000-020 · 007-ch6
Chapter 6: Pulling Away
Please bookmark and give it a star.
───────────────────────────────────
I spent about 5 days at my parents' home, and after that I returned to Tokyo again. While there, I'd been helping with farming and pruning, so when they said to rest, I tilted my head. I'd told them I'd show my face again without fail, so I think they expect me to show it within a few years.
My parents' home is in Kyushu, so I thought about going to see the Fukuoka dungeon as well, but when I investigated on my parents' home PC, it seems there's not much difference among dungeons in Japan right now. Monsters that appear are almost the same, and it seems only internal terrain is somewhat different. I didn't feel much value, so I decided not to go.
(Ah, but beyond the very back is probably different.)
I got that kind of awareness on the new shinkansen, but I decided to not make it a big deal. Even if it turned out that the very back of the Fukuoka dungeon led to a different world than a new dungeon, and there was no use in going there, and the very back of the new dungeon I arrived at was still completely unexplored.
(Well, I'll go see if there's a chance sometime.)
With that settled, I took a bite of the large-chain hamburger I'd bought before boarding. It was more delicious than I'd thought. Seasonings really are amazing.
First thing I do after returning to Tokyo is to visit the dungeon material purchasing shop I'd visited previously.
"Welcome. We'll handle the purchasing here."
"Ah, no. I have business with the owner. Tell them John Doe has come."
"Ah, okay. The owner? Just wait a moment please."
Mysteriously, the store clerk went into the back. Shortly after, the owner came out from the back together with the store clerk who had dealt with me when I came last time.
"Welcome, John-san. I'll hear you out in the back."
"Sorry about the trouble."
As instructed, when I went around to the back door, like last time when I'd purchased, I was guided to a room inaccessible from the front.
"Welcome. Are you here to sell something today as well?"
"No, today it's the person who said 'help wanted' previously."
When I said that, the atmosphere around the eyes of the owner, who'd been showing a bright young man-like atmosphere, changed slightly.
"Oh, I see. By the way, what kind of content was it?"
"Mm, well, when you do this kind of work, you might have noticed too, but right now I have absolutely no identity certificate related things."
"No, no, we just want to support all explorers. I see. Identity certificate, is it? So John-san wants is guarantee of identity, right?"
This purchasing shop normally does purchasing steadily at the front, but at the back, it does considerably black business. For example, purchasing materials and items from opponents without identity certificates or exploration permits like me. Originally it's purchasing of materials brought back from dungeon, but things like purchasing from minors.
Also, yes. Originally by taking exams, entering Explorer University, Explorer Training, or completing courses at specialist schools, you'd be issued something like exploration permit document.
They earn profit by doing that kind of quasi-legal thing. There must be even larger organizations behind it - maybe yakuza or something - but from the user's perspective, it's all about what you get and what you pay. As long as you make it clear not to interfere unnecessarily, that's enough.
"No, that's separate. Identity certificates or such, if I forget to update them they might become unusable anyway. What I want you to help with is terminals usable inside the dungeon, a smartphone is good? Also a drone usable for streaming. Also since I'm an individual I can't use mail order, so I need those kinds of items prepared. Mainly liquors and juices, seasonings, grains, and such. The quantity will be considerable. I'd like them procured in commercial quantities."
"I see. In that case, it shouldn't take too much effort. Just a moment please. Ah, and if there are specific things to procure, once you've decided the quantities, could you write them down here?"
In the notepad they showed me, being careful not to leave fingerprints, I wrote down the types of seasonings: soy sauce, miso, vinegar, mirin, and other basics. I also made sure not to forget granulated dashi like bonito, consommé, and chicken stock, as well as sugar and katakuriko starch. I also wrote down quantities for rice, wheat flour, and other grains. I'll include dried noodles too, just in case. Though I think noodles might be tough for Robo. As for alcohol, since I don't know much about it, I wrote "various not-too-expensive ones, at least 50 bottles wanted." Since it's not just me, the quantity is quite considerable. Would a barrel be okay?
"Since you have no ID, does that mean the smartphone contract is also..."
"Ah, if you say that, that's true. Even though it connects inside the dungeon, that's treated as an ordinary smartphone, right?"
"Well, yes. If you're going to stream inside the dungeon, you contract with a mobile company that supports it, something like that. Most mobile companies support dungeon streaming by incorporating it into their normal plans."
Streaming inside the dungeon - that is, live video broadcasting and live transmission - is actually quite complex. First of all, radio waves normally don't penetrate the dungeon, and placing relay devices is also unsafe because monsters exist. At least at this stage, aside from me, there's apparently no talk of anyone having built forward bases inside the dungeon.
So then how do they do it? They apparently use technology and skills obtained from the dungeon. By applying magic principles that allow teleportation over long distances, they install that in smartphones. And inside the dungeon so that batteries don't die, they absorb surrounding mana, combining with the owner's mana to serve as a power source.
That kind of fusion of dungeon-produced things and modern science is what dungeon streaming is. So that's why it's streaming. By the way, with current technology, using the internet for anything other than streaming - like searching or social games - seems impossible. Even for streaming, only major video streaming sites have cooperated to incorporate the technology, making it possible. Seriously, world-class corporations are really quick on their feet.
So currently, what's possible inside the dungeon is just streaming and viewing.
"Smartphone and drone - that means you're planning to try dungeon streaming?"
"I'm thinking about it, at least. Well, tentatively."
"I see. In that case, shall we handle the contract on our end?"
"I'd appreciate that. Ah, and also one more thing."
"What is it?"
I operated the storage-type magical tool wrapped around my wrist with mana, took out a potion only obtainable in deep layers 50 and beyond, and placed it on the desk.
"Could you tell those above to refrain from giving me any unnecessary trouble? As I said, I don't like that kind of thing."
When I said that, the owner's expression changed to a bitter smile after showing a surprised face for a moment.
"You figured it out, huh?"
"Well, naturally. I'm aware that I'm standing out on the net too. Even before, I felt some strange gazes, you know? If you're going to do something, do it more skillfully. If they follow me all the way here, I'm really going to have to do something about it, you know."
"Ahaha, if you say that, that makes all their efforts pointless too."
When I first came, I thought the service was strangely polite. Or rather, I appeared prominently in a fairly famous streamer's broadcast, and talked about things far beyond the current front line - anyone would have noticed. I should have been more suspicious.
And shops dealing in shady business like this tend to be sensitive to information.
I don't know what's behind this shop or the owner, but they're probably trying to use me or encircle me in some way. I'd naturally expected that. But to be honest, it's unpleasant. I don't mind accommodating them to some extent, but if they get persistent, it's troublesome.
"Well, since you're accommodating my unreasonable requests, I'm not opposed to taking on one or two of yours. Plus there's a possibility I'll need your services again in the future. Seasonings and such will run out anyway. That said, it depends on how you respond."
"Ah! I see, that's also true. We'd appreciate your continued patronage in the future."
"Regarding items from below the deep layer, I don't mind wholesaling to you as long as it doesn't cause trouble for us. If things get noisy, I'll just dive underground and not come out."
It's best to maintain an appropriate level of involvement with everything. Do as I please freely, and talk occasionally. That level of relationship is just right, and even if it becomes more than that, right now I have somewhere to escape to.
"...For us too, causing trouble for you, John-san, isn't our intention. After all, we're the ones in the best position to lead, you know."
"If you can say that, that helps."
When asked "Can I touch this?", I nodded and held out the potion to the owner.
"A potion? What is this?"
"From below the deep layer... I call it the deep world, but it's a potion obtainable at places deeper than the deep layer's 50th floor. It recovers stamina, heals injuries up to bone fractures, and restores mana. Even with fractures, once the bone is set, it heals, though I don't know the details. Just my own speculation, but I think potions of that level might also restore cooldown times for skills with usage limits. Though I don't have any skills like that."
"I see, that much. So it's like a composite potion?"
"Ah, that's about right. If you get along well with me, I can provide that kind of thing, you know."
For future plans, unless there's some particular business, I plan to come to the surface about once every one to two years. Rather than looking for trading partners each time, it's more convenient if there's someone like a manager who'll do various things for me.
"How effective is it immediately?"
"I think about 30 seconds to 5 minutes. I don't really remember, though."
"...Huh?"
The owner has an expression that says "Did I hear that right?" but it's not a hearing mistake.
"It's 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The deeper the place where the potion was obtained, the faster the recovery time. For potions from the very back, injuries of that level heal in about 1 second, and even if a limb is lost, it regenerates in about 1 minute."
"What was that?"
He's been putting on this cheerful, refreshing act, but seeing his composure crack is hilarious.
Well, I understand if he doesn't believe it. For potions usable at lower layer level, just healing small cuts or reattached fingers takes 30 minutes to 1 hour. At middle layer and upper layer, it takes more time, and the scale of treatable injuries becomes smaller. Even for dungeon-produced items, they're not all-purpose. That's the general knowledge.
"...Haa... I'd be troubled if I were given such a thing."
"Right? It's obvious that would cause problems. So, how about this: 10 of those potions, and as a silencing fee, one potion from the very back. How does that sound?"
"...With all of these, you want me to stop giving you unnecessary trouble, is that it?"
"Yeah. I'll pay separately for material costs, handling fees, and usage fees for this place."
To my question, the owner, who'd been thinking for several seconds, looked up and agreed with his usual refreshing smile.