041-060 · 058-ch51

Chapter 51: Surface Arc - The Rotten Throne

This is an interlude, covering the story of Selene and John's journey back to their base, as well as what happens after their return.

I will also write about what was happening on the surface and the current situation from various perspectives.

Honestly, the timeline for these surface events is a complete mess.

Therefore, please understand that any chapters marked with "Surface Arc" after the chapter number are events that took place somewhere between Chapter 16 and the most recent chapter.

The appearance of one extraordinary individual, John Doe, had shaken the dungeon community on the surface to its core, and new movements were beginning to take shape.

And when a body creates a new organization, it is only natural that the elimination of the old, obsolete organization happens simultaneously.



***



"Damn it, why do I have to go through this...!"



Muttering such complaints while frantically operating his computer, desperately deleting records of past communications and evidence of his own corruption, was Yuasa Toomichi, one of the executives of the Dungeon Association.



Beside him, sweat streaming down his face as he desperately worked the computer, the phone installed in his office continued ringing non-stop.



He ignored even that, continuing to frantically delete information, because an incident had occurred that threatened to expose the wrongdoings he had arrogantly believed would never see the light of day.



It all went back several days.

That day, he had been asked a favor by the president of Dungeon Ace, an explorer agency with whom he had a relationship that could only be described as deeply, deeply corrupt.



The request was: "We will capture John Doe when he appears in the upper layers, so please cover up any illegal activities that occur during that time."



John Doe — he was precisely the person causing a stir in society at the moment.

A dungeon streamer who claimed to have traversed the deep layers, the current front lines of dungeon exploration, and then broken through dozens more layers beyond that to set foot in another world lying even further ahead.



He was probably just another attention-seeking streamer spouting nonsense.

His instincts, dulled by years of easy, corrupt living, had completely forgotten that there are things in this world one must never touch.



Thus, without much thought, and because Dungeon Ace sent him appropriate bribes, he had casually given his approval.



He had given it.



To begin with, as an executive who also held a position in the Explorers Union, he had continued committing various illegal acts using that power.



For example, whenever complaints or calls for investigation came in regarding Dungeon Ace, with whom he had such a corrupt relationship, he would use his executive authority to order them suppressed.

Or he would personally embezzle money from jobs commissioned by the Dungeon Association to the Explorers Union, taking a cut for himself.



He had dabbled in countless such illicit dealings.

And until now, he had never been held accountable for any of it.




That was because, during the early days of dungeon exploration, he had lobbied various politicians to secure one of the top positions among the executives.

Therefore, other executives with equally rotten natures followed his lead to greedily snatch up profits, while the few with truly clean and honest intentions could only cling to the few incorruptible leaders, such as the Dungeon Association President and the Explorers Union Chairman, continuing their activities solely to prevent the collapse of dungeon exploration.



Until now.



That was why this time too, he believed that if he gave his approval, and if Dungeon Ace — which possessed overwhelming influence among domestic explorer agencies and guilds — actually moved into action, nothing would be impossible.

Everything would go according to plan.



He had been sorely mistaken.



The moment everything collapsed, even Yuasa, who loved to flaunt his power, witnessed it.



In the broadcast footage, the foolish man claiming to be John Doe was surrounded by Dungeon Ace's mage unit.



After claiming such a thing, he should have known what would happen if he exposed himself before a crowd.



No, it was precisely because there were so many who didn't understand that they could continue to gorge themselves on profits, Yuasa thought with a deepening smile. Despite it being working hours, he watched while drinking sake. But in the next moment, the war cry that echoed through the broadcast made him drop his drink.



And on the screen, the magic of Dungeon Ace's skilled mage unit — whom he had relied upon as a military force — was being effortlessly scattered by the beast commanded by John Doe.



What happened afterward was something he never wanted to recall.

John Doe disappeared once more into the darkness of the dungeon, and Dungeon Ace's forces had let their prey slip away.



That wasn't all.

The Dungeon Ace forces that emerged from the dungeon afterward were arrested by the numerous police officers waiting for them.



This made even Yuasa panic.

Covering up Dungeon Ace's illegal activities this time had been his job, and furthermore, the police had never moved so swiftly against illegal acts committed inside the dungeon before.



Normally, criminal acts were reported through the Explorers Union or Dungeon Association after an explorer filed a complaint, which would then be relayed to the police.

The reason explorers couldn't directly report to the police was that without relying on the Dungeon Association or Explorers Union, the police couldn't even understand the fundamental level of common sense regarding dungeons.



That was precisely why, even if this incident had taken place before the public eye, as someone who held executive positions in both the Dungeon Association and the Explorers Union, and who had numerous subordinates in both organizations, he should have been able to easily suppress it.



That was the naive assumption Yuasa had held.



As Yuasa stood stunned by this overturned assumption, a phone call came in.

He remembered how he had lunged for it the moment he saw who was calling.



"P-President! Why have the people from Dungeon Ace, who were merely trying to comply with dungeon law, been arrested!? For cases like this, I told you to leave the flexible response based on field conditions to me!"



The Dungeon Association President, who had stood by like a mere decoration, not as corrupt as Yuasa but having silently condoned such actions.

To him, Yuasa protested that things weren't supposed to happen this way.



And at the words that came back, he gasped sharply.



『That was never a license for you to do as you please, Yuasa-kun. You should prepare yourself.』



Before the stunned Yuasa could respond, the President unilaterally cut the call.



That was the full account of what happened on the day Yuasa's downfall began.



And now, Yuasa was desperately scrambling to erase any evidence connecting him to Dungeon Ace, as well as his involvement in other illegal acts, improprieties, and inappropriate decisions.



Because unlike the already-arrested Dungeon Ace president and others, Yuasa had not yet been arrested.




And even if he were removed from his position, he already possessed enough wealth to live out the rest of his life in leisure.



Therefore, having decided to step down, Yuasa attempted to flee alone, deleting only the information that could lead to his arrest, leaving behind even the subordinates who had aided him.



But.

That was already too late.



Multiple footsteps approached the door of Yuasa's office.

And without even knocking, they kicked the door to pieces.



"Hii!?"



Fragments of the door scattered into the office as if exploding inward.

Ignoring Yuasa's pathetic scream, the perpetrators burst into the room.



"This is an emergency audit, Yuasa Toomichi. You'll be coming with us."



Leading them was a woman in a pantsuit.

Though her beautiful appearance made it hard to imagine, she was the very one who had kicked down the door.



"W-what authority do you have to say such a thing! And kicking down the door, what kind of—"

"We are inspectors from the Dungeon Ministry. We know everything about your crimes. Accept your fate with resignation, Yuasa Toomichi!"



A few seconds later.

Yuasa, having understood the meaning of the woman's words, collapsed to the ground.

From behind the woman, two men rushed forward, grabbed both his arms, and dragged him away.



"Honestly... it makes my skin crawl. That we were forced to silently condone such filth."



The Dungeon Ministry.

It was one of Japan's new ministries, established after the importance of dungeons was understood.

As the name "Ministry" suggested, it held great authority, and its role was equally significant.



As an organization, it stood above both the Dungeon Association and the Explorers Union, and it was the only organization capable of intervening in the two independently operating entities.



Its inspectors had arrived.

Realizing what this meant, Yuasa had collapsed to his knees.



"Chief! We've secured the target!"

"Understood. Gather the remaining personnel. We have much to discuss."



And so, the cancer eating away at Japan's dungeon exploration industry was excised through the commotion sparked by a single individual named John Doe.



However, this was not the end.

A body does not heal the moment a cancer is removed.



From now on, the Dungeon Association and the Explorers Union would have to walk a long and difficult path of recovery.