Three weeks had passed since I joined the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
Over those three weeks, we delved into the Lower Floors several times. We worked on strengthening our coordination while gathering specific materials, and as a result, our teamwork had improved significantly.
Naturally, I had come to understand how the original four members thought, and they had come to understand me. Plus, Selma-san’s Ability allowed for constant communication, making coordination errors quite rare.
We could have challenged the Deep Floors already, but for now, we were waiting for my new sword to be finished. Once it was ready, our exploration of the Deep Floors would finally begin.
On days when I wasn't exploring with the First Unit, I devoted myself to assisting Selma-san with her administrative work or instructing the Tenth Unit. The Grandmaster also dragged me along to dinners with sponsors and introductory rounds with the executives. Nothing noteworthy happened during those outings, so I’ll spare you the details.
Right now, the members of the Tenth Unit were training at the indoor training ground located within the clan’s premises.
"It’s so haaaaard! I want to reeeeest!"
Carol’s voice echoed through the room—a whine that made it difficult to tell if she was actually suffering or if she still had plenty of energy to spare.
"Look! Only five more minutes until the break! Keep it up!"
"Waaah! Master, you're a demon!"
Six pillars, each about two meters high, stood at equal intervals in a five-meter radius around a central point. I triggered 【Flash】 at random on top of the pillars, keeping the yellowish glow dim enough not to be blinding. Carol had to dash to touch whichever pillar emitted the light.
The moment she touched one, I would trigger the next at a different location. This forced her into a constant cycle of accelerating, decelerating, and changing direction, which was the perfect way to build her agility.
In the future, I intended to transition Carol from an Evasion-type Defender to a Front-line Attacker. Even after the conversion, however, agility would remain vital. Since she used daggers, her reach was short. She had to close the distance to attack, and even as an attacker, she wouldn't be able to avoid every strike. Whether for hit-and-run tactics or simply dodging, improving her raw speed was essential.
You might wonder why she didn't just rely on 【Agility Up】. The truth is that the base stats provided by Support Magic depend on the recipient’s own capabilities. If her natural agility increased, she would receive a much larger benefit whenever she was buffed.
"Ha! Sei! Yaah!"
A short distance away from Carol, Log was practicing his forms with a wooden spear.
Following a party discussion, we had decided that Log would participate on the front-line, so I had started teaching him spearmanship. I chose the spear because it was relatively easy to handle among weapons with long reach. To reduce the risk of him being overwhelmed by a Magic Beast before his buffs could be renewed, it was better for him to be able to strike while maintaining his distance.
It had been about two weeks since I started teaching him, and he was finally starting to look the part. To progress this much in such a short time suggested that Log had a genuine talent for the spear. Judging by his current movements, it was probably time to transition to practical instruction.
That said, I could only teach him the basics. I planned to ask Wil to handle his training from here on. Since Wil used a Twin-bladed Sword—a weapon that required mastery of both swordsmanship and staffmanship—he was far more well-versed in spearmanship than I was. I had already secured his permission; while he couldn't come every day, he promised to drop by about once a week when he didn't have to explore. I was incredibly grateful.
"Two hundred ninety-seven... two hundred ninety... two hundred eighty-three... two hundred seventy-six... Ah, left hand—"
Sophie sat in a chair next to me, muttering numbers under her breath. Occasionally, she would lightly tap her thighs.
I had her practicing for Parallel Construction. To master the technique, one has to learn how to perform different tasks simultaneously. I had instructed Sophie to count backward from five hundred by sevens while tapping her left thigh every third count and her right thigh every fourth.
Once she could do this without difficulty, grasping the knack for Parallel Construction would become much easier. She was struggling for now, but her aptitude was quite high. At this rate, she might master the technique even faster than I had anticipated.
"Alright! Let’s take a break!"
"Daaah... I'm tiiiired..."
The moment I called for a break, Carol collapsed, sprawling out spread-eagle on the floor. She was a girl, so I felt she should probably mind her posture a bit more, but... she was clearly exhausted.
Log wiped away his sweat, gasping for breath, while Sophie slumped back in her chair.
"Master! How was my spearmanship!?" Log asked, approaching me with eyes like a hopeful puppy. After three weeks, I had finally grown accustomed to the look.
"You’ve improved quite a bit. It’s probably time to move past forms and start practical training."
"Really!? Yes!" Log pumped his fist, looking delighted.
It was amazing how much a person could change when they truly wanted to. I didn't know much about his past, but he was a completely different person from the boy I’d met on the first day.
"Still, Master, you really are incredible!" Log added out of nowhere.
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"Well, you were activating 【Flash】 the whole time while still keeping a perfect eye on what Sophie and I were doing. I know it’s probably a piece of cake for someone who can Parallel Construct dozens of spells at once, but I still can't wrap my head around it. You're amazing."
Log took every opportunity to talk me up. I was happy that he looked up to me, but his blind faith was starting to make me a little uneasy. I wanted him to maintain a healthy balance, but finding the right middle ground in a mentor-student relationship was easier said than done.
I kept the three of them working through various drills until evening, calling an end to the session once we were finished. With today's instruction over, I made my way toward Grandpa's shop.