We shoved Katsu and Minami into the nap room for now.
We moved our planned morning session to the afternoon.
There was no particular reason to panic about it.
Everyone, including myself, had their schedules changed at some point, and we’d dealt with it.
Normally, I’d handle tasks like writing reports or training by myself, things that didn’t have much impact if done alone. But this time was different.
“Hmm, I read Minami’s proposal, and it’s amazing… she finished this in three days.”
We were having a meeting at a table, going through documents.
“This project is for raising the overall level of all Dungeon Testers, not just our party?”
“That girl is capable of work, but she usually doesn’t put in her full effort. When she really gets motivated, she comes up with incredible ideas.”
“Wow! If this works out, our dungeon clear rates will skyrocket!”
Each of us received it before Minami went to the nap room.
“Please, just this, just this, I beg you to read it!”
With a look of someone about to be adopted into Instructor Fushio’s dungeon, she handed us a USB memory stick with trembling hands. I printed the documents on it and reviewed them. Indeed, I was impressed by how she approached it. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that her entire experience was condensed into this presentation, filled with detailed explanations and graphs. The project was titled: “Leveling Efficiency Guidebook Creation Project.” While it mentioned leveling, the core proposal was to research what was important for increasing a Dungeon Tester’s stat growth rate, speed, and deceleration. Minami focused on the parts that were previously vague – the assumption that stats would increase simply by training, increasing magic power, and defeating enemies – and decided to improve upon the inefficiencies. The title sounded like something from a gamer’s brain, but the prepared materials were much more refined than I expected. It was incredibly detailed, including our dungeon clear records, our own stat growth, and a comparison of Katsu’s growth, along with Minami’s experiential observations and explanations, making it very persuasive. The rustling of pages was the only sound to fill the room for a while, a testament to its depth. And then…
“A coliseum system, huh? It’s an idea that should have occurred to someone sooner.”
“Right. Dungeons often involve multiple opponents, and one-on-one fights are rare. Many probably think it’s a waste to even build it.”
“But being able to gauge your real strength, not just numbers, would be a huge help. Benchmarks are important, you know. Honestly, there are times we don’t know our own capabilities until we actually fight.”
“Yes! It might also be good for checking our physical condition that day!”
The coliseum system was summarized at the end of the documents. The concept itself was similar to what could be done in the existing training rooms, allowing Dungeon Testers to fight dungeon Souls one-on-one. However, instead of doing it in a vast area, Minami proposed a more accessible, scaled-down version, like an arcade game cabinet, easily usable by individuals. As Kitamiya pointed out, one-on-one situations are extremely rare in dungeons unless something extraordinary happens. In fact, they’re almost non-existent. Therefore, such a system might seem impractical and of little value. But Minami didn’t see it that way. She argued that, fundamentally, dungeon combat is a series of individual battles. While you face enemies one after another, it’s still mostly a single opponent at a time, unless you’re using wide-area magic or attacks. It’s a change in perspective; once she explained it, I could see her point.
“As Minami’s analysis suggests, our party doesn’t often operate at full strength. We all have our own schedules, and we sometimes enter dungeons with one or two members missing. We even go in solo for practice runs.”
What I had resigned myself to as an inevitability, Minami’s proposal precisely addressed, sparking a glimmer of hope.
“But that’s only for people with a certain level of skill and confidence, right? I sometimes go solo, but there are definitely times when I don’t feel like it.”
“Indeed. For someone like me in a backline role, going solo is reckless. And using those large training facilities alone feels… awkward.”
“Right! I tried going solo once before, but Mike was there, so I didn’t feel like I was alone. I only recently realized that.”
While team coordination is crucial, individual abilities shouldn’t be neglected. Coordination itself requires skill. We gathered around the table, placing the documents down without touching our drinks, and began our discussion, weighing the proposal’s necessity.
“It’s a facility we wish existed, isn’t it?”
“Like a personal, easy-to-use training facility? It seems like it would be good for secret training sessions.”
“It would also be useful for practicing against monsters we struggle with. I think individual response capabilities would improve.”
“Being able to get a little practice in before facing them directly in the field would lessen our reluctance to fight.”
“That, and Minami-chan’s real goal seems to be data collection.”
“…A coliseum is a one-on-one space. Collecting data on what you defeat, how much experience you gain, and so on.”
While there are individual differences among Souls, they aren’t that vast. Their abilities are generally balanced. That’s precisely why, in a chaotic battle, how much damage is dealt to how many enemies, or how much damage is taken, and consequently, how much experience is gained and how stats increase – that’s what Minami wants to know. She’s also trying to determine the appropriate combat areas based on stat levels. Optimizing combat efficiency is, in essence, optimizing work efficiency. It’s almost humorous that the optimal solution for leveling is the highest work efficiency for us as Dungeon Testers in this company. Even with constantly updated dungeons, if this is realized, our efficiency might eventually surpass them. It was a proposal brimming with such potential.
“So, we’ve considered the good points. What do you think the bad points are?”
Minami had thoughtfully outlined the advantages. Generally, these are improved combat efficiency, more effective stat growth, and sufficient combat experience. And on the flip side…
“…Well, it might be pointless to worry about the future, but it could create a disparity in abilities. There’s already a tendency in that direction. If this is implemented, being able to defeat certain levels of monsters could become a status symbol in itself.”
“It’s the ‘those who can’t will be looked down upon’ scenario. Monsters that can be handled through coordination in a normal dungeon fight become completely different when fought solo. It could also affect our coordination. We need to be mindful of that.”
“People in support roles who can’t fight alone will also have a hard time. Attackers might be okay, but support classes like you, Minami-chan, naturally have lower attack power.”
The proposal highlighted the potential for increased awareness disparity, friction within existing teamwork, and inefficient stat growth across different job classes. If that happens, discrimination might begin not by rules, but by unspoken understanding. The potential downsides are endless, but we can’t ignore them. These might be improved over time, but these disadvantages are being foreseen from the outset. While there are clear benefits, they are tinged with bitterness. Whether we can accept this, or what unforeseen issues might arise – if I start thinking about it, it never ends, and my resolve weakens. I understand its necessity. But to realize this, I believe we need more achievements.
“It’s an interesting idea with promising potential effects, but I’m a bit hesitant about bringing it up to Evia-san.”
“I think it’s good.”
“I don’t think this is the kind of thing you can discuss lightly. Building facilities is the company’s responsibility.”
“But this could contribute to the company’s profits, you know?”
The opinions were neatly divided. Kitamiya and I were leaning towards observation. Kaido and Amelia thought it should be implemented, even experimentally. Both sides had valid points, making the decision difficult.
“…For now, let’s end the discussion on this matter. Anything further would be a clash of wills rather than opinions. It would be better to discuss it after including Minami, the proposer.”
“That’s true. Discussing without the key person is the most ineffective way to make progress.”
“Haa, right. I got a bit heated. Amī, would you like a cold drink? I was thinking of having one.”
“Yes! I think we have some iced tea made in advance!”
“Then let’s have that.”
This wasn’t the kind of issue that could be resolved here. With Minami completely exhausted from her all-nighter, it was probably the right decision to halt further discussion. As the meeting concluded, everyone relaxed their shoulders and took a break. I, too, decided to take a breather, pulling a cigarette from my chest pocket and lighting it.
“Senpai, you’ve gotten quite used to using magic.”
“Well, you get used to it with practice. It’s still difficult to control because of the dragon’s blood. Honestly, using elementary magic is harder than casting grand magic. I can’t laugh at Amelia anymore.”
This seemingly casual gesture was a stark reminder. Right after obtaining the dragon’s blood, I tried to light my cigarette with my usual feeling and nearly burned my face. I felt something off about the quality of magic power gathering at my fingertips and instinctively pulled my face back, which saved me from injury. However, the cigarette in my mouth wasn’t so lucky, turning into nearly half-burnt charcoal. It was a painful lesson on the importance of magic power control.
“Ah, the first time I transformed, I misjudged my strength and crashed into the wall. That hurt bad.”
“What were you doing?”
If your own strength suddenly changes, it’s bound to be disorienting. We laughed about our respective failures. I then opened my PC.
“Are you going to write a report?”
While listening to Kitamiya and Amelia chatting in the kitchen, I opened a file on the activated computer.
“No, I’m looking at something else.”
Since Kaido wouldn’t have a problem seeing it, I freely operated the mouse, looking at content different from the proposal we had just discussed. Minami had given us two documents besides the coliseum and guidebook proposals.
“So, the previous proposal was to mitigate some of the pressure on us, you’re saying? Minami’s real objective is this one.”
“? What do you mean?”
“This.”
“What is this? A clan creation proposal? How is it different from a party?”
“Considerably different. If a party is individual activity, a clan is organizational activity. Minami’s previous proposal looks cute in comparison. This one is far more dangerous. She’s trying to form exclusive contracts with demon world corporations and powerful families through the Demon Lord’s Army.”
Clan. It’s a familiar term among gamers. In essence, it’s a group gathered to achieve a common goal. For us, the mission is to create dungeons that no one can clear. Minami judged that to deal with it, we need too many things, and decided to establish a system to back up Dungeon Testers, or rather, us. Weapons, consumables, magic knowledge, connections, a support organization to obtain information we don’t yet know. She’s trying to create an organization to support our party, not just Dungeon Testers. Naturally, forming an organization without permission is a big no-no for the Demon Lord’s Army. The Demon Lord’s Army is the one leading the support for Dungeon Testers. They wouldn’t allow someone to say, “We have complaints, so we’ll form our own organization.” However, it’s a different story if that support organization is under the Demon Lord’s Army’s supervision and management. The Demon Lord’s Army can’t support everything, nor can they do everything. There are possibilities and impossibilities, and she seems to want to reach those impossible parts, to scratch those itchy spots. It’s a proposal that suggests such intentions.
“Whoa, Minami-chan was thinking of all that? She’s not just an employee; she’s thinking like a CEO.”
“Yeah. When she first joined, I told her to leverage her experience as a vice guild master in games, but I never expected she’d use it like this. Honestly, I can only say her vision is broad.”
While I enhanced individual abilities with dragon blood, Minami is trying to enhance abilities through organizational power. Her different approach is impressive.
“This is getting interesting.”
However, I feel no fear regarding Minami’s intentions; rather, I find it exciting. I grinned, flicked my cigarette, and waited for Minami to wake up.
Today’s quote:
You sense a person’s different level of creativity when you hear them speak.
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*The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content is revised and expanded from the version posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, with an unreleased interlude included.
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A manga adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
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