Chapter 79

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The day after Mika was allowed to take the Explorer Examination, she immediately began her actions. It seems she had already picked up some information online the night before and promptly went to apply for a daily wage part-time job as a staff member for an event held during the Golden Week.

Before she left, when I asked if she was going alone, she mentioned that she had already talked to Sae on the phone the night before, and they decided to work part-time together during the Golden Week.

Both of them are quite proactive...

"Well, since Mika is working hard, I should do my part too."

Sitting at my desk, I stretched my arms above my head and extended my back. I really want to talk with Yuzi and Hime about the Slime Dungeon and Mika's situation, but unlike me, who has free time during the Golden Week, they both have other commitments and are hard to reach. If they contact me, it would be a different story, though.

So, I decided to do something other than consulting during the Golden Week.

"First, let's review what has happened so far."

I turned on my computer and opened a video folder. Inside the folder, there were about 20 video files saved.

"Let's see... Is this the first one?"

I selected the video file in the top left corner and played it. The video showed the figures of Yuzi and Hime. The video I was watching now was a record of our actions inside the dungeon, taken with an action camera.

"Hmm. We were too excited and not very cautious..."

The video showed us as inexperienced new explorers. Looking at it from my current perspective, it seems quite dangerous.

We need to be more careful when taking Mika and the others into the dungeon.

"As the saying goes, 'Look at others to correct yourself.' In this case, the 'others' are the images of ourselves in the video. The first thing to teach them when guiding the two of them is to make them aware of what they are doing and where they are going. Even if it might become a trauma, it's better than dying. I wrote down the points for improvement in my notebook and continued watching the video of us entering the dungeon.

"...Even though we have skills like identification and detection, objectively speaking, we rely too much on our skills and are not cautious enough."

In the video, we were cautious, but our caution was not thorough enough. Looking closely at the light trails from the flashlight, it was clear that we did not shine the light on the four corners of the corridor enough. In this level, although no small monsters appeared, if they were hiding and ambushing, the corners of the corridor would be the most suspicious hiding spots.

However, the light from our flashlights in the video was focused on our path, and we neglected to shine it on the suspicious areas.

"We need to improve this. If there was a level where skills were ineffective, we would die immediately with such sloppy caution."

As I watched the video, the problems with our actions became more apparent. This method only works because we have excellent skills.

The problems that became apparent during the boss battle were on the same level as the need for better coordination. We relied too much on our excellent skills and failed to learn the necessary skills.

We need to explore the dungeon without using our skills to verify our basic exploration abilities.

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After watching just the first video, the page in my notebook was filled with points for improvement.

"It's not surprising for the first exploration, but there are too many points for improvement. Especially, our reliance on skills and poor detection movements."

After finishing the first video, I sighed and held my head. While it was helpful to see the lessons for guiding beginners, the numerous detailed problems to improve were giving me a headache. It's amazing that we didn't have any problems until now.

"Having excellent skills from the beginning is also a problem. Our actions are based on the assumption that we have skills, so each decision is risky..."

Looking at our actions objectively, there were various problems.

"Well, it's fine. Let's wait until I finish verifying the remaining videos to draw a general conclusion."

I rubbed my temples and started the second video.

"I hope there are some improvements in this one..."

I watched the computer screen, hoping that no new points for improvement would be added to my notebook.

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By the time I finished the third video, I heard the front door open and Mika's voice. It seems she had returned from her part-time job.

I decided to take a break and went down to the living room. There, I saw Mika collapsed on the sofa.

"Welcome back."

"…I'm home."

She looked quite tired. Mika didn't try to get up from the sofa and only turned her face towards me.

"How was your part-time job?"

"…I'm tired."

"No, I meant, what did you do?"

"…I was a salesperson for event goods."

As I listened to Mika's complaints, it seemed to be quite a challenging job. Her tasks included inventory management, sales, and various other duties.

"The goods sold like hotcakes, so I had to go back and forth between the inventory warehouse and the sales area many times. And there were other things too..."

Lying on the sofa, Mika continued to complain to me. After a while, when I silently listened, Mika got up from the sofa, looking a bit more cheerful after venting her frustrations.

"…But it was quite fun? It felt like a school festival."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Even though I met people for the first time today, it was fun to work together to make the event successful."

"That's good to hear."

Seeing Mika's happy expression, it seemed she didn't have much to worry about.

"Yeah. So, I decided to continue working part-time during the event period."

"Tomorrow too?"

"Yeah. The event is only during the Golden Week, so it's a good short-term job."

"I see. So, Sae is also working?"

"Yeah. Sae said she has free time during the Golden Week, so we decided to work together."

Mika complained about the job being tough, but it seemed she enjoyed it.

"Then, I might go to the event to see you work. Where is it?"

"Wh-What?"

When I said I might go to the event, Mika was surprised.

"What? Is it not okay for me to go?"

"N-No, it's not that..."

"Then, it's okay for me to go, right?"

"…Yeah."

When I asked with a slightly displeased expression, Mika looked embarrassed and looked down.

...For Mika, it's probably like a parent-teacher conference, so it's embarrassing...

"So, what kind of event is it?"

"…Well, it's like a fair with items related to the dungeon?"

"A fair?"

"Yeah. There are food stalls with dungeon ingredients, stages with explorers performing, and a mix of various things."

"So, is the event organized by the Dungeon Association?"

If it's a large-scale dungeon-related event, I think the Dungeon Association must be involved... Is it an event to promote explorer activities?

"Yeah. The event is organized by the Dungeon Association. My part-time job is with an event company that manages the venue for the association."

"I see. The association does a lot of things."

"Yeah. At the stage events, active explorers performed quite flashy mock battles. You know, like the hero shows you often see at amusement parks, but much more intense!"

"Wow."

The show we showed to Hime's parents was like a performance. Seeing Mika's excited expression, it seems the show was quite impressive. Indeed, if explorers perform a hero show, it could be a perfect recreation of a special effects show.

"And! That person really flies!"

"Flies? Did someone punch them and send them flying?"

"No! That person flew in the air!"

"Really flew..."

So, they have a skill for floating or flying?

"Yeah! They only floated in the air for a short time, but they floated without any wires or anything!"

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Yeah! The audience gave a big cheer, and it was very exciting!"

Flying in the air... Indeed, such a performance would receive cheers. However, it's surprising that someone would use such a skill that consumes a lot of EP. If the floating time is proportional to EP consumption, they would quickly become unable to act with low levels...

But, it would be a waste to point this out to Mika, who is excited. So...

"I see. Then, I definitely want to go to the event."

"Yeah! It's definitely worth seeing! ...Wait, what?"

"By the way, I also want to see how you work."

"Ah..."

Mika realized her mistake and her face twitched. She was so excited about the show that she inadvertently invited me to the event, even though she didn't want me to come. Her changing expressions were quite amusing.

"Then, it's settled. When and where does the event start?"

"Are you really coming?"

"Yeah. I want to see the show you praised so much. So, where and when?"

"…At the sports park, starting at 10 AM."

Finally giving up, Mika sighed and told me the location and start time of the event. The sports park... There's a station nearby, so I can take the train.

"Then, since there are food stalls, I might go mainly to eat. I'm looking forward to seeing what's there..."

I smiled and deliberately said this out loud so that Mika, who was feeling down, could hear it. When Mika heard my words, she looked up and gave me a slightly resentful look.

What a successful prank, indeed.

"You two, it's time to have dinner. Mika, if you've had a break, don't just keep talking with Daiki. Take your things to your room. It won't get organized, will it?"

Mother, who had been listening to our conversation in the kitchen, called out to us. She had a smile on her face, so it seemed she was enjoying our playful interaction.

"…Okay."

"Daiki, if your hands are free, help set the table and prepare for dinner."

"Got it."

Mika gave a slightly resentful look at Mother and then obediently took her things and left the living room. After seeing Mika off, I took a dishcloth from Mother in the kitchen and was lightly warned.

"Daiki, don't tease Mika too much, okay?"

"Got it. I understand."

"Good."

After replying to Mother, I started wiping the table with the dishcloth.

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After having dinner with the family, I returned to my room and continued verifying the fourth video. Although there were some improvements, the exploration