I scanned our surroundings. Near the corridor, the University Student Party was finally showing signs of life. In addition to the person who had been on the night watch, another man had emerged; he looked grumpy, as if he’d just been dragged out of sleep, but he was fully armed.
The fact that the rest of their party hadn’t come out yet suggested they sensed something approaching but weren't quite certain it was a monster.
"Still no movement from the Corporate Party, I see..."
Actually, their night watchman had been keeping an eye on us and was now calling out to their tents, so they weren't completely oblivious. Their response was just sluggish because they were acting out of caution rather than certainty.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kokonoe-kun... It sounds like they're getting quite close."
By the time Yuji and Hiiragi-san emerged with their gear ready, the monsters were nearly upon us. The footsteps that had been faint whispers moments ago were now distinct thuds echoing through the silence.
Moreover, judging by the rhythm... they were approaching in a tight pack.
"Yeah. And since there are several of them, they might split their focus..."
I glanced at the other explorer parties camping in the plaza.
The University Student Party might hold their own since they had combatants out besides the watchman, but the Corporate-type Party was being so slow that they might take the full brunt of a surprise attack if things went sideways.
"Hey... shouldn't we say something to the people in the Corporate-type Party?" Yuji asked, his expression clouded with worry.
"...But what would we say? 'Watch out, monsters are coming'?"
"Even if we did, they’d either think we’re full of it or start getting suspicious about our abilities," Hiiragi-san added.
Yuji looked like he wanted to press the issue, but Hiiragi-san and I both gave a slight shake of our heads and grimaced. It might sound harsh, but I didn't think professional adults would immediately trust the warnings of high schoolers they didn't know. Doing so would only disrupt our own defensive posture against the incoming threat.
Of course, we weren't going to lose to whatever monsters appeared on this floor, even if we were outnumbered. However, fighting like that in front of other parties would make our combat power stand out way too much. It would definitely draw unwanted attention.
Furthermore, if we were known as the High School Student Party that sensed a crisis everyone else missed... we’d be prime targets for aggressive scouting. I didn't want that. It sounded like a massive pain. Still, leaving them with no warning at all felt wrong.
"How about this? We wait until the monsters are visible at the end of the corridor, then shout at the top of our lungs. They’ll have to believe us then, and it’ll still give them a little time to brace themselves."
"That seems like the most reasonable compromise," Hiiragi-san agreed. "Fortunately, these monsters don't seem particularly fast."
The enemies would be in sight any second now. Even in the dim light, people couldn't very well ignore a monster standing right in front of them.
Yuji looked a bit dissatisfied—or perhaps just regretful—but he reluctantly nodded at our suggestion.
"Fine."
"Sorry, Yuji. I couldn't think of a better way to handle it."
"No, I know I'm being a bit unreasonable. Thinking about it calmly, we can't afford any clumsy moves right before a fight. Damn, my head must still be half-asleep..."
Yuji slapped his cheeks a few times and shook his head vigorously. For a fleeting second, I considered asking Hiiragi-san to douse him with Create Water, but I held back. If we’d had more time, I might have actually gone through with it.
Unfortunately, we were out of time.
"There they are. Four, five, six... at least ten of them."
"I recognize them... they're kobolds."
The monsters rounding the corner at the end of the corridor were bipedal creatures with wolf-like faces, wielding maces. Kobolds.
They weren't particularly fast, but they excelled at group tactics. While a single kobold wasn't much of a threat, they became quite troublesome in large numbers.
"That's our cue. Go for it, Yuji."
"On it. Deep breath... 'Enemy attack! Monsters incoming!'"
As Yuji’s roar echoed through the plaza, the other parties scrambled into motion, and the quiet campsite was suddenly thrown into chaos.
In response to the shout, a brilliant pillar of light—the Light skill—erupted from the Corporate-type explorer party's camp, illuminating the corridor. The beam caught the pack of kobolds, who flinched and covered their eyes, halting their advance.
Immediately after, the shrill blast of a whistle pierced the air, followed by warnings even louder than Yuji’s.
"Everyone up! Monsters confirmed! Prepare for interception immediately!"
"Enemy: kobolds! Count: approximately ten!"
"Hey, wake up! They're here!"
While their initial reactions differed, both the Corporate Party and the University Student Party were now frantically waking their members and bracing for battle. The corporate explorers clearly had a protocol for this. Despite a hint of confusion, several armed members burst from their tents to join the night watch, quickly forming a defensive line. It seemed they’d had armed members on standby inside the tents instead of just leaving one person out.
On the other hand, the university students were a bit messier. Their night watchman kept a nervous eye on the monsters while the man who’d come out earlier rushed to drag the rest of the members out of their sleeping bags.
Still, it was impressive that every party managed to be fully armed and ready within a minute. They hadn't made it this deep into the dungeon for nothing.
"Not a bad response. It looks like everyone will have a line ready before they make contact."
"Yeah, their recovery after the warning was actually pretty professional."
"Though it's a bit pathetic that their watchmen didn't notice until we shouted," Hiiragi-san noted, her voice a mix of praise and exasperation. "It worked out this time because it was kobolds, giving them time to prep, but if these had been faster monsters, they wouldn't have had a defensive line at all."
I had to agree. If these people had stayed on the 26th floor like we’d originally planned, they might have been slaughtered in their sleep. A monster right on top of them by the time the watch noticed, members half-asleep as the fighting started, screams and blood everywhere...
Yeah, that Corporate-type explorer party we saw on the 28th floor must have been truly elite.
"Anyway... here they come."
"Yep. Oh, look, they're splitting up..."
"They are. But... four, four, and four?"
"...Huh?"
The three of us tilted our heads in unison, weapons still at the ready.
There were twelve kobolds in total. They had split into three groups of four and begun charging the University Student Party and the two Corporate Parties.
...Wait, what about us?
"...Hey."
"...Yeah?"
"Are we... being avoided?"
"...It certainly looks that way."
"I think so, too," Hiiragi-san said. "Those kobolds definitely looked our way for a split second... but they immediately averted their eyes."
"..."
An incredibly awkward silence settled over us.
To have kobolds go out of their way to ignore you... Was this one of those things where they didn't want to mess with the "scary group" and decided to pick on the "weak-looking ones" instead?
"Th-they sure have... a good eye for danger, don't they?"
"M-maybe it's not their eyes. Maybe it's their noses?"
"Heh... haha..."
"...You two should stop trying to escape reality."
Yuji and I let out hollow laughs while Hiiragi-san shot us a flat look. I knew she was right, but what else was there to do but laugh? It was a ridiculous situation.
Taking her advice, we shook off the weird thoughts and regained our focus.
"So... what do we do now?"
"Don't ask me..."
"We can't exactly jump in to help, can we?"
"Probably not..."
While we’d been having our minor identity crisis, the other parties had already engaged the kobolds. We couldn't just barge in now, even if we called it "support."
"...They're struggling a bit."
"Yeah. The corporate guys are coordinating well, but the university students..."
"Their teamwork is fine, but they lack individual power."
"It's probably because they just woke up, but... this looks bad."
The Corporate-type Party was handling their four kobolds with steady, practiced movements. It would take them a bit of time, but they’d win without any trouble.
The University Student Party, however, was sluggish. Their movements lacked precision, and they were clearly having a hard time. They probably wouldn't lose, but winning without getting hurt seemed unlikely.
"I want to back them up, but..."
"Don't," I told Yuji. "If we jump into a melee like that, we’ll just mess up their rhythm."
"And there’s the matter of etiquette," Hiiragi-san added. "In a dungeon, you don't interfere unless someone asks for help. Given the situation, even if we offered..."
She trailed off, but we all knew what she meant. They’d likely refuse. The students weren't in a "we're going to die" situation; they were in a "this is going to be painful" situation.
No explorer is going to ask for help when no one has been injured yet. If you ask for help, you have to split the drops. Unless it’s a pre-arranged joint operation, that’s a hard pill to swallow.
"...I guess we just watch."
"Yeah. But let's stay ready to move the moment they call for us."
"If they call for us, that is. Besides..."
I doubted they would. And as I watched the students fight, their movements were gradually becoming sharper as the adrenaline kicked in. They might get some bruises or cuts, but it didn't look like anyone was going to die.
Provided you don't count a broken bone as a "fatal" injury, anyway.
"Wait, the corporate side is already done..."
"What? Oh, you're right. No one looks hurt, either."
"It seems they didn't have much trouble at all."
We’d been so focused on the struggling students that the Corporate-type Party had finished their fight without us noticing. They were covered in blood spray, but none of them moved like they’d been wounded. Their coordination had been solid from the start. Facing only four kobolds, it hadn't been a real threat to them.
The students, however, were still having a rough time.
"Oh, they finally got one."
True to Hiiragi-san’s word, the university students had finally brought down their first kobold. That left three. Now that they could focus their numbers, the rest of the fight went quickly.
The members who had been tied up with the first monster moved to flank another. A sword flash sliced across a kobold's back, forcing it to its knees. It dropped its weapon, and the students swarmed it, finishing it off instantly. They repeated the process for the last two. From the first kill to the last, it took less than a minute.
"All over."
"Yeah. And it doesn't look like any more are coming."
The kobold raid was a failure. Every party had managed to repel them without a single casualty.
However...
"They're looking at us, aren't they?"
"Yeah. They definitely are."
"They really are."
Despite not lifting a finger during the entire fight, we had become the center of attention in the worst way possible. We hadn't fought at all—not because we'd tried to pull an MPK and dump the monsters on them, but because the monsters had simply refused to fight us.
Yeah. That was more than enough to make everyone wonder what the hell was wrong with us. Sigh.
It's not that we didn't want to fight; it's that the enemy wouldn't come near us. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.