After Yuji and the others gave me a casual apology and I used Cleansing to wash off the weasel monster's blood, we gathered the drop items left behind where the corpse had vanished.
It looked like we’d gotten a weasel monster’s tail as a drop.
"It’s so fluffy... it feels wonderful to the touch."
I picked it up and gave it a feel. The fur was incredibly pleasant. I wondered if it would be best to wrap it around my neck like one of those stoles you often see on TV.
"Daiki, lend that to me for a second... Oh, you’re right. This really does feel amazing."
"Let me touch it too... Wow, it really is fluffy."
The weasel monster’s tail was a hit with both of them, and we spent a while taking turns stroking it. It seemed to soothe the irritation I’d felt from being covered in blood during the fight.
Once we were satisfied with our petting session, we put the tail into storage and resumed our search for the stairs.
"Still, the small ones are definitely harder to deal with than the big ones. The target is just so small."
"Yeah. We were lucky this enemy was still within a range we could handle comfortably, but it’ll be a nightmare if we have to fight a larger group at once..."
"They were fast as well as small," Hiiragi-san added.
We shared our impressions of the fight as we walked, staying alert to our surroundings while discussing how to handle similar encounters in the future.
If a group of small, high-speed monsters attacked us, there would be times when it would be difficult to just stop and form a back-to-back formation like we did earlier. In those cases, we’d have to intercept them individually. However, as the combat speed increases, it becomes even more critical to keep track of everyone’s position and move precisely. Otherwise, just like in the last fight, the corpses of defeated enemies might collide with allies, or someone might accidentally dodge into an ally’s attack range and create a dangerous opening. Our conclusion was that we needed to get used to high-speed combat while placing even more emphasis on party coordination.
"In that case, it looks like it’s about time we practiced high-speed combat in earnest..."
"High-speed combat, huh... It’s true that we’ve never really fought while moving at full power before."
"Partly because we haven’t needed to," Hiiragi-san said, "but also because we didn't have a place to practice where people wouldn't see us."
"True, but we won't get used to it unless we actually do it."
We couldn't exactly practice something like high-speed combat in the dojo at Yuji's house; we’d probably end up breaking the place. That said, we couldn't just practice inside the dungeon either, even if no one was around. Currently, the only places in the dungeon without other people are the 30th floor and below. A place where you don't know where enemies might be hiding is fundamentally unsuitable for training, and if someone got seriously injured, getting back to the surface would be a ordeal. We have ways to treat injuries, of course, but it would be mentally exhausting. That meant we had to find a place outside the dungeon... I guess it has to be there?
"I guess our only option is to ask Genya-san to let us use his place?"
"Yeah, that environment is very similar to this one, so it’s perfect as a training ground... but..."
"He’ll probably watch us under the guise of being a supervisor," Hiiragi-san noted.
Since we’d be borrowing the space, it would be difficult to ensure total privacy. Besides, that’s where Genya-san’s disciples usually train. As the ones asking for a favor, it would be a bit much to ask him to clear everyone out just because we wanted to do secret training. We might need to offer some kind of return for the favor. Up until now, they’ve been indebted to us for the high-grade recovery potions, but Genya-san and his people also benefited from the mock battles—it gave his disciples experience against us, even if we are unofficial as top-class explorers.
"Monitoring, huh... If they don't spread word of what they see, I guess that’s just barely acceptable."
"Well, yeah. Considering how deep we’ve dived, we’re likely already under scrutiny. In fact, the Dungeon Association called us in the other day and forced us to raise our explorer rank. I’d like to believe that as long as they don't talk, it’s fine if we’re seen a little."
"That’s right," Hiiragi-san agreed. "We were pretty flashy at the sports festival too, so as long as it isn't publicized, we’ll be okay. Besides, we’ve done all sorts of things during training at Genya-san’s place before, so they probably already suspect something is up... It’s a bit late to worry about it now."
It was true. Between the sports festival and the number of floors we’ve cleared, we’ve already made quite a splash. The fact that no public requests have come from anywhere besides the Dungeon Association is proof enough that Genya-san and his people haven't leaked anything. If they had, the government would have definitely tried to contact us by now.
In that regard, I think it’s okay even if Genya-san and the others see us... at least, I hope so. But...
"Anyway, high-speed combat... I wonder how well we can actually move if we go all out?"
"Who knows? We’ve never tried, so honestly, I have no clue what kind of speed we're capable of."
"Our usual practice is mainly focused on technique. Even in mock battles, we’ve never tried moving at full speed."
"Sigh..."
It was a bit pathetic. Because we hadn't been forced to do it until now, we didn't even know our own limits. We sighed and looked at the trees ahead. I briefly wondered if we should try moving at full power right now.
I hurriedly shook my head to dismiss the idea. I couldn't afford to experiment in a dungeon where enemies could attack at any second.
"We can't do it now, but let's find a place and try moving with everything we’ve got once we get back. We need to confirm what our current limits are."
"I’m in favor," Yuji said. "We need to grasp what we’re capable of, otherwise we won't even know what kind of training we need to do."
"Right. You can't move forward if you don't know where you’re starting from."
We nodded to each other with expressions of resolve, deciding to test our full power as soon as possible.
We continued through the forest of the 40th floor searching for the stairs. We were ambushed by weasel monsters several more times. While we’d struggled during the first fight because we weren't used to small monsters, after a few encounters, dealing with the fast enemies became much easier. It might be a different story if they attacked in larger numbers, but for now, we could handle them individually without having to take a specific defensive formation.
In fact, even now...
"Hah!"
"Gyuh!?"
A weasel monster that had been darting around to distract her was pierced through the torso by Hiiragi-san’s spear, dying in a single strike. The weasel monsters were fast, but if you observed them closely, their movements were surprisingly simple. Once we got used to the rhythm, it was possible to take them down in one hit even while they were moving, just as Hiiragi-san had done.
"Oh, what a shame. No drop this time..."
"Now, now. They don't drop every time. It was just bad luck, okay?"
"I suppose..."
While encouraging Hiiragi-san, who was feeling a bit down about the lack of loot, we resumed our search for the stairs.
About five minutes after the battle ended, we found the stairs leading down to the 41st floor.
"Finally found them!"
"Yeah, finally. Since we can't use the drone, we’ve had to do a lot of walking."
"True. But normally, this is how it’s supposed to be. We’ve just been spoiled until now."
"Haha, you’re right, Hiiragi-san."
Relieved at finding the way down, we exchanged light banter as we approached the stairs. I checked my watch to see how much time had passed.
"Roughly an hour, huh... Since we can't move in a straight line, it really does eat up the time."
"The monster battles were all quick, so this was almost entirely time spent searching for the stairs."
"It can't be helped. But we should probably try to find some way to speed things up."
"Hmm..."
We couldn't think of any shortcuts at the moment, but if it took an hour just to clear one floor, exploring deep past the 40th floor on a two-day trip was going to be difficult. We only made it this far today because the upper floors were unusually empty. We had to find some kind of solution...
"Well, no use standing around. Let's head down to the 41st floor for now."
"Yeah, let's go."
"Right."
Shelving the problem of travel time for now, we descended the stairs. Naturally, the 41st floor was also a dense forest, making drone reconnaissance impossible.
Which meant...
"...What should we do? Keep going? Or should we call it a day and set up base camp?"
"Let's see... If we can clear this floor in the same amount of time as the last one, I think we can just barely reach the next floor within our scheduled window."
"But if we want to play it safe, it would be better to scout this floor and then set up camp," Hiiragi-san suggested.
Push forward or stay put—it was one or the other. Yuji’s plan was better if we wanted to maximize our progress for the next trip, while Hiiragi-san’s plan prioritized safety and rest. Both had their merits.
We frowned, agonizing over the choice.
"...Hey, do you two think we’ll be able to get back here under these same conditions again during summer vacation?"
"...It would be tough. We got lucky this time because it’s right after the Obon holidays and there are fewer people on the upper floors. I doubt we’ll get this lucky again."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "It would be difficult to replicate this. Even just getting back to this floor would likely take several hours longer next time."
"Right?"
It was a lucky break, and I didn't think we'd get another opportunity this good for the rest of the summer. So, while safety was a priority, this time...
"I think we should go with Yuji’s suggestion and move forward. If we push through one more floor now, we can start much deeper when we resume tomorrow. If we miss this chance, we probably won't be able to extend our reach much further this summer."
"...True. If we miss this window, going deeper will be a struggle. We can't exactly spend days on end living in the dungeon."
"You’re right... let's push on."
"..."
We looked at each other, and after a brief moment of lingering hesitation, we nodded.
We would continue the exploration and descend one more floor.
"Let's go. We're only being this reckless because of the circumstances."
"Yeah, our plan for this trip was always to see how far we could go."
"Just don't forget the 'within reason' part of safety," Hiiragi-san reminded us.
With our minds made up, we steeled ourselves and looked out at the dense forest ahead.
Alright, we need to get through this as quickly as possible so we have time to secure the base camp.
Moving at a brisk pace, we searched for the stairs to the 42nd floor. On this level, the weasel monsters started appearing in groups, and while we wanted to move fast, the combat began to take more time.
On the bright side, we were getting more drop items from them... though we couldn't exactly cash them in right away. Furthermore...
"Wow, we really lucked out."
"For real. I didn't think we'd find it this fast."
"Yes, this gives us some breathing room to secure the base camp."
To our relief, we found the stairs much quicker than expected. I hadn't dared to hope we’d find them in only thirty minutes.
We immediately went down the stairs and set foot on the 42nd floor. Naturally, it was more forest.
"Alright, this is far enough for today. Let's set up base camp."
"Yeah. But first, let's scout the immediate area to make sure it's secure. Fortunately, unlike the 30s, the visibility here is decent, so the camp should be easier to defend."
"On the other hand, the monsters are fast, so we'll have very little time to react once we spot them. It might be a good idea to build some simple barricades to slow them down."
"Good point. Let's scout the area and use some of these trees to put up a basic perimeter..."
The staircase plaza was roughly several dozen meters across. At the speed those weasel monsters moved, they could cross from the edge to our camp in seconds. That was far too little reaction time. To ensure we could sleep soundly, building some barricades was definitely the right call.