arc2 · 056-ch56

Chapter 56: Reconnaissance ①

The next morning, while I was eating breakfast and watching the news on the old TV, I heard a word that sounded familiar.

"Next news. The Dungeon Agency has announced a partnership with dungeon photographer SS."

Oh, it made the national news.

"According to the Dungeon Agency, SS will provide information on dungeon modifications and dungeon errors, and will cooperate with dungeon patrols and evacuation guidance in the event of dungeon modifications whenever possible."

Nice, nice—they properly included "whenever possible." That one phrase makes a huge difference.

"To facilitate these activities, the Dungeon Agency has granted SS permission to fly his drones throughout the city and enter dungeons unconditionally. However, this applies only to SS. Please note that anyone without permission imitating this will be committing a crime."

Oh, now I can fly my drones without holding back. But from now on, these drones are going to stand out, so I'll need to be careful during takeoff and landing. Maybe I should launch from Mount Takao until I move.

Well, I got permission from Arihara-san, and both the news and the Dungeon Agency's website are covering it, so let's go ahead and use these rights and fly a drone. For the destination, I'll combine it with reconnaissance and head to the Blue Brick Warehouse Dungeon I'm planning to visit tomorrow.

I registered today's flight route in the app Arihara-san gave me. It connects to all dungeon administrators in Japan, and by looking at it, they can tell which dungeon my drone is entering. Pretty impressive that she had such a convenient app.

Also, I attached a GPS to Asahi. Apparently this is to distinguish it from the other drones. Hayate looks completely different from other drones, so there's no way to mistake it. Plus it doesn't make any sound.

I don't have any university lectures today, so I have the whole day free. I'll spend the morning on reconnaissance, and in the afternoon, I'll figure out a patrol route for the nearby dungeons. Also, Mom should be picking up the keys to that condo room she bought the other day, so tonight we can all do some online shopping and stock up on what we need.

With that decided, I summoned Hayate and put it in my bag for now. I put the bag in my bicycle basket and rode to the foot of Mount Takao. Then I took Hayate out in the mountains and launched it into the sky.

To avoid anyone seeing it flying, I had it fly at a pretty high altitude while heading toward Yokohama. While I was riding my bike and flying Hayate at the same time, I almost crashed into a telephone pole. That was close, that was close.

I tried to race whether I'd get home first or Hayate would reach the Blue Brick Warehouse Dungeon first, but nope, I was definitely faster. I guess since my level went up, my physical abilities improved too—I got there sooner than expected. Maybe I could give Asahi a run for its money.

Anyway, I went back to my room and spent over ten minutes concentrating on operating Hayate until the Yokohama Blue Brick Warehouse Dungeon came into view. Nervously, I moved it toward the reception desk, hoping they'd let me in.

"Why is there a drone here?"

"Huh? A drone? Who's flying one in a place like this?"

"Hey, could that be SS's drone?"

"That's right! They covered it on the news this morning! So this is SS's drone!"

"It's, like, super quiet, isn't it? I didn't even notice it coming in."

Flying up to the reception desk, the people around seemed to notice Hayate's presence. Things were getting a bit noisy.

"Ah, you must be SS-san. We've been informed. Please, come in!"

The receptionist lady opened the entrance and let Hayate through. Good, this app is working properly.

And so, for the first time, I—or rather, one unit—entered a dungeon alone.

▽▽▽

(Hohoho, so this is a ruin-type dungeon)

Upon entering the dungeon, a landscape resembling a ruined town spread out before me. I'd seen it in videos I researched yesterday, but seeing it with my own eyes gives a completely different impression.

Most of the buildings are half-destroyed, but some still have their original form intact. Monsters might come out from inside, so I need to be careful. I moved Hayate to a slightly higher position and began exploring while checking the surroundings.

(Oh, someone's fighting over there)

Right after I started moving Hayate, I spotted a party fighting monsters. Their movements are a bit clumsy, so they're probably F-rank or E-rank. A party of four, facing off against three dog-like monsters.

(Let's see, since I'm here, might as well watch for a bit)

I moved the drone closer without being noticed and observed the battle.

I've learned about those dog-type monsters in class. I think they're called Bite Dogs. Nickname: "Biters." As the name suggests, biting is their main attack method—F-rank monsters.

The four-person party is fighting with swords, spears, and maces. Those are probably made from processed magic iron mined in dungeons. Magic iron is the lowest rank among dungeon-mined ores, but it's still quite expensive compared to surface metals.

Everyone's fighting with weapons, so it doesn't look like there are any mages. Well, jobs that can use magic are rare, so I doubt you'd see them often.

(Oh, they got one down. Four against two—they shouldn't lose.) I raised the altitude so as not to get in the way and moved on.

After that, I spotted several more parties and was able to observe most of the monsters that appear on this floor. Exploring such a wide area was tough, but I managed to find the stairs leading down. According to my agreement with the Dungeon Club, I'm supposed to go down to the second floor, so I should check that out too.

I confirmed there were no explorers around and descended to the second floor.