「Now, the magical tool I’m introducing today is this! The Magic Stone Fusion Device! It’s super simple to use. Just set ten of the same type of magic stone, press the switch, and voilà! Black magic stones become white ones! If that’s too much trouble, just toss in all your stones—the machine will sort them out for you automatically.」
Shizuka-san explained enthusiastically, as if she were on a home-shopping network.
Researcher, D〇raemon, and now a TV salesperson—the contrast was too much.
「Shizuka-san, why the shopping channel vibe?」
「Don’t you get it, Beta-kun? There’s no format clearer for product explanations than a shopping program! Oh, by the way, this product started taking pre-orders on Dungeon TV yesterday. Each unit is priced at 8 million yen.」
〔8 million!? That’s 2000 months’ rent for my apartment〕
〔But even money exchange machines cost 200-300k yen, so machines are generally expensive〕
〔Niche, convenient gadgets are always pricey〕
〔Magical tools are costly because only people with recipes and crafting skills can make them〕
〔Hold up, 4000 yen rent for an apartment?〕
The viewers were clearly shocked.
You could buy a car for that price.
But I’d heard this was already a reduced cost.
「Also, all 500 units planned for this year are already reserved, so if you order now, you’ll get yours next year.」
Wait a second—Mizuno-san was told to rush-production for 100 units, but somehow that became 500?
This stream might spark even more orders.
The raw materials, like the Metal Dissolving Potion, were expensive, so profits for the company would be slim. Still, the EPO’s contribution points and Mizuno-san’s salary were sure to skyrocket.
Meeting a quota of 500 by year’s end was impressive. Let’s see, it takes 30 minutes per unit… that’s 250 hours. If Mizuno-san works 2 hours a day, she’ll manage it. Between crafting Capture Balls and schoolwork, she even left her convenience store job on good terms, so she should be fine.
After fusing the magic stones and a short break, we resumed our journey toward the 20th floor.
〔Team Messiah struggled to get to the 12th floor in the Kusaka Amusement Park Dungeon〕
〔What level are they now?〕
A question came in.
「All four of us have reached level 100.」
Hime answered nonchalantly. No need to hide it. The viewers were astonished.
-0-
We soon arrived at the boss room on the 20th floor.
「Alright, let’s use Shadow Beastification, just in case.」
I activated Shadow Beastification.
〔Areh? Did Beta’s armor change shape?〕
〔It looks cooler now. More primal. Can shadow armor change shape?〕
〔Magic is all about imagery. If your imagination is strong enough, magic will respond.〕
〔Classic “isekai protagonist” logic. A world where a strong imagination makes you stronger〕
〔Wait, is that armor even magic?〕
My armor’s new design surprised everyone, but it wasn’t just the shape that changed—my stats had surged dramatically, too.
We entered the 20th-floor boss chamber.
A massive, black slime appeared.
Considering we’d been fighting Inugami, Sarugami, and Ushigami, I expected something similar. This was surprisingly dungeon-esque.
「It’s the Dark Slime King. Beta-kun, your armor uses dark energy, right? You should probably dispel it.」
Shizuka-san suggested, but we just smiled wryly.
「Ano…」
「Ayame, you handle this.」
「Yeah, no need to drag out the fight.」
〔Wouldn’t Delta-chan’s holy water work better against a dark-attribute enemy?〕
〔Common misconception—holy water isn’t a weakness for dark types. It works, but no more than on regular monsters. Holy water is effective against undead and demon-type monsters.〕
〔Wait, are there dark-attribute monsters that aren’t undead or demons?〕
〔If it works, shouldn’t they all just fight together?〕
While the viewers debated—
「Slime Death.」
Ayame cast an instant death spell on the Dark Slime King.
The slime exploded.
〔Whaaaaaat!?〕
〔The slime just popped.〕
〔”Slime Death”… Not in the magic directory… Another unique skill?〕
〔Even if it’s not recorded in the magic directory, the effect is obvious.〕
We collected the Dark Slime King’s core.
No magic stone this time.
-0-
We headed to the 21st floor and found a teleportation circle.
It led back to the 1st floor—this dungeon had one, too.
We’d use it later.
「Alright, let’s see what the 21st floor holds.」
Factories, deserts, plains—dungeons could change drastically after this point.
「Huh? Nighttime?」
Faint stars and a moon-like glow lit the ceiling.
The ground was reddish dirt, but grass and trees dotted the distance.
It seemed like an ordinary plain.
「Hey, Taira… Look over there.」
Hime pointed to the left.
What did she spot?
I turned in that direction.
A stone wall.
That alone wasn’t strange.
If dungeons could have factories, a stone wall—or even skyscrapers—was fair game.
The real shock came from what was beyond the wall:
People. Living their lives as if everything were normal.
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