The next morning.
I washed my face and went out to the dining hall. Chloe, wearing an apron, greeted me.
"Good morning, Mr. Han."
I nodded.
Instead of the usual roasted potatoes, bread was on the table.
"What's this?"
"It's bread. This lady here said she's a baker."
Chloe indicated a middle-aged woman standing nearby, smiling awkwardly. She was one of yesterday's newcomers. Wheat wasn't among the standard ingredients stocked in the dining hall. It seemed to be made from ground potatoes.
"Wheat's up on the plateau. Figure out how to get it yourself if you want it."
Taking a bite of the bread, I left the dormitory.
Good. An increased variety of food could help lower the stress levels in the waiting room.
In the square, Enoch emerged from the warehouse, heading towards the armory. He was pulling a cart filled with timber, accompanied by two unfamiliar figures.
Enoch acknowledged me with a nod before passing by.
I entered the training ground.
Joining Jenna, Aaron, and Dika, who were already waiting, we began basic physical conditioning.
As our basic training wound down, a familiar figure joined us at the training ground: the female mercenary in black leather armor, Edith Cullen. She bowed her head to me.
"I look forward to working with you."
Silently, I picked up a sword and a dagger from the weapon rack—practice weapons, blunted. I tossed them, and Edith caught them, startled.
"What's this?"
"If I'm entrusting my back to you, I need to know your capabilities. That's basic."
"Fair point."
Edith gave a faint smile, spun the dagger deftly in one hand, lowered her stance, and prepared for combat.
I checked Edith's status window. Having absorbed a large number of offerings yesterday, her level was now 3. Even at level 3, her stats surpassed Aaron's, who was level 5. Her skill levels were higher too.
'Still not enough, though.'
I adjusted my grip on the wooden sword.
Edith's eyes glinted coldly as she rushed at me.
The fight ended with my victory.
I hadn't used Berserk. I'd suffered from a headache last night – perhaps a side effect – and decided to avoid using it outside of actual combat.
Even without it, Edith was no match for me.
Edith managed a wry smile.
"You're strong. That farmer background must have been a lie."
"You misunderstand something. Jenna!"
"Yes?"
"Your turn. Dagger against dagger."
"But the bow is my main weapon!" Jenna protested, but she picked up a practice dagger nonetheless.
Edith caught her breath on the ground for a moment before getting up. With sharp eyes, she adopted her stance again.
After their fight, Jenna wiped sweat from her brow.
"Whew, that was close."
The result was a narrow victory for Jenna. The level difference mattered more than the difference in their star rating.
Edith muttered, sounding dejected,
"To think a girl this young is stronger than me…"
"I'm not that young! I've lived long enough, you know," Jenna retorted.
"Were you both mercenaries? Or maybe from a famous martial family?" Edith asked.
"Nope. Just the daughter of a common hunter," Jenna replied. "We weren't this strong at first either. Probably way weaker than you started out. But we got stronger by training and fighting here. That's how we are now."
"If they had just steadily built their strength instead of causing trouble, things would have become complicated for me too." (Han's internal thought/narrator comment)
Though Edith was weaker than us now, her superior skills and growth potential compared to 1-star heroes meant the gap would narrow as she leveled up.
"Unfair! It's so unfair! No matter how hard I try, I can't catch up!" Aaron yelled out miserably while running laps on the track.
I ignored him.
"Regardless," I said to Edith, "here you can become as strong as the effort you put in. Don't slack on your training, no matter who you are."
"...I'll keep that in mind," Edith replied.
I slowly surveyed the training ground.
Aaron was running laps with sandbags attached. Dika swung his sword at a wooden dummy on the right side of the training area. Myself, Edith, Jenna.
And a few other people were practicing with weapons.
A consequence of yesterday's mass synthesis. Each trained with desperate movements. If you didn't want to die, you had no choice but to increase your own value.
Still, there weren't many.
The number gathered here was less than half the total population.
I recalled the two men clinging to Enoch, who had looked annoyed.
It was likely easier to aim for a support role than combat. But support positions were limited—perhaps two per facility at the current rate. The rest faced inevitable synthesis.
Not my problem.
I had said what needed to be said.
My gaze fell on a young man sweating profusely as he swung his sword.
His basic stance was correct. He was one of those nearly disposed of by the Dire Wolves yesterday, but he was a 2-star. His name was Asher—the first 2-star hero to appear since Mormont. He had [Low-Grade Swordsmanship Lv. 1].
As I watched him steadily, Asher grew flustered, his sword movements becoming awkward.
"You."
"M-Me, sir?" Asher started.
He looked to be in his early twenties. A dagger hung at his waist, not a quality weapon like Edith's, but a piece of scrap that looked like it could break at any moment.
"Who else would I mean? Come here."
"Yes, sir."
The young man slowly approached.
"I am Asher Roderick."
"I know."
I could see that much from his status window.
"Ah... yes."
"Did you get the explanation about this place yesterday?"
"I did, sir. That there's a being called the Master, and we were summoned here to fight. I've also taken your words from yesterday to heart."
I picked up a wooden sword from the rack and took a stance.
"Do you understand what I intend to do?"
"I do, sir."
Asher gripped a wooden sword, his expression tense.
But his eyes met mine directly. He neither looked away nor stepped back.
'He has the bare minimum, at least.'
"What did you do before coming here?"
"I was... a porter for a mercenary company, sir."
Asher muttered, glancing towards Edith, who was now practicing archery with Jenna at the shooting range.
"Carrying luggage, standing watch, setting up camp…"
"You seem to know how to fight for someone who just did that."
"Because I wanted to be a mercenary."
Asher gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Ready?"
"Yes, sir."
I pushed off the ground and lunged. My sword drew an arc. Asher dropped his sword after the first exchange and fell to his knees.
Though it was just one clash, he hadn't closed his eyes, even while trembling.
Perhaps that's the difference between a 1-star and a 2-star, I thought.
That evening, the culling of the newcomers began.
The Master made no distinction between those aspiring to support roles and others. Aaron volunteered to participate but was refused. Two people died. Two more were subsequently synthesized. The target for synthesis was Asher. He reached level 3.
The others entered the daily dungeon as part of their routine.
The mine containing Fire Attribute Stones was not yet accessible.
And then again, at dawn the next day.
Six people gathered at the training ground at my summons: myself, Jenna, Aaron, Dika, Edith, and Asher. Although Asher and Dika's skills were slightly lacking, they were all combat-ready personnel who could be deployed to dungeons immediately.
"Why so early? I'm dead tired," Jenna complained.
"Quiet."
Ignoring her grumbling, I continued, "Does anyone here know why I've gathered you?"
"..."
Silence fell over the group.
Then, Dika hesitantly raised his hand. "Are you... forming the permanent teams? But I thought the Master decided the parties?"
"I can make suggestions," I replied. Amkena likely wouldn't refuse.
There's a principle emphasized by myself and many others in the 'Pick Me Up' guides. I wrote about it extensively in my own guide.
Dika lowered his head, his expression gloomy. He seemed to assume he'd be left out, just like with the initial trio.
"Wipe that look off your face," I said. "Nobody is being abandoned."
"Then…?"
"From now on, we'll operate as two parties. Since there are six of us, we'll split into two groups of three for now."
If it were possible to clear every floor with a single party, there would be no need to split up.
But this game isn't like that. As the floors ascend, the number of parties required for missions gradually increases—sometimes needing dozens or even hundreds for special missions.
Furthermore, fostering a sub-party is essential as a contingency in case the main party is wiped out by an unforeseen accident.
"There will be two leaders. One is me. The other is Edith."
"Me?" Edith blinked, pointing at herself.
"You don't want to?"
"It's not that, but perhaps Jenna…"
"She's not suitable."
"What's wrong with me?!" Jenna protested. "I can do a good job!"
She can think what she wants, I thought.
Edith asked, "But why do we need to split the party?"
Explaining it here wasn't ideal; too many ears listening. I called Edith out to the square to explain.
The first reason for splitting the party, I explained, is to mitigate the risk of a total wipeout.
If everything is invested in the main party and it fails, recovery becomes impossible. Therefore, Masters typically divide their forces, similar to diversifying investments in stocks.
The second reason is to increase training efficiency by fostering competition between parties.
While the first and second reasons make sense from a Master's perspective rather than a hero's, Edith needed to understand them if she was going to lead a party. I explained this as well.
Edith seemed to grasp the general concepts, but she was confused about many of the finer details. Taking the opportunity, I spent time slowly explaining concepts like levels and skills.
The final reason for splitting the parties, as I mentioned earlier, is that five members aren't enough to conquer all floors.
"If too much strength is concentrated in one party, it makes things harder."
"R-Really?"
The 5th floor was an example of this.
The skill gap within the party members was severe, and with Jid and Hanson falling behind, the entire party was endangered.
This principle applies equally to large-scale missions.
Tasks might be divided among parties, and if one party fails to perform its role, other parties could suffer. We needed a competent sub-party that wouldn't hold us back.
"Won't we be short on members?"
"The Master will handle recruitment."
In my previous run, heroes were chosen haphazardly, but there are principles even for paid summons.
I could only hope Amkena learned them.
After sending Edith back to the training ground, I retrieved something I'd prepared in my room: a cylindrical tube containing long slips of paper.
Placing it on the training ground floor, I announced, "Time to draw lots."
"What's with the lots?" someone asked (likely Aaron).
"Have I ever led you astray? Just do as I say."
Inside the tube were four slips. I had colored the tip of each with either a red or blue pen.
"Red means my party. Blue means Edith's."
"So this is how we're splitting the teams?" Jenna asked.
"Don't get excited if you draw red, and don't be disappointed if you draw blue. It's all the same in the end."
When a strong sub-party is established, the Master never treats it lightly; it becomes almost as crucial as the main party.
Of course, a weak or useless sub-party gets shown no mercy.
"In the future, when new heroes capable of fighting are summoned, we'll draw lots for them too. In that case, Edith and I will be the ones drawing."
The process where main and sub-party leaders select hero members is called a 'Draft' in 'Pick Me Up' terms. Normally, only veteran heroes worn down by the waiting room use this method, but it's possible because I'm here.
"So, we're drawing lots to decide the teams!" Jenna declared, immediately drawing a slip without hesitation.
It was red.
"Good thing," she chirped. "I was ready to throw a fit if it was blue."
"My turn next, I suppose," Aaron said, drawing a slip with a tense expression.
Red.
"Then there's no need for the others to draw," I stated.
That meant Dika and Asher were blue. Their expressions darkened. Edith let out a deep sigh.
"So you guys don't trust me," Edith murmured.
"N-No, it's not that! It's just…" Dika stammered.
"I know," Edith cut him off quietly. "You don't have to say it. I haven't been here long, and... it's all true."
Objectively, the difference in combat power between the two parties was significant, but there was nothing to be done about it now.
The established rules couldn't be overturned.
"That's all for today. Dismissed."
The other four left the training ground. Edith remained, sitting absently on the floor. I spoke her name.
"Edith."
"Yes?"
"If your team can't keep up with ours, you'll be abandoned."
"I figured as much," she replied, looking up. "I saw the synthesis yesterday. Don't worry. We won't fall behind."
"Good. It's not my concern, so train those two yourself."
"I will."
Heading back to my quarters, I confirmed the teams internally.
'Party 1: Han, Jenna, Aaron. Party 2: Edith, Asher, Dika.'
[Hero 'Han (★)' proposes fixed parties!]
[Proposed 'Party 1' Composition]
['Han (★)', 'Jenna (★)', 'Aaron (★)']
[Proposed 'Party 2' Composition]
['Edith (★★★)', 'Asher (★★)', 'Dika (★)']
[Tips: Occasionally, heroes may propose arrangements like this. Accepting or rejecting them depends on the Master's capability. Please make a wise decision!]
I closed the door to my room. The message would appear for the Master upon connection.
Ultimately, the proposal was accepted.
I had briefly wondered if Amkena might reject it out of pique, but apparently not.