Published: January 22, 2026
As my conversation with Ms. Estella came to a pause, the meeting was just about to begin.
All the participants were present.
A man stood up, glanced briefly at everyone, and then spoke.
“Thank you all for gathering here today despite your busy schedules. Now that everyone is here, let’s get started. I am Clint from the Explorer Management Department, and I will be chairing this meeting. Nice to meet you all.”
With Clint’s words, the meeting officially began.
Everyone listened attentively to Clint.
“Please take a look at the materials in front of you. Today, we want to discuss how our clan plans to respond to the anticipated increase in demand for ‘explorers.’ First, I will hand over to Estella, the head of the Explorer Management Department, who will share the department’s current policy outlook.”
Following Clint’s introduction, Ms. Estella stood up.
“Good morning, everyone! Some of you are meeting for the first time, so I’ll start with a brief self-introduction. My name is Estella O’Neill. As Clint mentioned, I’m the head of the Explorer Management Department. Well, even though I’m an executive, I’m pretty laid-back, so feel free to talk to me anytime! Looking forward to working with you all!”
Ms. Estella began her introduction in a frank yet more formal tone than usual.
I could feel the atmosphere among the explorers soften as they listened.
This meeting was important for the explorers, so she hoped they would share many opinions.
The relaxed atmosphere would make it easier for everyone to speak up, which was much appreciated.
Being able to do this so smoothly was a virtue of Ms. Estella’s.
“—Now then, let’s get to the main topic. Everyone knows that about two months ago, the Nohitant Kingdom was invaded by the Sobel Empire, right? Thanks to Count Edington’s efforts, the empire was eventually forced to retreat, but tensions remain high between the two countries and neighboring nations.”
The recent invasion by the empire was already well-known even among ordinary citizens.
However, the fact that we were there and that I repelled the ‘hero’ was not reported.
Plus, with the Edington family controlling information, not many knew the truth.
Within the silver rabbits of the night sky, only those who were in Reglyph Territory at the time, the first squad members, and the executives knew about it.
“We believe that the Nohitant Kingdom, after being invaded, will now focus heavily on developing magical weapons. If this is true, the value of dungeon materials, not just magic stones, will rise sharply. The exteriors of magical weapons are basically made from dungeon materials. Naturally, the burden will fall mostly on the explorers.”
The biggest basis for this belief was the Northern War that broke out about sixty years ago.
That war took place around the Great Labyrinth in the Junoae Republic.
The fighting style at the start and end of the war differed greatly.
What changed was the presence of magical weapons.
Back then, the near-defeat Junoae Republic turned the tide by introducing magical weapons.
Originally, top-tier magic capable of wide-area annihilation was a privilege of a few magicians, but magical weapons made it possible for anyone to trigger it.
The magical weapons of that time had drawbacks—single-use or requiring gigantic magic stones—but they were still powerful enough to change the course of the war.
Currently, besides the wide-area destruction weapons, several others with reduced power but multiple and long-lasting uses have been developed.
The arrival of magical weapons was a boon even for explorers who were not directly involved in the war.
As Estella said earlier, the development and production of magical weapons require massive amounts of dungeon materials.
Therefore, during the Northern War, dungeon materials around the Great Labyrinth in the north surged in price.
Explorers, seeing this as a chance to earn, raised their motivation and progressed through many floors.
The Junoae Republic’s economy at the time was so booming it was called a special demand boom.