Published: January 22, 2026
Two days after exploring the 91st floor.
Today is finally the day the silver rabbits of the night sky set out to conquer the 92nd floor.
As usual, I arrived at the war room around seven o'clock and found someone already there.
“Good morning, Orun. Do you always come this early?”
Will greeted me as he confirmed I had entered the war room.
—His tone was firmer than usual.
His face was tense, and the usual carefree vibe was completely absent.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Ah, not really. I think I kept having shallow sleep. But it’s not like I’m sleep-deprived, so it’s fine, right?”
…That makes sense.
The four of us probably feel more invested in today’s dungeon exploration than usual.
I couldn’t say anything careless.
“…Will, could you stay with me for a bit?”
◇
I led Will to the indoor training ground.
I hadn’t gotten permission to use it, but after checking the schedule posted on the wall, it seemed free until ten o’clock, so I decided to use it.
“What are you planning to do by bringing me here?”
I took out a wooden double-edged sword from my storage magical tool and tossed it to Will.
“Whoa, hey!”
Will hesitated but caught the sword. Once confirmed, I summoned a wooden longsword.
“Instead of killing time lazily over there, how about warming up with a mock battle against me?”
“…Heh, that might be good.”
Will smiled wryly and agreed, assuming a stance.
Then, the sound of wood striking wood echoed repeatedly throughout the training ground.
An hour and a bit passed since Will and I started fighting.
We were both out of breath.
“Hah… hah… hah… That was pretty hard for a warm-up.”
“That’s because Will went all out.”
“Haha, I was only at about forty percent.”
“Then why are you so out of breath?”
“…Phew. Thanks. I feel refreshed.”
Will caught his breath and thanked me.
“…I just used you for warm-up. No need to thank me.”
“Haha, alright then. Let’s say it’s your kindness. Now, let’s shower and head back to the war room. The others should’ve arrived by now.”
I felt Will’s expression soften a little.
I wish I could have come up with a better way.
What do you mean by ‘jack of all trades, master of none’?
I’m just too clumsy...
After washing off the sweat in the shower room adjacent to the training ground, we moved back to the war room.
By the way, I had changed into different clothes for the mock battle.
I couldn’t fight the mock battle wearing the dungeon exploration gear when we were about to dive into the dungeon.
◇
When we returned to the war room, the other three were already gathered.
“Good morning, you two. It’s rare to see Orun-kun just making it on time, unlike Will.”
“We were deepening male friendship.”
Everyone looked tense.
Even Lucre, who usually lifts the atmosphere, didn’t seem very upbeat today.
I wanted to help everyone relax, but I couldn’t think of a good idea.
“Well then, today we finally head to the 92nd floor. The goal is, of course, to defeat the black dragon and reach the 93rd floor. Today, we will set foot on the 93rd floor for the first time!”
““““Ohhh!!!!””””
Compared to the other three, Ms. Selma’s expression seemed softer.
Still, she looked more nervous than usual.
I hope everyone returns to normal once the dungeon exploration starts.
◇
Then we left the war room and began moving toward the Great Labyrinth.
The silver rabbits of the night sky headquarters grounds are quite vast.
Besides the main building with residential quarters and the exploration department, several other buildings stand within the compound.
It takes a bit of walking from the main building to the gate leading outside the grounds.
When we arrived at the gate, many members had gathered.
“First squad, do your best!”
“Today’s the day to take down the black dragon!”
“You can reach the 93rd floor with your current strength!”
The members cheered on the first squad.
Back when I was in the hero party, we sometimes received cheers from the public when diving into the Great Labyrinth.