After we finished the soup course, Mika posed a question as if something had just occurred to her before the next dish arrived.
"By the way, Onii-chan, you were talking about next year's plans, but what’s the story with next month’s school trip?"
"Hm? The school trip? It’s going as planned so far."
"That’s not what I mean. I’m asking about your schedule before and after the trip. You’re leaving not long after New Year’s, so I was wondering if you’d be going to the dungeon in between."
At Mika's question, the three of us suddenly looked at one another. It was true that we hadn't discussed our plans for the school trip period at all.
"Come to think of it, we haven't talked about that yet."
"Right? It overlaps with the period when you're sending your weapons in for maintenance, so maybe you won't do any serious exploring, but you could still manage some light diving, right?"
"Well, if we're not diving to the deep floors, we can manage well enough with spare weapons," I replied.
In fact, at our level, I figured we could fight effectively with just unarmed combat up to around the 30th floor. Though, entering a dungeon empty-handed stands out, so I’d rather avoid it.
"I thought so. You guys could definitely do it. In that case, you'll be able to come along for Asami-chan and the others' dungeon training, right?"
"Yeah. If it's just accompanying beginners on a dive, it’s not a problem even without our main weapons. Besides, if we were rendered helpless just because our primary gear was out for repairs, we wouldn't last long on the lower floors. Proficiency with your main weapon is vital, but you have to have a second and third backup plan ready."
While the idea of polishing a single combat style with single-minded devotion makes for a fine story, from an explorer’s perspective, it’s a liability not to have other options. It’s foolish to dabble in so many weapons that your proficiency with all of them remains mediocre, but for an explorer whose life is on the line against monsters—rather than a match with established rules—the ideal is to maintain a high average in several combat skills while specializing in one.
At the very least, you should master one skill outside your specialty that allows you to retreat from a monster safely. Even if you can't win, being able to withdraw in one piece is a success.
"In our case, our throwing weapons would be that backup," Saori added.
"That's right. There are also magical means of attack, but we've prepared ourselves to fight to a certain extent even without our main weapons."
"So, there’s no problem with you coming along to the dungeon even during the maintenance period?"
"None at all, as long as it’s the shallow floors."
Considering the need to let Tatebayashi-san and the others get used to things and provide support in case of emergencies, we’d likely limit the exploration to the 1st or 2nd floor. At that level, even fighting bare-handed isn't a particular problem. Though, for long-range support, I’d still prefer to use throwing weapons.
"Then is it okay to go before the school trip? You guys have to prepare for the trip too, right?"
"Well, we probably can't go every week, but I think we can manage short dives. If it's just the 1st or 2nd floor, we can even go on weekdays after school."
It would be difficult to reach the floors we usually dive into unless it’s a weekend where we can take our time. However, if it’s just a few battles on the 1st floor for newcomer explorers like Tatebayashi-san and her friend, a few hours after school is plenty. It’s basically a substitute for club activities. If it’s just accompanying them for practice on the 1st floor of a nearby dungeon, I don't think it will affect our preparations for the school trip.
"True. On weekdays after school when time is tight, doing rounds on the 1st or 2nd floor is about all we can manage."
"Since there are fewer people in the dungeon on weekdays, the encounter rate goes up at least a little. Even if it's only a dive for an hour or two after school, we should be able to get a few fights in."
On Saturdays or Sundays, you could wander around for two hours and, if you're unlucky, face the disastrous situation of a zero percent encounter rate. This is especially true during long school breaks, when the place is so overflowing with newcomer student explorers that it’s unbearable. However, during this time of year or right after winter vacation, weekdays should be fine.
"Asami-chan and Hino-san need to start by getting used to fighting monsters rather than actual exploration anyway. Facing a few monsters in a single dive is plenty for them."
"True. It’s probably best not to push for more than that for now."
If you rack up numbers, you get used to the combat itself, but if you don't learn how to process it mentally, psychological fatigue will only continue to build. If you stack up the number of battles before finding your mental footing, you'll eventually explode.
The fallout from that doesn't just affect you; it burdens the other party members as well. It’s one thing if it ends with a minor injury, but at worst... well, it’s not worth the risk.
"You're right. As they say, haste makes waste. Is going to the dungeon once a week the safest bet for a while?"
"That sounds about right. As they get comfortable, we can increase the frequency or extend the exploration time."
Newcomer explorers should first get used to fighting monsters, then get used to the dungeon environment itself. Pushing for deep floors before adjusting to either is an invitation for injury; it’s the number one cause of failure for rookies.
It’s fine if they can learn from a mistake, but many end up retiring with trauma or spending a long stint in a hospital. The Association emphasizes not overdoing it during the Explorer License Training, but the reality is that there’s no end to the newcomers who ignore that advice.
"Um, we would also prefer that kind of frequency. We're still not quite... used to the act of defeating monsters..."
"I still occasionally remember the sensation from that time," Hino-san added.
Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san spoke up with slightly apologetic expressions, confirming that they preferred a slower pace.
They both only experienced their first actual combat very recently. Until they can process those results and digest them internally, it's hard to gear up for the next dive. There’s no need to force it.
"I understand. Things are going to get busy with the end of the year and New Year's, so we won't be able to go to the dungeon for a while anyway. You can take your time and think about it during the break. There’s no need to push yourselves. If it’s truly too much, please just tell us. As I’ve said many times, everyone has their own aptitudes. You don't have to force yourself to be an explorer."
...Yes.
Hearing my words, Tatebayashi-san and Hino-san nodded with serious expressions. The gap of at least half a month over the New Year's holiday should be a perfect rest period. It might also be a good opportunity for them to talk with their parents about their future.
"Well, we won't be diving seriously for a while anyway, so let's just focus on getting used to the 1st floor without overdoing it, okay?"
"Exactly. You can just acclimate bit by bit. There really isn't any reason to rush," Saori-chan said.
Okay.
At Mika and Saori-chan's follow-up, the two newcomers gave small nods.
Watching Mika and Saori-chan comfort them, the three of us turned our attention back to the school trip next month. The destination was the real issue.
"By the way, what are we going to do about those rumors? We can't exactly ignore them, can we?"
"What are we going to do... I'm at a loss."
"Me too. What should we do?"
We racked our brains, agonizing over the situation. Mika, curious about our strange behavior, spoke up tentatively.
"Hey, Onii-chan, what are you worrying about so much? Your school trip is skiing in Hokkaido, right?"
"Yeah. Skiing and sightseeing in the city."
"That’s a pretty standard route. Why are you so stressed about it?"
Mika's confusion was shared by the other three juniors, who watched us with intrigued expressions.
"A rather troublesome sightseeing spot has been proposed. And for some reason, it’s incredibly popular within our class... no, within the entire grade."
"Popular among all the second-years? Does that mean everyone is crowding one spot and they're being told to disperse? Was there a tourist attraction like that?"
"...There is."
Watching Mika tilt her head in confusion, we let out heavy sighs and spoke the name of the destination.
"It's a dungeon. In Hokkaido. Apparently, there’s one near the ski resort, and a significant number of students are claiming they’d rather go to the dungeon than go skiing."
Huh?
Mika and the others looked dumbfounded. Honestly, that’s the only appropriate reaction. Why would anyone feel the need to dive into a dungeon during a school trip? They should just enjoy the skiing.
"Why would anyone suggest a dungeon dive on a school trip?"
"Who knows? It probably started as a joke someone made to liven things up, but it spread through the whole grade, and before we knew it, it gathered serious momentum."
"But why..."
"I suspect half of them are just caught up in the excitement and shouting about it being a 'dungeon expedition' for the sake of it. But among them, there are those arguing that anyone who wants to should be allowed to cancel their city sightseeing to go to the dungeon instead. It’s getting heated. Especially the guys who seriously intend to become pro explorers after graduation; they’re claiming that instead of spending half a day on some beaten-path tourist route, spending that time in a dungeon would be better 'real-world experience.'"
I spoke with a distant look in my eyes. I really don't understand how such a proposal was ever even entertained. If they thought about it for a second, they’d realize it’s not something that would fly on a school trip. If a student went into a dungeon on a school trip and a serious accident occurred, the trip would end right then and there. Every student would spend the rest of their stay locked in the hotel before being sent home. Since the school would be held responsible for the lack of management, the administration would never approve it.
"Can a suggestion like that actually be passed?"
"There’s no way. Even with student explorers' after-school activities right now, the school only looks the other way under the pretext that students are acting independently off-campus and the school isn't involved. They could never let us dive into a dungeon during a school trip, which is an official school event."
"That makes sense. Student explorers today only function because they're being given a pass. But if that's the case, why are you guys so worried? If the school is going to reject it anyway, it shouldn't be your problem."
Mika looked genuinely puzzled as to why we were so bothered. We were wondering the same thing ourselves, honestly.
"Normally, that would be true. But we stood out quite a bit during the sports festival, remember? That caught the attention of the pro-dungeon group, and for some reason, it’s being treated as if we are the ones leading the charge. They're annoyingly claiming that since we're capable of the kind of performance we showed at the festival, it would be more meaningful to conduct a 'practical simulation of a dungeon expedition' than to go sightseeing. We never said anything of the sort, but in every class besides our own, it's being treated as if we did. We’ve been denying it, but everyone seems to be having too much fun with the rumor..."
"The story has taken on a life of its own."
"Because of that, we’ve even asked the teachers to have the school issue a formal notice as soon as possible stating that dungeon diving won't be permitted, but..."
"They won't issue it."
Since the school has been tacitly approving students' explorer activities as private off-campus conduct, I suspect they find it hard to come down firmly on it now. Maybe they're hoping the fervor will just die down on its own.
I'm sure they'll eventually regain their senses, but as the ones being held up as figureheads, we’d really like the situation to stabilize sooner rather than later.
"I think a gentle notice will come out eventually. I'm just hoping the excitement cools off during the winter break."
"I'm a little worried that the people who dive over winter break and get results will only push the argument even harder, though."
"As long as they don't drag us into it, they can argue all they want. But I suppose this is the price for standing out at the sports festival. When people have an easily recognizable benchmark, they naturally try to use it to fuel their gossip."
Honestly, I wanted to protest and ask why they had to involve us. I just wanted to enjoy the school trip normally. What’s wrong with just going to the famous tourist spots?
There are always people who suggest strange places for the free-roaming portions of a school trip, aren't there?