This morning, the girls and I woke up early.
Sitting on the sofa, they watched TV while enjoying a hot cup of coffee.
Meanwhile, I was working on breakfast, thinking about the current [Events] slider.
Despite our recent level-ups, Claire joining the Kingdom, and the improvements to some of my strongest skills, the slider's needle hadn't moved at all.
Since one of the [Events] revolved around a war, I imagined that maybe I wasn't meant to fight in it and could maybe reach a good ending by helping resolve the situation diplomatically.
In that case, it'd make sense that increasing my power wasn't affecting my chances.
However, the other [Event] contradicted this theory, as its difficulty slider had also not moved, even though it clearly involved battles and surviving monster attacks.
There was the possibility that circumstances beyond my control influenced the slider, and I couldn't do anything to change it, but since that wasn't the case with the [Loyalty] slider, I threw that idea out.
Unfortunately, what was most likely happening was that...
I hadn't gotten strong enough to put a dent in the sliders yet.
Miwen: "Hah..."
A breath escaped me.
Licia: "Something wrong?"
She stopped blowing on the coffee mug and tilted her head at me.
Miwen: "Don't worry about it..."
Even when compared to my generation, which was getting stronger faster than the previous one thanks to all the information available on Dungeons and Monsters, the girls and I were leveling up at a great pace.
I couldn't think of much more we could do to better prepare for the [Events] and increase our predicted odds of winning or achieving a good ending.
Maybe if we pushed ourselves a little more...
Licia: "Is that... a Dungeon Rampage?"
My hands stopped, and I turned to the girls.
Claire: "Yeah... Quite a big one at that..."
There was a live broadcast reflected on the TV screen, a newscaster explaining the situation while showing footage of a nearby Dungeon Gate.
The girls had their eyes wide open, their hands hovering over the hilts of the nearby swords.
Licia: "The TV is saying we might have to evacuate, Miwen..."
The two looked at me, as if waiting for a decision.
Taking a better look, I realized the newscaster was talking about the hardest Dungeon in the region, the Dragon's Nest.
Even during normal times, only high and top-tier parties challenged that Dungeon, but recently, its third-floor boss had descended.
I had heard about a bounty being placed on that boss, but...
It seemed like no one had claimed it, and after the boss descended all the way to the first floor, no one cleared the Dungeon.
Left unchecked, it was only a matter of time before it would rampage.
Claire: "This sucks. I was starting to enjoy this place-"
Seeing the smiles plastered over my face and Licia's, she stopped herself.
Miwen: "Hm. I guess I'll look for somewhere else just in case, but... For now, it's fine."
Licia and Claire were both taken aback.
They looked at me like I was crazy.
Claire: "But... Look? It's pretty bad!"
She pointed at the TV, and when she didn't get the reaction she wanted, she stepped it up, waving her hand in front of it.
Miwen: "Yeah. But it'll probably be taken care of."
Since some boss rooms had gimmicks of their own, sometimes, high and top-tier parties preferred to face a boss outside the Dungeon.
Of course, the government always tried its best to prevent Rampages, but...
There was little they could do, so nowadays, the government was actually facilitating controlled Rampages by coordinating with parties and offering rewards to the volunteers.
Miwen: "That place was already under watch. It's bad timing since some of the strongest parties around are already doing explorations in other places, but... this will simply become a hunting ground."
Claire didn't seem convinced, her eyes darting between me and the TV.
On the other hand, even though she didn't seem to understand too well, Licia calmed down and sipped on her coffee.
Licia: "That's amazing. I guess it's a given since you have such quick access to information, but... The people in this world mobilize so fast..."
Despite blowing on her mug, it was still a little too hot, and she burned her tongue a little.
Miwen: "Yeah. In school, we used to learn about the different emergency signals. That one means... They'll form a 20-kilometer perimeter around the Dungeon."
The girls correctly identified that my house appeared on the map, but it was not within the containment area or the external evacuation zone.
While there was always the chance that a stray monster would breach the containment zone, it was unlikely that it'd reach this far out before being dealt with.
Claire: "Hmph. It's not like I was worried or anything. I just thought it'd be a shame, is all..."
She swiftly returned to the sofa, throwing herself onto it hard enough to shake her own coffee mug.
Thankfully, she caught it before an accident happened.
She looked at Licia and me, hoping we hadn't seen it, but it was almost impossible to miss.
The best we could do was hold back from laughing; however, that only seemed to make her face flush redder.
Claire: "Ahem! If you say so... But at least in my world, Dungeon Rampages often ended with entire villages razed to the ground. Adventurers also often refused to do anything, and it'd often take a Knight Order to subjugate it."
Seemingly agreeing, Licia nodded silently.
Even though I wasn't too worried, I understood where they were coming from.
However, after the First Contact, Earth's humanity was more than prepared.
While people still chased rewards, there was a strong sense of community too.
No one wanted to let that tragedy repeat, and many people dedicated their lives solely to stopping Rampages.
If it were multiple Dungeons rampaging, a boss that had never been defeated, or even a Dungeon closer to us, I'd probably tell them we'd be moving, but for now, I simply stroked their hair, reassuring them it'd be alright.
Miwen: "There's a Dungeon on a beach close by, and there's also a sky-high Dungeon in a neighboring city. If you see those Rampage, then we run, okay?"
Since they were so eager to keep watch, I gave them better directions.
Underwater and Sky Dungeon Rampages were often much harder to stop, and monsters would often be found months after the initial Rampage.
Licia: "Hm... You'll tell us if it's worth worrying about, right?"
Miwen: "Of course."
Licia: "Then it's fine."
She slouched on the sofa, pushing her head against my hand so I'd pat her more.
Licia: "...Isn't it?"
Claire: "Hmph. I suppose..."
Even though she was looking away, Claire never turned her head, letting me stroke her head as well.
Despite how much I reassured them, Claire almost drew her sword against a cat that jumped in front of her, and Licia made sure to check every street corner on our way to the Dungeon.
It reminded me a little of when I was a kid.
Back then, I was always worried and tried my best to protect my sister.