SWNOVELXO Chapter 306.1
Chapter 306.1. New Earth With Dungeon
Amano Sakimori yawns deeply and gazes outside. The scenery visible through the window has completely changed from what it once was.
In the far distance, half-destroyed buildings can still be faintly seen like a mirage, but in this area, there are no collapsed ruins, no houses with crumbling roofs and doors fallen off, overgrown with weeds, nor any shops with shelves covered in so much dust and grime that the glass windows are unrecognizable.
Now, there are clean, new-walled apartments and housing complexes lined up, with shops built along the streets, forming a shopping district. The cracked and damaged asphalt has been repaired, and the trees that once stood haphazardly among the ruins, as well as the weeds that covered the town, have been cleared away.
People are dressed in various outfits, and there are no longer those wearing clothes filthy with sweat and grime from prolonged use. Walking down the street, there’s no need to be wary of robbers appearing. Instead, you can see mothers holding their children’s hands, happily shopping together.
A peaceful world existed there. The appearance of the former ruined town had almost entirely vanished, and the children born from now on would likely never believe that this place was once a wasteland.
Near the fountain in the well-maintained park, there’s a crepe stand with children lining up. A child who bought a crepe stuffs it into their mouth and, with a beaming smile, says something to their parent. It’s easy to guess they’re saying it’s delicious.
A peaceful world existed there. The world Sakimori had aimed for was there. Under the blue sky, there were no more days spent in anxiety, wondering if they would wake up tomorrow, nor were there people with despairing expressions, starving and unsure if they would eat today.
“It’s peaceful, huh? No one thought such peaceful days would come.”
He mutters with a yawn. The cherry trees in the park are about to bloom, and a few eager people can already be seen preparing for flower viewing.
“Maybe it’d be nice to have a company-wide flower viewing.”
Speaking leisurely, he yawns deeply again. The warm spring air is making him drowsy, and it can’t be helped. It’s that “spring sleep knows no dawn” kind of feeling.
Leaning back in his creaking chair, he glances around the room to gauge reactions.
“President, if that’s the case, we’ll need to allocate a budget. If it’s for the entire company, it’ll require a significant amount of funds.”
“Rather than that, shouldn’t we reconsider the budget for training the young iron-rank adventurers? In my opinion, the current applications are too lax.”
“If it’s for the entire company, it’ll indeed involve a large sum of money. It’s impossible to finish in one day, so we’ll have to split into several groups for the flower viewing. It’ll become a major event. Alright, let’s start it as a short-term project. Training newcomers is important, but Shingen’s estimates are too loose. Assign someone to recalculate and resubmit the application.”
Quickly regaining his focus, he begins to efficiently handle tasks. About ten people are in Sakimori’s office, handing over proposals and requesting document approvals.
With practiced ease, Sakimori swiftly processes the work. Proposals with unnecessary parts are revised, and budget applications are reviewed for waste.
“You’re really busy, huh? Shouldn’t a president take things a bit more leisurely and work at a slower pace? Don’t you think so, Katsuragi, Colonel Marume?”
As Sakimori waves a document around, Katsuragi, the backbone of Amatsugahara Corporation, shrugs and snatches the paper from Sakimori’s hand.
“We’re still short on manpower, so it can’t be helped. Expanding our roots across Japan will take time to resolve.”
“The adventurer guild seems to be gaining traction. Recently, many people have been applying to become adventurers. Ah, Shingen is really careless. It’s good to have him as an instructor, but we should assign someone capable of handling administrative work alongside him. Also, I’m no longer a colonel. Just Marume is fine.”
Marume, a former Japanese Army colonel headhunted by Shingen two years ago, responds with a hint of irritation as he looks over the documents.
Marume had risen to the rank of colonel, but his overly serious work ethic and inflexible personality led to him being overworked and eventually disillusioned with the military. He accepted Shingen’s offer and resigned. It goes without saying that Karin had a hand in it.
Despite having risen to colonel, his experience on the front lines made him a valuable asset, and he was constantly sent out during dungeon raids or monster stampedes, which he grew to despise. When Shingen handed him a briefcase containing 300 million yen, he didn’t hesitate to switch careers. Along with several subordinates, he joined the adventurer guild and now serves as the guild master in Shingen’s place.
Ironically, as soon as he became the guild master, his former superiors, who had once bossed him around, began bowing and scraping, trying to build connections. He coldly brushed them off.
Now, his days are filled with paperwork. Occasionally, he conducts training or commands adventurers, but he says his salary is better and the work is easier than before. The subordinates he brought with him are also capable, and they’ve become reliable pillars of the adventurer guild.
Katsuragi continues to work as an executive at Amatsugahara Corporation. He’s been promoted to managing director. With Sakimori as president and Rei, the vice president, currently on leave, Katsuragi is effectively at the top. He married his secretary a year ago and is still in the newlywed phase, but they’re both so busy that he’s worried about growing apart.
“Time and manpower… It’s just like three years ago. When will this ever be resolved?”
“We’re expanding rapidly, after all.”
“We’re planning to move overseas soon, so we’ll need English-speaking personnel.”
Sakimori mutters in exasperation, but he knows there’s no solution to this, so Katsuragi and Marume can only shrug. After all, Sakimori is the one rapidly growing Amatsugahara Corporation, so this issue will never be resolved.
“Reality is harsh. It’s not all happily ever after, huh?”
With a creak of his chair, Sakimori smirks sarcastically.
Three years have passed since the final battle with the Meat Cube. It’s now early March, the busy end of the fiscal year.
The thought that being busy with work feels like “me” makes him smile faintly as he watches a single cherry blossom petal flutter outside the window.
The morning work is done, and Sakimori leisurely heads to the adventurer guild. The important work for me is already finished. The rest is up to Katsuragi and the others. As he walks down the well-maintained road, he considers raising Katsuragi’s salary again. He’s stopped wearing all-black outfits.
[According to the Amatsugahara Radar, there is a possibility of a dungeon appearing in the Kasukabe area tonight. Residents of the Kasukabe area, please evacuate to shelters. Please keep your belongings to a minimum. Theft in evacuation zones is considered a serious crime, differing from normal penalties. Repeat. Tonight, there is a possibility………]
A news anchor on the street monitors explains the alert zones. The Amatsugahara Radar, a suspicious yet effective facility built by Amatsugahara Corporation, can detect dungeons at least half a day before they appear. It’s now installed across Japan.
The dungeon radar uses an item exchanged for Monster S-Cores at the Core Store, so only Amatsugahara Corporation, which possesses Monster S-Cores, can install them. The rental fee is… let’s just say it’s quite substantial.
“Mom, a dungeon’s coming! Is our house gonna be okay?”
A small child, holding their mother’s hand, looks worried after hearing the news. The mother smiles gently, pats the child’s head, and explains.
“It’s okay. Ever since the Day of Darkness three years ago, we’ve been able to exchange items at the Core Store to detect dungeons, so we’ll know right away. Plus, there are all sorts of items to defeat monsters, so the strong soldiers and adventurers will take care of them easily.”
“Adventurers! I saw them on TV! The golden warrior Ares who defeats big monsters easily! I wanna be an adventurer when I grow up!”
“No, you can’t be an adventurer. It’s too dangerous. Mommy doesn’t want you to be an adventurer. I want you to work in Amatsugahara Corporation’s magic tools department.”
The little boy, puffing out his chest and eyes shining, declares his dream of becoming an adventurer, but his mother firmly shuts it down. The magic tools department is currently the most popular job. While apprentices earn little, mid-level positions offer high salaries and regular hours.
Thinking it’s a bit too practical for a child, I pass by the mother and son. Well, it’s natural for parents not to want their kids in dangerous jobs.
Entering the shopping district, I head to a cake shop to buy some treats.
The shopping district is lively at noon, bustling with people. Mostly construction workers, but a few armored adventurers can be seen, as well as regular people coming for lunch.
Thinking that more people will gather in the evening, I realize I haven’t had lunch yet.