061-080 · 063-ch56

Chapter 56: Surface Arc - Those Who Gather

In a conference room inside a building where a certain guild has its headquarters.

There, sixty people had been gathered for a particular meeting.

One could see that those who had been assembled were bewildered by the sheer number of people.

Sitting at the foremost seat among the rectangular conference tables, the seat of the organizer, a bespectacled man had been repeatedly checking his watch since a little while ago.

His slender build wearing glasses and his neatly pressed suit.

Looking only at his appearance, the man might seem like nothing more than a salaryman.

However, those gathered in the room could feel an indescribable pressure from this man.

The reason the man kept glancing at his watch was that despite the meeting start time approaching, there was someone who hadn't arrived yet.

This person, who could be called the key figure of this meeting, had yet to show himself even after all other participants had gathered.

Therefore, the explorers who had gathered naturally assuming he would come began to grow restless as time pressed on.

Among that group were the members of Dungeon Stars.

"Wow, there are so many amazing people here, Erika-chan. My skin's been tingling since a while ago."

"That's because this is the kind of meeting. And this place."

To Kanata Amemiya's words, Erika Shirase, the oldest member of Dungeon Stars and the most skilled explorer among them—who was accustomed to strategy meetings like this—replied.

"This ain't good. Seriously, there're too many strong presences, making me all tense."

"Yeah. The spirits are scared too."

The other two members of Dungeon Stars who were also participating, Akane Hachijoji and Noa Hikari, were also breaking out in cold sweat from the tension in the conference room, filled with the pressure naturally exuded by the members gathered there.

To put it bluntly, aside from Erika Shirase, the members of Dungeon Stars were all less capable than those present in this room.

Therefore, they were being overwhelmed by the pressure—or one could call it aura—emitted by other explorers with superior abilities.

And one minute before the scheduled start time of the meeting.

With the quiet sound of a doorknob turning, the conference room door slowly opened.

Those in the room naturally stopped their conversations and turned their attention there.

"Sorry. I was late because I was finishing my daily routine."

The one who entered saying this was a man with the distinct bearing of an explorer.

He wasn't wearing exploration gear like many of the explorers gathered in this room, but rather casual clothes as if for walking around town.

But the pressure he emitted was outstanding even in this conference room where powerful individuals had gathered.

At most, there might be one or two who could compare with him.

"You're late, Lord Hagane."

"Sorry, Kagetora."

To the chiding voice raised by that one, the man called Hagane honestly apologized and took the seat next to the bespectacled man—one seat that had been left empty at the organizer's table.

It was then that the bespectacled man finally spoke.

"Well then, since all participants have gathered, I'd like to begin the meeting. Would that be acceptable?"

At the bespectacled man's words, gazes from around the room gathered on him.

Just as the man was about to speak, judging that there were no particular objections, another explorer cut in.

"I don't mind us starting, but first off, who are you? I came today because I heard the name of that 'Steel Swordsman' over there, but I didn't gather here to listen to some small fry like you. By the way, are you even an explorer? If you are, you're way too weak."

The one who spoke to the bespectacled man in a rude tone from the beginning was a young man sitting as the representative of a group of youths with shaved heads, piercings, and tattoos—a somewhat delinquent-looking bunch.

Though his statement, made while releasing his pressure as an explorer, was clearly picking a fight, the bespectacled man deflected it all as if it were a gentle breeze and answered.

"My apologies. I am called Takamiya. I am participating here as a sponsor for the Guild Pioneer. And I myself am not an explorer. Will that suffice?"

In response to the young man's provocation, Takamiya's response was utterly merciless.

The young man who had aggressively picked a fight was at a loss for words.

When someone makes provocative remarks like that, the most troublesome thing is to be completely ignored.

Right now, Takamiya, in response to the opponent who had called him a small fry and too weak to be an explorer, showed that he wasn't an explorer to begin with and wasn't a small fry either since he sponsored the Guild Pioneer—ignoring the fight being sold to him while directly returning only the words.

For the one picking a fight, being ignored like this is far more unbearable than having some comeback thrown at them.

Incidentally, the Guild Pioneer is the guild to which the man called Hagane who had entered the conference room last belongs, and is currently considered the strongest group of explorers in Japan.

Outliers excluded, of course.

In other words, the sponsor is the one supporting the strongest, to put it another way.

Just with this exchange, Takamiya had dramatically increased his influence, and the young man had been made a fool.

Yet the young man wasn't foolish enough to get angry immediately, which saved him.

If he had gone on a rampage here, he wouldn't have been able to have proper dealings in the explorer community afterward.

"...It seems there are no objections. Then, once again, I'll begin the meeting."

And turning his gaze away from the young man who couldn't retort, Takamiya proceeded as if nothing had happened.

The young man who had picked a fight with Takamiya was also guaranteed to have considerable ability, since he had been summoned to this place as an explorer.

But on the stage of words, Takamiya was several moves ahead.

"The purpose of this meeting is for me, as a sponsor of Pioneer, to propose to all you explorers that we conduct a joint large-scale exploration. I believe you've all read this in the advance notice I sent, but if anyone has questions, I don't mind hearing them."

Though Takamiya said this, the young man who had just picked a fight had only just been shamed.

There was no one who wanted to actively challenge Takamiya with words.

There wasn't anyone.

But.

"In that case, allow me to ask."

Even so, at this point, there were already those with questions.

The one who raised their hand was the woman in Japanese-style clothing who had earlier complained to Hagane about being late.

"Ms. Nagao, please go ahead."

"I am Nagao of 'Another Frontier.' Indeed, I came hearing about a large-scale exploration, but I hadn't heard about this number of people. Lord Takamiya, do you seriously believe it's possible to conduct a dungeon exploration simultaneously with this large number of people?"

To the content of that question, many of the explorers gathered in the room nodded without making a sound, or showed their agreement with that atmosphere.

That's how much a large-scale dungeon exploration with sixty people was beyond common sense for Japanese explorers.

After all, the previous multi-guild joint explorations had at most about thirty people.

Basically, three to five six-person parties would gather to form one group and conduct the exploration.

Within these gathered parties, they would support each other, ensure safety during rest periods, and make exploration more efficient.

That had been the way of joint exploration until now.

"I am serious. And I have a plan for that, so I'd like you all to hear me out first."

And Takamiya, as a sponsor of the Guild Pioneer.

And as the president of a large corporation that employed many explorers, he knew that common sense.

Knowing it, he had come this time to shatter it.

Seeing Takamiya speak so calmly, Nagao Kagetora decided to sheathe his spear for the time being.

Though it was unconventional, a completely new idea that overturns common sense might emerge, and even though he's not an explorer, he's the sponsor of Pioneer, the top guild.

Considering that, he judged he should at least hear him out once first.

"Very well, Lord Takamiya. If you say that much, I would like to hear your plan."

"I'm grateful. Then, let me briefly explain the plan I wish to propose."

After bowing slightly to Kagetora, Takamiya once again faced everyone and announced the plan he was proposing this time.

"What I want to propose this time is the simultaneous conquest of Deep Layer District 12, District 13, and District 14."

At Takamiya's words, the air in the room froze.

Looks like the surface arc will continue a bit longer.