Published: January 22, 2026
When I headed to the rookie party I was in charge of, there were eight boys and girls.
I could hear the children whispering, "Yay, it’s the hero!"
I’m not really a hero, though...
Checking the lineup, there were five members in the ninth squad and three in the tenth squad.
Among the tenth squad was Sophia.
Well, despite being a rookie, she had survived alone for quite a while even after letting over ten Orcs get close. You could say she was a promising rookie without any doubt.
By the way, Sophia’s outfit was the same as the other rookies. Honestly, I thought her previous outfit was cuter.
“I’m Orun, introduced by Ms. Selma earlier. Let’s get along for these three days.”
When I greeted them, the rookies replied in unison, “Nice to meet you!”
“So, is someone from the tenth squad late?”
Generally, parties are formed with five members, and at most six, as a rule.
If there are too few members, they might not be able to handle unforeseen situations; too many members make coordination much harder. Moreover, demonic beasts tend to attack where there are many people, and if there are too many, it’s difficult to focus attacks on the defender.
For these reasons, five is considered the best number nowadays.
“No, we’re a three-person party,”
answered a boy from the tenth squad with golden hair and purple eyes.
As a note, the ninth squad consisted of three boys and two girls, while the tenth squad was made up of one boy and two girls.
“A three-person party? That’s unusual.”
I couldn’t help but speak my mind.
Having fewer members increases the risk in a party. This clan wouldn’t be so clueless as to not understand that, so why would they form a three-person party?
From what I saw earlier, there were two six-person parties. They could easily transfer one person each to the tenth squad.
Since they’re rookies, transferring party members should be simple.
“That’s because there’s no one who can keep up with us,” the boy said confidently.
I see. Because they’re promising rookies, their level is so different from the others.
Still, this boy already has that attitude at such a young age.
Among explorers, some grow arrogant as their skills improve. If this is him now, it’s worrying for the future.
…Could it be that correcting personalities is also part of my job?
…No, the clan must have some reason for this. Yeah, that must be it. If so, it wouldn’t be right for me, an outsider, to interfere on my own. Not that I don’t want to because it’s troublesome.
“I see. If everyone’s here, then no problem. Well, we don’t have much time, so could you just tell me your names and positions?”
I had each of them introduce themselves.
After the ninth squad’s introductions, it was the tenth squad’s turn.
“I’m Logan Hayward, the leader of this party. My position is enchanter, and I’ll surpass Ms. Selma someday.”
So this guy is the enchanter of the tenth squad.
In the silver rabbits of the night sky, all parties have enchanters who command during battle.
I’m already uneasy about this boy taking command...
But maybe his battle command isn’t an issue. I won’t know until I see an actual fight.
“Alright, do your best. Next.”
“Hi! My name’s Caroline Inglott. I’m the defender!”
Next, a girl with slightly curly chestnut hair flowing down to her waist and emerald eyes spoke up.
Her height and appearance were similar to the other kids, but one part of her was quite developed. I won’t say which part, though.
She’s a lively one.
We don’t have much time, so we should move on, but since Sophia is next and I know her, I want to confirm something, so I asked Caroline.
“You’re not wearing any armor. Do you equip it after entering the dungeon?”
“Geez, do you really ask that? I’m a defender without armor or shield!”
Well, saying that with a smug face doesn’t help.
Defenders take on demonic beasts’ attacks for their allies, so armor and shields should be essential.
...Wait, there is one.
In the hero party and the s-rank party following the silver rabbits of the night sky, there’s a defender without armor or shield.