Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

"This is about it. I'm sorry, Allen. I've taken up too much of your time."

{TLN: Merus calls Allen, Allen-san in japanese. I am just translating to Allen.}

"No, you made it easy."

"You have defeated 1 Crimson-Kaiser-Sea Serpent. You have obtained 340,000,000 experience."

There were traces of fierce battles in the area.

The leaves floating on the surface of a wide area of water had been erased.

Merus wanted to know what happened to his power after he became a summon, so I had him fight against magical beasts.

I knew that neither A-rank magical beasts nor Floor Bosses were a problem for him in terms of status.

I had him fight against the S-rank Floor Bosses from the 2nd Floor to the 4th Floor in order.

He couldn't defeat Scarlett, who had a great recovery speed, but he could defeat both Beebe and Crimson alone.

"I think I can handle everything, except for that long worm."

I also wanted to know how powerful Merus was, so I decided to let him fight by all means.

While watching the battle situation using from a short distance away, I was reconfirming with my friends the materials that I would be handing over to the Adventurers' Guild the next day.

I came along with my friends to meet him after we thought the battle was over.

"Well, it's difficult to defeat Scarlett, who has high regenerative capacity."

"Really? I don't think there is a magical beast that I can't defeat."

Merus looked a little disappointed.

"How much stronger were you when you were an Angel?"

I was told that no honorifics were required, so I decided to treat Merus the same way I would any other summon.

My friends also didn't need to use honorifics and didn't have to be afraid according to him.

He seemed to have an honest nature that often let his true feelings leak out, saying he didn't want to be formal.

It helped that he didn't have a prideful or high-handed personality.

It was due to how he was treated by the Creator God Elmea.

"It's a fraction of what it was before."

"So you're saying that the Great Demon General Kyubel is several times more powerful than you are now or even more so?"

"That's what I mean. I have seen you and your friends strength, but if we fight now, we will be annihilated before we can make Kyubel take us seriously."

"Seriously? He is several times stronger than us?"

Kiel once again realized how strong the enemies we were trying to defeat were.

"Well, it's getting late. We should leave the dungeon."

It was the third day of our three-day dungeon schedule.

We returned to our base and began to compile the information we had learned over the past three days, which had not changed since the beginning of the year.

"Here is the new Death Zone map. The magical beasts have changed."

"I see. Sorry."

And the next day in the Adventurers' Guild.

At the Adventurer's Guild, we were shown to a private room, as usual due to the enormous volume of transactions.

At that time, the terrain of the Death Zone changed, so I gave a parchment with a general map and escape route to the Branch Manager Popocca of the Adventurers' Guild.

Note that Angel Merus was in my Grimoire as a card.

There were people all over the world who knew Merus' face.

If he were to be recognized, it would create a lot of useless fuss.

"Just to be clear, this is the 4th Floor Death Zone. We have not checked the other floors. Perhaps the terrain is the same, but the magical beasts may be different. So, I'll leave you to it."

While I was telling him what I needed to tell him, the Branch Manager was reviewing the parchment drawings.

(I've given you what I want to give you. Then we are going back.)

The deal was done.

I also gave them the materials to pass on.

"The other day, our branch received word of an oracle from the Church of Elmea. This is what you were talking about, isn't it? This is going to be a big problem."

But the Branch Manager continued the conversation.

The oracle had been circulated in the public, and everyone knew that the Talent change system would begin in April.

"It is what Hero Helmios told me. I am only contacting him for information or suggestions."

Sometimes I wished Helmios himself would say so.

"... Our Guild's suggestion to form a Dungeon Information Department has been officially approved by the Adventurers' Guild Headquarters."

I denied it, but the Branch Manager continued on.

"What? Is that so? Congratulations."

(Good for you. That'll save me a lot of trouble.)

I had made a suggestion to the Branch Manager a month prior.

It was to create a department that collected and analyzed information in the dungeon and provided the necessary information to the adventurers.

I had given the Branch Manager a proposal outlining the idea of a new organization, the "Dungeon Information Department".

In the proposal, dangerous information, such as what happened in the Death Zone, would be bought from adventurers who returned alive for a fair price.

Until then, magic stones, weapons and armor had been the main ways of trade.

However, "information" sometimes trumped expensive weapons and armor.

The valuable information was to be scrutinized by the Dungeon Information Department and sold to adventurers who needed it.

My friends and I would leave the dungeon after conquering it.

We couldn't forever provide the information that would be needed.

However, I couldn't overlook the situation where 50% of adventurers died every year.

In my mind, the Dungeon Information Department would help reduce the annual mortality rate to about 20%.

We also didn't know when the war against the Demon King's army would break out.

We couldn't afford to lose our valuable and strong adventures in a situation where only 10% of our population was born had a Talent.

Thinking about what would happen after we left, I suggested that the Adventurers' Guild create a self-sustaining and enduring organization.

I wanted the annual mortality rate to be less than 10% at the end of the year.

Combined with the track record of the oracle and the efforts of the S-class Dungeon Adventurer's Guild branch, the proposal might have been fast-tracked at headquarters.

"So, about this whole 'status and honor' thing..."

(Mm? We are still talking about this?)

I wanted to leave early, but the Branch Manager said he had a question about my suggestion.

"What's wrong there?"

"No, the reward we will offer to the adventurers who escaped from the Death Zone is points. Isn't that money?"

"Ummm. Well, money is fine. But, why don't we let the adventurers choose?"

I answered the Branch Manager's question.

I wrote in my proposal about offering points to those who provided information. And they could use those points to buy a letter of recommendation or an honorary award, depending on the accumulated points.

The reason why I thought so was because the adventurers who had made money in S-class dungeons often retired quickly from the adventuring business.

Adventurers raiding the S-class dungeon could earn in excess of 10,000 Gold coins.

What the adventurers needed after they retired from the adventure was a stable life afterwards.

The money would be enough when they retired as an adventurer.

After leaving adventuring, what the adventurer needed more than money was a title or a letter of recommendation for a new Talent.

Even if they only had money, they couldn't do anything with it, and many of them become broke after spending a lot of money.

The Adventurers' Guild, a worldwide organization, could fully support the post-adventure life of those who had contributed and provided useful information for other adventurers and people.

If the good deeds and contributions to the Adventurers' Guild were well documented and clearly stated, the adventurer could get hired by a Noble or a wealthy merchant.

That way, the Adventurers' Guild Information Department wouldn't have to purchase valuable information for money.

The department would be able sustain itself without running out of budget.

Naturally, the information obtained would be sold at a low price to adventurers who needed it.

The information had to be sold so that those in charge of scrutinizing and analyzing the information could be paid a reasonable salary and hire competent people.

"I see."

The Branch Manager, next to me, was frantically taking notes."

He asked me to wait multiple times and I gave him time to take notes each time.

He was the one who was supposed to be the leader of the Information Department.

"There are only a limited number of adventurers who can become a Branch Manager of the Adventurers' Guild. So I hope you can think of this as a way to support adventurers in their post-retirement lives."

"So, what is the desired reward you want for providing such information, Mr. Allen? As a Branch Manager in the only S-class dungeon in the world, I'll do my best to make it happen. Of course, it doesn't have to be money."

He assured me that he would talk to the Adventurers' Guild headquarters if he had to.

From the look in the Branch Manager's eyes, I suspected that he would do anything I told him to.

We had not been paid for any information we had provided.

"Huh? As I said before, this is information from Hero Helmios, and a suggestion. If you want to give a reward, ask Hero Helmios."

"..."

At least the Branch Manager Poppoca, who had met Helmios several times in his position, was sure that he couldn't get his head around these things.

With the Branch Manager in the background, my friends and I left the private room.

"Hey, shouldn't we get a reward?"

Cecile said to me, who was no longer thinking about the Adventurers' Guild, that it would be a waste of time.

"What? Well, a world-class organization is in our debt. I will retrieve it via Helmios when I need it."

I grinned and made an evil face.

Cecile let out a sigh.

"Okay, we've collected all the Medals and I've finished analyzing my A-rank summons. We are going for the 5th floor."

"Wow! We're finally going! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Kurena also clenched her fist in front of her chest.

Allen finally decided to aim for the 5th Floor, where the Dungeon Boss was located, after months of preparation.