Level 5 – Supply Dungeon

The adventurer guild's president, Makiri Kyousuke, was reviewing some documents.

"This month's guild income from magic stones has decreased by 4%."

"As a result, there may be some impact on this month's salary payments."

Since the discovery of dungeons, the global economy has undergone a dramatic transformation.

Fossil fuels and their derivatives became obsolete, eventually fading away entirely.

Now, magic stones supply 100% of the world's electricity, and their value surpasses that of diamonds.

◇

Today was the weekend. I wanted to go to a dungeon, but everywhere seemed packed.

The only one with openings was the Supply Dungeon—the one for harvesting magic stones.

The difference from regular dungeons is that the magic stone concentration is significantly higher.

Normal dungeons might have bosses, but Supply Dungeons don't.

That makes harvesting easier, so there's always demand for them.

But it's not the kind of place everyone dreams of going. I'm only going for training.

I've finally gotten used to this body, so I want to test my movements more.

But I'm broke, so I don't have much choice.

I checked the dungeons I could enter.

(Unlike regular dungeons, the rank restrictions are looser—as long as the majority of the party meets the requirements, it's fine.)

(Found one.)

I spotted a Supply Dungeon with good rewards that was urgently recruiting.

I changed and headed there immediately.

The site looked like a construction zone, with leftover building materials scattered around.

Among the adventurers loitering about, one approached me.

"Oh, an applicant?"

"Yeah. Yukimiya Yuuya, Rank E. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Kishibe Kirei, Rank C, leader of this party. I'm the tank."

Kishibe Kirei had a sturdy build and a confident face—he gave off the vibe of a kind uncle who'd hand out sweets.

The other members came over to greet me too.

"So, this the new guy?"

"Hope you're useful. We could always use more hands."

They all introduced themselves. Seemed like a pretty friendly bunch.

"So, most of you are Rank D, with three Rank Cs?"

"Hard to believe, maybe, but we're a childhood friend group. Been working together for years."

"Our leader's useless, but he's a genius at gathering money."

"Hey, shut it!"

"Sorry, these guys can't keep their mouths shut."

"Sign this."

"A contract?"

"Standard for places like this. It's no different from construction work. Just for accident prevention."

"Makes sense. Any accidents before?"

"Injuries happen sometimes. But that's normal in a place like this."

"Still, if you follow our lead, nothing'll happen—especially for a Rank E like you."

"Got it. Can we head in now?"

"Not yet. We're still one short. This place requires parties of eight or ten. We'll wait a bit—if no one else comes, we'll go in as is."

"Sorry for the wait!"

A boy around my age appeared, clad in dazzling armor.

With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.

"I'm Sakurai Teruhiko. Rank D. Pleasure to work with you."

"Yeah."

Sakurai radiated the aura of a shounen manga protagonist.

(That armor looks expensive… Must be some rich kid's hobby.)

"Well then, shall we head in?"

Everyone stared at Sakurai—he clearly didn't belong here.

◇

"...As I was saying, I am the top-ranked student at the Adventurer Academy."

"It's true that this is my first time in a dungeon, but my simulator scores are exceptionally high."

"...Yes."

This guy, Sakurai, just keeps talking even though I haven't said a word to him.

But the worst part isn't just his nonstop chatter—it's how much he reminds me of that man from my past life.

(I am the great Hydurin! Bow before me, all of you!)

(The hell?!)

I was always butting heads with that bastard.

"Hey, Yukimiya… Rank E."

"Hm?"

(Why's he calling me by my rank?)

"Why's it so bright inside the dungeon?"

"You don't know? And here you were bragging about your 'high scores.'"

(What scores are you even talking about?)

Since he clearly has no idea, I decide to explain.

"The light in these caves comes from magic stones embedded in the ceiling. When humanity discovered how to use them, they found an infinite energy source."

"Thanks to this, energy shortages are a thing of the past."

"They absorb mana particles and convert them into electricity. Just three or four can produce this much light for years."

"W-Wow… Yukimiya, Rank E… you're amazing!"

(Again with the rank. Is he showing off, or just mocking me?)

"Stop."

Suddenly, Leader Kishibe halts us.

"Leader? What's wrong?"

"Shh."

Silence falls over the party.

Then—a sharp, splitting sound echoes through the cave, followed by the unmistakable presence of something approaching.

"Form up!"

Everyone quickly takes their positions—except me. As a Rank E, I'm just support.

The monsters that appear look like kangaroos wielding swords and axes.

Kishibe slams his shield into the ground and roars.

"[Skill: Provoke]!"

A crimson aura erupts from his body, instantly drawing the attention of every monster.

The team forms a defensive perimeter around him.

The battle is brutal. Kishibe's movements, in particular, are awe-inspiring.

He deflects attacks from all directions with his twin shields, while the others clean up the remaining monsters with ease.

But something feels off.

(...They're all DPS.)

"Damage Per Second"—pure offense-focused roles are usually the core of any party.

But this team? Every single one of them is DPS.

Once the fight ends, I approach Kishibe.

"Leader Kishibe."

"Hm? What's up, Yukimiya?"

"None of the drops are useful."

"Yeah, figures."

"Leader Kishibe."

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask… why is there no healer?"

The entire party stares at me like I just said something insane.

"...Yukimiya." Kishibe sighs, exasperated.

"Like I said, supply missions need manpower. Healers don't carry loot—they just get in the way."

"Besides, this is a Rank D dungeon. Nothing here hits hard enough to need a healer."

"I see. But what if someone gets hurt?"

"We're all tough adventurers. Don't need healers."

"Understood."

I turn to leave—but then, I catch someone's muttered remark.

"...Asks too many damn questions."

◇

After advancing for a while, we reached a massive tunnel—one of the largest in the dungeon. The area was covered in a staggering amount of magic stones.

"Whew."

"We'd make a fortune if we mined this vein!"

"If that were the case, someone would've already stripped it clean."

"Alright, enough chatter. Let's get to work."

"Leader."

"What is it, Gagimaru?"

"...We don't have any pickaxes."

"HUH!?"

A brief argument broke out. The party leader then approached us.

"Sorry, but you two wait here. We'll go back and get the pickaxes."

"Excuse me, one moment."

Sakurai stepped forward.

"With all due respect, Leader, leaving a Rank E adventurer behind like this is utterly irresponsible, wouldn't you say?"

"Hah?"

(Seems he's implying I'm dead weight.)

"I get your concern… Sakurai, was it? But this is a 'safe zone.' The mana concentration is too low for monsters to enter."

"I am well aware. However, there remains another issue."

"And that is?"

Sakurai pulled out the contract.

"This document clearly states that Yukimiya and I are entitled to 1% of the profits. While normally negligible, given the sheer volume of magic stones here, that would amount to a considerable sum."

"If you were to pay us only a pittance under these circumstances, it would constitute a breach of contract—potentially subjecting you to guild sanctions or legal action from our team of attorneys."

His sudden eloquence left everyone speechless.

"Uh… yeah, of course. No need to worry about that."

"Alright, we'll go get the pickaxes. You two stay put."

Once they left, I walked up to Sakurai.

"Hey, what the hell was that? Where'd all that high-class talk come from?"

"Oh, that? My father works in corporate law. I've been drilled since childhood on securing economic advantages. You could call it 'business negotiation tactics,' I suppose."

"I see… But isn't that a little too aggressive? Normally, talking like that would piss people off."

"Non non non, Yukimiya, Rank E. You misunderstand. Confirming compensation is fundamental in any line of work."

"But rest assured—I've got your back."

He declared it with unmistakable pride.

◇◇◇

Inspector Morimoto Masachika entered with a new stack of documents in hand.

"Pardon the intrusion, Guild Master. There's a report you need to see."

"What is it this time?"

"Another dungeon accident."

"Details?"

"An eight-member exploration team—six dead. Only two survivors. This marks the third incident following the same pattern."

The Guild Master's grip on his desk tightened.

"You can't be serious..."

"We have no concrete proof. But we can't ignore it either." Morimoto lowered his voice. "This time, the victims included a prosecutor's nephew. Last time, the party that went missing had... the Police Commissioner's son in it."

"This is no coincidence."

"Morimoto. You know why we can't bring surveillance cameras or cell phones into dungeons, correct?"

"Yes."

"And that reason is?"

"Demonic energy disrupts electromagnetic fields, rendering all electronic devices useless."

"Meaning... hypothetically... even if there were a killer targeting adventurers..."

"...There would be no evidence left behind except witness testimony."

A heavy silence filled the room.

"Guild Master, what should we do?"

After a long pause, the Guild Master exhaled in frustration.

"You already know the answer. We have no choice but to accept the survivors' testimonies as absolute truth."

Among the documents, a familiar face stared back from a photograph.

A curse slipped through his clenched teeth:

"Damn it... this adventurer killer..."

◇◇◇

"Is everything ready?"

"Yeah."

Outside the dungeon gate, Kishibe's team was packing up their gear with practiced ease. One member noticed their leader staring intently at his tablet.

"What'cha checkin', Cap?"

"Running the numbers on this job." Kishibe's thumb scrolled through profiles. "Not good... This E-rank's useless. His face doesn't match the ID photo."

"Do it."

"Roger."

The party's mage opened a grimoire and began chanting under his breath. A faint pulse of light flickered across the tablet screen.

"Done."

"Good. Check the other one too."

Kishibe muttered as he searched, "Sakurai... Sakurai... Too damn many with that surname... But I know I've seen this brat somewhere..."

"Huh?"

The screen suddenly flashed crimson.

Kishibe's expression transformed—the cheerful uncle persona melted away like wax, revealing something infinitely darker beneath. The tablet's edges creaked under his crushing grip.

◇

"What the hell was that?"

An explosion-like roar echoed through the cavern.

"No clue."

While waiting, I showed Sakurai my adventurer credentials. He frowned at the document.

"Yukimiya... is this really you?" He jabbed at the mismatched photo.

"Doesn't look like it, but yeah, it's me."

"By the way—"

Sakurai's words cut off as screams erupted from multiple tunnels.

"Now what?!"

A horde of monsters—identical to the ones from before—charged toward us.

"Why here?! This is a safe zone!"

"Look at their eyes." The crimson glow told me everything. "They're under Hostility influence."

"Hostility?"

"A skill that drives monsters mad. Completely different from Provoke."

Trembling, Sakurai stepped forward, his armor clanking.

"Yukimiya, stay behind me! As the highest-rank here, I'll—"

"Seriously?"

Even shaking in fear, he tried to shield me. (Huh. Didn't expect him to have pride like this.)

"Move. You can't stop these numbers with your skills."

Focusing, I summoned my [Item Box]. A purple interface materialized, displaying stored weapons.

First, the green wind spear—its buff boosted my speed, not strength.

Next, the dark blade—its shadow slash blinded enemies.

(D-rank and C-rank gear. Why do I have these? Well... that's a secret.)

Sakurai gaped as I moved. The monsters fell like harvested wheat—each strike precise, movements fluid. Within minutes, the last monster collapsed.

"Th-that's impossible! An E-rank—"

New footsteps cut him off. Kishibe's group arrived, their faces tense.

Sakurai stormed toward them, furious. "Leader! This is why I said leaving us behind was reckless! We almost died!" ("We"? Selfish bastard.)

But something was off. Their expressions reminded me of cornered prey.

"Sakurai. Wait."

"Yukimiya, help me! These guys are—"

I yanked him back. A dagger whizzed past, embedding itself where his skull had been.

Silence.

Then, Kishibe sighed, all warmth gone. "Would've been cleaner if the monsters tore you apart." The saw in his hand glinted. "Now we gotta make this look convincing."

"No way..." Sakurai whispered. "The rumors Mom warned me about... the Adventurer Killer."

Kishibe's grin turned feral. "Bingo."

◇◇◇

"Adventurer Killers"—that's what they call those who murder fellow adventurers in the dungeons. With no surveillance cameras, there's no way to prove whether deaths were accidents or intentional. Rumors whispered they killed to steal equipment. And now, we were face-to-face with that nightmare.

Kishibe circled us, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "We used to earn an honest living too. But reality's cruel." He tapped his rusted gauntlet. "Equipment costs keep rising, while the guild and government control magic stone prices. We're just getting exploited."

"Then one day—" Kishibe smirked at the trembling Sakurai. "—some rich brat joined our party. The idiot tripped over his own damn sword. When we found out who his daddy was..." He drew a finger across his throat. "That's when we got... creative. Made it look like a training accident. And guess what? It worked."

His comrades chuckled darkly. This was the moment they became predators.

"Now, we specialize in spoiled brats like you, Sakurai—no, wait. Sakurai Kanie, heir to Sakurai Construction." Kishibe's boot scuffed the bloodstained ground.

Sakurai's armored gloves creaked. (So that's why he had top-tier gear.)

"Rich kids playing adventurer? Hilarious." Kishibe sneered. "Though, I'm surprised Daddy didn't assign you a bodyguard. Not even after... the rumors."

"Th-then..." Sakurai stunned everyone with his next words. "If I surrender my equipment... will you let us go?"

The killers burst into laughter. I saw the trap before Sakurai did—yanking him down as another arrow whizzed overhead.

"You serious?" All pretense of warmth vanished from Kishibe's voice. "You think we'd leave witnesses? There are only two kinds of people in this world, kid—those with power, and corpses."

Kishibe's eyes gleamed with calculation as he surveyed the slaughtered monsters. (This E-rank took them all down... and dodged two kill shots. Either his gear's god-tier, or...) His gaze locked onto me.

"New deal, Sakurai." Kishibe tossed a dagger at the noble's feet. "Kill him. Join us. Everyone wins." (And we'll have the construction king's son as blackmail material.)

Sakurai stared at the blade. Then—

"You scum are beneath contempt!" He raised his sword with shaking arms. "I'd rather die than betray others to save myself! A true adventurer chooses death over living as a criminal!"

I smirked. (Reminds me of Hydurin back then...) Memories surfaced of my old comrade charging solo into enemy lines, screaming "Where's Yamato?! Give back my friend!"—right before taking a fireball to the face.

"Enough theatrics." Kishibe snorted. As his men advanced, one vanished—activating a cloaking skill.

The invisible assassin materialized behind me, knife at my throat. "All that talk..." the killer whispered. "But you're just an E-ran—"

"Who said," I cut in coldly, "I've never killed before?"

The dagger flashed, piercing through the man's jaw in a fountain of blood. As the corpse collapsed, I flicked gore from my blade.

"Seems you've misunderstood something fundamental." Twin daggers gleamed in my hands. "Who told you... we were the prey?"

◇

In my past life, I'd lost count of how many lives I'd taken.

The first time was probably when Hydurin came to rescue me. A noble from a rival faction had kidnapped me to use as leverage against the princess.

The princess wouldn't sacrifice anyone—not me, not others—but I had no choice. I killed that noble.

My hands shook. The stench of iron clung to my palms as I vomited over and over.

Since then, I'd repeated the same act—just like now, when there was no other way.

I was a hero... or at least, I tried to be. To protect others, to protect myself, I chose the path of bloodstained hands.

Kishibe barked orders at his men.

"All of you, go!"

"[Provoke]!"

He must have thought his tank skill would work on humans too.

But in my past life, I'd trained specifically to counter tanks.

Two from the left, two from the right.

A mage and an archer encircled us from a distance.

The close-range fighters had short weapons, unaware my daggers were special.

I took the fireball head-on, then dashed in to slit two throats.

The other two backed off. The archer loosed a flame arrow, but I deflected it with my dagger, absorbing the impact.

The axe wielder charged. I dodged every swing, and when his weapon lodged in the ground, I slashed his eyes and drove my dagger through his skull.

The mage began chanting, but I evaded, delivering a brutal punch that sent one crashing into the archer.

A fireball to the face seared their eyes and noses as they screamed.

The mage tried chanting again, but my flurry of blows—after discarding my dagger—sent him flying straight into Kishibe.

The impact—or the landing—killed him instantly.

Kishibe had watched his men fall like flies.

"You're next."

As I approached, he roared:

"Don't fuck with me!"

He threw aside his shield.

"Witness my true ability— [Heavy Metal]!"

His body turned to metal.

"Absolute defense, on par with B-rank. Go ahead, punch me till your fingers break."

"Three hits."

"What?"

I held up three fingers.

"That's how many strikes it'll take to put you down."

"Hah! Idiot. I'm on a whole other level compared to them."

"They all say that."

I sighed and stepped forward. He couldn't even track my movements.

"First."

A punch to the gut sent him airborne.

As he knelt—

"Second."

A kick to the head. I felt his skull cave in.

Kishibe spat blood as he collapsed onto his back.

Before the final blow landed, he gasped:

"You... Do you even know who I am?"

"Don't care."

"Listen. I'm Kishibe Kirei, under Kunugi Renya hand. A big shot Yakuza. And the high-rank adventurer Kishibe Mikihiko is my—"

"And?"

My voice was ice.

"Who you are, who backs you, what your family does—"

"Right now, you're just trash to crush."

He must have realized—this man couldn't be threatened.

"I'm bored. Goodbye."

"Wait, wai—"

"Third hit is instant death."

A direct strike to the heart, ignoring [Heavy Metal].

I made sure it ruptured from within.

Then it was over.

I stood and looked at Sakurai.

"Done. Let's go."

Trembling, his first words were—

"Y-you... Were you secretly testing adventurers this whole time?!"

"Too strong... That's terrifying. Are you gonna do the same to me...?"

"Uh, Aniki! I'll handle the magic stone collection! Can't go back empty-handed, right?!"

He started digging.

He didn't realize I'd heard him—not that it mattered.

The commotion was over.

◇

After Leaving the Dungeon...

We reported to the Adventurer's Guild, and a woman came to take our statements.

"So, let me get this straight," she said, tapping her pen against her clipboard. "You, an E-rank adventurer, supposedly took down that entire party alone?"

"Yes. That's what happened," I replied.

She burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Good one. There's no way that's true." She pointed at Sakurai. "It was him, right? He just gave you the credit. That party was registered as B-rank and above—it's obvious who the real powerhouse is."

She waved a hand dismissively. "But don't worry, kid. You're off the hook. The guild will handle everything."

As we left, Sakurai loaded his gear into a sleek black car (of course) and turned to me.

"Hey, Yukimiya... what now?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe grab food. Wasted the whole day and didn't even earn cash."

"Let me treat you to ramen. As thanks for saving me."

"...Yeah. Alright."

Turns out, the day wasn't completely wasted.

__________________________________

Kishibe's Party (Deceased)

Itsuka – The warrior of the group

Kinzo – The mage who tampered with IDs

Ibiza – Silent archer with a hair-trigger temper

Kenzaki – Dual-wielding berserker

Tanzaki – Alchemist-turned-poison specialist

Juuzo – The "invisible" assassin

Gagimaru – The one who always forgot the pickaxes