Chapter 12: Epilogue

“Phew…” I sighed, slumping slightly.

Yesterday was a total disaster…

For now, I’m at the Association’s branch office, accompanying Rin and the others for their questioning. I’m waiting in what seems like a reception room, but man, it’s boring. There’s literally nothing to do. I have to be here since I dragged them into that incident while mentoring them—or rather, because I got them caught up in it.

Still, I never would’ve guessed that the receptionist who asked me to mentor Rin and the others was one of Tagaya’s accomplices. From what I heard, that receptionist exploited the fact that the Association’s database is monitored by magic tools, tampering with the data. Apparently, the magic tools are connected to the database and cameras via a magical line, and he briefly disconnected the line linked to the Cavern Dungeon to pull it off. That’s just insane. He did it in one minute after getting a signal from Tagaya, who was overseeing the dungeon. Even if it was a moment when no one entered, one minute seems impossible, right? But he actually pulled it off. Tagaya got in, after all.

“Why can’t people use skills like that for the good of the world…?” I muttered, shaking my head.

With that kind of talent, he could’ve climbed the ranks easily. What a waste of potential—talent’s only as good as how you use it. The Association’s holding a press conference about this mess, so they’ll be in chaos for a while. The Association’s president, a legendary figure who explored dungeons for fifteen years before taking the role, isn’t someone you see often. He won’t step down, but he’s about to get insanely busy. Guess that’s his punishment for not keeping a tighter leash on Tagaya and that receptionist.

As I zoned out thinking about this, a knock came at the door.

“Hm? Come in,” I called out casually.

I figured it was Rin, the others, or someone from the Association. But the person who entered wasn’t them—or even from the Association, judging by the lack of a badge. It was a woman with long, vibrant aqua-colored hair reaching her waist. Her features were refined, with a mature air about her. She seemed older than me.

“Uh… who might you be?” I asked cautiously, tensing slightly after yesterday’s events, ready to react if needed.

“…” The woman stared at me silently for a moment, then abruptly turned and left the room.

…Huh?

“What was that about…?” I muttered, confused.

The door opened again, this time revealing familiar faces.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted!” Rin groaned loudly, stretching her arms.

“Rin-chan, you should knock first…” Rina said timidly, her voice soft.

“Too late,” Anju said bluntly, her ponytail swaying.

“Yeah, well…” Rieshe added with a small laugh.

The door swung open, and Rin and the others walked in.

“Good work,” I said, nodding. “All done?”

“Yup!” Rin replied energetically. “It’s over!”

“Alright, good,” I said, standing from the sofa. “Let’s get going, then.”

“Sure!” Rin agreed, then paused, tilting her head. “Wait, to where?”

“Where?” Anju echoed, her expression curious.

Oh, did I not mention? No big deal, I’ll tell them now.

“To celebrate beating the High Orc,” I explained with a grin. “My treat. Let’s grab some food somewhere.”

“Whoa! I’m in! Totally in!” Rin exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. “Where are we going?!”

“W-Wait, me too?” Rina asked, her voice hesitant but excited.

“Me too?” Anju added, raising an eyebrow.

“Um… me as well?” Rieshe said, her tone cautious. “I didn’t actually help defeat the High Orc, though…”

“Of course,” I reassured them. “You three got dragged into a mess because of me, and Rieshe, you saved our asses. You’re all invited.”

This whole fiasco was my fault, so this celebration doubles as an apology.

“Any place you guys want to eat?” I asked. “Anywhere you like is fine.”

At my words, the four of them huddled together to discuss. Their suggestion was…

“Barbecue, huh?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You four sure you’re all good with barbecue?”

We’d moved from the Association branch to a barbecue restaurant near the station, now seated in a private room. I’d gotten paid for mentoring Rin and the others, so money wasn’t an issue. That receptionist who worked with Tagaya didn’t even report that I was mentoring them, nearly costing me my pay. Even from a jail cell, that guy’s causing trouble. What a grudge.

“Absolutely!” Rin declared, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “Meat is justice!”

“Yup, thanks for this,” Anju said, her tone calm but grateful.

“Th-Thank you so much…” Rina added shyly.

“Exactly, Kaede-san!” Rieshe chimed in, her voice bright. “Meat is justice!”

“Alright,” I said, chuckling. “But don’t girls these days prefer fancy cafés or something?”

I vaguely recalled seeing on TV that young people nowadays go for trendy cafés or sweets over barbecue, but these three seem completely uninterested in that.

“Hmm…” Rin mused, tilting her head. “Those places are nice, but I love this kind of thing!”

“Me too,” Anju said simply.

“I-I could never handle a super fancy place…” Rina admitted, her voice trembling slightly.

“I’m just tagging along with Rin-chan and the others!” Rieshe said with a laugh.

…This nineteen-year-old “old man” doesn’t get kids these days.

“Right here,” Anju said, pointing at a piece of meat on the grill.

“Hey! Anju! That’s my meat!” Rin protested loudly.

“Heh heh heh,” Anju smirked. “My 【Analysis】 says this one’s at peak perfection.”

“Ugh! Fine, I’ll use 【Godspeed】!” Rin declared, her body glowing faintly.

“…!? The meat’s gone…!” Rina gasped, her eyes wide.

“Wow, you two are intense,” Rieshe said, laughing. “Oh, more meat’s ready!”

“Come on, Rina-chan, don’t just grill—eat!” Rin urged. “Look, this piece is perfectly cooked.”

“I-I’m fine!” Rina insisted. “I eat a lot normally!”

“Don’t say that, eat up!” Rieshe said, holding out a piece. “Here, say ‘ahh’!”

“…Wha—? …Nom!” Rina mumbled, taking the bite.

So, this is the modern “carnivorous girl,” huh? The moment the ordered meat arrived, it was like a battlefield. No exaggeration.

“Rina’s right, seriously,” I said, trying to calm things down. “We’ll keep grilling, so chill out a bit.”

Rina, Rieshe, and I were grilling nonstop, and the staff would bring more meat whenever we ordered. But using skills—unique ones, at that—for a meat-eating contest? Come on.

“Here, it’s ready, so eat,” I said, placing grilled meat in front of Rin and Anju.

They shoved it into their mouths simultaneously, chewing with blissful expressions.

“So good!” Rin exclaimed, her voice muffled.

“Mmm, delicious,” Anju said, nodding.

“Glad you like it,” I said, smiling as I grilled my portion.

I eat a decent amount, but these girls are putting away some serious food.

“Hey, Rieshe’s right, Rina,” I said. “Don’t just grill—eat something.”

Rina had barely touched her food, only eating when Rieshe fed her earlier. I placed some meat on her plate, and on Rieshe’s too, while Rin and Anju gave me sparkling looks.

“Th-Thank you,” Rina said, blushing.

“Thanks, Kaede-san!” Rieshe said happily. “Mmm, delicious!”

Finally, Rina picked up her chopsticks and ate. Meanwhile, Rieshe, Rin, and Anju were devouring their plates like there was no tomorrow.

“You guys can really eat…” I remarked, impressed.

“Well, the meat’s delicious, but ever since I became an explorer, my appetite’s grown,” Rin explained, grinning. “Plus, we’re growing high school girls!”

“Me too,” Anju said.

“S-Same here,” Rina added. “I’ve been eating more since I started moving around as an explorer.”

Is being a high school girl related to eating a lot?

“Right, you’re all in high school,” I said, nodding. “Must be tough tomorrow, huh? Getting caught up in a monster stampede isn’t exactly common.”

If I recall, stampedes happen maybe ten times a year. This one was an anomaly, but with so many dungeons, they’re not rare overall. To the public, they’re scary but frequent enough to seem “normal.” To high schoolers like Rin and the others, though, their classmates probably can’t stop talking about it.

“Ugh, but there’s so much we can’t talk about,” Rin grumbled, a rice grain stuck to her cheek.

True, there’s little they can say. This was a man-made disaster, an anomaly. The Association issued a gag order to all involved explorers, especially to me and the three who know about the boss and its cause.

I don’t go to school and mostly work solo, so I don’t need to dodge questions or have anyone to talk to. But these three are different.

“I need to come up with a good cover story…” Rin sighed.

“Rough,” Anju said sympathetically.

“Y-Yeah,” Rina agreed. “But we’ll manage.”

They’re high schoolers with explorer classmates who didn’t fight in yesterday’s nearby stampede. That’s enough for their peers to suspect their involvement. They’ll have to come up with believable excuses to dodge the truth.

“Well, good luck,” I said encouragingly. “With more high schoolers becoming explorers, you’ll probably get a lot of questions.”

“Yeah, do your best!” Rieshe added with a grin.

Rieshe and I are out of school, so we can only offer cliché support.

“Right,” Rina said, nodding. “My school’s even holding an info session for aspiring explorers this year…”

“Oh, they’re doing that now?” I said, surprised.

Makes sense, though. Teachers must worry about students becoming explorers, and with third-years facing college entrance exams, they probably want them to decide early. I wish my school had something like that.

“Well, I’ve already decided to keep being an explorer after graduation, so no problem!” Rin declared confidently.

“Me too,” Anju said.

“M-Me too,” Rina added.

Whoa, I wasn’t expecting a declaration of resolve here. Not that I can say much—I started exploring full-time right after high school.

“That’s right, Kaede-san!” Rieshe said enthusiastically. “Rin-chan and the others will keep diving dungeons with me in a party!”

“Oh, right,” I said, remembering. “You guys decided to form a party, didn’t you?”

Apparently, fighting together during the stampede made them click, so they’re sticking together.

“Exactly!” Rin said, beaming. “We trust Rieshe-san, and she’s a ranged attacker, which we needed!”

“W-Well, I was shocked to learn Rieshe-san is the PoutTuber Rieshe,” Rina admitted.

“We’re gonna debut on PoutTube too,” Anju said, glancing at Gar-kun. “He’s kinda cute up close.”

“Nice, so you told them, Rieshe,” I said, impressed.

I thought Rieshe, being a PoutTuber, would only fight with them that one time by chance.

“Of course!” Rieshe said proudly. “In fact, all three are joining Astral!”

“Whoa, that’s fast,” I said, blinking.

When did that happen? With their unique skills, I’d been looking for trustworthy companies for them, but… if they found reliable partners themselves, that’s great. I only know Astral through Rieshe, but she’s trustworthy.

“Alright, let’s drop the heavy stuff and enjoy this barbecue,” I said, grinning. “There’s plenty of meat left!”

At my cue, the four resumed grilling and eating. I kept up, grilling and eating too. It turned into an eating contest vibe, but it was kind of fun.

In the end, we went overboard at a non-all-you-can-eat place, and the bill I paid was absolutely ridiculous.

＊＊＊

“Alright… Status,” I said, pulling up my stats.

＊＊＊

Amamiya Kaede

Level: 635

HP: 6,370/6,370

MP: 4,195/4,195

Attack: 707 (+52)

Defense: 657 (+12)

Agility: 1,972 (+1,322)

Dexterity: 812 (+152)

Mental Strength: 2,127 (+1,487)

Luck: 50

BP: 150

SP: 165

Skills:

【Magic Arrow Lv. 20】

【Archery Lv. 10】

【Hawk Eye Lv. 10】

【Item Box Lv. 7】

【Lock-On Lv. 10】

【Appraisal Lv. 5】

【MP Boost Lv. 10】

【MP Recovery Speed Boost Lv. 10】

【Dagger Arts Lv. 7】

【Enemy Detection Lv. 9】

【Stealth Lv. 5】

＊＊＊

I checked my level. It’s gone up quite a bit. At this rate, I’ll soon be able to take the Silver Exam to dive higher-rank dungeons. Getting Silver status will open more dungeons and make me stronger.

To think I’d get this strong this fast… No wonder the country favors unique skill holders.

“Whatever, let’s focus on leveling up,” I said, pumping myself up. “Here we go!”

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, in a certain room, seven chairs surrounded a round table. Two figures sat there—one a man, the other a woman.

“Huh?” the man grunted, frowning.

“What’s wrong, ■■■?” the woman asked, her voice teasing.

“The connection to the terminal got cut. Damn it!” the man cursed, then shrugged. “Whatever. We’ll find another one soon.”

“Ugh, I’m jealous,” the woman said, pouting. “You always find terminals so easily. I can’t find any!”

“Hmph,” the man scoffed. “Compared to the others, you’ve got it easy. …Still, who the hell was that guy?”

“What?” the woman asked, tilting her head.

“The bastard who killed the terminal,” the man growled. “Ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off…!”

The two shadows sat around the table. The man slammed his fist on it.

“Phew… whatever,” he said, calming down. “I found another human who’d make an interesting terminal. Not a total loss.”

“Really?” the woman asked, intrigued.

“Yeah,” the man said. “But neither you nor I can likely make that one a terminal.”

“Hmm, even you?” the woman said, smirking.

“Yeah, neither of us,” the man confirmed.

The woman’s lips curled into a sly grin. The man clicked his tongue, annoyed, then stormed out, slamming the door.

“God, I’m so jealous,” the woman muttered. “Ugh, I want my own terminal soon.”

She left the room, and it fell silent.

＊＊＊

Colorful stained glass glowed vibrantly under the sunlight. A priest-like man in ornate, vivid robes stood quietly, bathed in the radiant light. The stained glass illuminated him as he began reading from a Bible on the altar. His voice echoed in the serene space, captivating every listener like magic.

“Everyone,” the priest said solemnly, “an oracle has been received. What we must do… is rise up now.”

He paused his reading, addressing the gathered crowd gently. “This world has changed. Dungeons appeared, endangering our families, friends, loved ones—everyone lives beside fear.”

The crowd listened intently, and the priest continued, his voice even softer. “Everyone… we humans have changed. Before we were born, the world was full of happiness. Now, it’s like this.”

He paused, scanning the crowd, then continued. “But now! We must rise! God has spoken.”

The crowd swallowed hard.

“God has given us a ‘trial,’” the priest declared. “A trial we must overcome.”

The crowd gasped.

“There is no other path!” he proclaimed. “We must unite and overcome this trial!”

The crowd erupted in fervor. The priest smiled, pleased. “We, the ‘Labyrinth Church,’ will rise! We will guide the lost lambs awaiting heaven’s guidance.”

“Oh!” the crowd roared in unison.

“God has not abandoned us!” the priest continued, his voice rising. “Yes, everyone!”

He scanned the crowd and shouted, “Let us seek! Seek the savior sent by our God!”

“The destined maiden!”