“Kahahaha! Ah, we fought well, we fought well.”
The hollowness of laughter escaped my mouth as I thought how good it felt to move my body.
My clothes and armor were covered in sand, and my face was probably no different.
The battle with the dragons was certainly intense.
Yet, the refreshing feeling after moving my body, mixed with a good kind of fatigue, was incredibly pleasant.
“But, I was a little flustered when a big one showed up mid-way, though we still got a lot this time.”
That sense of accomplishment from doing work is also something you can feel.
And while I don’t feel a heavy weight, having a large amount of internal contents stored, contrary to their appearance, would be perfect.
Is it to check the results, or some other emotion, that makes me pat my magic bag?
“Don’t you agree, you guys?”
“……………”
And so, in high spirits, I turned around seeking agreement, only to find the exhausted newcomers in various states of collapse, as if dead and piled up.
They were sitting around in a dismal atmosphere, each in their own posture.
Their appearance was the complete opposite of my high tension, and I felt as if they were saying, “You expect us to agree?!”
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
It was fine that we bravely charged at and repelled the dragon horde.
But that dungeon is one where if you defeat them too slowly, enemies will appear one after another.
It was a little… harsh environment, for the newcomers.
“Ah, did I go a bit too far?”
“No, it’s definitely not just a bit.”
“Oh, Amelia, are you healed?”
The newcomers’ stamina had been squeezed dry by one battle after another, to the point where not another drop could be wrung out.
Driven to the brink of exhaustion, they suddenly lost their tension upon escaping the dungeon, and with sighs of relief, they collapsed one after another, their bodies showing they had reached their limit.
Of course, I had them move away from the entrance as they were in the way, but everyone who participated was utterly exhausted. I was impressed they still managed to return without dropping their weapons.
Amelia, who has relatively good stamina and experience, was only slightly tired and had enough mental余裕 to put her hands on her hips and point out my words.
What she pointed out were words I didn’t truly mean myself, and I was aware it wasn’t “just a bit,” so I could do nothing but force a wry smile and brush it off.
“Jiro-san, if we fought at our usual pace, it would be tough for the newcomers.”
“No, well, they tried harder than I expected, so I got carried away, you know?”
I make excuses to my junior colleagues who caution me about going too far, but even as I say it, it doesn’t feel right.
Seeing the fresh and earnest efforts of the newcomers, it’s only natural to want to cheer them on.
I suppose it’s the same feeling when instructors push us too hard while training us.
“It’s not ‘got carried away.’ Jiro-san, aren’t you influenced too much by the instructors?”
“Hahaha! I can’t deny that!”
“It’s no good just laughing it off and being unapologetic!”
As I thought that, I ended up being lectured by another colleague as well.
However, I want them to let me make excuses.
I had thought, “Is this all?” and planned to withdraw at a certain point.
But, because Ishan and Benny worked harder than I imagined, I wanted to gauge their limits. I kept thinking, “just a little more, just a little more,” and delayed our withdrawal. Then, at the timing when I thought they could still fight a bit more, I slightly eased up on the speed of defeating enemies. The result is this.
Goodness, it could have been a great disaster if things had gone wrong.
I must reflect.
“But what’s amazing about Jiro-san is that you didn’t let anyone get injured.”
“Yes, while we’re tired, the injuries are only scratches. I can only say you’re truly amazing.”
However, if I’m allowed to make an excuse, I did go easy on them, but I didn’t hold back.
I believe I provided them with sufficient support.
I quickly defeated any enemies I deemed dangerous, and I didn’t forget to provide support or cover.
In some cases, I even stepped in front of them to shield them.
That’s why I feel that, though not moderately, I pushed them to the very limit and trained them.
“Uh, Mr. Tanaka. I have one question.”
“Oh, what is it, Ishan?”
I want to say that proudly, but that’s just my ego.
In truth, there were many parts where I pushed them too hard physically.
I must properly reflect on that. While I’m aware of that and am being lectured by my juniors, Ishan, who is tired, whips his body and stands up to ask me a question.
I think he’s diligent, and I answer his question.
“Is it always this tough?”
Experiencing this disaster, it’s natural to have questions.
Though his expression hasn’t changed, his eyes flicker, and he can’t hide his anxiety.
“If you’re talking about us, the answer is no. Compared to today, it’s actually less. Right?”
“Hmm, it feels strange because we’re used to it, but… Yes, it’s less than usual.”
“It’s more than a warm-up, but we’ve been in here for over half a day sometimes.”
If it were just my words, it would be dismissed with a single word: “Strange.” But when Amelia and Katsu, who are younger than Ishan, say it, my words gain more credibility.
Although their arrogance is corrected during training, they should have had a sense of accomplishment and confidence from gaining strength.
Amelia’s and Katsu’s words were enough to shake that confidence.
“But, for newcomers, that amount of combat is unthinkable.”
However, the premise for this conversation is different between Ishan and me.
“Originally, the Dragon King’s Dungeon is not a place newcomers should be venturing into. Other dungeons have high killing intent, but the Dragon King’s Dungeon is a step above them all.”
We have, after all, worked as Dungeon Testers for a year and have been trained.
On the other hand, Ishan and the others are tackling a dungeon for the first time today.
Newcomers and experienced individuals – the difference in the required standard is clear.
The standard they are required to meet should be much lower.
In fact, the King of Machines Dungeon, which I first challenged.
Even though I was solo, I didn’t face such a large horde.
It’s probably because I was concerned with my positioning to cover the numerical disadvantage, but the amount of combat today was equivalent to a week’s worth of fighting back then.
“You guys are magnificent. You fought through and returned on your own two feet. Someone like me in the past would have never achieved this. Have confidence.”
“…Yes!”
As I praised their achievements, smiles lit up the faces of the exhausted newcomers.
Ishan also gave a small triumphant pose to express his joy.
It’s only natural to be praised for your efforts.
“Well, next time, I’d be in trouble if you don’t strategize based on your individual abilities. We won’t be there next time.”
However, I caution them not to expect to replicate today’s results next time.
They cheerfully reply, “Yes!”, so I probably don’t need to worry too much about it.
“When we get back, look forward to it, okay? Your stats are probably going to be incredible.”
And with just this escort duty alone, Ishan and the others have likely grown by leaps and bounds compared to other newcomers.
This might be considered power leveling, but that’s fine.
The results of today are undeniably their accomplishments.
Whether they make use of those results or let them go to waste is up to them from now on.
It’s good to have such expectations, but for them, this might be more important than their stats.
“Also, you can look forward to the rewards from selling the monster materials we obtained today. We’ll be splitting it among this number of people, but we got quite a bit of material, so I think we can pay out a considerable sum.”
“Rewards!?”
And as I tell them to look forward to battle gains along with experience, another person, who despite her exhausted body, pushes herself to stand up with sheer determination.
It’s Katagiri.
I was surprised she survived with such light armor, but her tenacity is truly remarkable.
Whether it’s her own style or honed during the short training period, she probably had talent, but only she and Shua, fighting hand-to-hand with the dragons.
Of course, in coordination with other testers, they did take down several dragons.
“Yeah, here are your rewards.”
I tell her it’s reality, as she looks at me with eyes shining, wondering if it’s all a dream.
“My dear brothers, your sister has delivered! I’ll treat you to something delicious today!”
She then strikes a pose as if she were about to let out a war cry, and though I think there must be some circumstances behind her words, I don’t pry too deeply.
Everyone’s circumstances are different; if they don’t want to talk about it, there must be a reason.
“Tonight, it’s the yakiniku I’ve only dreamed of!!”
Ah, I’ll refrain from asking what happened.
I’ll just think to myself that it’s rare to be this happy about yakiniku.
The income from this time is to be split among us all, including myself.
So, it will be divided among about twenty people.
In other dungeons, it would be pocket change, at best enough for one meal out.
However, what we hunted this time are dragons, which are currently soaring in price.
We also took down some big ones.
Roughly speaking, she will have around twenty of the highest denomination Japanese banknotes.
Considering she’s spending all of that on yakiniku, it would be rude to question what kind of place she’s going to.
For now, I want to let her, and the others dreaming of meat, bask in their sense of accomplishment, but it’s too early for them to be lost in those dreams.
I’ll make them face reality at the very end.
“Alright, I know you’re all happy and relieved, but when there’s a whip, there’s also a carrot. That’s what it means to be a working adult. Everyone, please create a report for today’s Dungeon Test, outline your suggested improvements, and submit it to me within a week. You can write it right up to the deadline, but those who are afraid of re submission should submit it early.”
“Report?” The way the newcomers looked at me, as if their joints were creaking like tin toys, seemed to express disbelief.
Our job as escorts is to enter the dungeon, support the battle, and teach them how to write reports.
This is our job.
To the newcomers who were looking at me with expressions of disbelief, I gave a smile and a thumbs-up.
“Well then, get some good rest today, and let’s work hard tomorrow as well.”
I clearly give instructions for the next task.
Have you not heard before?
“The excursion isn’t over until you get home.”
If so, there’s such common sense for working adults too.
Work is not finished until you do what you must do and report it.
You might say, “Is that something a human would do?” but unfortunately, this is how our company operates.
We challenge dungeons, clear them, and then create a report from the perspective of the clearers to identify areas for improvement and ways to prevent future clearings.
This is a cycle.
Although the salary and welfare benefits are good, when I first joined, I remember thinking, “I’m digging my own grave.”
“Um, what about the rewards?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ll teach you how to settle the accounts at our usual shop later. I’ll give it to you then.”
“Ah! The meat wasn’t a dream! With this, I can fight!!”
They’re probably exhausted and don’t want to think about work, but if they can get their results on the spot, it’s a different story.
Inspired by Katagiri’s joy, the atmosphere around them brightened, even as they faced reality.
It probably also helped that they had rested a bit and their fatigue had lessened.
“How much will we get?” the newcomers discussed amongst themselves. I clapped my hands and stood up.
I thought they might complain about wanting more rest, but surprisingly, everyone stood up obediently.
“Alright, everyone follow me.”
Not exactly running towards the sunset, but I led the newcomers to Memoria’s shop.
Unusually, the shop was bustling that day, and the newcomers were surprised by the prices Memoria offered.
This was essentially the day’s exchange.
We laughed along with Memoria as the newcomers rejoiced upon receiving their thick, brown envelopes of results.
In Katagiri’s case, it was more of a dumbfounded expression than laughter, but it couldn’t be helped.
I never expected her to break down in tears like a waterfall.
I told her to at least get some better equipment with my advice, but I don’t know how effective it will be.
And though we could normally disperse here and leave Memoria’s shop, and we too would consider our work finished for the day.
“Well then, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“OK!”
Unfortunately, as escorts, we have one more task.
Reporting is essential to conclude work.
We headed to the conference room where the other testers were gathering to report on today’s escort duty.
A word for today:
Overcoming hardship naturally makes one stronger.
Thank you for your usual comments and corrections of typos.
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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.
Volume 3 was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, and includes additional unpublished interlude chapters.
Please consider purchasing the new books as well!!
The comic adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you enjoy that as well.
We ask for your continued support for this work.
