「As I said, there’s nothing I can comment on right now. Media relations? Do as you see fit; this is far beyond that.」
I—Defense Minister Uematsu—said, hanging up the phone from the Prime Minister’s Office.
This situation was getting out of hand.
The incident had been leaked to the press, and the source was none other than Danpol.
What on earth was he thinking?
The global assault on the Black Dungeon—if it failed, monsters would emerge around the dungeon’s vicinity.
This information had already spread worldwide.
Evacuations had already begun in the eastern part of Higashi-Osaka and the western part of Ikoma City, alongside widespread criticism of the government for keeping it a secret.
-0-
It was now Sunday, 11 a.m.
Less than two hours remained until the deadline set by Danpol.
「How are the kids holding up?」
I asked my secretary about the four young explorers.
It was a question I’d asked several times already.
「They’ve stayed inside the prefab ever since receiving food, clothes, daily supplies, and the equipment left by a female friend. They haven’t left, not even for the prepared bath or warm meals. When called from outside, they replied after a short delay that they didn’t need anything.」
「And they’re definitely inside?」
「Yes, we’ve had guards watching the area 24/7. Not even a stray cat could slip by without us noticing.」
「I see…」
Rumors among the self-defense officers had begun to swirl, suggesting that the kids were simply taking it easy inside.
At first, I thought the same.
But now, the gravity of the situation weighed on me.
I was sending these children into what could be a death sentence, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I’d have to apologize to Gyuuzou when this was all over.
A single punch wouldn’t be enough; I deserved far worse.
-0-
Honestly, I had doubts about whether these kids could even handle the Black Dungeon.
If my suspicions were correct, this whole ordeal was a selection process.
I wasn’t sure of Danpol’s true intentions, but it seemed like he was testing the children of King, forcing them to compete to prove something.
And in that competition, Oshino Hime was at a severe disadvantage.
She had potential.
I’d seen the video streams from the Kusaka Amusement Park Dungeon.
Two Awakened, two Sharp Abnormals.
And even Milk-chan had developed a unique skill.
It was an absurdly powerful party.
But the timing was all wrong.
All four of them were only 18 years old—they’d only been dungeon explorers for less than a year, not even four months to be exact.
The dungeon world is all about talent.
Gyuuzou had it; enough to keep up with someone like Shingen-san.
I, on the other hand, don’t have.
That’s why I ended up stuck in this position as a mere minister.
But it’s a truth only those who’ve continued to explore the dungeon world can speak of.
No matter how talented they are, Level 1 explorers don’t stand a chance against a dragon.
Their growth has been astounding, yes.
If they only had another year—no, even six more months—the outcome might have been different.
I’d secured their permission to enter the Black Dungeon, but my plan was to pull them out the moment I deemed it impossible for them to clear it.
At that point, resigning as Defense Minister would be the least of my worries.
If monsters overflowed from the dungeon, the damage would be catastrophic.
I would bear that guilt for the rest of my life.
And, if there’s anyone else to apologize to, it’s my secretary.
He recently told me he’d had twins—adorable ones, he said.
And now, he might lose his job because of this.
I’d try to help him find work elsewhere, but how much power would I even have left by then?
-0-
I had thought so.
It was purely by chance that I noticed it.
「By the way, Minister, what have you been looking at for a while now?」
「The domestic explorers’ ranking. Not the one published by the Dungeon Bureau, but a real-time update by Danpon-kun.」
The ranking published by the Dungeon Bureau lists the top 100 individuals and is updated once a day.
However, a select few, including my secretary and me, have access to something more.
A list of every person who has entered a dungeon, their total exchange values, and their ranking.
This is information unknown to the public.
Even those inside the prefab right now are probably unaware of it.
「I found something interesting.」
「Interesting, you say?」
「Take a look at this.」
I showed the rankings of four explorers who had challenged the dungeon.
Oshino Hime [Exchange Value: 493,210D (Rank: 1359)]
Ichino Taira [Exchange Value: 572,495D (Rank: 1241)]
Makino Milk [Exchange Value: 397,910D (Rank: 1519)]
Azuma Ayame [Exchange Value: 412,951D (Rank: 1425)]
「What do you make of this?」
「This is incredible. Nearly all explorers in the top 2000 are veterans of over ten years. They’ve been diving into dungeons since the early days. And yet, these people, who haven’t even been explorers for six months, have already broken into that tier. It’s astonishing.」
「You’re absolutely right. But that’s not the issue. Look at this.」
Of course, when these explorers were selected by Danpol, we gathered as much information on them as possible. This included their Exchange Value and rankings.
「This… their Exchange Value are completely different.」
「Exactly.」
When I first gathered the data, Ichino Taira, the top earner among them, hadn’t even reached 200,000D.
That information was collected yesterday afternoon.
In less than 24 hours, their Exchange Values have doubled.
「Was there a mistake in the data we collected?」
「No. They are actively increasing their Exchange Value as we speak.」
They haven’t left the prefab.
It should be impossible to convert D-Coins without doing so.
And yet, they are managing it.
I’m extremely curious about what’s happening inside the prefab.
I’d like to investigate right now.
But I’m not about to break our agreement with them, nor chase away the crane that’s come to repay its debt.
「Ano, Minister… what exactly does this mean?」
「You don’t understand?」
I smiled at my secretary.
「It seems you won’t have to look for a new job after all.」
Confused by my words, my secretary asked, ‘Was I about to be fired?’
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