Breaking away from the stream of explorers heading for the 7th floor, we spent some time wandering the 6th floor in search of monsters. Compared to the 5th floor, where it had felt like the crowds were thinning out slightly, the 6th floor was strangely packed. Curious, I observed the explorer parties we passed and noticed a high percentage of groups wearing relatively new equipment.
Furthermore, several of these parties looked depressed—or rather, they had dark expressions as if they had lost all their confidence. I suppose...
"They got stuck on the 7th-floor goblins and are left smoldering here... something like that?"
"Goblins..."
"Yeah, those are definitely tough to deal with, aren't they?"
When I voiced my guess regarding the cause of the unusual crowd, Mika and Saori-chan grimaced, looking disgusted as if they were remembering their own past experiences. When those two had faced goblins for the first time, their faces had cramped up and they’d looked quite ill.
"We were okay because we fought them while you were watching over us, Onii-chan, but for other parties..."
"They either let their guard down, or they were struck by the psychological shock of killing a humanoid monster and became dazed... right?"
"Yeah. Then they probably took a follow-up attack from other goblins, leading to injuries for themselves or their teammates. It's the perfect recipe for trauma."
Trauma becomes fear, binding them. Even if they think they’ve recovered from their injuries and shaken off the trauma, they subconsciously refuse to descend to the 7th floor. As a result, a large number of parties—no longer complete rookies but not yet veterans—were loitering on the 6th floor.
Then again, there were very few parties that could move forward without hesitation after fighting a humanoid monster.
"Still, it's not like that's necessarily a bad thing. Whether they overcome that trauma to become a proper explorer, or stay here because they can't move past it, or quit entirely... it all depends on their own will."
"...Yeah. I guess you’re right."
Mika nodded at my words, a contemplative expression on her face.
Of course, making that decision was the hardest part. It was difficult to reach a conclusion while agonizing over it alone.
"I think many explorers could overcome it if they had someone nearby to support them... but there aren't many people who would actually listen to those kinds of concerns, are there?"
"That’s true. Unless they’re acquaintances from before they became explorers, or have a senior-junior relationship through a company or party recruitment, people won't actively move to provide support. I hear the Dungeon Association actually offers a consultation service—basic counseling—but it seems like those kinds of services aren't used much because people worry about their reputation."
The Association seemed concerned about explorers with this kind of trauma as well; they had stationed counselors at each branch under the guise of "advice consultations," making them available to anyone who applied for an appointment.
However, not much time had passed since the program was established, and recognition among explorers remained low. Consequently, usage was apparently not as high as the Association had anticipated. On top of that, rumors said that a certain sentiment had somehow spread among newcomer explorers: Seeking counseling just because you have trauma is proof that you lack resolve! Such spineless cowards are disqualified from being explorers!
I wondered why such a sentiment would even form, but it was likely that the fact that the preceding generation of explorers—including us—had overcome trauma without relying on a counseling system (because it didn't even exist) had been taken the wrong way. That reality had twisted into a toxic social pressure.
Furthermore, while having confidence in one's abilities was fine, many newcomer explorers got intoxicated by their superhuman physical abilities and skills. They became strangely prideful and desperate to keep up appearances for the sake of their reputation. A bloated ego combined with a toxic social trend; it was the worst possible combination to prevent the use of a perfectly good counseling system.
"Anyway, I've satisfied my curiosity about why it's so crowded compared to the floor above. Shall we move on? The more people there are, the harder it is to encounter monsters."
"Y-yeah. True, at this pace, it looks like it’ll take longer to find a monster than it did on the floors above."
"You're right."
While Mika and Saori-chan looked a bit reluctant to leave them like that, they remembered their original purpose and began walking deeper into the dungeon in search of monsters.
I followed after them, glancing at the rookie parties with their listless, dark expressions as I walked.
We wandered the 6th floor for about an hour. We encountered monsters twice, but Mika and the others handled them calmly and defeated them without taking a scratch. Their basic strategy—Mika using throwing darts to pin them down followed by Saori-chan's charge—was working well. I could judge that they had reached a level of proficiency where they could achieve one-sided victories against the monsters on this floor.
However, they had only encountered groups they could count on one hand at a time, so it was an unknown whether they could handle more than ten enemies at once. No matter how high their individual combat power, if they were pushed by numbers, something could go wrong. Then again, running into numbers like that simultaneously was a story for the much lower floors.
"The combat side of things doesn't seem to be an issue."
"Yeah. At this level, we can handle it without any problems."
"Yes. We've gained a lot of experience and practiced a ton since we explored with you and the others before, Onii-san."
Perhaps out of confidence and pride in the strength they had cultivated through effort, Mika and Saori-chan looked somewhat proud at my words. While confidence can turn into conceit if taken too far, thanks to the existence of people like us and Juzo-san, I couldn't see any signs of that kind of emotion in their expressions for now. They were growing quite well.
It would be great if they could keep growing steadily as explorers without becoming conceited... but there were people who obtained a rare skill and then grew endlessly arrogant, so I was a bit worried about that.
"But our luck might really be bad this time..."
"Only a core crystal dropped again..."
"T-true. B-but we’re still going to continue the exploration, so maybe something good will drop next time?"
Do you really think so?
"Urgh..."
I offered a hopeful observation—words of encouragement—to the two who were dejected over their poor drop luck, but Mika and Saori-chan turned gloomy, slightly resentful gazes toward me. My cheek twitched as I struggled for an answer. Their lack of drops this time really was something else.
After an indescribable atmosphere lingered between us for a while, Mika, hoping to change the mood, checked her watch and spoke up.
"Ah, that’s right! Anyway, Onii-chan, shouldn't we have lunch soon? It’s been quite a while since we started diving... right, Saori-chan!?"
"Y-yeah! If we go just a bit further, there’s the staircase down to the 7th floor. I think it’s a good time."
"T-true. I've left the decisions for this exploration to you two, so take lunch whenever you think is best."
"Then it’s settled! Let’s have lunch at the staircase plaza below!"
"Y-yeah! That’s right, let’s do that!"
It felt a bit forced, but we agreed to have lunch at the staircase plaza for the 7th floor. Since the 7th floor was our provisional destination for today, it was a good time to eat.
With their goal decided, Mika and Saori-chan's spirits lifted slightly, and they began moving quickly. I let out a small, wry smile at the sight and followed behind.
When we descended to the 7th floor and looked around, my first impression was that it felt a bit gloomy. The heavy atmosphere seemed to stem from the explorers who weren't yet accustomed to fighting humanoid monsters—goblins—and were now resting in a state of dejection. Parties were treating injuries while taking off blood-stained armor, while others looked down, whispering complaints or grievances in low voices... In a way, it was a common sight in a dungeon, but it wasn't pleasant.
While eating in this atmosphere was a situation I wasn't particularly looking forward to, if they intended to make it as explorers, it wouldn't do to be unable to eat just because of a little gloom. Still, I really wasn't looking forward to it.
"...Well, where are we setting up camp? From the looks of it, there aren't many people sitting down to rest, so we have our pick of spots."
"Y-yeah. Um..."
"How about... over there?"
"Eh, but if we're over there..."
In response to my question, Mika and Saori-chan scanned the area and began consulting each other with troubled voices. Unlike the previous break, eating involved letting your guard down and becoming less alert. In that case, you have to account for the possibility of an emergency—an attack—so picking a spot to sit down was vital. The distance to the entrance leading deeper into the dungeon, the skill level of the resting explorers, the personal space between other parties... there were many conditions to consider when choosing a resting spot.
Right now, there were still many explorer parties around, so even if something happened, they could probably handle it. But if they chose randomly during their rookie days, they would struggle on the lower floors where the number of parties decreased and they wouldn't know the selection criteria. Basically, an explorer protects their own life, but it’s easier and safer to deal with things in cooperation with multiple parties. It’s better to acquire the observational skills to judge their own and others' strength now, and develop a sense for maintaining appropriate positioning to cooperate in an emergency.
"Um, then Onii-chan, shall we rest with our backs to that wall over there?"
As a result of their consultation, Mika pointed to a spot by the wall located halfway between the stairs leading back up to the 6th floor and the passage leading deeper into the dungeon. Since there were no parties sitting nearby, we could spread out our sheet without hesitation.
Of course, it was a position where we couldn't count on cooperation from other parties in an emergency.
"Hmm? Is that spot okay? There are other open spots, you know? Like, over there."
"No, I think that spot is the safest."
"Yes. From the looks of it, many of the parties taking breaks seem exhausted, so rather than forcing coordination, I think it’s better to camp in a position where it's easy for us to move. If we aren't careful, we might get caught up in their blunders."
"...I see. If that’s the case, let’s eat over there."
As Saori-chan said, many of the parties resting in the plaza were currently undergoing treatment or were mentally worn out, making a quick response difficult. If an emergency occurred in this situation, these people—who didn't seem to have much experience compared to veterans—would likely fall into a panic. In that case, far from coordinating an interception, it would go straight into a chaotic melee with friend and foe mixed together. There were certainly parties in the plaza with enough strength to pass through the lower floors, but those kinds of people weren't mainly active on this floor; they were just passing through. If you relied on the uncertain strength of passersby who might leave at any moment, you wouldn't be able to take a peaceful break. It might not have been the optimal solution, but it was a better choice.
Once we moved, we spread out a leisure sheet, sat down, and began eating lunch. That said, it was just rice balls bought from a convenience store on the way.
"Well, let’s eat."
"Yeah. Oh, Onii-chan, you have plum and tuna mayo."
"Yeah, I heard plum is effective for recovering from fatigue. Mika has... spicy pollack roe and spicy pickled mustard greens."
"Things with a little kick make it easier to eat. Saori-chan has..."
"I have shrimp mayo and fried chicken mayo. I find it easier to eat if there's mayonnaise in it..."
Contrary to the gloomy atmosphere around us, we were able to have lunch in a relatively harmonious and peaceful atmosphere. Well, we were getting looks filled with envy or jealousy—negative emotions—from our surroundings, mainly directed only at me!
And so, after finishing lunch and resting to digest, we resumed our exploration of the 7th floor, our goal for the day.
Breaking away from the flow of explorers moving toward the lower floors, we began walking deeper into the 7th floor. Almost immediately, a sound came from ahead. It was likely the sound of some explorer party fighting monsters. In a way, it was a sound often heard inside a dungeon. We slowed our pace so as not to interfere with the battle and waited for the party ahead to finish their fight.
However, as we approached with slow steps, the situation changed. The impact sounds that were heard at first decreased, and screams and voices of agony began to mix in. And those weren't screams from monsters, but clearly human screams.
"!? Onii-chan, Saori-chan, let’s hurry!"
"Yeah, that seems for the best."
"Right!"
With a panicked Mika in the lead, we hurried toward the source of the sound. Jumping into our view was a four-person explorer party that looked like rookies. Their faces were pale as they fought to protect a comrade who was bleeding from the flank after being wounded by a goblin.