We joined the flow of the traveling queue and headed for the 7th floor, arriving in no time at all. Since we were only moving down a single floor, and we had already ventured quite deep into the 6th floor while looking for red boars, the walk to the stairs was short.
Once we arrived, we stepped out of the flow of the queue once again.
"So, we’re on the 7th floor. Do you want to dive straight into the exploration, or should we take a break first?"
I turned to Mika and Saori-chan, who had just finished their bout with the red boars, and asked for their input. Yuji, Hiiragi-san, and I hadn't done much besides walk, so we weren't exhausted, but the two girls had certainly exerted themselves.
We weren't in any particular hurry today, so taking frequent breaks was perfectly fine by me if they were tired.
"I’m good to keep going," Mika said.
"I haven't used that much energy, so I'm fine to proceed," Saori-chan added.
Both of them responded with smiles, making it clear they were ready to move on. They hadn't sustained any injuries, and a mere warm-up fight probably wasn't enough to drain their stamina.
And so, we continued our trek into the 7th floor.
"By the way, how many goblins did you two end up fighting during your summer break?"
We advanced deeper into the floor while remaining vigilant. As we walked, I decided to confirm their combat history with the monsters.
Mika and Saori-chan glanced at each other for a second before Mika spoke up, her expression thoughtful.
"Let’s see... I think we fought over a hundred in total over the break?"
"We usually fought three or four at a time," Saori-chan explained, "but there were several occasions where we had to handle nearly ten at once."
"With those numbers, it sounds like you have plenty of experience. Still, if you ran into groups of nearly ten multiple times, were you finding yourselves in situations similar to monster trap rooms?"
Fighting over a hundred goblins was a solid foundation, but encountering groups of ten in the wild was rare. To run into them repeatedly over the short span of summer vacation, they would have had to intentionally seek out spots where such groups gathered.
Specifically, places where monsters spawn in large numbers as a trap.
"Yeah. It was pretty similar to that room you took me to, Onii-chan. Though the numbers were smaller than back then. I was a bit surprised the first time it happened, though," Mika admitted.
"Oh, but we always knew they were at the end of the passage, so we prepared ourselves and took them out with a surprise attack," Saori-chan clarified, looking a bit awkward.
I see. If they were gauging the enemy’s numbers, devising a plan, and then launching a preemptive strike, then given their skill levels, they should have been able to win without getting hurt.
Come to think of it, when I took them to that trap room, they seemed startled by the sheer volume of goblins, but their coordination against multiple targets was quite smooth.
"It’s okay, Saori-chan. I’m not scolding you. If you assessed the situation and judged that you could handle it, then I have no complaints."
I gave her a reassuring smile to ease her tension.
"It sounds like their experience points are more than sufficient," Hiiragi-san noted.
"I agree," Yuji said. "If they’ve fought that many, they aren’t going to freeze up now just because they’re facing goblins. That’s a relief."
"Yes," Hiiragi-san added. "Quite a few explorers hit a wall because they can't bring themselves to kill humanoid monsters, either quitting entirely or never progressing past the 6th floor. I was worried they might struggle with that, but it seems they’re fine."
Some people handle the first few just fine, only to find the mental toll unbearable once the body count hits ten or twenty. Since these two had already cleared a hundred, we didn't have to worry about that particular hurdle.
"Yeah! We fought so many over the summer that dealing with goblins is second nature now," Mika said confidently.
"As long as the numbers are manageable, we can defeat them without getting a scratch," Saori-chan added.
"In that case, it looks like you two are well past the point of being in any real danger here."
Hearing their history confirmed my suspicion that they wouldn't have much trouble. Based on their performance against the red boars earlier, their actual combat ability was well within the required range.
As we continued our conversation, we spotted several figures squirming in the darkness at the end of the corridor.
We came to a halt to observe them.
"Those aren't... explorers."
"No. I don't see any Lights, and the way they move is definitely monster-like. Probably goblins."
"I agree... Three of them, maybe?"
We concluded that the shadows were indeed goblins. The three of them didn't seem to have noticed us yet; they showed no sign of approaching. It was a convenient situation, but we remained cautious, knowing they could charge at any second.
Since they hadn't spotted us, we had the luxury of a quick strategy meeting before launching a surprise attack.
"Alright, let's assume those are goblins and decide who’s moving. Mika and the others already warmed up with the red boars, so how about we veterans take this one? There are exactly three, so we can take one each."
"Good idea," Yuji agreed. "It wouldn't hurt for us to get a little warm-up in too."
"I’m in... Mika-chan, Saori-chan, do you mind if we handle these? Or would you prefer to fight?" Hiiragi-san asked, checking with the girls.
Mika and Saori-chan both shook their heads.
"You guys go ahead. We already got our warm-up in earlier," Mika said.
"I'm fine too. We'll take the next ones we find," Saori-chan added.
"Understood."
With the girls bowing out, we decided the three of us would handle this pack. Since they had already fought over a hundred goblins, there was no need for them to scramble for every kill.
Our plan was to check their progress floor by floor anyway, so we could save the goblin assessment for later.
"Got it. We’ll take them. Mika, Saori-chan, keep an eye on our six and make sure nothing sneaks up behind us."
"You got it! We'll be watching how the pros do it, Daiki!"
"Haha, don't get your hopes up. There isn't much to show off against a few goblins."
If there were ten or more, it might be a different story. But with only three—and each of us taking one—the fight would be over the moment we closed the gap and took their heads. There really wasn't any room for impressive technique.
I didn't intend to struggle on purpose just for a show, so Mika’s expectations were likely going to be unmet.
"Well, no point standing around talking. Let's finish this."
"Right... Turning the light on now."
Yuji directed his handheld light toward the squirming figures. The beam cut through the darkness, clearly illuminating the goblins at the end of the passage.
Naturally, they noticed us immediately.
"Definitely goblins. Three of them."
"Alright. Distribution: Daiki, you take the right; I’ve got the center; and Hiiragi-san, you take the left. Sound good?"
"Works for me."
"Understood. Right side is mine."
We assigned our targets in a heartbeat. It was just a matter of taking down the one directly in front of us.
The goblins, finally aware of our presence, began to shriek and chatter in an attempt to intimidate us.
"Let’s end this quick."
"Yeah."
"Right."
Before the monsters could even register our movement, the three of us lunged forward. We were far faster than they were, and we closed the distance instantly.
We reached them in the blink of an eye. The goblins’ faces were masks of shock and confusion, their reactions lagging behind our speed as we struck.
"Shi!"
"Fu!"
"Ha!"
"Gi...!?"
With short, sharp exhales, our weapons reached their marks before the goblins could even lift a hand. All they managed to do was let out a collective cry of bewildered terror.
The blades swung by Yuji and me decapitated our targets with surgical precision, sending their heads flying while their expressions remained frozen in shock. Meanwhile, the spear thrust by Hiiragi-san pierced her goblin’s chest dead-center, leaving a gaping hole that went straight through to its back.
"...Whew. Done."
We waited for the corpses to begin their particleization before lowering our guard.
It had been a total walkover—hardly even a fight. It certainly hadn't been the spectacle the girls were hoping for.
"Nice work. That was over fast," Mika said, walking up to us.
"Good work, everyone. That was incredibly fast," Saori-chan added.
The two of them, who had been guarding our rear, approached once they saw the fight was over. Mika looked a little bored, while Saori-chan was the complete opposite, her face filled with admiration.
I guess Mika was disappointed by the lack of drama.
"Mika, I told you there wouldn't be much to see."
"I know, but I thought maybe you’d... you know, do something cool since we were watching."
"Even if you say that... What was I supposed to do? Hack them into tiny pieces?"
I could have, but I wasn't about to butcher a monster into a dozen parts for no reason.
Mika made a face of pure disgust and crossed her arms into an 'X'.
"I don't want to see something gruesome like that! I meant something flashy! Like with magic, you know?"
"Oh, that’s what you were looking for."
Apparently, Mika had been hoping for a flashy magical finish.
That was a relief. I was worried for a second she was developing a taste for the macabre.
"Sorry to disappoint. If that’s what you wanted, I could have done it if you’d asked..."
"Ah... yeah, I guess..."
Mika looked away, appearing a little embarrassed. If she wanted to see magic, she could have just said so; it wasn't exactly a strange request.
Beside her, Saori-chan watched our exchange with a playful smile.
"Hm? Looks like the particleization is done."
"Oh, wow! Three things dropped!"
Where the goblins had been, three drop items now lay on the ground. Two were the usual core crystals, but the third was the real prize.
It was a small vial—a beginner recovery potion.
"A recovery potion? That’s a lucky hit."
"Those still sell for a good price, so this is actually a decent profit," Mika noted.
"A recovery potion should cover our travel expenses for the day," Saori-chan added happily.
I collected the items while the girls cheered. I discreetly used Appraisal Analysis to confirm it was indeed a recovery potion and felt a small wave of relief. Since this was a joint trip with the girls, I hadn't expected to make the kind of profit I usually did. Knowing we’d at least earned enough to stay out of the red was a weight off my shoulders.
In the worst-case scenario, every drop could have been a core crystal. If that had happened, Mika and Saori-chan might have felt guilty for coming along.
"Alright, all clear. Shall we keep moving?"
I called out to the group. No one had used any real energy in that fight, so there was no need for a break.
Buoyed by the lucky drop, we continued our exploration of the 7th floor. I planned to let Mika and Saori-chan handle the next encounter; hopefully, we’d find a reasonably sized group so I could get a good look at how much they'd grown.
Though, as for using magic on a single goblin... cutting them is just so much faster.