Earth Dungeon 66.2

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Chapter 66.2. Face-To-Face

"Sugar. Sugar, huh? Do you want it poured generously?"

With a cheerful hum and a tune on her lips, she brought the coffee on a tray. 

Shaking my head, I chuckled.

"I don't need it poured generously."

"Well then, let me introduce myself. I'm Kamishiro Serika. I'm the director of the Asakusa Research Institute in the inner town. There are no other members yet, so I'm the only one."

Setting the tray down, she placed the coffee in front of me, then sat on the sofa and introduced herself.

"At your age, being a director is impressive. My name is Amano Sakimori. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. Hey, can you tell me about your skill setup? I'm interested in drops full of potions."

"You should ask Karin about skill setups. You do know the skill setup for drops full of potions is known, right?"

Karin mentioned that people with many skills tend to have imbalanced drops. With Equivalent Exchange Store, I understand that, and I've heard that skills are selected from random skills through Shizuku's information. In my speculation, you can't obtain limited rank 1 skills. That means most skills are excluded, leaving only a few. Learning skills multiple times increases the drop rate of potions. And if it's D rank, there are many ordinary skills, both physical and magical. They're mostly harmless skills. Some people have learned a lot of skills.

"I've heard about your magic setup. But I think your Shadow magic power is abnormal. Usually, street thugs aren't that strong."

"They're familiars. My magic manipulation seems to be slightly different from others."

Karin called it a perverted ability, but there's no one to compare it to, and each monster's magic is different.

"Yeah, familiars. Street thugs look weak, don't they? Can you show me a little?"

"Hmm? Sure. [Shadow Cat]."

I created the least mana-consuming Shadow Cat. A magic circle appeared on the table, and a shadow formed into a cat, sitting obediently.

With a meow, she picked up the black cat, and Serika looked at it with great interest. With an interesting look in her eyes, she petted its head, poked its paw pads, and finally patted its back before placing it back on the table.

"It looks like a regular shadow cat to me. Can you show me a stronger, more unusual familiar? Or is it hiding in the shadows?"

"That will cost you extra. By the way, is Karin here yet? I came to get an introduction to a carpenter today."

"Oh, I've heard about it too. I think she'll be back soon. By the way, you can call me Serika. How about I call you Sakimori too?"

"Call me whatever you like."

Why is this girl here? I wonder, but Serika continues to inquire me about the situation in the abandoned town, all with a smile. What kind of business is the market running? How are you conquering the dungeon?

Karin should know all of that. Well, I suppose it's just killing time until Karin arrives.

After some time passes, I hear the sound of the door opening and hurried footsteps, and finally, the catgirl peeks her head in, holding a cardboard box in her hand.

"Nyaw? Already here-nya? There's still time before the appointed hour. It's 30 minutes early until 2 PM-nya."

"I don't have a watch. I've been away from that kind of life."

If the sun is overhead, it's daytime.

"Hehe. Well then, I'll give you a wristwatch for the future. I wanted to put a transmitter in it, but the satellites are down, so it wouldn't make sense."

"Thanks. Karin, where's the carpenter? You did hand over the Skill Level Up Potions, right?"

With a sidelong glance at Serika, who chuckles, I asked Karin. It can't possibly be this girl, can it?

She brings a plate, opens the cardboard box, and places the cake on it while turning her face towards Serika. It seems like this girl still holds the upper hand.

It's all chocolate cake. Serika knows Karin's preferences.

"Then, I'll take over Karin's negotiation, as you can see. The carpenter I've prepared is a dwarf girl. In addition to her monthly salary, I want one bottle of Level Up Potion 3 per month."

While munching on the cake, Serika makes an interesting proposal with a smile. What's the value of a Level Up 3 Potion?

"This is different from the initial deal. You should introduce her to me with just 1 bottle."

With an intimidating tone, I glare at Serika. Is this a bluff in the negotiations, or is it not?

Feeling my intimidation, Karin shows a slight nervousness and extends her tail. Beastfolk can't hide their emotions. It seems impossible for her to be a spy.

Even in this tense atmosphere, Serika doesn't break her smile. She seems to have experienced a battlefield before.

"I'll introduce her, but she'll probably refuse first. I can definitely prepare a girl you can hire. It might not make sense in the inner town, but she'll be useful to you. Negotiating with her might be a little difficult though."

"I'm not good with people who don't break their smile. How about you let me meet this girl first?"

"Of course. I think you'll be very satisfied with her. Afterward, I'd like you to take on my request too."

I release my intimidation and gaze at Serika. She seems like someone you can't mess with. Her way of speaking, treating the girl as an object... well, it's fine. Let's get the introduction.