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Sōzoku Shita Sofu no Ie no Urayama ni Danjon ga Dekimashita - Chapter 121

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Chapter : Sunrise Becomes an S-Rank Party

The next day, we headed to the dungeon.

As soon as we arrived, a staff member from the office approached us.
“The branch manager would like to see you,” he said.

We followed him and entered the manager’s office, sitting down on the sofa.

“The party Sunrise,” the branch manager began, “has officially been promoted to S-rank.”

He didn’t even pause before continuing.
“And Takumi, Misuzu—you’ve both been granted S-rank individually as well.”

“Rankings aren’t something you give yourselves,” he added firmly. “They’re determined by the Explorers’ Association. This is the Association’s decision. So you’ll abide by it.”

Then his stern expression softened, and a smile spread across his face.
“You’re the fourth S-rank party in all of Japan. Congratulations!”

I blinked, stunned, then asked, “Why… why us? What did we do to deserve S-rank?”

The branch manager leaned back and began listing the reasons, one by one.
“First, you, Takumi. You’re a spirit user—a rarity even on a global scale. And you’ve taken down two Liches—widely considered the strongest type of magic monster. Not to mention your extensive record of defeating countless other creatures.”

“Then there’s Misuzu. Controlling a Fenrir and a Carbuncle was already incredible, but now you’ve tamed a Black Dragon.”

“Taking all of that into account, the Association has certified you as S-rank.”

After his explanation, we handed over our old adventurer cards marked with A-rank.
In return, he gave us gleaming new cards stamped with a bold S.

And just like that, we were S-rank.
Even though I never aimed for the top, somehow… we’d reached it.

After leaving the office, we touched the transfer stone on the first underground floor and warped to a chamber located between the fifth and sixth floors.

Since we’d already cleared the sixth floor, we passed straight through and moved on to the seventh.

The seventh floor was… a desert.

According to the dungeon map, if we kept heading left, we’d eventually reach a cave leading down to the eighth floor.

The monsters here were ant-type creatures—and some kind of antlion beasts, apparently.

There was also a cautionary note:
Explorers who headed right never returned.
Exploration is your own responsibility. The Association takes no liability.

Lovely.

For now, I decided to do what I always do—send the spirits out to scout.

With Snow and Shiratama here, we’d be fine.
I left Amber behind for support and dispatched the others to investigate.

“Misuzu, I’ve sent the spirits to scout ahead. Let’s wait here until they return,” I said.

“Got it! Since the seventh floor is huge, I’ll summon Kuromitsu!” Misuzu replied, already activating her summoning magic.

A glowing magic circle appeared in the air.
From it, Kuromitsu emerged.

Misuzu reached out and gently stroked his head.

Thanks to the spirit gear’s automatic temperature control, our bodies were fine—but every now and then, a blast of hot wind made our faces burn.

I had Amber solidify the sand beneath our feet. Then I pulled a leisure sheet from my pack and spread it on the hardened ground.

Amber wasn’t done yet. She cast another spell, and four thick pillars rose from the earth, reaching about two meters high.
Next, horizontal beams extended and connected, forming a roof.

A perfect little shade to block the merciless sun.
“Thanks, Amber,” I said, and she twirled through the air happily.

I sat down on the sheet, and Misuzu settled next to me, pouring drinks from her thermos.
Today’s flavor: iced lemon tea.
Cold, refreshing, and absolutely perfect.

We relaxed like that for a while—until the spirits began returning one after another.
The last to come back was Anemone.
Which was odd. She was the fastest of them all. How far did she go?

As I wondered, the spirits formed a circle in the air, holding a little conference of their own.
I stayed quiet and waited.

After a moment, their discussion ended—and all of them pointed in the same direction: right.

“Huh…” I frowned.
“The map says the right side is dangerous. Parties that went that way never came back.”

I turned to Misuzu. “The spirits say there’s something over there… but the map says it’s risky. What do you think?”

She grinned.
“Then let’s go! There might be treasure!”

…Still a treasure maniac, huh?

“All right then. Shall we?”

“Yeah! Let’s!”

We packed up, and Amber dispelled her magic—the pillars and roof crumbled back into sand.

Kuromitsu crouched low, his massive back facing us.
Then he began to grow. Bigger and bigger.

Had he always gotten this huge? I stared in awe.

“Kuromitsu says he’ll give us a ride!” Misuzu beamed, climbing onto his back.

Snow hopped up after her.
Shiratama nestled snugly into Misuzu’s bag.

Finally, I climbed on as well.
Kuromitsu’s enormous body rose gently into the air.

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