Episode 91: Dungeons and Adventurers (2)
*Thud—!*
"Did we take it down?"
"The golem core is completely destroyed, so of course it's down. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and collect the loot so we can head back."
"Yeah, you know we're already pretty late, right?"
Leaving the Guardian Golem collapsing behind them with a deafening roar, a group of adventurers began to move busily.
Their identity was the Thunderous Stride party, who had met and conversed with Wade not long ago, and they had just finished clearing a newly discovered dungeon.
As seasoned adventurers who had raided dungeons dozens of times, it wasn't particularly surprising that they had cleared the dungeon without injury, but—
—for a party whose greatest strength was usually their composure, their rushed appearance, as if being chased by something, was unlike them.
There was a reason for their haste.
"We have to get back quickly to read Author Wei's new release!"
"He's written something with us adventurers as the theme for once, and I was so curious about what it would contain that I couldn't properly concentrate even while clearing the dungeon, you know?"
"They even sent us a signed copy as thanks for our party helping with the research. Is it right that we're stuck in a dungeon without having read it immediately?"
The reason was precisely to get back quickly—to read the new novel that Author Wei had recently published.
And it wasn't just any novel, but one that Author Wei had created after listening to and referencing their stories.
Naturally, they couldn't help but look forward to it, and they had been even more excited when they heard that Author Wei was sending them a signed copy as a token of gratitude, but—
—far from being able to read it as quickly as possible, being stuck in the dungeon made their hearts race with impatience.
"This is all because the leader said some weird nonsense about how since it's a novel with dungeons in it, it would be more fun to read after clearing a dungeon!"
"Exactly. If we had just waited, the timing would have been perfect, but we had to come all the way here for no reason, messed up the timing, and now we'll see it late."
"Did I know it would turn out like this? And all of you agreed it was a good idea back then too, so don't go blaming only me now!"
"Hmm, did we do that?"
"Wasn't the leader the one insisting on that all by himself?"
"Boo. If you're the leader, act like one and take responsibility!"
"You damned brats..."
Yenseun, the leader of the Thunderous Stride party, let out a sigh at his party members, who teased him shamelessly even as they hurried.
What annoyed him was that it was indeed Yenseun himself who had suggested going to the dungeon, making any further excuse feel pathetic.
In the end, he had no choice but to be the butt of his companions' jokes all the way back to the city.
"Thunderous Stride party. We've returned after clearing the newly discovered dungeon. Sorry, but we have business to attend to, so could you process the mission completion quickly?"
The Thunderous Stride party, having returned to the city by focusing solely on running several times faster than usual,
—similarly without paying any attention to anything else—stopped by the Adventurer Guild first and finished their mission completion report quickly.
It was partly because they wanted to finish things up as quickly as possible and get back to read Author Wei's new work,
—and partly because they didn't know if they might end up having the contents of the anticipated new work spoiled while walking leisurely down the street.
"My, if it isn't the Thunderous Stride members! For you all, of course we'll process this quickly. Ah, speaking of which, did you know that Author Wei's new release came out while you were off clearing the dungeon? It's a story with our adventurers and dungeons as the theme, and goodness, that dungeon is—"
"Aaaack! We haven't read it yet! Don't say it!"
"Ugh, all the other adventurers are talking about that new release too. I don't want to hear it, but my enhanced hearing picks it all up!!"
"Damn it! This is the first time I've ever resented my enhanced physical abilities."
"Everyone, let's get out of here quick! If we stay here, we'll get the entire plot spoiled before we even read the new release!"
Amidst the clamoring conversations of the excited receptionist and adventurers, there was a crisis where they nearly got spoiled on the new release's contents,
—but fortunately, without hearing any of it, they were able to arrive safely at the party's shared residence.
"Phew. We've finally arrived."
"Everyone still has energy left, right? Then gather around right away to read without any rest."
"Wait, let me just throw my bags down!"
And having tossed their bags roughly into their rooms, the Thunderous Stride party members gathered immediately in the lounge.
"Ooh..."
"This is it...!"
Surrounding a single book, they let out sounds of awe with reverence.
This book was the meaningful new work, [The Appraiser's Dungeon Strategy], born from the connection that had started with the adventure journal they had written, a collaboration between Author Wei and themselves.
The inscription, "With gratitude to the Thunderous Stride party, who assisted with the writing," was clearly written as well.
Seeing that inscription, the members grew even more excited and urged their leader, Yenseun, on.
"Yenseun! Read it quickly!"
"Yeah. If we wait any longer, we'll faint from suffocation."
"Hold on, let me loosen my throat. *Ahem*. *Ahem*. There, shall I begin?"
Since there were so many party members, it was difficult for them all to read together at once, so the leader, Yenseun, had decided to read aloud on their behalf.
Now, one might ask why they didn't just each buy their own copy and read separately,
—but all the party members wanted to read this very book containing Author Wei's handwritten signature, so it was an unavoidable compromise.
At any rate, Yenseun began to read.
Though his reading and acting skills were clumsy, he soon had the party members immersed in the story.
"So this is a dungeon. From now on, I'm an adventurer too. I wonder if my ability, [Appraisal], can help me clear dungeons?"
The general plot was a story about a protagonist named Mino, who possessed a peculiar ability called [Appraisal], becoming an adventurer and exploring dungeons.
This ability called [Appraisal] that Mino possessed was quite unusual from the start.
"Heeh. So in this novel, everyone is born receiving one ability each from a god? That's quite an interesting setting. I wish I could receive one of those abilities from a god too."
"So this [Appraisal] skill is an ability that lets you check information about objects? Maybe it would suit a merchant, but it doesn't seem like a good fit for an adventurer whose daily life is combat."
"What are you saying, you idiot? [Appraisal] is, on the contrary, the most optimal ability for an adventurer! Distinguishing materials, identifying poisonous herbs, checking equipment condition—just off the top of my head, these are the most useful abilities for an adventurer. Combat abilities can be trained, but you can't obtain a skill like this."
First of all, the unique setting of a congenitally god-given ability that didn't exist in reality was novel.
And the fact that it was an ability to visualize information about objects made it inevitably fascinating.
Whether this was a suitable ability for becoming an adventurer or not was a matter of divided opinion among the members, but—
"—Mister. How much is this beginner equipment set?"
"That? It's brand new, so I'd need at least 5 gold."
"5 gold? For this secondhand product? Did you think I wouldn't know you hid the scratches and worn leather here?"
"—H-how did you?! I hid it perfectly!"
"If you don't want a reputation as a scam shop among adventurers, you'd better hand it over for free, yes?"
"Oh. It can be used like this too? It has far more applications than I thought."
"With this, there's no need to worry about getting scammed. No, rather, we might be able to fleece the scammers instead."
"If it's like this, it can certainly be used advantageously in adventurer activities too."
Soon, seeing the protagonist Mino properly use his [Appraisal] ability to tear apart a beginner equipment scam,
—they largely began to acknowledge that it was suitable.
"—You there. Do you know exactly what kind of place a dungeon is? You don't know the details? Then let me explain it to you before you go."
And then, after registering as an adventurer at the Adventurer Guild, the explanation about dungeons finally began,
—and here, the Thunderous Stride party briefly faltered.
"Huh? These dungeons are kind of strange too?"
"They seem really different from the dungeons we know?"
Because the explanation about dungeons had also exceeded their expectations.
Originally, the three elements composing a dungeon—monsters, traps, and rewards—are consumable.
Depending on the dungeon, the composition and ratio varied slightly,
—but what was certain was this:
Monsters disappear once killed.
Traps are neutralized once triggered or disassembled.
And rewards, once taken, are gone for good.
But the dungeons appearing in the new release, [The Appraiser's Dungeon Strategy], were very different from the dungeons they knew.
Monsters were endlessly reproduced.
Traps were repaired and reloaded.
And the rewards, too, were described as springing forth infinitely.
"That's an incredibly mysterious dungeon. At the very least, it's not a place an ordinary person could artificially create."
"A dungeon where rewards keep coming out even after you've cleared it once? If there were a dungeon like this, we'd camp out and only enter that dungeon too. Ah, so is that why the adventurers in this book world only operate in these dungeons?"
"Since monsters and traps keep reviving too, there would be some risk, but... without needing to travel elsewhere, just entering this dungeon would be enough to sustain an adventurer's life."
What was most important here was the fact that rewards sprang forth infinitely.
What is the reason adventurers enter dangerous dungeons?
It is precisely because of the hidden rewards within them.
Usually, dungeons are created to protect something, and that something has a high likelihood of being valuable.
Of course, sometimes they were duds, but dungeons were places where sometimes an enormous jackpot would strike.
To think that such rewards could be enjoyed infinitely, and not on a first-come-first-served basis—at least to the Thunderous Stride party members, it looked less like a dungeon and more like a treasure vault.
Of course, since not only rewards but monsters and traps were refilled too, one could argue that it was just as dangerous to their lives,
—but adventurers were a profession who risked their lives as a matter of course, so they didn't care about that in the slightest.
High risk, high return, as they say?
Moreover, not only were the materials obtained from hunting monsters produced infinitely, but it was said that one's abilities could grow or new abilities could be obtained while clearing dungeons.
This was at the level where not entering would make you an idiot.
"—How can such a structure exist? And who created a dungeon with such a structure, and why?"
"—Who knows? In ancient legends, a demon god is sealed in the lowest floor of the dungeon, and it lures adventurers in to kill them and use them as sustenance for its resurrection, or so they say. The infinitely springing rewards are the bait, as it were."
It wasn't created to protect something; rather, it was as if it were seducing them to enter.
In short, it was a fraudulent space that didn't match real-world logic.
"So you don't like it? Does it feel too unrealistic compared to actual dungeons, and gives you a sense of rejection?"
"Eheh. That's not it. Rather, because it's different from real dungeons, it looks even more fun? My heart is already racing thinking about what kind of rewards will come out!"
"On the contrary, if it were just an ordinary adventurer's life and ordinary dungeons, we might have been disappointed? That wouldn't be any different from the adventure journal we wrote. If it's Author Wei's work, it should have this kind of special quality!"
"Striking it rich in a dungeon is every adventurer's dream—how could anyone hate that?"
Of course, it wasn't that they disliked it or felt repulsed by it.
They didn't expect that level of realism from a novel, which was a creative work, to begin with.
Above all, precisely because it was different from reality, there were parts that stimulated the romantic ideals of active adventurers.
Wasn't that the very vicarious satisfaction of reading a novel?
"Right, as I thought? Then, since it seems no one has any complaints and wants to drop out, shall I continue?"
Seeing his companions' reactions, the party leader Yenseun smirked and asked if he should continue reading,
"Yeah. Read faster, faster. Let's see how the protagonist clears the dungeon and what rewards he gets."
"He is the protagonist, so he won't get duds or shoddy rewards, right?"
"Aren't you curious how he'll use the [Appraisal] ability in dungeon clearing?"
"I'm looking forward to what kind of person the party member who will join the protagonist later is, and what abilities they'll have. He won't be adventuring alone forever, after all."
When all the surrounding party members nodded their heads,
they resumed reading the story of this unique dungeon and adventurer.