novelraw Chapter 143
Chapter 143
Chapter 143
Good morning.
Akagi Hideo, booting up early this morning.
Let's give it our all again today.
"Now then, I wonder what kind of crazy daily mission awaits today. I'm so excited."
This is a high-level maneuver—if I act like I already know what's coming, then maybe I'll get an easy reverse-psychology daily mission.
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★Daily Mission★
Let's keep grinding every day!
'Great Detective Toy Poodle Charred Remains Case'
Identify the culprit 0/1
Consecutive days: Day 115
Steady Rank: Platinum Multiplier 10.0x
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So today's daily mission is another Great Detective arc, huh.
Judging from the mission title, I guess some Toy Poodle gets charred and I have to find the culprit.
Realistically speaking, it's hard to imagine the Toy Poodle Charred Remains Case just coming to me, so I'll try to run into the case myself.
I mean, isn't this obviously one of those? I'm on the Toy Poodle bombing side, right? Classic match-pump. I already know how this goes—how many daily missions do you think I've done?
I search for a dungeon with Toy Poodles on the foundation's SNS.
Found one. There's one nearby. Nice.
A Class 1 dungeon that appeared in Urawa City, Saitama Prefecture.
A typical three-floor dungeon, nothing unusual.
Dressed in my usual formal wear, I pour boiling water over some noodles I found under the kitchen floor, wait three minutes, finish breakfast in another three, and head out. I ride the Tobu Tojo Line that runs through the center of the world, pass through the ticket gate, board the train—rattle rattle—okay, I've arrived.
If you see a cluster of tents like a disaster zone, that's the local Countermeasures HQ set up by the Dungeon Foundation.
Normally, I don't have much interest in these kinds of dungeons.
I mean, I do like dungeons, but maybe I only like the big ones. The small ones just don't hit the same.
After passing through the outer perimeter of the camp lined with food stalls, I reach the inner zone and spot a stunningly radiant girl.
"Shurado-san, even in a place like this."
"Wow, Akagi-san, what are the odds of running into each other in such a tiny dungeon? We must be super compatible!"
Heh heh, really? You think so?
"But Shurado-san, you used to invite me to dungeons by message... but not today..."
I feel a bit miffed.
"Akagi-san is a top-class explorer, so this scale doesn't really suit you. It's about the right person for the right job!"
"Huh."
"Hundreds of dungeons appear every year. There are about 12,000 explorers in JPN, but only a handful of high-ranking ones. And not every explorer is always in perfect condition or available 365 days a year!"
According to Shurado-san, around 95% of all dungeons that appear are Class 1. Compared to the ones I've conquered in Gunma and Chiba, this one is way smaller.
Only the big dungeons are the ones that high-ranking explorers like me get personally invited to.
"But still, since you've come all this way, there's no reason to turn you away."
"I'll have you exterminate every Toy Poodle in this area."
"Do your best, Akagi-san."
Nourished by nutrients that can only be absorbed through Shurado-san's adorable smile, I turn to face the ominous black gate that serves as the dungeon entry.
"Ah, wait a moment please!"
She calls out, and I stop and turn around.
Shurado-san pulls out her phone with a cheerful smile.
"We've shortlisted a few potential sites for your future home. Could I get your opinion on them?"
"Potential sites? For the 10-billion-yen house?"
"Yes. Since we're going to personally care for the Calamities, we'll need the foundation's approval. The site and facility have to meet the standards."
Since Shimaenaga-san, Gii-san, and the little hedgehog have all increased in number, we'll need to prepare a facility big enough to house everyone.
Previously, Shurado-san gave me a rough estimate, and the cost was 10 billion yen.
"The foundation wants to dispose of the Calamity Series. There are people who would misuse them. That's why I think the best solution is for you to take care of them, Akagi-san."
She sends a URL to my message.
I open the link and land on a page filled with English text.
Spam?
Or so I thought, but then some space imagery popped up.
"We need land for development, and from the foundation's perspective, the farther from urban areas the better. We have a few candidate sites, but my top recommendation is the moon!"
"The moon... Moon?"
"Let's buy about 100 acres on the moon and build a facility there!"
"100 acres... Space Pooh? (That's not a real Japanese phrase)"
Didn't expect things to escalate to a space-level scale.
Sure, it's far from urban areas, but still.
"What do you think?"
What do I think... Well, space, huh...
I guess in space, no matter how puffed up Shimaenaga-san gets, nobody would care.
In space, you can puff up as much as you want?
"Gii-san, little hedgehog, is it tough being small all the time?"
"Gii (Translation: It's like bracing my abs. If I relax, I'll puff up.)"
"Kyu! (Translation: I'd honestly prefer to live in a big temple-kyu! Staying small all the time feels like being squeezed by a corset—too tight-kyu!)"
I don't think slugs have abs, and hedgehogs don't wear corsets. My pets just say whatever. Well, the gist got through, though.
"The runner-up is an offshore plant. Or an uninhabited island. Antarctica and the Arctic are also options!"
Also options! Cute.
But offshore plants, deserted islands, polar regions and whatnot...
The level of caution around the Calamities is insane.
Well, if people think they could wipe out humanity, I guess isolating them in places like that makes sense.
"If the shelter gets built, will everyone live there?"
"Yes. That's what the foundation would want."
"I see... Well, if everyone can live there safely, then..."
Better than being disposed of, for sure.
After some discussion with Shurado-san about the location, I thought it through and decided to buy an uninhabited island and build a facility there.
The moon was pretty rock-n-roll and cool, but it felt too much like chasing a dream. Even with 100 trillion dollars, it seemed unrealistic, so I gave up. Shurado-san looked a little down. Is this what it feels like to be a low-income boyfriend who can't buy his girlfriend what she wants? I'm full of feelings of inadequacy. I want to buy it for her. A space base.
"Well then, do your best today too, Akagi-san!"
With Shurado-san seeing me off, I head into the dungeon.
Passing through the black gate and entering the first floor, the first thing I do is share the 3D map from my sunglasses 'Labyrinth Conqueror' on the foundation's SNS.
"'Today's Hunting Grounds', and... done."
After updating the SNS, I spot a Toy Poodle down the corridor.
So small and fluffy, with those curly little hairs—I swear, that signature coat is so cute, just looking at it makes me want to turn it into charred remains!
"Calibur."
Ta-da—charred remains, coming right up♪
The adorable form of the small dog turning into particles of light after the explosion—it never gets old.
The Doctor is currently modifying the Mugen High-Load to fit anomalous substances the size of containers, so I don't have the duralumin-case-sized Mugen High-Load on me.
Since I'm going barebones style, collecting crystals in my coat pocket, I don't plan to gather too many.
Might as well focus on speed for today's clear.
——30 minutes later
After bombing☆ a Toy Poodle for the daily mission and doing some running, I immediately find the stairs.
Descending to the second floor.
——30 minutes later
Huh, before I knew it, I was on the third floor.
Class 1 dungeons are really this small, huh? The scale difference is kinda disorienting.
Feels like I'll finish sooner than I thought, so let's take a short break.
Since we're still on the third floor, I can use my phone—might as well check SNS.
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Spread: 100,215 Likes: 260,853
Red Tree kotoha: 1 hour ago
Finger Man-sama, are you in Saitama?!
Agent G: 1 hour ago
You're not getting away.
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H-Huh......?
Isn't the spread rate kinda crazy?
It's only been an hour, you know?
As usual, Red Tree kotoha and the person called Agent G left comments immediately after the post. Hehe, having such devoted fans really fills my need for validation.
And there are a lot of comments from foreign bros too.
I wonder what they're saying. I can't understand any of it.
But still, I'm kinda happy that Finger Man is getting more recognition.
——1 hour later
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★Daily Mission★
Let's keep at it steadily every day!
'Great Detective: Toy Poodle Charred Remains Case'
Identify the culprit 1/1
★Today's Daily Mission completed!★
Reward: "Battle Dome"
Consecutive days: Day 116
Steady Rank: Platinum Multiplier 10.0x
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Hello, I'm the culprit.
I blew up a Toy Poodle, found the boss room, and came back to the surface.
I didn't defeat the boss. See, the foundation needs to mine crystals and other rare resources from the dungeon, and if the boss is beaten too quickly, they can't collect all the crystals they're supposed to, which causes issues apparently.
It's still around 11 a.m.
Crap. I finished way too fast.
"Akagi-san, as I thought, you're already back."
I shared the boss room's location and the map data I made on the foundation's SNS.
"Appraisal, please."
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Today's Appraisal
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Small Crystal ¥2,109
Small Crystal ¥2,440
Small Crystal ¥2,110
Small Crystal ¥2,101
Small Crystal ¥2,601
Small Crystal ¥1,986
Small Crystal ¥2,101
Small Crystal ¥2,007
Small Crystal ¥2,242
Small Crystal ¥1,536
Small Crystal ¥1,972
Small Crystal ¥2,106
Small Crystal ¥2,175
Small treasure chest ¥20,000
Small treasure chest ¥20,000
Small treasure chest ¥20,000
Small treasure chest ¥20,000
"Battle Dome" ¥10,000,000
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Total ¥10,108,296
Dungeon Bank Account Balance ¥41,730,932
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Shurado Investment ¥105,853
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Total Assets ¥41,836,785
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"Th-This is a super exciting phantom anomalous substance!"
The toy-like anomalous substance I got as a Daily Mission reward didn't seem like something I could use, so I put it up for appraisal.
Shurado seems to be extremely pleased.
"What kind of effect does that anomalous substance have?"
"If you play with it, you'll be super excited!"
What the heck. It seems even less useful than I imagined.
"It's actually fairly famous among enthusiasts and trades at a high price."
I see.
By the way, it feels like the Shurado Investment amount has dropped significantly......
"I bought an uninhabited island. It's a sunny property in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!"
Are there even properties with bad sunlight? Finger Man is curious.
"I'll move a little more money into investments!"
"Please take care of our funds, Shurado-san."
"Yes, I'll make sure they work hard!"
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Dungeon Bank Account Balance ¥41,730,932
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Shurado Investment ¥105,853
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Total Assets ¥41,836,785
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↓
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Dungeon Bank Account Balance ¥30,932
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Shurado Investment ¥41,805,853
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Total Assets ¥41,836,785
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A ¥30,000 bank balance...... I feel like I became a regular person again in an instant.
"It's about lunchtime, isn't it? Akagi-san, care to join me?"
"Of course, I'd love to."
"Let's go to Steak no Don!"
For lunch, we're going to Steak no Don, where you can get full at a good value with free rice refills (advertisement). Even the soup refills are free—it's the ultimate family restaurant (advertisement).
Oh. I just got a great idea.
"Shurado-san, how about the loser of a shadow game treats the winner?"
"You mean you want to battle in Battle Dome. Fufufu, I'm strong, you know?"
"Sure. I may not look it, but I'm good at games. I won't lose."
And so, we decided to face off in the super exciting "Battle Dome."
Given all the shady trades she's made, it's about time I got my payback.
Daily-kun must have given me the "Battle Dome" thinking, 'With this, he can win for sure.' I really am a genius. I can pick up on messages like that, you know?
Now then. It's about time I put that little devil Shurado-san in her place——
——Two hours later
I was the one who got put in my place.