I had been so focused that I hadn't even realized I’d lost consciousness. I must have been put to sleep by one of those Beep Sheep. Their skills were truly formidable.
"What about the monsters?" I asked the moment I came to.
"This is... the last one," Milia replied, slashing at a remaining Beep Sheep.
Did that mean all the others were already petrified? No—Milia had already stopped her onslaught, so she must have just petrified the final one. It was a total slaughter. As far as I could see, not a single monster was moving, all while I'd been out cold.
"I see. Thanks, Vesta."
I offered my thanks to Vesta, who was standing right behind me, holding a Kyosaku. She must have been the one to wake me up. The stick certainly did the trick when it came to snapping someone awake; I felt crisp and refreshed. It was an exhilarating way to wake up.
Apparently, being whacked with a Kyosaku was an incredibly effective alarm clock. I wasn't sure if that was just the quality of Sherry’s craftsmanship or a natural trait of the weapon item itself, but it was a masterpiece. Every household needed one.
Of course, it might have helped that I’d only been under for a short time. If I’d been out for an hour, I might have been groggy even after a strike. Still, if falling asleep was as easy as finding a Beep Sheep and waking up was as simple as a Kyosaku strike, insomniacs would be drooling over this combination. Too bad you couldn't keep the monsters as pets.
While occasionally fighting those Beep Sheep, we shuttled between the 37th and 38th floors, repeatedly challenging the 37th-floor boss. As long as we only encountered them once in a while, we weren't put to sleep very often. The Kyosaku didn't see much use.
In fact, I hadn't used the Kyosaku once. Since I acted as the rear guard, I was never the first one targeted by a monster’s wake-up slap. That fell to the front line. Even if whoever woke up first tried to snap the rest of the party out of it, they started with the people closest to them. Being in the back meant I was last in the queue. By the time someone reached me, everyone else was already awake.
The reason I wasn't the priority was strictly a tactical one. It definitely wasn't because I wasn't necessary for combat. At least, I hoped so. I prayed the girls didn't think they could handle everything just as long as Milia was around.
Honestly, they seemed to be doing just fine without me, but I reminded myself that I was still essential. Someone had to finish off the petrified enemies with magic or Durandal. Even if it could wait until the end of the fight, I was the one doing it. Plus, finishing them off recovered my MP, which meant I didn't need to step into the front line as often, which in turn meant I stayed in the back and never got to use the Kyosaku on anyone else.
Well, it couldn't be helped. Stable combat was the priority.
The problem was that being too stable meant we were rising through the floors every single day. The more efficient we became, the more the combat time stretched. It was getting painful. Until now, our growth had mitigated the enemies' strength, especially since my Libertine job was new and leveled up quickly. The damage we took and the length of the fights hadn't increased too drastically.
But the Libertine job was starting to plateau. It no longer leveled up every day. Now, the full weight of the enemies’ increasing strength was hitting us, and yet we were still pushing up a floor every day. I wondered if we could really make it to the 44th floor at this pace.
"Hmm. Isn't this getting a bit difficult?"
"Their speed is certainly impressive, but that's about all they have going for them," Sherry remarked.
As we pushed into the 40th floor, our primary opponents were the Rapid Rabbits. They were nimble, troublesome things. Our attacks simply wouldn't land, while theirs hit us constantly—except for Roxanne. Professor Roxanne dodged everything with ease. I really wished the Professor would realize how difficult it was for the rest of us. If six of those things showed up at once, we’d be in serious trouble.
"Since our offense is primarily magic-based, it worked out," Sherry analyzed.
"It is... not... hitting," Milia added.
Exactly. The fact that our physical attacks weren't landing was the real issue. If Milia couldn't land a hit, petrification wouldn't trigger, and the enemy numbers wouldn't go down. It was a vicious cycle.
"Their attacks aren't that powerful, so I think we'll be fine," Roxanne said.
They weren't large monsters, so their strikes were relatively light, which was our saving grace. Though "light" was a relative term. They were fast enough to slip past the front line and nip at me, which was annoying. Maybe for someone as sturdy as Vesta they felt light—she had even turned down my offer of First Aid earlier.
"In any case, the biggest problem is that we can't reduce their numbers quickly without petrification."
"Numbers aren't a concern even if they don't decrease immediately."
"It would be best to have Milia focus on enemies other than the Rapid Rabbits," Sherry suggested.
"I will... do it."
"I think that's a sound plan."
Numbers win wars, Roxanne. I realized Sherry was the only one I could truly rely on for a rational take.
"I see. So we just need to take you to places where the Rapid Rabbits are outnumbered by other monsters," Roxanne concluded.
She seemed to have reached a dubious conclusion, but I let it slide. Surely she wouldn't guide us into a room full of Rapid Rabbits now. Right? Actually, I wasn't so sure I trusted her on that.
I left the navigation to her, and it turned out okay. We could manage—barely. I felt a bit like I was being manipulated. It was as if she’d first made me imagine the terror of six Rapid Rabbits just so the actual, difficult reality wouldn't seem so bad by comparison. Even if it was manageable, fighting on the 40th floor wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
Despite my concerns, we kept climbing. Unless the battles became undeniably impossible, I found it hard to call for a break, especially with a "professor" as motivated as Roxanne.
"As expected, it gets harder the higher we go," I noted.
"It was too easy until now," Roxanne replied.
"Is it getting a bit too tough?"
"No. Not at this level."
I didn't know what to do with them. I was starting to worry if she’d even stop at the 44th floor. Could she be stopped?
Since it had come to this, I decided to play my trump card.
"The floors have gone up, and the battles in the Labyrinth are becoming more dangerous," I explained to the group.
"No, Master. Thanks to you, we're having an easy time of it. At this level, it's still—"
"If... if we continue to higher floors, it will only get harder," I interrupted. "I will continue to act as the primary healer, but if we go much higher, I might not be able to handle it alone. In preparation for that, I’d like you all to gain experience in the Miko job. Having multiple healers would be much safer."
"Yes! I would like to try it," Roxanne said, proactive as always.
"I once considered becoming a Miko, so the job is appealing," Sherry added. "However, I need to craft our next set of equipment, so I’d like to keep gaining experience as a Master Smith."
"Sherry will stay a Master Smith for now, and Milia will remain an Assassin."
"Yes."
"I will... do it," Milia agreed.
I wasn't sure if her "do it" meant she was committing to being an Assassin, but I moved on.
"I think I would be fine as a Miko," Vesta offered.
"In your case, Vesta, we have to balance it with Dual Wielding. For now, I want you to keep Dragon Knight as your main job."
"Understood. That sounds fine."
As I’d thought, Roxanne was the prime candidate for Miko. Her level would skyrocket in no time. It was worth a shot.
"Then, let's change Roxanne's job to Miko. I’m not worried about you, Roxanne, but please be cautious at first. In fact, maybe we should fight on lower floors until you get used to the role?"
That was it. My trump card. This would surely slow us down.
"Thank you, Master. But I am always alert, and monsters of this level are no trouble at all."
"I... I see. Well, be cautious regardless."
"Yes, of course."
I wondered if my plan to stall her was going to work at all.
"For now, I'll teach you the incantation for All-target First Aid."
"Yes."
"If there be error, find peace; the Shrine Maiden's spell of benediction."
"Um... If there be error, find peace; the Shrine Maiden's spell of... benediction."
Since the skills for Priest and Miko were the same, the incantations were as well. I focused and called the words to mind, then taught them to Roxanne. It must have registered for her the same way. Being able to use the Brahim language fluently was one of my few unique advantages.
"It might be difficult to chant during combat until you're used to it," I warned.
"You're right. Dodging while chanting might be a challenge. I will try it."
"Be careful."
Even for me, chanting attack magic while moving was a struggle. I figured I’d let her try and fail; once she realized how hard it was, she’d surely agree to stay on the lower floors.
We went back into battle with Roxanne as a Miko. Her dodging and movements were flawless—exactly the same as before. In fact, she didn't hesitate for a second, leading us straight into rooms with five or six monsters. Hadn't I told her to be cautious?
"Ah. It's finally come. For me," she noted calmly.
Because she’d led us into such a large pack, an all-target attack magic was finally fired at us. She’d been waiting for this. Was this her goal?
"Please!" I called out.
"If there be error..." Roxanne started the chant.
At that moment, a Rapid Rabbit lunged. Roxanne cut off the chant to dodge. I knew it—chanting while dodging was too much for her.
"It's 'find peace'," Sherry reminded her.
"Thank you, Sherry. If there be error, find peace; the Shrine Maiden's spell of benediction."
She hadn't cut it off because she couldn't dodge; she’d just forgotten the words. Roxanne spoke the incantation while lightly sidestepping the rabbit's next attack.
"Did it... is," Milia said as the healing took effect. She neutralized two enemies, and the rest were finished off with magic.
"I can use All-target First Aid during combat without any issues," Roxanne reported.
"That's... good to hear."
"She did waterfall training when she obtained the Miko job. That must have helped her focus," Sherry added.
I see. The Miko job required mental discipline. That explained it. The system was well-designed.
"Exactly. If I view the entirety of the monsters' attacks as a single flow, there is no problem at all," Roxanne said.
"I-I see."
I didn't think waterfall training normally turned people into combat-meditating machines. Roxanne had definitely awakened some terrifying level of competence. Here I was, having to come to a full stop just to fire a firebolt. Then again, I could use Rush and Overwhelming while moving, so maybe the difficulty varied by skill. All-target First Aid must just be an easy one. That had to be it.
"With this, we can proceed to higher floors without any hesitation," Roxanne said.
"I-is that so?" I wished she’d hesitate at least a little.
"If anything, we should consider fighting on even higher floors to test the limits of All-target Healing magic."
My ambition of slowing our progress was shattered into tiny pieces. I should have known.
"Well, we'll keep moving up soon enough. Which way next?"
"This way, Master."
At this point, Sherry was my only hope for a voice of reason.
"As expected of Roxanne-san," Sherry said with a smile.
Even Sherry was jumping on the bandwagon. I had been counting on her!
"Did it... is."
As the fights grew longer, Milia’s contributions increased. She petrified enemies left and right. This was especially obvious in boss battles where only two enemies appeared; Roxanne and Vesta took the hits, leaving Milia free to slash from the side. It was basically a bonus stage for her. Given that, I could see why the girls felt confident about moving up.
I was being influenced. I had to shake it off. It wasn't that I was used to the speed, or that I didn't care about the danger. I just had to look at it differently. I should think: it's fine if we move up.
Was there a silver lining? Yes.
Adventurer Lv 1 Effect: Vitality Increase (Medium), Spirit Increase (Small), Dexterity Increase (Slight) Skills: Item Box Operation, Party Formation, Field Walk
I had finally obtained the Adventurer job. As I’d suspected, Explorer Level 50 was the requirement. There might have been others, like having used Field Walk to travel, but I’d clearly met them. At last, an Advanced Job.
It had been a long road, or perhaps a short one compared to the people of this world who spent a lifetime trying to reach this rank. I wouldn't complain. With this, I no longer had to fear an Intelligence Card check. I could live in this world with my head held high. Duke Harz or whoever—let them come.
However, for an Advanced Job, the skills were lackluster. They were identical to an Explorer's, except Dungeon Walk had become Field Walk. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Reaching Level 50 in Explorer hadn't granted any new skills either.
The real difference was in the effects. Compared to Explorer, the buffs were significant. Since they applied to the whole party, having everyone in an Advanced Job would change everything. Though it would be a long time before the girls reached that point. Without my XP reduction skill, it was a slow grind.
I expanded my job slots to a sixth and added Adventurer. The Adventurer’s Item Box was, as rumored, fifty categories of fifty items each. This seemed to be fixed regardless of level, much like the Cook or Master Smith jobs. I wanted to see if Field Walk worked inside the Labyrinth, but Sherry's gaze was sharp, and I didn't want to fail in front of her. I’d try it later.
I could keep Adventurer in reserve for card checks, but given the stat buffs, it was better to level it up. Since I couldn't drop Hero, Libertine, Mage, or Priest, I’d need a seventh slot to use Gambler in boss fights. Or I could just swap it with Adventurer for the duration of the fight.
Handling the Explorer job was the tricky part. For skills, I’d always swap it for Adventurer. But for card checks, I’d need to make Adventurer my primary job, which meant keeping its Item Box empty. That meant I still needed the Explorer job for storage.
The level of my primary job determined my Bonus Points, so I couldn't make the low-level Adventurer my main job yet. Once it caught up, it wouldn't be a problem. For now, I considered my options. Hero was Level 47, making it the highest besides Explorer. I could use that, but I worried about someone with an Appraisal skill seeing it. Libertine and Gambler were too rare and would draw just as much attention.
Still, the best part was that I could finally visit Duke Harz without fear. I’d been summoned, and I couldn't dodge it forever. Now that I was an official Adventurer, I had nothing to fear. Probably.
Maybe I could use a request from the Duke as an excuse to slow Roxanne down. I had that ulterior motive, too. He might ask us to explore the Bode Labyrinth. I didn't want to be a pioneer, but as long as we just entered, any floor would do. I could probably mess around on the 34th floor and call it a day. He wouldn't know the difference.
"After breakfast, I'm going to Bode," I told the girls.
"Understood."
I left them at home and headed to Bode Castle.
"The Captain is inside," the guard said. I let myself in and knocked on the Duke's office door.
"Enter."
"It's Michio."
"Ah, Michio. You've come at a good time. Gosler should be here shortly."
The Duke was sitting alone at his desk. I wasn't thrilled that Gosler wasn't there to act as a buffer.
"Well, it doesn't matter if he's here yet. I asked you here because I'd like to invite your party for a meal. What do you say?"
A meal? Was that it?
"A meal?"
"I’d like to meet the party members Gosler has been praising so much."
Uh-oh. He still had his eye on Roxanne. He hadn't given up.
"I don't know the proper etiquette for a formal dinner."
"Etiquette is only an issue during a formal audience. This is informal."
"My party members are..."
"It doesn't matter. I know the ways of Adventurers. We have slaves in our own household as well."
If the Duke said it was okay for a noble to eat with slaves, then I guess it was.
"I see."
"It's settled then. I look forward to the introductions."
He was completely locked on. There was no escaping this. I thought of historical concubines like Lady Acha or Lady Chaa, but I wasn't about to hand over Roxanne.
"If it's just an introduction... then I suppose so."
"I am in your debt for many things, Michio. Hosting your party is only natural."
It was a sound argument. Hard to refuse. Save me, Gosler!
"How about dinner this evening?"
That was far too soon. The man was as impatient as ever.
"We have preparations..."
"Come in your everyday clothes. No preparations needed."
"But—"
"I won't take no for an answer. Tomorrow is no good; Cassia has a meeting with a Countess."
Would Cassia be there? If it was a group dinner with the Duke and his wife, it was much harder to refuse. In fact, I wanted to see her again. And surely he wouldn't try anything with Roxanne in front of his wife.
"Understood. If you insist."
"You'll accept?"
"Excuse me." The door opened and Gosler walked in. Too late—I’d already been trapped.
"Gosler! Michio has accepted my invitation. Dinner is tonight."
"T-today?" Gosler shot me a look of pure resentment.
"Yes."
"...Understood. I'll make the arrangements."
"I’m counting on you."
So this hadn't been a planned event; the Duke had just blurted it out on a whim. The unreasonable demands hadn't ended; they’d just been transferred to Gosler.
"I’ll be skipping the meeting in the Capital tonight. I’ll be attending the dinner with Michio," Gosler said.
"Fine by me."
I was glad Gosler would be there. Given the Duke’s personality, a witness was a good thing.
"Then, Michio, if you'll excuse me, I have a mountain of logistics to handle."
Gosler had been given another impossible task. Between canceling meetings and setting up a last-minute banquet, the man was a saint of hardship. You were a good friend, Gosler, but your boss is a nightmare.
"My apologies," I said as he left.
"Don't worry about him. Come by this evening, Michio. Early is fine."
I made a mental note to arrive as late as possible.
"I'll be going as well." I left the office. I couldn't stay there a second longer.
"Welcome home," the girls said when I returned.
"Duke Harz has invited us all for dinner tonight. Don't worry about cooking. We can stay in the Labyrinth until the last possible minute."
If I told Roxanne that, we wouldn't end up arriving early. I didn't know the exact protocol, and without clocks, timing was a guess. Sunset in Bode was likely late. I didn't want to be early, but I’d heard it was rude to make a host wait. I decided to leave the timing to Sherry; she was the most sensible among us.
"Understood. We'll handle our own lunch then," Roxanne said.
"No, you misunderstood. The entire party is invited."
"Us as well? Is that permitted?"
"The Duke insisted. And Sherry mentioned that nobles sometimes dine with slaves, so it's not a taboo."
"That's correct," Sherry added. "Since he's a noble, we should probably arrive a bit early. He likely isn't busy himself, and it wouldn't be good to keep him waiting while we're in the Labyrinth."
Sherry's advice was as persuasive as ever. I decided to let her handle the schedule.
"I'll leave the details to you then."
"Will we be alright?" Roxanne asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"As long as we have determination, we'll be fine. It’s all about spirit."
"Spirit?"
"I'm never letting you go, Roxanne," I muttered.
"Um... yes. Thank you, Master."
It would be fine. As long as I was prepared, even a Duke couldn't force his whims on me. I had nothing to fear. Or so I told myself.