Chapter 15: Research funding is profitable if you go solo

Even if I break a bone, the money I need doesn’t decrease.
As long as I’m alive, I get hungry, and daily necessities are rapidly consumed by a household of six. While improving our living situation, I want to save money to buy large appliances or move to a slightly larger house with better security.

My income in May was about 200,000 yen from early-stage gathering for funds. Adding the final 500,000 yen, it’s roughly 700,000 yen.

For the first month, that’s quite good.

However, I mustn’t forget the ridiculous reality of overdue rent. 240,000 yen, including this month’s, vanished. 460,000 yen remains. There is no god.

Monthly food expenses were reduced by trampling wheat, refining udon, and using wild plants as vegetables. It came to about 60,000 yen. I think I could increase this more. I’ll calculate properly and aim to incorporate more meat and vegetables next month.

Utilities were 20,000 yen. Consumables were 10,000 yen. I regularly buy jerseys for the dungeon, so that’s another 10,000 yen.

Ultimately, 360,000 yen remained in hand.
Hmm… more than I thought remained.

But still, my income will probably decrease while my arm is broken. I should save this as insurance.

For now, I’ll dive into the dungeon and look for what I can do.

Around the gate, the usual hustle and bustle had returned. With the Red Walker subjugated, mid-tier and lower adventurers could now dive into the dungeon again.

“Isshiki-kun?! Why are you here already!”
“Ah, Shiraishi-san. Hello.”

Because I couldn’t use one arm, morning chores took longer. As a result, it seems I met Shiraishi-san, who usually isn’t at work at this time.

“Hello. No, you should still be resting.”
“I think I’ve rested enough.”

“It’s only been three days.”
“It’s fine. I think I can defeat an Angry Monkey even if I can’t run.”

“You’re acting tough again… is it not just an act?”
“Yes.”

It’s not enough to let my guard down, but if I do it seriously, I don’t feel like I’ll lose.

Shiraishi-san stares at me intently.

“You mustn’t sacrifice yourself, Isshiki-kun.”

Her expression was unusually earnest, and I was at a loss for words. A little while ago, she would have hit the nail on the head.

But now, it’s different.

“It’s alright. It’s all what I want to do.”
“…I see. Then I’m relieved.”

Shiraishi-san smiles brightly and points in the opposite direction of the gate. Beyond it is the staff-only door.

“The instructor wants to talk. Can you stop by before going to the dungeon?”
“Ugh… the instructor?”

I instinctively made a sour face because I was thoroughly put through the wringer during the training period. Those days in April have been completely erased from my memory.

“He’s a kind person once the training period is over, so it’s fine. Go on.”

“What’s with that club advisor-like comment?”
“Because he’s like a club advisor.”

Pushed by Shiraishi-san, I knock on the staff-only door. There’s a reply, so I enter. It’s a large room, similar to a school staff room.

The instructor was in the back of the room. He was wearing pitch-black sunglasses indoors and a rugged leather jacket. He looked far too out of place for desk work. His appearance suggested he might say something like, “What the hell, I’ll kill you,” if he opened his mouth.

As I cautiously approached, he turned his neck to look at me.

“…! It’s been a while. It’s Isshiki.”
“Oh, Isshiki. How’s your condition?”

“Perfect.”
“Even with a broken arm?”

“Yes. I can do my best right now.”

The important thing is not to be intimidated. I stare at the place where his eyes should be, behind the sunglasses.

The instructor grinned, his white teeth flashing. Good. Looks like I won’t be killed.

“Hahahaha! Good, good. I have a job for you, Isshiki. It’s a request from a university professor. Daily wage of 20,000, transferred at the end of this month. The client wants an adventurer who can dive into the dungeon for two consecutive weeks and properly perform the specified tasks.”

“Daily wage of 20,000 yen?!”

That’s the same reward as when my gathering was going well.
It’s a blessing to be able to earn that much in my current situation, with a broken arm, drastically reduced Angry Monkeys, and all the gathering materials already taken. Diving into the dungeon for two consecutive weeks is no hardship for me.

Mon Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Fri x 2
I can do it!

“The professor is a leading authority on Yororehi research. If you do a good job here, it might lead to future opportunities.”
“I’ll do it. I’ll do anything.”

“Understood. I’ll assign Isshiki to this request. The first day’s task is to map at least 10 locations of Yororehi habitats and their current status. For the second day onwards, ask at the reception.”

The instructor said that, then added, “Well, there’s no such place as reception.” That’s right. We call the reliable female staff member ‘the reception lady,’ but there’s no reception desk around the gate. When you think about it calmly, it’s strange.

“Thank you very much. Excuse me.”

I bow my head and leave the room.
The first day’s job is map creation. In that case, what I made for earning money should be useful.

◆

The Sacrificial Forest is as silent as ever.

When the Red Walker was subjugated, many of the Angry Monkeys that were there must have been subjugated too. It’s an additional blow to their already dwindling numbers. I probably won’t see them for a while.

My left arm feels pretty good. With the cast on and painkillers, it doesn’t hurt even when I run.

I do some light stretching and flow magic throughout my body.

“【Flexible Enhancement】”

Remember.
That difference I felt when I fought the Red Walker.

Just 10 seconds. But for those 10 seconds, I touched a realm far above.

“…………No good. I don’t understand it at all.”

There’s still more to this magic. But it doesn’t seem to be a place I can reach immediately.

Then, I’ll just improve the proficiency of what I can use now.
I release the magic and switch.

“【Falling Blossoms, Flowing Water】”

I entrust my body’s movements to the flow of magic.

“Ready, set, go!”

The scenery blurs. I was supposed to be running, but before I knew it, my altitude had increased. It was because I used a tree as a foothold. I lost control, was thrown into the air, and barely managed to correct my posture and land.

A dull impact that went all the way to my head.

“Ouch… not really, but, darn it.”

It seems that it working well during the Cursewood incident was just a coincidence. It’s still nowhere near practical proficiency. I need practice. Now, with no battles, is the perfect time. I’ll just keep repeating it during my travel for the request.

First, I head to the Yororehi habitat marked on the map and take photos. For places that are hard to understand from photos, I take notes and move to the next point. After that, I expand my search area and discovered several new habitats.

The areas near the entrance had been completely harvested, while distant areas were growing vigorously. I was relieved to find that the Yororehi were still there.

I spent my spare time secretly test-firing ice-based magic and trying to twist it around to see if I could apply it in new ways.

From the second day onwards, the work became increasingly monotonous.
I administered the specified chemicals from the professor to the Yororehi and took photos for records. That was all there was to it. I visited 20 habitats in about half a day, and spent the rest of the time practicing magic.

After about a week, the effects of the chemical administration began to appear.

Some of the Yororehi that had been completely harvested by adventurers began to recover. In contrast, there was no change in the areas that were already growing vigorously or where the chemical labeled ‘control’ had been sprinkled.

“Grow well, little Yororehi-chan.”

I actually grew fond of them and started to find them cute. Perhaps people who cultivate cannabis on Earth feel the same way.

By the time the two-week request ended, I was reluctant to leave, and rumors of a mysterious monster called ‘Mach Monkey’ were circulating among adventurers. The amount earned was 280,000 yen.

This month’s start is also pretty good, for now.

◇

I reported the request to Shiraishi-san and began preparing to go home. My cast should be coming off soon, so it might be time to seriously consider advancing to the next area.

I’ve already confirmed the entrance to the Spirit Path of the Polar Night. If I run at full speed through the forest, I can get there in about an hour. However, I can’t fight monsters after running at full speed for an hour. I’d be out of breath and die.

At half speed, it’s 2 hours one way. 4 hours round trip. This makes it unrealistic.
It seems a day trip is still impossible.

I showered and changed, then gathered information instead of going home. It’s helpful how surprisingly kind senior adventurers are when I talk to them. Some seem awkward, but they still answered my questions politely.

Someday, I’ll become a reliable senior too. I renewed that resolve.

However, the current deadlock remained unchanged.

As I was pondering, someone stopped behind me.
I turned around, and there was a woman.

Rough. That was my first impression.

“Are you Isshiki?”

Hair roughly cut to shoulder height. Lightless, pitch-black eyes. Rough skin and wrinkled clothes. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her expression lacked vitality.

I nodded with just my head, and she opened her mouth.

“I’m Kirishima Yuko. Haruka Shiraishi’s former party member.”