The Dungeon Slayer's Career Change

Dungeons.

Dungeons were the nests of monsters.

Long ago, countless grotesque creatures called monsters roamed freely across this world.

Monsters spawned in places called dungeons. They were born there, grew there, and when the time came, they emerged into the outside world to attack people.

To counter this threat, humanity sought to destroy the dungeons that served as monster nests.

Those who conquered dungeons—explorers—became humanity's heroes, and through their achievements, the monster threat gradually diminished.

Among them all, one explorer called the Dungeon Slayer achieved feats on an entirely different level.

True to his name, the Dungeon Slayer had destroyed numerous dungeons.

Despite his young age, he fought with the ferocity of a demon god. The sight of him cutting down waves of monsters with his jet-black greatsword became the very embodiment of what every explorer aspired to be.

However, in recent years, as more dungeons fell and the monster threat weakened, something changed.

Attention shifted to the untapped resources hidden within the dungeons themselves.

Nations began viewing dungeons not as monster nests to be destroyed, but as treasure troves of valuable resources. With the monster threat largely contained thanks to the explorers' efforts, each country's leadership decided to harness dungeons as tools for economic growth.

As a result—

◆

Dungeon Slayer. I hereby revoke your explorer qualifications.

Huh?

One day, I suddenly found myself out of a job.

The man who delivered this bombshell was a noble of this country—Duke Gulay Flamac.

This was a room in the royal castle at the heart of the Westit Kingdom. I'd just returned from dungeon exploration when I was abruptly summoned here, ushered before the duke without explanation, and hit with this incomprehensible verdict.

Your achievements thus far have been commendable. However, your power is no longer needed. As of this moment, I'm removing your name from the Explorers' Association registry.

Um, well . . . could you explain what's going on?

I genuinely had no idea what was happening, so I asked for clarification. Duke Gulay let out an irritated sigh.

In the past, dungeons were seen as monster nests and treated as the source of all evil. But as you know, recent years have highlighted the importance of the resources lying dormant within dungeons, and our country has decided to adopt a policy against recklessly destroying them.

I already knew that much. I nodded silently, waiting for him to continue.

Moving forward, our country will pursue coexistence and mutual prosperity with dungeons. In that policy, your existence is an obstacle.

Duke Gulay continued.

Dungeon Slayer. Your achievements are remarkable. After all, you accomplished the unprecedented feat of completely conquering and destroying S-rank dungeons—seven of them, no less. No other explorer has achieved such feats. It's no exaggeration to say you're truly a natural enemy of dungeons. However . . . as a natural enemy of dungeons, you become an obstacle to coexistence and mutual prosperity with them. We cannot allow you to continue operating as an explorer.

So you're saying . . . this is basically banishment from the Explorers' Association?

Exactly. You're forbidden from using the Association's services, and you may no longer operate under the name Dungeon Slayer.

The weight of his words sank in, and I understood completely.

Everything I'd built until now was about to be wiped away.

I barely managed to keep the frustration from showing on my face.

I hadn't originally wanted to become a hero. I didn't become an explorer because I wanted to be worshipped—but since I was going to fight anyway, I wanted to make a difference in the world. That feeling had carried me through countless life-and-death battles.

I never imagined those efforts would come back to bite me like this.

Coexistence and mutual prosperity with dungeons. It certainly sounded nice, but . . .

Do you really think that's possible?

What?

I've seen countless situations out there in the field. From my experience, I can tell you that coexistence with dungeons is impossible . . . They're living things. Show them restraint, and they'll push back harder. Hesitate in our efforts to keep them in check, and monsters will multiply like crazy. The world will be right back where it started with the monster threat.

Hmph, ridiculous. I'm sick of hearing explorers' paranoid nonsense.

Duke Gulay sneered openly.

Unlike the past, we can now produce advanced weapons. In today's world, maintaining dungeons without destroying them is child's play. The dungeon management authorities in our country fully support coexistence and mutual prosperity with dungeons . . . You may be called a hero in the streets, but don't get ahead of yourself. You're nothing more than a mercenary whose only skill is destroying dungeons.

But those dungeon management authorities were exactly the people who'd never set foot in the field . . .

I couldn't help but sigh.

If you understand, then leave. Keep wasting my time and I'll call the guards.

I understand.

I didn't think guards could actually stop me, but starting trouble would only cause more headaches, so I decided to go along with it.

This was typical of nobles who'd never seen real fieldwork. They made rosy plans without understanding how dangerous dungeons really were. People like that never wanted to hear what actual explorers had to say.

Dejected, I left the room.

Ah, no, wait. I forgot something.

Just as I was about to open the door, I heard his voice from behind me.

Return that mask as well. That's government property.

At Duke Gulay's words, I nodded and removed the jet-black mask that had been concealing my face.

Duke Gulay took the mask and gave a mocking smile.

Same plain face as always. Many would be disappointed to learn this is the true identity of the Dungeon Slayer.

That might be true. I'd been told I had a plain face all my life.

When operating as the Dungeon Slayer, I was always required to wear this mask . . . My real face has no particularly distinctive features. Black hair and black eyes aren't that unusual, and without the mask, no one would realize I'm the Dungeon Slayer. Only a select few know my true identity.

Well then, Dungeon Slayer . . . no. Just commoner Lect.

Now truly cast aside, I left the room in silence.

◇

Duke Gulay, thank you for your hard work.

After the Dungeon Slayer—Lect—departed, another noble who had been waiting in the adjacent room appeared with a fawning expression.

That went well.

Hmph, he's ultimately just a commoner who rose to prominence by following our orders. The public may fawn over that man, but to us he's nothing more than a replaceable puppet.

Duke Gulay's smile turned vulgar.

We've successfully recovered the mask that was the Dungeon Slayer's trademark. With this . . .

Duke Gulay tightened his grip on the mask.

With a sharp crack, the mask shattered.

The Dungeon Slayer is finished. Well, as a disposable hero, he served his purpose.

Mask fragments scattered at his feet.

Duke Gulay crushed the fragments underfoot with a nasty smile.

But Her Royal Highness the Princess might complain later. She seemed quite fond of the Dungeon Slayer.

Let her. Both Her Highness and the public will soon realize that the world gets along just fine without him.

Indeed. When we need another one, we can simply prepare replacements as needed.

Ho, you're beginning to understand politics as well.

The two men laughed together.

The Explorers' Association is a national organization that supports explorers.

In other words, it's an organization controlled by the nobles who run the country's politics. For these men, manipulating the Association was child's play.

Being an explorer is a licensed profession, requiring mandatory membership in the Explorers' Association.

Revoking that license means expulsion from the Association—making it impossible to ever work as an explorer again. From now on, Lect would be unable to earn income as an explorer, and he could no longer enjoy any explorer privileges.

Just like that, Lect had fallen from the Dungeon Slayer to an ordinary commoner.

The men believed that soon even the Dungeon Slayer would fade from public memory.

Announce that the Dungeon Slayer retired voluntarily . . . He's no longer needed in this new era.

After being practically driven out of the castle, I walked leisurely through the town.

Now . . . what should I do?

Though they'd stripped away my explorer qualifications so casually, I wasn't as upset as I'd expected to be.

Maybe I hadn't been that invested in being an explorer after all.

Honestly, ever since I became known as the Dungeon Slayer, I'd just been going through the motions as an explorer . . . maybe this is a good opportunity.

I'd wanted to take a long vacation and just relax. The thought had crossed my mind more than once.

Looking at it that way, my situation didn't seem so bad.

Lect!

Suddenly, someone called out to me.

When I turned around, I saw a familiar girl.

Misha? It's been a while.

It has. It's been a month since you left on that expedition.

Misha MacLaine was a girl with distinctive red hair.

Though only twelve, her special position had given her wisdom beyond her years.

She had well-arranged features that would make her a beauty, and eyes that showed strong determination. Though technically a commoner like me, she carried herself with the refined composure of nobility.

She was one of the few people who knew my true identity.

So she also knew about my activities as the Dungeon Slayer.

More importantly! Come here for a moment!

As if greetings didn't matter, Misha grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

Misha led me through back alleys until we reached a secluded spot.

What's going on?! The Association just received an order to revoke your registration!

Misha was shouting, absolutely furious.

Yeah, I just heard about that myself . . . Apparently, explorers like me aren't needed anymore. They're cutting loose anyone whose only skill is clearing dungeons.

What?! That's insane! They made that decision without consulting Grand—I mean, the chairman?!

Misha's face turned bright red as she shouted in outrage.

As the Explorers' Association chairman's granddaughter, Misha had worked for the Association since she was little and knew the ins and outs of explorer affairs. My expulsion shouldn't have been made public yet, but her position let her find out about it quickly.

Look, there's nothing I can do about it. The Association is technically a government organization.

That doesn't give them the right to ignore what the field staff thinks! That idiot director . . . ! He went ahead and made decisions without telling anyone!

The Explorers' Association might be a national organization, but not everyone who works there is nobility.

Only the director who sets operational policy is a noble; everyone else is a commoner. The most senior of those commoners is the chairman.

The chairman has considerable authority, but it still doesn't match the director's power.

Apparently, the director had approved my expulsion this time without the chairman or Misha knowing about it.

Who was it . . . ? Who decided they wanted to get rid of you . . . ?

I talked to Duke Gulay directly, but I doubt this was just his idea. They've probably been planning this for a while . . . at this point, you could say this is what the government wants.

I'd met Duke Gulay several times before, and if anything, I only had bad impressions of him. The House of Flamac was established nobility with vast territories, but they were pretty aggressive about making money. They'd clashed with explorers multiple times over who owned the resources sitting unused in dungeons.

Why! Are you! Just accepting this?!

Misha stamped her small feet as she spoke.

Seeing her like that, I thought she really was still just a kid . . .

Lect! Are you really okay with leaving things like this?!

Misha's eyes burned with fierce determination as she questioned me.

Lect, the nobles have been using you this whole time, haven't they?! Wearing that mask to hide your identity was their idea too, right?!

That's true, but . . .

That mask was designed so they could throw you away when the time came . . . The Dungeon Slayer's trademarks are the mask covering his face and that jet-black greatsword. In other words, anyone could pretend to be him with just those two things. If you'd ever claimed to be the Dungeon Slayer and rebelled against the country, the nobles were planning to create a different Dungeon Slayer and get rid of you by calling you a fake. Even though they'd know perfectly well you were the real one.

You're probably right.

I'd always had a nagging feeling about the mask's real purpose.

When I was still unknown, the Association director gave me the mask and told me:

Make sure to wear the mask whenever you work as an explorer from now on.

The intent was probably exactly what Misha had just explained.

Well, being expelled from the Association only applies to this country. If I went somewhere else, I could work as an explorer again . . . so it's not like I'm completely trapped.

For now, I didn't want to worry Misha any more than I already had.

That's what I was thinking when I tried to explain, but—

What . . . ? Y-You're going to another country . . . ?

Suddenly Misha's eyes grew watery, showing the innocent vulnerability you'd expect from someone her age.

No, that was just an example.

R-Really?! You're not lying? You'll stay in this country . . . ?

Yeah.

I seemed to have made her even more anxious.

When I nodded firmly, Misha looked relieved. It was the kind of expression that reminded me she really was only twelve years old.

I-I see . . . W-Well, I think that's more practical for now anyway, so that's fine.

Misha let out a sigh of relief, her voice returning to its usual tone.

To be honest, I did think about going to another country . . . but I've lived in this country my whole life. Sure, the nobles have pissed me off plenty of times, but there are people here who've helped me too . . . Just because I'm disgusted with this whole situation doesn't mean I can forget what I owe to the people who've been good to me. If anything, I want to pay back my debts in a way that actually helps them.

Repaying favors, huh . . . If it were me, I'd be furious at those idiotic nobles and just do whatever I wanted.

I understood her feelings, but if I did that, it would cause trouble for the people who had helped me. Besides, my mood probably wouldn't improve anyway.

Don't you want to explore dungeons anymore, Lect?

I wonder . . . Recently, whenever I went out, I drew too much attention and it felt suffocating. Honestly, I'm not that attached to it anymore.

Perhaps my statement was unexpected, as Misha's eyes widened.

Seeing her surprise, I continued speaking my true feelings.

Besides, I've long thought that endlessly destroying dungeons one after another would be pointless . . . Regardless of whether trying to coexist with dungeons will succeed, at least I agree that things can't continue as they are. The nobles might have some plan . . . in any case, a new era has arrived.

Times change.

I didn't want to deny that reality and keep clinging to past glory.

The Dungeon Slayer's activities have run their course. I think it's time I stepped back from the front lines and watched over the younger generation from now on.

When I said that, Misha let out a small sigh.

The younger generation . . . Lect, you're plenty young yourself. You're only twenty, right?

Well, yeah. But I feel like I've already done a lifetime's worth of work.

That . . . might be true, but . . .

I had been gaining experience since childhood, after all. Those words might not have resonated with Misha—despite being only twelve years old, she was already entrusted with part of the Association's operations—but she understood.

Hmm . . . If you're at peace with retiring, it would be strange for me to stop you . . . But if you're retiring as an explorer, what will you do now?

I haven't decided that yet, but . . .

As I was pondering, Misha suddenly spoke up, as if remembering something.

. . . Hey, Lect. I have a suggestion.

A suggestion?

You know the dungeon training institute, right?

Yeah. That place helped me out when I was starting out too.

It's an educational institution that teaches dungeon exploration techniques.

You can only get explorer qualifications by graduating from the training institute.

Actually, the number of students at the training institute has been increasing lately. So they're now recruiting new instructors. If you'd be willing, Lect—

Miss MacLaine!

A loud voice called out from the distance, and Misha stopped talking.

A woman in her twenties approached us, wearing the standard uniform of an Association receptionist.

What's wrong, Emma?

This is bad! Training institute students are sending distress signals from a dungeon!

Seeing the panicked Association receptionist, Misha's eyes widened for just a moment before she immediately regained her composure.

Emma, calm down. Distress signals aren't that unusual . . . First, which dungeon are we talking about?

Th-the D-rank dungeon, the Whirling Abyss.

I see . . . fortunately, it's close by.

The dungeon is easily accessible by carriage from there.

I had explored it several times myself when I was a student at the training institute.

Has a rescue team already been dispatched?

Y-Yes. We sent out urgent rescue requests to the Association's explorers. However, after the rescue team departed, the content of the distress signal changed . . . It seems they've suffered serious injuries. At this rate, the rescue team might not make it in time.

I understood the situation.

When explorers in dungeons realize they can't survive on their own, they send distress signals to the Association. The Association then immediately dispatches rescue teams to the dungeon.

That's nothing unusual. However, in this case, it seemed the condition of the explorers who sent the distress signal had deteriorated much faster than expected.

Who's handling the rescue?

I had been listening to the conversation and asked the receptionist.

Um, well . . . ? Excuse me, but who are you . . . ?

Emma, fill him in.

At Misha's instruction, the receptionist explained, looking confused.

The rescue team is the B-rank party Azure Swordmasters. They're experienced with a solid track record, but . . . given how critical the rescue targets' condition is, we're worried about whether they can get there fast enough.

The B-rank party Azure Swordmasters—even among explorers, they were well-known.

Their leader in particular, the blue-haired woman Medi, was an A-rank explorer who ranked among the top thirty in the country. She certainly had the skill to handle the Whirling Abyss. However, this time the goal was rescue, not exploration. Considering the time needed to treat seriously injured people, that party might not make it in time.

Can you tell me where the signal is coming from?

Y-Yes. Here's the map.

As Misha's subordinate, she came prepared.

Looking at the map, I immediately visualized the route.

The sixth floor, huh . . . That's pretty deep for training institute students.

Still, that depth should be manageable.

I stretched slightly and looked toward Misha.

Misha, I'm going.

At my words, Misha's expression brightened for just a moment before she immediately grew serious again.

Honestly, that would be a huge help, but . . . are you sure? Since you've been expelled from the Association, you're not an official explorer anymore. We can't pay rescue compensation, and there's no benefit for you to explore dungeons, right?

It's fine. Thanks to working like a workhorse all this time, I've got money to burn.

Being expelled from the Association meant I could no longer take any Association work whatsoever.

In other words, I wouldn't be heading to the dungeon on an official rescue request, but going as a volunteer.

Dungeon exploration is life-threatening. Doing volunteer work like that would be utterly foolish, but . . . I'm not called the Dungeon Slayer for nothing. With a D-rank dungeon, there should be no need to risk my life.

Well then, I'm off.

From here to the Whirling Abyss, it's about twenty minutes by carriage—but if I ran at full speed, I could probably get there in about twenty seconds.

The next moment, I launched myself from the ground.

◇

Eek!

A sudden blast of wind erupted, and Emma screamed.

She hurriedly pressed down her billowing skirt. With debris apparently in her eyes, Emma looked ahead with tears welling up.

Before she knew it, Lect had vanished completely.

He's gone . . . Ugh, and we were still in the middle of our conversation.

Misha sighed as she muttered.

Seeing this, Emma timidly raised her hand.

Um, Miss MacLaine . . .

What?

Who was that person just now . . . ?

Misha thought for a moment before answering Emma's question.

The strongest former explorer.

◇

The explorers of the B-rank party Azure Swordmasters were rushing through the dungeon without stopping.

Leader! We just got more information from the Association!

What does it say?!

Medi, the blue-haired female leader, called out as she cut down monsters with her sword.

Jimmy, who had been communicating with the Association, shouted back as they ran.

The people we're rescuing have suffered serious injuries! If we don't treat them immediately, they might not make it!

What?!

They were already moving as fast as they could.

Being pushed to go even faster meant this was an extremely serious situation.

Damn . . . ! At this rate, we won't make it in time . . . !

The A Swordmasters' specialty, led by Medi, was methodical exploration.

This didn't mean they actively sought out low-risk, low-level dungeons, but rather that through meticulous preparation and calm judgment, they could explore any harsh dungeon with ease.

This rescue request was no exception to that pattern.

The Association had deemed Azure Swordmasters' exploration speed too slow . . . but Medi and her team had prepared countermeasures for that too.

In dungeon exploration, there's a technique called shortcuts.

Literally, it's a technique for significantly reducing travel time by using special back routes instead of following normal paths.

Shortcut! We're climbing this wall!

The team members followed Medi's instructions.

There was a large wall directly in front of them. Instead of detouring around it as they normally would have had to do, Medi and her team forced their way forward by climbing the wall.

Medi was a well-known explorer, and her skills backed up her reputation.

In a single leap, Medi scaled twenty meters up the wall. Five seconds later, she reached the other side, sword gripped firmly in her hand.

Gah . . . ! Why are there so many monsters?!

Medi felt a surge of impatience at the scene spread out below her.

This was their biggest miscalculation—for some reason, there were far more monsters than usual. Even with the shortcut saving them time, dealing with this horde would slow them down anyway.

Leader! Please go on ahead!

At that moment, Alec, one of the team members, called out.

B-But if I do that, what about you guys?!

We're still members of Azure Swordmasters! We won't be taken down so easily!

With that, Alec raised his shield and blocked the monsters' attacks.

Alec's right! Leave this to us!

Fanna . . . !

Fanna, the shortsword user, charged forward and began cutting down monsters.

A path forward opened up.

Leader. This rescue target is a duke's daughter. For explorers from commoner backgrounds like us, this would be an invaluable connection. It's worth risking our lives a bit for that, don't you think?

Jimmy . . . Heh, you're as consistent as ever.

It's good to have someone playing this kind of role.

Jimmy provided rear support with a relaxed smile.

Seeing this, Medi's agitation began to fade.

Yeah, thanks for snapping me out of it—I can trust you all completely.

Medi tightened her grip on her sword and took a steadying breath.

Elemental Cloak.

Water currents materialized from thin air and wrapped around Medi's entire body.

She instantly kicked off the ground and shot forward at blinding speed.

She weaved through the monsters' attacks and rushed down the stairs to the lower floor.

The rescue target was on the sixth floor.

Three more floors, two floors, one floor—she arrived.

Found her!

Spotting the girl collapsed against the wall, Medi immediately rushed over.

Just as the Association's information had described, she was a blonde girl with pale skin and a delicate build. As a training institute student, she was an explorer apprentice. Though she wore typical explorer gear, her silky hair and refined features revealed her privileged upbringing. The report about her being a duke's daughter appeared to be accurate.

This is bad . . . I need to get her to the surface quickly and treat her . . . !

The girl had already lost consciousness.

Upon closer inspection, she had severe internal bleeding around her side. This was far worse than a broken bone—she might have internal organ damage.

?!

Sensing a presence behind her, Medi hoisted the girl over her shoulder and leaped to the side.

A massive axe crashed down where they had been standing just moments before.

Impossible . . . A Minotaur?! Why is one in a D-rank dungeon?!

Standing before them was a monster with a bull's head and a muscular body over five meters tall—a Minotaur.

Minotaurs were B-rank monsters that had no business being in a D-rank dungeon. Armed Minotaurs were especially dangerous—capable of leveling entire cities single-handedly.

Damn, the odds are stacked against me here—

Medi was an A-rank explorer. While her abilities normally surpassed those of a B-rank Minotaur, exhaustion from the journey weighed on her, and she was carrying the girl on her shoulder.

Hah!

Medi lashed out with her sword in a feinting strike, but the blade met resistance.

BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Minotaur roared.

Her blade couldn't penetrate its steel-like hide, and the attack was deflected.

In a flash, the massive axe swept horizontally.

Medi tried to leap out of the way, but she couldn't make it in time.

Gah . . . hah . . . ?!

She hastily used the flat of her blade as a makeshift shield, but the sword snapped under the impact.

The sudden surge of monsters, the appearance of a Minotaur that shouldn't exist on this floor—one unexpected development after another had left Medi's responses delayed, exposing a critical opening.

Is this . . . where I'm going to die . . . ?

The Minotaur's massive form loomed in her blurred vision.

Her leg was injured. Escape was no longer possible.

I'm sorry . . . I wasn't strong enough . . .

Medi silently apologized to the unconscious girl beside her.

And just as her consciousness began to fade . . .

A thunderous roar echoed.

The sudden sound from above made the Minotaur freeze.

Stone fragments showered down in front of Medi's eyes. Violent tremors continued as dust filled the air.

Found you.

An unfamiliar figure appeared in Medi's hazy vision.

The rescue target—leader of the Azure Swordmasters . . . looks like I made it just in time.

Through her fading consciousness, Medi watched the man's face soften with faint relief.

Where had this man come from? Still confused, Medi looked up at the ceiling and was so shocked she forgot to breathe.

There's a hole . . . in the ceiling . . . ?

The hole was directly above them.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn't a naturally formed hole.

Could it be . . . he punched a hole through the dungeon floor to reach the lower level . . . ? That's ridiculous . . . such an outrageous shortcut . . . is that even possible?

This was completely different from jumping over obstacles or detouring around monster-infested areas.

A shortcut that destroyed the terrain itself could only be accomplished with inhuman power.

A Minotaur, huh . . . This is my first time seeing one in this dungeon, but whatever.

The man faced the Minotaur casually.

But the man wasn't carrying any weapons or wearing any armor.

Don't . . . the Minotaur is a formidable enemy. If you're not careful, you'll end up like me . . .

She wished she could call out, but Medi's consciousness was already on the verge of fading.

BUMOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Minotaur let out a battle cry.

Perhaps displeased at having its battle interrupted, it seemed more agitated than before.

The massive axe came plunging down at a diagonal angle.

A direct hit would be devastating. Medi instinctively started to close her eyes, but . . .

There we go.

With that casual comment, the man swept his arm lightly.

In an instant, the Minotaur's axe shattered to pieces.

Huh?

At the unbelievable sight, Medi's mind went completely blank.

What had this man just done?

Sorry, but I'm in a hurry.

The moment he muttered those words, an ominous energy spread around him.

The air groaned.

Space warped around the man.

The jet-black power twisted the surrounding scenery like heat haze . . . it was something Medi had never seen before.

Elemental Cloak.

Black energy enveloped the man's entire body.

It was an extraordinary power.

Even just standing there, the pressure he gave off felt as if the world itself might shatter.

The moment the man clenched his fist, everything changed.

The Minotaur's massive form burst apart and vanished.

Huh?

She couldn't understand what had happened.

The man had probably punched the Minotaur, but she'd seen nothing at all.

Is this . . . a dream . . . ?

As her eyelids slowly closed, Medi wondered.

She was an experienced explorer—leader of the Azure Swordmasters with years in the field and extensive knowledge of the Whirling Abyss dungeon.

So she knew.

No explorer could kill a Minotaur that easily—that instantly.

No one could—except for one person who came to mind.

But surely that hero couldn't possibly be in a place like this.

This had to be a dream . . . but if it wasn't a dream?

At least, please save the girl who needs rescuing.

With that thought . . . Medi's consciousness faded.

◆

A few minutes passed.

I'm back.

Carrying both the blonde rescue target and the blue-haired leader of the Azure Swordmasters, I returned to the surface and reunited with Misha.

Good work, Lect. How are they both doing?

Both will be fine once we get them treated. I gave them first aid just to be safe.

You're as efficient as always. The Association staff will take over from here.

Right.

I started to carry the two into the Association building, but stopped just in time.

I'd already lost my explorer qualifications. I couldn't set foot in the Association.

I handed over the two I'd been carrying to an Association staff member standing nearby.

Was there a strong enemy down there? The whole area was shaking just now.

Hmm? Oh . . . sorry. An unexpected monster showed up, so I had to attack a bit more forcefully than usual.

A bit more forcefully . . . normally, impacts from inside dungeons don't reach the surface. Just be careful, okay? If you ever got serious, you might literally split the continent.

It wouldn't be that extreme.

Though I said this, when I considered whether an S-rank dungeon or a continent would be easier to destroy, I felt the continent would actually be simpler. Better not to mention that, though—it would only complicate things.

Don't lump me in with those stupid nobles. I know exactly what you're capable of . . . Besides, you've already split a continent once before, haven't you?

That was an accident.

Fortunately, it was an uninhabitable continent, so no one got hurt, but . . . things had gotten a little out of hand that time.

S-rank dungeons were bombs capable of destroying the world itself. The monsters lurking within could each single-handedly destroy entire nations. I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about collateral damage.

I should change the subject . . . that incident was officially supposed to have been caused by a dungeon going berserk or something similar. If anyone overheard a conversation like that, it would be serious trouble.

The Azure Swordmasters should have other members—should I go rescue them as well?

No, those three will be fine. I just received word that their battle is over . . . Since their leader has returned to the surface, I'll tell them to come back.

With that, Misha gave a meaningful look to a subordinate standing nearby.

The subordinate nodded silently and entered the Association building.

Lect. About continuing our earlier conversation . . .

Now that I thought about it, the discussion we'd had before the rescue had been left unfinished.

I still think it's a waste not to use your abilities. Even if you retire as an explorer, there should be plenty of ways to put that power to use.

Misha continued with a somewhat amused smile.

So here's my proposal . . . how about becoming an instructor at the dungeon training institute?

◇

While Lect was diving into the dungeon to conduct the rescue . . .

Hmm . . . A failure, apparently.

In a room with luxurious furnishings, a lone man muttered.

We were so close, but interference came at the last moment . . . The Antenna I embedded in the monster was also destroyed. Judging by the power, quite a high-ranking explorer. At least A-rank . . . no, S-rank perhaps?

He continued muttering to himself.

I can't imagine an A-rank or S-rank explorer coming to the Whirling Abyss, a D-rank dungeon . . . simply bad luck, I suppose.

After muttering that, the man paused.

Tch.

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

Good grief . . . now I'll have to face the client's anger.

He would need to devise his next strategy.

The man let out a deep sigh.