I’ll Go

“Dungeon…”

“That’s right. We sent out investigation teams many times, but the return rate had been extremely low.”

The moment they passed through the spatial distortion, they were to come right back.

Even the investigation teams that had been sent out with those strict instructions did not return.

Aria explained that this situation had continued.

“We still do not know clearly why this suddenly happened… but it is being speculated that there was something that affected the spatial distortion.”

“And what that something is…”

“We do not know. However, we can assume it was probably the influence of extraordinarily powerful mana.”

It seemed they still did not know what it was.

But he could imagine that it was surely something bad.

In this world, both gods and demons existed.

So something capable of creating things called dungeons… surely did exist as well.

And even Kikori understood that it was highly unlikely to be on humanity’s side.

“…Huh? Wait, if you said ‘had been,’ then…”

“That’s right. The dungeon may have entered a certain period of stability.”

A spatial distortion was not, in itself, a normal phenomenon.

It was the sort of story where repeated abnormalities piled on top of each other and became even more abnormal.

“You’re not saying it went back to normal, right?”

“Of course not. And as a result, major changes will also occur in the ecosystem on the other side of the spatial distortion.”

Naturally. The monsters that had managed to divide up their territories until now had been scattered apart.

There was even a possibility that the chain of command among them had been torn apart.

There was no knowing what that might cause.

“As for me, I want Kikori to rest until this situation settles down.”

Kikori thought that was a roundabout way of speaking, for Aria.

That was exactly why he ended up sensing something behind her words.

“So it’s a situation where I have to go, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Just as Kuon headed to the beastfolk country, Kikori has also received a nominated request from the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“To explore the dungeon, right?”

“That’s right. The Adventurers’ Guild thinks highly of Kikori, who survived in the dungeon.”

“But,” Aria said.

“If Kikori doesn’t want to, you may refuse. The big shots will be noisy, but I’ll shut them up with my fists.”

“No, I think I’ll do it.”

Saying that, Kikori looked straight at Aria.

Realizing that it was a serious resolve and not despair, Aria widened her eyes.

“Why…?”

“It’s a place I’ll have to challenge someday. So I’m going.”

If he was going to live as an adventurer, he could not run from that dungeon.

Then he had no choice but to live positively and move forward.