We head to the exit while dragging the thieves behind us, and pass by the two swordsmen who were with them along the way. They say they just met the today. They were camping near the entrance to the third floor, when the others proposed the six of them form a temporary team.
When we explain what happened, they agree to help, so after checking with Aira, I have them go to the association to tell them what happened.
“So these people didn’t know your rank, Aira? If they did, they wouldn’t have picked a fight, even if they thought I was weak.”
Well, I don’t really know either.
“My rank is not public, so they had no way of knowing. Also, a team’s rank is typically the rank of its leader. I assume they also thought that way.”
So the rank of the leader is prioritized, regardless of each member’s rank.
But of course, that doesn’t mean they can do whatever they want.
Does this mean Aira and Ayane are going to be treated as A rank too?
Are these people D rank because their characters aren’t fitting of a higher rank? I don’t know if they meet the conditions from a strength point of view, but I assume they wouldn’t get to C rank even if I didn’t get involved.
I wonder what punishment awaits D ranks who stole the prey of an A rank.
“Come to think of it, they seemed used to this, but so did you. Have you seen this happen a few times before?”
“Dungeons are lawless places, without much contact with the outside. And it is very easy to become an adventurer, all it takes is a short course. And since anyone can become an adventurer, this sort of thing happens frequently.
What is expected from low rank adventurers is not a good character, but the drive to work hard gathering magic stones, and enough strength in case its is needed. Once it gets to mid rank dungeons and above, these people tend to be weeded out and are not often seen, but even then, some persist.
That is why fresh faces are looked at with caution on floors and hunting areas with few people. And every high rank adventurer has the means to deal with it.”
“I see… I need to learn about that too. Will you teach me?”
“Of course master.”
Aira smiles lightly, and looks really beautiful.
I turn my eyes to the smartphone to mask how captivated I am by her face.
“…This application is useful, but it’s kind of annoying how the moment you enter a dungeon, most of its features go offline. Information gets updated automatically when we’re outside, so we can look up items and stuff like that but… It’d be nice to be able to easily get into contact at times like these.”
“No master, that is not quite right. Have you seen black pillars on the first and second floors?”
Come to think of it, yes, near the entrance to the first floor, and near the stairs to the second floor. And near the second floor’s entrance too, I think.
“Yes, there’s weren’t any in Unlucky Hall, but I think there were in the Heart Dungeon too…”
“Yes, those are like radio towers that use magic stones. They are still in development, but near them, you can use the text only means of communication called bulletin board. Although it is a very thin line, so voice calls and updates of a large amount of data are not possible.
It is impossible to keep a constant connection between the dungeon and the surface, so it is done through those devices. Incidentally, a system of voice calls within the same floor was developed last year, but it is quite cumbersome, so it will take some time for it to see practical use.”
A communications device in the dungeon… Didn’t I see that in the Heart Dungeon?
It was useful, but everyone who had the same kind of smartphone heard what people were saying.
Also, there was a lot of specialized machinery by the entrance, so I guess it’s not ready for general use yet.
“It makes sense that these people were unaware of your promotion, if they were here since early this morning. Although they would know if they checked the bulletin board frequently.”
Aira says while her eyes fall on the smartphone.
Bulletin board? I don’t really check that, but I wonder if it’s pretty busy now because there was a promotion ceremony.
“Another thing, those two said they were camping, but is that really necessary? The third floor isn’t that far.”
“Treasure chests spawn from the third floor onward, so a lot of people sleep there for some steady income.”
“Eh…”
Come to think of it, when I first met First Magnitude Star, their equipment was so dirty, that it’s hard to imagine they were only in the dungeon for half a day. They might have been on their way back after camping for a few days too.
“Camping… I guess the more likely people are to gather in a place like that, the more likely it is to find bad people like them.”
“All adventurers who camp know this, and are watchful. If someone like them is found, they will be beaten on the spot, so most would not do something this risky.
Are you interested in camping, master?”
“Hn… Like hunting for a long period of time, and keep working until my hands are full? I get full pretty quick, so there really isn’t any reason for me to do that.”
“Fufu, I guess so.”
And I can run very easily with Fast Run II and Swift II, so the distance is not really a problem.
We keep chatting as we leave the second floor. We’re not running at full speed, because these people might die if we dragged them around like that, so we have to hold back.
That said, while the second floor is a smooth plain, the first floor is exposed rock.
They take a few bumps as we move forward, and that pain makes them wake up. But they can’t free themselves from the ropes no matter how much they struggle.
And of course, since we don’t want to put up with their noise, their mouths are gagged.
According to Aira, this rope is a special material from the dungeon, so while it looks plain and adventurers don’t want to use it for equipment, it works pretty well. That’s why it can be used in situations like these.
Some people look at us like they’re seeing something odd, but since we sent out a warning in advance, there isn’t much of a fuss as we exit the dungeon.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
When we enter the association, we are greeted by the branch manager, who is accompanied by Hana, Aki and Maki, and people I think are guards.
The branch manager has an angry expression she doesn’t usually show, while glaring at the four people we brought. And they all shrink back with fear.
“What idiots, picking a fight with an A rank.”
““““!?””””
They turn their eyes to me. Ah, spoiler alert.
“I’ll deal with them.”
“Thank you.”
They try to say something, but I hand them over to the guards. And as I watch them get taken away, Maki can’t hold back, and jumps at me.
“Shouta!”
“Whoa. Haha, did I worry you?”
“Yes… Uu…”
“It’s all right, I’m fine.”
I try to soothe Maki, and the branch manager clears her throat.
“Ahem. Amachi, how about we go talk over there?”
“Yes.”
We go to the same conference room as always, where Aira plays the recordings, and we explain the situation in detail.
“…Speaking of them… You met these idiots that that misuse their rank pretty quickly. That’s really lucky.”
“Amachi, Aira, good job. There is no shortage of people like them on this beginner dungeon, but it’s hard to track them because they don’t show themselves unless they know they’re dealing with lower ranks. They usually put on an honest face. You really helped us out.”
…Hm…
I thought it was pretty unlucky that I came across them, but judging by their reactions, from the point of view of the association, these people disrupt their business a lot.
That means that it’s a good thing that we caught them, for their sake.
Yes, I’ll consider it lucky!
“We intend to look into their other crimes, and give them a harsh punishment to serve as an example to others. Also, as a reward, you are going to get the temporary lockdown of the first floor you wanted. I will make preparations right away, so thank you very much for this.”
Ooh, this is great.
They’re talking about revoking their adventurer licenses permanently. That much is certain, but depending on their past crimes, they might receive heavy sentences like forced magic stone picking or skill and item experiments in labs.
Well, they’re D rank, but that still puts their stats far above the average person’s, and they could have skills too.
They’re both precious and dangerous human resources, so they can’t just be sent out there freely, or into a prison with regular people.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
Torture them
Thanks for the translation.
But wow, the MC refering to human experiments as if they are nothing to care about is kinda surprising.
I mean, it’s just skill and status experiments if I guess. And they got their adventurer licences revoked anyway, so they can’t become an adventurer anymore. Then if they have any value, it should be for research purposes.
Thanks for the treat.