Once I finished convincing Mika and the others, Hiiragi-san asked us about the state of the Advanced Zone—specifically, what kind of traps had been laid there.
Yuji and I exchanged a brief glance before giving a simple rundown of the area.
"It felt like a milder version of Genya-san’s training, I guess. Right, Yuji?"
"Yeah. The difficulty was certainly higher than the Beginner or Intermediate Zones, but overall, it was still pretty soft."
Since there were no surprise attacks from infiltrators and no one was calling in wide-area bombings without warning, we were able to focus entirely on the traps themselves. Compared to Genya-san’s training, where we had to stay vigilant and respond to everything at once, this was much more manageable.
Upon hearing our impressions, Hiiragi-san nodded as if she’d expected that answer, while Mika and Saori-chan tilted their heads in confusion.
"Um... it was 'mild'?"
"Yeah, compared to the anti-trap training we’ve done elsewhere."
"...Just what kind of training have you guys been through, Onii-san?"
"What kind, you ask..."
I found myself at a loss for words at Saori-chan’s question.
If I told them exactly what that training was like, they would definitely be horrified... I recalled the details of Genya-san’s sessions and racked my brain for a way to describe it.
"Intense training, I suppose? Well, let’s just say it’s best left to the imagination."
"The imagination...?"
"Intense training."
When I replied with a distant look in my eyes, Mika and Saori-chan recoiled slightly. Incidentally, Yuji and Hiiragi-san also had far-off looks in their eyes, likely reliving the training just as I was. Well, that’s just how it goes...
After standing in silence for a moment, we noticed the puzzled glances from other explorers waiting in line and decided to leave the building housing the Beginner Zone.
"We’re attracting a bit of a crowd, so why don't we head outside?"
"Yeah, let’s go. It’s hard to talk in here anyway."
"I agree. Come to think of it, this isn't the sort of thing we should be discussing in public."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Avoiding the gazes of the people around us, we quickly made our exit.
Once outside, we took refuge at a small refreshments corner.
While catching our breath over some juice, I made sure no one was eavesdropping before telling the three of them that we had cleared the Advanced Zone—a fact we couldn't mention inside the building.
"Heh, so you actually cleared it."
"Yeah. We ran into a few snags, but it wasn't that difficult. Right, Yuji?"
"Yeah. We struggled in a different sense because we had to hold back our physical abilities, but the traps themselves weren't an issue."
Yuji and I recounted the various traps in the Advanced Zone to Hiiragi-san and the girls, keeping our tone casual as if it were no big deal.
Mika and Saori-chan looked at us with sheer disbelief, but Hiiragi-san remained unfazed.
"But the Advanced Zone uses a treasure hunt format..."
"Yeah, it does. The whole zone is dim, so visibility is poor, and there are obstacles like grass and trees everywhere. Honestly, I don't think anyone could clear the Advanced Zone unless they can breeze through the Beginner and Intermediate Zones without making a single mistake."
"I see... In that case, we’ll need Mika-chan and Saori-chan to polish their anti-trap skills in the lower zones a bit more. Does that sound fair?"
As Hiiragi-san and I spoke, we turned our gazes toward them. Mika and Saori-chan nodded reluctantly. Even if they knew she was right, it probably didn't feel great to be told they weren't up to par.
I tossed my empty juice can into a trash bin and brought up our plans for the rest of the day.
"Well then... shall we head back to the Beginner Zone for another round?"
"Um, could you wait a moment on that?"
"Hmm? Is there a problem?"
"You could call it that, yes."
I asked Hiiragi-san why she was calling for a timeout.
"The idea of having them repeat the training to gain experience isn't bad, especially since they have so little of it. However, I think they should learn the theory behind traps before they dive back into practical training. Watching them in the Beginner Zone, it wasn't their concentration or vigilance that failed them. They simply didn't know what kinds of traps were possible, so they overlooked the signs and walked right into them."
"Theory... so you mean we should start with classroom learning?"
"Exactly."
Hearing Hiiragi-san’s reasoning, I turned to Mika and Saori-chan.
"Mika, Saori-chan? Have either of you ever looked at professional books or websites about traps?"
"Hmm, if you mean 'professional' ones... then no, I guess not."
"I haven't either. I know the stuff that pops up in games and manga, but... I’ve never read a specialized book that explains the kind of things we saw here."
"I see..."
It seemed I had been a bit too impatient. Now that she mentioned it, classroom learning should have been the first step.
In our case, we had been clearing dungeons using my Appraisal Analysis skill. We were essentially doing classroom learning in real-time, using actual traps as teaching materials while remaining completely safe. Combining theory and practice like that sounded dangerous on paper, but thanks to that elite skill, we had never been caught by a first-time killer trap.
It seemed my perspective was skewed here as well. To throw them into a training facility with zero knowledge, without even explaining how traps worked...
Feeling apologetic, I bowed my head to Mika and Saori-chan.
"Sorry, you two. I shouldn't have thrown you into a training facility so suddenly. We should have started with classroom learning."
"No, don't apologize. It’s not just your fault, Onii-chan. We knew we were coming here, but we didn't bother to do any research beforehand..."
"Yes. If anything, we were relying on you too much, Onii-san. We just assumed you’d teach us everything we needed to know and neglected to look things up for ourselves..."
The three of us exchanged apologies and let out heavy sighs—mine for my lack of perspective, and Mika and Saori-chan’s for their own perceived negligence.
To break the heavy atmosphere, Hiiragi-san clapped her hands and spoke up.
"Alright, that’s enough moping, you three. If you’ve realized your mistake, don't just stand there depressed—work on fixing it."
"...You're right."
...Yes.
The three of us gave weak replies. It was true that taking steps to improve was far more constructive than dwelling on the past. I lightly slapped my cheeks to snap myself out of it, and Mika and Saori-chan did the same.
Seeing us recover, Hiiragi-san made a suggestion.
"About what to do next... instead of going back to the Beginner Zone, why don't we visit the reference room here?"
"The reference room?"
"I saw it on the facility map earlier. Apparently, this place has a reference room that’s open to the public."
A reference room, huh? Since it was part of this facility, it was bound to have materials regarding traps.
"I don't know exactly what they have, but I'm sure there are books on trap theory at the very least."
"I see... Well then, shall we check it out?"
I looked at Mika and Saori-chan, asking if they were interested.
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
It seemed they were both fired up now.
"It’s settled, then."
Hiiragi-san tossed her empty juice can into the bin. Following her lead, Mika, Saori-chan, and Yuji did the same.
We left the refreshments corner and made our way to the reference room.
The room was located in a corner on the second floor of the main building, which also housed the reception and changing rooms. It was about the size of a standard school classroom. Bookshelves filled with documents lined the right wall, while glass display cases containing trap components were arranged along the left.
In the center of the room, two rows of folding tables and chairs were set up, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
"There's nobody here..."
"True enough..."
Mika’s voice and mine echoed hollowly in the empty space.
For the time being, we stepped inside and began browsing the materials along the wall.
"Heh, they’ve got a pretty solid collection..."
"Yeah. Everything from general-interest paperbacks to some seriously specialized texts..."
Yuji and I voiced our admiration as we scanned the spines on the shelves. I didn't know where they’d sourced all these, but it was an impressive haul.
Meanwhile, Mika and Saori-chan were peering into the glass cases on the opposite wall, sounding intrigued.
"Whoa, they have traps like this?"
"Look, Mika-chan. There's no way anyone could spot this one the first time they saw it."
"Yikes... that’s nasty."
Mika and Saori-chan winced as they looked at the miniatures demonstrating various trap mechanisms. Hiiragi-san watched them and spoke up.
"You two, it’s good to be interested, but you should try to imagine how you would bypass those traps if you encountered them. If you visualize it beforehand, you’ll be much calmer when you face the real thing."
Yes!
Mika and Saori-chan gave her an energetic response and immediately started debating how to beat the traps. Hiiragi-san watched them with a gentle gaze—almost like a teacher looking over her students.
After inspecting the room for a while, Yuji and I grabbed several books and sat at the central tables. Mika, Saori-chan, and Hiiragi-san followed suit.
"Alright, I've brought over some books with titles that look good for you two..."
Yuji and I spread the books we’d pulled from the shelves across the table. There were seven in total: beginner-friendly paperbacks, hardcover technical manuals, and binders full of what looked like incident reports.
"Why don't you start with these? They have plenty of illustrations, so they should be easy to follow."
I handed the paperbacks to Mika and Saori-chan. They were the kind of cheap, mass-market books you’d find in a convenience store.
"Oh, I didn't know they made books like this."
"‘Complete Collection of World Traps Vol. 1’... I see. So these are sold to the general public."
Mika and Saori-chan flipped through the pages. Seeing the diagrams and photos seemed to put them at ease.
"They probably won't tell you how to disarm them, but reading those will teach you what kinds of traps are out there."
"And once you know what to look for, you’ll naturally start noticing whether a trap is present or not when you're in a dungeon or a training facility."
"Exactly. While the specific layout of a trap depends on the environment, you’ll be able to judge where one could or could not be hidden. Even if you don't memorize every single trap in that book, learning the general types will help you adapt to any situation. Do your best to learn them."
Yes!
Fired up by our encouragement, Mika and Saori-chan immediately began reading.
I watched them for a moment before shifting my attention to the other materials we’d gathered.
"‘Modern Equipment Applications for Traps,’ ‘Psychology-Based Traps,’ ‘Dungeon Trap Incident Reports Vol. 1 (Not for Sale)’... huh."
"The first two are one thing, but this last one was compiled by the Dungeon Association with cooperation from the Ministry of Defense and the National Police Agency..."
"To think they’d have something like this here..."
The three of us were genuinely impressed. Just having access to these records made this facility worth the trip. These kinds of materials usually required a fee to access on the Dungeon Association’s website. I glanced back at the shelves and saw the rest of the series, all the way up to Vol. 10.
"For now, why don't we go through as many as we can?"
"Good idea. Expanding our own knowledge of traps is essential if we want to keep exploring dungeons safely."
We each picked up a book and began reading in silence. With no other visitors, the only sound in the reference room was the occasional rustle of a page being turned.
We didn't return to the training zones after that, staying in the reference room until it was time to head home.