Jack of All Trades, Party of None

The next morning, I headed to the plaza a little away from the entrance of the Great Labyrinth, which was the gathering place, and found that quite a number of people had already gathered.

Most of them were children who hadn’t even reached adulthood yet.

Among them were kids who hadn’t even turned ten. Surely, children under ten shouldn’t be participating, right?

Is this also some foolish order from the nobility?

All the children looked tense, their faces stiff with nervousness.

“Good morning, Orun. Why are you standing so far away?”

As I waited a bit apart, Ms. Selma approached.

“Good morning. Well, since I’m technically an outsider, if I mixed in with everyone dressed similarly, it might only increase the newcomers’ anxiety.”

The explorers belonging to the silver rabbits of the night sky wear various clothes, but all unified by black and blue tones.

Of course, the newcomers each wear uniforms assigned to their respective roles, but the A-rank party from this clan that I saw before had outfits that really showed individuality.

Ms. Selma herself was wearing a black and blue robe embroidered with the silver rabbits of the night sky crest.

Come to think of it, the clothes the new mages are wearing are different from what Sophia wore the other day. Did she get special gear just because she’s Selma’s younger sister?

“Hahaha! Indeed, all the newcomers look stiff as boards. Now, to help ease their tension, I’ll be borrowing your strength right away. Follow me.”

Ms. Selma wore an expression like she was plotting something and strode off briskly.

Wait, what am I supposed to do!?

I couldn’t not follow her, so I trailed behind.

At the place Ms. Selma headed to were three other explorers. They were probably the guides.

Judging by their appearance, the two men were defenders, and the woman was probably a healer.

I guessed they were all in their early twenties.

“Good morning, all three of you.”

“Good morning,” they replied in unison.

Ms. Selma greeted the three, and they responded accordingly.

“I’ll introduce you to the three beforehand. This is Orun, the collaborator I informed you about yesterday. I vouch for his abilities.”

“…Selma’s recommendation, huh. That sounds promising.”

One of the defenders gave me an appraising look as he spoke.

Knowing Selma, I thought she might have said I was a former hero party member, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Yeah, you can expect a lot from me.”

Ms. Selma teased.

Even with all that expectation, I was a bit uneasy.

“Please don’t raise the bar too high... Nice to meet you all. I’m Orun. My role is frontline attacker. Looking forward to working with you.”

When I introduced myself, the three also introduced themselves.

Just as I thought, the two men were defenders, and the woman was a healer.

The guides had a well-balanced lineup.

But, if I’m participating as an enchanter, then who’s going to be the damage dealer?

For floor bosses up to the middle layers, A-rank defenders can deal some damage, but they’re far from specialists.

Honestly, this plan filled me with nothing but worry...

I’ll have to support as much as I can.

“Well then, all four of you, I’m counting on you for the next three days! Now, let's greet the newcomers.”

The five of us headed to where the newcomers were gathered.

“Everyone! Good morning! As I have informed before, starting today, we aim for the 51st floor of the Great Labyrinth!”

We climbed onto a slightly elevated stone pavement, allowing us to overlook all the newcomers.

Then Ms. Selma addressed all of them.

Upon hearing her voice, every explorer focused their attention on her.

Even the children who had been talking just moments ago were paying attention — they were well trained.

“Hah, everyone’s got stiff expressions. Are you scared of heading straight to the middle layers? But don’t worry! The overall command this time is entrusted to me, the continent’s greatest enchanter. And to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, I’ve also brought along a powerful helper. Let me introduce him — his name is Orun. He’s an explorer who has reached the 94th floor, which even we haven’t reached yet! How about that? Feeling confident about reaching the 51st floor now?”