Explorers of the Deepest Depths
In the darkest room of the tallest building in the elf-side shelter, a female elf clutched her head.
The elders had tried to negotiate with the Dungeon Master... and failed.
They'd reached out through High-Performance Eraser, who had a connection to him, but...
The response was underwhelming. The elders decided to wait a bit longer, saying there was no choice, but...
"…Damn it, we're out of time…!! If this keeps up, Presia…."
Laura, Presia's dedicated bodyguard and the last High Elf in the shelter, could only curse under her breath.
Unlike the elders, who wanted to observe the situation a little more, she had a time limit.
She'd clung to hope upon hearing rumors that the World Tree might suddenly revive.
Presia, her charge—the shelter's sole remaining High Elf, practically elven royalty.
High Elves couldn't live long without their connection to the World Tree.
But Presia, the youngest with overflowing vitality, had survived even after the World Tree burned away.
That wouldn't last much longer, though.
Without the World Tree, High Elves lost their purpose.
The elders had given up on saving her long ago—High Elves would just be reborn if the tree revived. Plus, with the dire circumstances, they had no leeway.
Only Laura, her devoted guard, wished for Presia's survival.
To her, Presia was like a little sister. She'd cared for her since the moment she was born from the World Tree. Presia was Laura's only family.
Presia herself had been far too detached about her impending death.
—Laura, it's okay… Bonds are like celia grass, gathering and scattering fleetingly. Thanks to you, I've lived happily, so please focus on your own life from now on.
"……."
Reviving the World Tree was something even the elders desperately wanted, but the ticking clock applied only to her and Presia.
*
"Phew… Looks like that's wrapped up."
Patrolling the park until auction day netted quite a few meditation crews.
It wasn't much of a patrol—I just synced with the dungeon to pinpoint ether line concentrations and nabbed them directly. Zero wasted movement, nearly 100% success rate.
Explorers are pretty tough, so regular guards couldn't handle the troublemakers. And with no real crackdown on their antics in the park, that's probably why they went wild.
"Had to do it at least once."
Not everyone's harmless. Sure, some folks snap impulsively in everyday life… but ignoring the notice and squatting for meditation? That's straight-up defiance.
Banned folks won't even complain.
Even mid-layer explorers hate being cooped up in stuffy shelters. Plus, no ticket dungeons means a real hit—raid no-shows come with penalties, and they miss prime opportunities.
Mid-layer types are loaded, though, so skipping a month of exploring won't kill them. Worst case, hit shelter dungeons.
A month-long ban is harsh in a shelter where dungeon tickets are entrenched.
"Anyway, the shelter's pretty livable now."
Compared to when I first arrived, it's way better. More decent food, people with breathing room—the old gloom's mostly gone.
The ban wave lit up the gallery like a festival. Pent-up gripes, I guess.
Isekai Survival Gallery
Hmm… Ban op's done, time to post the next event notice. Auction day's closing in.
Notice posted…
"…Getting sleepy. Bedtime."
Slept plenty, but weirdly wiped…
Maybe from messing with the new ether line control?
Still, solid progress—just a bit more tweaking and…
"Zzz…."
*
In the deep layers of the shelter dungeon's deepest depths.
Geometric green circuits snaked across the cavern walls, softly illuminating the space.
At the center: bloodstains everywhere and a weary explorer party resting.
Kerres the Dragon Slayer's crew—legendary knights, one of Jeonbung-i's pinnacle evolutions—pushing the limit for small parties: the top layer.
After a rough meal, archer Lennia eyed Kerres munching fruit.
"Kerres, you really joining that lame auction? Honestly, don't need that crest or whatever…."
"Yeah, not urgent. Just… wanna go deeper."
"…Do we need to? Shelter's stable—no reason to pioneer deeps for resources anymore. Time to chill…?"
Mage Bella, half-asleep, chimed in agreement.
"Mmm… Don't need more power… Retire, live easy."
Kerres gave a wry smile.
They weren't this listless before…
He asked the last member, Kuhn.
"What about you, Mr. Kuhn?"
"……I say we go deeper. Dungeon Master grows dungeons with monster parts. Means rare deep drops are key."
Muscle dad Kuhn's words drew a retort from Lennia.
"Huh? Why bother? Volunteer work?"
"……Not giving—trading. His moves focus on powering up explorers. Looks like he wants surface reclamation. Same as us. Helping him boosts shelter strength. I… want my family on the surface, not shelter."
"…Same, but…."
As they talked, a voice interrupted.
"……Dragon Slayer, I accept your offer."
A towering man, blood-soaked, limbs scaled, gripping a fresh monster head.
One of the few solo lunatics roaming these depths.
"…Welcome, Bullkan. Do your part. We're auctioning in four days—join next delve."
"Grab my ankle, and I'll slaughter you pests."
…And a hardcore human-hater.