Chapter 425 – SS Dungeons, Yakuza, and Black Markets

AN: I wrote this as an SS before, but since it involved yakuza-related content, I decided not to use it.

The data was still sitting around, though.

It feels like a waste to just delete it, so I’m uploading it as an SS in the activity report.

TN: Let’s just make this chapter 425 then.

―――――――

「Even so, dungeons are surprisingly peaceful」

「Well, only someone at Ichino’s level can say that, right?」

For the first time in a while, Aoki and I were exploring a dungeon together.

Since Aoki’s level wasn’t that high, we were staying on a pretty shallow floor.

There weren’t any monsters dangerous enough to worry about, and with Presence Detection, there was basically no risk of getting hurt even while chatting casually as we walked.

But that wasn’t what I meant.

「No, I mean, I always had this image of dungeons being used for crime. Like, since the police can’t easily reach them, they’d be used for shady deals. And when people die, the dungeon absorbs them, right? So, like… body disposal and stuff――」

「Like tossing someone into a blast furnace?」

「Yeah, something like that」

But I’d never actually run into any trouble like that inside a dungeon.

There were some people who looked like delinquents, sure, but they were all seriously hunting monsters.

I sensed a monster nearby.

When we headed over, there was an upper-ranked goblin there.

Since it was alone, Aoki quickly took it down.

A magic stone and a D-Coin dropped.

「That alone paid for the entrance fee! Everything from here on is pure profit today!」

「Congrats. But back to what I was saying, I figured yakuza groups would be claiming territory like, 『This dungeon floor belongs to our turf!』 and demanding protection money if you wanted to hunt monsters there――」

「Nah, that doesn’t happen. Thanks to anti-organized crime laws, active yakuza members can’t even enter dungeons, let alone claim them as territory」

「Huh? Seriously?」

「Seriously. Even if they did enter, they can’t use the appraisal shops or exchange counters anyway. Like how even Bo〇k Off won’t buy things from active yakuza members, right?」

I had no idea.

Was that common knowledge?

「But I feel like I saw news about gang members getting arrested over robberies in dungeons」

「Those weren’t actual yakuza carrying them out. It was tokuryuu」

「Tokuryuu? I’ve heard that term before」

「It’s short for anonymous, fluid criminal groups. Basically, dark part-time jobs, to put it in a way you’d understand, Ichino. The yakuza members who got arrested were just the ones giving orders. Apparently, they had people rob beginner explorers of their equipment to make money. It became pretty common for a while. People thought dungeons were dangerous, so they bought expensive gear to stay safe」

Milk also had expensive equipment even back when her level was low.

So those were the kinds of people they targeted for robbery.

「But even that kind of crime is pretty rare because it’s too risky inside dungeons」

「Why’s that?」

「Because you need ID to enter a dungeon, for one thing. More importantly, smartphones don’t work inside, so they can’t receive instructions through their phones either. People say the police can’t keep an eye on dungeons, but shallow floors are crowded anyway. And anyone capable of going to deeper floors can already make plenty of money without doing dark jobs. So, crimes like that have mostly disappeared over the past few years」

Aoki explained.

That made me feel a little relieved.

I’d always thought that on shallow floors, humans were scarier than monsters.

Though at my current level, that wasn’t really an issue anymore.

We found a treasure chest.

I opened it.

Inside was a pair of sunglasses.

【Clear Sunglasses: They look like sunglasses, but allow the wearer to see clearly like normal glasses】

Apparently, they counted as a magic item.

「They’re sunglasses, but when you put them on, it’s basically the same as regular glasses」

「Lemme see――whoa, you’re right. Everything looks super bright」

Aoki got all excited over them.

They might be useful for disguises, but they didn’t seem capable of serving their actual purpose of blocking sunlight.

They probably wouldn’t even stop T〇nshinhan’s Taiy〇ken either――or at least that was what I, as a casual Dragon Ball fan, ended up thinking.

That said, sunglasses really didn’t suit Aoki at all.

「So, yakuza don’t really have anything to do with dungeons then」

「Nah, that’s not true either. There are black markets buying dungeon items behind the scenes」

「Black markets?」

「Yeah. Selling dungeon materials directly between individuals is banned, right? But there are items you can’t buy through auctions or dungeon shops either. Mostly research herbs and monster materials. So, people buy those secretly and resell them underground. Apparently, materials used for addictive drugs sell for especially high prices. Herbs that normally sell for 500 yen can go for like 50,000 yen on the black market」

「A hundred times more!?」

「The risk is high too. If you get caught, you can lose your explorer license. Still, apparently those drugs are popular with junkies because they’re addictive without having many side effects. They say even some high schoolers buy them」

「Wait, aren’t drugs like that usually something celebrities or athletes with money use? They’re super expensive, right?」

「Even illegal drugs unrelated to dungeons can sell for around 1,000 yen」

「That’s cheap!?」

「The production cost is even lower, so it’s still profitable. Obviously, they’re not paying taxes on it either. That’s outright criminal stuff, so don’t go buying any」

「I won’t… What about the dungeon-derived drugs though?」

Huh? So, it’s legal?

Even if the side effects are supposedly mild, hearing about stimulants made from dungeon herbs somehow makes them sound even more dangerous than regular drugs.

「Yeah… Remember when those loophole herbs were popular years ago?」

「Weren’t they called legal herbs?」

「Either way, it’s the same thing. The law just hasn’t caught up yet」

「Changing laws takes forever. Except when it comes to raising taxes」

「You mean Tax-Hike Glasses?」

Aoki adjusted the Clear Sunglasses with a smirk as he said that.

Man, that joke was old.

「Maybe they can’t really change the laws easily. Drawing the line is difficult. People looking to get high will even abuse energy drinks. And I think those dungeon drugs are technically classified as painkillers. So when police arrest dealers, they don’t charge them over the drugs themselves. They arrest them for unauthorized trading of dungeon items instead. Regular civilians might just get a suspended prosecution, but active yakuza members can still get real prison sentences. Well, that’s why the gangs use semi-gang groups to sell the drugs instead. Besides that, they also make good money reselling expensive items and dealing in dungeon products without ever entering dungeons themselves」

「Why do you know so much about this? Don’t tell me you――」

「I don’t, alright? My old man tells me this stuff」

Come to think of it, Aoki’s father was a police officer.

No wonder he knew so much.

In a way, this was literally professional knowledge for him.