“Eh?”

In an instant, the blood drained from my face.

I couldn’t help but feel a slight numbness in my body. Could it be that this meat is from a previous guest who came to this village before me?

“Just kidding.”

Just kidding?!

“Grandma! The name of this village is scary enough! Don’t make jokes like that!”

“Hahaha! Sorry, sorry.”

“Hahaha…”

For a moment, I thought about the meaning of the name Yonaki Village.

As if the village doesn’t already have an image of sacrifice and customs.

“But, you seem young too, and you’re doing great as a clearer.”

“No, I still have a long way to go.”

“Risking your life to protect someone. There’s nothing more noble than that.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, be proud. Right, Nagisa?”

“Yes, I think you’re really amazing. Fighting against monsters… I couldn’t…”

Nagisa’s expression darkened slightly.

Seeing this, Grandma quickly changed the topic.

“Well, Amachi-san, it’s already midnight, so how about taking a bath? Which do you prefer?”

“What do you mean by ‘which’?”

“Well, do you want to soak in my granddaughter’s used bathwater or do you want her to soak in yours–“

“Grandma! Amachi-san, please go ahead and take a bath first. I don’t mind. Actually, I’d prefer not to have you experience my used bathwater…”

“No, I won’t ‘experience’ it!?”

“Hehe, just kidding. I’ll go prepare it!”

With that, Nagisa hurried off.

Grandma seemed quite responsible for her granddaughter. Speaking of which, where are her parents?

With a slight curiosity, I went to take a bath.

The rural bath that was prepared was hotter than my usual bath.

Instead of hot water that flows at the push of a button in the city, this bath was heated with fire, so adjusting the temperature seemed difficult.

Nevertheless, just preparing the bath was quite a task; I could feel the power of modern civilization.

“Thank you, it was refreshing. Huh? Where’s Nagisa?”

“She went to the village chief’s place. I told her it would be useless trying to convince that stubborn old man, but…”

“Is there a reason why Nagisa is so desperate about this, Grandma? It doesn’t seem normal…”

“…Well, since you’ve come this far… I have nothing to hide. I’ll tell you.”

Seeing the change in Grandma’s attitude from her earlier teasing, I sat down, realizing it was a serious topic.

“Her father and mother… they died in a dungeon collapse.”

“What?”

“It happened when she could barely walk. My son, her father, got a job outside the village… and then…”

The story that followed was not something a grade schooler could fully comprehend.

It was not long ago when dungeon collapses occurred more frequently than now.

Japan, no, the entire world, was in chaos, and legal provisions couldn’t keep up.

That’s when the Dungeon Association, a global organization, was established.

Built upon numerous sacrifices, it became the world’s largest organization, encompassing both politics and economics.

Thanks to its efforts, dungeon collapses decreased significantly worldwide, and the number of victims also dropped.

However, dungeon collapses still occur today, and victims remain.

“I see… that’s… she went through painful experience.”

“When I took her in, it was terrible. But she’s finally able to laugh again. It’s all thanks to me desperately honing my gag skills…”

(Well, I wonder about that…)

I learned about the slightly sad circumstances of the ever-joking grandma.

Putting aside whether her jokes are funny, she must have been trying her best to make Nagisa laugh.

Thanks to her efforts, Nagisa can smile like anyone else.

But knowing that reason, I could understand why she’s so afraid of dungeon collapses.

“Please take your time and relax. Would you like me to turn on the TV?”

With that, Grandma turned on the TV and left the room.

The news was on.

“Another act of terrorism by the God Slayer Cult… Overseas is really scary…”

I listened to the TV while enjoying the liberating feeling of the open veranda.

On TV, news of another large-scale terrorist attack by awakened individuals played.

It had sadly become a part of daily life.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to relax like this…”

I gazed at the moon, feeling a little gloomy as I thought about Nagisa’s past.

The sky, devoid of the city lights, was beautiful, and only the moonlight illuminated the quiet village.

That night was a night too quiet for Yonaki Village.

◇ Going back in time a bit, Yonaki Village Chief’s residence.

“I think we should move the plan up and execute it tonight.”

Village Chief Furukawa had gathered a group of young men at his home.

They were all D-Rank awakened individuals, about five in total.

These were the highest-ranking awakened individuals in the village.

Since humanity’s awakening, almost half of the population is E-Rank, and the remaining half is D-Rank. Only the top 1% are C-Rank, while 0.1% are B-Rank.

When it comes to A-Rank, there are only a few hundred in Japan, with a population of over 100 million.

There are so few S-Rank individuals that you can count them on one hand.

That was the power balance in the country.

As a result, many start to work as clearers starting from D-Rank, while E-Rank pursue other professions.

There are those in E-Rank who aim to be clearers, but they are a minority.

In the midst of all this, there was a formidable individual in Yonaki Village who could clear dungeons alone.

However, the village chief’s grandson had gone to an overseas guild due to his strength and was no longer around.

So, Village Chief Furukawa gathered five young D-Rank men.

“Furukawa-san, are you really okay with us splitting all the dungeon rewards among ourselves?”

“Yeah, if you defeat the boss, it’ll be worth a million yen. You guys are lucky; this happens every month. Let’s go on a luxury trip with that money next time, how about a soapland in Tokyo?”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“Let’s definitely go, Furukawa-san!”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Tokyo, the city is full of beautiful women. I’m getting excited.”

“The Dungeon Association’s rules state that a D-Rank dungeon can be cleared safely with five D-Rank individuals. So, I’m counting on you guys!”

“Understood!”

The dungeon in Yonaki Village is considered E-Rank by the Dungeon Association.

However, this was a false report made by the village chief, Furukawa.

Since E-Rank dungeons don’t yield significant resources and their collapse wouldn’t cause much trouble, the Dungeon Association deems them low-priority.

This is because local governments can handle such low-level dungeons.

That’s why Furukawa falsely reported the D-Rank dungeon as E-Rank, fattening his own pockets with the resources obtained from the dungeon.

(Truth is, I don’t want to share with these guys… but my idiot grandson went off to America.)

“Today, someone from the Association came by. They might snatch our rewards tomorrow, or even find out our secret. That’s why we need to execute the plan tonight, without their help. Are ya’ll ready?”

“Fully prepared!”

Furukawa and his group decided to clear the dungeon that night, instead of the originally planned next day.

This was because, inadvertently, they feared being exposed to the Dungeon Association due to the appearance of Kai.

The young men and Furukawa went to the square building in the center of Yonaki Village that Kai saw earlier.

Inside that building was a Cube.

The prefabricated hut-like building surrounding the Cube was built to hide its existence from outsiders.

In reality, the cube was in the center of Yonaki Village, surrounded by houses.

This would typically be very dangerous, but there had never been a dungeon collapse.

This was because the village chief’s grandson, who had now joined an overseas guild, had been controlling the situation.

“Alright, do your best!”

The time was already past midnight.

It was around the same time that Kai was having a meal at the Imai household.

Furukawa sent off the young men, patting their backs and reminding them to be sure to collect the magic stones.

Armed with cheap swords and equipment, they set off to clear the dungeon without even a map.

Optimistically, they entered the dungeon as if they were going on a field trip.

However, they were unaware that the dungeon point system is designed for qualified clearers who have received proper training, have their equipment in order, and are entering an already explored dungeon with a map they completely understand.

It’s not a system that amateurs can easily adapt to.

And they didn’t know that there were lower and upper tiers – ranks within the D-Rank dungeons.

~ Two hours later.

“Well, this is boring…”

Furukawa was sitting in the makeshift building surrounding the cube, waiting for good news from the others.

About two hours had passed, and he recalled that his grandson usually cleared the dungeon within an hour.

However, he was aware that that was a special case and that it generally took about 2-3 hours to completely clear.

Then, a girl came running.

“Huff, huff… So you were here, Furukawa-san! …Don’t tell me, they’ve already gone in!?”

“…What is it, Nagisa? You’ve really caused me a lot of trouble. But well, it was all in vain. It’s over now. We can protect the village on our own, without the help of that Dungeon Association.”

“…”

Nagisa stared at the cube inside the building, just like Furukawa.

Bububu

“Huh?”

Nagisa saw the Cube trembling slightly.

The blood drained from her face in an instant.

She thought she might have seen it wrong, but the cube was indeed vibrating subtly.

And she knew this phenomenon, her voice failing due to the fear that surfaced as soon as she remembered it.

“Oh? Have they come back? Did it feel like this when they came back? I think the Cube was about to open or something…”

It was just as Furukawa stood up and reached out to touch the white cube in front of him.

“Ru…run…”

Nagisa mustered her voice.

“Huh? What are you–!?”

Suddenly, the Cube, which had been vibrating subtly, began to tremble violently before their eyes.

It made a metallic sound, almost like a scream.

The vivid white color of the Cube, representing the D-Rank dungeon, inverted and turned into a pitch-black cube.

From the Cube, something rolled out.

It was a head.

One of the young men from the D-Rank group that Furukawa had sent out appeared in a horrifying state.

Furukawa was dumbfounded and unable to speak, but…

“AH!?”

Furukawa’s face was suddenly grabbed by a thick arm extending from the Cube, about the size of a woman’s waist.

Lifted by that arm, Furukawa desperately struggled to escape, but the hand held tight and eventually crushed him, putting an end to his life.

“N-no…no…”

Nagisa, covered in Furukawa’s blood, backed away.

One after another, monsters emerged from the Cube.

With grotesque bodies and hideous faces, these monsters had huge, bear-like physiques and pig-like faces covered in thick layers of fat.

Despite their appearance, they possessed a minimum level of intelligence.

『Orcs』

While being D-Rank monsters, they were close to C-Rank in terms of power.

In lower-level dungeons, they were the most feared enemy of all humanity and the archenemy of women.

The monsters grinned as they looked at Nagisa, and one of the orcs grabbed her as she trembled, unable to move.

Nagisa tried desperately to resist, but her strength failed her.

Then, she was carried away into the dungeon and disappeared.

The remaining orcs roared and smashed the makeshift building.

The noise lit up the entire village.

Soon after, they were consumed by despair and terror.

That day, the D-Rank dungeon in Yonaki Village collapsed in the worst possible way.

The pig-like monsters rampaged through the remote village, where no one could save them, trampling and devouring everything in their path.

Only screams echoed in the quiet night, as if to embody the name of Yonaki Village.