'We should end it here for today,' I said as I looked over the girls.
Kunou was barely standing, leaning heavily against her mother. Her face was drenched in sweat, exhaustion written clearly across it. I could see her arms and legs trembling, and even her grip on the spear looked loose—as if it might slip from her hands at any moment.
Yasaka herself looked worn down as well, her yellow ears drooping low. Still, she managed to stand upright and support her daughter without faltering.
Honestly, it hadn't been easy for either of them.
They had taken multiple hits from the monsters. Even with Plating and constant Healing, it was difficult to keep them from getting hurt. Both of them were just too slow to dodge, often failing to react in time to attacks aimed their way.
Kunou had even broken down in tears the first time she was hit.
A Cheep Sheep had rammed into her without warning, shattering the Plating and slamming its horns straight into her chest. She had dropped to her knees on the spot, crying as Yasaka and Sherry rushed to shield her.
I had killed the sheep immediately and healed her as fast as I could—but that tearful expression on her face still lingered in my mind. Part of me had wanted to send her back right then.
In the end, it was Yasaka and Roxanne who convinced her to keep going. They told her she needed to grow strong for my sake—and to take revenge on the sheep demons that had hurt her.
Either Kunou was easily fired up, or she truly wanted revenge. She wiped away her tears, looked up at me, and declared that she was ready to kill more sheep demons.
After that, she didn't cry again.
Still, watching the mother and daughter pair repeatedly get hurt like that was painful.
The root of the problem was obvious—their Villager job.
As a basic job, Villager only provided a small boost to Endurance and no other meaningful bonuses. In truth, they were only able to fight at all because of the additional buffs provided by Sherry and my jobs.
And yet… that was precisely why I had pushed them this far.
As I wanted their Villager job to level up as much as possible.
In fact I had been debating the entire time whether I should just change their jobs to something else—like Warrior.
In the end, I decided to try a few more things with them first. If I could guide them toward unlocking their racial job, that would be ideal.
If that didn't work…
Then I would switch their jobs to something more suitable.
Sherry, on the other hand, had performed with remarkable stability and still looked completely fine. That wasn't surprising—as she was used to spending far longer stretches inside the labyrinth than this.
The real surprise was Jasmine.
While in a battle she moved like a dancer, swaying and dashing between demons, slashing different parts of their bodies with ruthless agility. In fact she was more than capable of holding a demon's aggro on her own.
Just as I was thinking about her, I caught her looking back at me.
Her long black hair was tied neatly behind her head, and her brown skin glistened faintly with sweat, only making her more captivating. When our eyes met, she gave me a shy smile—almost as if she knew exactly where my thoughts were drifting.
I broke eye contact and turned to Roxanne instead. She nodded obediently at my decision to end the session, though I could tell she found the training far too short for her liking.
Still, I had one more team left to manage, and according to Roxanne, it was already dinner time. So I quickly opened a Warp and brought everyone back.
Once we returned, I asked the foxgirls to sit on the sofa, seeing how exhausted they were.
As expected, just as I turned, Roxanne was once again the first to step forward for her head pat.
After that, I beckoned Sherry over. She kept a perfectly neutral expression as I patted her bouncy hair, which I found quite fun to do, although I could tell she was slowly getting annoyed—so I stopped before pushing my luck.
"You performed beyond my expectations," I said, resting my hand on Jasmine's silky raven hair next.
"It is my duty to serve Master with everything I have," she whispered softly, her big brown eyes gazing up at me.
Fuck!… She definitely meant more than one thing by that, didn't she?
For once, I was left speechless. I could only offer her a smile before moving on.
Turning to the foxgirls, I gently ran my hand through their damp blonde hair, lightly patting their cute fox ears as well.
"You both did exceptionally well today," I said. "Especially you, Kunou. I'm impressed."
"Thank you, Master, for your kind words," Yasaka replied with a contented smile.
"Thank you, Master," Kunou echoed, her voice tired but warm, a bashful smile lingering on her face.
"Master, it's my turn now, right? Right?" Shea came hopping over the moment I finished with the others.
"Yes, this is the last team—so you're coming along," I said, rolling my eyes. "The fourth team will be Vesta, Shera, Remu, Nyx, and Shea."
"YAY! Finally!" Shea cheered, bouncing in place.
Remu and Shera tightened their grips on their weapons as if they had been waiting for this moment. Vesta's expression was tense, but she looked ready. Nyx, meanwhile, still wore that familiar blank look.
"Um… Master?" Roxanne asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Am I not going this time?"
She had clearly noticed that the party was already full.
"Yes. Shea has a swift scout job, right?" I said, turning to the rabbit girl. "This time, I want to see how well she can locate demons inside the labyrinth."
Then I looked back at Roxanne.
"I also need you to stay back and supervise dinner and the bath. Make sure there aren't any problems."
"Alright, I understand, Master," Roxanne replied with a nod. Then she turned to Shea with a gentle smile. "Shea, could you come with me for a moment? I need to talk to you."
"U-um, yes, Roxanne-san," Shea said, still smiling brightly from being chosen.
Roxanne led her off to the side—and immediately began grilling her about what to watch for when guiding a party toward monsters. Shea shot me a pitiful look from across the room.
But I ignored it.
If she was going to replace Roxanne, even temporarily, she needed this lecture.
While they were busy, I refilled the spells in my magic bracelet. Without Roxanne along, there was a good chance I would need to rely on it more often.
Truthfully, I didn't really need Roxanne to supervise dinner and the bath.
I just wanted an excuse to keep her behind.
This was an experiment—one to see whether the Swift Scout job could truly serve as a viable replacement for Roxanne in the labyrinth.
I wasn't seriously thinking about replacing Roxanne. What I was doing was entertaining the idea of running multiple labyrinth parties at the same time.
That said, there were three major obstacles to that plan.
First—safety.
Without me and my multiple skills and jobs, the girls would be taking enormous risks inside the labyrinth. Everyone needed Plating and healing. Even with mana and health potions, it wasn't enough—after all, not everyone was like Roxanne, capable of dodging nearly every incoming attack.
Second—the EXP multiplier.
When I was in a party with them, they benefited from at least a 40× EXP boost. One demon kill effectively counted as forty. Sending them in without me would be the height of inefficiency.
Third—time and efficiency.
Without me, demon clear speed would drop sharply. And without Roxanne, navigation alone would become a problem. She could locate demons and optimal paths almost instantly—something that would otherwise cost significant time. Slower clears and longer searches meant even lower efficiency.
In short, there were far more problems than solutions.
Still, if Shea's Swift Scout job proved effective enough at locating demons in a reasonable timeframe, then maybe—just maybe—forming multiple teams could become a viable option.
Shea's eyes were visibly spinning by the time Roxanne finished her lecture. To my surprise, though, Roxanne then turned to me and began offering several "suggestions" of her own regarding team formations and battle flow.
She was clearly worried.
I listened patiently—and, to my surprise, every point she raised was valid. I promised to keep them in mind.
"Let's go," I said, opening the Warp.
"Please be careful, Master," Roxanne said, her amber eyes fixed on me.
"Roxanne-san, leave Master to me!" Shea declared, raising her hammer high. "Today is the day people all over will change their view of us Rabbitkin!"
Every girl present looked at her doubtfully.
…I wasn't exempt from that doubt either.
"I'll be extremely careful," I said, giving Roxanne a serious nod before stepping inside first.
Normally, without Roxanne present, Vesta should have taken point in this party—her shield made her best suited to handle multiple enemies if needed. But she had never entered a labyrinth before.
So this time, I went first.
Objectively speaking, with my Overwhelming skill active, my reaction speed was unmatched.
Thankfully, the corridor beyond the Warp was empty. I called others, and the girls entered safely.
'Shea, can you hear any demons nearby?' I asked quickly through party chat after closing the Warp.
She closed her eyes, her rabbit ears standing straight up.
'Hmm… Master, I can hear something in that direction,' she said, pointing to the right. 'But it's still a bit far.'
'Alright, good. Anything else?' I nodded. 'Can you tell how many there are, or what type of demons they might be?'
'U-um… M-Master, I haven't heard these demon voices before,' she admitted with a wry smile, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. 'S-so I can't be sure… but there are probably more than one.'
I had expected as much.
Even Roxanne had warned me that Shea wouldn't be able to gather detailed information just by listening—not yet, at least. Shea had only explored up to the first floor of the Quratar Labyrinth. If she had reached the second floor, she would have at least encountered Naive Olives.
I had already prepared myself for this outcome, so I wasn't too disappointed.
I couldn't help but recall Zendaya's quote in that Spiderman movie: Expect disappointment, and you'll never be disappointed!
That quote seemed to be tailor made for this Rabbitkin!
'Understood,' I said with a quiet sigh. 'When we encounter them, pay close attention to the sounds they make. With time, I hope you will learn to differentiate them. That kind of information is crucial for a new party like ours.'
'Leave it to me, Master! My ears are super sharp!' Shea said, thumping her chest confidently.
'Good. Now let's take our positions.'
I turned to Vesta. 'You'll be in front. Block and engage the demons with your large shield.'
Vesta nodded seriously.
'At least two steps behind her—Shea with your hammer, and Remu with your sword and shield,' I continued, pointing to them. 'Stay alert. Attack once Vesta has them blocked.'
Both of them nodded and moved into position.
'Nyx, you'll be one step behind them,' I said. 'Either circle to strike from the demon's back or stay behind them and attack with your spear.'
Nyx nodded slowly, saying nothing.
'Lastly, Shera, you'll stay with me,' I said, turning to the elf. 'Provide ranged support with your bow. You can stick close to the walls if you need a better angle—just be careful not to hit anyone.'
'Understood, Master,' she replied, gripping her bow tightly.
'Good. Let's proceed slowly,' I said, taking a deep breath as Vesta began moving forward under Shea's guidance.
I forced myself to calm down. My anxiety was starting to rub off on the other girls—but I couldn't help it. This was the first time I was diving into a labyrinth without Roxanne.
At this moment, it became painfully clear to me just how dependent I had grown on her whenever labyrinths were involved.
Given how exceptional Roxanne was, that dependence made sense. Still, if I didn't address it early, it would come back to bite me later.
Anyways, this was the final training session. I just hoped it would end safely.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Shea spoke up through party chat.
'Master, this is where I was hearing the voices. They're just ahead.'
'Are you sure?' I asked. My Appraisal showed nothing. All I could see was a straight, dim corridor with no branches or corners.
'Yes, Master. They're really loud,' she replied, turning back to me with bright, confident eyes.
'But there's nothing here,' Vesta said, walking ahead.
Even Remu, with her night vision, confirmed the same thing.
'Eh? But I can hear them clearly,' Shea insisted—and before anyone could react, she hopped even further ahead.
'Shea, wait—!' I called out.
But it was too late.
She quickly stopped in front of a section of the wall and tilted her head.
'Right here! It's really noisy!' she said, giving the stone a light kick.
With a sudden swish, the lower part of the wall sank inward.
Shea stumbled back in shock.
'Shea, get back—now!' I shouted through party chat. 'That's a Labyrinth Trap!'
***
[MN01 has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]