Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Editor Matsumoto and Chief Editor Kitamura, although I arrogantly declared to you both that I had indeed adhered to the deadline, I can almost picture myself kneeling and begging for a few more days when the next deadline approaches. Yasuda Suzuhito-sensei, thank you for providing such beautiful illustrations! I'm also very sorry to have troubled you with such a high-quality title page illustration…! I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to all the staff involved in this book. Furthermore, this book happens to be the thirtieth in the entire series, and I am truly grateful to all the readers who have taken this opportunity to read it.

Although I really wanted to release episode 17 around the same time as episode 16, it seems quite difficult, and I'm very sorry. Please be patient and wait a little longer.

Thank you to all the readers who have made it this far. I'll take my leave now.

大森藤ノ

Volume 16 Illustrations

Volume 16 Digital Edition Bonus: Is It Wrong to Pretend to Have an Accident in a Dungeon in Search of an Encounter?

That happened when I was kidnapped by my master and my sense of time began to become strange.

At the time, I was undergoing intense interrogation and training in a super luxurious hotel when the seemingly virtuous fairy said to me:

"Let's go to the underground city."

"Hey?"

Even though I was already battered and bruised, and my consciousness was hazy, I still made strange noises when I heard this abrupt command.

◇

Mr. Hedin has been reforming me... no, training me... no, reincarnating me... whatever, reforming me is fine... In short, he's been teaching me 'from psychological preparation for facing women to the very foundation of guiding ladies,' sternly stuffing all of that into my head in one go, even stricter than Miss Eina. I've been living like this for two whole days now.

I haven't slept a wink—he said dismissively. Lv. 4 can easily last five days—and I was suddenly brought to the dungeon just to 'guide the other's internship'.

"Um, Master... why do we need to come to the dungeon to guide the other person's actual practice...?"

"Fool, what will you do if Lady Hill finds out you're trying to pick her up on the ground? Do you want to break her heart before you even have a date? You idiot."

"I understand, I'm so sorry..."

"You're already quite the center of attention in the city. Any little thing you do will spread the news quickly. Think about your position, you stupid rabbit."

"I understand, I'm so sorry..."

Faced with nothing but harsh verbal attacks, all I could do, with my eyes vacant, was apologize.

Human dignity? It has absolutely no meaning in the face of a master-servant relationship.

"But, guiding someone in a dungeon... does that mean using monsters as targets? How exactly can you determine their gender—"

"Are you kidding me, you stupid rabbit?"

"—Squeak?!"

Besides verbal abuse, my master would also mercilessly punish me physically. He kicked me squarely in the waist, sending me flying against the wall before I finally collapsed to the ground with a thud. Undoubtedly, my endurance will increase dramatically now!!

I remained in that embarrassing position, repeatedly saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!" and apologizing to him over and over again.

"Since it's not a monster... could it be...?"

"Ah," Master adjusted his glasses and then said:

"Spend the remaining three days in the dungeon. Hunt monsters and women non-stop."

“Eh!?”

"What were you thinking, you piece of trash?"

"Oh ho!? Fatty intestine stew, sorry!?"

I received a second kick and apologized to him. Then my master looked down at me and pointed me in the right direction, but his eyes seemed to be looking down on a beast that had no ability to learn.

"It means you're using female adventurers as your practice subjects."

My master's nonchalant attitude in using complete strangers as practice subjects made me break out in a cold sweat, but at the same time I could understand it.

While it wasn't what Master meant, some actions might attract attention on the surface, but in the underground labyrinth, they might not become much of a topic of conversation. Negative impressions would spread quickly, but disputes among adventurers are common. Even if I behaved poorly, at least the news wouldn't reach the surface before the 'Goddess Festival' begins... It's hard to say about my fellow adventurers.

"Uh, so you mean you go up and strike up a conversation with every female colleague you encounter...?"

"How could we possibly do something so inefficient? Don't you even consider why we're in middle management?"

That's right.

We are currently in the middle area – level 13 of the underground city.

The dividing line between the "upper level" and the "cave labyrinth".

"I ask you, in this vast and deep labyrinth, which level has the highest number of dead?"

"Huh? Uh... it's 'upper level,' right?"

"That's right. They're those inexperienced adventurers, a bunch of useless people who have neither talent nor effort nor serious preparation. In the initial floors, the first to die are the arrogant, the impatient, and the unlucky."

My master walked forward, and I felt unusually relieved because my answer was correct, so I followed him.

Just as Master said, the majority of people die in the "upper levels".

In Orario, roughly half of the adventurers are called lower-level adventurers, and 'accidents' are concentrated between floors 1 and 12. Although the environment in the 'middle' and below is undoubtedly harsher, the 'denominator' is different—as Miss Eina once said.

Accidents at the middle and lower levels are of higher "quality," while the "quantity" of accidents is overwhelmingly greater at the "upper level."

That's roughly the impression I have of him.

"So, excluding the 'upper floors,' which floor is most prone to 'accidents'?"

"...It's in the middle section, right?"

"I'm asking you which level you're on. Don't just give me generalities, be more specific, you silly rabbit."

Without even turning his head, he flicked a small pebble from his hand, and it swooshed and hit me on the forehead.

"Wait a minute...!" I covered my forehead and made a strange noise, but my master completely ignored me, speaking to me like a teacher giving an answer to an incompetent student:

"The answer is, this 13th floor, which is significantly more difficult than the 'upper floor'."

He strode through the underground passages, continuing as he spoke:

"From now on, your training partners will be those poor female adventurers who encountered 'accidents' here."

"Hey?"

"By leveraging the suspension bridge effect, you can create a positive first impression and make it easier to enter into a simulated date atmosphere."

At this point, I exclaimed "Ah!" and finally understood what he meant.

Indeed, I could never do the kind of "flirting" behavior that my male idols talk about with complete strangers—no, not even with people I know. But if the other person opens up to me, then even though I'm extremely unaccustomed to dealing with women, I might be able to extend an invitation.

...Speaking of which, isn't this current situation one of the scenarios I fantasized about when I was talking about "seeking encounters in a dungeon"?

"There are too many colleagues in the 'upper level.' There's a possibility of bad word-of-mouth spreading. Besides, most of those sows who leisurely explore those low-difficulty levels are simple-minded and of low character. It would be disrespectful to even treat them as Lady Hill."

(I feel like what he said was really too much...)

"Although you're incredibly stupid, there's no doubt that you're exceptionally talented. The women stationed in the 'middle ranks' should be quite excited to see you."

(You could say what I said was really harsh...)

My heart was deeply wounded by my master, but at the same time I understood his intentions.

And why we should be on the "proper path" as we are now.

Within the labyrinth, adventurers mostly take the official routes that lead to the next level via the shortest path. Even adventurers who don't intend to go to the next level but want to gain experience points will generally hunt monsters near the official routes so that they can get help from fellow adventurers if something unexpected happens.

With only three days left until the "Goddess Festival," and given the harsh conditions of not being too conspicuous on the ground, he must have considered many things before finally coming up with this training method.

But we're about to use those people who are diligently exploring the dungeon...

"Get rid of that stupid face. We're here."

"!"

Before the training even started, I was already mired in self-loathing, while my master had already quietly hidden in the shadows.

I hurriedly moved closer to the wall, and just then, a group of four people came into view in front of my master.

"Two human males, one half-elf male, and one fairy female. Perfect."

"This is really too difficult... There's only one woman, but there are more men..."

"No, all three men are interested in the woman and are currently holding each other back. The woman, on the other hand, is extremely troubled, but she can't disrupt this harmonious atmosphere during the exploration. She's the perfect candidate."

"How did you figure that out!?"

"You can understand by looking at that fellow countryman's expression."

"Fairies are amazing!!"

Honestly, I have no interest in knowing the truth about this incredibly complicated team situation!

No, even in my opinion, that team's fighting strength was more than enough. The midfielders and defenders were very well-balanced, and the equipment was also very complete.

Everyone seems to be at Level 2, so it feels like no 'accident' will happen...

"...Uh, eh? Master?"

I don't know when my master disappeared, and I anxiously looked around.

Then—a crackling sound, like an electric shock, was heard in the distance, along with the mournful cries of monsters.

……

…………

...It's difficult, is it possible?

"Wa ...

"A monster group!?!"

So that's really it!?

I was convinced that this was a deliberate act by my master to lure the monster—a pseudo-monster offering—and I shouted it out in my heart.

What followed was extremely tragic.

Although the area was wide, this path barely qualifyed as a room, yet the monster horde surged towards it, their fierce roars filling the air. If I had seen this at level 2, it would have left me with psychological trauma; seeing this scene before me, every muscle in my face began to twitch.

Then—after a period of desperate resistance, the team abandoned the fairy woman at the rear and fled.

"Huh—!? No way, aren't they from the same [Familia]!?"

"It's easier if they're just a bunch of scum. If it were troublesome, I'd have to send a couple of grenades to take down the vanguard."

"Master, have you ever looked in the mirror and seen what you look like?!"

I couldn't help but shout it out. At that moment, my master returned to my side silently again, and I couldn't help but complain to him loudly!

"Stop talking nonsense and go. Don't miss this opportunity."

The indifferent response silenced me, but after hearing the woman's cries of pain, I hurriedly jumped out.

The fairy was covered in sores and was kneeling on the ground.

Instantly, my body temperature soared, my heart roared, screaming that I had to go to the rescue—so I charged straight into the army of countless 'unicorn rabbits' and 'hellhounds'.

◇

(Ah, karma really is coming—)

As the monster's claws drew near, the fairy girl Loriel thought to herself.

The matter began when her god gave her a difficult problem.

"Lorie, go and find out about the 'Familia' mentioned on this parchment. I want inside information about them. Just pretend you're alone and ask them to take you through the dungeon; you can sneak in. After all, there are a lot of male adventurers there. Just use your appearance, and they'll tell you information even without asking anything. Eh, you say this is a honey trap? You can't do that as a fairy? Hey, hey, I'm Hermes, you know! I know perfectly well what the lovely Familias can and can't do. And you're a superb fairy; this kind of task is a piece of cake!"

He gave this order with a strangely ambiguous warm smile, and before he could even sigh, he was sent out.

Loriel belongs to the Hermes Familia. Hermes and his cheerful companions are all casually engaged in this kind of activity—factional espionage. Through the god's teachings, they all understand that intelligence is more valuable than money. This time is no exception; having discovered suspicious activity or potentially usable information, they entrusted her with the task of acting as a 'spy' to ensure they have materials for future negotiations.

"Seriously... why do I, a fairy, have to resort to seduction...?"

Loriel is a beautiful young girl.

Her long, tied-up golden hair and deep green eyes clearly displayed her fairy-like features. Her youthful appearance was increasingly mature, making her very popular with the opposite sex. If she greeted him with a smile, adventurers would surely flock to invite her for a drink that evening.

Ability value Lv. 2, a true high-level adventurer.

On the contrary, she is not well-known in Orario.

Because Loriel is the person in charge of what is called "outside the city".

Among the Hermes Familia, which not only focuses on the labyrinthine city but also sends spies throughout the lower realm, she frequently travels to other countries and cities to gather intelligence. Acting like a secret agent, or even accompanying the main god on "walks," are common occurrences for her. Two months ago, she was the one who infiltrated the mansion of the noble Ellian and discovered the captured talking monster—the "Heretic."