After switching on our Lights and entering the dungeon, we exchanged quick glances. Then, the three of us moved into formation, sandwiching Mika and Saori-chan between us. We could have let the two of them lead to help them gain combat experience and learn how to navigate the floors, but they were still a bit stiff after our earlier conversation. We decided to stick with this formation until we encountered our first enemy.
If they were too tense to react instantly when we actually ran into a monster, we’d be in trouble.
"We’ll keep going like this for now. You two, try to switch gears and get focused."
"O-Okay."
"Y-Yes."
When I pointed out that they weren't mentally ready yet, Mika and Saori-chan took several deep breaths. I wasn't going to demand they maintain a constant state of jōzai senjō just yet, but they needed to be able to flip that internal switch the moment they entered a danger zone. This would definitely be a point for future instruction. After their breaths, the two of them adopted focused expressions, their guards up as they began alertly scanning their surroundings. They hadn't fully transitioned yet, but at the very least, it didn't look like they’d miss any tracks or signs of an enemy.
We took the shortest course toward the stairs leading down to the 2nd floor, and that was when it appeared.
"…Mika, Saori-chan."
"!"
A single horn rabbit had emerged. It let out a low growl, wary of our movements, and leveled its horn toward us as it tensed its body to spring. If we got even a little closer, it would lunge.
Yuji and I, who had been guarding the front, split to the left and right. We wordlessly signaled for Mika and Saori-chan to step forward.
"..."
"..."
The moment we cleared the path, Mika and Saori-chan briefly looked at each other, wondering which of them should take it. I winced internally. Even if it was only for a second, taking your eyes off an enemy was a grave mistake. Against a monster with high explosive speed, even a momentary lapse in focus was an opening they’d use to close the distance in a single bound. Even if they couldn't read each other's minds, they needed to communicate verbally if the situation allowed for it.
I sighed to myself. I’d make sure to caution them about that after the fight.
"…Okay, I’ll go."
After their brief consultation, it seemed Mika would be the one to fight. She leveled her spear, pointing the tip at the horn rabbit as she stepped forward.
Once Mika had moved about five paces ahead, the horn rabbit made its move. It leaped, aiming its horn directly at her chest. However…
"Hah!"
For the current Mika, who had been through several real battles and training sessions with Juzo-san, a horn rabbit charging head-on was no longer much of a threat. Dropping her hips to lower her center of gravity, she thrust her spear sharply, piercing the horn rabbit’s throat as if scooping it upward. The monster convulsed as the blade impaled its neck, then its strength failed, and it went limp.
It was a truly splendid strike.
"..."
Mika remained on guard, watching to see if the creature would move again before pulling the spear out. Good, it looked like she hadn't forgotten her zanshin.
After a brief pause, the horn rabbit Mika had slain turned into particles of light and vanished. Unfortunately, it didn't leave any drop item behind.
"…Phew. It's over, I think."
"Good job. There were a few things I noticed, but that was a great move, Mika."
"Yeah."
Once the corpse vanished, Mika finally exhaled and relaxed her stance. The deep sense of guilt she used to display after killing a monster was gone. Of course, the feeling probably hadn't vanished entirely, but it no longer seemed to affect her enough to hinder her actions.
At this rate, she should be fine with consecutive battles, provided we took enough breaks. I’d have to check on Saori-chan’s status next, though.
"While we have a second, let me tell you what bothered me about that fight. First off, both of you—never take your eyes off the enemy when you’re facing one. I don't care if we're standing right here keeping them in check; don't leave yourself vulnerable by letting them out of your sight for even a second. If you're up against a high-agility monster, that one moment of carelessness could be fatal."
"Y-Yeah. Sorry…"
"Y-Yes! I’ll be careful…"
When I reprimanded them for their behavior before the fight, the two of them looked awkward and lowered their heads, shrinking back slightly. Right, that was enough of the "stick."
Time for the "carrot."
"…That being said, the actual combat was mostly good."
"!…Really?"
"Yeah. Your spacing was good, and your aim with the spear was accurate. If I had to nitpick, you should try to keep the enemy's attack a bit further away from your center line. It was fine this time because the rabbit was light, but with a heavy enemy, their momentum might carry them right into you even after they've been skewered."
"Got it!"
Mika looked visibly relieved and happy at the praise. I’d have to be careful with the balance; if I only used the stick, they’d just get intimidated and their movements would suffer.
I glanced at Yuji and Hiiragi-san as if to ask, Is this much okay?
"..."
"..."
Yuji simply shrugged, while Hiiragi-san let out a wry smile. Yeah, balancing the carrot and the stick was difficult. Feeling a bit self-conscious, I looked away and let out a forced cough.
Anyway, let's keep going.
"All right, let's move on. No sense in lingering here. This time, you two stay in the lead."
"Okay!"
"Yes!"
After Mika and Saori-chan gave their energetic replies, they stepped out in front. Yuji and I stayed split to the left and right as we moved to the rear, forming a V-shape with Hiiragi-san guarding the very back. This secured our rear and flanks, allowing Mika and Saori to focus most of their attention forward.
And so, we began walking again toward the stairs leading to the lower floors.
"Hah!"
"Yah!"
While we watched over them, staying alert, Mika and Saori-chan fought a pair of hound dogs. We had already descended to the 4th floor, the depth where multiple enemies began to appear simultaneously. The two of them were each handling one hound dog, but from here on, things would get tough if they couldn't handle multiple opponents on their own.
Well, they’d probably get used to it with more experience.
"Ei!"
Saori-chan dodged an attack from a leaping hound dog. As it landed and its balance wavered, she didn't miss the opening; she thrust her spear sharply, piercing its neck. However, the hound dog was tenacious. It writhed in resistance, heedless of the blood spraying from its throat, trying to pull itself off the spear. Saori-chan handled the beast's struggle calmly. To ensure the spear stayed deep, she shifted her weight and pushed harder, twisting the shaft to gouge the wound.
Blood gushed from the opening, and the hound dog’s resistance rapidly faded until it finally stopped moving after a final convulsion.
"…Phew."
As she pulled her blood-stained spear free, Saori-chan watched the monster as it began to turn into particles of light. She looked relieved, exhaling the breath she’d been holding.
Hmm. That was a bit disappointing. She was feeling relieved too early. When encountering multiple enemies, it's a "fail" to let your guard down before confirming that every single threat is neutralized. It seemed she had become a bit too accustomed to single-combat logic. I felt a slight headache coming on at the major mistake she’d just made.
Gathering my thoughts, I turned to the other fight.
"..."
Mika's battle with her hound dog was already over. She had finished it off by piercing its heart. Unlike Saori-chan, Mika hadn't looked away; she remained on guard until the particleization began. Only after checking that Saori-chan had also finished her opponent did she finally exhale and relax.
Yes, that was the correct way to do it.
"Good job, both of you."
"…Yeah."
"…Yes."
They seemed mentally drained from their first simultaneous battle. Well, that was only natural.
"So, how was it? Your first fight against multiple enemies?"
"I was nervous," Mika admitted. "The fight itself was one-on-one, but I kept worrying that Saori-chan's enemy might suddenly jump at me instead…"
"Me too," Saori-chan added. "I thought if my enemy escaped and headed toward Mika-chan… that thought made me feel like I absolutely had to finish the one in front of me as fast as possible."
Judging by her comments, it seemed Saori-chan was at least aware of her lapse.
"I see, I get it.…All right! Let's head back to the staircase plaza for a bit. I have some things to say about that last battle, but this isn't the best place for a long talk. That okay with you, Yuji, Hiiragi-san?"
"Yeah, that's fine. I have a word or two I’d like to say as well," Yuji replied.
"I'm fine with it too," Hiiragi-san agreed.
With their approval, we decided to retreat to the staircase plaza.
"We're heading back to the plaza. Stay alert on the way."
"Okay."
"Yes."
Fortunately, we hadn't gone that deep into the floor, so it didn't take long to get back. There were a fair number of explorers in the plaza, but we managed to secure a spot in the rest area. We sat down at a table and began our review meeting.
"Shall we get started?"
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"First, I'll start with… Saori-chan."
"…Yes."
When I called her name, Saori-chan flinched and braced herself.
"Based on what you said earlier, I think you know what's coming…"
"It's about zanshin, isn't it?"
As I thought, she was aware of it.
"Yes. In that last battle, you neglected your zanshin before you had even confirmed the fight was over."
"…Yes. I let my guard down the second I defeated my enemy. I hadn't even checked if Mika-chan was still fighting…"
Saori-chan looked grim, lowering her gaze as she reflected on her mistake. It pained me to pile on, but these things had to be said.
"This time, it was only two enemies and you could stay in a one-on-one format, but when that number increases to three or four, that one moment of carelessness could be your undoing. Never let your guard down until you've confirmed that every single enemy is down and the combat is over."
"…Yes!"
She looked at me with eyes that were almost tearing up, but her reply was filled with the determination not to fail next time. With that, she probably wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Then I'm next," Yuji said, timing his entry perfectly. "My point is about combat technique.…That said, I'm not going to nitpick minor details yet, so don't be so tense, you two."
Yuji gave a wry smile to Mika and Saori-chan, who were both stiff with nerves. Even Yuji wouldn't get genuinely angry at rookies who had only been in a dungeon a few times over tiny technical flaws.
"What I want to point out is the way you two handled your spacing."
"Our spacing…?"
"Um, we thought we were doing okay…?"
Mika and Saori-chan tilted their heads. As Saori-chan said, if you looked at it as two separate one-on-one fights, their spacing wasn't bad.
However…
"If you look at it as one-on-one, sure, it wasn't bad. But when you're fighting multiple enemies as a team, the spacing you two took wasn't great."
"?"
"?"
"With that kind of distance, you were in a position where you couldn't support each other, but the enemies could easily assist one another. In fact, there were a couple of moments where it looked like that was about to happen."
"Eh!"
Mika and Saori-chan’s eyes widened. As Yuji pointed out, that was the hidden danger in their positioning. We were lucky the hound dogs weren't the type to coordinate their attacks.
"When fighting multiple enemies, you have to gauge not only your own range but the enemy's as well. You need to position yourselves so you can support each other while preventing the monsters from doing the same. That’s the basic of team combat. You won't be able to do it perfectly at first, but keep it in mind. As you fight together more, it’ll start to come naturally."
"Yes!"
Mika and Saori-chan gave energetic replies to Yuji's advice.
Well then, now that we've had our break and finished the review meeting, I suppose it's time to get back to it.