c1-c20 · 016-ch16

Chapter 16: The Starry Sky Inside the Box

The ceiling area of floor 30. Called the "Starlight Miniature Garden," this place is composed of three different types of magic stones spread across the walls. Black Stralium that contains darkness, Blue Skalite that emits deep blue light, and Little Planet that shines gold—the three mix exquisitely together, like a natural planetarium.

There's a similar place on floor 27, but that's only partial while here the entire surface is covered in magic stones. Also, the space is enormous—the ceiling area alone is large enough to contain an entire mountain.

Plus, since the floor is dome-shaped, some people prefer it to the real night sky, saying it feels like being surrounded by stars.

It's one of my favorite spots in Shinjuku Dungeon. If we're here, I can add variety to the job, and I'm sure Maika-chan and Negomin-san will be satisfied too.

"Are you going to crush this place's monster corpses with that deck brush too?"

Negomin-san, who was completely groggy until just a moment ago, seems to have recovered quite a bit. After thoroughly enjoying the starry sky, she asks me that. Looking closely, her hair that was all messy has been neatly fixed. She's not going to be seen by anyone but me, but she's really attentive about these things.

"Well, yes. But in the middle layer lower section, there's something I need to do before processing."

"Something to do?"

Negomin-san responds with interest.

I'm grateful that Negomin-san listens to my stories with genuine interest. When was the last time I felt someone actually listen to me like this... Maika-chan does listen properly when it's about work, but when I talk about my hobbies, she nods along looking like she couldn't be less interested.

Sanada-san doesn't really talk to me much outside of work either.

I proceed while recalling the monster locations written in the report I saw this morning.

"There it is, over here. Please take a look at this."

I show Negomin-san the corpse of a monster—a Mask Sheep.

"...Huh, the bones aren't exposed like the ones on the lower floors."

She notices the important detail. Negomin-san really has a sharp eye.

"That's right. Once you reach the middle layer lower section, there are more leftover remains like this."

"And that's... why?"

"Because no one wants what's left over."

"...?"

Hearing what I said, Negomin-san wears a blank expression. I guess that explanation was a bit too lacking.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't say enough. Negomin-san, how much material do you normally strip from the monsters you defeat?"

"Umm, I take the sellable important parts, and if my food supply is running low, I'll cut some meat... Wait."

"I think you've realized, but explorers rarely strip all the materials from the monsters they defeat. They're always selecting and taking only the materials they need."

"Now that you mention it, that's true... But then why were the monsters on floor 11 like that?"

"Explorers targeting monster corpses left behind by others probably took them."

The middle layer lower section and beyond can only be entered by B-rank and above. In other words, many of the explorers in the upper layers and middle layer upper section are either people who can't reach B-rank, or B-ranks who don't have enough combat ability to challenge the middle layer lower section.

Among such people, there are some who target the remains of monsters defeated by others.

"For those kinds of people, the middle layer lower section isn't worth the effort. That's why there are many corpses with materials still left. Especially on floor 30."

"That's basically what you'd call hyenas..."

"Some people dislike hyena behavior, but it's not actually prohibited in dungeons. Though attacking explorers in the middle of dismantling is strictly forbidden. Anyway..."

I grip my deck brush and face the corpse before me.

"I'm going to start now."

"You're just going to process it like that? Seems kind of wasteful..."

"Some in the same line of work strip the materials themselves before processing to earn some pocket money, but I've never done that."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"I don't want to increase my workload."

"That's... painfully practical..."

That's the most important thing, after all.

"So, you said there was something to do before processing."

"Yes. Though the content itself is almost the same. If I just crush it, various things get left behind, so I do heat treatment first."

"Heat treatment."

"Watch, like this. 《Bone Fire》."

"Eek!"

"Oh, yes. It's fire."

I chanted and generated flames. The Mask Sheep burst into flames before our eyes, turning to ash in the blink of an instant and leaving only bones.

"If I crush the remaining bones like this... that finishes the job."

"...Wow, amazing. It really disappeared without a trace."

"Now that processing is done, let's go to the next spot."

"Yes!"

Beep—suddenly, the sound of the mic turning on comes from the incam.

"Shibasaki-saaan."

"It's fine, I noticed. Thanks for the report, Maika-chan."

"Okaay."

"Um, did something happen?"

"Negomin-san, please ready your weapon."

"Huh?"

From the surroundings, the rustling sound of multiple footsteps can be heard. I was expecting this around now, but there's quite a lot of them.

"Enemies. We've been surrounded."