As we lay on the ground, limbs twitching from the paralysis, Genya-san’s exasperated voice drifted down from above.
"Good grief, what are you doing? How is the protection target supposed to stay safe when all the security personnel are walking on ahead?"
When I managed to turn my head toward him, I saw Genya-san gripping a pistol-style laser gun, its muzzle pointed squarely at the vest on Ririka’s back. Now that he mentioned it, I remembered him saying as an afterthought that if Ririka—the protection target—got hit, the devices would link up and shock everyone.
So that was it... Genya-san had been the one to shoot Ririka.
"The fundamental rule of security is to advance while maintaining a tight perimeter around your target. You must never create a moment where your target is left behind or exposed. Understood?"
"Y-Yes!"
After about thirty seconds, the numbness in my limbs finally subsided. My legs were still a bit shaky, but we all managed to stagger back to our feet.
Ririka let out a small cry of admiration.
"You all are amazing. I can't believe you're standing already. When we first took that electric shock, we were rolling on the ground for nearly five minutes."
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes. It was quite a struggle to recover."
If an explorer, whose electric resistance had surely increased through their level ups, was paralyzed for five minutes... just how powerful was that shock? A normal person might actually die.
"Enough chatter. If you don't start climbing soon, you'll run out of time. I'll consider that last attack a warning, so I won't count it against you."
"O-Oh..."
"Now, move."
Urged on by Genya-san, we moved into formation. Yuji took the lead, I took the rear-right, and Hiiragi-san took the rear-left. We placed Ririka in the center, creating a protective triangle around her.
However, we were forced to stop almost immediately.
"...Is this supposed to be the path?" Yuji muttered.
He was staring at a tiny gap between the dense, overgrown brush—just barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through. It wasn't an unmaintained trail; it was a pure beast path.
We were really supposed to go through there?
"Yes," Ririka explained. "Since this mountain isn't typically used for training, the vegetation grows back quickly and blocks the way. This beast path only exists right now because the disciples acting as the opposition climbed up ahead of you."
"Does that mean there are basically no roads on this mountain?"
"None. You'll have to push through the brush and forge your own path as you go."
This was the absolute worst.
Forging a path meant we’d be announcing our exact location to the hidden opposition with every step we took. We were essentially inviting them to ambush us whenever they pleased. To make matters worse, we didn't have machetes or anything else to clear the branches, which made the task even more tedious.
"Sigh... Nothing for it. Hiiragi-san, I'll clear the way, so stay in front of Ririka and guard her. Daiki, you watch the rear."
"Understood," she replied.
"Got it."
Yuji gave the orders and then grabbed a sturdy fallen branch to beat back the brush ahead of us. However, once we got deeper into the mountain, the large canopy overhead blocked out the sun, and the tall undergrowth thinned out.
We returned to our original formation and continued upward, keeping our senses sharp.
"The ground is incredibly uneven, which makes it hard to walk, but at least there's no more tall grass to push through," I noted.
"True."
"Wait, Hirose-kun," Hiiragi-san said. "Are you sure we're on the right route?"
"Let’s see... If that’s there and this is here... yeah, we're fine. We haven't strayed too far from the path yet. Right, Ririka?"
"Yes. I recognize this area. If you keep heading straight, you'll reach the summit."
Yuji checked the map Genya-san had given him to verify our position, then double-checked with Ririka just to be safe. Since it was our first time on this mountain, being overly cautious was the only way to go.
"Oh, also," Ririka added, "there are numbered markers posted throughout the mountain to prevent people from getting lost. If you cross-reference them with the numbers on the map, you can find your exact location."
"Markers?"
"Yes. They're painted bright yellow, so they're quite easy to spot. There should be one nearby..."
Following Ririka's lead, we all turned our heads to scan the area. I spotted it almost immediately—about a hundred meters ahead to our front-left, a yellow pole roughly a meter high was sticking out of the ground.
"Is that it?"
"Yes. They're just simple numbered poles, but they're a huge help when you're navigating unmaintained terrain."
"I see."
We all nodded, impressed. It must have been a massive undertaking to install those all over the mountain, but it was a necessary precaution.
"Ah!"
The moment our attention shifted to the marker, a faint pop sounded, followed by Hiiragi-san’s sharp cry of pain as she collapsed.
My brain froze for a split second at the suddenness of it.
I snapped back to my senses and started to rush toward her, but—
"Hiiragi-san, are you—!?"
"Don't move, Daiki! Cover Ririka!" Yuji barked.
"What!?"
I froze at Yuji's sharp command.
"It’s an ambush!"
Yuji threw himself between the fallen Hiiragi-san and Ririka. A second later, I scrambled to stand beside him.
"Where from!?"
"I don't know! I heard the sound from this direction, so they're probably over there, but..."
Yuji scanned the dense vegetation, his eyes narrowed. I concentrated every bit of focus into my eyes and ears, trying to catch even the slightest hint of movement, but the attacker had likely already retreated. We couldn't find a trace of them.
"...Nothing. I can't find them. Yuji?"
"Same here. I don't feel a single presence."
"Damn..."
As Yuji and I maintained our watch, Hiiragi-san finally recovered from the shock and stood up.
"I'm sorry. I let my guard down."
Her steps were still a little wobbly, but she sounded lucid. She looked at us, clearly feeling guilty for missing the attack.
"Don't apologize," I said. "We didn't notice the shooter either. Right, Yuji?"
"Yeah. We let the attacker slip away, too. This isn't just on you, Hiiragi-san."
The truth was that every one of us had allowed our attention to drift, neglecting our vigilance. The blame didn't rest on her alone; it was a collective failure.
"...You're right. Let's make sure we don't lose focus again."
"Yeah."
"Agreed."
For now, we left it at that. We were still in the middle of a training session, after all. We would save the deep reflection for after the exercise was over.
I turned to Ririka, who was looking at us with a troubled expression.
"Sorry, Ririka. We failed you right away."
"No, please. If anything, it's my fault for bringing up a topic that distracted you all. I'm so sorry."
"No, Ririka, it's not your fault. It's our responsibility for getting sucked into the conversation and letting our guard down. Right?"
"Exactly," Yuji chimed in. "The failure to block the attack is entirely on us."
We hurriedly reassured Ririka as she bowed her head in apology. Even during an escort mission, we needed to be able to maintain vigilance while handling casual conversation. If we couldn't do that much, we’d be mentally exhausted long before a real mission ended.
"Actually," I said, "it might be better training if you keep talking to us during the escort."
"Yeah," Yuji added. "It’s better if we learn how to stay alert naturally, even when we’re occupied with something else."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said.
While talking would give away our position to the hidden attackers, the goal of this training was to master non-skill-based vigilance that we could use in the dungeon. We were never going to be silent during a real dungeon crawl, so learning to stay alert while talking was essential. If we didn't force ourselves, I was sure we’d just fall into a silent, over-focused state.
I knew we were raising the bar quite high for ourselves as beginners, but it felt necessary.
"I see... I understand. In that case, I'll continue to talk to you, provided it's not too much of a distraction."
"Yes, please."
With that, we resumed our climb toward the summit.
We eventually made it to the top.
However...
"Um... is everyone alright?"
Ririka’s worried voice reached us where we sat slumped on the ground. After securing the arrival marker at the summit, we had collapsed onto nearby fallen logs and flat rocks, completely spent.
"Yeah... somehow," I managed.
"This is... a bit much," Yuji groaned.
"Can we... rest for a minute?" Hiiragi-san asked.
"..."
We all answered in weak, hollow voices, staring at the dirt. In the time it had taken to reach the summit, we had been hit by more electric shocks than we could count on one hand. We couldn't find the hidden attackers at all; they had played us like toys, leaving us to roll in the mud over and over until we were covered in filth.
"This training is way harder than I thought..."
"Yeah. There aren't any big animals like boars, but there are plenty of birds and small animals. I keep misreading their movements as the attackers' presences..."
"We haven't managed to take down a single one of them yet..."
"If they would just follow up with a second shot, we could at least try to counter..."
"Sigh..."
A collective sigh of misery filled the air.
Whenever we were shot, the small popping sound gave us a general idea of where the attack came from, but the hidden disciples immediately retreated after landing a single hit. Since they never stayed to engage, we had no way of reducing their numbers.
"Grandfather told the disciples to stick strictly to hit-and-run tactics," Ririka explained. "He said that since this is training for Presence Detection, there's no need for them to stay and fight."
"...Seriously?"
"Yes."
At Ririka’s words, we all looked up in unison.
That was news to us. I understood that it was training for sensing presence, but expecting us to detect and block the very first shot from a hidden master...
"Don't you think the difficulty level is a bit insane?"
"Yeah, this definitely isn't 'beginner' level."
"..."
The image of a smiling Genya-san flickered through our minds.
As I suspected, that man was exactly like Juzo-san. His expectations for us were quietly through the roof.
After sharing a look of shared despair, I spoke to Ririka.
"Ririka, how much time has passed?"
"Let me see... It's been twenty-seven minutes since we started the climb."
"Thanks. So we have about thirty minutes left on the clock..."
Climbing had taken longer than expected. If we didn't start the descent soon, we’d blow past the time limit. We forced our heavy, sluggish bodies up and slapped our cheeks to snap ourselves back into focus.
"No use sitting here forever. Shall we head down?"
"Yeah..."
"Let's go..."
"Is that okay with you, Ririka?"
"Yes. As long as you all are ready, I have no problem."
"Then let's get moving."
Dreading the inevitable shower of electric shocks waiting for us, we began our descent.
When we finally made it back down, we found Genya-san sitting comfortably in a folding outdoor chair, sipping tea. He even had a sunshade parasol set up. He looked far too relaxed.
"Oh? You're back."
For some reason, seeing him like that made my blood boil. I wasn't asking him to stand at attention while he waited, but seeing him lounging while we were literally twitching...
Genya-san stood up and walked over, perhaps sensing our resentment.
"From the looks of it, you all took quite a beating from those shocks."
"...Yes."
"Well, it's your first time, so it's only natural. Regardless, good work."
"...Thanks."
I knew I was being prickly, but I hoped he’d forgive me. My nerves were shot—literally.
Genya-san magnanimously ignored my attitude and turned to Ririka.
"How was it, Ririka? After accompanying them, did you notice anything they could improve?"
"Yes, Grandfather. I noticed two main points that need immediate attention."
With that, Ririka began to systematically tear apart our performance.
First: We weren't narrowing down potential ambush points along our route. Second: We weren't narrowing down the most likely hiding spots for attackers.
"The first point is a result of not being able to read the map in detail," she said. "If you can't read the terrain, you can't predict where an attack is likely to happen. To fix this, I suggest you study map reading."
"I see..."
"The second point follows the first. If you haven't predicted the attack point, you can't possibly narrow down the hiding spots. There are other advanced techniques, like sensing a hostile gaze or murderous intent, but I believe you should focus on these two points before moving on to those."
None of us could offer a rebuttal. She was exactly right. We had only been using the map to make sure we didn't get lost. Expecting to react to a sudden attack without predicting where it would come from was a tall order even for a veteran.
"In short, the biggest thing to improve is your prediction."
"There you have it," Genya-san said, looking at us. "Any of that sound familiar?"
"...Yes."
We all hung our heads, looking properly chastened.
Looking back, we had been so focused on trying to sense everything in our surroundings that we hadn't bothered to predict anything. If we had narrowed down the likely spots for an ambush, we might have actually spotted the attackers.
Dashing into the mountain the moment the exercise started had been a mistake. We should have realized why Genya-san gave us so much time. That extra time was likely meant for a pre-mission briefing and strategy meeting.
"I’ll give you thirty minutes to rest. After that, you’ll tackle the same task again. Whether you use that time to sleep or to reflect on your failures is entirely up to you."
With that, Genya-san sat back down in his chair and returned to his tea.
There was no way we could just sit there and rest after that. We immediately pulled Ririka into a huddle and began frantically refining our plan. With Ririka taking the lead, we marked the spots where we had been attacked on the map and began identifying other potential hiding spots along the route. The thirty minutes vanished in an instant, and we headed back into the mountain.
By the end of the day, we had climbed the mountain three times—and we finally managed to take down two of the disciples.