Side Story: At the Adventurer Center
Central District — Adventurer Management Center.
The day’s work was almost over.
Ordinary citizens and contracted workers were only allowed to enter the dungeon until 7 PM.
The reason was simple: monsters became more active at night.
Active monsters tended to drop higher‑quality items than usual, but in modern times, taking that kind of risk just for better loot was considered terrible time efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Lost‑and‑Found Management Department behind the center was in an uproar.
“This magic stone… the numbers are abnormal.”
“Huh? I mean, sure, it looks a bit cleaner than usual, but it’s not that special, right?”
“No, I ran it through the analyzer, and every value is off the charts… Chief Miyasaka! Please come here!”
A woman with long black hair and silver‑rimmed glasses approached.
“What’s the matter?”
“These are the magic stones submitted today by Mr. Jeiick, but the readings are unusually high.”
He pointed at the monitor.
The black‑haired woman leaned in to look—and gasped.
“These numbers aren’t from anything that comes out of this dungeon. Where were they found?”
“According to the report… the 4th floor.”
“…The 4th floor?”
Sure, the 4th floor was the ore‑mining zone.
But that meant ore, not magic stones.
“Let’s request a detailed analysis from Central Headquarters. Please prepare the shipment.”
With that instruction, Miyasaka left the room.
This was the beginning of a story—
the first step in revealing to the people of this world that the dungeons they thought they understood had not yet shown their true power.
