Chapter 65

Two days after exploring the 91st floor.

Today is finally the day when the *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* will tackle the 92nd floor.

As usual, I arrived at the operations room around seven and found a visitor already there.

"Good morning, Orun. Are you always here so early?"

Will, who had confirmed my presence in the operations room, greeted me—his tone a bit stiffer than usual.

His face was tense, and he didn't have his usual carefree demeanor.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, it was a bit iffy. I felt like I was in a light sleep all night. But I'm not sleep-deprived, so it's fine, right?"

...Of course, that makes sense.

All four of us must have more at stake for today's dungeon exploration than usual.

I can't say anything careless.

"…Will, can you spare me a moment?"

◇

I brought Will to the indoor training ground.

I didn't get permission to use it, but checking the schedule on the wall, it seemed no one would be using it until ten, so I decided to use it.

"What are you planning to do by bringing me here?"

I summoned a wooden double-bladed sword from my storage magic tool and threw it to Will.

"Whoa!"

After confirming that Will, though confused, had caught the double-bladed sword, I summoned a wooden longsword.

"Instead of wasting time there, why don't we do some warm-up exercises and have a mock battle?"

"……Well, that might not be a bad idea."

Will, agreeing with a wry smile, took a stance.

Then, the sound of wooden blades clashing echoed through the training ground many times.

It had been a little over an hour since Will and I started fighting, and we were both breathing heavily.

"Ha… ha… ha… That was pretty intense for a warm-up."

"It's because Will is going all out."

"Haha, I'm only at about 40%."

"Then why are you so out of breath?"

"…Phew. …Thanks. I feel much better now."

Will, catching his breath, thanked me.

"…I just used Will for my warm-up. There's no need to thank me."

"Haha, sure. Then let's leave it at that. Let's head back to the operations room after taking a shower. The others should be there by now."

Will seemed a bit less tense.

I wish I could have thought of a better way.

What a waste of talent.

I'm too clumsy…

After washing off the sweat in the shower room attached to the training ground, I moved to the operations room.

By the way, I changed into different clothes for the mock battle.

We can't do a mock battle in our dungeon exploration gear, can we?

◇

When we returned to the operations room, the other three were already gathered.

"Good morning, both of you. It's unusual for Orun to be so close to the deadline."

"I was deepening our male friendship."

Everyone's expressions were tense.

Even Lecre, who usually brightens the atmosphere, didn't seem to be in high spirits today.

I want to help them relax, but I can't think of a good idea.

"Alright, today we finally head to the 92nd floor. Our goal, of course, is to defeat the black dragon and reach the 93rd floor. Let's step on the soil of the 93rd floor today!"

"「「「「Yeah!!!」」」」

Selma seemed to have a softer expression compared to the other three.

Still, she seemed more tense than usual.

I hope everyone can act normally once the dungeon exploration begins.

◇

Then we left the operations room and started moving towards the Great Labyrinth.

The headquarters of the *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* is quite large.

In addition to the main building, which houses the living quarters and exploration department, there are several other buildings.

It takes a bit of walking to get from the main building to the gate that leads outside.

When we arrived at the gate, many members were gathered there.

"First Squad, good luck!"

"Let's defeat the black dragon today!"

"You can reach the 93rd floor today!"

The members were cheering for the First Squad.

When I was part of the hero party, the people would cheer us on when we entered the Great Labyrinth.

I felt a lot of strength then, but now it feels even more profound.

This is how I feel, a new member of the clan.

The other four must be feeling something indescribable.

"Master! Please defeat the black dragon again!"

"Master! I'm cheering for you. Good luck!"

"Orun! Please come back safely!"

The members of the 10th Squad ran up and cheered for us.

I couldn't help but pat their heads.

"Thanks. I'll go to the 93rd floor first."

"Hehe, we'll catch up soon, so wait for us!"

"Yeah, I'll wait. You guys can catch up to me."

"Hehe~. I love it when Master pats my head. Make sure to come back so I can get my head patted tomorrow and the day after. I don't want to be like Alba, who never came back."

"Of course. I'll come back, so wait for me, okay?"

"Um, um, good luck…"

"Thanks. I'll do my best."

◇

"Rain, good luck!"

"Rain is the strongest magician, so she won't lose!"

"Protect everyone, please!"

"Ugh, I don't want to hear this…"

Rain was crying.

In this short time, I've seen many of Rain's expressions, but this is the first time I've seen her cry.

Rain always tried to act like the big sister to all of us and probably put on a brave face.

Maybe this is the real Rain I'm seeing for the first time.

"Hey! Willks! Don't look so down! You're the best defender in this clan! Defenders don't look like that! Your teammates will get worried!"

"Yeah, yeah! You look best when you're your usual carefree self! Don't make that face no one recognizes!"

"Lecre is here! Everyone will come back unharmed!"

"Lecre, you're strong! You've worked hard! You won't lose anymore!"

"Haha, that's a huge boost…"

Will whispered, his voice trembling.

"Yeah, you're right. This isn't just our fight."

Lecre agreed with Will.

"Leader, good luck!"

"The best enhancer on the continent won't just stagnate at the 92nd floor, right? Catch up to the hero party and become the best in both name and reality! Today is the first step!"

"You guys…"

As we received many cheers, the Chief appeared in front of our First Squad.

"In the past year, the *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* has changed significantly. The executive members, including myself, have been replaced, and we no longer have the momentum we once had. Some even said the *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* is finished. However, I believe this year had meaning. I want the world to know that the *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* still has the potential to grow! And most importantly, I want you to give it your all today for yourselves. All the members, including myself, are praying that you will return here safely and with smiles."

After hearing the Chief's words, Selma closed her eyes and looked up at the sky.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and stared straight at the Chief.

"We will definitely reach the 93rd floor. Everyone, let's go!"

With the cheers of our comrades at our backs, we stepped outside the gate.

Somehow, the tension had disappeared from the four of us.

I realized how great it is to have comrades.

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