Earth Dungeon 69.1

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Chapter 69.1. Employment

Dressed as a princess, Oukubo Ryuko felt bewildered. She was currently at the residence of the Amatsugahara Corporation's president. 

It was a penthouse. The electricity in the elevator was out, so she had to climb the 20 stairs, apologizing to the intimidating president along the way.

It was an old building, and the president seemed surprisingly poor for his position. To think he had a company in this abandoned town. He probably didn't have much money.

I was led into the living room, but the table and the sofa looked worn, showing signs of wear and tear. The walls had been cleaned, but there were stains and patches from repairs. It seemed like an amateur's handiwork, quite haphazard.

I couldn't help but feel sad about being sent to such a place, but at the same time, she considered it better than the inner town, thanks to the welcome she had received.

[Block], the skill displayed when she first opened her status. Her life had changed drastically because of this skill. Those in power had turned around when they realized it couldn't be destroyed. It could protect against enemies and even launch attacks from within, but its effectiveness was questionable.

In the inner town, warfare primarily involved guns. In such cases, it ended with gunfire. They also use alloy shields, armored vehicles, and tanks. [Block] had its uses in modern warfare, but people had alternatives. It wasn't worth wasting skill-level-up potions on it.

Yes, a waste.

Disappointed, I had been berated by researchers and academy people, making me feel out of place as a lower-class citizen.

In the inner town, outer town, and the abandoned town, there were disparities, and even within them.

Even in the inner town, social status changed based on wealth, power, and military strength. The outer town residents envied the inner town, but even within the inner town, there were disparities. Lower-class citizens worked tirelessly, screaming as they paid high taxes. The inner town had terrifyingly high prices, but even lower-class citizens had to maintain their appearance and lifestyle.

They couldn't afford to look like they were wearing patched-up second-hand clothes or living meager lives. Inner town residents were expected to have high culture and dignity. Those who couldn't were sent to the outer town.

Ryuko, born into the lower class and protected by researchers under the guise of being a "guardian", had been sold for a large sum by her parents, who couldn't be called terrible parents. Life was tough, but Ryuko knew she could have a prosperous life now.

Even if they dissected skill holders, they couldn't uncover their secrets, and if they suffered mental problems, they couldn't activate their skills properly. Therefore, they had to be treated with preferential treatment. Ryuko's future seemed bright. At least, that's what Ryuko initially thought.

That's why she could raise her skill level to 3 and enter the top school, even though it was a military academy. Not everyone in the military academy would join the military. In Japan, controlled by the military, all top schools had become military academies, ready to be summoned at any time.

But Ryuko understood that even if she entered the military, things wouldn't go well if she continued as she was. After all, she had a shield skill. There was a high chance she would be used as a disposable shield for Ashikaga Teru, and even if not, she would undoubtedly be used up at the front lines, as if saying to get more skill level-up potions.

A grim future. I spent my days unable to sleep as graduation approached. My classmates were all either from the upper class or had exceptional skills. They made snide remarks and bullied her. Lately, the fact that this was her last year had been somewhat effective as they taunted her with sinister smiles.

Then, I was summoned by the academy's principal. Serika-san was also present, and with a condescending smirk, she informed me that I would graduate from there.

In other words, I was to become Serika-san's assistant.

"To acquire you, I paid for a Skill Level 3 Upgrade Potion and a large sum of money." 

Serika-san said with a cheerful smile, unlike the people she had encountered before. At that moment, she seemed like a savior.

A rare albino beauty, I had thought a goddess had come to save me. 

I didn't understand why Serika-san wanted me so badly, but it was much better than the certain death that awaited her in the future. I nodded without hesitation and then felt despair.

She told me to work in the abandoned town.

At that moment, I thought Serika-san was not a goddess but a devil. A beautiful devil, perhaps.

The abandoned town was synonymous with hell compared to the inner town. It was a living hell where there was no food without power, and death was ever-present. Monsters roamed freely in this living hell that was the ruined city.

Even during my recent training, there were no signs of people around. The broken, decaying buildings, crumbling houses, shattered shop signs, and dusty, empty interiors were all she could see. Occasionally, I spotted Big Rats and Goblins. I had heard that only criminals or people waiting for death lived in a place like this. The people I had seen in front of the dungeon didn't seem that bad in comparison.

Now, there were no illegal residents left in that place. Serika-san had asked her to go to the person who had established the Ghost Company without losing her smile, and I sighed, realizing my death sentence had been accelerated.

But now, after receiving a welcome party, I was starting to think that this company in the abandoned town might be a slightly decent place.

There was something else she was lamenting.

"Princess~ You're so cyuuute~"

"Ahaha..."

A little girl poking at her dress, coupled with the gazes of the people around, was painful. Why was I wearing this dress in the first place? The person who said to me to wear a dress was already sitting next to the president of Amatsugahara Corporation in a white coat, smiling. It was like a spectacle.

Blushing with embarrassment, I received a greeting from the sharp-eyed president.

"I'm Amano Sakimori. I've heard your name. You're Oukubo Ryuko, right?"

"Y-Yes. I'm Oukubo Ryuko. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Takeda Shingen. Nice to meet you."

The old man seemed to be named Takeda Shingen.

The president's voice somehow conveyed a coldness, which made me feel nervous. However, since the little girl had climbed onto the president's lap without any resistance, he didn't seem like a bad person.

Across from her were the president, Serika-san, and the old man. On the living room side, there was a stern-looking man in a chair and Karin-san.