"So bored today too..."
Basically, no explorers ever come to the Aomori branch of the Dungeon Association.
When I check the registrant list to kill time, it shows a long list of over 1,000 registered names, but almost all of them are people who registered but gave up on dungeon exploring in the past.
"So boooored. Bored bored bored bored."
I'm way too bored. If I'm this bored, I wish I could just skip reception work and go dungeon exploring instead.
I heard the first floor only has slimes, so even an amateur like me could win just by stomping on them.
"The only one who's come recently is that Kikyo kid..."
That Kikyo kid. What does he find so fun about going into a dungeon every day?
Meanwhile, I'm stuck here with reception work where nobody comes, dying of boredom.
I mean, do you really think you can live on about 3,000 yen a day? He was 22, right? Probably failed his job hunting as a new grad?
I bet he didn't seriously start job hunting from his second year of college. Well, not that I can talk—even if you do job hunt properly and join the Dungeon Association, you might end up transferred to a boring reception post like me at the Aomori branch.
But still, that's probably better than being a beginner explorer making less than a part-time job.
Beginner explorers just get laughed at as bottom-tier trash anyway.
Sigh... I want to skip reception and go to the dungeon. It'd be a way to kill time, and even if it's a small amount, I could bring back magic stones as a side bonus and cover my lunch money.
I really wish that old guy at the buyout counter would take a break...
Because he's over there, the buyout counter has a slight line of sight to the reception desk, so I can't skip reception and go dungeon exploring.
The reception computer has restricted internet access, and the only game installed is Solitaire, you know?
Come on, at least put in a proper RPG. Are you trying to bore a young receptionist like me to death?
"The pay isn't bad, so I gave it a try, but there's no romance and no excitement. At this rate, my twenties will be over in a flash."
Ah, well.
That Kikyo kid hit on me in a creepy way, so I brushed him off, but if he's going to come every single day, maybe I should have talked to him a bit and gotten friendly.
His earnings are terrible and his pickup lines are creepy, but he's good-looking. Being friends with him would have been totally fine... I'm not from Aomori originally, so I have no boyfriend or friends. He might have been okay as someone to date occasionally.
"Excuse me. I want to become an explorer."
"Oh, yes. Welcome to the Aomori Dungeon Association branch. I'll proceed with your registration."
"You're pretty, miss. Once I start earning, how about a drink sometime..."
"Please save the pickup lines until you can actually earn money. Here, fill in the required items."
Tch. Everyone who comes to the Dungeon Association is like this.
Think about your age. There's no way a beautiful 24-year-old like me is going to entertain some guy clearly over 50.
Plus his accent makes him hard to understand.
Every so often, men in their 40s and 50s who lost their jobs due to layoffs or bankruptcy come by, but the pattern is always the same: they stop coming after two or three days.
I'm so sick of seeing that.
If a 40 or 50-something guy looked decent and had a skill that could make him a top-tier advanced explorer, I wouldn't be opposed to giving him attention. But don't you realize with common sense that you won't get any?
"Here, I filled it out. You're harsh, miss."
"Not at all. I'm not harsh."
This is totally normal. Being leered at sexually by an unattractive old guy 30 years older is creepy and impossible.
Oh no. At this rate, my twenties will be spent at this reception job dealing with creepy old guys.
Maybe I'll try being nice to that Kikyo kid next time he comes. He's come three days in a row, so he must have some guts. He's good-looking too. Maybe he's a hidden gem?
It might be fun to teach him various things and raise him to my tastes. But after brushing him off coldly, suddenly being nice feels a bit...
"Well, I'm off."
Don't talk to me while I'm thinking, old man.
I'm seriously considering my own future right now.
"Yeah, yeah. Be careful out there."
"You're cold, miss. Women need to be charming. You won't be popular like that."
Even if I was popular with you, I wouldn't feel even a tiny bit of joy.
A beginner explorer in his 50s is basically unemployed. Realize that a young woman isn't going to be charming to you.
At least get your account balance to show 100 million yen, or come back carrying a Nebuta float on your back.
---
"Pant... pant... pant..."
"What's wrong?"
This old guy just went in and he's already back out.
He only explored for about two hours, right?
Even for a beginner, that's way too gutless. Realize that this is why you're stuck being a bottom-tier explorer past 50.
"A g-gob... a monster..."
"Yeah, yeah. Monsters called goblins appear on the second floor. I recommend bringing a wooden sword at first."
"N-no... a goblin... something like a fusion... it talked to me..."
If it talked to you, it's not a monster.
No monsters on the currently explored floors can speak, so if one exists, it would be on a higher floor.
And monsters from higher floors can't appear on floors 1 or 2. This guy is seeing things.
Or, Kikyo-kun is a Monster Tamer, so he probably saw Kikyo-kun with his goblins and got some weird misunderstanding.
"Ah. Some beginners become mentally unstable after fighting monsters, so please take a rest and try again."
"I quit."
"Okay, thank you for your effort. Registration fees are non-refundable, so please come explore again if you feel like it."
What a gutless old man. I'd understand if he quit because he couldn't earn money, but going crazy just from seeing a goblin?
On that point, Kikyo-kun has guts. Today is his third day in a row. It's actually quite rare for someone to come three days straight after becoming an explorer.
Maybe I should talk to him after all. But still...
After brushing him off coldly on the first day, it would be too unnatural to be the one to actively start a conversation.