Chapter 3

And so, the next day,

"Monog. Hey, Monog!"

Such a call and a poke on the cheek.

Slowly waking up, I found our leader's smile right in front of me, almost filling my entire field of vision. What is this distance?

"Ah, you're awake. Good morning, Monog. You were sleeping soundly."

"…Good morning, Rain. What do you mean by 'soundly'? I ended up sleeping on the sofa because you took the bed."

"But I keep telling you, you can use my bed in situations like that."

"First of all, don't sleep in other people's beds…"

Despite being quite drunk last night, Rain now had a healthy, glowing complexion and was shaking my body.

"Come on, you're awake, you're awake. It's a perfect day for dungeon exploration today!"

Rain, already dressed in her light dungeon gear, was shaking my body vigorously.

This much physical contact—could this be what fuels her popularity with girls? There are even rumors in town about some special pairing between Rain and me, which only fuels the desire for my expulsion from the party, but I'll leave that unsaid.

Woken by Rain, I got dressed with a dazed head and went down to the lobby with her.

The other three were already there, and they seemed to be fully prepared for the dungeon.

"You're late."

"Sorry, sorry, Monog wouldn't wake up."

Among the party members, Snow, who is known as a tsundere, called out in her usual tsundere tone, and Rain apologized slightly while putting me down. This is a pretty common scene.

By the way, Snow's tsundere elements are directed only at Rain. Her comment about being late was clearly aimed only at me, not Rain.

Well, I'm used to Snow's attitude, and it doesn't really affect my mental state. Maybe I'm just conditioned?

"Good morning, Monog. You must have been preparing late last night. Good job."

"Thanks."

"No, that's my job."

On the other hand, Sunny and Sandra offered kind words. They are so kind. I want them to be happy. Keep it up, Rain!

I smiled and replied that there was no need to worry about me.

Even though I sometimes think about being expelled, as long as I'm a member of the party, I will fulfill my role. That's what a pro does.

This kind of work ethic is, in one way or another, understood by them—

"Stop chatting. Since we're all here, let's get going!"

I'm sure Snow's words are a sign of trust that I will do my job properly and that we can proceed to the dungeon without any issues. I choose to think positively about it.

Despite the realistic possibility of being expelled, it's my personal freedom to imagine, "That's what she's thinking, right?"

Still, mentally, it might be tough to handle tsunderes in the morning.

The dungeon is said to be a relic of an ancient civilization. Of course, this is according to scholars who specialize in such things.

It is said that ancient civilizations were far more technologically advanced than the present day, and some parts of the dungeon contain systems that surpass human understanding.

One of these is the warp point function.

The dungeon is divided into multiple levels, and the deeper you go, the stronger and more aggressive the monsters become.

At the beginning and end of each level, and occasionally in the middle of monster-free areas, there are large magic stones called warp points. By channeling your own magic power into these, you can instantly travel between warp points. It's incredibly convenient.

A warp point is also set up at the entrance to the dungeon, so it's easy to resume exploration from the last warp point you reached during the previous exploration, or to return to a previous level if the enemies are too strong. This casualness is one of the reasons the dungeon is accessible to a wide range of adventurers.

"Alright, Stormbreaker! Let's do our best today without losing anyone!"

With that call from our leader, Rain, we once again took a step into the dungeon.

◆◆◆

When entering the dungeon, the main objectives can be divided into two types.

One is, of course, exploring to reach the deepest level. This involves moving down one area at a time, exploring uncharted dungeons.

Of course, if a floor has been explored by a pioneer, you can buy information from them and take an easier route, but we, the Stormbreaker, do not encourage this.

This is because information often contains false elements, and even if you take an easier route, it won't strengthen you.

If there is a gap between the strength of the monsters on a level and your own strength, it can lead to death. To prioritize the survival rate, it is more logical to gather information to a certain extent and then proceed with your own eyes.

The second objective is to return to previously cleared levels to defeat monsters, gather herbs, and collect minerals—essentially to obtain materials needed for the adventurer's trade.

Materials can be processed into weapons and armor, and can also be sold for money. Since dungeon exploration usually does not come with a reward, selling dungeon materials is directly linked to daily life. This kind of steady work directly affects what we eat, wear, and where we stay.

Our objective this time falls into the first category.

To go further, to uncharted lands. Today, with a goal that perfectly aligns with the spirit of adventure, the members of Stormbreaker seem to be highly motivated.

After reaching the deepest level we can currently access via warp points, the 18th floor, we continued to advance, with Rain leading the charge and defeating monsters.

I am a support mage, but it seems my support isn't really needed, so I focused on collecting materials from the dead monsters and picking up herbs and other items along the way.

Hmm, it's safe and secure, but this sense of emptiness. Even though safety is a good thing, it feels like a noose is slowly tightening around my neck.

By the way, most rear-line roles, such as supporters and miscellaneous tasks, can learn a magic spell called "Pocket," which allows them to store items in a pocket dimension.

The amount that can be stored is proportional to the mage's total magic power. In my case, it's above average, so the storage capacity is decent. In that sense, there is a demand for me as a baggage carrier.

However, from the looks of it, Snow and Sunny seem to have the aptitude to easily learn "Pocket."

"Monog, are you keeping up!?"

"Ah, yes."

"You, as a supporter, should stay hidden behind me!"

Snow, an attack mage and positioned slightly behind the front line with Sunny, called out. She's kind.

She's a good kid who cares about rear-line roles like me, even if she's being tsundere. Really.

"Monog, you can hide behind me. I'm an archer, so I'm the closest to you."

"Monog, you can hide behind Sandra too."

"Hey, Sunny!? Even Sandra… You're at the front, so you can't protect anyone while fighting!"

Next, Sunny and Sandra called out.

I see, I get it. This is an appeal to Rain, isn't it?

By protecting the weak rear-line role, they are showcasing their combat skills and broad-mindedness—this is a sad scene where the weakness of the rear-line is exploited.

"No, Monog! If that's the case, I'll protect you!"

But the prince from the planet of insensitivity didn't even notice their intentions and, surprisingly, volunteered himself.

"No, no, Rain! You're not the type to protect people!"

"That's not true, Snow. Attack is the best defense!"

While that's true, if I hide behind Rain, who wields dual swords and overwhelms enemies with relentless attacks, I'll probably be drenched in blood. I completely agree with Snow on this.

However, the fact that Rain's participation has made the situation ambiguous is true, so to calm the situation—

"No, no, it's fine. I can protect myself."

I chose to reject everyone's kindness. A clearly disappointed atmosphere filled the air, but there was no other choice.

After all, I'm not in a position to support just one person. This kind of situation should be handled when it's between me, Rain, and one of them.

If they can have this kind of banter, they must be at ease. If this is how it is at the deepest level, the day when I'm no longer needed is near. I'll start packing a little bit when I get back today.

"Talking about protecting or not protecting is unnecessary… I'll cut down all the enemies that come!"

But our leader is really cool… no wonder girls fall for her.

From my perspective as a fellow male, she's just too dazzling.

This might be why, despite the Stormbreaker having beautiful women, no men are drawn to them.

For men, especially attackers, Rain is so perfect that being with her only brings feelings of inferiority.

In that sense, I'm glad I'm not an attacker.

However, thinking about the situation where only Rain is popular and the current state of the adventurer community surrounding supporters, I can't help but feel a sense of my own lack of value.