Otoko Nara Ikkokuichijou no Aruji o Mezasa Nakya, ne? Chapter 177

Actually, I think I spent the first hour or two looking over the dates of old isekai WNs after seeing a comment on Slave Harem Labyrinth manga over why Truck-sama didn't start it. I suddenly was curious as to when Truck-sama first started to appear so I scrolled back through dates of WNs on narou. Though the farthest back stuff dates to 2004. Most of what came out in WNs that time was romance/other genres but in terms of fantasy it was some D&D type fantasy and .hack clone/VR based stuff up until around 2006-2008 it seems, I think it was around the time Haruhi or some other novel based anime came out that the general number of WNs shot up insanely. Like multiplied several times in total number on a yearly basis after that, it really jumped up around 2010 and that was also when a lot of isekai series including Overlord started to increase a bit. After that a few good ones came out in 2011 (and one of the ones that has constantly been in the top 10 of narou since then Slave Harem Labyrinth which everyone hates(still rated #9 overall now)), 2012, and in 2013 like 75% of all the commonly known/translated WNs like Shield Hero, Arifureta, Death March, Monster Master, Mushoku Tensei, etc... like all of those came out in 2013 at the same time I think that was when Truck-sama first started appearing 2011-2013... Very curious...I should start up some kind of cult/conspiracy theory based on this.

Today is the birthday of us reincarnated people. We're {seventeen}. Somehow 17 years old has an unripe fruit kind of feel to it that is both happy and embarrassing.

Giberuti cooked the meat from the Matte Turtle he bought the other day in steaks for us. Everyone was saying it was delicious as they chomped down the steaks and finally we had some dessert that was something like boiled and chilled figs with sweet syrup. It seems that Gwine knew the method to make this fig compote and taught Giberuti about it. The weak point is that it uses a considerable amount of sugar so the cost of ingredients was quite high but it was no challenge for our desire to eat some real dessert for the first time in a while. I'll have him make some again sometime.

By the way, when everyone's age increased other than Gwine we all gained an increase in our Speed. I guess in exchange for that, Gwine's Endurance increased. That's quite like a Dwarf. Basutoral is smoothly gaining experience and now he's at a level 8 that's close to hitting level 9. In just a mere two months he's earned close to 70,000 experience and just in terms of level he's already caught up to Hirosukol.

Well, every time more than three ogres come out at once since I'm thinning out the extras in one hit, I'm earning an incomparable amount of experience points thanks to the boost from Gift of Natural Talent and since Miduchi is occasionally entering the dungeon together with Zulu and Angela they're earning a decent amount of experience points as well.

If we keep putting some effort into it like this until the end of this year then..Basutoral's level should go up even higher and I guess be around the same level as Bel and Toris right now? No, along the way he should be able earn experience easier (the chances for him to do damage to monsters will increase) so he might be able to make it a bit higher...And wait a second!

When I was staring at Basutoral's experience points I noticed it. The place where the numbers are, I can select it. Could it be..After all that was the case. It's possible to select the experience point numbers for skills as well. I can even open a sub-window for it. While holding my hopes high and opening it and I can browse through the relationship between experience points and level in table form. This is convenient. I wonder why I didn't notice this until now, and, I was a bit amazed at myself. Well, that is~ I never stared at the number for experience points for this long before after all...

Ah, that's right...After all that was the case. So this was the expansion ability for level MAX of Identify...That's pretty dull..or not I guess. Since all I could see up until now was the value to the next level so I never thought much beyond that but in some meanings you could say this is obtaining information from the future right...

...........

Year 7445, Month 2, Day 15

Night, when all of us were eating some skewers and boiled fish we brought in to "Murowa" and Faruergaz, Hirosukol, and their slaves came in to eat. I lightly lowered my head to them and when I was poking at my fish and drinking some beer they started talking to us.

"Right now, it seems you all are going to the 7th floor but around how much time does it take to get to the 7th floor?"

"It takes three days. One day to get from the 1st floor to the end of the 3rd floor, one day for the 4th and 5th floors, and then one day for the 6th floor."

When I replied like that all of them including the slaves were lost for words. What is it, could it be you're surprised at how fast we are? It's not as if I don't understand your feelings but even we took around three months after entering the dungeon to make it to the 2nd floor. Even if we had the same number of 6 people, in my case we had 1 more reincarnated person and Zenom as well.

Though I think that Zulu is superior individually but when Angela first joined us she was pretty unreliable and no matter how I look at it rather than Angela in the past their Laios slaves should  be more useful. Though they're not here right now, Kumiru and Ruttsu have a decent amount of power as well it seems so excluding my magic, their combat potential shouldn't be all that different from ours at the time.

However, the number of times we were entering the dungeon is completely different. Back then we would enter the dungeon twice in every three days that sort of rapid pace. We would explore until someone was injured and even if that wasn't the case sometimes we would come back around lunch or just after. The biggest reason for that was my healing magic. After all, we could heal any injuries the same day.

In comparison to that, things won't go that easily for Faruergaz and the others. Since they started in December of last year, I guess they're at about two months? During that time, I'm sure they've only entered the dungeon at best 6-7 times. Well this is normal for most adventurers so I think it's just us that are abnormal though.

"There isn't really anything good that will come from being impatient and overdoing it. For starters you should just get used to the terrain of the 1st floor."

I said that with a clear face but I intended it as advice. Most likely, if it's these two who have gone through proper training as knights then they should be able to fight decently even on the 2nd or 3rd floor. However, if they go that far into the dungeon before they're used to the dungeon then there's no way they'd be able to maintain their mental composure. If things reach that point then they'll start making mistakes on whether they can fight the opponent or whether they should retreat. It leads to mistakes in decision making.

Rather than that, trying to go to the 2nd floor or beyond with just 6-7 times worth of experience is the pinnacle of foolishness. It's weird saying this but even I just wandered around randomly at first without buying a map. Since we only had our own handmade maps that were no comparison to the ones Gwine makes, after that we only bought a map around one month after we started exploring the dungeon in Baldukk. During that time, we entered the dungeon over 20 times.

"Purchasing the map is one method as well. Some reasonably precise maps are up for sale. If you're interested then I can at least introduce you to a map seller."

How much was the map of the 1st floor I bought again..Ah, that's right. It was 7,000,000 Z (7 gold coins). However, the amount of information and accuracy was no comparison to the previous map I had bought for 800,000 Z (80 silver coins). Around the time we were wandering the 3rd floor up until Toris and Gwine joined our group we were really in care of it. Obviously I haven't gotten rid of it but I have no intention of handing it over for free or even cheaply. Since we were in the care of them, it should be only proper to introduce them as a customer to the map seller.

"A map huh..Denda, sorry but could you go to the inn really quick and grab our map...Greed-san, we've started drawing our own map as well. In order to not get lost, we also prepared our string as well. Putting aside whether or not it's accurate, could you please take a look at how it's written and give us some advice?"

Hirosukol said that and lowered his head.

"..Well if it's just that much..But, in that case there's someone better suited to it than me...She's the one who deals with map information in our party. Ask her opinion on it."

I said that while pointing to Gwine and tilted my mug again. Toris and Bel who were sitting in front of me and Miduchi who was sitting beside all returned to their casual conversations.

A short while later Faruergaz's slave, Dendoru.Sumaisu returned. He has a bag with him. So there's a map inside of that?

"Gwine, come over here for a moment...Ah, sorry about that. Take a look at this map. What do you think?"

I tried to endure bursting out into laughter while asking Gwine. I mean, the map they showed me but it was way too childish. Even the map we started making at first was better.

"..This, what is it? Eh? It's a map? What a waste of paper.."

Gwine cut it down instantly. Faruergaz and the others seemed pretty embarrassed. But, Faruergaz gathered his courage and questioned Gwine.

"No, it's certainly true that it's badly drawn...What can we do to draw it even more skillfully?"

Gwine raised her eyebrows while looking at the map after being questioned, and opened her mouth.

"It would probably be best to take into consideration adding more to it afterwards. Up until then just ignore some things like curves and bends in the walls and just try to draw it as straight as possible...Also, there's no way of telling the distance. Although, it's kind of strange saying this but I think the best option would be to use the map that's sold as a reference. If it's now then it seems they should be selling a map of the 1st floor that is close to perfect."

She said that and smiled. Incidentally, the origin of the map of the 1st floor that boasts a 99% completion rate is Gwine. We tried selling just the 1st floor to the map seller a while back. Up until then the map that they sold of the 1st floor was the same one as I bought in the past and had a considerably high level of completion, over 80% of it could be trusted. We ended up making good use it for a long time as well.

However, the remaining blank spaces and the portions that were close to perfect in regards to information on the traps, the numbers when teleporting in from the surface(we started writing the teleport numbers on the walls in {Common Language} after Gwine joined us) and in the case those numbers are difficult to find, other numbers are all written on Gwine's map so the usability and accuracy were no comparison.

December of last year, when I came up with the idea I tried discussing it with Gwine and just to test it out we tried selling the map of the 1st floor for starters. The two of us went to the map seller and it took close to two full days but when Gwine finished copying over the template we showed the map it and the old dwarf man fell over backwards seeing the precision of it. For about a month after that the old man confirmed the accuracy of the map with his acquaintance adventurers it seems. About a week after the day of judgement last month when we returned from the dungeon there was a message from the old man at the map shop. He wanted to split the profits up 50/50 with us.

Though we all went through the trouble of producing the map but since the one who made the copy was Gwine, in the first place it was a map that would have been impossible to make without Gwine's Unique Ability. Since I wanted to know Gwine's thoughts on it as well, I decided to leave the decision up to Gwine. Obviously all of the money made from it goes to Gwine. Putting it simply, it took the shape of me accepting Gwine having a side job of "selling information she found out during work".

Obviously Gwine was pleased. However, the compensation she chose was adding the conditions that they would only produce the copies at that map shop, they would reveal the customers who bought it, and 40% of the profits. When I praised her that she properly was able to think of that all on her own and it seems that Miduchi gave her the suggestion when she consulted with her over it.

I would have preferred if she was able to arrive there all on her own but I guess Gwine didn't have the confidence to think about it all on her own. However, it was admirable the fact that she properly consulted with someone about it and the fact that she didn't simply pick Ralpha as that someone.

They're selling one labeled as the completed version for 10,000,000 Z but two of them have already sold and it seems the situation is such where they copies can't keep up so there's orders for two more already. The ones who made the orders were {Gehenna.Flare} and the elf Rozewela, and after that two other mid-class parties that are active around the 3rd and 4th floors.

"Is that so..After all it seems it would be best to buy the map. Hey, what should we do?"

Hirosukol called out to Faruergaz.

"..It can't be helped. There's no other choice than to buy it. However, a waste of paper..That's quite harsh."

Faruergaz responded with a displeased expression.

"Greed-san, I'm sorry for the trouble but could you please introduce us to a map dealer? Also, if you know would you please tell us the price as well."

Faruergaz said that and lowered his head.

"There's no problem with just introducing you. Also, when it comes to the price if I'm certain I think it was 10,000,000 Z for the 1st floor. It's seems to be quite popular and has reservations on it though so you might have to wait for a month."

When I said that it seems the two of them were surprised at the price.

"Wha! 10,000,000!"

This is information on the purchaser that the map dealer gave to Gwine so it's definite.

"Well, I don't think it's that bad of a purchase. It's weird saying it myself but I think it was quite well-made. If you have then then it should reduce the amount of time it takes to clear through the 1st floor quite a bit. Thanks to everyone I can brag that we've properly written down the maps close to perfectly as well. I want to go and get some clothes made on our next days off so please lend me your horse."

Gwine winked while sticking her tongue out.

I made a bitter smile while accepting and said "However, while they'll probably sell even after this you should expect it not to exceed the current amount by more than double." It's said that there's a total of 200 or so parties, roughly 1,300 - 1,500 adventurers constantly in Baldukk. Among those there's people who only enter alone without a party and those who only enter with small parties and change who they team up with on a daily basis as well.

With us {Slaughterers} at the top, there's only about a dozen or so parties with reasonably high flexibility in their earnings and even if you estimate that number on the high end there's only about 50 of them. All the rest of the masses don't earn much at all. The majority of them are people who make at best 100,000 - 250,000 Z per person a month. In any case, even those who are in the top 50 or so, even if it's accurate, I doubt there's that many with the leeway to dish out 10,000,000 for a map of the 1st floor at this point.

If they're making decent earnings then that means they've already exceeded the 1st floor and are in some of the lower floors, so it's proof of their abilities at that point. Since Gwine's map of the 1st floor can't be used for much other than a time reduction, even looking at it in a positive light I'd say only about 20% of those could see the value in a reduction of time for clearing through the 1st floor. If you were to ask me, I think the closer they are to the top teams they'd see more value in reducing the time it takes thanks to an accurate map.

Chapter end