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Tl: Sam

…

　We continued down the path, which was steadily growing colder.
　Normally, I’d sprint through the shallow sections, so taking it slow like this felt kind of fresh.
　Especially back when I was at the Black Dog Guild, my quotas were so brutal that I dove at breakneck speed. There wasn’t even time to disarm dungeon traps; when I couldn’t dodge them, I just triggered them underfoot and pushed forward by force.
　Even I’m impressed with myself that I survived being that reckless.

“Hey! Isn’t that…!”
“Alright! It’s ore!”

　The front was getting noisy, so looking over, I saw the delighted faces of the explorers.
　Apparently, they had found dungeon-produced ore. The explorers took out pickaxes and scrambled to start mining.

“Score! There’s a ton!”
“This is why a First Attack is the best!”

　The explorers mined in excitement.
　Ore harvested inside dungeons is rare and trades at high prices across the board.

　Magic essence crystals become high-grade energy when broken down, and dungeon-produced metals are harder than any substance on Earth while being easy to process. They can be repurposed into weapons and armor, so countless companies want them.

“Tanaka-san, shouldn’t we do some mining too?”
“Well… I don’t really need any, but it might be about time to upgrade Hoshino’s gear, so let’s mine a little.”

　Hoshino’s weapon of choice, her greatsword, is sturdy, but because her arm strength is so immense, it’s been getting worn down. It should probably be repaired and reinforced using dungeon-produced metal.

“Ah, but I didn’t bring a pickaxe… Do you have one, Tanaka-san?”
“I don’t have one either, but we’ll be fine without it. Watch.”

　Squatting down beside a blue ore growing nearby, I struck its side with a hand chop.
　With a clean snap!, the ore broke off neatly into my hand. Yep, high-purity, good quality ore. This will make great material for weapons.

“I taught you before, right? If you identify the object’s weak spot and strike it, you can break it with minimal force. Give it a try.”

「If we could do that, nobody would suffer! (Round N)」
「Pickaxe: “Um… what about me…?”」
「Pickaxe-kun is in tears lol」
「Why are you mining with bare hands in the first place…」
「Surely she can’t do this (famous last words)」
「Nothing but a flag」

“Like this? Hup.”

　When Hoshino imitated me and struck it, the ore cracked with a clink!
　Her aim was still a bit rough, but she had good instinct. With a little practice, she’d be able to break it even more cleanly.

「I knew it」
「Why the hell can you do that!」
「For real, she’s an active college student?」
「Shachiken created this monster, so take proper responsibility」
「The other explorers watching Yui-chan are freaked out lol」
「Of course you’d freak out if someone next to you crushed ore bare-handed lol」
「Dungeon ore is hard to harvest even with specialized pickaxes, and yet…」

　Finishing harvesting the necessary amount of ore, I stored it in my business bag.
　However, the other explorers hadn’t finished gathering yet. Normally, I would have pushed ahead, but this time, ensuring the safety of the other explorers was also part of the job.
　Guess I’ll kill some time doing something else.

“…Oh, look, there are mushrooms growing here.”

　I noticed small white mushrooms growing at my feet.
　Brushing away the covering snow, I harvested one. Hoshino looked at the faintly glowing mushroom with interest.

“What a cute mushroom. Can you eat that?”
“Yeah. It’s called the Snow White Mushroom (Yukishirodake), a mushroom that can only be found in ice and snow type dungeons. It’s on the smaller side, but it’s sweet and delicious.”

「Naturally turning it into eating, lol」
「Yui-chan doesn’t hesitate over dungeon food at all anymore lol」
「An explorer ruined their stomach eating dungeon stuff the other day, so don’t copy them」
「*These people have undergone special training」

　Snow White Mushrooms can be eaten raw, but grilling the surface makes them taste better.
　I brought BBQ gear just in case, but since we’re not staying here long, let’s cook it quickly and get it over with.

“Hup.”

　I vibrated my right hand at high speed, raising its temperature.
　As I continued ramping up the vibrations, my right hand ignited with a poof. Alright, let’s roast the mushroom with this.

「Eep」
「Eh」
「His hand caught fire lol」
「Anything goes, huh lol」
「Was he a pyrokinesis user?」
「Wait, he’s not using magic for this, right?」
「Human potential really is limitless」
「Yui-chan will probably be able to do this soon too…」
「Youth abandoning humanity」

“Amazing, being able to make fire without tools is so convenient!”
“Hoshino will be able to do it soon too. Here, go ahead and eat.”
“Wah! Are you sure? Thanks for the food!”

　Handing her the seared Snow White Mushroom, Hoshino happily took a bite.
　She has quite a hearty appetite.

“Mmm~♡ It’s delicious! The grilled surface is creamy, and the inside is crisp like sherbet, a texture I’ve never had before! It’s slightly sweet too, almost like a dessert!”

　Hoshino spoke excitedly. It was great to see she liked it.
　Snow White Mushrooms contain magic essence, but in small amounts. A normal explorer might get sick eating it, but Hoshino has gotten used to eating dungeon ingredients, so she should be fine.

「Dammit, I’m getting hungry」
「Why does all the food Shachiken makes look so damn good (genuinely infuriated)」
「Open the Tanaka Diner already」
「A collab cafe works too」
「Wait, are Shachiken merch restocks still not here? What’s Adachi doing?」
「I know right. I want to collect all of Tanaka’s acrylic stands already」
「Topic totally changed lol」
「Someone had a Shachiken itabag the other day, honestly made me laugh」
「Still waiting for the Shachiken fighting game」
「The meta would be totally covered in Tanakas lol」

“…Oh, looks like their gathering is finished. Shall we get moving?”
“Munch, munch… gulp. Yes, let’s go!”

　We followed behind the explorers as they resumed marching forward.
　By the way, our planned exploration this time was only up to the middle level. With a roster like this, I doubt anything weird will happen, but we’ll see how it goes.

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