Published: January 22, 2026
Five days had passed since the first squad reached the 93rd layer.
During these five days, we had been quite busy compiling reports for the guild together with the exploration support team, attending interviews, and meeting with sponsors other than Old Man Edington.
As explorers, it’s always exciting to update the highest layer reached, but for famous explorer parties like the hero party or the silver rabbits of the night sky, all the follow-up work afterward can honestly be a hassle.
Now that things had settled down a bit over these five days, we decided to resume training for the tenth squad.
When I entered the usual room in the exploration management department, all three were already there.
“Good morning, all three of you.”
“Ah, master! Good morning! And congratulations again on reaching the 93rd layer!”
“Master, congrats!”
“Congratulations!”
The three greeted me with celebratory words as soon as they noticed I had entered the room.
That felt much better than hearing it from sponsors or reporters.
“Thank you. Next, it will be your turn. The final challenge of the upper layers, the 30th layer.”
Over the past month, the tenth squad had cleared layers one through twenty-nine.
I had accompanied them but merely observed without offering help or advice.
They had all grown during this time.
They were still like uncut gems, so they would surely continue to improve.
“I have something to discuss with you, master.”
“Discussion?”
“Yes. We want to challenge the 30th layer with just the three of us.”
“...Just the three of you? So you don’t want me to come along?”
“No! That’s not what we mean at all! Having you accompany us is a huge reassurance. Just knowing you’re watching over us makes us confident to tackle the dungeon. But we feel we shouldn’t always rely on you! If we keep having you with us while we clear the Great Labyrinth, I don’t think that will be true dungeon exploration...”
I wondered if they were feeling pressured after hearing about the first squad reaching the 93rd layer.
“It’s not out of arrogance that we say this.”
Following Log, Sophie spoke up.
“Over the past five days, the three of us have discussed how to tackle the 30th layer. We also saw the battle between our seniors and the floor boss during last month’s training exploration, so it’s not our first time seeing it. Objectively comparing the strength of the demonic beasts and the floor boss against our abilities, we believe we can handle it without problems!”
It was rare for Sophie to speak up on her own.
That showed how serious she was.
“I won’t do anything reckless anymore! I won’t do anything that takes the smile away from the two of you! I will properly cooperate with both of you! So please, grant us permission!”
Carole also pleaded with a serious expression.
The tenth squad’s coordination was improving.
Besides, their abilities were already effective even in the middle layers.
But there was one concern.
That was the fact that it was only the three of them.
With fewer people, they might not be able to handle unforeseen situations.
That was my biggest worry, but could I really ignore their unusually serious wishes just because I was anxious?
(Maybe that’d be being overprotective...)
“...Alright. You may challenge the 30th layer with just the three of you.”
When I gave permission, their faces immediately brightened.
“Thank you――”
“But! You said you discussed how to clear the 30th layer, right? First, tell me your plan. If it’s way off, I’ll revoke my permission.”
“—Understood.”
I then listened to their strategy.
To be honest, I had underestimated them.
Even though they said they had a plan, it was their first time drafting one.
I thought there would be many flaws.
However, their plan had almost no issues.
The route they chose, their countermeasures against each demonic beast on the 30th layer — they covered the basics I had taught over the past month while also factoring in the disadvantage of only having three members.