As Mika stepped forward, she crossed the monster's alert line. A low growl vibrated through the air, and a single creature emerged from the shadows at the far end of the corridor.
It was a hound dog—a quadrupedal, canine-like monster covered in coarse black fur.
"!" Both newcomers gasped, their bodies tensing.
"Calm down, you two," I said, my voice steady. "It’s understandable to be shaken seeing one in person for the first time, but no matter the situation, you must keep a cool head. Observe the enemy's behavior calmly and never stop thinking about their next move. That is the key to survival."
"Y-Yes!" they chirped in unison.
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san looked a bit overwhelmed by their first live encounter with a hound dog, so I continued offering advice on the proper mindset for dungeon combat.
"Also, while you can't help being surprised, try not to let it show on your faces. If a monster realizes its prey is frightened, it’ll be emboldened to attack with even more ferocity."
"Oh... right. Yes."
"I-I'm sorry."
At my critique, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san placed their hands against their cheeks, trying to massage the tension out of their rigid expressions. It was good that they were trying to implement my advice immediately, but doing that right in front of an enemy was a mistake. Even if they hadn't lowered their guard, the unnecessary movement would delay their reaction time by a crucial split second.
It wasn't exactly negligence, but since a single mistake could lead to injury, I made a mental note to bring it up again after the battle.
"The hound dog is about to enter Mika's range," I warned. "Watch closely. Don't miss a thing. In the next fight, you two will be the ones standing there. Ask yourselves: when would you move to dodge an attack? When would you strike to land a hit? Watch and think. Understood?"
"Yes."
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san didn't take their eyes off the confrontation. They swallowed hard, nodding firmly as they gave their clear, focused replies.
Meanwhile, the gap between Mika and the hound dog narrowed inch by inch, the air thick with the suffocating tension of an imminent clash.
"It’s starting. Don’t look away."
"Yes," they whispered, their voices hushed and expectant.
Then, just as the tension reached its breaking point, the hound dog unleashed a Roar and lunged at Mika in a powerful leap.
"Gwoooh!"
"..."
Mika remained perfectly still, observing the beast's trajectory with clinical detachment. Just before those front claws could reach her, she shifted her weight, sliding half a step to the side in a fluid evasion.
The hound dog’s claws sliced through empty air, failing to even graze her clothes.
"..."
In the same motion as her dodge, Mika launched a counter—though not with a blade. She held a small spray bottle filled with a red liquid in her right hand. She leveled the nozzle at the hound dog's face as they crossed paths, gave it a quick, firm squeeze, and immediately sprang back to create distance.
The result was instantaneous.
"Gyaun!?"
The hound dog let out a sharp yelp. Unable to even attempt a landing, it slammed face-first into the stone floor, propelled by its own momentum. The beast began to writhe in agony, desperately pawing at its eyes while letting out weak, pitiable whines.
It was completely neutralized.
"Good. A flawless counter," I praised. "You can really see the experienced technique at work."
"Eh?"
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san stood there with their mouths agape, unable to process the anticlimactic battle. They tilted their heads, their brains seemingly short-circuiting at the sight.
I understood their confusion, but zoning out during a monster encounter was a bad habit to start.
"Whew. That worked." Mika let out a soft breath.
"As expected of you, Mika-chan," Saori-chan added.
"I’ve done this plenty of times now. I’m not going to mess up against a single target."
Having successfully incapacitated the hound dog, Mika took a moment to breathe. Even while chatting with Saori-chan, she kept a cold, watchful eye on the enemy groveling on the ground, never letting her guard down.
"Well then, let’s finish it off while it’s down."
"Right."
Mika walked calmly toward the struggling hound dog to deliver the coup de grâce. Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san watched her with looks of pure disbelief.
This was clearly nothing like the heroic monster battles they had spent months imagining.
"Hah!"
"Gyaun!?"
With a short, sharp shout, Mika drove her weapon home. The strike was true, piercing the neck of the agonizing hound dog. The beast gave one final, pained shudder before falling still.
Mika waited a dozen seconds, checking the body with cautious eyes. Finally, the hound dog's form began to dissolve into light particles—the definitive proof of its death.
"Onii-chan, it’s over."
"Yeah, good job. That was an excellent demonstration."
"I've done this so often it's basically second nature now!"
Mika didn't look tired at all. Given that she was nearly a mid-level explorer, an opponent like this wasn't enough to make her break a sweat.
Where the hound dog’s body had vanished, a single small stone remained on the ground.
"Oh, a Core Crystal dropped on the first try! That's a good omen for today."
"True," I agreed. "Though it won't even cover the cost of the train ride here."
"That's the problem, isn't it? They used to be worth so much more in the beginning, right?"
"Yeah. Back then, one crystal would at least pay for your round-trip fare. Having a single kill cover your basic expenses did wonders for an explorer's mental health. These days, with the surface floors so overcrowded, you might wander for hours before finding a single monster."
For a newcomer student explorer who has spent their meager savings on gear and supplies, the current market is brutal. It’s a race to see if their funds dry up before they hit a rare jackpot that buys them a little more time.
"Well, it'll cover a couple of drinks at least. Better than nothing, right?"
"I guess so. Hey, Asami-chan, Suzune-chan! It’s over!"
"..."
Mika shrugged off the disappointing value of the crystal and called out to the two girls who had been observing their first real combat.
However, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san seemed dazed. Their eyes darted back and forth between Mika and the empty patch of floor where the hound dog had been.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Mika asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Did seeing a monster die make you feel sick?"
"It’s... it's not that, exactly..."
"It was just... a lot different from what I expected..."
"Different from what you... Oh! I see!" Mika realized.
"Ah, right. That makes sense," Saori-chan added with a sympathetic nod.
The two of them looked at the newcomers with pity.
"It’s true," Mika said. "If you were expecting the kind of epic battle you see in movies, what I just did probably looked like a total letdown."
"We were confused at first too," Saori-chan admitted. "It's natural to feel like something is wrong when it's so different from the image in your head."
"It's efficient and it keeps you safe, but it does feel a bit... cheap," Mika said with a sigh.
"Exactly," Saori-chan agreed. "You find yourself thinking, 'Wait, is this even allowed?'"
Mika and Saori-chan nodded to each other, fully empathizing with the newcomers' disillusionment. Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san turned their bewildered gazes toward us veterans.
"It’s fine," I said firmly. "If a little underhanded trick can reduce the risk of you getting hurt, you use it."
"He's right," Yuji chimed in. "A monster is a monster, no matter how weak. They attack with the sole intent of killing you. If there is a way to neutralize them easily, you'd be a fool not to take it."
"Precisely," Hiiragi-san added in a clipped, matter-of-fact tone. "The threat to low-level newcomers is significant. If you have the means to weaken or incapacitate an enemy, you use it. If you want to talk about fairness or 'cowardly tactics,' wait until you're strong enough to kill them without getting a scratch before you open your mouth."
As we veterans calmly defended Mika's methods, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san gave hesitant, lingering nods of agreement.
"Y-Yes..."
"I... I understand."
"Of course," I added, "if you rely on these tricks forever, you'll never gain experience in conventional combat, and that will bite you later. These tactics are for the 'newbie' phase—getting you used to the dungeon and getting your initial levels up safely. Once you're stronger, you'll be able to fight without them."
"True," Yuji agreed. "Some monsters aren't affected by these tricks at all. If you can't fight straight-up, you won't survive long as an explorer. It’s a tool for the beginning, nothing more."
It wasn't a sustainable long-term strategy, but it was the best way to ensure a rookie's growth.
First, though, I needed to check on their mental state after seeing blood—or at least, death—for the first time. I called for a short break to let the girls decompress from the tension.
We leaned against the corridor wall in a spot with good visibility, keeping watch while we hydrated.
"So, honestly, how do you feel?" I asked. "Now that you've seen a monster killed right in front of you, are you feeling nauseous or lightheaded?"
"No, I'm okay," Tatebayashi-san said. "I’ve seen plenty of pictures and videos of them online. I knew what had to be done, and I came here prepared for it."
"I was nervous about the hostility it was directing at us," Hino-san added, "but so far, I'm alright."
They were definitely tense, but they didn't seem to be lying to save face. Considering they had watched a life be extinguished—even a monster's—they were holding up well.
It looked like we could continue.
"Good. Because next time, it's your turn to fight."
"..." They both stiffened. "Yes!"
"Good answer."
Their voices were a bit high-pitched with nerves, but they looked me in the eye when they spoke.
Now then...
"Okay, you two. Let's start with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors."
"Eh?"
"We need to decide who goes first. We can't be standing around debating it while a monster is charging us. We decide now."
"T-That makes sense."
"Right."
The girls, who had been bracing themselves for some grand speech or heavy instruction, looked utterly deflated as they faced each other.
Hey, order of operations is important.
"Here we go! Rock, paper, scissors..."
"Shoot!"
By the laws of Rock-Paper-Scissors, the order was set: Hino-san first, then Tatebayashi-san.
Hino-san looked dazed for a second after winning, but her expression quickly shifted into one of grim determination.
"Alright, break's over. Let's resume the exploration. We might not find another one immediately, but stay sharp."
"Yes!"
"Don't let the nerves eat you alive," I said with a smile. "Stay alert, but try to stay loose. Relax, relax."
It was easier said than done, but focus is a finite resource. In a dungeon, you need a state of "relaxed readiness"—staying sharp enough to react without burning out from constant fear.
My casual tone seemed to work; their expressions softened slightly as we set off once more.
About fifteen minutes into our resumed search, we found our second target. I hadn't expected to find another one quite so quickly.
There it was, waiting at the end of the dim corridor.
"Found one," Mika whispered, stopping in her tracks. "There's something at the end of the hall. The presence feels different... I don't think it's a hound dog."
As the vanguard, Mika halted the group and looked back for orders.
"Understood. Everyone, hold your positions. Okay, Hino-san, this is the main event. You ready?"
I gave the signal to wait and turned to Hino-san. Her shoulders jumped at the news, her body going rigid with nerves.
"Y-Yes."
"You'll be fine," I reassured her. "You’ve made it through my training. You have everything you need to win your first battle."
"...Yes."
"Besides," I said, reaching into my backpack and pulling out a small item, "I've got the secret to the trick right here. You'll be just fine."