Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Enjoy~

TL: ALT

Chapter 33 – The Story That Made My Parents Cry and a Business Trip to Metropolitan Area

“I’m home!”

I walked into the living room to find my father eating dinner.

My father, who works in a management position, comes home late.

I’m not saying it’s a black company, but the more responsibility you have, the more time you have to work.

…That is the company’s excuse, but if a (former) shut-in like me is at home, my father might not want to go home either, right?

I suddenly thought of something and took out a certain item from my item box.

“Dad, I found this in the dungeon.”

I offered him a drop item from the dungeon, a bottle of sake called Oni’s Weep.

According to the review, it has no special effects, just tastes good, and is hard to get drunk.

“This is… Oni’s Weep!”

My father was surprised.

“You know about this?”

“It’s a well-known drink among people who love sake. It’s a rare drop from the dungeon, and I hear it’s incredibly tasty.”

“Really?”

I was amused, but to tell the truth, I am not a very strong drinker.

Besides, I was habitually harassed at my first job, which made drinking alcohol a problem for me.

“Do you want to drink it?”

“I-is that okay? Do you know how much that stuff costs?”

“No, I don’t. Should you cash it in and keep the money for our family?”

“No way! I’ve got some valuable explorer’s sake that I’ve been wanting to…! I mean, what kind of parent would sell what their son worked so hard to get for them?”

“I-I see…”

He’s honest in the first half of his sentence.

“Well, now that all this has happened, why don’t you have a drink too?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Don’t say that. It’s good to have a drink now and then.”

“Once in a while? I’ve never had a drink with you.”

“Just take it as an experience and have a sip. It’ll give you something to talk about.”

“If you insist.”

I didn’t like it, but I decided to go with him.

I’ve caused a lot of trouble in the past.

I should at least show some filial piety.

My father said, “It’s good, it’s good,” and he drank a lot of sake and fell asleep before we could talk much.

It seems like he just wanted to drink that sake.

Well, even if father and son are asked to talk now, there is nothing to talk about, so it was a great help.

By the way, the sake was really delicious.

I don’t have a good memory of drinking it, but it was enough to make me think that I wouldn’t mind having a drink once in a while.

Later, when I looked it up on the Internet, I found that the price was really surprisingly high.

If I’m ever in need of money, I’ll go back and knock off some more Daidara…

The next day.

Serika and I arrived at the headquarters of the Explorers Association in Shinjuku.

It seems that the new building near the Tokyo Government Office at Shinjuku West Exit is entirely occupied by the offices of the Association’s affiliated organizations and famous guilds.

At the Shinjuku West Exit, there is an S-rank dungeon, the Shinjuku Station Underground Dungeon (commonly known as Ekichika), which is connected to the station.

The Association’s headquarters is located near the dungeon in case of a dungeon disaster.

Now, on the day that a flood occurs in an S-rank dungeon, it may not always be possible to deal with it properly, even if the headquarters is nearby.

Despite the fact that such a dungeon is right below us, Shinjuku is as crowded as ever.

As one of the subcenters and one of the leading terminal stations in Tokyo, Shinjuku has not changed since before the dungeon.

Is such a lack of urgency really acceptable? Anyway, it is a crazy time when there are more than 30,000 dungeons all over Japan.

Even if you are told that one day, an earthquake might destroy a nuclear reactor or Mt. Fuji might erupt, people living nearby will not immediately move out.

There is no place to run to just because a dungeon has been built, nor can they afford to run away.

This is probably the reality for most people.

In any case, if you are worried about the dangers of dungeons, you cannot lead a social life, nor can you expect economic growth.

Many people ignore the dungeons that have become a part of their daily lives as if they did not exist.

Of course, if there is a business opportunity there, they will jump at it without missing a beat.

An example of this is magic power generation, which is powered by mana coins collected by explorers.

So why am I here, accompanied by Serika?

“Minazawa-san, we’re here.”

Serika called to a person who appeared in the corridor of the Explorers’ Association.

“Akinojo-san. I’m sorry for disturbing you. And Kurashiki-kun, sorry for the long trip.”

A man of about 30 years old, with a physique like a rugger man, replies.

I recognize that face.

He must be the leader of the inspectors who rushed to the dungeon after Haruka-chan was almost attacked by a scum explorer in the Black Swan Forest Water Park dungeon.

As usual, he speaks respectfully to Serika, who is younger than him.

“No, that is my job too.”

“I was curious about it, too.”

“I appreciate you saying that. Since we can’t talk here, please come to the reception room.”

Minazawa-san looked at Serika.

Serika’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the meaningful look.

Serika and I are led into the reception room and sit down on chairs next to each other.

Minazawa-san sits opposite us on the other side of the desk.

In Minazawa-san’s hand is a thick file.

“I have just finished questioning you about the case. I’d like to confirm the contents of the interrogation, and there’s something I’d like to tell you in private. But first, let’s finish confirming the contents of the interrogation.

Minazawa-san unfolded the file after expressing his concern.

While I listened to the explanation with good capacity, Serika and I answered the questions and confirmations that were interspersed from time to time.

I listened carefully for fear that they were just saying what was convenient for them, but the content of the statement was in line with the facts as far as I could see.

They seemed to have investigated the case very thoroughly.

Or rather, thoroughly, I should say.

It took about 30 minutes to confirm.

“That’s good enough. The rest is up to the prosecutor.”

Minazawa-san closed the file and said.

“So, what’s the one thing you wanted to ask about?”

Serika asked, unable to wait.

“As stated in the statement, they are members of an intercollegiate explorer circle called Ultimate Freedom.”

Intercollegiate―that seems to mean a circle of students from several universities.

It’s a world I don’t really understand because I dropped out of high school and failed the college entrance exam.

“Each university has already begun to question the students who belong to the clubs, and they will be punished in the near future. Of course, the Association and the police are also cooperating in the investigation to build a case against those who are guilty of other crimes. Ostensibly, however, this is an investigation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.”

If the police decide to arrest the explorer, there is no guarantee that the police will not be harmed if the explorer resists.

If there is a possibility that an explorer will resist or flee, the Explorers Association will send an inspector or high-ranking explorer to accompany the explorer.

However, it is a matter of honor for the police to be protected by the explorers themselves, as they are the ones who protect public order.

It is said that the Association only sends people to investigate under the pretext that it is the voluntary cooperation of the Association.

“Isn’t that a solution? Do you want me to cooperate in the arrest as well?”

“No, no, this is not the kind of case that would drive Akinojo-san away.”

“Then…?”

“Well, there’s someone behind this Ultimate Freedom… It’s thanks to them.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“…It’s Rakan.”

Serika’s eyes widened at Minazawa-san’s words, her voice faltering.

“What do you mean? Even though they are a notorious black guild, do they even have criminal explorers like that?”

“It’s not confirmed yet, but we can no longer rule it out as a possibility.”

“No way…”

Serika and Minazawa-san fall silent with serious looks on their faces.

It’s very hard to ask them when they look so serious…

“Excuse me, what is this Rakan?”

I ask, knowing that the question is a temporary embarrassment.

“Eh, wait, you don’t know Rakan? It’s a famous guild.”

“Sorry, I don’t know much about guilds.”

Since I was planning to go solo, I hadn’t done much research on the Explorers’ guild.

I think Serika will tell me to look into it later.

“Well, Yuto is solo, right?”

“I’m too busy with the dungeon, you know.”

“I guess I’ll have to teach you the basics of being an explorer.”

Serika said happily for some reason.

Minazawa-san explained with a slightly dismayed look on his face.

“Rakan is one of the leading explorer guilds in Japan. It is famous for its size and strategy, for better or for worse.”

“By Rakan, do you mean the Izakaya chain, Rakan?”

It’s a corporate group that operates a wide range of businesses, mainly izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), but also family restaurants, nursing care, child care, bridal services… That’s my perception as a shut-in.

The company was also often mentioned as a representative of a black company.

“That Rakan is right, but Kurashiki-kun’s understanding is a bit outdated. The core of the Rakan Group today is a staffing and human resources development company called Rakan Human Resources. Each of the group’s subsidiaries has been made independent, and the capital ties have been dissolved.”

“Uh…?”

“That means they specialize in staffing and training and have separated their individual businesses from the group. That in itself is a smart move…”

“What do you mean by that?”

Please say it in a way that even I, with my limited work experience, can understand.

“Normally, once the capital relationship is dissolved and the company is no longer a subsidiary, the management can make independent decisions. However, the managers of each company that was a subsidiary are people who grew up immersed in Rakan’s human resource development.”

“Oh, you mean people who were brainwashed by Rakan?”

The managers of Rakan were famous for their unique charisma.

It’s not so much charisma as a talent for controlling people with words.

“I hate to say it, but that’s how it is. By making these people ‘independent business managers,’ they are actually working under the direction of Rakan, but they are paid a low salary and can work for the company 24/7.”

“It’s like being a manager in name only.”

You can become a manager at a young age!

They gather people and force them to stay with the company and work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, without overtime pay because they are in management.

Since this tactic has become somewhat known, it’s now the president’s turn to do the same.

It is true that the title “President” of any company makes the people who work there look at you differently.

“What Rakan Human Resources is working on the most right now is the dungeon raid business. The explorer guild ‘Rakan’ is the flagship of the company.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Your feeling is right. The death rate of Rakan explorers is much higher than other guilds. That’s just as well because they take people who were considered ‘useless’ in the old group’s business and force them to explore dungeons halfway. Of course, they didn’t train them well. It’s like asking them to die.”

Minazawa-san said as if he was going to throw up.

“So it’s a ‘Black Guild,’ huh…”

“But Rakan is a corporation, even if only temporarily. I don’t think there’s any money to be made by collecting criminal explorers…

“That is true. But it is also a fact that Rakan does indeed recruit explorers without hesitation. If they prioritize securing explorers over profits, it is not surprising that they even reach out to explorers who are involved in criminal activities.”

“But for what purpose?”

“That’s just my opinion.”

Minazawa-san hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“――Rakan is trying to take over the Explorers’ Association?”