I spent the next several minutes under the weight of uncomfortable glares. Once the post-battle cleanup was roughly finished, the other parties began retreating into their camp bases, leaving only a few lookouts behind. Whether they could actually sleep right after an attack was anyone’s guess, but at least they could lie down and rest.
"Well... there’s no point in standing around forever. Let’s head back in too."
"Yeah, true. Hiiragi-san and I are going to get some rest, so keep up the night watch."
"Thank you, Kokonoe-kun."
"Got it. It’s awkward out here, but I’ll hang in there."
I watched with a slight twitch in my expression as the two of them retreated back into the camp screen, all while I was being bathed in the resentful stares of the other parties.
Sigh, give me a break already.
"I’d honestly prefer if they just walked up and talked to me instead of staring like this..."
I sat down on the insulation sheet, grumbling to myself about the indescribable looks coming from the other parties as I continued my shift. A little over an hour to go... This was going to feel like forever.
After what felt like an eternity spent ignoring those eyes, the time for the rotation finally arrived.
"Yes! Finally, I can switch out!"
The moment the hands on my watch hit the mark, I let out a small cheer. Seriously, it was brutal. Being the target of concentrated resentment for nearly an hour isn't exactly a walk in the park.
I understood that everyone’s nerves were frayed right after an attack, but to just sit there and glare... If you’ve got something to say, come over and say it! I was practically tempted to walk over and protest. Not that I actually did.
"Hey, Yuji. Time to swap."
I poked my head into the camp screen and called out to the sleeping Yuji. I tried to keep it down so I wouldn't wake Hiiragi-san—though even if she didn't sit up, she reacted to my voice. I whispered the news of the rotation to Yuji anyway.
Yuji sat up immediately, his eyes showing no hint of sleepiness. Wait, had he not been able to sleep at all?
"Yeah, got it. Give me a second to get ready."
"Roger. No rush."
Once I confirmed Yuji was moving, I stepped out of the camp screen and sat back down on the insulation sheet. I happened to glance toward the other parties' tents and saw an unexpected sight. Perhaps because we—the group that had alerted everyone to the enemy's approach earlier—had made a move, several first responders were being called out of their tents by the lookouts.
None of the three parties spoke, but they all sent sharp glances my way that clearly asked: Is another enemy coming? Realizing what they were thinking, I hurriedly shook my head and crossed my arms, signaling that there was no attack.
"Nothing’s happening! It’s just a shift change!"
I couldn't shout while so many people were resting, so I insisted in a low voice that it was just a simple swap. My message seemed to get through; the first responders let out sighs of relief before grumbling something to their lookouts and retreating.
How did I know they were grumbling? Because the lookouts were bowing their heads sheepishly in apology. That said, don't look at me like I'm the one being misleading. That’s just a misplaced grudge.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Daiki. Let’s switch."
"Oh, Yuji. That was fast."
"I only had to put my armor back on, so it didn't take long. Anyway... what’s with the atmosphere?"
"Resentment born of jumping to conclusions and misunderstandings."
"Resentment?"
With a troubled expression, I explained the "commotion" that had just occurred.
After hearing my story, Yuji let out a small sigh, his face mirroring my own.
"Sigh. Well, I suppose it’s better than them being completely oblivious to a potential attack, but I really wish they’d train their own enemy search capabilities a bit more."
"Yeah, no kidding. Well then, I'm going to turn in. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
After handing over the night watch to Yuji, I retreated into the camp screen. Phew, now I don't have to deal with those glares for a while. Honestly, that hour of being stared at was more exhausting than the kobold attack.
"Right... time to sleep."
I took off my armor, lay down on the bed, pulled a blanket over myself, and closed my eyes.
I wasn't sure how long I’d been out when I heard a voice calling my name. There was no panic or tension in the tone, but there was a firm intent to wake me up.
My consciousness sharpened rapidly as I processed the words.
"Wake up, Daiki. Enemies."
The one calling me was Yuji, and his words were an alert.
"...Enemies? Again?"
"Yeah, again. They’re approaching at the same speed as before, so the attackers are likely kobolds."
"Kobolds, huh..."
I scratched my head lazily as I climbed out of bed.
If the kobolds ignored us again and went straight for the other parties, we’d be in a bad spot. Once could be a coincidence, but twice in a row would make people suspect something was up. Encounter-avoidance skills or items... if they thought we had something that useful, the other parties might surround us for an interrogation after the fight.
We really weren't doing anything special, but from an outsider's perspective, the situation looked suspicious. It was a total false accusation waiting to happen.
"Anyway, get ready and come out. Regardless of how we handle this, standing around without armor would stand out in a bad way."
"Roger, I’ll be as quick as I can."
"Yeah, thanks. Hiiragi-san, you too."
"Yes, of course."
While Yuji and I were talking, Hiiragi-san had been silently gearing up. She was already almost fully equipped... I shouldn't be standing here impressed; I needed to move.
I hurriedly donned my armor and followed Hiiragi-san out of the camp screen.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"No, you're fine. They aren't in sight yet."
Outside, Yuji and Hiiragi-san were watching the corridor without much tension. Kobolds weren't exactly enemies that required us to be on high alert.
The real problem was...
"They’re watching us..."
Seeing all of us emerge from the camp screen in full gear, the lookouts from the other parties were already calling out to their first responders in a panic. Unlike before, they had moved the moment they saw our whole group step out. I suppose our search capabilities were being trusted now.
"Yeah, we’re the center of attention."
Yuji looked uncomfortable as he watched the other parties prepare for interception.
But more importantly...
"So, what's the plan? If the kobolds ignore us again..."
"They’ll probably start hounding us for answers we don't have."
"Right? I'm the one who wants to know why we're being avoided..."
Thinking about how to handle this was giving me a headache.
If we did nothing, there was a high probability the kobolds would ignore us just like last time. Since we didn't know why it had happened, we couldn't rule out the possibility of a repeat performance.
"...I guess we have two options here?"
"Fight, or ignore them."
"Running... isn't really an option, is it?"
"Monsters in front of us, explorers behind us. Not really."
If we went forward, we'd have to fight anyway. If we tried to run away when we weren't even injured, the other explorers would surely stop us. Escaping was off the table.
"That said, both choices have their own pros and cons."
"It's just a matter of which is more bearable."
If we chose to fight, our combat abilities would be exposed. Since videos from the sports festival had already leaked, that wasn't a devastating blow, but it was still a disadvantage.
On the other hand, if we didn't fight, we risked being ignored again, which would lead to rumors. The idea that we had items or skills to avoid monsters would be incredibly attractive to explorers looking to reach specific floors without fighting. If people hounded us to find out our "secret," the secret we actually had to keep hidden—the Slime Dungeon—might be discovered.
Which meant...
"Fighting... is better, right?"
"...Well, yeah. Probably."
"Yeah, fighting is more bearable."
When weighing the two, the disadvantages of fighting were far fewer. A certain amount of our strength was already public knowledge anyway.
Sigh, I bet I’m going to be flooded with scouting offers again...
"So, the plan is to engage the monsters as soon as they reach the plaza?"
"That’s the only way. If we wait for them to move, they’ll probably just ignore us and start a dispersed attack again. We have to take the initiative and finish them ourselves."
"Since this is a defensive battle, the other parties will likely take a waiting stance. Our best bet is to close the distance and end it with a blitz before they can get involved."
Taking the offensive in a defensive battle would certainly make us stand out, but it was safer than a messy, uncoordinated fight with other parties.
At worst, "support" from them could result in friendly fire.
"Man, we’re going to stand out."
"Yeah, we really are."
"It'll be quite the spectacle."
Dreading the aftermath, we waited for the battle to begin.
A minute or two later, the monsters finally emerged into the plaza. As expected, they were kobolds, and there were at least fifteen of them.
A larger pack than last time...
"Everyone up! Monsters confirmed! Prepare for interception!"
"Enemies are kobolds! Estimated count: fifteen!"
Just like before, reports rang out from the corporate explorer parties. They were setting up their lines, ready to take the kobolds down.
However...
"Yuji, Hiiragi-san, let's go."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
"Right."
We brandished our weapons and leaped forward before the other parties could move, charging straight for the kobolds who were momentarily blinded by the powerful lights.
"Yuji and I will take the lead! Hiiragi-san, clean up any we miss!"
"Got it!"
"Daiki, take the front! I’ll target the back!"
"Roger!"
We quickly split our roles and closed the distance. The kobolds noticed us, baring their teeth and growling as they leveled their weapons.
It seemed they wouldn't run from an enemy that was actively attacking them.
"?! Stop! Don't be reckless!"
"Three people against that many? That's suicide!"
"Hey, stop! Get back here!"
From an outsider's perspective, we were launching a suicidal charge. The explorers in the plaza shouted desperately for us to stop, and some even began to run forward to cover our retreat.
But the distance was already gone. It was far too late to stop us.
"Hah!"
"Sei!"
"Yah!"
The moment we entered range, Yuji and I slashed into the pack. To prevent any intervention, we didn't hold back. We went for the necks, severing heads with single, decisive strokes. Since they hadn't dispersed yet, Yuji and I carved a path through them, lopping off heads one after another without stopping. Hiiragi-san finished off the ones we missed, striking them through their open mouths as they roared in intimidation.
In the space of a few seconds—only a few—we had annihilated more than ten kobolds.
"...Huh?"
A few moments of silence followed. As the explorers looked at the remains of the kobold pack sinking into a sea of blood, their stunned voices finally echoed through the plaza.
If they won't come to us... we'll just go to them.