「Ichino-kun, do you know this person?」
「Well, she’s someone like a supervisor at my workplace?」
I tried to explain, but Akashi-san shook her head.
「No, in terms of position, Ichino-sama would actually be my superior.」
She made it even more complicated.
Mizuno-san and her family were visibly confused, with ‘???’ floating over their heads.
I quickly provided a simplified explanation.
「So, Ichino-kun caught the attention of a real life ojousama as an explorer, and the said ojousama started a company and recruited you as a board member. Now, this company is trying to recruit me. It’s just a coincidence, really—ha ha ha ha—does that sound about right?」
「That’s correct.」
The ‘ha ha ha ha’ was my attempt to laugh it off, which Mizuno-san accurately captured.
Still, there was no further explanation possible.
It truly was just a coincidence.
There must be a god of coincidences after all.
「So, why is Ichino-sama here?」
「I heard that they were going to discuss something about her being a blacksmith so she invited me, who knows a little bit about dungeons, to come here as an adviser.」 I
「I see, that makes sense.」
Akashi-san said calmly.
In the meantime, Mizuno-san’s mother, who looked quite like her, placed tea cups on the table.
Not the pudding cups, but proper teacups.
Akashi-san then handed Mizuno-san a business card.
「I’m Akashi Toa, responsible for administration and recruitment at EPO Corporation Tenka Musou. Thank you very much for responding to our message.」
「Nice to meet you. I was also happy to receive your message.」
「Well then, let me tell you about our company. As an affiliated business of Oshino Resort Group—」
Akashi-san prepared a proper pamphlet and began explaining the company’s overview to Mizuno-san.
Normally, I should have been the one explaining, but instead, I found myself thinking, ‘Oh, so this is what the company is like.’ and ‘Benefits? Wait, you get invitations to Oshino Group’s facilities? I didn’t hear about that. Though I do get to use them for free…’
The company offers extensive support for university advancement. For example, if Mizuno-san needs to attend a university in Tokyo or elsewhere, they provide free accommodation. They also allow leave based on required study times and offer free tutoring from Oshino Group’s private tutors. The support is comprehensive and attentive.
Regarding Mizuno-san’s work schedule, it involves leveling up by slaying slimes in the Tenshiba Dungeon twice a week. The goal is to reach level 30 within a maximum of six years, aligning with her university graduation. The pace is slow, but given the low defensive stats of a blacksmith, this is understandable.
The salary is 200,000 yen per week for the two days worked. Additionally, bonuses are given for working during long vacations such as summer, winter, and spring breaks. There’s also potential for salary increases as new skills develop.
A key point of concern is that if Mizuno-san decides to resign due to personal reasons, she cannot work as a blacksmith for another company for three years. This does not apply if the resignation is due to the company’s failure to fulfill its contract or with the director’s permission. Essentially, the company wants to prevent situations where, after investing in her level-up, she leaves for another company as soon as she gains new skills.
「Are there any questions?」
「Um… are dungeons really as dangerous as they say?」
Akashi-san’s expression grew serious as she began to speak.
「… Excluding the fatal accidents caused by abnormal monster occurrences that shouldn’t happen in places like the Expo Park Dungeon and the Stone Stage Dungeon, the safety margin system ensures safe dungeon exploration. However, over the past five years, about 400 people have died, and most of these cases don’t even make the news. Of these, roughly half, or about 200, were due to monsters.」
When asked about causes other than monsters, the answer often involves conflicts between humans.
Some explorers, driven by rare items worth millions or even tens of millions that drop from defeated monsters, resort to violence. In the dungeons, where there are no security cameras, some explorers commit crimes thinking they can blame any mishap on monsters.
It’s possible that the 200 deaths attributed to monsters might actually be fewer than reported.
「And among the 200, there are four blacksmiths.」
「Only four?」
「The number of blacksmiths is very small. Compared to all explorers, it’s less than one in ten thousand. In terms of risk, blacksmiths are about 250 times more likely to face death compared to regular explorers. Of course, we provide full safety measures.」
「—!?」
Akashi-san was completely honest.
Mizuno-san had heard that blacksmiths were dangerous, but she hadn’t realized it was to this extent.
「I’m against this.」
Mizuno-san’s father said, breaking his silence.
「Mai, you’re talented and skilled. There’s no need to risk your life to become a blacksmith.」
「That’s right, Mai. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I heard from Akashi-san. Most people who awaken as blacksmiths don’t actually become blacksmiths and live ordinary lives.」
「But—we still need money, right?」
「You’re still a child. You don’t need to worry about money.」
「I’m already eighteen! I’m an adult!」
「You’re still a child while you’re in high school.」
「In that case, I’ll quit high school!」
At those words, Mizuno-san’s father’s hand swung up—only to slam into his own face.
It was a genuine blow, evidenced by the blood streaming from his nose.
He then bowed his head.
「Akashi-san, we appreciate you coming all this way. However, could you please leave for today? We still need time to sort out our feelings.」
It was a deeply bowing gesture.
Blood dripped onto the floor, forming a red circle.
「Understood. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time. This is my personal email address. For urgent matters, contacting me here would be faster.」
Akashi-san said, writing her email address on the back of her business card before leaving.
Mizuno-san’s mother handed her husband a pocket tissue with a financial company advertisement and instructed him to wipe the blood from his nose.
「I’m sorry, Mai. My shortcomings have caused you trouble.」
「Dad, not once I’ve thought you’re making trouble. And I’ll never think that way.」
Tears welled up in Mizuno-san’s eyes as she spoke. However, her father shook his head.
「This is my own selfishness. If you become a blacksmith and something irreparable happens, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.」
「I feel the same way. Mai, you’re really scared of fighting, aren’t you? If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have tried so hard to hide your silver hair when it changed, right?」
「Mom, you knew I awakened as a blacksmith already?」
「I’m your mother. Of course, I knew. Your father only found out recently, though.」
At this, Mizuno-san’s father looked away, embarrassed.
「I was going to support you if you truly wanted to become a blacksmith, even knowing the dangers. After all, I pushed through opposition when I married your father. But if you want to become a blacksmith despite the risks for our sake, then I will definitely oppose it.」
「Dad… Mom… I’m sorry. I really don’t want to become a blacksmith.」
Mizuno-san cried.
「I’m scared of fighting monsters. I watched a stream of explorers battling monsters before, and just seeing the killing intent of the monsters made me shiver and have nightmares for three days and nights…」
「That’s understandable. It’s unnatural to stay calm when your life is on the line.」
Mizuno-san’s father said.
Mizuno-san’s mother smiled gently and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
They were such a kind family.
「But I thought making and maintaining things as a blacksmith seemed interesting.」
「Indeed. You were always watching blacksmithing channels on my smartphone.」
What a wonderful family.
I felt like I was completely out of place.
I almost wanted to leave quietly and go home to be a good son.
「Well, it’d be great if you could level up without fighting, but… such convenient stories don’t really exist, right?」
「There is a way to level up without fighting.」
「「「Eh? 」」」
Mizuno-san and her parents responded in unison.
I wondered if it was okay to speak up during such an emotional moment, but if I didn’t say it now, they might forget it.
「I’ve been thinking about this for a while. A way for Mizuno-san to become a full-fledged blacksmith without fighting. Using a substitute bracelet isn’t 100% safe, so this is probably the only option left.」
I pulled out a small bottle of experience-enhancing potion from my bag (pretending to but I retrieve it from my inventory).
It was the size of a nutritional drink.
「Drinking one of these gives you the experience of defeating 1,000 slimes. Drink seven of them, and you’ll reach level 10 without having to enter a dungeon.」
They hadn’t been selling well at the right price recently, and I had a mountain of stock at home.
~A Little Bonus from the Near Future~
In the dungeon’s safe zone, Milk prepared to cook by herself and finally activated the streaming crystal.
Today was her weekly stream where she cooked inside the dungeon.
『Welcome to Makino Milk’s relaxing～dungeon cooking also known as ‘Relaxed Dun Δ’.』
[Been waiting for this!]
[Here to witness a miracle!]
[Excited to see Delta-chan’s cooking!]
『Today, I’ll be making a simple dish—avocado eggs! As you all know, you can’t bring gas stoves, burners, or lighters into the dungeon. Last time, I used magic, but I got scolded for it because not everyone can imitate that. So today, I’ll be starting a fire the old-fashioned way—with flint! I’ll strike it against my knife to light this pinecone. Hello, fire～!』 (Cute voice)
[She just casually stole that phrase!]
[The title already feels like it’s crossing the line… especially with that Δ.]
[Wait, it’s not a triangle, it’s Delta!]
[Such unnecessary flair…]
『So, let’s light the fire… light the… areh?』
[Fire-starting with flint is actually pretty hard.]
[Depending on the dungeon, the humidity can make it even tougher.]
[Hang in there, Delta-chan!]
・
・
・
『And there we go! Fire’s lit.』
[Soooo easy, right?]
[That took 30 minutes…]
[Adorable how she stuck with it and didn’t switch to magic.]
[I can’t believe I stuck around watching 30 minutes of this… I’m way too invested.]
[Hold on, we’re about to witness a miracle.]
『There’s no miracle in cooking! I’m just taking the pit out of the avocado, putting in the egg yolk, and baking it. It’s a super simple dish. And don’t worry, I’ll cook the leftover egg whites later. I’m not wasting anyth—』
[So, the staff will eat it, right?]
『…areh?』
[Wait, what happened?]
[What’s wrong?]
『The egg yolk is… gone? Did I drop it somewhere?』
[It’s true! There’s only egg white.]
[She just cracked it open. How do you lose a yolk?]
[There’s something called a no-yolk egg—it happens occasionally. If you look closely, there should be tissue remnants inside the egg.]
[Whoa, learning something new here… mostly from the viewers, though.]
『Oh, you’re right… Well, I guess I’ll just cook the other egg. At least I have one more—areh?』
[No way…]
[Delta-chan?]
『This one… is a no-yolk egg too!』
[A miracle! A miracle has descended upon us!]
[The odds of a no-yolk egg are 1 in 100,000.]
[Two in a row? That’s like one in a hundred billion!]
[We’re witnessing a miracle!]
[Experts say Delta-chan’s extremely low luck stat is balanced by her ability to cause such miracles.]
[You’d think it’s staged, but that’s the amazing thing about Delta-chan—there’s no way it’s fake.]
『I don’t need that kind of miracle!』
[And then, the avocado and egg whites were deliciously eaten by the staff.]
『I’m eating them myself!』
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