Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 15

Chapter 15: Nationwide Expansion

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Search #DungeonConvenienceStore

『Finally, a convenience store appeared in a dungeon! lol』

『Is this the desperate revival attempt of the declining convenience store industry?』

『No, it’s not.』

『Haven’t you seen the video?』

『If they have the technology to make a golem like that, they should forget convenience stores and jump straight into the military industry.』

『I saw the video. What the hell is that?』

『Monsters in tears. Awakened in tears.』

『Wouldn’t it be better to just send golems into the dungeon instead of Awakened?』

『Watch the video carefully. When the golem defeats a monster, it doesn’t drop magic stones.』

『Oh, you’re right.』

『If you can’t get magic stones, then there’s no point in diving into the dungeon in the first place.』

『I mean, there’s also the issue of overload. Golem can be used as a countermeasure against overload I guess?』

『Just erase all dungeons! Who even needs magic stones?!』

『Here comes the anti-dungeon crowd.』

『Do you know that the amount of magic stones mined annually determines next year’s electricity prices?』

『But wouldn’t this be useful when dungeons appear on highways and such?』

『Only S-rank Awakened can clear dungeons in a jiffy and there are only four of them in Japan.』

『So, where is this convenience store located?』

『Kichijoji Dungeon.』

『Just there?』

『For now, the golem is probably the best option as a bodyguard for solo miner-type Awakened ones.』

The online reactions were exactly as I had expected. Since Kichijoji Dungeon was considered a low-risk location, had plenty of magic stone veins inside and didn’t have particularly strong monsters, this type of dungeon was popular among solo miner-type Awakened. That meant there was a demand for golems. With that in mind, I searched for such dungeons online and set up more Dungeon Convenience Stores there. 

I had to travel on foot to set them up initially, but once a store was established, I could use teleportation to get to the store. Even then, travel wasn’t an issue for me. I could turn invisible, transform back into my dragon form, and fly through the skies. I set a goal of establishing one store per day. Since there was at least one dungeon in each of the 47 prefectures, I aimed for a nationwide rollout in one go.

The cost of producing an item is about one-tenth of the listed price of the magic stone, and since all the convenience stores are connected to my item box, I just need to use the crafting function to produce and stock them up. The best part was that I didn’t have to deal with transportation issues.

After seeing Mimimi Amanokawa’s video, a flood of Awakened rushed into Kichijoji Dungeon, and the magic stone veins within the first thirty floors were completely mined out in no time. It was said that magic stone veins regenerated randomly, but generally speaking, it took about five to ten days to regenerate. The timing depended on the mood of the dungeon’s final boss, but if no one entered the dungeon, that would also become a problem for dungeon operations, so they usually didn’t let it take too long.

By keeping the magic stone veins abundant, dungeons and Awakened ones maintained a delicate balance—neither side completely eliminating the other.As for overload countermeasure, my Dungeon Convenience Stores also played a role in it. Overload phenomena occurred between two close dungeons, where the dungeon that had been there longer was more likely to experience overload. 

Even the dungeon where I used to be the final boss had experienced overload multiple times. Back then, since I remained deep inside the dungeon as the final boss, I never ventured outside. Some people tried to take advantage of the overload timing, thinking there would be fewer monsters inside the dungeon, aiming to conquer it during the overload. I had driven those people away with my golem army. But enough about the past. If an overload happened in a dungeon with one of my stores, my golem army would get deployed automatically and prevent anything from escaping outside.

As for the other dungeon involved, well, the Awakened could handle that themselves.  I had no intention of being a savior.

“Hasegawa-san!”

I had completed the nationwide placement of Dungeon Convenience Stores. Thinking I should go out for a meal for the first time in a while, I stepped outside—only to have the door next to mine swing open with incredible force.

It was Mimimi Amanokawa… No, she was in her jersey outfit. I guess I should call her Ayukawa-san? Her stage name was probably just for show, so she likely didn’t want to be called that in everyday life.

“Ayukawa-san, what’s wrong?”

“Um, if it’s alright with you, would you like to have a meal together?”

“Huh?”

“I’d like to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Yes, for helping me out.”

“Oh…”

“Um, is that a no?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“In that case, I’ll get ready, so please wait a moment!”

“Ah, then I’ll be at that Starbucks over there.”

“Alright!”

Ayukawa-san shut the door with incredible force again. She really didn’t need to be that mindful, but oh well. As promised, I walked over to the Starbucks a little ahead and planned to kill some time there, but all the seats were already taken. With no other choice, I ordered a coffee and waited outside. About thirty minutes later, Ayukawa-san finally emerged from her room.

“Ah, sorry for the wait!”

“…”

“W-what is it?”

“No, you just look really cute.”

“Hyuup! T-thank you!”

Ayukawa-san looked incredibly adorable now that she was out of her jersey outfit. I had no knowledge regarding fashion. The best I could say about her outfit was that she had put a lot of effort into her makeup and wore something soft and fluffy. I didn’t think she needed to go to such lengths just to have a meal with someone like me, but maybe her pride as a woman wouldn’t allow otherwise.

“Well then, where shall we go?”

“Hasegawa-san, where were you planning to go?”

“Ah, just to a yakitori place up ahead.”

If I recalled correctly, I used to stop by there for drinks after work from time to time. I chose it to confirm that distant memory, but was it really alright for me to take Ayukawa-san to a place like that? 

“Oh, I know that place!”

“Are you fine with that place?”

“Of course!”

“Then let’s go.”

Since she had no objections, we went to that yakitori place, just as I originally planned. 

At the yakitori place, we were guided to a table seat. I ordered a draft beer, along with chicken thigh, chicken and leek skewer, chicken skin, shishito peppers, and shiitake mushrooms. She ordered oolong highball, chicken thigh, chicken and leek skewer, chicken skin, chicken tail, tsukune, beef tongue, and pork kalbi.

“You’re going all out right off the bat, huh?”

“S-sorry!”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Um, don’t you also get hungry more often after becoming an Awakened?”

Ah, so that’s why.

“Sorry, there’s something I should tell you.”

“W-what is it?”

“The truth is… I’m not an Awakened.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah.”

Ayukawa-san looked completely confused. Just then, our drinks arrived—draft beer for me and oolong highball for her. The appetizer was thick slices of grilled atsuage (deep-fried tofu) topped with ponzu sauce and green onions.

“Well then, cheers.”

“Ah, yes!”

Snapping out of her confusion, Ayukawa-san raised her oolong highball and clinked her glass with me.

Yeah, it was good. Canned beer was nice, but beer really tasted best when gulped down from a chilled mug. Presentation really mattered and the appetizer was good too.

“Wait, no way. There’s no way you’re not an Awakened, right?”

She finally voiced her doubt just as the chicken thigh skewers arrived.

“No, it’s true. I got to use a detection device the other day and the machine didn’t register me as an Awakened.”

“No way… But you’re so strong!”

“How strange, isn’t it?”

If that detection device had some kind of function that could say, “This guy isn’t even human, he’s a dungeon monster,” things would’ve turned chaotic.

“Then… What about that Dungeon Convenience Store?”

I silently raised a finger to my lips.

“Ah, I see.”

She understood what I meant almost immediately.  Since I had advised her to take magic stones with her, it was clear to see I was involved with the Dungeon Convenience Store.  That meant I couldn’t just lie to her about it So instead, I chose silence.

Either way, this wasn’t a situation where I could openly declare, “I’m the owner.” The existence of dungeons, the nature of monsters, and the true source of an Awakened’s power—none of these things were yet understood in this world. Running a store inside such a dungeon, offering food and drink that boosted abilities, and even renting out golems—none of that was something a normal person could do. Since I was doing something abnormal, it was better to stay hidden.

“Anyway, you’re my ally now. If anything ever troubles you, don’t hesitate to rely on me.”

“Tha-Thank you very much.”

For some reason, Ayukawa-san’s face turned bright red.

Is she already drunk?

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