters placed here aren't practice-grade small Goblins. There's a real chance of dying here."
I see, I see. Now it was the turn of Riel and the others, who had been adventurers, to weigh in. Dungeons didn't exist on the If Continent where I came from, so I wasn't familiar with such things, but if they said so, it must be true. Perhaps, as the spouse of a Dungeon Master, I should study the basics of dungeons more thoroughly.
Wait, that's right. "What do you think, Comet?"
"Well, I share the same opinion as Riel and the others. When you're a beginner, you have very little DP, so the scale inevitably ends up like this. So, I cast my vote with Milly—this is a dungeon that was abandoned after its original Master died. Yuki, is there any additional information from Steve and the others who are investigating the site? Since this is an ongoing investigation, we can't rely solely on the data. We definitely need the input of the members on the ground."
Comet was absolutely right. Everyone's gaze turned back to Yuki.
"I've received a progress report. They're currently extracting information from the Dungeon Core, but for now, it seems there's no trace of any intruders for the past 200 years."
"Huh? What was that? That doesn't make any sense, does it? We just assumed this was a beginner-level dungeon built by a novice Dungeon Master. How has it been running for 200 years without a single intruder?"
"!?!"
Everyone gasped at those words. It was indeed strange. Dungeons don't run for free. Since they are tools created by Luna to stop the world's magical depletion, there are "usage fees" set to weed out incompetent Dungeon Masters who would otherwise just play around. In other words, even if you do nothing, fees accumulate. Without intruders, this dungeon shouldn't have been able to cover those costs. It must have been replenishing its DP from somewhere...
"Steve's opinion is that it was being replenished with DP from an external source. They're currently analyzing the replenishment history. Honestly, dungeons that don't accumulate dust are a real pain in situations like this. Regardless, the current situation is that there is no dungeon access from the enemy."
"I see. So we're just waiting for further reports?" Seraria confirmed, and Yuki nodded.
"Yeah. At the very least, there is no doubt that we have secured one of our target sample dungeons. Well, there's still a chance it's a dud, but even a dud dungeon can be used as a decoy to suppress the surrounding ones."
I see. He really is thinking about everything. Now, all that's left is to wait for the conquest of the remaining two dungeons. It may have been a beginner's dungeon, but for some reason, it seems to have been operational until now. We'll have more detailed information later, but there is no doubt we've gained a foothold.
With that, Yuki and the others set off toward the Hein Empire. What exactly is the enemy Dungeon Master planning?