21-40 · 039
Chapter 37: Guild Master
After Goda was taken away by the heavily armed guild officers, I was escorted with Seira to the main headquarters of the Shinjuku Dungeon Guild under the pretext of giving a statement. We were placed in a top-of-the-line black VIP vehicle and guided to the guild master’s private office on the highest floor.
“—This unprecedented crisis. Tokyo was saved thanks to Master_Eye-dono’s immense support. On behalf of the Japan Dungeon Guild, I offer my deepest gratitude.”
The man bowing deeply across the massive mahogany desk was a muscular, battle-scarred old man. It was Jinichiro Togo, the guild master who stood at the top of all Japanese explorers and held powerful connections in politics and business. For someone with influence equal to a prime minister to bow so suddenly meant he had likely already grasped most of the situation, including my own actions as the “agent” on the scene.
“Please raise your head, Guild Master Togo. I am merely my master’s agent. This support was merely an ‘investment in future customers’ by Master_Eye.”
I responded with a mechanical voice through the gas mask, maintaining my persona as the inscrutable Master_Eye’s agent. The chance that my true identity had been exposed was high, but I stayed in character to be safe.
“An investment, is it? Impressive. But scattering three hundred Legendary Level artifacts across a battlefield is the kind of unconventional investment I haven’t seen in my long life.”
Togo-san’s sharp, hawk-like eyes observed me. Then, his lips relaxed into a smile, and he turned his gaze to Seira beside me.
“Even so, Seira. You were as wild as ever. Cutting down a Hydra in one stroke—even in my prime, that would have been a tough opponent.”
“Hehe, long time no see, Jin-san! But I couldn’t have done it alone this time. It was thanks to Master_Eye’s support and this sword.”
As expected of Japan’s top figures, they seemed to be old acquaintances. Seira called him “Jin-san,” and Togo-san looked at her with the fondness of a grandfather.
But when Seira proudly patted her sword with a light tap, Togo-san’s gaze locked onto her hand—more precisely, onto the ‘Holy Sword Excalibur’ she was holding so dearly.
“I thought it couldn’t be, but… there’s no mistaking it. Hey, Seira. Let me have a look at that sword.”
“Huh? No! This is my sword, one that Master_Eye restored just for me!”
“I’m not going to take it. I just want to check something.”
Seira hugged Excalibur protectively to her chest. But Togo-san leaned over his desk and peered intently at the blade in her arms.
“Well, no doubt about it. From the hilt’s decoration to the curvature of the blade… that’s the sword I used to favor in my active days!”
“…Huh?”
“What!?”
Our voices harmonized in surprise. The partner of Japan’s strongest S-Rank explorer had originally belonged to the old man before us?
“Oh, it brings back memories! A few years ago, it got corroded by a deep-layer monster’s acid and rusted badly. They said it couldn’t be repaired, so when I bought a new one, I tossed it into the Upper Layer Area’s garbage dump because I couldn’t be bothered to go deeper.”
The guild master let out a hearty laugh. The dots connected in my head. I had found that sword in the Upper Layer Area’s dump. So the sword I had scrubbed so hard with Sanpol in my bathroom was this guild master’s discarded trash.
Actually, he might be my greatest benefactor…
“To think that piece of scrap could be restored so beautifully… Master_Eye’s divine skill is truly something to behold. Makes me almost want to take it back and aim for a comeback.”
Togo-san grinned deliberately and reached out his hand. Seira let out a “Shh!” like a cat, hurriedly hiding the sword behind her back.
“No way! I bought this properly and paid for it on the flea market app! Even if it’s Jin-san, I’m not giving it to you!”
“Kaha! Just kidding. An old retired man like me doesn’t deserve such a fine blade. Use it well, Seira.”
Laughing contentedly, Togo-san’s expression turned serious again, and he slid a single heavy ‘black card’ across the desk toward me.
“Now, to the main matter. No matter how you call it an investment, the guild cannot let Master_Eye-dono’s contribution go unrewarded. This is the guild’s ‘Special Class A VIP Pass.’ I summoned you here to give you this. Unlike the explorers, we couldn’t easily give you a direct reward.”
“A VIP pass?”
“Yes. With this, you get free access to all guild facilities nationwide, and all taxes on dungeon-sourced items are waived. …Not a bad deal, is it?”
Tax exemption. The moment I heard those words, I pumped my fist under the gas mask, thinking, “Rin would be crying with joy.” For us, planning to earn five hundred billion—or even trillions—in the future, having taxes waived on dungeon-sourced items was a reward worth hundreds of billions of yen.
“This is an exceptional reward… are you sure?”
“Considering the mess we made and that you saved a whole city, it’s a small price. I’ve already spoken with the authorities. The weapons you sell will also boost Japan’s dungeon exploration efforts. The country stands to benefit as well.”
“That’s right! You did something amazing, so you deserve a good reward. You should accept it.”
Seira seemed to approve of me receiving the VIP pass.
“I see… understood. Then, I gratefully accept. My master will be delighted.”
“And one more thing. You may take one item of your choice from the guild’s underground ‘Unidentified Item Storage.’ It’s a pile of junk that explorers brought back but couldn’t use because it was cursed or rusted… but with your master’s skill, perhaps it will be a treasure vault instead.”