Chapter 72

It has been five days since the first team reached the 93rd floor.

During these five days, I've been busy summarizing the report for the guild with the support of the exploration assistance department, giving interviews, and receiving sponsors other than Mr. Edington.

As an explorer, it's a happy thing to have the reached floor updated, but famous exploration parties like the Hero Party and the Silver Hare of the Night Sky have to deal with various matters afterward, which is honestly troublesome.

Since things have settled down over these five days, I decided to resume the training of the 10th squad.

When I entered the usual room of the exploration management department, all three of them were already inside.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Oh, Master! Good morning! Congratulations again on reaching the 93rd floor!"

"Master, congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

The three of them greeted me with words of celebration upon confirming my entrance into the room. It's much more pleasant to hear this from them than from sponsors or interviewers.

"Thank you. Next, it's your turn. The final floor of the upper levels, the 30th floor."

In the past month, the 10th squad has completed the exploration from the 1st to the 29th floor. I accompanied them, but I only observed without intervening or giving instructions. These three have grown even more over the past month. They are still like raw stones, but they will continue to grow.

"There's something I want to discuss with you, Master."

"Discussion?"

"Yes. We want to challenge the 30th floor by ourselves, just the three of us."

"…Just the three of you, meaning you don't want me to accompany you?"

"No! That's not what we mean! Having Master with us is a great source of strength. Just knowing that Master is watching over us makes us feel secure when we tackle the dungeon. However, I think we shouldn't keep relying on Master! I don't think it's a true dungeon exploration if we keep having Master accompany us while we explore the Great Dungeon…"

Are they feeling pressured by the first team's achievement of reaching the 93rd floor?

"No, I'm not being arrogant. This is not about that."

Following Log, Sophie spoke up.

"During these five days, we've been discussing how to tackle the 30th floor among the three of us. We've also seen the battle with the 30th floor boss during the training exploration last month, so it's not our first time. After objectively comparing the strength of the monsters and the boss on the way with our own abilities, we believe we can handle it without any problems!"

It's rare for Sophie to speak up on her own. She must be very serious.

"I won't push myself too hard! I won't do anything to take the smiles off the two of them! I'll work together with them! So please, let us!"

Carol also pleaded with a serious expression.

The 10th squad's teamwork has improved. Moreover, their skills are already sufficient for the middle floors.

However, there are concerns. The fact that there are only three of them. With fewer people, it's harder to handle unexpected situations. This is my biggest worry, but is it right to ignore their unusually serious determination just because I'm worried?

(Maybe I'm being overprotective…)

"…Alright. You can tackle the 30th floor by yourselves."

When I gave my permission, the three of them brightened up.

"Thank you—"

"But! You said you discussed how to tackle the 30th floor among the three of you, right? First, tell me the details. If it's way off, I'll revoke my permission."

"…Understood."

Then I listened to their strategy.

To be honest, I had underestimated them. Even though they said they had formulated a strategy, it was their first time doing so. I thought there would be many flaws in their plan.

However, their strategy was almost flawless. The route they planned to take, the countermeasures for the monsters that appear on the 30th floor, and other aspects all adhered to the basics I had taught them over the past month, while also considering the disadvantages of being a group of three. Perhaps it was possible to formulate this strategy because the upper floors are relatively easier to gather information on, but if it was formulated by beginners on their own, I would give it a near-perfect score. If I were in the 10th squad's position, I would have come up with almost the same strategy.

"That's all. Master, what do you think?"

"…Who came up with the base of this strategy?"

"I, I did."

Sophie answered my question. She seemed very scared, as if she thought I would be angry. Am I that scary right now…?

I relaxed my expression and approached Sophie, patting her head.

"Great job. I didn't expect such a solid strategy. You can have more confidence."

Sophie's face turned red, and she looked like she was about to burst into a smile.

"Hey! That's not fair, Sophie! Master, I also contributed to the plan!"

Carol emitted an aura of wanting to be patted and appealed to me.

"Sure, sure. Carol did a good job too."

I patted Carol's head with a wry smile.

"Hehe~"

After patting both of their heads, I approached Log, who looked dissatisfied, and patted her head too, which made her look happy.

"With this strategy, you should be fine. You've done a great job gathering information. I'll allow you to tackle the 30th floor as a group of three. However, don't assume that everything will go according to plan. There are always unexpected situations. Don't be overconfident."

"「「「Yes!!!」」」

◇

The 30th floor exploration is scheduled for tomorrow, so today is a free day. By the way, Selma is visiting a sponsor in another territory, so there are no plans for the first team to explore the dungeon for a while.

(I'll spend today improving [Sword and Magic Fusion]. —Ah, I should prioritize making the items for them. I'll go to the old man's place and borrow his workshop.)

"Um, Orun, can I talk to you for a moment? I have a question for you."

While I was planning my schedule and heading outside, Sophie called out to me from behind.

"What's up?"

"Um…, your ability is [Mana Convergence], right?"

"…Yes. I can gather mana from the surroundings into a single point. What about it?"

"Um, how did you learn to use that ability?"

Is Sophie interested in abilities? Well, having an ability is a significant advantage, so it's natural to be interested.

The nature of abilities is still not fully understood. It's not clear whether they are innate or acquired. The current theory is that abilities are innate, and one becomes aware of their ability through some trigger.

I have been able to perceive mana since I was a child. For some reason, I felt I could interfere with mana. When I tried, I found a different sensation from the usual mana manipulation during magic casting. Eventually, I understood that I could gather mana to any location at will.

"Well… It's hard to put into words, but ability users sometimes feel they can do something without any basis. When they try, it actually works, and they understand their ability. Do you have that feeling, Sophie?"

"It's more of a sense of something being off, or a feeling that I can influence things at times… But when I try, nothing happens, so it might just be my imagination…"

Sophie laughed bitterly and self-deprecatingly.

"There's a lot we don't understand about abilities. After all, it's a special power unique to the individual. Maybe in Sophie's case, you just haven't grasped it yet. I think it's better not to ignore that sense of something being off. Don't rush. Take your time to explore the nature of that feeling."

I patted Sophie's head and encouraged her.

"Thank you. I feel a bit better now…"

Sophie smiled at me. Yeah, her smile is really cute. I can understand why Selma dotes on her.

◇

The next day, I and the three members of the 10th squad arrived at the entrance of the Great Dungeon.

"Here, take these. They are charms."

I gave them the colored plate necklaces I made yesterday. Sophie's is red, Carol's is green, and Log's is purple, matching their eye colors. There's a mechanism in them, but I hope it never activates.

"Wow! Master, thank you!"

They all seem happy, which is good.

"You're welcome. Now, go and tackle the 30th floor. And come back safely as a group. I'm looking forward to your report."

"「「「We're off!!!」」"

Then they turned their backs to me and entered the Great Dungeon.

Thank you for reading to the end.

Chapter 2 will continue a bit more.

Starting next time, it will be from Sophie's perspective.

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