The Unexpected Discovery
Why is there a Mana Stone here? After ordering the hunters to scour the Rank 10 dungeon from top to bottom, I stepped into the tent. Inside, the staff from the Gate Management Division and the Dungeon Information & Communications Division were bustling about. Although we were all fellow Association employees, we weren't exactly close. Unless we were on a joint dispatch like this, I rarely had the chance to meet the field staff. Just as there are office workers like me, there are field workers, and friction between the two is a common occurrence. Office workers often nag the field staff, asking if they can't even do that much, while the field staff scorns the dispatched office workers, saying, "What do you know, just staring at computers at your desks? Stay quiet if you don't know the reality of the field."
Of course, I had never acted like that before. I believed there was no need to fight when we were all on the same team. But today, I am different. "Good day, everyone~" I said, holding a file in one hand and twirling a pen with the other, wearing a thin, cynical smile. It is the Dungeon Management Team's duty to record and evaluate field conditions. The ill-tempered ones among us go out of their way to find faults in the field. When the field staff pushes back, they retort, "Oh? So you're saying I should report that your site is a mess?" I am not that kind of person at all (usually, the field teams have more experience than the Dungeon Management Team), but starting today, I decided to become one of those nasty Dungeon Management employees. If bad rumors spread about me within the Association, that’s a good thing for me.
"Nice to meet you."
"We've heard a lot about you. We'll be in your care."
The middle-aged men greeted me with forced, hearty laughter. Even if they looked like that, it was clear that if I poked them just a little, they would explode in anger. Fundamentally, field people hate the Dungeon Management Team. "Well, since it's the last day, let's wrap this up quickly and head home. We've already found the boss room, anyway. Isn't it Friday today? Haha."
"Yeah, yeah. You're young, you should be out meeting women and such. You shouldn't just work yourself to the bone. Once you get married, it's all over, you know."
"Hahahahahaha!"
The men laughed amongst themselves. It was their way of saying, "Everything's done, so let's just make this easy." But I didn't move the corners of my mouth even an inch, maintaining a stony expression. I'm sorry to you all, but I'm not looking to go home—I'm looking to quit.
"Can we really finish this today? It’s a Rank 10 dungeon."
"I told you, we already found the boss room. Isn't it over once we take down the boss? Those hunters over there are all veterans."
That was true. As long as there was a hunter with a teleportation skill, it would take about three hours to reach the boss room. The boss information also stated that it could be defeated within six hours at most. It was around 9:00 AM now, so if things went well, I could leave by dinner time. Of course, that was only if they took down the boss quickly.
"But isn't the expected completion date next Sunday?"
"That’s just a generous estimate we always set. Once the boss is down, we pack up and leave."
"Who actually uses up the whole duration to clear a dungeon? We worked so hard to finish it by Friday."
"You young people are so frustrating. Is this your first time working?"
The field staff began to get annoyed. I threw a spark into the atmosphere that felt like it was about to ignite. "Ah, I just ordered a search of the entire dungeon. I don't think it will be finished in a single day."
"...What?!"
"What did you say!!!"
"What the f...!"
"Isn't it correct to search the entire dungeon?"
"Hey, man! How are we supposed to work if we follow every single rule like that!"
"That's old-school talk! We need to process this quickly! What are you even saying!"
The men began to lose their tempers. I just nodded gently. As they said, scouring the entire dungeon is a waste of time and manpower. I know that too, but I'm sorry, guys. Just think of it as stepping in dog shit.
"It will take at least five days to check the remaining sectors."
"You!!"
"What are you doing? We were all ready to withdraw!!"
"I was planning to watch baseball with a beer tonight, you son of a b...!"
"Call them back! Tell them to stop!"
"The hunters have already entered the dungeon."
"Aaaaaah!"
"You bastard!!!"
There is no way to contact the inside of a dungeon that is currently being cleared. The gate closes once a party enters. It only opens when the clear is successful or someone uses an escape skill, allowing the hunters to emerge. Alternatively, the gate opens again if all the hunters inside die. In other words, it meant there was no way to communicate with the hunters inside right now. Of course, the hunters wouldn't actually search every single nook and cranny, so it wouldn't take five days. Still, even if they did a rough job, it would take two or three days. Either way, it meant my weekend was gone.
The field staff, on the verge of losing their minds, screamed at me. "Tell the equipment and personnel who were about to withdraw to return to their positions. If something happens in an emergency because you cleared the site before the raid was finished, can you take responsibility?"
"Th-this..."
"Ugh..."
They seemed too dumbfounded to even speak. It’s normal to prepare in advance if you want to leave early. I was just picking a fight for no reason. "Then, I’ll go check the outside." I heard them cursing me behind my back, but I ignored it and left the tent. If you tell people right before they go home that they have five days of overnight shifts, this is the natural reaction. I'll have to be careful walking home at night. I’m going to be the target of immense resentment, but it can't be helped.
After that, I continued to roam the site, picking fights here and there.
"What do you mean the emergency medical team is sleeping? Even if there are no injuries now, you never know when danger might arise!"
"Is this really the right level of vigilance? What if a civilian enters the site!"
"This is a Rank 10 dungeon. Make sure all equipment is thoroughly prepared!"
"Make sure you have proper contact with the reserve hunters, too! You never know what might pop out!"
I nagged them like a regimental commander appearing at a training ground on the last day. As a mere rookie, I obviously didn't have the same authority as a commander, but since field authority primarily lies with the Dungeon Management Team, they couldn't completely ignore me. They pretended to work half-heartedly, but I could hear them badmouthing me behind my back. Yes. Curse me all you want! Spread rumors about me throughout the Hunter Association! Help the HR team designate me as a target for termination!
"Then, I'll be heading home. See you tomorrow morning~"
At 5:00 PM, I smiled brightly and left work. As an office worker, I leave the site and return the next day. On the other hand, the field staff stay to guard the site during the raid, taking shifts for rest. "Is that guy crazy..." "He must think he's something special just because he did one thing recently." "Damn it... I wanted to play some games this weekend."
Exhausted from being harassed by me all day, they spoke in defeat. They didn't even seem to have the energy to scream anymore. Of course, it wasn't all good for me, either. If the raid was delayed, I, too, would have to come out to the site on Saturday and Sunday. So, I spent the two days of the weekend at the site as well. When Monday arrived:
"The weekend is really gone, damn it..."
"Just eat your ramen."
Perhaps they had given up, but the field staff were eating ramen without the energy to get angry. Still, they seemed to dislike me enough that they didn't even offer me a bite. Normally, I would have shamelessly asked for a taste, but right now, I was preoccupied with other thoughts.
'...Why aren't they coming out?'
It had been over three days since the party passed through the gate. If they searched very meticulously, it could take more than five days. But I thought two days would be enough if they just scanned the remaining areas at a fast pace. I didn't think the hunters would actually search every inch as ordered. Did something happen inside? Feeling uneasy, I moved to check the magic wave detector. Just then,
"The gate is opening!"
"Oh...! Finally!"
"Damn, the weekend is all gone..."
"Still, it didn't take five days. When I get back, I'm definitely going to bury that guy."
"Ugh... let's just finish and go home."
The hunters began to emerge from the gate one by one. Thinking it was finally over, the field staff moved to quickly pack up the site. Since they had been forced to run around in circles because of me, they must all be furious. ...Contrary to my expectations, the hunters' expressions were strange.
"...Wait. I don't think we should clear the site yet."
Lee Yu-seung, the party leader who came out last, said. At those words, the staff who were bustling about turned their heads sharply.
"What does that mean, Party Leader? Isn't it all over?"
"And it looks like all the hunters came out safely, too?"
There was no problem with the party. There were no injuries, and nothing else seemed wrong. But there was definitely a problem. It was at the gate.
"...Why isn't the gate closing?"
If the boss raid is successful, the gate closes, and the dungeon begins the extinction process. But even though all the hunters had exited, the gate was still shining ominously. The staff member who was waiting to measure the information of the dissipating dungeon stopped, holding the detector.
"We haven't cleared the boss yet. No, this dungeon must not be cleared."
Party Leader Lee Yu-seung spoke with a grave expression. Muttering, he slowly turned his head to look at me. It was as if he couldn't believe it.
"No, explain it so we can understand, Party Leader! Why didn't you clear the boss!"
A hot-tempered middle-aged staff member stepped forward and shouted. He had been saying he wanted to go home and have a shot of soju, and even though he hadn't drunk anything yet, his face was beet red.
"In this dungeon..." Lee Yu-seung began to open his mouth. He was still looking at me with an unreadable expression. "We discovered Mana Ore in this dungeon. It is a dungeon where various types of Mana Stones are buried on a massive scale."
"...What?"
"...Eh?"
"This dungeon... is a Mana Mine."
What?