Free Isekai Reproduction Life with an Endangered Demi-Human Onee-san in the Forest of Certain Death ~My Mental Stat Is Pathetically Weak, But After Transferring, I’ll Live for Myself This Time~ - Chapter 113: The Clearance Officer

Chapter 113: The Clearance Officer

I tell Bestelta I want to hunt a few more rabbits for Rikkarinden’s crew.

“Of course. Let’s bring back lots.”

She agrees cheerfully. Bless her.

So, we go ham on rabbit hunting and bag about twenty. That should cover the orphanage. Never counted the kids exactly, but there’s around ten, right? Nice, nice. Some adventurers we ran into were shocked, though—what was that about? No clue.

High-fiving our way through the dungeon, we hit a few teleportation arrays. Must be the floor transitions. Other adventurers were around, teleporting in order, so we lined up politely and zapped through.

Further in, Bestelta suddenly says, “I sense a lot of people. Might be the end of floor five.” Huh, already? Weren’t floors supposed to take three days each? All I remember is charging forward. Wait, we did hit a few arrays.

We keep going and reach an open area.

Tons of adventurers are here, strategizing or maintaining weapons. The vibe’s like the teleportation array hall.

“Beat the boss and say goodbye to J-rank!”

“Yeah! We’ll be real adventurers!”

“Gonna rake it in from floor six!”

A group huddles, pumping themselves up. Not teens—mid-twenties, maybe. I thought floor five was a quick climb, but maybe not. Razu-san said you need porters and mappers. Looking around, I spot them: a cow-like beastman slave with a huge pack, a halfling glaring at a map, a raccoon-faced beastman handing out water to exhausted adventurers. So many roles.

Time to gather intel.

“Bestelta, I’m gonna snoop around. Be a good girl and stay put, okay?”

“Don’t treat me like a kid. I can handle that much.”

She puffs her cheeks, miffed. Wanna poke them till they go pshu. Then get sweaty and breed.

I part with Bestelta and approach a random adventurer.

“Excuse me, sorry to bother—got a sec?”

“Huh? I’m busy with strategy.”

He glares, all tough-guy.

Crap, picked a scary one. Gotta push through.

“Sorry, just wanna know about the boss. First time here. Oh, here’s some fried chicken from the surface. Help yourself.”

I pull out fried chicken I bulk-bought ages ago from my bag. Putyuera found that stall when we first hit Daylight. Wonder how that stall uncle’s doing. Gotta visit again.

“Fried chicken? Man, that smell’s a crime down here. All we get is nasty preserved food. Fine, I’ll take it!”

He snatches it, chomps, and beams. “Delish!” Just fried chicken, but he’s thrilled.

“Only preserved food here?”

“Duh. Think how long it takes to get here. You a food vendor or something? If you’re a cook, switch to adventuring.”

There’s a job like that? Yeah, eating gross food while fighting goblins for days sounds depressing. Bet there’s demand. Might try it for fun sometime.

“I’m an adventurer. J-rank. Don’t know the floor five boss. This chicken’s your info fee.”

“You got here without boss intel? Dumbass. You’ll die before graduating J-rank and earning real cash. Lack of info kills.”

Ouch, he’s right. No comeback.

“That stings.”

“Talking like it’s not your problem. You die, your team cries. Fine, I’ll tell you.”

Rough talk, but he’s passionate and kind. Munching chicken like crazy.

“Floor five boss is an orc.”

…Orc? Like, a Dai Orc?

“What kind of orc?”

“What’re you on about? An orc’s an orc. Crazy tough, strong as hell. Smashes cocky newbie parties with one club swing. First time? Be careful. Once you enter the boss room, you’re locked in till you win or time’s up. Gather intel, plan, and come back. Got potions? Spoiled ones are useless, so check. Can I grab some chicken for my team?”

“Go for it.”

He’s all smiles. Super helpful.

Whoa, just an orc? No overconfidence, but Bestel-Cannon’ll one-shot it. Tough-guy’s warnings were sweet, though. This’ll be quick. Maybe I’ll summon Lamialka in the boss room. Haven’t seen her lately.

“Does clearing floor five mean better earnings?”

“Hell yeah. You can earn up to five, but six and up’s where it’s at. Gun Sheep, Mori Gecko, Shy Bird show up. Stronger than goblins but still manageable. Their materials sell high and aren’t bulky. Don’t waste time on five—beat the orc and make floor six your main gig. Getting there’s the hard part. Most newbies break before five. Some lack skill, some get injured, some go nuts from long dives. And, well, goblins and kobolds don’t care about gender—they’re nasty like that.”

Tough-guy spills a lot, cheered by chicken. Good dude. Razu-san was right—making friends pays off. Goblins are like that, huh? Kobolds too? Surprising. They’re ugly as sin, though.

“Thanks, that helps.”

“No prob, this cheered me up. Where’s this chicken from?”

I tell him about the stall, and he’s stoked—plans to hit it with his team. Total death flag, but I’ll believe he’s fine.

Back to Bestelta for a strategy meeting (aka slaughter planning).

“Hmm, the boss is a Dai Orc? Still weak. No fun for other adventurers, right? Fwaa.”

Bestelta stretches, yawning boredly. Her chest bounces—eye poison.

“It’s not a Dai Orc. Just an orc.”

“…Huh? Isn’t ‘orc’ part of ‘Dai Orc’?”

Like saying it’s not Meramera but Mera. Her offbeat response kills me. Orcs aren’t even recognized as a species? Putyuera seemed to know them. Must be their range difference.

I explain.

Silence.

“So… Dai Orcs are stronger, and orcs are weaker?”

“Yup.”

“Oh…”

She visibly deflates, shoulders slumping. Can’t say much to that.

“Let’s finish quick and head back?”

“Yeah…”

I consider patting her sulky butt but hold off—too scummy.

*

Following Razu-san’s advice, we hunt for the clearance officer. Found him quick—a rickety shack in the corner with a shabby “Staff Inside” sign. No adventurers lined up, so we head in.

“Hello. Here for clearance?”

A tired-looking male staffer greets us from behind paperwork. No wonder he’s drained, stuck in this dim hole.

“Thanks for your hard work. We’re about to challenge the floor five boss. A friend told us to stop by.”

“Smart move. Newbies often forget. Without clearance, the guild can’t formally rank you up. You can move to the next floor, but…”

He trails off, heavy. Says adventurers who beat the boss come back yelling, “It didn’t count!” Gotta handle complaints too? Brutal.

“That’s tough.”

“It’s the job. So, what’s up?”

“Right, as I said, we’re challenging the boss. Can you explain the clearance process?”

“Nothing complex. See those two teleportation arrays? Right one’s for the boss, left for floor six. Show me you can access the left one, and you’re cleared. The left array rejects you unless the boss is down.”

Simple. Could head to floor six right after.

“Can we go straight to floor six?”

His face darkens.

“You can, but I don’t recommend it. Too many adventurers get cocky after the boss and vanish on six.”

He grabs a box from a shelf, showing me worn certificates. All say, “Certified as I-rank Adventurer.” Oof.

“These were for adventurers who didn’t return. Take one to the guild for smooth rank-up.”

He gives a weary smile.

…Heavy. Gotta follow his advice for his sanity. Suddenly miss Karin and the gang.

“Thanks for the warning. We’ll head back after.”

“Please do. It’s my job, but it hits hard when adventurers say they’ll return and don’t.”

No way I could do this job. It’d break me. Gotta bring him a gift later.

We promise to return post-orc and leave. This world’s jobs are rough…