Published: January 22, 2026
Since then, there had been numerous battles, but because the enemies were mostly long-range demonic beasts, Rain and Lucre were playing active roles.
As expected, this floor is the domain of rear attackers.
If we head to the 87th floor, there are many demonic beasts gathered in groups, so the front line has its moments to shine, but on the 86th floor, most of the demonic beasts are solitary...
“How do you think? We’re doing pretty well too, right?”
After the battle ended, Ms. Selma spoke to me.
“‘Pretty well’...? That’s an understatement. Honestly, I truly believe you’re worthy of being the first squad of the silver rabbits of the night sky.”
I spoke my honest thoughts.
This party is by no means inferior to the hero party.
Ms. Selma, Will, and Rain are already above those in the same positions in the hero party, in my opinion.
As for Lucre and me, the comparison isn’t in our favor.
In my case, I’m compared to Oliver, who’s a genius.
I don’t know how strong Philly, the newcomer, is, but her support magic definitely has a higher buff value than mine.
So, although I’ve lost the explosive power of the instantaneous ability surge (impact), overall ability should be improved.
If we both went all out, I’d definitely win, but my buffs have a time limit.
From a relative standpoint as explorers, it’s hard to say who’s superior.
And Lucre’s counterpart is Luna.
From what I know, Luna is the strongest rear-role explorer.
She’s not good at support magic, but her offensive and healing magic are both at a very high level, placing her among the top mages (attackers) and healers.
Moreover, she possesses a supernatural ability.
Her supernatural ability synergizes amazingly with magic.
She’s still being overwhelmed by it, but once she fully masters it, she could even surpass Ms. Selma as an enchanter.
She’s an extremely reliable presence in the party.
“I see... Orun, do you think we can clear the 92nd floor?”
At Selma’s question, I noticed the others were listening attentively.
“I think we can.”
“...Is that because Orun is here?”
“No. Whether I’m here or not, I believe we can defeat the black dragon.”
That wasn’t a lie.
Everyone’s skill level is high enough to make me believe that.
In fact, I wonder why we lost before with this very team.
Since Mr. Albert died, everyone must have been training desperately.
“Orun-kun, thank you. We thought we had been working hard this past year, but we weren’t sure if it was paying off. Hearing that from you, who has climbed to the top, gives me confidence.”
Rain thanked me with tears welling up in her eyes but smiling.
It’s easy to imagine how tough this past year has been for them.
The silver rabbits of the night sky clan have set clearing the Great Labyrinth as one of their goals.
But they haven’t found suitable successors, so they haven’t been able to explore the deep layers properly for the past year.
On top of that, as the top explorers of the clan, they were expected to set an example for others.
Even while continuing their efforts, they didn’t know if it would lead to results.
Pressure from sponsors.
It must have been an enormous source of stress.
Still, in my eyes, they are no less skilled than the hero party members.
I sincerely want to help them and hope their hard work will be rewarded.
What I can do is give my all to clearing the Great Labyrinth.
I reaffirmed this.
◇
About two hours had passed since we started exploring the 86th floor.
Finally, we found a Noxious Sheep.
This individual is slightly smaller than average.
Our objective this time was the wool of the Noxious Sheep.
To get that, we had to secure the wool before defeating it.
When a demonic beast is defeated, it disappears leaving behind magic stones.
Sometimes parts of the beast remain at low probability, but if you want specific materials, you don’t leave it up to luck.
There is a reliable way to obtain parts from a demonic beast.
That is to separate the parts from the living beast.
By doing so, those parts will remain in place even after the demonic beast disappears.