Chapter 5: Hope, Cats, and Card Games
The situation suddenly kicked into motion, as if someone had anticipated it.
The long-awaited approval for the Self-Defense Forces to adopt powered suits unexpectedly came through. Simultaneously, the pricing we had been negotiating was settled at our demanded rate, and a request for immediate delivery of a certain number arrived. Additionally, regarding the force field barrier generators that had already been delivered in small quantities to specific Self-Defense Forces units, it seemed they would be fully adopted, and a request for delivery as soon as possible also came.
The production facilities that Mars had muttered “might not be needed” ended up running at full capacity. I became busy again as a material handler.
“As soon as they knew there was treasure on the other side, people swarmed to jobs they had mocked as ‘3K’ (kitsui, kitanai, kiken – difficult, dirty, dangerous)…how convenient,”
said the department manager Iida, who was constantly fending off incessant visits from other companies’ salespeople, somehow knowing the situation.
However, our company wasn’t the only one fully booked… Dungeons all over the Kanto region seemed to be completely overrun with an outrageous number of people as well.
“Was it that after all? Our fault?”
“What else could it be?”
“But are there really that many people who want to grow hair that badly?”
“No, it’s clearly not just that, there are a lot of young people too.”
In the underground manufacturing facility, which had become like my second room with beds, sofas, and TVs placed between the machinery, we discussed this while eating defrosted frozen takoyaki on a carpet in one corner.
Beyond Sierra, who was sleeping with her belly up and snoring, the TV reported that the Dungeons were booming.
[“The Tokyo Dungeon Management Association is holding special lectures for new adventurers on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with aspiring adventurers gathering to challenge the unknown world…”]
“The unknown world, huh…”
“It really is unknown, isn’t it? Even surveying inside the Dungeons has barely progressed, let alone another world.”
Yes, the unknown. The news that Kawashima General Trading had apparently returned with the major results of a hair regrowth potion and tooth regrowth potion from beyond the Dungeon seemed to have had a tremendous impact on various people.
[“Until now, the Dungeons have only brought us confusion and destruction. But twenty-three years after the Lost Calendar began, the time has finally come for us to make our move!”]
On TV, an intellectual commentator who had criticized the Self-Defense Forces along with Kawashima spoke with full confidence.
“I heard our Kawashima Point App surpassed a million downloads?”
“Seems so, but I wonder if there are really a million adventurers in the metropolitan area. It’s probably also because the Management Association’s beginner guide featured it.”
As Mars said, the Tokyo Dungeon Management Association introduced our Point App in their beginner’s guide for Dungeon exploration.
It was featured on a page listing companies approved by the Management Association that do business for adventurers. To be honest, the material procurement service we offer does conflict with the Management Association’s interests in material distribution, but…it seems the government had a word with them. Starting this year, our company was listed alongside major corporations.
“Hime was happy about it too, with how the materials are coming in.”
“Well, we’ve been working for their sake too, so it’s fine to get this much in return. The point redemption system for procurement will be revised as well.”
In any case, with adventuring suddenly becoming a hot job, we decided to make some compromises to avoid killing this momentum. We started awarding points for procuring monster materials not directly needed for spacecraft production.
Of course, materials used for spacecraft are designated as “priority procurement items” with a higher point ratio…but we also added relatively beginner-friendly materials to the procurement list, aside from the important general-use materials and magic stones we were already handling. This was a relief measure to provide points to the rapidly increasing number of Dungeon beginners, and also part of our company’s image strategy.
“It’s not that profitable for us right now…but we can just put any unused materials in Tonbo’s junkyard so they don’t spoil, and we can always sell them elsewhere.”
“Well, if beginners improve, they might start delivering the materials we want too.”
Space development doesn’t just end with making resource mining ships. There’s every possibility that large quantities of specific materials will be needed again in the same way.
“I heard the new adventurers are aiming to save up points to buy our personal air conditioners first.”
“Weren’t those pretty expensive?”
“Now that they’re buying drones too, they might be able to stay overnight and earn enough soon.”
As we were having this conversation, a beeping sound came from somewhere in the room.
“Oh.”
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I got up from the sofa and headed towards the source of the sound…the material input cover of one of the production machines opened with a pop, and the light at its base was blinking red.
Around the machine were piles of powered suit parts that had already been painted. I put them in the junkyard, loaded materials into the production machine, and closed the cover again. This was my main task – to simply repeat this process endlessly.
To be honest, we could automate it further, but…since it’s in a confidential room that only authorized personnel can enter, overautomation wouldn’t be that meaningful.
When it comes to moving heavy or large quantities of items, I’m the most efficient with my item box ability. So even though I’m an authorized person, this ends up being a task only I can do.
Unintentionally, I found myself in the very situation I had admired just two years ago – conveniently using my skills to earn a living.
“Mars! Should we head home soon?”
I called out while collecting scattered items around the other production machines and replenishing consumed materials.
It was almost 6pm – apparently it didn’t matter for the executives, but it was standard closing time for company employees. My remaining task was just to take the recovered parts up to the assembly room.
“I’ll call a taxi!”
“Please do!”
While fiddling with the production equipment, I glanced over and saw Mars deftly taking the wall-mounted receiver with his cat paws to call the general affairs department.
We used to commute by train, but it had become difficult since the hair regrowth potion incident. If we tried to walk from the station, there was a risk of being caught by the troublesome media.
A security company involving former Self-Defense Force personnel had also started 24-hour security at the company. The department manager Abukuma of the Asteroid Operations Department has been commuting by taxi for a while now. It feels like such a long time ago when we were desperately packing seasoning packets in that tiny factory.
“How’s it looking?”
“With this many, it’s pretty quick. Looks like powered suit parts production will be done tomorrow.”
“Once the reinforced exoskeleton labor suits and force field barrier generators are done…it’ll be time to produce space convenience goods. Oh yeah, is Tonbo’s pet project being included too? Do we really need something like that? Hime said it was fine but…”
“Well, it’s good for adults to get excited over convenient things like the hair and tooth regrowth potions. But if it’s just that, kids won’t find it fun. If we’re going to release space technology, I want kids to be the ones getting most excited.”
“More than kids, it’s just Tonbo who likes that kind of stuff, right?”
True, there was that aspect too. I was the one who circled that item first when looking at the catalog of producible items.
“Well…it might be a good image strategy. Though I didn’t expect Hime to go along with it even if Tonbo suggested it. Hime really seems to hate the company being mocked for having Tonbo’s name.”
“Isn’t it better to be liked than disliked, Mars?”
“Being too liked can be quite troublesome too.”
Saying that, the cat Mars stroked his furry chest. Well, he still gets hugged by neighborhood kids whenever they see him.
Nevertheless, by the time the product I had half-jokingly pushed into the lineup as an image strategy saw the light of day, the fervor for the unknown that began in Japan had begun to spread overseas.
The hair regrowth potion and tooth regrowth potion announced in Japan – their impact reverberated around the world. More than the potions themselves, what astounded people worldwide was the depth of possibility represented by the existence of Dungeons.
Until now, everything brought from another world through Dungeons, aside from other-worlders themselves and the skills that dwell within people, were things that already existed on Earth anyway.
The principles differed, the materials differed…but a fire rod fueled by magic stones was no better than a lighter or matches. Certain races’ potions that barely healed other-worlders’ wounds were ineffective on modern humans no matter how researched. Magic steel materials using monster parts were just an extension of iron or stainless steel to ordinary people. The other-worlder who boasted “anyone can use magic” couldn’t demonstrate their power, dismissed as a sham artist due to “the magic particles on Earth being too thin.”
The skills brought with Dungeons brought change to humanity. But what about the Dungeons themselves?
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