Chapter 3: Trace
The next day.
I'm scheduled to deliver the three Killer Spider threads to the company that posted the quest yesterday.
Right now, I’m walking toward that company.
“Oh, Kaede-san. Over here!”
...For some reason, I’m walking with Yua Sakurai, also known as Rieshe.
The whole thing started yesterday.
In a conversation with Yua-chan—whom I’ve been keeping in touch with since that incident—I mentioned the company I accepted the quest from, ‘Trace’, and she said she knew someone there and offered to introduce us.
‘Trace’, by the way, is just one train stop away from where I live, so it was walking distance.
So, I met up with Yua-chan at the station, and here we are, walking together first thing in the morning.
As for the Healgrowth, I did some research on my smartphone yesterday and found out that it only grows during specific hours—from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Since I was completely outside those hours yesterday, none of it was growing at all.
So, I have plenty of time until Healgrowth starts to grow.
“Uh... Is this the place?”
“Yes! This is ‘Trace’!”
About five minutes’ walk from the station, we arrived at the ‘Trace’ building, our destination.
The ‘Trace’ company is an apparel brand, popular for its unique designs. I’d also heard that they are a company that makes clothes tailored to each individual customer's design preferences.
Well, it’s not something I’ll ever have anything to do with.
“Let’s go right in!”
Yua-chan said that and walked through ‘Trace’’s automatic doors, and I followed after her.
“Alright. I’m gonna contact the reception desk to let them know I’m here to complete a quest, so could you wait for me here, Yua-chan?”
“Sure! Got it!”
After giving Yua-chan instructions, I walked toward the reception area.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, how may I help you?”
I called out to the woman at the reception desk.
The woman was a beautiful person with black hair and glasses, and she gave off the impression of someone who was very good at her job.
“I apologize for the sudden interruption. I’m an explorer who accepted a quest, and I brought the requested materials.”
“A quest, you say? Please hold for a moment. I will confirm this, so please allow me some time!”
Saying that, the receptionist operated something like a computer, checked something, and then started contacting someone using an internal phone line.
Once the confirmation was done, she turned back toward me with a smile.
“Yes, the confirmation has been made. Thank you for your hard work. May I please verify your Explorer’s License?”
I was bracing myself to be asked a lot of questions, but it ended up being surprisingly simple.
Well, that’s a plus for me.
I took out my Explorer’s License as instructed and showed it to the receptionist in front of me.
The receptionist looked at my license, confirmed my name and ID, and then handed the license back to me.
“Amamiya-sama, thank you for accepting our quest.
I have called the employee who posted the request, so please wait a moment.”
“Understood. Thank you!”
So, I don't just hand over the Killer Spider thread here and leave?
I thought it would just be a simple handoff, but I guess it doesn’t matter if nothing else happens after this.
For now, I moved away from the reception area to avoid getting in the way and joined Yua-chan.
“Oh, Kaede-san. How was the report?”
“Hm? Oh, I thought I’d just hand it over quickly and be done, but the person who requested it is coming down personally, so the receptionist told me to wait for a bit!”
“Is that so? But I guess it makes sense. If it’s someone from this company, they’re probably very particular about their materials, so it’s not strange for the person using them to come and check!”
“Oh, is that how it is!”
I see.
Everywhere needs quality to survive, so they must be particular about their materials.
“Hmm?!”
While I was thinking about that, I saw a woman walk toward us from beyond the gate that the employees pass through. She was wearing a light blue shirt and her hairstyle was perfectly set, making her stand out considerably.
Wow... she's such an adult woman, for lack of a better word.
The woman passed through the gate and started talking to the receptionist I had just spoken to.
The conversation wasn't long; after they exchanged a few words, the receptionist pointed toward me and Yua-chan, as if indicating our location.
“Yua-chaaan!”
When the woman saw me—or rather, Yua-chan next to me—her eyes widened, and with a look of slight surprise, she called out Yua-chan’s name and rushed over.
“Ah! Miyabi-chaaan!”
Noticing the woman who called her name, Yua-chan also called the woman “Miyabi-chan” and responded to the rushing woman with a happy wave.
“Wow! Yua-chan, it’s been a while~ What brings you here? It’s not about equipment repair; that goes through the company, so that’s not it, is it?”
“It has been a while, Miyabi-chan! I’m not here for my own business today, though... What about you, Miyabi-chan? What are you doing out of the workroom?”
They completely left me out of it, and Yua-chan and the woman called Miyabi-chan were happily chatting away.
...No, I’m not lonely at all.
This Miyabi-san must be the acquaintance Yua-chan said she would introduce me to.
“Um... excuse me...!”
Since I was left out of the loop, I decided to call out to Yua-chan and Miyabi-san.
“Ah, sorry! I got carried away...”
“S-Sorry! I totally forgot about Kaede-san!!”
...Yep. I figured.
But if she’s Yua-chan’s acquaintance, then she’s separate from my quest giver, right?
“Are you, by any chance, Amamiya Kaede-san, who accepted the quest?”
“Huh? Yes, I am!”
...Hm? The quest?
So, she’s not just Yua-chan’s acquaintance...?
“Thank you so much for accepting the quest. I’m Tachibana Miyabi, the one who posted the request. Feel free to call me Miyabi-chan.”
“By the way, my acquaintance is this Miyabi-chan right here!”
...No way!
The person who posted the quest and Yua-chan’s acquaintance are the same person!?
Well, I guess things like that happen...
“Uh, I’m Kaede Amamiya, Yua-chan’s acquaintance, and I accepted your quest. It’s nice to meet you!”
I gave a slight bow and introduced myself.
Still, so this is the requester...
“Well then, let’s go right away!”
“Go? Where to?”
“To where we work, of course~ We can’t exactly accept the requested materials here, can we?”
That’s true.
This is the entrance hall, and there are quite a few people around.
“Understood. Please lead the way!”
“Sure thing! Leave it to me! Yua-chan, you follow along too, okay?”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
Yua-chan and I started walking, following Miyabi-san.
We passed through the gate and took the elevator up to the eighth floor.
“Now, welcome! Th-i-s is our office where we work~”
“Wow, so this is it...!”
When we entered, the place felt more like a workshop than what Miyabi-san called an ‘office’.
Some people were at their desks planning clothing designs, while others were using what I assumed were skills to rapidly turn thread—similar to the thread I collected—into a sheet of fabric.
“That’s amazing... This is the first time I’ve seen skills being used for work.”
“It’s really incredible, isn’t it~ I haven’t seen it in a while either!”
“Hehe. I told you this before, Yua-chan, but ‘Trace’ is full of first-class people who can design and create clothes and equipment themselves. Some, like me, can even create things in an instant using skills!”
Oh, really? I’ve never seen production-type skills being used before, so that's what it looks like.
“Now then. I want to ask Yua-chan all sorts of things about Amamiya-kun, but—‘Miyabi-chan!?!’—I think Yua-chan would get mad, so I’ll save that for later...
Anyway, Amamiya-kun, are the materials ready for delivery?”
“Yes. No problem at all.”
“Good. That’s a relief. Well, then, may I see the materials right away?”
“Of course. Just a moment!”
I took one of the wooden sticks wrapped with Killer Spider thread out of my ‘Item Box’ and handed it to Miyabi-san.
“Here’s one for now!”
“Oh, thank you. Hmm...!”
Miyabi-san took the wooden stick wrapped with Killer Spider thread and observed it from different angles, even pulling the end of the thread to stretch it.
She’s strong to be able to pull on that highly adhesive thread.
“Mmm... It’s amazing. The thread isn't cut, and there are no signs of fraying. Even with this amount of thread wrapped around a single stick, the wood fibers inside aren't frayed either. Yes, this is a superb job. May I see the other two?”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“Thank you. Well, let’s see this one first!”
Miyabi-san placed the thread-wrapped stick she was holding onto a specialized shelf-like structure and examined the remaining thread-wrapped sticks that I pulled out of my ‘Item Box’ in the same way.
“You’re wonderful, Amamiya-kun~ Every single one is flawless!”
Miyabi-san’s reaction was great.
Since there were no issues, this quest should be complete.
“It really is incredible, though. So well done. Amamiya-kun, your Dexterity stat must be quite high, right?
At the very least, your level is more than enough for diving into an E-rank Dungeon, don’t you think?”
“You know it, Miyabi-chan! Kaede-san is amazing! He can even easily defeat Mutant Monsters!”
Yua-chan reacted to Miyabi-san’s words, puffing out her chest and wearing a smug expression as if to say, ‘Isn’t he great?’
Well, it’s the truth, so I won’t deny it, and I'm grateful, but...
It's kind of... embarrassing, or perhaps a bit awkward...
But she’s saying it for my sake, so I should just be honestly thankful.
“Well, you could say that. I am actually scheduled to take the Silver License exam soon.”
“I knew it! That makes sense. There aren’t many people who can handle Killer Spider thread this well.”
‘I feel like I can make something wonderful with this~!’ Miyabi-san's mood was extremely high as she wriggled with excitement.
She was that happy?
“But that’s not all, is it? You must be using a weapon that involves the Dexterity stat, right?”
“You can even tell that much?”
“Of course! I’ve seen a lot of explorers over the years, you know?
Plus, I’ve even designed their equipment, so I can usually tell what kind of fighting style they have just by looking!”
Should I call her a professional...?
But lately, with ‘Lock-On’—or maybe because of it—I question whether Dexterity is even that involved anymore.
“That reminds me, Kaede-kun. And Yua-chan. Do you have time after this?”
“Um, I’m going to the Fresh Verdure Dungeon to gather Healgrowth at 6:00 PM, but until then, I’m free!”
“I’m completely off today, so I’m fine, too!”
“That’s good then. As thanks for the quest, I’ll show you a few of my creations. You seemed interested, after all. Just wait a moment for me.”
Miyabi-san returned to what looked like her desk and brought back a single piece of clothing.
It was... well, what you might call Gothic Lolita?
It was a very frilly dress.
“Uh, what is this exactly...?”
“Hehe~ Such a cute reaction. This dress, you see, I created it for a certain explorer’s request. It’s one of my best works among all the clothes I’ve designed.”
“Wow...!”
“S-So cute~! The white frills on the black base are wonderful! And the ribbons on the skirt part act as a lovely accent; you can tell immediately that she paid attention to the smallest details!!”
“Hehe. I know, right? Yua-chan, you understand! ...Well, let’s get to the main topic. Kaede-kun, Yua-chan. What do you think when you look at this?”
Miyabi-san said that while pointing at the dress she brought out.
“What do I think...? Well, I’m clueless about clothes and fashion... but it gives me a completely different feeling than ordinary clothes, or something... Sorry, I can’t put it into words!”
Agh! I can tell it’s amazing, and I know it’s different from ordinary clothes, but I can’t articulate how great it is!
But I can tell that the dress Miyabi-san created is truly magnificent.
“I... I think it’s really wonderful! It’s like... Miyabi-san is conveying her feelings through the clothes, that’s what I feel!”
“Hehe, it’s alright, Kaede-kun. And thank you for answering, Yua-chan. It’s true that I prioritize performance in the clothes I make, but I also put a lot of thought into the design. So, your feeling, Kaede-kun, isn’t wrong. But there’s one more thing I’m particular about in my clothes!”
Saying that, Miyabi-san gently stroked the Gothic Lolita dress she had brought out.
Then, she stopped stroking it and slowly opened her mouth.
“That is... the ‘Soul’. Thinking about the person who will wear this dress, I make it a second skin that doesn’t get in the way, as if it were another version of themselves. A dress made that way won’t impede movement, no matter how much the wearer moves, and instead highlights them. That is the feeling I pour into the clothes I create.”
“Miyabi-san...”
Yua-chan and I were speechless after hearing Miyabi-san’s story.
We were astonished by what Miyabi-san was trying to convey through the clothes, and overwhelmed by the strength of her feeling.
“Of course, saying I pour my ‘soul’ into it might sound like a cliché, but here at ‘Trace’, that’s our first priority.
We ‘Trace’ the person who will use it and then create it. That’s what our company is about.
And seeing the person who receives the finished product smile is the greatest joy for us.”
The expression on Miyabi-san’s face as she said that was so gentle and filled with warmth.
Ah, this person truly loves creating clothes with the wearer in mind.
It was a smile that was both mature and childlike, making me think just that.
“That’s why I want to keep in touch with a young man like you, Kaede-kun, who accepts our quests and brings us high-quality materials.”
Miyabi-san placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
“W-Wait, Miyabi-chan!? Why are you sticking so close to Kaede-san!!”
“Hehehe~ Oh, it’s alright, Yua-chan. I wouldn’t steal your favorite boy, would I? ♪”
“Miyabi-chan.”
“Hehehehehe~!”
I don’t really get it, but Miyabi-san is an adult.
She’s probably just teasing Yua-chan half-jokingly.
Well, as for Yua-chan, I guess I’m not completely dense... I’m not being conceited, right?
“Alright now. I’ll start working right away. What about you two, Kaede-kun and Yua-chan? Do you want to watch?”
“Since we’re here, could we watch you work?”
“I wanna watch too!”
“Of course! Feel free to watch, don't be shy!”
And so, we were allowed to watch Miyabi-san work on her clothes.
Miyabi-san’s work ethic was incredible; she was highly skilled both in her technique and her use of skills. While looking at something that seemed to be a design, she transformed thread into fabric, dyed the fabric, cut it without using a pattern, and then hand-stitched it to complete a dress.
She was seriously amazing. (A simple summary)
The current time is 6:00 PM. And my current location is right in front of the entrance to the Fresh Verdure Dungeon.
After watching Miyabi-san work at ‘Trace’, becoming a dress-up doll for the other employees, receiving Miyabi-san’s contact information, and watching Yua-chan get teased a lot by Miyabi-san, I felt like it was a pretty fulfilling time.
Anyway, after all that, I had the reward sent to my bank account, and since it was about time for Healgrowth to grow, I came to the Fresh Verdure Dungeon.
Ah, by the way, I made sure to send Yua-chan home, since it was this late and she plans to dive into a Dungeon tomorrow as Rieshe.
...I’m not sure if knowing Rieshe’s house is a good thing or a bad thing, but I’ll try not to think about it.
“Well, I guess I’ll head in.”
I used ‘Enemy Detection’ as a precaution, passed the entrance, and entered the Fresh Verdure Dungeon. The security guards were definitely not slacking off; they stared intently as I went in.
Now, it’s evening.
Even though I’m here to collect Healgrowth, if I start collecting now, it will definitely be night soon.
So, I prepared a headlamp to secure a light source.
Dungeons are strange places; in Dungeons where the light is secured by something like a ‘sun’, that ‘sun’ stops shining as night approaches, and it gets dark. At that point, this Fresh Verdure Dungeon would be pitch black once the sun fully sets, so I needed to secure light.
That's why a headlamp is an essential item for night-time Dungeons that aren't of the cave or labyrinth type.
If you secure a light source other than a headlamp, your hands are usually occupied, which interferes with fighting monsters.
This is my first time diving into a Dungeon at night, so it’s better to be overly cautious.
I’ve heard rumors that higher-ranked explorers can dive into Dungeons all night and fight monsters in the darkness just by sensing their presence, without using a light...
W-Well, surely even those people, who are said to have quit being human, can’t really do that.
...Right?
I can definitively say it’s impossible, even with my ‘Enemy Detection’ skill. That's why I bought this headlamp at the Association branch.
Well, I don't plan on fighting this time, but still.
“Alright. Healgrowth, Healgrowth!”
After entering the Fresh Verdure Dungeon, I walked a bit and started searching for the target herb, Healgrowth.
My goal is Healgrowth.
The last time I searched, it was during the time when Healgrowth didn't grow, so I couldn't find any at all.
But this time is different. I’ve come during the time when Healgrowth is supposed to be growing. If there's none now, I’m out of ideas.
I walked slowly, carefully observing the ground and using ‘Enemy Detection’ to look for the characteristic heart-shaped leaves of the Healgrowth.
“Oh. This is it...”
After walking for a while, I found the target Healgrowth.
The Healgrowth I found had heart-shaped leaves, just as I’d researched, so there was no mistake.
“Good. It’s definitely growing.”
Feeling relieved that I had finally found the Healgrowth, I immediately pulled it out root and all, shook off the soil from the root, and put it into my ‘Item Box’.
“Alright, alright, so far, so good. I’m gonna keep finding more at this pace!”
After that, I continued walking, bending down to look through the bushes and checking behind trees in my search for Healgrowth.
I picked every stalk of Healgrowth I could find, shook off the soil, and put it into my ‘Item Box’.
“...Phew. This is the thirtieth stalk. It’s surprisingly tiring... and it’s killing my back!”
I was so focused on finding Healgrowth that I didn’t know how long I’d been searching. Also, my back hurts so much from being constantly hunched over!
Even though Healgrowth has a distinctive shape, it’s often hidden among other grasses and bushes, so I have to be hunched over like this to avoid missing any.
Even if I try to search using ‘Appraisal’, it’s all like, ‘Grass, Grass, Grass, Grass, FUCK!’ so it’s hard to spot.
“It would be nice if my stats went up and strengthened me in this area too.”
Grumbling, I kept searching hunched over to collect more Healgrowth.
After that, I spent the roughly four hours—from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, the time Healgrowth grows—continuously gathering Healgrowth.
In the end, I collected 173 stalks of Healgrowth.
This should net me a pretty good reward.
“Phew—I guess I’ll call it a day and head home.”
Honestly, my back is at its limit if I try to do anything else.
Well, it’s lucky that I found 173 stalks of Healgrowth today alone.
If I can collect this much, I still have time until the quest deadline, so maybe I’ll come back and gather more Healgrowth. Even if it hurts my back.
Thinking about that, even I, with my high level, have a sore back after four hours of squatting. I really respect the people who used to plant rice all day, hunched over, without any level-up benefits. I could never do that.
In fact, I'd probably die if I tried.
With those thoughts, I headed home.
Five days passed since I first gathered Healgrowth.
I dove into the Fresh Verdure Dungeon, gathering Healgrowth, and fought one-on-one with Killer Spiders to keep my weapon handling sharp.
The total Healgrowth I’ve collected in those six days—the first day and these five days—is 780 stalks.
If I turn all of this in... Heheheh.
Well, my total income for one week—one day when I couldn’t gather any, plus the six days I spent gathering—is 200 yen * 780 stalks, which is 156,000 yen.
It’s probably less income than if I had just dove into a Dungeon and defeated monsters normally, but considering there’s almost no danger to my life, it’s a pretty good haul.
“Well then, time to go to the Association...”
And so, I started walking toward the Dungeon Association branch to report and deliver the 780 stalks of Healgrowth.
Unlike Miyabi-san’s quest, this one doesn't require me to go all the way to the requester, Astral; I can just report and deliver at the branch to complete the quest. This part is pretty easy.
“Alright, guess I’ll get going.”
I started walking from my house toward the Association branch.
After walking for a while, I arrived at the Dungeon Association branch, but...
“...What is that?”
The Dungeon Association branch looks the same as always. But what looks strange is the road across from the branch.
“That’s a police car, right...? Was there an accident or an incident?”
A police car was parked a little way from the Dungeon Association branch, and a police officer could be seen talking to a crowd of people.
It wasn't a tense atmosphere, like a major accident or incident; it felt more like a crowd of onlookers had gathered.
Well, since the police are there, it’s probably not a normal accident or incident. But since the Dungeon Association is right in front of it, and the Association staff aren’t dealing with it, I figure explorers aren't involved.
Well, it doesn't seem to concern my trip to the Association, so I guess I shouldn’t worry about it. Besides, I can probably figure out what happened by asking the Association staff after I report my quest.
With the crowd behind me, I entered the Dungeon Association branch and walked straight toward the reception desk.
At this time of day, there aren't many explorers coming for buybacks, so the reception counter was quiet, and a female staff member was sitting idly behind it.
So, I called out to the staff member at the counter.
“Excuse me. I’d like to report and deliver a quest.”
“Yes. May I please see your Explorer’s License?”
“Uh... yes, here you go!”
I took the card that serves as an Explorer's proof from my ‘Item Box’ and handed it to the female staff member.
The staff member inserted it into the usual scanner and started operating the computer.
“Um... yes. I’ve confirmed it. This is the Healgrowth Collection quest, correct?
In that case, please place the Healgrowth on this tray.”
“Understood!”
I followed the staff member's instructions and started loading the Healgrowth I took out of my ‘Item Box’ onto the silver, rectangular tray, which was about 30 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters long—a decent size.
However, after placing about fifty stalks of Healgrowth, the tray was covered in a mountain of Healgrowth.
Can I put more on?
“Um... do you happen to have more?”
As I was smoothly creating a mountain of Healgrowth, the staff member, whose smile had disappeared, asked me that question with a twitching cheek.
“Oh, yes. I have plenty more. To be exact, 730 more!”
“I-Is that so... Please wait just a moment... Excuse me, I need some help!”
The staff member said that and disappeared into the back.
...Was that too much...?
When the staff member returned, she had two male staff members behind her. They were holding a tray much larger than the one currently on the counter.
“Thank you for waiting. Please place all the Healgrowth you have onto that tray.”
“Got it!”
I did as I was told and transferred all the Healgrowth from the small tray to the new, larger tray.
Then, I started taking the additional Healgrowth out of my ‘Item Box’ and putting it onto the tray. I kept adding Healgrowth until I put the very last stalk down.
“Wow... that much. That’s incredible!”
When I placed all the additional Healgrowth down, the female staff member gasped in surprise. Well, anyone would be surprised by this amount.
And now, the staff members will have to count and check to make sure there are no other medicinal herbs mixed in with the Healgrowth, right?
...My deepest sympathies. I’m the cause, but I hope they can just accept it as part of their job.
While I was thinking that, the two male staff members each took a side of the tray, lifted the tray I had just placed the Healgrowth on, and disappeared into the back.
“The Healgrowth, 780 stalks, have been received. Please wait a moment until we finish counting the Healgrowth.”
“Oh, can I ask you something while I wait?”
The quest will be complete once they finish counting the Healgrowth, but I'm free until then, so I might as well ask about the police officers parked outside.
“Yes, certainly. What is it about?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major, but there’s a police car parked outside, right? What was that about?”
“Ah... that, you see...!”
The female staff member then explained in detail what was happening across the street.
Apparently, the people the police were talking to were believers of a certain religious group, and they were causing a disturbance there, claiming a ‘divine oracle’ had been passed down, which is why the police were called.
Not only that, but if that were all, they’d just be a nuisance, but apparently, whenever the police try to ask them questions, they shout, ‘Is this sacrilege against our God?’ and the onlookers gather, making it impossible to resolve the situation.
To make matters worse, this religious group seems to worship Dungeons as a ‘gift from God’ and is against defeating the monsters within. As a result, they consider explorers, who make a living by diving into Dungeons, to be their enemies.
And the Explorer’s Association found it difficult to assist the police with people like that, as it would cause various problems.
“What the hell are they doing...!”
Honestly, I don't really care, but this religious group is apparently looking for a child they call the ‘Child of the Oracle’. The conditions are that the child is a girl. And most importantly, that she possesses a power that ordinary people do not.
They’ve apparently been talking about things like that non-stop.
“They’re nothing but a nuisance!”
“Exactly. They’ve been there since this morning. I wish they would just leave soon...!”
The female staff member sighed as she said that.
They seem to be having a tough time...
I was a little intrigued by the girl the religious group was looking for. But it's probably better not to get involved in things like this, so I’ll just ignore it.
And so, after chatting idly with the female staff member for a while, the confirmation of the Healgrowth was completed, and one of the male staff members came back with a piece of paper.
“The confirmation is complete. We have received 780 stalks of Healgrowth.
Is it alright to complete the quest report now?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you very much.”
Since the confirmation was done, I left the Association.
..................Well, that quest is complete!
But the Silver Exam still hasn't resumed, apparently. ...What am I gonna do with my time?
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