We fought several more skirmishes after that, but since the enemies were primarily long-range magic beasts, Rain and Lucre really came into their own.
As I expected, this floor was the exclusive playground of rearguard attackers.
On the 87th Floor, the magic beasts tended to congregate in groups, giving the front-line more opportunities to shine. Here on the 86th, however, almost every encounter was against a solitary foe.
"Well? We’re quite the capable bunch, aren't we?" Selma asked, striking up a conversation once the battle concluded.
"Quite capable? That’s an understatement," I replied honestly. "I truly believe you’re all worthy of being the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky’s First Unit."
It wasn't just flattery. This party didn't look the least bit inferior to the Hero Party. In fact, I felt that Selma, Wil, and Rain were already more skilled than their counterparts in my old group.
As for Lucre and myself, the competition was a bit stiffer.
In my case, I was being compared to Oliver—and that guy was a genius. I didn't know exactly how strong their new recruit, Philly, was, but her Support Magic's buff values were undoubtedly higher than mine.
If that was the case, while they might have lost the explosive power provided by my Impact, their overall stability and collective strength had likely increased. If we clashed with everything we had, I’d certainly win, but my buffs came with a strict time limit. When looking at us as explorers through a broader lens, it was difficult to rank one over the other.
As for Lucre, her point of comparison was Luna.
As far as I knew, Luna was the most skilled rearguard explorer in the business. While support magic wasn't her forte, her offensive and recovery spells were of such a high standard that she was undeniably a top-class Mage and Healer.
Furthermore, she possessed an Ability.
Luna’s Ability had incredible synergy with magic. She was still struggling to master it, but if she ever truly made it her own, she had the potential to become an Enchanter who surpassed even Selma. She was an incredibly reassuring presence to have in any party.
"I see... Orun, from your perspective, do you think we can conquer the 92nd Floor?"
I could tell the rest of the team was listening intently to my answer.
"I know you can."
"...Is that only because you’re here now?" Selma pressed.
"No. Whether I’m here or not, I believe this team is capable of taking down the Black Dragon."
I wasn't lying. Their collective proficiency was high enough to make me certain. In fact, it made me wonder how they could have possibly lost in the first place. I could only assume everyone had trained themselves to the bone after Albert passed away.
"Thank you, Orun. We’ve worked ourselves to death this past year, but we never knew if our efforts were actually bearing fruit. Hearing that from someone who reached the top... it gives us confidence."
Rain offered her thanks with a smile, even as tears welled in her eyes.
It wasn't hard to imagine how grueling this past year had been for them. The Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky was a clan that defined itself by its goal to conquer the Great Labyrinth. Yet, because they couldn't find a replacement for their fallen member, they hadn't been able to make a proper attempt at the Deep Floors for a full year.
On top of that, as the clan's top explorers, they were expected to be paragons for everyone else. Toil without results, coupled with the relentless pressure from sponsors—the stress must have been staggering.
Even so, to my eyes, they were every bit as capable as the members of the Hero Party. I truly wanted to help them. I wanted their hard work to be rewarded.
The best way I could do that was to give my absolute all to our conquest. I reaffirmed that resolve within myself.
About two hours after we began our trek through the 86th Floor, we finally located a Noxious Sheep.
This particular specimen looked a bit smaller than the average. Our objective today was its wool, which meant we had to secure the fleece before killing the beast.
When a magic beast dies, it vanishes, leaving only a Magic Stone behind. While there’s a slim chance of other parts remaining, we couldn't leave our mission to luck. There was a guaranteed method for acquiring materials: separating the part from the beast while it was still alive. If you did that, the harvested part would remain behind even after the creature dissipated.
"Orun, how much do you think we can get off that one?" Selma asked.
"As long as we aren't interrupted, I can probably take at least two-thirds of it."
"That’s plenty. Rearguard, keep it pinned and watch our perimeter. Wil, you’re on follow-up duty; keep the path clear for Orun. Once the shearing is finished, I want to test Orun’s Impact. Rain, can you sync your magic with his?"
"If I know the spell, the location, and the timing," Rain replied.
"Understood. I’ll relay the details via Telepathy. Alright, let’s move!"
At Selma's command, Wil charged toward the Noxious Sheep. Selma immediately layered buffs onto him.
Instead of the longsword I’d been using, I summoned a pair of daggers—roughly half the length of my sword—and gripped one in each hand. I cast a Double stack of Technical Up and Agility Up on myself, followed by a Sharpness Up buff on the blades, and then closed the distance.
Rain locked the sheep’s feet in place with Rock Bind, while Lucre slowed its reactions with Thunder Shock. The Noxious Sheep exhaled a cloud of reddish-black, paralyzing breath at Wil, but Selma conjured a localized gale around him to blow the mist away.
"Hyaaah!"
Wil skillfully danced with his Twin-bladed Sword, pummeling the sheep's face to keep its attention. I circled to the flank, taking care not to cut too deep as I began shearing the wool.
I stowed the fleece into storage the moment it came free. For the record, I wasn't using my personal bracelet, but a ring-type storage magic tool issued by the clan. In the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky, all stones and materials gathered during a dive are required to be stored in official gear. You receive them before the dive and turn them over to the Exploration Support Department afterward. The value of the haul is then calculated and added to the party funds later.
Technically, one could try to embezzle items during a dive, but the penalties for being caught were so severe that almost no one dared. I just had to make sure I didn't pocket anything in my personal storage out of habit from my Hero Party days.
In about five minutes, I’d cleared most of the wool, save for the belly. Selma judged it sufficient. After the details of Rain’s incoming spell were flashed into my mind, the countdown began.
I backed away from the sheep and started my own spell construction.
The moment the count hit zero, the ground beneath the Noxious Sheep erupted into jagged pillars. It was Lucre’s magic—not intended to kill, but to impale the beast just enough to fix it in place. Then, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens.
"Impact!"
I triggered the spell just as the Thunder Spear made contact. Lightning detonated across the field, and the Noxious Sheep dissolved into a cloud of black mist. Luckily, it left behind a Magic Stone and the small patch of wool I’d left unshorn.
"Orun! That magic is as incredible as I thought! I know most of its wool was gone, but killing it with a single advanced spell is amazing!"
Rain came running over, her excitement palpable. She looked like she was about to start hopping for joy. She really was a woman of extremes.
We continued fighting through the floor until we had a decent haul of Magic Stones, eventually returning to the surface. We’d taken down four Noxious Sheep in total, yielding a significant amount of wool.
"Phew... Nothing beats the surface for a bit of peace," Lucre said, her voice sounding endearingly lazy.
I understood the feeling. Spending extended periods in the Lower or Deep Floors of the Great Labyrinth took a heavy toll on one's mental fortitude. You couldn't help but let out a weary sigh once the pressure finally lifted.
"We’re diving every other day, right? Does that mean tomorrow is a free day?" I asked Selma.
"That's right. I'll be at the Exploration Management Department tomorrow morning; do you want to come along? It’s probably best you hear the details about 'that matter' from Estella sooner rather than later."
"That matter" was almost certainly the instruction of the rookies. I was ninety-nine percent sure I’d be teaching those kids, and I wanted to know what I was getting into.
Still, life as a clan executive looked busy. Since I’d been promoted to that rank as well, I wanted to do my part to lighten Selma's load. Then again, compared to my time with the Hero Party—where I had to force my exhausted body to do mountains of paperwork after every dive because Derrick and Anneri wouldn't lift a finger—this was a breeze.
"In that case, I'll join you. Do you three have plans for tomorrow?"
"We do," Rain answered. "Lucre and I help out in the Magic Development Room with experiments, and Wil does the same over in the Equipment Development Room."
That made sense. Being able to get real-time feedback from top-tier explorers would significantly speed up their development cycle.
In a clan, those who reached a certain status couldn't just act for their own benefit. Back in the Hero Party, I’d handled all the logistics, but it was all for the sake of our single unit. Here, while Selma’s duties were administrative, the other three were dedicating their time to developing versatile tools and spells that the entire clan could use. That was the fundamental difference between a party and a clan.
"Oh! Hey, hey! Let's have Orun’s welcome party tonight, since we couldn't do it yesterday!"
"Oh! Good idea! Let's do it! That's fine with you, right, Boss?" Wil chimed in.
"Of course. Rain, Orun, are you both free?"
"Yes, I'm certainly in favor of it," Rain said.
"Works for me. Thanks, everyone."
To celebrate my arrival, we headed to a private room in a restaurant operated by the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. We spent the evening laughing, eating, and drinking.
The party was a constant stream of high spirits—mostly because Rain turned out to be a jovial drunk who didn't stop laughing the entire time. Her tone and gestures shifted to match her youthful appearance once the booze hit her system. I finally understood the joke Wil had made this morning.
Regardless, they were all wonderful people. I felt a genuine sense of happiness knowing I’d be exploring the labyrinth with them from here on out.