After finishing our break at the 8th-floor plaza and completing our warm-ups, we began our dungeon exploration in earnest. We picked up the pace, moving at a brisk trot and taking down every monster that crossed our path in quick succession.
Just as we had anticipated, Mika and Saori-chan handled the encounters without a hint of trouble, displaying excellent coordination as they dispatched their foes.
"All right, we’ve reached the 10th floor. Good work, you two. I have nothing to criticize about the battles so far. At this rate, exploring the 10th floor shouldn't be a problem either."
It had taken us about an hour and a half to reach the 10th floor, so we decided to have a late lunch at the staircase plaza. Since we had increased our pace after the last break, we managed to progress at a rate of less than an hour per floor, even with combat mixed in.
For the record, we had around ten encounters and defeated more than thirty monsters.
"Thanks. There weren't many people this time, so we were lucky enough to get several fights in a row," Mika said. "Usually, the encounter rate is lower because of the crowds."
"Thank you for your hard work. I'm really happy to hear you say that," Saori-chan added.
The two of them looked a bit worn out from walking and fighting continuously, but they wore bright expressions after being praised for the results of their summer vacation training.
"I’d heard about it from Daiki, but you both have become much better at fighting monsters," Yuji remarked.
"As long as you don't get careless, the monsters on these floors are no match for you now," Hiiragi-san agreed.
Beside me, Yuji and Hiiragi-san wore looks of genuine impressed. The last time they had seen Mika and Saori-chan in their roles as explorers was before summer vacation, when the girls had only just started. To see them holding their own as competent explorers in such a short time was clearly a surprise.
"Anyway, let's pause the conversation there and get some lunch. Now, where can we spread out a mat...?"
I looked around the plaza, but even though it was a bit late, it was still peak lunchtime. Several parties were already camped out along the walls, and a good spot was hard to find. It was standard etiquette to move toward the walls for meals or long breaks; the central part of the plaza was reserved for the traveling queue and parties taking short rests before moving on.
After walking halfway around the plaza clockwise, I spotted an empty patch of wall near the passage leading deeper into the 10th floor. Spots near the paths heading deeper in were generally unpopular because of the risk of monsters wandering out. Consequently, these areas tended to stay open even when the rest of the plaza was crowded.
"It looks like that's the only spot left along the wall."
"Want to check the other side?" Yuji suggested. "I’d like to at least feel a bit relaxed while we eat."
"True. It won't take long, so let's check the other side too."
With our current strength, we could easily handle any monster from the 10th floor that might jump out while we were eating, but we still wanted to enjoy our meal in peace. On these floors, there were plenty of explorer parties resting in the plazas and a large traveling queue. As long as we chose our spot carefully, even if a monster did wander in, other explorers would likely deal with it quickly. Constant vigilance was a necessity in the dungeon, but it was only natural to want to unwind during a break.
As we scanned the wall on the opposite side, we saw a party finishing their rest and getting ready to move out. We moved in to claim the spot as they vacated it. The area was almost exactly halfway between the stairs leading back to the 9th floor and the passage heading deeper in. We should be able to relax here.
"I'm glad a good spot opened up."
"Yeah, our timing was perfect."
"I agree. It didn't look like any of the other parties were moving, so this was a stroke of luck."
We let out sighs of relief at having secured a decent location as we spread out our leisure sheet. Once we sat down and shed our heavy packs, we finally managed to catch our breath.
"Good work, everyone."
"Good job."
"Good work."
"Good work, everyone!"
"I'm glad we finished the first half without any trouble. Let's keep it up for the second half after lunch."
I gave a brief word of appreciation and officially declared our break. It was a bit formal, but I found that verbalizing it helped everyone shift their mindset. Sure enough, while nobody let their guard down completely, I saw the tension leave their faces.
"Well then, let's eat."
With that, I reached into the backpack I brought for camouflage—though this time, with Mika and Saori-chan along, I was actually using it—and pulled out the lunch I had picked up at a convenience store. I had opted for standard onigiri, as they were easy to clean up. When you're on a day trip and have to consider the trash, your choices were pretty much limited to onigiri or bread.
We reviewed the schedule for the rest of the afternoon as we ate. Yuji, Mika, and I were having onigiri, while Hiiragi-san and Saori-chan had chosen bread.
"We got here faster than I expected, but considering the commute back, I think we have about two hours left for exploration," I noted.
"Based on the pace so far, that sounds about right," Yuji said.
"I agree," Hiiragi-san said. "If there’s no need to push, I don't think we should stay too late. Mika-chan, Saori-chan, would you prefer to extend the exploration time at all?"
When Hiiragi-san brought up the conservative return plan, Mika and Saori-chan thought about it for a moment, exchanged a look, and nodded to each other.
"That plan works for us," Mika said.
"I agree. We've collected enough drop items to make sure the trip isn't a loss, anyway."
It seemed the girls were perfectly fine with the schedule. The goal for today was to verify the results of their summer training, and since we had already secured a baseline income, there was no pressure to stay longer.
"All right. Then we'll explore for about two hours after lunch and then head back. Yuji, Hiiragi-san, that okay with you?"
"Yeah, works for me."
"No problem here."
With everyone in agreement, the plan was set. We would take the traveling queue back, which meant that even without combat, it would take two to three hours to reach the surface from this depth. All told, the second half of the trip would take about five hours.
"Great. Now that the plan is settled, let's just relax for the rest of the break."
"Right. Unless there's an emergency like a monster attack, I want to take it easy after eating."
"I agree," Yuji said. "I'm not stuffed, but I’d rather not jump straight back into a fight."
Experienced explorers almost never ate until they were full inside a dungeon. If you had to fight immediately after a heavy meal, you were likely to throw up. In a life-or-death situation, vomiting would create a massive opening and could easily lead to a fatal injury. Even without that, receiving a heavy blow to the stomach was far more dangerous when full.
In small parties, especially in areas like the shallow floor plazas where safety was relative, the better strategy was to consume small amounts of food frequently. Of course, that logic changed if you were powerful enough to repel monsters without effort while digesting.
"By the way, you two were diving down to the 10th floor during summer vacation, weren't you? Did you fight any orcs?" Hiiragi-san asked.
"Ah, yes. We fought them a little toward the end of the break," Mika replied.
"We were focusing on getting used to fighting humanoids by facing goblins first, so we don't have a lot of experience with orcs yet," Saori-chan added.
"I see. But you have defeated them before."
Hiiragi-san was double-checking their experience level before we moved on. I had told the girls it was fine to dive to the 10th floor, but they had clearly prioritized goblins to overcome the mental hurdle of fighting human-shaped enemies.
When we first started out, it had taken us a significant amount of time to get used to killing humanoid monsters too. I had advised them not to rush and to stick to goblins until it felt natural. The fact that they had faced hundreds of goblins meant they had spent a massive portion of their summer vacation dedicated to that specific training.
"If you have some experience, it should be fine to let the two of you handle the orcs yourselves. Of course, we'll step in if it gets too difficult, so don't worry."
"Oh, thank you. But based on our previous fights, I think Saori-chan and I can handle them."
"A group of ten might be hard, but if it's two or three... actually, I think Mika-chan and I could handle up to four or five on our own," Saori-chan said confidently.
"If you can manage four or five, you'll be fine on the 10th floor. You won't see groups of ten unless you go much deeper. Well, unless you stumble into a monster trap room, but those are rarer on these floors."
Hiiragi-san rested her chin on her hand, concluding that they were ready for the 10th-floor orcs. Usually, orcs here appeared in groups of three or four at most. If they could handle five, they were safe.
While the women talked, Yuji and I simply enjoyed the quiet of the break.
Thirty minutes later, we finished our rest and prepared to resume the exploration. We packed up the mat and our trash, then double-checked our equipment to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything we had loosened or removed.
Looking around the plaza, most of the parties that had been resting were already gone. There were no new groups rushing to grab spots—lunchtime was officially over.
"All right, everyone ready? No forgotten gear?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"All set here."
"Ready!"
"Nothing forgotten."
"Then let's get back to it. We'll explore the 10th floor and see how far we can get within the time limit."
With the exploration officially resumed, I spoke to Mika and Saori-chan as we approached the passage leading deeper into the floor.
"I'm going to let you two handle the first orcs we run into. Give it a try. If there are too many or things look dicey, we'll swap in, so don't push yourselves."
"Got it."
"Understood."
Though it seemed they could handle it, they were still inexperienced with the specific combat patterns of orcs. They wouldn't be careless, but they might be caught off guard by something unexpected, so the veterans would be watching closely. In terms of raw ability, however, they should be able to win without much trouble.
"Yuji, Hiiragi-san, we'll stay on backup for now."
"Roger that. Based on what we've seen, they should be fine, but we'll keep an eye out."
"Understood. Oh, that reminds me—there's something I want to try, or rather, something I'd like to teach those two. Is that okay?"
Hiiragi-san placed a hand on the equipment at her waist, asking for my permission. Seeing where her hand was... I see. She wanted to show them "that thing."
Now that I thought about it, Mika hadn't mentioned finding one as a drop item yet. For their future as explorers, knowing it was an option was definitely a plus.
"Sure. It’s better to show them how it works in practice."
"I'm fine with it too," Yuji added.
"Then it's settled. Mika-chan, Saori-chan, I’m going to jump in for a moment during your orc fight, okay?"
"Oh, okay."
"Understood."
Mika and Saori-chan looked a bit confused, but they readily agreed to Hiiragi-san's proposal.