Published: July 4, 2025
The next day after Nils and the others from Room 10 returned, at 7 AM.
At the entrance to the dungeon, Abel and the ten-man advance team from the red sword and the Royal Magic Guild had gathered.
The guild's branch office at the dungeon entrance was still in the same state it was in when it was destroyed by the great tsunami.
Since the inspector from the royal capital was still investigating, repairs had not yet been able to begin.
Originally, the dungeon was scheduled to be closed for a month, so that posed no problem. However, due to the investigation team, the closure had to be lifted, changing the situation.
For the time being, a temporary guild branch office was to be set up with a tent...
"Alright, let's dive in."
At Abel's command, the ten mages from the red sword and the Royal Magic Guild nodded.
"But first, let’s conduct a search. Lin, I’m counting on you."
"Got it! Bring the heartbeat of life and presence to me! [Detection]"
Last time, during the great tsunami, Abel had a bad feeling before opening the door.
That's why he had Lin activate the wind attribute magic [Detection]... and it turned out that the first floor's great hall was already overrun with monsters.
Because they could detect the unusual activity caused by the great tsunami early, the adventurers were able to prepare for countermeasures.
This time, Abel did not feel any bad premonitions, but he wanted to proceed with utmost caution.
After all, they were about to venture into a dungeon nobody knew about after the great tsunami.
"Alright, there are no living creature responses up to the great hall on the first floor!"
"Good, then open the door."
At that signal, the guild staff lifted the dungeon's closure, and the door was opened.
The fourteen of them descended the hundred steps of the staircase with Abel leading.
Just as Lin said, there was nothing in the great hall on the first floor.
Lin's [Detection] consumes magical power based on the area it covers.
For example, if she were to detect the area of the five layers of the dungeon, three uses at most would be the limit.
Moreover, there was a necessity to conserve magical power for emergencies.
It wasn't something that could be used repeatedly.
"Alright, for now, let's investigate the first layer thoroughly. As discussed yesterday, we will only go down to the third layer at most today. We’ll take it slow and ensure we cover everything."
"Yes."
The ten members of the Royal Magic Guild answered in unison.
While Abel and the others were carefully exploring the dungeon, the four members of Room 10, including Ryo, were in the lecture room on the third floor of the guild.
Continuing from yesterday, there would be an explanation from the Guild Master for the E-rank and F-rank parties.
As the clock struck nine, Hugh, the Guild Master of the City of Run, entered the lecture room.
"Good morning. Thank you for gathering. Without further ado, let me explain the current situation."
What Hugh explained was that the investigation team would be entering the dungeon to conduct their research.
That it was being supported by the country.
That they planned to hire adventurers for protection and other roles.
That hired individuals should not speak ill of those who were contracted as part of a formal request.
That was similar to the explanations given to the D-rank parties yesterday.
"However, I would like the E-rank and F-rank parties to avoid entering the dungeon as escorts as much as possible. The reason is that we don't know what will happen in the dungeon after the great tsunami."
Hugh paused for a moment.
It was to observe the adventurers' reactions and expressions; there seemed to be no adventurers who looked particularly dissatisfied.
"Information will be coming in continuously from the adventurers who have already entered, led by Abel and the red sword. We will post that information on the guild's bulletin board, so please check it regularly. Also, the investigation team might hire you not as escorts entering the dungeon but for support on the surface. Additionally, there will be the usual referrals from the guild. For example, the white brigade is taking on the role of escorting food procurement from surrounding towns. So don’t worry; there are plenty of jobs available."