Scene: Inside the Dungeon

The roar of a dragon (loud sound) marks the beginning.

Several human figures are on stage.

All of them are holding their swords, alert and looking towards the upstage.

From the downstage, a young boy (Ryujeen) is roughly pushed forward by two men (Goji and Yulma).

Goji: "Get going! Now!"

Goji pushes the boy.

Those on stage catch Ryujeen who stumbles forward and drag him further towards the upstage.

Ryujeen: "I was hired as a porter, fighting monsters wasn't part of the contract!"

Ryujeen struggles but is held down by the others, unable to move.

Goji (grinning): "Shut up, it's an emergency. There's no other way. Just buy us some time, alright?"

Yulma: "It can't be helped. Hey!" (points with his chin)

One of the men nods and approaches Ryujeen. He stabs him in the back of his knees with a sword.

Ryujeen: "Ahh!"

Ryujeen falls to the ground.

Ryujeen: "Wh- what are you...?"

Goji: "So you won't get scared and run away. You can't escape if you can't walk."

Yulma: "We're not asking you to fight monsters. Use this. It's a magical tool that creates a barrier."

Yulma throws the magical tool towards Ryujeen.

Yulma: "Just stay there and maintain the barrier until the magic cannon is charged. Simple job."

Goji: "You're useless with no magic, so do your job properly!"

Yulma: "Once the cannon is charged, we'll take out the dragon in one shot."

Goji: "We'll treat you after we kill the dragon. So hold them off, alright?"

Everyone exits towards the downstage leaving Ryujeen behind.

The dragon's roar begins the closing sequence.

Ryujeen crawls and tries to escape, screaming in fear.

He picks up the magical tool and tries to activate it in a panic...

Complete closing of the show

Scene: Curtain closed (stagehands are preparing for the next scene)

In front of the curtain, Yulma and several others appear from the upstage.

Yulma: "We need to retreat quickly!"

Adventurer A: "Hey Yulma, aren't you going to use the 'Magic Cannon'?"

Yulma: "Magic Cannon? You mean this pipe?"

Goji: "……You tricked Ryujeen?! That's low!" (laughs)

Yulma: "The barrier stone is real. Once activated, it'll create a magic barrier and hold the dragon back for a while."

Adventurer A: "What happens when the barrier breaks? Won't the dragon follow us? We need to get out of here!"

Yulma: "The barrier stone is linked to a self-destruct mechanism. It'll blow up the exit when it breaks, preventing the dragon from getting out."

Goji: "So that'll seal the exit?"

Yulma: "Yes, it's a very powerful self-destruct stone… Ryujeen won't suffer. He'll be dead."

Adventurer B (shrugs): "How kind..."

Yulma: "And… though it's unlikely, if he manages to survive and decides to sue, it'll be a real hassle."

The adventurers shrug and frown.

Yulma: "We don't have time. Let's retreat now!"

Everyone exits towards the downstage.

Scene: Adventurer's Guild

Setting: The stage is set with Yulma, Goji, several other adventurers and the Guild Master (Daniel).

Daniel: "So there was a dragon in the dungeon?"

Yulma: "An Earth Dragon. And it was in a rather shallow level."

Daniel: "If the Earth Dragon emerged onto the surface, it would be disastrous. We might be able to take down one, but if there were multiple… the city would surely be destroyed."

Yulma: "I blew up the exit to the level, so it won't be able to get out for a while."

Daniel: "Good job. I need to inform the lord immediately, and we should also consider sending a request for troops from the kingdom."

Goji: "The porter boy, he sacrificed himself to seal the exit. Thanks to his noble sacrifice, the city was saved. Let's give him thanks." (laughs)

Daniel: "A G-rank adventurer dying in a dungeon is not a big problem."

Ryujeen enters from the downstage.

He opens the door and enters the guild.

Ryujeen (glaring at Yulma): "You planned to use me as bait from the start?!"

Yulma: "Ryujeen! You… You're alive?!"

Setting

The quaint town of Mimul, a place that could be described as a peaceful countryside, had a dungeon appear near its eastern border about a decade ago.

The town, lacking any significant industries, welcomed the dungeon as a resource and didn't actively try to conquer it. However, managing a dungeon without destroying it requires meticulous care. Mimul lacked that expertise and simply allowed adventurers to explore the dungeon at their whim.

The dungeon, for reasons unknown, underwent distorted growth, resulting in high-rank monsters overflowing the lower levels. Adventurers began to struggle with thinning out the dungeon's monsters, and the increased numbers began to spill out, roaming the town's outskirts.

The increase in monster-related citizen casualties, including a casualty among the nobility, finally prompted the lord to issue an order to destroy the dungeon.

In response, the Adventurers Guild formulated a raid (a large-scale conquest operation involving multiple parties).

Ryujeen, a 16-year-old boy, was a G-rank adventurer whose main source of income was gathering herbs.

Despite his earnest efforts, his level refused to rise, and he'd been stuck gathering herbs for the past three years, unable to accept high-rank requests.

Aware of his lack of skills, the boy didn't intend to participate in the raid, but he was forced into it as a porter.

The dungeon conquest raid began. While there were some struggles, they managed to advance steadily. However, around the tenth level, they encountered a dragon.

The Crawling Dragon, Krow, is an A-rank monster. Its dangerous nature demands at least an entire military company to take it down. Yet, these dragons were wandering the dungeon in countless numbers.

The adventurers, who hadn't anticipated such a threat, immediately retreated under Yulma's command. To escape the dragons, they decided to sacrifice the boy they brought along as a porter.

To be continued...

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