arc2 · 062-ch62

Chapter 62: Advice from an Old Man

side Yamamoto Densuke

"Wait—!? No good, no good—has it really been this long already?!"

While I was thinking about the auxiliary units Soramine-kun had proposed, a whole hour had somehow slipped by. At my exclamation, Soramine-kun looked up too, checked the clock, and showed a look of surprise.

"I'm sorry. I got so lost in thought..."

"Heh, don't worry—I'm in the same boat. When it comes to drones, I just lose all track of time."

"Ah, me too!"

Soramine-kun said with a smile. Looks like he also can't see anything else once drones are involved. I knew I'd get along with this kid. I'd love to sit down and exchange opinions about drones to our hearts' content sometime.

Honestly, I've taken a liking to him. That's precisely why there's something this slightly-more-experienced old man needs to tell him.

"I'd love to sit down and talk drones with you someday. But before that, there seems to be something I need to tell you. Would you be willing to hear out an old man with just a little more experience than you?"

If he turns me down, that's that—but I had a feeling he'd listen.

"Yes, absolutely. Please."

He straightened up in his chair, sat up straight, and looked at me with a serious expression. The reaction I expected—a little gratifying, honestly.

"Good. First, let me confirm—you're SS, aren't you?"

"!?!"

As I thought. My straight pitch clearly rattled him. That alone is practically an admission.

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but your skill for remotely operating drones is worth far more than you realize.

First, you can safely gather dungeon intelligence from the outside. Do you understand how important that is? You could investigate the dungeon's structure, of course, and even the traits of powerful monsters in the deeper floors—all without putting yourself in danger. On top of that, just being able to communicate with people inside the dungeon would dramatically improve explorer survival rates.

That's not all. You could immediately relay information about Dungeon Modifications or Dungeon Errors. You could deliver potions to explorers, or guide those who are lost.

In a world where ninety percent of global energy depends on magic stones, every country out there would be dying to get their hands on your power. Do you understand?"

At first he just stared at me blankly as I explained, but gradually it seemed like he started to grasp what I was saying—his expression grew increasingly grim.

"And yet here you are, making at least some effort to hide your identity, but if you ask me, you're full of holes. I saw right through you, remember? If you're seriously worried about yourself or your family, you need to be a lot more careful."

"Wh-what should I do?"

Whoops—maybe I scared him a little too much. The fact that he showed up here on time today means the danger probably isn't closing in on him just yet. A little advice might be enough to keep the world's malice at arm's length for now.

"First, I'm removing the company logo from your Speedster Mark II. There are people out there who'd recognize it as our product just from seeing it.

Next, hire people you can trust. You'll especially need a certified tax accountant to handle your finances. Anything involving outside contact—like receiving compensation—should all go through that accountant.

Then there's your home. I don't know what kind of place you're living in now, but get somewhere with solid security. Also, make sure no one can catch the moment your drone takes off or lands. Even if it's a hassle, set up a launch site where no one can see.

And finally—the most important thing... Get strong. Money, political power, military force—whatever works. Once you have that, you won't even need the stuff I just mentioned."

I got uncharacteristically passionate there, but his serious face occasionally twitching as he listened—there must be things that hit home. Let's hope it doesn't come to anything serious.

"Thank you. You've shown me just how naive I've been. I'm going to start taking whatever countermeasures I can, starting today."

Now then, let me also talk a bit about the relationship between dungeons and drones. My experiences from back in the day should come in handy for this.

"That's the spirit. Also—I tried using drones to defeat monsters myself when I was younger. But it didn't work out. For starters, attaching conventional weapons doesn't do any damage to dungeon monsters.

I've even strapped on dungeon-forged weapons and gone on suicide runs. Against F-rank monsters, you might be able to scratch them, but D-rank or above is basically impossible. Their physical abilities are on a whole different level from a drone.

On top of that, I had an Awakened friend pilot a drone fitted with a dungeon-forged dagger against an F-rank monster—it did deal damage, but unfortunately, no experience was gained.

If it's a thrown weapon, it counts as contributing to combat, but apparently drones don't work that way. I can't tell you why—it's just the way things are.

However, since you're using your skill to control the drones, my theory is that if you deal damage to a monster through a drone you're operating, you might actually gain experience. We'd have to test it to know for sure.

Oh, and one last thing. You should clean up your appearance. There are still tons of people out there who judge others by how they look. The day will come when you'll have to meet someone important. Pick up at least one suit before then."

If he's trying to attach dungeon-forged weapons to the Speedster Mark II to kill monsters, I really wouldn't recommend it. The efficiency would probably be terrible. Well, he probably just came to ask about the auxiliary units and took the opportunity to check whether experience could be gained. Maybe he doesn't actually plan to go through with it.

Also, there's no way he can keep this power hidden forever. It sounds like the Dungeon Agency has already reached out to him, too. The world isn't full of good people—I gave him that advice so he wouldn't end up embarrassed. I've had my own fashion failures in the past, after all.

"Is that so? Thank you for such valuable insights. It was all things I've never heard at university, so I learned a lot."

When I finished speaking, he bowed deeply. With his good manners, he'll be able to win over plenty of people. Of course, the ones with bad intentions might come sniffing around too, but it looks like he'll have no shortage of people willing to help him. Count me among them, naturally.

"By the way, about those auxiliary units you asked me about today—my imagination got quite stimulated, and I came up with a few ideas that might work. If you're all right with it, I'd like to develop a few for the Speedster Mark II. What do you say?"

In just this one hour, several ideas had come to mind. If I could make them happen, the Speedster Mark II might be able to contribute even more to his leveling up. That's why I asked.

"Really?! I love Asah—ah, I mean the Speedster Mark II—I'm really fond of it! If you'd strengthen it for me, I'm all for it!"

As I thought—my eye didn't deceive me. This Speedster Mark II was lucky to be bought by him and given a chance to shine. Thinking about that, I nearly teared up, but I held it in and spent some time discussing the details with him.