After finishing the soggy noodles, we started dismantling our base camp. The beds, camp screens, and other supplies were easy enough to pack up since we were used to it, but the problem lay with the barricade—the wooden stakes we’d hammered into the ground that sat right in front of us.
We couldn't exactly just leave them there.
"For now, I’ll put them in 'Spatial Storage.' We might find a way to reuse them, or they might have an unexpected use like the long grass did."
"Well, it is dungeon-grown timber," Yuji noted. "I'm sure we can find some use for it."
"Wood, wood... maybe I should try processing it into furniture or paper?" Hiiragi-san mused.
As we discussed potential recycling methods, I efficiently gathered the timber. Within about five minutes, all the wood was stowed away and the base camp was officially cleared.
"Alright, that’s everything. Shall we do a final equipment check before we head out?"
"Yeah, let's do it. Let's get ready and move. If we push ourselves, we might actually make it to the 50th floor."
"Just because we have a goal doesn't mean you should be reckless, okay?" Hiiragi-san cautioned. "We need to take regular breaks to keep our strength up."
"O-Oh, right."
Hiiragi-san was right. I understood Yuji’s excitement, but if we didn't take at least a minimum amount of rest, it could compromise us when it really mattered. No matter how much we prioritized speed to reach a new record, we had to maintain a baseline of safety.
Once our final equipment check was complete, we entered the forest from the spot where we’d seen the Squirrel? monsters yesterday. We needed to verify the reason behind their suspicious behavior.
"We're heading in. Since we still don't know why those squirrels fled, stay even more alert than usual with our enemy search."
"I know," Yuji replied. "If they’re looking for an opening, they might wait for a moment when our guard is down after we've finished fighting another monster."
"Or the moment we find a staircase," Hiiragi-san added.
Warning each other of the potential risks, we stepped cautiously into the forest. Time to find out the truth. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a headache...
As we searched for the stairs while remaining on high alert, we spotted three Squirrel? monsters perched on the branches ahead. They didn't attack immediately; instead, they remained still, observing our movements.
Hmm? Could it be...
"They aren't... exactly hiding."
"At this rate, there's no chance of a surprise attack."
Yuji and I realized that the second possibility we’d considered—that they were stalking us for an ambush—was likely wrong. In other words, their behavior yesterday had probably just been a simple retreat.
As if to confirm our theory, the Squirrel? monsters soon turned their backs on us and fled all at once.
"Ah, they ran."
"They really did."
"They sure did."
Watching them go, we all let out sighs of relief that our more pessimistic predictions hadn't come true. I was glad those Squirrel? monsters weren't some kind of specialized assassin-type.
"Still, if that's the case, why did they run?"
"Maybe their instincts just told them we were bad news?" Yuji suggested.
"But Hirose-kun, if that's the case, why did every monster until now attack us without a second thought? I think there's a specific reason why only those Squirrel? monsters are avoiding a fight with us..."
Come to think of it, the only other monster that had explicitly avoided a fight was the ogre on the 29th floor. But since that was a boss-tier entity, I’d assumed it was a special case. Was I wrong?
"Another reason... maybe they have some kind of identification skill?"
"An identification skill?"
"Yeah, like one that measures the difference in strength between themselves and the opponent. If they can perceive the power gap, it makes sense that they'd choose to flee before the fight even starts, right?"
"I guess so. It’s certainly more logical to run from an unbeatable enemy and look for an opponent you can actually win against."
If those Squirrel? monsters had a skill or a similar ability, it would explain why they’d fled so quickly. In terms of level difference, there was no way they could beat us.
"Phew... well, that’s one less thing to worry about for now."
"Yeah. Though that doesn't mean we can lower our guard. Still, I feel a bit more relaxed."
Steeling ourselves once more, we resumed our trek through the forest to find the stairs.
We finally located the stairs to the 43rd floor. However, since it had taken nearly fifty minutes of searching, we were starting to look a bit anxious. Our schedule allowed for roughly one hour per floor, which meant we’d only clear five more floors in the time we had left. At fifty minutes per floor, we’d only manage six at most, even though we needed to clear eight to reach the 50th floor. To hit our target within the scheduled dive time, we needed to clear each floor in forty minutes or less.
And yet, it had taken us fifty... At this rate, reaching the 50th floor might be impossible.
"We might not make it unless we pick up the pace."
"But we’re already rushing as much as we can while staying alert," Yuji argued. "Sure, we could go faster, but..."
"The risk of overlooking traps or subtle signs of monsters would go up," Hiiragi-san finished. "I can't agree to that."
"Sigh. I guess it just comes down to luck in the end..."
It seemed unlikely we'd reach our goal unless we were lucky enough to stumble upon the stairs quickly. But we had come this far; we might as well see how deep we could get.
With that mindset, we descended the stairs and set foot on the 43rd floor.
"I hope we find the stairs faster this time..."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Daiki," Yuji said. "Reaching the 50th floor is just a goal to strive for. We don't need to force it... even if it would be a shame to miss it."
"He's right. It's a regrettable goal to fall short of, but being obsessed with it and rushing is dangerous."
Having my impatience pointed out, I took several deep breaths to settle my nerves. They were right; it wasn't a goal I needed to achieve at all costs. It was better to relax and just consider it a stroke of luck if we managed it.
Realizing my own haste, I looked at Yuji and Hiiragi-san and gave a small nod of apology. I had almost led them into a dangerous situation because of my own impatience.
"Sorry. I was rushing a bit too much."
"Don't worry about it. I haven't shown it, but my mind was racing with 'hurry, hurry' too."
"Me too," Hiiragi-san admitted. "I was naturally focused on getting further ahead."
"I see... we all have to be careful, then."
After our brief moment of reflection, we began our exploration of the 43rd floor.
I honestly couldn't tell if our luck was good or bad anymore. Somehow, we reached the 46th floor in just one hour. Despite wandering around based on gut feeling, we had apparently taken the shortest possible routes through the 43rd, 44th, and 45th floors, clearing them in record time. Encountering no troublesome monsters also helped keep our delays to a minimum.
...I just hoped there wouldn't be some kind of karmic backlash for this later.
"Things are going smoothly... right?"
"Yeah, I think so... probably."
"It's going so well that it's actually making me a little nervous."
As we stood on the 46th floor, our faces showed more anxiety than joy. When things go too well, human nature is to wait for the other shoe to drop.
Still, we had three hours left. The possibility of reaching the 50th floor was back on the table, but we still had to clear four more floors in that time. We had no choice but to push forward and suppress our unease.
"Whew... let's keep going. If we stay lucky, we might actually hit the target."
"Yeah, no point worrying now. We've made it this far on luck; let's aim high."
"Yes, let's go. At this pace, we can definitely reach the 50th floor."
Shaking off our doubts, we rallied our spirits.
"Alright, let's move!"
"Oh!"
We set off with renewed energy, but my anxiety turned out to be spot on. A mixed group of ten Weasel monsters and Squirrel? monsters appeared in our path. Dammit, I knew there’d be a catch!
The alliance of weasels and squirrels surrounded us, attacking the moment we took our combat stances. Six Weasel monsters began circling us at high speeds, while four Squirrel? monsters perched in the trees puffed out their cheek pouches. They leaned back slightly before spitting something from their mouths with tremendous force.
"Whoa!? Long-range attacks!?"
"Tch, it's those squirrels!"
We scrambled to dodge the bullet-like projectiles. I’d thought they were melee fighters because they always fled, but they were actually ranged attackers! They’d likely been running away because, in addition to the power gap, they didn't have any vanguards to protect them.
Fighting enemies with support is a pain... I’ll take out the squirrels first.
"Yuji, Hiiragi-san! I'll take the squirrels! You two handle the weasels!"
"Roger, leave them to us!"
"I'll leave that side to you, Kokonoe-kun!"
"On it!"
Quickly assigning roles, we engaged the group. My targets were up in the trees and possessed a troublesome attack method, so I needed to deal with them fast.
The most efficient move was...
"Hah!"
"Gyu!?"
To use long-range attacks of my own to eliminate them. I used the same throwing darts that Mika uses. Of course, my level is much higher than hers, so the power was in a different league. As proof, the heads of the Squirrel? monsters I hit simply burst apart.
Yeah. Even if they were small, I might have overdone it a bit...
"Yuji, Hiiragi-san, I'm done over here! How are you two doing? Need backup?"
"No, we're good! Just a bit more... and done."
"Finished here too."
The blood-stained corpses of six Weasel monsters lay scattered around them as they reported the end of the fight.
"That went smoother than I expected."
"Well, they’re fast, but they have almost no durability. As long as you can land a hit, they're easy to kill."
"True. I suppose that speed is meant to compensate for their weakness, but it clearly wasn't enough."
While evaluating the battle, we collected the drop items left behind as the monster corpses vanished. We got four drops this time—more than I’d expected.
The loot consisted of two Core Crystals, one portion of weasel meat, and a monocle magic item. A magic item, huh...
"Daiki, what does that one do?"
"Wait a second, I’ll check. 'Appraisal Analysis.'"
The results of my Appraisal Analysis revealed the item's effect. Apparently, it used the wearer’s level as a baseline; targets with a higher level than the wearer would glow red, while those with a lower level would glow blue. In other words, it allowed the user to identify relatively safe enemies at a glance. It would be incredibly useful for deciding whether to fight or flee when encountering a new type of monster.
This is the kind of thing top-tier explorer teams or complete beginners would kill for.
"It looks like it visualizes the level difference between you and the target."
"Visualizing the level difference?"
"It's not dangerous, so why don't you try it on?"
I handed the monocle to Yuji. It was easier to understand by seeing it in action.
"Whoa, Daiki is glowing red."
"Red means my level is higher than yours, Yuji. If the target's level were lower, they’d glow blue."
"Heh, being able to tell at a glance if someone is stronger or weaker than you is pretty handy."
Yuji looked around with the monocle held to his right eye, looking impressed. Sorry to disappoint you, Yuji, but there aren't any monsters nearby.
Watching Yuji marvel at the tool with a small sigh, Hiiragi-san spoke up.
"About those Squirrel? monsters. They actually used long-range attacks. Even though they’ve done nothing but run away until now..."
"About that... it's just a theory, but I think they only attack if they have a vanguard or if they're sure they can win. Their attack seemed to be spitting out projectiles stored in their cheek pouches at high speed, but it looked like a single-shot type. They couldn't fire a second shot immediately."
"So they're one-hit-kill style monsters? I suppose that would explain why they'd flee if they felt at a disadvantage."
I think I’d finally figured out the logic behind their suspicious behavior. They only engaged when the situation was overwhelmingly in their favor, and even if they fled, it could be a tactic to wait for the enemy to lower their guard.
Man, what a nasty way to fight.