Once we finished changing and met up with Hiiragi-san and the others, we did some stretches and other warm-ups before joining the queue to enter the dungeon.
"Hmm. The vibe here is different than usual, too..."
"Yeah. It’s the difference in the people lining up, I think."
As I looked at the line leading to the entrance, I felt slightly intimidated by the quiet, somber atmosphere. Usually, the area in front of the entrance was a noisy, bustling scene filled with the cheerful chatter of casual groups. Now, the only sounds were the low, hushed voices of professionals coordinating their plans for the dive.
"Today’s collection quota is..."
"Return is scheduled for 16:00..."
"Accounting complained about high equipment consumption last week..."
"Sync times... Three, two, one."
The air was thick with tension.
In fact, Mika and Saori-chan were completely overwhelmed by the mood. Their faces were stiff, and they seemed to be shrinking into themselves.
"...Are you two doing okay?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"I-I’m fine..."
No matter how I looked at them, they were clearly anything but fine. I just hoped their mental distress from the goblin fight wouldn't flare up again because of this.
I figured I’d better give them a little push.
"You two... I know it’s a lot to take in, but remember, we’re here on business just like they are. There’s no reason to feel like you don’t belong. It’s only natural to feel a bit out of place when the atmosphere is this different, but don't let it throw off your pace. If you’re too tense, you won’t be able to use your usual strength."
"U-Uh-huh."
"Y-Yes."
"Start by taking some deep breaths to settle yourselves. Once your mind calms down, the tension will follow suit."
Mika and Saori-chan followed my advice, closing their eyes and taking several deep breaths. After four or five repetitions, the visible strain began to fade from their faces.
"Feeling better?"
"...Yeah."
"...Yes, I’m okay now."
A hint of nerves remained, but they seemed steady enough for now. Once we got inside the dungeon, they’d likely forget this level of anxiety immediately.
Relieved to see them regaining their composure, I looked toward the front of the line.
"At this rate, it looks like it’ll take about ten more minutes to get in."
"Probably," Yuji agreed. "Each group is pretty big. The line is long, but it should move fast."
"That’s true," Hiiragi-san added. "Actually, it seems like small groups like ours are the rarity today."
Looking at the other explorers, I noticed they were mostly in groups of a dozen or more, all wearing unified uniforms. On weekends and holidays, you mostly saw small groups in mismatched gear, but today, there were only a few groups like ours in sight.
"Well, generally speaking, having more people makes dungeon exploration much easier on the shallow floors."
"As long as it's within the scope of a day exploration, Daiki's right," Yuji said.
"What do you mean by that?" Mika asked, looking curious.
"Oh, that? The reason I specify 'day exploration' is because of the logistics involved in a dungeon stay."
"If you're going to spend the night in the dungeon, you have to bring everything—tents, blankets, food, and so on," Yuji explained. "It’s not like there are hotels or convenience stores down there."
Hiiragi-san nodded. "Even if you use the transport robots we saw in the plaza, the amount of gear you can bring is limited. More people means more supplies. If you fill a robot's entire carrying capacity with just the items needed for a dungeon stay, you won't have any room to bring back the drop items you worked so hard for. If that happens, there’s no point in staying overnight to explore in the first place."
"So, we were just saying that having a large group is an advantage only up to the floors you can reach and return from in a single day."
"Oh, I get it now..."
Mika and Saori-chan both looked convinced by our explanation.
"Conversely, if we aren't staying the night, we only need to carry emergency rations and our own meals, like we’re doing now. In terms of hauling supplies, a large group doesn't feel the burden as much."
"And with a large group, you have more eyes to watch for traps and monsters, which makes it easier to keep everyone safe," Yuji continued. "Though, on the flip side..."
"If you have more people, everyone’s individual share of the drop items is smaller," Hiiragi-san said. "Safety is great, but if you don't find enough loot, it can lead to arguments during distribution."
"When the dungeons first opened, the exchange rates for drop items were so high that people would form makeshift parties with several different groups just to dive, but..."
"You hardly see that anymore," Yuji noted.
"That's true. I wonder how those people explore the dungeon these days?" Hiiragi-san wondered.
I recalled some of the scenes I'd witnessed in the past as we taught Mika and Saori-chan about the pros and cons of large-scale exploration. I’d definitely seen groups tearing into each other over profit distribution before.
"So, there are pluses and minuses. However, the logic changes when it’s not a temporary party of different groups, but a single large team managed by a company."
"Right. If the income is salary-based rather than depending on the sale of drop items, you don't have to worry about splitting the loot," Yuji added. "For a company, it’s better to set a minimum quota and prioritize safety by exploring with a large group."
"Of course, this only applies to day explorations," Hiiragi-san reiterated. "Like I said, a dungeon stay increases the burden exponentially."
If you aren't hunting for rare, high-value drop items, the most reliable way to operate is to prioritize safety with a large group on a day trip. Of course, that also depends on the level of the explorers involved.
I took another look at the people around us.
"Judging by their gear, I'd bet most of these parties are here for day explorations."
"Likely," Yuji said. "They’re probably here to collect meat products like orc meat. That’s always in high demand since it’s so popular as far as dungeon meat goes."
"I think you're right," Hiiragi-san said. "My family’s restaurant orders a significant amount of orc meat from suppliers, so it makes sense."
Aside from a few groups equipped with transport robots, most of the parties in line were pulling handcarts loaded with large cooler boxes. Unlike the robot-equipped teams in the plaza, these handcart groups weren't carrying tents or other overnight gear, making them relatively light. Most of them were clearly here for the day.
As we talked, the line moved steadily forward until it was finally our turn.
"Next group... wait, huh? Are you kids students?"
"Yes. But don't worry, we aren't skipping class. Today is a makeup holiday for our sports festival," I explained before it could become an issue.
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess there's no problem. Well, if you're heading in, tap your Explorer Cards on the reader one at a time."
"Will do."
The staff member at the gate had looked suspicious at first, but after hearing about the school holiday, he glanced at the long line of explorers behind us and quickly waved us through.
Following his instructions, we passed through the entrance gate and stepped into the dungeon.
The interior of the dungeon felt different than usual as well. We were walking around the 1st floor looking for some easy monsters to serve as a warm-up for Mika and Saori-chan, but as soon as we stepped off the shortest path to the 2nd floor and turned our first corner, we ran into a monster.
Wait, really?
"Ah, well... we found one a lot sooner than I thought. Mika? You ready?"
"U-Uh-huh! I’m good!"
"Alright, it's all you. But don't get careless."
"I know!"
Mika gave a spirited reply and stepped forward, leveling her spear at the monster—a horn rabbit. The rabbit seemed to recognize her as a threat as well; it let out a low growl, pointing its horn at her as it crouched low, ready to spring.
Mika and the horn rabbit stared each other down, both warily closing the distance.
"Hah!"
"Gyu!?"
The moment the horn rabbit shifted its weight onto its front legs to pounce, Mika struck. She didn't miss that split second. Enhanced by her level-ups, Mika’s spear struck before the horn rabbit’s front legs could even leave the ground. The blade pierced through its head without resistance, pinning it to the floor.
After a sharp cry, the rabbit convulsed a few times and then went limp. Mika kept her spear planted for a few moments, only relaxing her guard once she was certain it was dead.
"...Phew. Done."
"Good work. You timed its jump perfectly."
"I’ve fought them enough times now that I can kind of just feel when they’re about to lunge."
"I see. In that case, your next goal should be putting that 'feeling' into words. Being able to explain it clearly means you understand it on a deeper level."
"Yeah... but how do I do that?" Mika asked, tilting her head.
I supposed a hint wouldn't hurt.
"By honing your observation eye. Developing that skill means being able to identify an opponent's habits and weaknesses and seeing through their attack patterns. Whether you're fighting or running away from a monster you've never seen before, it’s an essential skill. Don't neglect it."
"...Okay, I'll try."
Mika nodded, looking thoughtful.
She pulled her spear from the ground as the horn rabbit dissolved into particles of light, sighing softly when she saw that it hadn't dropped anything. Even if it was just a cheap Core Crystal, a drop in the first battle usually helps motivation. Too bad.
"Alright, let's keep going. Saori-chan, you're up next."
"Yes, sir!"
The early victory seemed to have washed away Saori-chan’s nerves. She sounded full of energy again.
We headed deeper into the dungeon in search of another target. However...
"Grrr..."
We had only gone three corners from the spot where we fought the horn rabbit when we encountered a lone hound dog, already growling at us.
Are you kidding me? What's with this encounter rate? What happened to the usual empty halls?
"Why are they so easy to find today...?"
"...Maybe it's because it's a weekday?" Hiiragi-san suggested.
"Ah. Corporate explorers take the shortest routes to the lower floors, so the monsters in these side areas are being left completely untouched."
"Meaning there's no 'respawn wait' time, which is what usually causes the low encounter rate here."
The five of us shared a silent look.
We understood the logic, but that meant the creature in front of us was...
"So this guy... has just been lurking here ever since he spawned, waiting for someone to show up?"
"Looks like it," Yuji said.
"That would be my guess," Hiiragi-san agreed.
"Yeah."
"Seems so."
We all turned our eyes to the hound dog, which was still growling and baring its teeth. But instead of tension, we mostly felt a wave of awkwardness.
Uh... sorry for the wait, I guess?
Amidst that indescribable mood, Saori-chan dispatched the "camper" with a single spear thrust, mirroring Mika’s performance.
When the hound dog vanished, a drop item appeared in its place.
"A Core Crystal, huh..."
"I... suppose so," Saori-chan muttered.
We stared at the crystal with conflicted expressions. Earlier, I’d thought a drop would raise our spirits, but seeing one now... I didn't even know what to say.
If we hadn't realized why the encounter rate was so high—if we hadn't given this hound dog the "camper" title—would we have been more excited?