Seren Dungeon, first basement level.

　I was here today, working on leveling up my growth bullets.
　Leia held back the rainbow slime, I shot it, Leia applied Revive, and I shot the revived slime.

　The process was repeated.

　The level rises roughly two hours to 1.
　It's not like it's easy to go up because it's the first, or it's harder to go up when you're behind.

　It's a working flow, and I'm up to level 1 in about two hours.

I think it's the number of times.
Times?

　Leia, who was still in human form, since she didn't need to be combined, asked.

'Yeah, maybe it's the number of times you need to level up.
　Maybe it's more correct to say leveling up based on the number of times you've used it, rather than leveling up based on the experience value.'

　I swallowed the words, "If you think about it game-wise -" I swallowed the words.

'I'll count,'

　Leia wasn't impressed and started counting the number of times to prove my guess.
　Normally Leia is very robotic and very good at this kind of counting work, but she's very good at it.

'Thanks,'
...... No.

　When I praised her, Leia's cheeks colored slightly.

　Her upbringing - her upbringing of being drained of her soul and turned into a doll, and I'm repeatedly saying and doing emotional things at every opportunity.
　Of course, it's in a positive direction.
　Negative doesn't suit me.

　As Leia and I were leveling up, I suddenly noticed a little commotion in the distance.
　What had happened?　I stopped.

'Just a stop.'
Yes, sir.

　Leia and I made our way to the center of the commotion.

　It was in front of the rest stop.

　At the behest of Cell, the newly appointed head of the Cyclodungeon Association, a rest stop had been set up in the dungeon, except for the meaningless Nifonium.

　It's a place where adventurers can rest their bodies and heal their wounds.

　There is a young adventurer in front of the rest stop, staring at the rest stop with suspicious eyes.

'The resting place ......,'
Hey, over there, if you're not going in, get out of the way. I don't like the way you're standing in the doorway.

　A different adventurer came along and pushed the young adventurer away.

'Oh, hey. What's this ...... about?
What do you mean, you're here recently?
Yeah.
I see. It's just a rest stop set up by the local cyclodungeon association.
How much do you charge for one session?
It's free.
Eh, .......

　To the young adventurer's dismay, the adventurer who answered shrugged lightly and walked into the resting place.
　The young adventurer who was left behind.

'For free?　That's ridiculous. It's in a dungeon where you can recover, right?　I'm sure there's something behind that ...... that's free.

　I was mumbling to myself.

　I was about to speak to him and tell him that he can use it in peace because there is no such thing, when another person spoke to me from behind me.

'Satou-san, long time no see.'
'Eh, ...... Ena? Long time no see.

　Standing there was Ena, a clerk at the buyout place "Swallow's Grace".
　She was Elsa's best friend and met Cyclo, but she should have been in Indore a while ago.

''Why are you here?　Is Indor good for you?
Yeah, you're in good hands. I'll get you a new job here.
New job?
I've decided to set up a buyback office in the dungeon. You know, that buyback system Satou-san made for us.
Yeah.

　It's an application of Swallow's favored business trip purchase, the transfer function of the magic cart.
　Until now, it was only my mansion.

''You've decided to extend it to the dungeon?
Yeah. He said he'd get customers and also that in the dungeon, he could get a lower purchase price, so he might be able to increase his profits.
Yeah, that makes sense.

　Considering that adventurers go to the trouble of carrying it all the way back to the city, and that it can be purchased immediately in the dungeon, there should be a certain number of people who will use it, even if it's a slightly cheaper valuation due to the labor costs and such.

It's because of Sato-san that I was able to start this. My master is going to pay you back next time.
Okay. Is this just the selenium?
No, I can put up something else. Other than nihonium, of course.

　Ena speaks with a laugh.
　I see, that's going to make earning money in dungeons more and more convenient.
　I won't benefit from it, but it will definitely make it easier for other adventurers to earn money.
　That's a good thing.

"Hey.

　As I was talking to Ena, I was approached from the side.
　It's the young adventurer from earlier, the man who was alerted to the rest stop.

　He turns to Ena and asks furtively.

'I just heard you talking about building a buyout place in the dungeon, is it true?'
Yes, it's true.

　Ena made a sales smile and replied.

'It's going to be a few more days before we open for business, but I hope you'll patronize me when we open.
Do I need any qualifications to get that ...... buyout?
Qualifications?　We don't need it.
That's ridiculous. ...... Such a good story. ......

　The young man is shocked.

'But buying in the dungeon is going to be a little cheaper than doing it in the city.

　Ena explained additionally, but the man still looked shocked and incredulous.

　He mumbled and walked away, saying, "It's impossible" and "There's something behind this".

'What's wrong with me, did I say something crazy?
...... maybe.

　I know of a phenomenon similar to that.
　It's a phenomenon in which former black employees who have been re-hired by a white company - if not a white company, then a normal company - become suspicious of it.

　It's the same thing I've heard from a colleague of mine who changed jobs.

　The new company is too nice, there's definitely something behind it.
　I can't tell you how it happened, but when I heard about the new company's practices from my colleagues, I thought, "There's always something going on behind the scenes.

　It's the sadness of being tamed by a black company.

You were in a sad family, you were in a sad dungeon.
So that's what happens?
'When the environment gets too good all of a sudden, you become skeptical. It's going to take some time for them to adjust to a white environment.
Yeah.

　Ena looked away from the man's back and then looked at me with a mischievous smile.

'So it was Satou-san's fault for making him do that, then?
What?
The reason why Ciclo and Indor's dungeon got better is all because of Sato-san... The reason why the rest stop was built and why we opened a buyout shop. The quality of the adventurers around us and the atmosphere has improved.

　He took a breath, smiled, and looked straight at me.

I'm so grateful for your help. It's all because of you, Sato-san.

　I said.

　...... Maybe so.
　And if it really is.

　It was all worth it, I thought.