Dungeon Gacha Life Chapter 22

 Chapter 22: The Minotaur, As Ordinary People See It

"So anyway, once the break's over, I'm going to go clear Floor 20."

"You say that so casually..."

Shimotsuki-san, the cool-headed receptionist, let out an exasperated sound at my words.

That was strange. I thought that I mentioned it well in advance, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"That face says you've got the wrong idea. It's not that I'm exasperated about you challenging the boss, Suzukaze-kun."

It wasn't that? Then what is it?

I shot her a glance and she let out a sigh before speaking.

"The Upper Levels' boss, the Minotaur — it's a tough opponent. It has no troublesome special abilities but it's huge, hits hard and has a lot of HP."

Of course, I already knew all that.

The Upper Levels' boss was always the Minotaur.

For some reason, that rule held true worldwide.

Teleportation circle placement, the number of floors, monster distribution, all of that varied, and yet without fail, the gatekeeper standing before the Middle Levels was always a Minotaur.

No one knew why but either way, it was a famous monster.

"Footage and details about it were already out in abundance."

That was exactly why the bar for beating it was common knowledge, which meant clearing it wouldn't look unnatural even with a faked Status.

"True, with your Status, Suzukaze-kun, clearing it should be possible. But don't go treating it like that's a given, alright?"

Shimotsuki-san's words finally made it click.

In other words, for someone who was about to face a boss, I must have looked nowhere near nervous enough.

Worse, maybe I looked so relaxed it seemed like I had some hidden trick up my sleeve.

"Normally, you'd form a party, prepare thoroughly and go in with your nerves on edge. Clearing this is what finally makes you a C-Rank — a professional Explorer."

I gave a deep nod at that summary.

"I'm starting to feel nervous now. I might not be able to sleep alone tonight."

"You've got Lapis-chan with you, don't you?"

Damn you, Gacha fairy, getting in the way.

"Wait, did some killing intent just fly at me!?"

That voice came from a little ways off.

Sharp instincts on that one. Does she have Intuition too?

Either way, it amounted to some welcome advice: "Be careful not to get caught."

I decided to take it at face value.

"I'll be careful. Other Explorers might start thinking I'm full of myself, after all."

"No... that's... already..."

Huh? Shimotsuki-san?

Why are you looking away?

* * *

After that, Lapis joined in and we made a bit of small talk.

Then, same as always, I took a taxi home.

Now I am sitting on the couch while gathering information on my phone.

About the Upper Levels' boss. The Minotaur.

I'd looked into it before but this time I was focusing mainly on social media.

What I wanted were the voices of people planning to challenge the Minotaur, people who'd defeated it and people who'd challenged it and retreated.

"The day has finally come to challenge the Minotaur! Half a year since I became an Explorer, and this moment is finally here!!"

"Already three years since I started as a weekend Explorer. I'm going to prove a solo Explorer in his thirties can still fight."

"Three months since I became an Explorer. I'm... going to go slay the Minotaur."

"Explorer Circle 'Yarichintou'! Taking on the Minotaur Challenge to celebrate our graduation!"

Looking at all this, a lot of people seemed to take quite a while before challenging it.

Sure, some reached it in three months but they are clearly the minority.

And that last one was obviously just some hookup circle.

"Finally, from amateur to pro! Now I can call myself an Explorer with my head held high!"

"Mino, slaaaain!!!!!!"

"Two hard years of struggle. I've avenged my friend."

These ones were victory reports, huh.

Pretty much everyone sounded happy.

I'd better get ready to fake looking happy myself.

"I'm retiring as an Explorer. I lost a friend. I don't ever want to hear the word 'dungeon' again."

"I underestimated the Mino. I'd watched the videos and thought I understood it."

"Turns out 'big' really does win."

"Just being huge, strong and tough — that alone makes something a real threat."

"Once one person messed up, our teamwork fell apart. After that, all we could do was run."

...Even with all the information already out there on the Minotaur, this was how it still turned out.

It really showed how I'd only ever been looking at the success stories.

To ordinary people, the Minotaur seemed to be a far bigger wall than I'd assumed.

I really needed to pay more attention to these honest voices and feelings from ordinary people.

I couldn't just say other people's opinions didn't matter to me.

If that attitude ended up getting my cheat exposed, that would be a real headache.

Convinced by then that Shimotsuki-san was basically an accomplice, I'd let my guard down more than I should have.

After that, I kept on reading through the other Explorers' honest accounts.

* * *

"I thought I'd looked into this properly before becoming an Explorer..."

Some time later, I lay down on the couch, cursing my own carelessness.

The Gacha fairy came into view at the edge of my sight.

"That's rare. I never thought I'd hear you sounding so weak, Touya-san."

Lapis peered at me, looking surprised.

What did she even think I was?

"Even I can reflect on my mistakes, you know. If things had gone badly, this could've been what tripped me up."

If Shimotsuki-san hadn't been the one at the counter, word might have gotten out to everyone around.

Her sense of ethics was basically what had saved me.

That said, I couldn't keep relying on that.

There was no room for assuming other people would act in good faith.

"What kind of things did you look into before?"

Lapis threw the question at me just as I was renewing my resolve.

I answered while thinking back on three months ago.

"Mostly income. How much you could earn at each Rank. What percentage of people sat at each Rank. Looking back now, I was chasing nothing but the big-picture numbers."

Basically, working out the averages.

From there, I'd judged whether it could actually work as a career.

"Ah, I can kind of picture that. Very like of you, Touya-san."

"Back then, it was basically an extension of job hunting."

Like researching a company, more or less.

I'd check the pay and benefits but I never went as far as digging through employees' social media to scope out the actual work environment.

"I see. So, Touya-san. Is there any change to how you're planning to move forward?"

Lapis was getting right to the heart of it.

I thought it over for a moment before answering.

"No, I'm still clearing Floor 20 once the break's over. It's just that after that, I should probably slow down how fast I am pushing through the floors."

Once you hit the Middle Levels, Floor 21 and beyond, traps start showing up too.

It was common knowledge that going in solo meant sinking SP into scouting Skills, which inevitably ate into your combat strength.

"That said, it'd be stupid to let my income drop because of it. I want to land somewhere around 'earning pretty well, for a solo Explorer.'"

"That's a luxury problem to have~"

Shut it.

This was exactly why I was gathering information and thinking it all through — to push right up to that edge without drawing suspicion.

I needed to make sure I actually reaped the benefits of my Unique Skill's power without letting it swallow me whole.

And I shouldn't skimp on the effort that took.

"...If you want more income, couldn't you just increase your working days and hours?"

"Don't be stupid. Not even if it killed me."

"That strongly!?"

Lapis looked like she'd been hit with an extra-large shock.

What was she even saying?

"I'm risking my life out there, you know? If it doesn't beat what a 'white' company offers, why would I bother?"

Three day off, every week and short working hours. High income and a taxi commute for a comfortable life.

Why not you become an Explorer too?

"That is definitely a scam."

Yeah, I think so too.