A slight shift in perspective was all it took for the usual scenery to look different. Normally, I would have just grumbled about the crowds in the entrance line, but looking closely, I began to see the reason for the bottleneck.
Every face was tinged with anxiety. Tense and uncertain, the people were moving at a crawl—especially the explorer parties lugging around overnight gear.
"Everyone looks so nervous," Hiiragi-san noted.
"Yeah. It’s like the line for a bungee jump or a water slide. Even if there aren't many people ahead of you, the wait stretches out," Yuji replied.
"So, each individual is unconsciously hesitating, and the accumulation of those tiny delays creates a massive queue," she reasoned.
"Well, it’s not like you can just stroll through the gate without a second thought when you know you’re about to fight monsters..."
I suppose everyone in the line had technically already made up their minds, but it was only human to hesitate once you were actually standing before the Entrance Gate. Even if they knew it was getting crowded behind them, it was hard to take that final step.
For those who could dive in without a care, I imagine it must be quite a nuisance.
"Until now, I just thought they were excited and hyped up for a dungeon run, but that was just an energetic facade to hide their fear."
"Or maybe they were just psyching themselves up," Yuji added.
Even if you can't erase anxiety, you can mask it.
I felt ashamed of my own obliviousness; I couldn’t believe I’d failed to notice something so simple until now. To think I only realized the state of mind of the explorers around me because I was finally feeling the weight of my first dungeon stay... Hah. Thanks to our leveling in the Slime Dungeon, I had rarely felt true anxiety lately, even when I was nervous. Because of that, my emotional sensibilities seemed to have drifted quite far apart from those of ordinary explorers.
"We’ll have to be careful when we camp near other parties. There's no telling what might trigger their nerves. I'd rather avoid any unnecessary trouble."
"You’re right. Eating and sleeping are the times when you're most vulnerable, but also the times when you're most on edge..."
Yuji nodded with a look of deep understanding. Thanks to Genya-san's training, we knew those feelings all too well from personal experience. Back then, we could still handle it calmly because we knew it was training, but in the depths of a dungeon, people would likely be hyper-sensitive.
If we ran into a party whose nerves were frayed... at worst, they might pick a fight.
"When choosing a place to set up a camp base, we’ll have to vet the people as much as the location," Hiiragi-san observed.
"Exactly."
"I have no intention of interfering with anyone, but if the atmosphere feels like they're rejecting us, it's safer to just avoid them."
Avoiding conflict beforehand was the best solution. Rather than trying to use clever tactics, the choice to simply not get involved from the start was the safest bet.
As we spoke, the line moved forward, and it was finally our turn to enter.
"All right, let's give it our all today."
"Yeah!"
"Just don't overdo it by getting too fired up."
I lightly slapped my cheeks with both hands to psyche myself up, and we passed through the Entrance Gate, stepping into the dungeon.
Alright, let's do this.
Once inside, we headed straight for the stairs to the 2nd floor, taking the shortest route possible. To be honest, there wasn't much to gain from the 1st floor, so we wanted to clear the early levels quickly.
...That said, however.
"It's not like we're guaranteed a monster-free walk..."
"What are you muttering about, Daiki? If you let your guard down in front of a monster, you're going to get hurt!"
"Ah, my bad."
A horn rabbit had appeared before us as we hurried along. Since it was the 1st floor, it appeared alone. I didn't think we'd struggle against a single monster at this stage, but as Yuji said, carelessness could still lead to an unexpected injury.
Therefore.
"Yuji, take the front! Hiiragi-san, I'm moving to the right, so watch the left!"
"On it. I'm counting on your backup!"
"Leave it to me. I don't sense any other enemies nearby for now."
"It looks like the explorers behind us haven't caught up yet. Yuji, let's finish this quickly before anyone sees us."
We successfully established a formation to surround the lone horn rabbit.
Was three-on-one cowardly? Hardly. Purposefully engaging in a one-on-one fight just to show off would be the real idiocy. This wasn't a duel or a match. It was only natural to fight by establishing a position where we could take the enemy down surely and safely.
"Hyaaah!"
"Gyu?!"
Before the horn rabbit could even twitch, Yuji swiftly stepped into range and swung his arm. The monster had no time to dodge; its body was split in two with a short shriek. His skill was as impressive as ever.
Yuji didn't stop there, using his momentum to run past the creature and clear the area before he could be sprayed by the blood gushing from the severed halves.
"Whew... It's over."
Yuji turned back, not forgetting his zanshin. He only relaxed his posture after confirming that the horn rabbit had begun its particleization and was definitely dead.
It was hard to imagine it could be alive after being split in two, but these were mysterious monsters. Since there might be creatures out there that could survive even decapitation, dropping one's guard was strictly forbidden—even against a monster we had defeated dozens of times. A mutated monster appearing with the same look as a weak one was a classic trope in games and light novels, after all.
"...No drop, huh."
"Well, that's just how it goes. It's not like they always leave something behind."
Unfortunately, our haul from this battle was zero. Since there was no use complaining, it was best to simply be glad we had won without a scratch.
"Now then, we hit an unexpected delay, but let's keep moving."
The battle had helped melt away our excess anxiety and tension. We were still wary about the dungeon stay, but we couldn't let it distract us from the task at hand.
We continued forward with cautious steps, keeping a close eye on our surroundings.
One hour after starting our exploration, we reached the staircase plaza on the 7th floor.
By the time we got this far, we had fought about ten battles. Whether you considered that many or few, an ordinary party would be starting to feel the drain.
"Everyone looks pretty exhausted," I noted.
"Yeah. It might be different for high-level explorers, but for those around level 10, it usually takes half a day just to reach this point."
"Half a day of keeping up combat tension... that’s rough."
Numerous explorer parties were resting in the plaza, and with a few exceptions, deep fatigue was etched into their faces. Those who looked the most drained were the younger explorers—likely the high school freshmen who had obtained their licenses just before summer break.
If anything, the fact that they had made it this far in just two or three months made them quite the impressive dungeon addicts.
"This floor isn't deep enough to set up base yet, but if there are this many exhausted explorers here..."
"Then on the floors further down... there will probably be even more people running on fumes," Yuji finished.
"Which means there will be more irritable explorers... Hah," Hiiragi-san sighed.
Just as Hiiragi-san said, it was easy to imagine that the explorers challenging the deeper floors would be even more tired and on edge. When people are exhausted, even those who are normally gentle can become prickly and irritated by the smallest things.
Especially in a place like this, where dangerous monsters prowled around like they owned the place.
"I never noticed it before because we always did day trips. Our contact with others was just a quick greeting before moving on, but spending several hours during a break with strangers must be quite a mental burden."
"Yeah. Especially once you get past the 20th floor, the pool of people who can reach that depth narrows down, so you start seeing the same faces. Aren't we likely to be viewed with suspicion?"
Yuji's concern was valid. When we went to get bear materials before, we had encountered fewer than ten parties past the 20th floor. As Yuji said, if we, who had never camped before, suddenly showed up with heavy gear, we'd likely be viewed with caution.
As these thoughts crossed my mind, Hiiragi-san added more fuel to the fire.
"Exactly. It would be fine if they accepted us as new faces, but if they see us as rivals—the nails that need to be hammered down..."
"..." "..."
I had a bad feeling some sort of trouble was brewing.
But well, even if we were only acquaintances on the level of polite greetings, it should be okay, right? Currently, most parties that reached the 20th floor and beyond were corporate explorers. The difference in initial capital was significant. On top of that, they carried the reputations of their companies on their backs, so they wouldn't start a fight unless things were extreme.
Conversely, sole proprietors and student explorers might see us as "protruding nails" or rivals cutting into their profits. There was a chance they might target us. A near-zero possibility, I hoped, but since we had actually encountered someone who committed PK just for pocket money, we couldn't afford to be careless. What was this? I felt like the longer I stayed an explorer, the more I was becoming a misanthrope.
"W-well, there's no point worrying about it here. We're not tired yet, so let's keep going."
"True. Let's move."
"Yes, let's go."
We awkwardly avoided eye contact with the resting explorers and hurried toward the passage leading from the plaza.
Five hours after starting, including frequent short breaks, we finally reached the staircase plaza on the 20th floor. At this depth, the number of explorer parties had plummeted. The groups in the plaza could be counted on one hand.
Even so, it was more than there had been before summer break. While corporate explorer parties had increased, the growth in student explorers was particularly striking. Honestly, I wondered if these guys were even doing their summer intensive courses or their assignments... Probably not.
"The crowd has thinned out quite a bit. What do you think? Should we set up camp around here?"
"With this few people, even if multiple parties camp in the plaza, we can keep enough distance to avoid friction," Yuji agreed.
"True. But our plan was to reach the 29th floor and decide then, so let's try pushing down first."
Just as Yuji and I were considering stopping, Hiiragi-san spoke up with a hesitant expression. It was true that our original plan was to descend to the 29th floor and select a site from the locations we had noted along the way. Since we still had plenty of time, it was better to stick to the plan.
Besides, if we didn't find anything better, we could always come back here.
"You're right. We don't have a time limit today, so there's no need to rush the decision."
"Yeah. Though from the looks of it, the situation won't change much past the 20th floor. It’ll just come down to who else is camping there and what monsters show up."
"Exactly. Personnel-wise, a floor occupied by corporate explorers would be better than one with students. As for the monsters, we want a floor where they aren't too small and have slower movement speeds," Hiiragi-san suggested.
The conditions she listed were perfect for a camp base.
While there was a chance of being approached by scouts, corporate explorers were unlikely to overstep. Being reported for harassment would be a headache for their company. Also, if monsters were too small, you wouldn't hear them approaching, and if they were fast, you’d have less time to prepare an interception.
Taking all that into account, the suitable floors would be...
"With those criteria, maybe floors 20, 23, 24, 27, and 29?"
"I'd scratch 24 and 27," Yuji said. "The monsters there occasionally include some fast ones, so it's safer to avoid them."
"So that leaves floors 20, 23, and 29 as our current candidates?"
"In terms of monsters, yes. But if we have to compromise, I think it's better to settle for harder monsters than for troublesome people. I'd much rather deal with a monster than a person."
If you get into a conflict with people, the grudge can linger over the smallest things. If that happened, untrustworthy or resentful explorers would be lurking nearby, creating a constant mental strain.
I’d hate that—having to watch my back every second of the day.
"Good point. Then it just depends on who we find down there. We won't know for sure until we see it for ourselves."
"Exactly. But Daiki is right. Dealing with monsters is much better than dealing with people."
Now that we were all in agreement, we decided to push on. Since we didn't have to worry about the clock, it wasn't a difficult choice.
And so, the exploration continued.
The ones to be wary of are people, rather than monsters. With monsters, you just kill them and it's over, but with people... well, they aren't that simple.