kscans

Chapter 52 - Chapter 2: Epilogue, Part 2

No Point of View

Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. The Central Government Complex.

Inside a certain room within the Dungeon Agency on a certain floor.

"...Alright, give me the report."

Worn-out employees, squeezing in time between their myriad other tasks, had gathered for a meeting.

"Yes, sir. This is regarding the perpetrator of the recent simultaneous five-location stampedes."

A female employee, formerly of Public Security, answered while holding a laptop.

Her report was on the 'culprit' who had caused that tragedy.

"The perpetrator is a male who had just become an F-Rank adventurer in mid-May. He has a police record for shoplifting, underage drinking, and smoking. After becoming an adventurer, he seems to have drifted between parties without settling into a permanent one."

"...Continue."

"He was solicited for a shady part-time job on social media and communicated with his handler using a highly anonymous messaging app. There, he was apparently instructed to bring back 'monster salt'."

The officials held their heads in their hands as they listened to the details the perpetrator had confessed to during the police interrogation.

"After collecting the monster salt from a creature defeated by another party, the perpetrator lured the pursuing horde of monsters onto multiple parties. Then, taking advantage of the confusion, he escaped the dungeon. He used a stolen car from the store to flee. He testified that he placed the salt in a rented locker at a location designated by his handler, approximately ten kilometers from the dungeon."

"...Ten kilometers, huh."

Next, another employee raised a small hand and took over.

"A stampede occurred in the dungeon from which the salt was removed. We'd already confirmed this much in previous experiments, but whether due to the distance or the time elapsed, stampedes also broke out in two nearby dungeons. Furthermore, it triggered a chain reaction in twenty-seven other dungeons that housed the same types of monsters."

"So that's why monsters started pouring out of five previously undiscovered dungeons."

"Yes. For now, the stampedes have subsided since the stolen salt was returned to its original dungeon."

"A major factor in the spread of the damage was that the Self-Defense Force had to deal with the dungeons they were already managing. They were already short-handed, thinning out a C-Rank dungeon with a small team, and then a sudden stampede hits. Of course their response to other areas was going to be delayed."

A male employee holding a tablet continued.

"The police are on the case, but the client of this shady job remains unknown. It seems they're routing through multiple overseas servers... Still, there's just too little evidence left behind. For a simple criminal group, they're using some pretty sophisticated methods to hide their tracks."

"...I see."

The director massaged the bridge of his nose with his right hand, but it did little to ease his mental exhaustion.

A simultaneous, multi-location stampede was triggered by a single person working a shady part-time job.

If monster salt is taken a certain distance or for a certain amount of time away from a dungeon, the effect spreads to nearby dungeons. Furthermore, a chain reaction of stampedes occurs in any other dungeons that house the same monster species.

Not only is the mastermind unknown, but even the handler's identity is a mystery. Their motive is a complete blank.

This meant one thing and one thing only: any ordinary Awakened Person could now carry out large-scale terrorism at will.

It might even be possible for a small group of people to bring about the ruin of Japan.

It was no wonder that a cold sweat was trickling down the cheeks of every Dungeon Agency employee.

"...Can we make this public?"

"No way. Absolutely not."

"The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has probably issued a gag order as well. The timing of my visit was likely just before they clamped down on the information."

"If the world learns that this method is 'effective,' Japan will have created a massive national security vulnerability. Even before that, people will stop wanting to live in this country. The populace will flee all at once. And there won't be enough places for everyone to run to."

"So you're saying we can't ignore the possibility that Japan could disappear just from this information getting out."

A heavy silence descended upon them.

"...But why would the 'mastermind' want dungeon salt in the first place?"

One of the employees, faint dark circles under his eyes, tilted his head in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? Some organization wanted to use it for an experiment."

"But 'monster salt' has been recovered from the stampedes that have occurred all over, and it was immediately sent to research institutions in various countries, right?"

If you try to take salt out of a dungeon, every monster inside will come after you with blood in their eyes.

However, it seems the salt of monsters that have died after leaving the dungeon is exempt from this rule. The mountains of salt created by each stampede were more than enough, and they'd been sent everywhere for research.

"Then maybe it was one of those clout-chasing streamers we've been seeing so much of lately?"

"No, this was too elaborate for that. Even in an age where any random person can hack into things, the stakes are different this time. To be this clueless, unable to find even a single lead..."

"...It's possible a 'nation-state' is involved behind the scenes."

The female employee murmured quietly while operating her laptop.

"But for what purpose...?"

"An attack on Japan... No, a warning, perhaps?"

"It could be some kind of experiment. But whatever it is, we have far too little information."

The employees all cocked their heads, stumped.

With the air thick with tension, the director clapped his hands lightly.

"Trying to figure out the culprit's motive at this stage is pointless. Let's discuss countermeasures for the future."

"Right. For starters, should we strengthen baggage checks at dungeon exits?"

"That's going to be extremely difficult, considering storage abilities from Arcane Gear and other skills..."

"There are also 'rumors' that even before the sale of drop items was liberalized, they were being bought and sold for high prices on the black market..."

"We thoroughly communicated the risks of removing salt based on what we knew at the time, but we can't release all the details from this incident either."

"What if we station police dogs there?"

"Useless if they use skills, and deploying that many dogs isn't realistic in the first place."

"Even for simple baggage checks, the stores at each site are already operating at full capacity. How about this: since removing salt always triggers a stampede, what if we use that as a trigger to tighten checks?"

"Using the dungeon's own mechanics, huh..."

"So, if a stampede occurs, we make the net at the dungeon exit finer?"

The employee with the tablet began sketching a rough flowchart.

'Culprit secures the salt and carries it.'

'At that stage, monsters swarm the culprit. Witnesses immediately report to the SDF personnel at the exit.'

'Even if the culprit lures the monsters onto witnesses and comes to the exit, a large number of monsters should be in pursuit, so we'll defend while checking belongings. We prioritize the check, even if they might be a victim of the lure.'

'Considering the possibility of a forced breach, upon confirming a stampede, personnel at the exit will preemptively evacuate the store and close the blast shields, restricting access to a single entrance/exit.'

"...The cooperation of the Self-Defense Force is essential for this."

"Well, it's already mandatory for one of the SDF members at the exit to go outside and report a stampede when it's confirmed. We just need to work on closer coordination with the stores..."

"If we completely seal the entrances and exits, the gate's position might shift. We'll need to consider which entrance to leave open for each store individually."

"Even with all this, there's still a risk of them breaking through. Once they're out of the gate, someone with Spatial Magic could just teleport away."

"But to go any further than this, we'd have to consider not letting adventurers into dungeons at all..."

"And even if we make the license acquisition stricter, we're already critically understaffed as it is."

"Above all, this would likely hinder the evacuation of adventurers already inside the dungeon..."

"Considering the potential scope of the damage, it's a necessary evil, I suppose. Please summarize which departments to contact and what information to relay. We'll create a detailed manual after discussing it with the Self-Defense Force and representatives from each store."

"Yes, sir."

"...I expect we'll be flooded with calls from various groups complaining about human rights again."

"I know. But... it must be done."

The other employees nodded silently at their director's weary-eyed resolve.

For the past few days, there hadn't been a single day when the phones at the Dungeon Agency weren't ringing with curses and insults. Some were explicit threats, and there was even an incident where a suspicious object was left in front of the government complex.

But not a single person here had run away. It could also be said that anyone who would have had been weeded out long ago.

"Of course, if we come up with a better plan, we'll adopt it, and we'll make improvements as needed. We may be getting used to the complaint calls, but we won't ignore them entirely. As budget and time allow, we will continue to devise better defense strategies."

"...Please don't overdo it, sir."

"I'll do my best."

"By the way, Director, what did the Ministry of Defense and the National Police Agency have to say about this whole affair? Were they angry?"

"No. I got a few light scoldings, but there's no outright hostility. They understand the nature of our work. ...Though I'm sure they won't pull any punches when it comes to fighting over budgets and personnel. I take that as proof they're thinking about their own countermeasures, too."

Glancing at the documents, the director swallowed the sigh that was about to escape.

"...Let's move on to the next topic. The 'Magi Battery' supposedly created by the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club.' Do we have any information on that?"

"The blueprints seem to be exactly as they were released online. We had an external alchemist verify them, and they believe it should function if built according to the schematics."

"That's good news... I think."

"A tool is only as good as the person using it. We can only pray it isn't used for terrorism or crime."

Magi Battery.

A dream invention capable of storing mana and powering golems and magic tools by connecting to them.

Depending on how it's used, it could easily save lives or take them. Either way, there was no doubt that any corporation would pay a fortune to get their hands on this technology.

And the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club was sharing this normally top-secret technology without a second thought.

But...

"Well, for now, the only ones who can actually make the thing are the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club' anyway."

Even with the blueprints, no other organization was currently capable of producing it.

Its creation involved multiple steps that required 'several alchemists to work in perfect synchronization.'

Alchemists, and production-class skill holders in general, were being aggressively recruited by nations and corporations. As a result of this scramble, no organization other than the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club had a significant number of alchemists working together.

"They're a mystery, aren't they... Why would they release the Magi Battery blueprints...?"

The Dungeon Agency staff puzzled over it.

Meanwhile, on the internet.

'We possess incredible technology! The day we can create our ideal homunculus wives is near! Comrades, follow our lead!!'

This declaration of war had been posted, but aside from the members themselves and a certain cat-eared individual, no one thought for a second that this was their actual, heartfelt motive.

"It's reasonable to assume it's some kind of message."

Correct.

"It's undoubtedly a display of their technical prowess."

Correct.

"...Did they decide that hoarding the technology was too dangerous?"

Incorrect. Not enough perversion in that line of thinking.

Unable to arrive at the truth, the employees forced their exhausted brains to keep working.

"...We need to continue our investigation of them. And keep looking into the 'Walkers' organization they've allied with."

"Yes, sir."

"I wonder if the police, or rather, Public Security, is investigating the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club' as well?"

"Probably. But we don't know the extent of their investigation."

"Right..."

The male employee with the tablet gave a wry smile to the female employee who had closed her laptop.

"Everyone, just one last push. This is it. These next few years will be the turning point that decides whether Japan survives. I need you to see it through."

"Yes, sir."

The staff nodded and began to move.

Just as the director turned to get back to his own work, two employees flanked him.

"Regarding the case of those three, it seems they are the same girls from the dragon incident. We have a match with the station's security cameras."

"...Is it possible those three knew about the stampede beforehand?"

"The probability is low. However, we will be conducting interviews with people around them just in case."

"Please do."

Three young girls who had been caught up in a stampede three times, and in each instance, fought to protect civilians.

If it wasn't intentional, then they had terrible luck. Or perhaps... it was fate.

"Also, about the location where that centaur went on a rampage."

Following the employee with the laptop, the one holding the tablet reported in a low voice from the other side.

"A strange witness report has surfaced."

"Strange?"

"Yes. It's testimony from a rescued civilian... They claim the Awakened Person who defeated the centaur and rescued them gave a peculiar name."

"A peculiar name?"

"Yes, a very strange name."

The employee clutching the tablet reported with a wry smile.

"They said they were called... the 'Invisible Ninjas'."

"That ridiculous name...!"

"Indeed."

The tablet-wielding employee nodded as the director's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's a name that came up when we were investigating the 'Walkers.' The details were unknown, and given the name, we'd dismissed it as some kind of joke, but..."

"So there's a possibility that an organization called the 'Invisible Ninjas' actually exists..."

In the director's mind, a new secret society, the 'Invisible Ninjas,' took its place alongside the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club,' the 'Mysterious Trio,' and the 'Walkers.'

If all they had done was defeat a centaur, it wouldn't be a huge deal. They'd be strong for adventurers, but not on the same level as these other names.

But at the scene of the incident, traces of a 'boss monster' and its defeat had been confirmed. On top of that, a connection to the 'Walkers,' who were linked to the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club,' was now coming into view.

If this was an 'organization'... they were a presence that could not be ignored.

"One of them was said to be dressed like a soldier... or perhaps a knight from a medieval fantasy."

"That's a common type of 'Arcane Gear.' It'll be difficult to narrow it down from that."

"However, the one who gave the organization's name apparently wasn't the soldier-like man, but a girl's voice that seemed to come from thin air. We don't know if it's a skill or some kind of communication device..."

"Either way, we don't have enough information."

"No, we don't. The possibility of it being an organization is high, but we don't even know the scale of their active unit..."

"You're right..."

The director stood still for a few seconds, thinking, then gave a quiet nod.

"...We'll hold another meeting in a few days. At that time, we will decide which 'tiger's den' to enter."

*

"...Being alive is wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"Hey, haven't we had this exact conversation before?"

Somewhere in Kanagawa Prefecture. In a certain izakaya, four adventurers, their bodies dotted with bandages and patches, were gathered once again.

It was Yamashita Hiroshi and his party.

"I can't believe we got caught in another stampede."

"I really thought we were done for this time, seriously..."

Yes, they had once again been caught in a dungeon stampede.

"Thank goodness for the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club's golem. We would've been dead for sure without that tanuki thing."

"Speaking of which, where's Ichiyanagi-san?"

"I invited him, but he said he was busy and turned me down."

Having formed an alliance with the club, the guild 'Walkers' had seen its membership grow.

Just as they were thinking it was time to establish a proper base and were looking for a suitable building to rent, they encountered the stampede.

They rushed to an evacuation shelter but had no choice but to defend themselves until help arrived. The 'Walkers' had taken the lead in defending that shelter.

It seemed the golem user who had played a key role in that battle didn't have fond memories of drinking parties and had bailed with a vague excuse.

"...None of the TV channels are covering our story properly."

Kiriko muttered, looking at her smartphone with dissatisfaction.

"Haha. Well, it's not like we defended the place all by ourselves. This is about what I'd expect."

"Yeah, yeah! Besides, we're not as flashy as the others. Can't be helped!"

The women shot a glare at Shougo, Yamashita's childhood friend, who had started drinking before they'd even made a toast.

"Huh?"

"Are you saying we're not flashy?"

"Gah! N-no, that's not what I meant! It's just that the competition was tough, you know? The impact of that mysterious group of high school girls and the beautiful elf was just off the charts."

"Rejoice, everyone. Looks like Shougo's treating us today."

"Hey, you...!"

"Seriously? Thanks, Shougo-san!"

"Thanks for the meal!"

"D-damn it...! Hiroshi, you're paying for your own share, right?"

"Oh, alright. I guess I'll pay for my own portion."

"My dearest friend!"

"Get off me, you're annoying!"

Kiriko stared intently as Yamashita peeled the clinging Shougo off him.

Her friend was no doubt letting her imagination run wild with her brother and his childhood friend. Averting her gaze, Yamashita's sister placed some fried chicken on her small plate.

"Still, though. Don't you guys think we have the worst luck? We don't have enough lives for this."

"W-well, some strong people happened to pass by and help us this time too, so..."

"Maybe it's one of those things. Our luck isn't good, but it's never the absolute worst... so we've got bad luck, but we're tough?"

"I'd rather just have normal good luck. Especially with money."

After laughing in agreement with Yamashita's sister, his older brother lightly raised his beer mug.

"Anyway, we managed to survive again. Here's to our long lives. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The four mugs clinked together lightly as the founding members of the 'Walkers' shared a laugh.

The very next day, a certain person contacted the new smartphone Yamashita had purchased for work.

It was the number listed on the 'Walkers' website, which he was using until they found a guild headquarters. So, it wasn't unusual to receive a call about dungeon-related business.

This time, however, the caller was anything but ordinary.

'Hello. This is Akasaka from the Dungeon Agency. Am I speaking with Yamashita Hiroshi-sama?'

The call was from the director of the Dungeon Agency, Akasaka Yuusuke.

The tiger's den he had chosen to enter was the 'Walkers.'