Chapter 83

"Therefore, I cannot say anything now. Media response? Please do as you please. This is not the time for such trivial matters."

I, Uematsu, said this and hung up the phone from the government office.

It's a real problem.

Information about this incident has been leaked to the media.

The one who leaked the information is none other than Dampel.

What is he thinking?

The world-wide simultaneous raid on the Black Dungeon, if it fails, monsters will appear around the Black Dungeon.

This information has already spread throughout the world.

Evacuation of residents in eastern Higashi-Osaka and western Ikoma City has already begun, along with criticism of the government for keeping the information secret.

It is now 11:00 AM on Sunday.

There are less than two hours left until the time Dampel designated.

"How are the children doing?"

I asked my secretary about the current status of the four explorers' children.

This is the umpteenth time I've asked.

"They received food, clothing, daily necessities, and equipment entrusted by a friend. They haven't come out of the prefab since then. They are inside with the pet dog they were entrusted with. I called out to them from outside when the bath and hot meal preparations were ready, but after a while, they replied that they didn't need it."

"Are you sure they are inside?"

"Yes. We are monitoring the area 24/7. Not even a cat could slip in or out without us noticing."

"I see..."

The gossipy Self-Defense Force members are speculating that they are having a good time.

I thought the same at first.

However, I couldn't stop the children who were about to be sent to their deaths.

I will have to apologize to Ushizou.

I won't get away with just a punch.

That's what I thought.

At the same time, I honestly believed that those children would find the Black Dungeon raid difficult.

If my prediction is correct, this is a selection process.

I don't know what his intentions are, but this is probably a selection process by Dampel.

He is making King's children compete to determine something.

Among them, Oshino Hime was at a great disadvantage.

She has potential.

I've seen the video stream of the dungeon at the former Kusaka Amusement Park.

Two Awakened, two Advanced Abnormals.

Moreover, Milk has a Unique Skill.

What a luxurious party.

But the timing was too bad.

All four are eighteen years old—less than a year, at most four months, since they started delving into the dungeon.

The world of the dungeon is about talent.

Ushizou had talent. Enough talent to follow Shingen.

But I didn't have talent.

That's why I ended up in this position as a minister.

But that's a world only those who continue to delve into the dungeon can speak about.

No matter how talented, a Level 1 explorer cannot defeat a dragon.

Their growth has been remarkable.

If they had at least another year, no, even half a year, the outcome would have been different.

I managed to get them to agree to delve into the Black Dungeon, but I intended to immediately withdraw them if I thought the dungeon was impossible to conquer.

My punishment at that time won't just be resignation as a minister.

When monsters overflow from the dungeon, the damage will be immeasurable.

I will carry that sin for the rest of my life.

If I feel sorry for anyone, it's this secretary.

He recently said he had a child. Cute twins.

He might lose his job at such a time.

I want to help him find a new job, but how much power will I have then?

I realized this by chance.

"By the way, Minister. What have you been looking at?"

"It's the ranking of domestic explorers. Not the one published by the Dungeon Bureau. It's something Dampou-kun updates in real time."

The ranking published by the Dungeon Bureau is of the top 100, updated once a day.

However, a select few, including myself and this secretary, can see more.

The names, cash-out amounts, and rankings of all who have delved into the dungeon.

This is not known to the public.

They probably don't know it either.

"I found something interesting here."

"Interesting?"

"Take a look."

I showed him the rankings of the four who are challenging the dungeon.

Oshino Hime [Cash-out amount: 493,210D (1,359th)]

Ichino Yasuhiro [Cash-out amount: 572,495D (1,241st)]

Makino Milk [Cash-out amount: 397,910D (1,519th)]

Azame Higashi [Cash-out amount: 412,951D (1,425th)]

"What do you think of this?"

"It's amazing. The top 2,000 explorers are almost all veterans who have been delving since the early days of the dungeon. For them, who have been explorers for less than half a year, to break into that group is terrifying."

"You're right. But the problem is not there. Look at this."

Of course, when Dampel designated these explorers, we gathered as much information as possible about them, including their cash-out amounts and rankings.

"This is... the cash-out amounts are completely different."

"That's right."

When I gathered the information, the highest amount, Ichino Yasuhiro's, was less than 200,000D.

The data was collected at noon yesterday.

In less than 24 hours, the amount has doubled.

"Was there an error in the data I collected?"

"No, that's not it. They are currently increasing their cash-out amounts."

They haven't come out of the prefab.

It should be impossible to cash out D Coins.

Yet they are doing it.

I'm very curious about what is happening inside the prefab.

I want to check the situation inside right away.

But I have no intention of breaking my promise to them or letting the crane that came to repay a favor fly away.

"Minister... what does this mean?"

"Don't you understand?"

I smiled at the secretary and said,

"It seems there's no need to find you a new job."

The secretary, not understanding the meaning of my words, was puzzled, "Was I about to be fired?"