When the three returned to the guild, the former head of the guild, Camille, was taken away by a human middle-aged man who was waiting for them at the Black Gate. Tsutomu was about to go out into town to watch a video feed when he was stopped by Garum.


I'll have a guild member check out the city. Wait for me for a moment.


　Saying that, Garum rushed to the back of the reception area. As Tsutomu saw it off, the three men who had tangled with him yesterday appeared in front of him with a smirk on their faces, as if they had anticipated it from the crowd.


'Yo lucky guy (lucky boy)... oops, now you're a criminal!
You're all they ever talk about in town. Good for you.　I wish I could be popular!
Shit!


　There were more than a few people around them who were babbling and pointing fingers at Tsutomu in the PT. The moment Garum disappeared, Tsutomu exaggeratedly raised his hand and shook his head at those who came out.


''I didn't expect the commotion to spread so far thanks to a certain explorer.
"Ha. That's the consensus of the searchers. Parasites like you should get the hell out of here. You're a pain in the ass.
........I guess bugs are aware of bugs and try to get rid of them after all.
Oh!


　One of the searchers grabs Tsutomu's chest collar as he smiles sarcastically. Tsutomu laughs at this again and forcefully removes the explorer's hand from his chest collar. The searcher is astonished to be held by his wrist.


''What?''
'I don't see how you can't beat a white mage by force.
''........d*mn. It's probably because of the status you raised by being a parasite on Garum anyway!
It's not as bad as those who scavenge for corpses and hunt fry, though.


　Tsutomu, who paid off the sword-swallowing-faced explorer's hand as if to play it off, gives a cruel, frivolous smile. The moment he tracked the PT in the dungeon and confirmed that some people were dead, he took advantage of the numbers to blackmail them. Tricking an uninformed rookie into an unfair reward distribution and getting the money for the difference. Tsutomu despised them from the bottom of his heart for only acting like that instead of hunting monsters.

　Until now, no matter what he had done, Tsutomu had never done anything worthwhile to rebel against them. The three explorers, who were looked at with malice by him for the first time, retreated to use their defensive instincts.

　When they saw Garum coming out of the reception area, the three of them hurriedly moved away from Tsutomu and disappeared into the crowd. Tsutomu, who watched the back of them with a blank expression, lightly looked up at Garum, who had returned.


''Well it looks like you were tangled up in something.
'It wasn't much. So, how's the city looking?
'It seems that some people are still dancing around the article. It's best not to go alone for a while. I'll have to change hotels.
'I see. I liked that place a lot. Uh, I'd like to get my stuff, can you follow me?
Yeah.


　Garum looked around uncomfortably with eyes that seemed to shoot people to death. Garum sniffed at the insect explorer who lowered his eyes to avoid receiving his gaze, and then followed Tsutomu out of the guild.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one. The explorers around him started to pull away from the dangerous objects because of Garum's tall stature and sharp eyes.


'You talk the talk and you're a bunch of worms. Shame on you.'
You don't have to worry about the sound of insect wings.


　Garum pouted at Tsutomu's manner of speaking, then chuckled, fogging up the acrid air. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.


I'm sure you'll be able to use the guild staff's quarters until the article is corrected. Is it alright with you, Tsutomu?
'Oh, I see. I don't have any problems myself, but are you okay with the procedure and all that?
'What? In the meantime, you can stay in my room. Camille will allow me to do so. I have an extra room, and you're free to use it as you see fit.
That's very helpful.


　It's not a good idea to have a large bag, but it's a good idea to go to the guild's staff quarters, which are located right next to the guild. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's been in this situation.

　Tsutomu followed Garum as he moved his luggage from the inn to a room in the inn, which was large enough for a family of three to live comfortably.

　The room Garum was told to use was larger than the room at the inn. A toilet and bath for the magician's tools. This one room, which is even furnished, will be allowed to move in for free if you become a guild employee.

　The status of a guild employee is quite high, and while Tsutomu was aware of this, he passed the time by cleaning the room while toying with the dusty magic tools that he had never seen before. I opened the window and used a broom to sweep off the dust above, then used a dustpan to gather up the dust on the floor.


(I wish I could use my skills well in these situations. God flew me to a place like this, so I think it would be nice if he let me use my magic anyway.)


　Tsutomu can use the skills that exist on his status card by consuming mental power, but he cannot use magic to cause phenomena through the medium of magic stones. To use magic, one must first and foremost have talent. And it requires knowledge. Most of the people who can use magic are nobles, and the nobles have a monopoly on that talent and knowledge.

　The magic tool that Tsutomu is cleaning now is created as an alternative to that magic (almost an article). It is a tool that can cause various phenomena in the same way as magic by developing a machine with colored magical stones at its core and incorporating colorless magical stones into it as fuel.

　Skills are skills that can be used by anyone who hides in a dungeon controlled by a god to create and update status cards. You don't need talent, knowledge, or magic stones to use skills. All you need is MND (Mental Strength).

　Instead, skills do not have as much freedom as magic. For example, if you have a wind magic stone, you can create anything from a gentle breeze to a tornado, a warm wind to a cold wind. However, skills do not allow you to do so.

　The airblade that Tsutomu has mastered is a skill that releases a blade of wind in a straight line, but a blade is a blade, no matter how much it is weakened in power. If you try to use it to get rid of dust, the room will be covered in scratches. And you can't change your trajectory from the middle of the attack. The only thing you can do is to use your mental power to adjust the power and specify the direction of your flight at the beginning.

　Therefore, Tsutomu was taught by Garum that magic and skill, although seemingly similar at first glance, are different things and should not be lumped together. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

　He placed the wooden magic tool that was wiped with a clean dry cloth and became shiny on the shelf, wiped the floor and walls with water and repeated the wiping dry, and then Tsutomu sat down in the room that was cleaned up all over.


(.........is it still past noon?)


　Tsutomu lies down in his room after cleaning up and not being able to hold on to it. The light shining through the window doesn't seem to be setting yet.


(Live stream, I wish I could watch it.)


　Tsutomu always spent his free time watching the dungeon's live feeds or only visiting the stalls near the giant monitor. However, when he couldn't go out and the guild didn't want to stay too long due to the commotion this time, he instantly lost his things to do.


(Oh, since Camille-san is new, I'll have to change my fighting style too. I can't hit a haste as consistently as Amy, so I have to think of something to do. (What we'll hear this evening is the duration of the effect of Dragonization and...)


　Lying down on the wooden floor and pulling out papers from his magic bag while lying down, Tsutomu began to gather his thoughts while holding a pen, trying to come up with ideas until the evening.


　--▽▽▽--


　Tsutomu and Garum, who met up with Camille at the guild in the evening, headed to a public tavern called the Barrel Hat Pavilion. After arriving at the restaurant, which was famous for its large sake barrels and meat dishes baked in the ovens of magic tools, the three of them sat down at seats for four people and began discussing the dungeon exploration.


''........Are you aiming to update the highest tier?''


　Camille asked Tsutomu that, with the shopkeeper beside her, who had finished taking her order and ran off busily. Tsutomu spoke a little too loudly in the noisy store.


''And if you don't, it looks like the two lucky ones won't go away. I was thinking about having Solit Co. write an article about them, but it doesn't seem to be possible anymore.
No, no, perhaps if you can get to the fifty-nineth level, you'll be able to see it on the most stable monitor. Then I think your two names will gradually disappear, won't they?
'What?　Is that so?


　Tsutomu, who rolled his eyes in surprise, turned to Garum and he nodded his head in agreement.


'To begin with, it seems that it was projected to the ninth platform when the shell club broke through, and I think that alone could have been quite effective. It's not just a five-man PT, it's a three-man team. Those who know a little bit of dungeon capture won't call Tsutomu a lucky man already.
'Hmm. But from the way Amy said it, I think people will think that we beat the shell club thanks to good luck, too.
"...no shell club has ever died so quickly after being discovered. Let those who don't know, or even those who don't understand, think so.
'Garmu?　You're in my PT to get rid of the two names, lucky guy, right?
..........


　Tsutomu chuckled at Garum, who turned his face down as if he'd been disappointed, but chose a small piece of jerky from the jerky that had been brought to him and chewed on it. Camille lowered her gaze even as she adjusted her long back hair with a hair elastic behind her back.


A three-man PT could easily break through a shell club with one of the big clans, and even a mid-sized clan with a good match could break through with three of them.
'It's true, but...'
Don't sulk, Garm. Times are changing by the minute.


　Camille tapped Garum's large shoulder, who was chewing jerky as he wriggled around, not very convinced, as he reached out a little to comfort him.


''But if we can break through the fifty-sixth level, which is considered to be the barrier between the mid-tier and the big players, we'll be able to get into the single digits on a steady basis. If you repeat that for three months or so, I also believe that the two names will be resolved without any problems.
''........I see. I had heard a lot about you running away from defeating the fire dragons or something like that around the number one spot, so I thought that wasn't good enough.


　The giant monitor is called the first stand by the residents of the labyrinth city, and Tsutomu often hears this information because the area around it is Tsutomu's holiday home. Such information is often heard by Tsutomu since the vicinity is Tsutomu's holiday stronghold. Because of this, he thought that unless he broke through the fire dragon, the hierarchical master of the valley, the people's reputation would remain the same.


''That would be the reputation of the clan, wouldn't it?　If we can get to that point in the PT, and with a three man PT, it will definitely be talked about. ........I'm sure the fifty-sixth level will be the goal of this PT. What, don't worry. I've already reached the fifty-eight level. And Tsutomu wasn't piggybacking on Garum and Amy, either. The three of us should be able to make it.
That's encouraging, isn't it?


　Tsutomu said, and after the waiter called out to him, he placed a large bowl of soup dish on the round table. The soup is white like a stew and contains meat, carrots and potatoes in a generous portion. Tsutomu served it to three people in a deep dish that was handed to him and handed it out.

　The shopkeeper who placed the basket of bread in the center of the bowl bowed and left without a moment's hesitation. Thinking that he was quite busy, Tsutomu dipped the hard bread in the stew and began to indulge in it.


''But don't you want to try to defeat a fire dragon?　With Camille's firepower, I think we can make it.


　Tsutomu is poking around with a wooden spoon, trying to sink the bread into the stew. Camille stared at Tsutomu for a little while and then raised the corners of her mouth.


''........Ho. Are you planning to defeat the fire dragon that the Red Demon Gang with the highest black staff you drew finally defeated with all their fortune and deadly force with an impromptu three-man PT?
"Originally, it was a plan that Amy could do well, and I think the probability of her breaking through has increased even more with Camille taking her place. That said, we still have three things to work on.


　Tsutomu, who had a mouthful of crumbling meat and moderately soft bread together, exhaled with a huff, looking up to cool his mouth. Camille turned her red, glittering binoculars on Tsutomu, who was holding his mouth.


'What is that assignment?'
'The first is simply a lack of coordination between the three of us. Well, time will tell on this one. Camille doesn't seem to have any thoughts about my strategy, so it's not a problem. The second one is the fire dragon wing seal. There are no necromancers or archers in this PT, so I'll have to rely on my magic tools. You can only bring something big enough to fit in your magic bag, so you have to practice bringing the fire dragon down to the ground with it. Thirdly, Camille's Dragonization. That one is out of reach of my support and recovery skills. So it's hard to incorporate it into my strategy. But that doesn't mean it's a waste of time not to use it. I'll have to think of something to deal with it myself.
Don't I have anything to offer you?
"Not really, Mr. Garum. I think you should just buy fireproofing equipment and get used to wearing it.


　When Tsutomu, who had swallowed the thick stew, said that, Garum shushed him to swallow his confusion. When Camille saw Garum like that, she looked at Tsutomu again. A lucky person who drew the highest treasure chest and gained great wealth. The three PTs who had been sent to stay in the guild, the three PTs with Garum and Amy, who had been sent to stay in the guild, had crossed the shell club within a month of their PT formation. And now, without being satisfied with that, they're even trying to cross the Fire Dragon.

　That thought process is not born in a labyrinth city, at least not in a labyrinth city. The orphan and Camille are reportedly the sons of a nobleman from somewhere else who can use magic. Or someone who has conquered the dungeons outside. A few guesses as to their origins come to mind. But Camille wasn't interested in Tsutomu's origins.


'You look interesting.'


　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing.