The day after Luna joined "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky", I headed to the 30th floor of the Great Labyrinth with the tenth squad trio plus Luna—five of us in total.
"—Log! Now!!"
"Got it!"
A massive boar-like monster charged straight at Carol.
Sophie immediately barked an order at Log.
""[Rock Wall]!!""
Both cast at once. Two walls rose between Carol and the boar.
The boar's charge—powered by its enormous bulk—smashed through the first wall, but lost momentum and slammed into the second, stopping dead.
"—Haa!"
Carol had already moved before the boar hit the wall. With agile footwork, she circled its legs, slashing repeatedly with dual daggers.
(Good. Handling it cleanly.)
I murmured inwardly while watching the three fight.
We were currently in the boss area of the southern Great Labyrinth's 30th floor.
The boar Sophie and the others battled was the floor boss.
"Carol's fast yet her movements are precise. And Log and Sophie—not only have they mastered parallel construction, they're even using activation standby. Truly Orun-san's disciples."
Luna, watching the fight beside me, murmured.
Magic activates only after constructing the formula and infusing mana.
Thus, magic can be triggered at any desired moment.
The period after formula completion but before mana infusion is called activation standby.
Anyone can use standby, but those who actively employ it almost always have mastered parallel construction.
Without parallel construction, one can only maintain a completed formula—unable to build new ones or activate others during that time.
Therefore, parallel construction mastery is practically required to make effective use of standby.
However, maintaining standby burdens the brain as much as—or more than—construction itself, so it can't be done indiscriminately.
Activating immediately after completion offers the best cost-performance, so standby opportunities aren't overly frequent.
Still, it's undeniably useful. Those who can instinctively choose standby based on the enemy or situation demonstrate excellent judgment.
In Sophie's case this time, she had decided in advance to hold standby.
Not a split-second decision—but being able to make that choice at all was already sufficient for their current level.
"My contribution is minor. It's all thanks to their hard work."
"Fufu, is that so? …If they can also reform their mindset—consciousness shift—then becoming Tsutorail's representative explorer party may not be far off."
As expected, Luna had seen through it.
What the tenth squad currently lacked fatally.
But this was something they had to realize themselves.
My words alone wouldn't reach them.
"…Yeah. Sooner is better, and right now—while the sting of a major defeat is still fresh—might be the perfect timing."
"A major defeat?"
"Oh right—this info was suppressed. Actually, about a month ago, those three fought "Amuntzaas"."
""Amuntzaas"!? Why would rookies…? And—forgive me—but how did they survive?"
Luna looked genuinely shocked.
Understandable. To advanced explorers, that organization was nothing short of a nightmare.
They hadn't appeared in the southern Great Labyrinth for ten years—yet recently reemerged.
I'd like the guild to publicize this, but for some reason they're keeping it quiet.
We considered announcing it from "Silver Rabbit", but the content was too sensitive—clan disclosure could cause unnecessary panic—so we stayed silent too.
We've tried spreading it as rumor, but it hasn't spread much yet.
Luna didn't know either. Either dismissed as nonsense, or someone's suppressing it.
""Amuntzaas" seemed to be after me. I managed to intervene midway, so everyone survived. If I'd been too late… probably…"
"…I see. So that might be why…"
Luna murmured thoughtfully.
"Probably. But there's nothing to be done about it now."
"Understood. In that case—leave it to me."
Luna replied with a scheming look.
What was she planning?
◇
Carol used hit-and-run to hold the boar's aggro. Log circled to its blind spot and thrust with his spear.
Sophie attacked from positions the two weren't occupying—with [Fire Arrow] and similar spells.
They weren't dealing massive damage, but steadily closed in on victory.
"Both of you—back off! Going high-grade!"
At Sophie's call, Carol and Log distanced themselves from the boar.
"—[Fire Javelin]!!"
Confirming they were clear, Sophie unleashed the high-grade spell.
Three flaming spears materialized overhead and rained down to pierce the boar.
"[Aero Cutter]!"
"…[Thunder Shock]!"
The boar—already heavily damaged by Sophie's [Fire Javelin]—took follow-up attack magic from the two.
◇
Further slowed by the barrage of spells, the boar stood no chance against three coordinated opponents. Things proceeded exactly as Sophie's pre-planned strategy—
The boar roared, mustering its last strength, and charged at Carol.
"Log—!"
"Got it! —[Thunder Shock]!"
"Freeze!"
Log's [Thunder Shock] dulled the boar's movements. Sophie's [Psychokinesis] locked it completely in place.
"Enough already—fall!!"
Carol dashed freely around the immobilized boar, slashing again and again.
Matching her swift movements, the two hammered in more attack magic.
After about twenty minutes in the 30th-floor boss area, the massive boar—floor boss—transformed into a magic stone.
"We won!!"
"Nice!"
"Yeah! I think we fully demonstrated our strength!"
The three celebrated their victory over the 30th-floor boss.
Good—they won safely.
Their victory was almost certain, but there's always the slim chance of upset.
Now I could relax.
Alright then—
"…Orun-san? Is something wrong?"
Luna anxiously called out, sensing my atmosphere didn't match the occasion.
During the previous guided exploration, after defeating the floor boss, a deep-layer boss suddenly appeared.
We concluded the cause was the hero party's use of the 'Capricious Door.'
I agreed with that conclusion.
But now that the possibility of artificially inducing monster overflow had risen sharply, I could no longer dismiss the guided exploration incident as mere coincidence.
Understanding the odds were low, I still kept watch around us for a while—but nothing abnormal.
"…No, it's nothing. Come on—let's go to them."
Lowering my alert level, I smiled at Luna.
"—Ah, Master! We won~!"
Carol noticed us approaching first. She ran over, shouting joyfully and tilting her head for pets.
"Yeah, I watched. Your coordination was solid. You did great."
I praised her while stroking her head.
"Ehehe~"
After releasing Carol's happy head, I moved on to pet Sophie and Log, who had approached next.
"You two did great too. This battle was near-perfect. Good work."
"Th-thank you…"
Sophie blushed deeply, shyly smiling downward.
"No—still not enough. To get even a little closer to Master… I can't be satisfied here!"
Log tried desperately to hide his joy.
"…Well then—let's save the full review for later. On to the 31st floor."
I told the three while looking at the path they had opened with their own strength—to the 31st floor.
"""Yes!!!"""
◇
We transferred via crystal to the 31st-floor entrance, then returned straight to clan headquarters.
"Now—congratulations again on reaching the 31st floor. Now you're officially explorers of "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky" in name and reality. From here on, your actions carry even greater responsibility. I believe you're capable, but keep that in mind."
The three nodded seriously at my words.
"Then—let's move to review of today's 30th-floor clear. First, Luna's impressions. Your first time seeing this party fight—how was it?"
"Well… honestly, keeping them in the rookie squad feels like a waste. Individually strong, of course—but their in-dungeon behavior, party coordination, everything was far beyond C-rank. I think they already have A-rank strength—enough to reach lower floors."
The three's faces brightened at the S-rank explorer Luna's positive evaluation.
In contrast, Luna's expression remained deadly serious.
"—Normally I should stop here. It's awkward saying this to the party welcoming me in, but since we're comrades—I've decided I should speak. One question: what is this party's goal?"
Luna asked the three.
"Our individual goals differ. But this party's goal is conquering the southern Great Labyrinth!"
Log answered representatively.
From Sophie and Carol's expressions, all three felt the same.
"I see. Then I'll speak plainly. Earlier Orun-san called it near-perfect. Are you taking those words at face value? From my perspective—it barely avoided failing. —Orun-san, aren't you grading them too leniently?"
Luna turned her spear toward me.
(…I see. That "leave it to me" earlier meant this. I didn't invite her to the party just to play the bad cop, though.)
I proposed her joining because her spirit magic perfectly complemented the tenth squad's weaknesses.
Right now, there's a vast gap between Luna and the three.
But I believe Sophie and the others have potential approaching the first squad.
No—precisely because of that.
They were welcoming someone far stronger than themselves.
Luna occupied a delicate position.
Her words could be seen as establishing her place.
If she could deliver harsh前辈 criticism as an explorer senior and still be accepted as a comrade—that would be ideal.
If it caused distance or dislike, then I'd play carrot while Luna played stick—to foster the three's growth.
I didn't want Luna to be hated by Sophie and the others.
But her eyes spoke clearly: 'I'm prepared for this.'
Moreover—if this exchange went well, the party's biggest concern could be resolved.
—What the tenth squad fatally lacked was "the ambition to surpass me."
Sophie and the others believed catching up to me was absolutely impossible.
Certainly, for rookies, an S-rank explorer is sky-high.
Almost no rookie seriously thinks "I'll surpass an S-rank right now."
But with that mindset—you can't reach the top. Conquering the Great Labyrinth becomes impossible.
Because even current S-rank explorers… haven't conquered the southern Great Labyrinth.
Only a party capable of overwhelming today's S-ranks can conquer it.
So I'll respect Luna's will.
Just being friendly buddies won't take them further—that's fact.
This was the perfect opportunity to question the tenth squad's resolve again.
"Is that so? Everyone worked hard enough. The content was flawless."
"That's judging by lower-floor arrival standards, correct?"
"…I won't deny it."
"Exactly. If the goal were merely reaching lower floors—I'd give near-perfect marks too. But if the goal is deep-floor arrival—and ultimately Great Labyrinth conquest—then being satisfied with that performance is unacceptable."
Luna faced the three again and raised her voice.
"—Do you have the ambition to surpass Orun-san?"
"Something like that—"
"Impossible…? Your reverence for Orun-san came through clearly in yesterday's and today's interactions. Even as a fellow S-rank—I think he's an incredible existence. It's natural you revere him."
"""…"""
"But have you forgotten? Your party's goal—conquering the southern Great Labyrinth—is something even Orun-san hasn't achieved."
"""—!"""
"If you aren't even trying to surpass the current Orun-san, conquering the southern Great Labyrinth will remain a pipe dream."
Silence dominated the room.
Luna had plainly thrust forward the fact Sophie and the others had averted their eyes from.
(Now—what will the three feel after hearing Luna's words? What will they resolve to do? Their answers will change how I interact with them going forward. Regardless—I will respect my disciples' will. That never changes.)
After no short silence—
"I—I—!"
Unexpectedly, Sophie was the first among the three to speak.
"—I thought surpassing Orun-san was absolutely impossible. He's saved us so many times, shown us so many amazing things—I thought 'I can never beat this person'…"
"…"
"But your words just now woke me up. I want to become someone who can help Orun-san when he's in trouble. Someone who just follows behind can't possibly help him. —So I will surpass Orun-san! Otherwise—I can't save him when he needs it!"
"If the goal is a place even the current Master can't reach—then the current Master must be surpassed. I knew it but didn't truly understand. I'm not holding 'Great Labyrinth conquest' lightly. So that one day I can proudly tell the villagers who sent me off that their choice was right—to become the greatest explorer— I will surpass Master!"
"Remember? Master said once: 'Apparently the happiest moment for a master is when their disciple surpasses them. I want to experience that feeling too.' If that moment comes—Master will give us the biggest smile. To see Master's biggest smile— I'll surpass Master too!"
I felt the color change in the three's eyes.
Having sworn after defeat by "Amuntzaas" to grow stronger—they now seriously intended to surpass me.
"Yes—let's grow together. —I'm not satisfied with my current self either. I'll become much stronger and overtake Orun-san."
Luna smiled at me.
(Thank you, Luna. For changing their mindset. These kids will grow even stronger from here… I can't fall behind either.)
"As I said earlier: 'From now on, your actions carry even greater responsibility.' I won't let you surpass me easily."
No time to mope over losing to Oliver.
To remain the greatest wall for my disciples—I can't stand still—!