The moment I heard about the upcoming drill, I, Kinya Higashimine, gave Muroi-san an immediate "yes." After all, the targets for this training were the same kids who had toyed with us so effortlessly during the last session. I knew our failure then had been due to our own negligence, and I’d been looking for a chance to settle the score... then came the request to participate. I didn't have anything urgent on my schedule, so I had no reason to refuse.
I had been retraining myself and refining my anti-explorer measures since that last session. Now was the time to show them the results. I wasn't going to let my guard down for a second this time!
"So, this many people showed up... Impressive."
I scanned the dojo where the briefing was being held. I was a bit taken aback by the sheer number of participants. I’d expected many of the veterans from the previous session to return, but I hadn't anticipated so many new faces. They’d likely heard the rumors and gotten curious.
After a short wait spent chatting with acquaintances, Muroi-san arrived.
"Good work, everyone. Thank you for gathering today despite your busy schedules."
The briefing began with Muroi-san’s boilerplate greeting. The plan was a three-day, two-night mountain bivouac camp where we would act as the attackers.
However...
"Hold on, Muroi-san. No matter how you look at it, that's just..."
"Yeah, isn't that a bit of a stretch?"
"It’s impossible. No one could clear that..."
The new participants began voicing their objections to the training curriculum. To be fair, if you just looked at the plan on paper, it was outrageous. Even for explorers, if the targets were just high schoolers, the requirements seemed impossible to meet.
Provided they were ordinary high schoolers, that is.
"Hmm. It’s definitely a harsh curriculum, but if it’s them..."
"They managed to clear the last one somehow, after all."
"Maybe they can do it?"
The veterans of the previous training scratched their heads, looking thoughtful. Deep down, they were all thinking the same thing: If it’s those kids, they might actually pull it off. I was certainly one of them.
After all, those guys had cleared the last training and successfully protected their escort target even when those three launched a full-scale assault. They would likely struggle with the bivouac until they got the hang of it, but they were so far removed from ordinary high schoolers that I didn't think clearing the course would be out of their reach once they adjusted.
"Everyone, please be quiet. Your doubts are perfectly reasonable, but this curriculum was designed based on their actual abilities and their track record from the previous session. While it is undeniably harsh, it is not impossible. In fact, if you all get careless and hold back, there’s a chance they’ll break through your lines as if you weren't even there. I ask that you all stay sharp and don't let your guard down."
A stir ran through the room at Muroi-san’s words, which were as much a warning as an explanation. The noise came entirely from the new recruits; those who had been through it before simply listened with solemn expressions. I was a little worried about how this gap in perception would play out during the actual training.
Despite the friction caused by the differing opinions on the students, the briefing concluded without further issue. After being dismissed, everyone began their individual preparations. Not that there was much to do other than making sure we were in peak physical condition for the main event.
Finally, the bivouac training began. Since they would likely struggle with the unfamiliar mountain camp on the first night, the plan was for them to reach a point near the summit, spend the night, and then start the exercise in earnest the following morning. However, that didn't mean we were going to give them a free pass on the first day. To give the newcomers a taste of what they were dealing with, we set up ambushes along the path to the summit. Most of the new guys seemed to think the targets were just slightly talented high school explorers.
As expected, anyone who entered the students' detection range was immediately hit by a Light spell counterattack and failed. They had talked tough beforehand, but the sight of them trudging back down the mountain with slumped shoulders after spitting out desperate excuses was pathetic. Muroi-san had warned them not to be careless...
"Still, something’s off... Why is the distance at which they're detecting us getting shorter?"
As I watched them repel several attackers, I felt a slight sense of wrongness. As they climbed higher, the distance at which they spotted the infiltrators was definitely decreasing. Furthermore, their gait was starting to look a little unsteady. They hadn't looked unwell when I saw them at the prefab building earlier, but...
"Well, it's not like I'm going to take it easy on them regardless."
Lying prone and hidden near the summit, I held my breath and leveled my paintball gun at the mountain path. The trick was to avoid focusing my "intent" to hit them. If you stare too hard, your hostility leaks into your gaze, and those with sharp instincts will pick up on it. In this case, for whatever reason, they were walking straight up the established mountain path. I couldn't tell if it was negligence or confidence from their winning streak, but since I knew exactly which course they were taking, I didn't need to aim visually for a precise vital spot. I knew their approximate heights, so I just had to keep my sights leveled at that elevation.
I waited in silence for a while until the sound of footsteps reached me. Without focusing my consciousness on the weapon in my hands, I strained my ears to gauge the distance. Still too far... not yet... Now!
"““...!?””"
The moment I was certain they were in range, I pulled the trigger. They hadn't noticed me while I was hidden, but the second they heard the discharge, they scattered and evaded before the rounds could even reach them.
...A failure. But if they could dodge after hearing the sound, it meant the projectile speed was simply too slow. I’d have to close the distance much more before firing if I wanted to actually tag them.
"You shouldn't have let me get the drop on you, but that was a good dodge."
I stepped out from my hiding spot, illuminated by their lights. I felt a small surge of satisfaction at having successfully outmaneuvered them—it felt like I'd paid back a bit of the debt from last time. I added a brief word of criticism, as an elder should.
Wait, what? Why are their faces twitching? Well, I didn't intend to give them a lecture, so I decided to make my exit.
"The sun will be down soon. Once you reach the summit, get your bivouac ready immediately."
Leaving them with that final remark, I walked away.
After the three-day bivouac training ended and we saw the students off, a review meeting was held for all the participants.
The room was a mix of people: those shocked by the students' performance and reflecting on their own inadequacy; those wearing smug grins as if they’d finally cleared their previous humiliation; and those who, like me, looked pensive, wondering why the students had seemed so off their game.
"Man, we finally got our revenge for last time!"
"Yeah....But wasn't their performance a little too sluggish? Especially on the third day—they barely noticed us approaching."
"They were just tired, right? Even for explorers of that caliber, if you go without sleep while staying on high alert, eventually..."
"No, but still..."
Evaluations of the training were being tossed around all over the room. I was definitely in the skeptical camp. While they’d been able to anticipate and handle the attackers until the afternoon of the second day, by the second night and the third day, it felt like they were just reacting to things right in front of them using raw physical ability.
No matter how grueling the training was, that drop in performance was too drastic. As I was mulling this over, Genya-san, the man in charge of the exercise, appeared before us.
"Good work, everyone. I apologize for calling you here while you are exhausted, but I would like to begin the review meeting."
"““...””"
Silence fell as every eye turned toward Genya-san. Usually, Muroi-san handled the moderation, but since he was currently transporting the students, the former head was taking charge himself.
The former head of the family running the meeting... the tension in the room was palpable.
"First, I wish to thank you all for participating in this training on such short notice. Thanks to your efforts, it was a very productive session."
Genya-san began with a word of thanks.
He then went through the evaluations for the first, second, and third days individually before offering a final summary of the entire exercise.
"That concludes the evaluation."
"““...””"
To put Genya-san’s assessment simply: we had done well. Our job had been to watch for lapses in their concentration and launch varied attacks using every trick in the book, day and night. Even we thought we might have overdone it, but Genya-san seemed to think it was perfectly appropriate. I felt a wave of relief; I’d been worried we might get chewed out for being too aggressive.
"...However, there is one thing I must inform you of."
As we relaxed and let out sighs of relief at the positive feedback, Genya-san’s expression became difficult to read.
What now?
"I did not mention this previously, but for the duration of this training, the students were administered a certain drug."
Genya-san proceeded to calmly explain the effects of the drug the trio had been taking.
When we heard what it did, our collective reaction was one of pure shock.
"Y-You mean they were in a state where their thinking and concentration were constantly impaired throughout the entire exercise!?"
"Yes, exactly. To push explorers of their level into a state of fatigue suitable for this training, we would have normally needed to run them through other drills for several days beforehand. However, our schedule did not permit that, so we used the drug to simulate that exhaustion."
Genya-san’s explanation for using the drug made sense. But that meant... if they were able to withstand our full-force assaults even in that compromised state, just how powerful were they normally?
The realization made everyone's faces twitch in unison. A roar of conversation broke out in the room, only dying down when the participants noticed Genya-san waiting in silence for them to settle.
"...This exercise was for their benefit, but it was also intended to shift your perception of explorers. I believe those of you who engaged them now have a real sense of just how formidable a high-level explorer can be."
"““...””"
"Those who faced them last time already knew of their potential. However, despite the short time since then, the power they displayed this time was significantly greater. As long as the 'level up' exists as a means to easily increase one's base strength, even a former ordinary person can become a terrifying existence once they gain the proper technique and experience."
"““...””"
"Currently, the number of high-level civilian explorers in Japan is small. But as time passes, that number will surely grow. Given our profession, the opportunity to face such individuals will inevitably come."
Genya-san was right. That future was a certainty. That was why I—and the others who were here for the second time—had been so focused on researching anti-explorer measures. I’d thought our research had paid off in this drill, but after hearing about the drug... I had to admit our measures were still woefully inadequate.
Genya-san’s voice cut through the heavy atmosphere.
"As planned, they will undergo the same training again next week. Having taken the lessons of this week to heart, they will likely be even more formidable. After all, the unknown has become the known. While you cannot prepare for the unknown, you can devise any number of countermeasures for a known threat."
"““!?””"
"It will be a difficult challenge for you all, but considering what is to come, it will be an invaluable experience. I expect your best."
"““Y-Yes, sir!””"
The moment Genya-san left the room, we immediately began hashing out our strategy for next week's training.
When the following week’s drill came around, we were once again shown the sheer magnitude of what an explorer could do. Having learned from the previous session, the kids moved with such precision that we seriously doubted they were even under the influence of the drug. By incorporating proper rest periods, they maintained a level of performance that allowed them to weather our attacks for the full two days.
"Their technique and experience still have a long way to go, but their base stats are just in a different league. Maybe I should swallow my pride and apply for an Armed Exploration Permit myself..."
Up until now, I’d been stubborn, thinking I didn't need to rely on explorer powers, but after being faced with this reality, I felt that having at least some level of explorer strength would be essential from here on out.