As the date for Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san’s Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures Issuance Exam loomed just a day away, their intensity in training reached a fever pitch. Perhaps they were using the exercise to vent their pre-exam stress, but it wasn't just those two—Mika and Saori-chan were just as fired up.
As a result, our instruction became equally heated. By the time after-school training wrapped up, all four girls regularly ended the day slumped on the ground.
"All right, that’s enough for today."
"Ye... yessir..."
"Yeah, looks like a real massacre out here."
"Indeed. Good work, everyone."
As we watched Mika and the others gasping for air on the pavement, we began our usual post-training critique.
"For now, it feels like Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san have mastered the basics," I said. "You still have issues like insufficient stamina and muscle strength, but you don't need to worry too much about that. Once you become explorers and start leveling up, your stats will naturally increase."
"That’s right," Yuji added. "Your proficiency in exploration and combat techniques is still a work in progress, but it’s enough to handle monsters on the upper floors. Just remember: no solo combat. Even if you only encounter a single opponent, always fight as a group."
Hiiragi-san chimed in next. "An explorer’s physical abilities improve with their level, but plenty of people get overwhelmed by that sudden increase in power. It often leads to injuries because they can't control their movements as intended. Once you two become explorers and start leveling up, make sure to re-verify your form every single time."
"Y-Yes!"
Both Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san replied with hints of relief and joy. Based on their training over the past few weeks, I figured they were now on par with athletic club members who reached the top of regional tournaments. Training them to a national level in such a short window had been impossible, of course, but for newcomer explorers, their physical capabilities were more than sufficient.
In reality, if a few students had a decent level of fitness, even a party from the going-home club could probably fight off upper-floor monsters. Though I couldn't guarantee they'd come out of it without a scratch.
"However, don't get overconfident just because your basic stats are in order," I warned. "Being able to move and being able to fight are two different things."
"True," Yuji said. "I've seen plenty of people freeze up from pure tension in the dungeon, especially newcomers. Being unable to move at all is a death sentence."
It was a classic rookie mistake—getting paralyzed with fear while a slime glommed onto you, leaving you to do nothing but panic.
Back when the dungeons first opened, there were also endless stories of out-of-shape adults marching in with high spirits, only to suffer self-inflicted injuries like torn muscles or ruptured Achilles tendons the moment they tried to engage a monster. I’d personally seen adults being carried into the annexed treatment centers by their teammates, their faces twisted in agony.
"You two, stop scaring them," Hiiragi-san scolded, looking slightly exasperated. "We trained them specifically with those risks in mind. They'll be fine."
Yuji and I scratched our heads and looked away, feeling a bit sheepish. She was right; we had applied plenty of pressure during their mock battle training. They had developed a decent amount of grit. Maybe we were being a bit too grim despite our concern.
"Ahem! Er, next is Mika and Saori-chan..."
"You totally just changed the subject," Mika noted.
"He definitely did," Saori-chan agreed.
"I’m talking about your progress now!" I barked.
Since things were getting awkward, I tried to pivot, but they called me out immediately. I was only worried about them; it wasn't like I was saying anything wrong. Regardless, I moved on to the critique for the more experienced pair.
"Compared to when we started this special training, your movement has improved significantly. It’s understandable that you focused on monster-slaying patterns after becoming explorers, but your forms were full of holes when it came to interpersonal combat."
"Yeah," Yuji agreed. "Specifically, your form when going for a finishing blow was a disaster. Those big swings might work on mindless monsters on the upper floors, but against humanoid monsters on the middle floors or human opponents, they're just massive openings."
"I understand the urge to put everything into a high-powered strike against a large monster," Hiiragi-san said, "but throwing such a telegraphed blow against a skilled opponent is a no-go. Doing it unconsciously is even worse. If you're aware of the opening and do it intentionally, you can at least prepare for a counter. But if it's just a bad habit... well, you saw what happens."
The three of us recalled the first time we had sparred with them. When we purposely broke our stance to bait them, both Mika and Saori-chan had instinctively unleashed those high-powered, wide-arced swings.
Even worse, they had thrown those big swings at such obvious bait without even considering a follow-up. When we lightly dodged and landed a clean counter-strike, we were actually more shocked than Mika and Saori-chan were.
"Um, that was, well... yeah," Mika muttered.
"I'm truly ashamed," Saori-chan added.
They seemed to remember those early sessions vividly, turning their heads away bashfully as their cheeks flushed red. After all this training, they had clearly realized for themselves just how reckless they had been.
"Well, we've mostly hammered that habit out of you," I said. "The telegraphed swings are gone, and you’ve gotten much better at identifying feints. At this point, even if you run into rogue explorers with a higher level than yours, you should be able to retreat without taking major damage."
"Your technical skill is still green in a lot of ways," Yuji noted, "but at least you won't be easy pickings. I won't say you'd win a straight fight, but your proficiency is high enough that escaping shouldn't be an issue."
"Mika-chan, Saori-chan, remember that the interpersonal techniques we taught you are strictly for escaping without injury," Hiiragi-san reminded them. "There's no need to fight an aggressor head-on. Just parry their attacks and retreat to an area where other explorers are present."
Assailants generally didn't want to be caught in the act. Like the ones we had encountered before, if a culprit launched a long-range attack while remaining hidden, they would likely retreat the moment their initial strike failed. They wouldn't take the risk of exposing their identity just to pursue a target.
On the other hand, if an opponent was bold enough to attack openly, they might be persistent in order to silence witnesses. But even then, they'd likely be wearing masks or some other basic disguise; if you managed to break line of sight and get away, they probably wouldn't keep up the chase.
"What if we run but they still chase us?" Mika asked.
"Then you keep running," Yuji replied. "Inside a dungeon, proving a crime is difficult. If the only witnesses are the victims, they might try to lie their way out of it. But if they chase you into a crowd of other explorers, they're finished."
Because proving crimes in the dungeon was so hard, the only way to ensure a culprit was caught was to do exactly what we had done—catch them in the act at the scene with undeniable evidence.
While body cameras might capture footage of an attack, it was difficult to prove that the person in the video was the same person apprehended later unless they were caught red-handed. Most modern explorers used standardized equipment recommended by the Association, so identifying someone based solely on gear was nearly impossible.
"That's why you should always know your position in the dungeon and where the high-traffic areas are," I said. "Always have several retreat routes in mind."
"Exactly," Hiiragi-san added. "If you're attacked and you panic, forgetting where you are and just running in circles, you'll just end up getting hurt. This isn't just for people, either; it's the same for monsters. Always keep a retreat route in the back of your mind."
"A retreat route in advance..." Mika mused.
"It's true," Saori-chan agreed. "If we decide on the path beforehand, we can escape without hesitation."
They both looked convinced. Without a plan, a retreat usually just meant running back the way you came—a predictable move. If an enemy group was coordinated, they would prioritize blocking that single path.
Well, I doubted anyone would go through the trouble of organizing a large-scale ambush anyway. People with that much coordination would make more money just exploring normally. No one with a shred of sanity would take that kind of risk for a petty robbery.
"In any case, you've got the foundation to at least get away if things turn south. We’ll keep training, but we've reached a good milestone."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
The four girls, who had finally caught their breath, stood up.
"That’s the status for all of you. We'll continue after the weekend, but for now, we've reached a stopping point before the big day for Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san."
"Thank you very much!"
"All right, it's the day before the exam, so let's call it early and head home."
Since Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san probably wanted to do one last check of the material for the written exam, we decided to wrap up. We had checked to see if the testing procedures had changed, but it seemed the flow was the same: a short introductory lecture, followed by a written exam, and then the practical exam.
The next morning, we all accompanied the two nervous examinees to the Dungeon Association branch. In the early days, they used to rent out university halls because the crowds were so massive, but now that the rush had died down, holding the qualification exams at the local branches was the standard.
Even so, there were still over a hundred examinees today. I knew because Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san were assigned numbers 112 and 113.
"You'll be fine as long as you stay calm," I told them. "Don't let the numbers get to you."
"Exactly," Yuji said. "Compared to the hell we put you through, this exam is going to be a breeze."
"You've studied hard," Hiiragi-san added. "Just listen carefully to the lecture and you'll pass the written part easily."
"Mhm, it was easy for us, so you'll be okay too," Mika said.
"Just stay calm and you'll do great," Saori-chan encouraged.
Bolstered by the group of us who had already passed, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san let out long sighs, finally shaking off the tension that had stiffened their shoulders in front of the crowd.
"I understand. I'll stay calm and do my best," Tatebayashi-san said.
"I'll give it my all," Hino-san added.
"Good luck."
We watched them finish their registration and disappear into the exam hall before leaving the building. Even with the smaller crowds, the process took until the afternoon because of the lunch break. It was too long to just sit around the lobby.
We had told them to message us when they were done so we could come pick them up, so we were free to wander.
"So, where should we go to kill time?" I asked. "We know when they'll finish, but we shouldn't wander too far."
"True," Yuji said. "Any requests, girls?"
"Since we're in an area we rarely visit, can we walk around and look at the shops first?" Hiiragi-san asked. "I'm not really sure what's around here."
"I want to see what's nearby too," Mika said.
"I'm also unfamiliar with this neighborhood..." Saori-chan admitted.
Since none of us usually came this far, we really didn't know the layout.
"Let's just walk, then," I suggested. "It’s not like we’re looking for anything specific."
As we explored, we found that the area was essentially a high-end commercial district that catered to the nearby business offices. The restaurants and shops were a bit upscale, with luxury boutiques scattered here and there. To put it bluntly, it was the kind of place with a high threshold for high school students. Unless you had a specific reason to be there—like an exam—you wouldn't usually see kids our age wandering around.
"Oh! Let's go to that shop over there!" Mika pointed.
"That place? Well, we know what we're getting into there," Yuji said.
After all that wandering, we ended up at a branch of a massive, familiar discount chain store to pass the time. They had a huge variety of stuff, and since it was a place we knew well, we didn't have to feel self-conscious about just hanging out. Plus, it was cheap.
We spent the next several hours browsing and grabbing a casual lunch at a nearby restaurant while we waited for the news.
"Ah, I just got a message from Asami-chan," Mika announced. "The practical exam is finished. They should be out of the Association building in about thirty minutes."
"It's over, then? Let's start heading back that way," Yuji said.
"Okay. She said she'll ping us again when they actually step outside."
"Got it."
We had been killing time at some crane games in an arcade when the message arrived. We finished our round and started moving back toward the Association branch.
I really hoped things went well for them. We had done a lot of prep work, so they should be fine. It was like watching someone who had trained for a professional-level trial go in for a high school club entrance test.