Everything went smoothly, and we maintained a steady pace, reaching the 20th Floor ahead of schedule.
We were less than ten minutes away from the Floor Boss. For an instructor, defeating it would be trivial. It looked like the day would wrap up without any further drama.
The Tenth Unit had seen plenty of action by now. Although I’d been worried about their three-person composition, I was starting to think it wouldn't be a problem during this Guided Exploration.
First, there was Logan.
His selection of support magic, his timing, and the potency of his buffs were all top-tier. Since we were only in the Upper Floors, the battles ended too quickly for me to judge him fully, but if he could maintain that level of performance during prolonged combat, he could honestly hold his own in an A-Rank party.
He also cleared the benchmarks required for an Enchanter’s attack magic. It made sense why he carried himself with such arrogance; the kid was a genuine genius.
However, I had to say his leadership was mediocre at best. That was something that required actual combat experience, though, so he’d likely improve in time.
Next, Caroline.
True to her word about becoming an evasion-type Defender, she was incredibly agile. She made sport of the Horn Rabbits and White Wolves—some of the fastest monsters in the Upper Floors.
However, she had her share of issues.
To start, she had a habit of charging in the second she spotted a magic beast. She was a Defender, so closing the distance was fine, but she seemed to fight with a mindset of attack before they can attack you! It was nerve-wracking to watch.
Then there was her choice of weaponry: twin daggers. While they suited her nimble movements, she was the only front-liner in a three-person party. Her low individual attack power left me feeling uneasy about their overall balance.
Finally, Sophia.
She paled slightly in comparison to the other two purely because their levels were so absurd, but her magic power and casting speed were still far beyond what you'd expect from a rookie. Perhaps due to her personality, she wasn't very proactive, but I expected that to improve once she bonded with her teammates.
Naturally, she was still a long way off from the level of a senior explorer, but as far as rookies went, she had no real flaws. She was a girl whose future growth I looked forward to seeing.
As for the Ninth Unit... well, let’s just say they have "potential" for the future.
While I was lost in thought, the other three instructors—excluding Selma-san and myself—finished off the 20th Floor Boss. That was likely it for today.
I had expected more problems, but I suppose the clan had their procedures well-rehearsed. Even when faced with ambiguous situations, everyone handled themselves without panic. Honestly, I hadn't expected things to go this smoothly. It seemed I had underestimated the organization known as the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
That being said, we would be entering the Middle Floors tomorrow. We would be covering fewer floors than we did today, but there was no doubt the work would be much harder.
Once we reached the 21st Floor, the rookies took turns registering their Guild Cards at the crystal. Once that was done, we all transported back to the surface.
Even though we’d finished early, the sun had long since set. Many of the rookies looked like they were at their breaking point, their exhaustion compounded by the day's constant tension.
A schedule like this was pretty brutal for rookies. I really wanted to give a piece of my mind to whatever thoughtless, idiot noble had come up with this plan.
We returned to the plaza where we’d gathered that morning. Selma-san offered the rookies a few words of praise, and we were dismissed for the day.
I was feeling pretty tired myself, so I planned to grab a quick dinner and head straight to bed, but Selma-san caught me.
"Orun, what did you think of the rookies?"
"The Ninth Unit has potential, I suppose. The Tenth Unit is exactly what you said—full of promise—but their coordination is nonexistent. Caroline, in particular, makes me incredibly nervous."
"Hahaha... believe it or not, she’s actually gotten a lot better lately," Selma-san muttered with a wry smile.
If that was an improvement, I didn't even want to know what she was like before.
"Well then, I’m counting on you again tomorrow."
"Yeah. Good night."
I parted ways with Selma-san and headed into the city to find some dinner.