The Dungeon was a vast hollow directly beneath the heart of the City of Labyrinths—a womb for monsters. From its very walls, endless varieties of monsters were born, and the deeper the floor, the stronger they became.
The risk was immense, but so were the rewards.
Powerful monsters honed adventurers to the utmost. When slain, they left behind magic stones, and with luck, pieces of their bodies as well—what people called drop items.
Magic stones and drop items served as raw materials for research, medicines, tool-making, and magitech. Adventurers could also trade what they harvested.
By their own effort and struggle, people could earn whatever they wanted—money, power, fame. So long as they had the strength, they could grasp it with their own hands.
"A meritocracy built on might."
Standing at the Dungeon's entrance, Sawada Tsunayoshi gave his clear verdict.
"If you've got strength, you're at the table. If you don't, you're not."
"True," Finn said, agreeing with Tsunayoshi's appraisal. "The Dungeon has always been a massive marketplace for glory. Anyone living in this world chases something—wealth, authority, renown, even women. The Dungeon is the place that lets adventurers indulge those desires."
"But what exactly did you mean about 'different tables' for the strong and the weak?"
"That part's the law of the jungle," Tsunayoshi replied. "Adventurers without strength can only huddle together for warmth. Because they're limited, they never get past the upper floors. What they make each day barely covers their meals, and many numb themselves with drink. For those on the bottom, this place just means licking blood off the knife's edge every day."
"You're not wrong," Finn admitted. "For bottom-rung adventurers—those with limited talent, the ones rejected by capable familias—the monsters are merciless."
"No," Tsunayoshi said. "What's truly merciless to them isn't just the Dungeon. It's the people who are also at the bottom—but who set their sights on preying upon them."
"Adventurers hunting adventurers?" Finn exhaled softly. There was no changing that. It was, as Tsunayoshi said, survival of the fittest.
"That's why the Dungeon is cruel," Finn said. "There are no fated encounters down there—only endless battle and exploration. Anyone who enters has to be prepared to risk their life for their goals."
"Those goals are fine as far as they go," Finn went on, "but for some, their fellow adventurers are easier to deal with than the Dungeon's monsters."
No one knew better than Finn how vicious the bottom tier could be toward their own. They couldn't match the strong, so the only 'group tactics' they knew were ganging up on those even weaker.
And even knowing this, Finn couldn't change it. Not because he didn't want to—because he knew he likely couldn't.
"Ah… it's the same wherever you go," Tsunayoshi murmured. He knew this pattern well.
"It's just more blatant here. Back where I'm from, it's less extreme."
He paused, thoughts drifting to the Vongola, then corrected himself.
"Actually, some things back home can be just as extreme as here."
"We're all in the same boat," Finn said with a faint shake of his head. Different places, different troubles.
"By the way," Finn added, "since you know a thread of the future—any special talents we could recruit early?"
"Talent, huh… I'd love to rattle off a long list, but when I think carefully, there aren't that many," Tsunayoshi said. "And there's still a time gap before the story really kicks in. Even if you're looking, it won't be easy."
"I know," Finn nodded. "But I still want to try. Like Loki-san said—that 'best' story path is just for dramatic effect."
"In that case, I'll give you two names," Tsunayoshi said. "One is Sanjouno Haruhime. The other is Cassandra… I've forgotten the family name—just remember the given name. Oh, and they're both girls. Haruhime has ties to Takemikazuchi. As for Cassandra, I remember Apollo took a liking to her and forcibly dragged her into his familia."
"Sanjouno Haruhime and Cassandra," Finn repeated, committing them to memory.
"If you're prioritizing, I suggest finding Sanjouno Haruhime first."
"Why her?"
"Because, as I recall, Haruhime gets trafficked from outside Orario into the Pleasure District and ends up in the Ishtar Familia," Tsunayoshi said. "If you coordinate with Takemikazuchi Familia, you might be able to prevent that."
"I see." Finn nodded again, fixing the point in his mind.
"This is something I'll need Loki-sama to address," he said. "I'll file a report once we're back. What about the girl's ability?"
"Simple," Tsunayoshi said. "She's no good at production. Aside from magic power, her personal stats are abysmal—absolutely someone who needs protecting. But the magic she awakens—and another one she learns later—are both brutally straightforward."
Thinking of the fox-girl's magic, Tsunayoshi couldn't help but marvel at its value.
"Put plainly: for a limited time, she can temporarily raise an adventurer by one whole Level."
"!?"
Finn's mind blanked; he flinched as if struck.
"There's a magic like that?"
"Exactly the reaction I expected," Tsunayoshi chuckled.
"The world is big; there's nothing it doesn't have. Because she has that magic, people in the story call it a flat-out cheat. That's why I remembered her name so clearly. Anyone else, after so many years, I'd have forgotten."
(End of Chapter)
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