Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 58

Chapter 58: DC Ring

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『Hello, everyone! It’s time for Ururun’s D-Tuber News. Today, we’re introducing a brand-new service that has been implemented in Dungeon Convenience Stores!』

『Dungeon Convenience Stores exist in at least one location within every dungeon across all of Japan’s prefectures. However, internationally, there is still only a single store in New York, USA.』

『The food and drinks sold there can enhance abilities, heal injuries and illnesses, and even—though limited to within dungeons—revive the dead. Since the price of that item is extremely high, there aren’t many reports of people actually trying it, though.』

『If there was a major drawback to these Dungeon Convenience Stores, it would be that items cannot be taken outside the dungeon, making them unusable in other dungeon locations.』

『Currently, five new dungeons appear daily in Japan. There are approximately two hundred active dungeons at any given time. Yet, only one Dungeon Convenience Store exists per prefecture.』

『From a dungeon management perspective, this situation is actually problematic.』

『Dungeon Convenience Stores greatly improve the survival rate and combat efficiency of Awakened individuals. However, at the same time, they have led to a decrease in the number of Awakened venturing into other dungeons. This, in turn, delays the detection of dungeon disasters—such as the Overload incident that recently occurred in Tokyo. Since only Awakened can get inside the dungeon to observe the situation, this becomes a serious issue.』

『Additionally, the concentration of Awakened in certain dungeons has resulted in congestion in some areas.』

『However, the new service from Dungeon Convenience Stores might just solve these issues. Introducing: D-Shop!』

『This new product, a bracelet, can be taken outside the dungeon. However, it can still only be used inside a dungeon. The key point is that it works in dungeons that do not have a Dungeon Convenience Store. The video linked in the description provides a detailed introduction—it seems to be the first recorded demonstration of this device, according to Ururun’s analysis.』

『This bracelet, called the Dungeon Convenience Store Ring—or DC Ring for short—allows users to access services from a Dungeon Convenience Store while inside a dungeon. You can charge magic stones, purchase items, and even rent golems, with everything appearing right on the spot. Incredible, isn’t it?』

『Oh, and the prices of all products are about 20% higher compared to direct purchases at a Dungeon Convenience Store. This increase is explained as a transportation fee, though since this kind of advanced technology doesn’t exist outside dungeons, it’s impossible to determine whether the pricing is fair or not.』

『The existence of Dungeon Convenience Stores is already a mystery, but what kind of technology makes all this possible? There are many advancements using materials from dungeons—like magic stones and dungeon resources—but will these be enough to explain this system?』

『This time, we leaned a bit into intellectual curiosity, but thanks to this new service, D-Tubers will be able to challenge even more dungeons! That means more variety in D-Tuber content. As for Ururun, that’s the most exciting part of it all! Until next time~!』

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The DC Ring was recognized far more quickly than expected, and it seemed that people were already taking the initiative to acquire one. I never thought I’d hear the name “Dungeon Convenience Store” mentioned on the morning news. It seemed almost too convenient, but in the middle of combat, there was no time to casually operate a ring. In the end, those who relied too much on tools would eventually be taken down somewhere along the line.

『But just who is responsible for creating these Dungeon Convenience Stores?』

That question was posed on the television.

『Except for a single store in the United States, all Dungeon Convenience Stores exist solely in Japan. While dungeons themselves are mysterious entities, we should be grateful for a phenomenon that benefits humanity. However, we still do not know who operates these stores.』

『This might be a bit of a mundane concern, but what about the tax? Shouldn’t there be tax problems regarding this Dungeon Convenience Store?』

『All transactions in Dungeon Convenience Stores are conducted using an internal virtual currency based on magic stones. In other words, the business owners are only acquiring magic stones. Most countries follow a standardized process for converting magic stones into currency, but…』

As the conversation shifted toward taxes, I lost interest and turned off the television. I finished my morning coffee.

Now, what should I do today?

I wasn’t fond of this particular time of the morning. Especially after long, intense periods of work—like mass-producing DC Rings and setting up their operational systems—I felt this time of the morning to be even more mundane. Being self-employed meant I had full control over my time. But without a set task, I had to find my own work, or else time would slip through my fingers.

For now, I was in the phase of monitoring for any malfunctions after actual launch. Next, I’d need to increase stock levels for products and golems based on the number of DC Rings being sold. That wasn’t a particularly difficult task. The crafting system was set up within my Item Box, so all I had to do was give the command, and everything would be produced automatically.

“Ah, good morning!”

Just as I was thinking about passing the time with a walk while waiting for a call from the Ministry of Dungeons, I ran into Mio outside.

“Oh, good morning.”

“Would you like to grab breakfast together?”

“Sounds good. Let’s go.”

Changing my plan, I decided to follow Mio.

“Oh, right. Here, take this.”

“Huh?”

I handed her a DC Ring.

“You haven’t bought one yet, have you?”

“Ah, no. I saw it in someone’s video yesterday and was thinking of getting one.”

“If it’s popular, the Kichijoji Dungeon will be packed for a while.”

“Ah, you’re probably right.”

“So, here you go.”

“Thank you so much!”

Seeing Mio’s delighted expression as she accepted the ring was refreshing. The one I gave her was a special model. In an emergency, it could deploy a protective barrier and had several additional functions. It would definitely keep Mio safe.

“I’m glad I could give it to you.”

“…Yes.”

For some reason, Mio looked a bit flustered. I turned my gaze away. She probably didn’t want me to see her like that.

“So, where should we go today?”

“Oh, in that case…”

With her suggestion, we headed toward our destination.

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