We enter the dungeon, and run through the first and second floors. Along the way, Enki picks up sand to replace the body it lost, before we enter the third floor.
Normally we would follow the boundary line and make our way to the fourth floor, but… This is where I get a little greedy.
“Mapping the boundary line and the area around it?”
“Yes. I want to expand what I can see with Automatic Mapping as much as possible, to make it easier for us later. Ah, but don’t worry, I’m not going into areas where monsters spawn.”
“I get that. Shouta’s only got the fourth floor on his mind right now.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Please do as you want, Shouta.”
“Hahaha, thanks.”
It’s not like I’m not curious about the monkey and bear rare monsters, but I just went through a tough time on the third floor, so I want to only think about the fourth floor. I should stay focused on one thing anyway.
“Go ahead then, Enki.”
‘Goh!’
Enki grows to its biggest size, and we ride it in the same positions as last time, with me on a chair on its head while using Hawk Eye.
“Ahh, it does feel a lot easier when I’m not being drained…”
I whisper as Enki advances.
I’m sitting on my throne with my elbows propped on it and my legs crossed. I close my eyes, and the map starts updating. When humans get comfortable, they really don’t like to get away from it.
Well, apparently the fourth floor is a plain, not a lush forest like this, so I intend to walk there. But if I can take it easy in a place like this, I will.
We pass by a few teams on our way to the fourth floor, but since they all seem to know about Enki, they look somewhat impressed, but not scared. Apparently the branch manager sent a message to every adventurer that explores the beginner dungeon about me and Enki. There was also yesterday’s news story, and memes on the message boards.
I guess there isn’t an adventurer in this dungeon that doesn’t know about Enki.
And so, we take it easy as we advance and fill the map along the borderline.
This floor is hard to map. It makes sense that adventurers without mapping skills ignore it completely.
But as I think that, we reach the staircase to the fourth floor.
“Ooh.”
What we see is something like an outpost. Defensive wooden walls, and many simple tents positioned uniformly like a go board. And I can see adventurers relaxing near their bases.
When I heard about adventurers gathered by the entrance, I pictured a bunch of tents huddled together… But this is a lot different.
Among the adventurers that are resting, I can see some that I pass by in the association all the time. When I see them all relaxed like this, it makes me question if this really is a dungeon.
“I haven’t been here in a while, but it looks the same as ever.”
“Four, five years ago?”
“Yes. When we started comin’ to the dungeon.”
This beginner dungeon appeared five years ago. Did they set up a secondary base on the fourth floor back then?
“Having these relay bases makes adventures easier, so they are important. The beginner dungeon does not have this, but some dungeons have stands where you can have light meals. And of course, they are relatively expensive.”
“Like fifty percent more expensive?”
“That would not be worth it. On the lower floors, it should be twice the price. And as you go deeper, the price jumps to five or ten times more.”
“Uhi… It makes sense, considering how much it must cost to transport stuff there.”
Then again, adventurers who have made it that far should have the money to splurge. And there’s also the enjoyment of eating at a food stall in a dungeon.
As I talk with Aira, I suddenly realize Aki and Maki are gone. I look for them, and sense their presences in a log house that stands out from the rest. It doesn’t seem dangerous, so I just wait for them to come back. When they do, they tell me they were talking to the person who manages this place.
I guess it’s because I’m an A rank, but we got a spacious area in the back of the camp.
“Does the association manage this place too?”
“Yes. They send capable employees here.”
“And I see people rent plots on this camp…”
Even though it’s a dungeon.
“If it wasn’t managed, there would be fights over territory, and it would turn into a lawless area. Without clear rules over where to set up tents, it’s very easy to start trouble, and hard to deal with it when it happens.”
“Like… Thieves?”
“For example.”
I see. Everyone here is an adventurer, so we’re all colleagues, but at the same time, rivals. Surely there are bad people who want to get in the way of others. Not to mention some ‘red color’ problem children might want to take advantage of any openings they see, so people need to be wary of that, at the very least.
Otherwise, houses wouldn’t need locks.
There’s also the fact that my team is comprised of me and four girls. It would make sense for us to be targeted by bad people… Normally.
“I would rather they did target us. It would make things safer going forward.”
“An attack? That sounds kind of fun!”
“But people are wary of Shouta because of what happened before, so I doubt that’s gonna happen.”
“I don’t think there is anyone here who wouldn’t shrink back at the sight of Enki.”
Who would do something bad when we’re having a conversation like this out in the open?
“My girls are so reliable.”
‘Goh.’
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Thanks for the treat.