"How did Shou and the others do?"
While they were focused on conquering the dungeon, the season had completely changed to spring. At this point, it would be no time at all until June—the time when Ren and the others were summoned. It felt both long and short. At the very least, it was certainly true that a lot had happened, more than one would expect in just a year. Having grown accustomed to life in the other world, Ren's feelings about the passage of time were fading. The first thought that came to mind was, "It's gotten warmer, making the nights more comfortable." Still, the hot season was a long way off. The warmth of the girl, whose arms were wrapped around his back in a light embrace, felt incredibly dear.
"...Well, yes. They are still a bit reckless," said Iris, a tall, blonde beauty, who smiled awkwardly while gazing intently at Ren's face. She was reflecting on the battles of the boys she had been mentoring, not because of the overly close distance between her and Ren. This wasn't the first time they had slept together. They were both in their underwear, touching closely enough that they could feel each other's heartbeats, yet both hearts beat calmly.
"Even though they need to be more careful about injuries than ever, Shou-kun tended to rush too far ahead. Ken-kun also couldn't wait and would use magic even when enemies were close..."
Since Ken could use "Heal," it wasn't impossible to mend injuries, but that made his MP incredibly valuable. It seemed they struggled considerably to establish a style where Shou, Iris, and Mei cooperated to protect Ken.
"It helped that Mei gave instructions frequently, but that almost caused a tense atmosphere..."
"I see... My bad, Iris. Asking you to do something so difficult."
"No, not at all. It's been a great learning experience for me, too. It made me realize how much I used to rely entirely on Ren-san and Furi-san."
When Ren stroked her cheek and hair with gratitude and apology, the girl narrowed her eyes as if tickled.
"You're our comrade, so you should feel free to rely on us more and more. We rely on you, too, Iris."
"Yes. But I want to be able to do more things by myself."
Working with another party seemed to have been a good source of inspiration for Iris and the others. Although Mariabelle was accompanying them just in case, no truly dangerous situations had occurred so far. Instead, they were prioritizing early retreat based on the severity of injuries and fatigue, progressing through the eleventh floor at a pace of three explorations.
"Oh, and guess what? Both of them kept asking about you, Ren-san."
Her blue eyes sparkled mischievously, and a soft laugh escaped her.
"Things like what you like, what you dislike, what you usually do... I was asked so many questions."
"Seriously? That's kind of embarrassing."
That the boys seemed genuinely infatuated and were digging for detailed information. Ren murmured, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"So, I decided to be a little mischievous myself."
"Oh, what did you say?"
"That Ren-san's favorite thing is cute girls."
Ren was speechless, managing only a faint "Ugh."
"...It's not wrong, but that's still embarrassing!"
"I'm sorry. I just... I felt like they might try to take Ren-san away."
Ren saw a faint wetness in Iris's eyes. Had he made her anxious? He gently patted her head to reassure her.
"I'm not going anywhere. They asked me to join them, but I refused."
"Really?"
"Of course. I already have reliable comrades."
The girl then gave him a melting smile and whispered, "I'm so happy." Her slender arms wrapped around his neck, pulling their bodies closer.
"Let's conquer the twentieth floor together. Let's break through with all nine of us without anyone dying."
"Yes. I'll bring every arrow I have."
As they talked, their body heat was shared, making them feel pleasantly warm. The close proximity meant there was no need to speak loudly, and everything they wanted to convey was understood in the quiet room. Slowly, Iris's heartbeat began to quicken.
"...Ren-san, please kiss me."
"Alright."
It was unusual for the girl to ask directly. Thinking this, Ren gently touched her lips to his. Ten-odd seconds later, as their lips parted with a slight thread connecting them, both of them were genuinely starting to feel excited. Having touched so many times, no more verbal confirmation was needed. Ren shifted from the side-by-side gaze and gently pushed Iris onto her back. As he spread his wings, blocking the moonlight from the window, the girl slowly closed her eyes, silently pleading for another kiss.
--------------------
"I think Ren-san's decision was an excellent one. ...With this fighting force, we should be fully capable of countering that horde."
Mariabelle said quietly, her footsteps echoing on the descending stairs. Her gear, partial metal plating over leather, durable leather gloves, and similarly plated boots, was more serious than usual, a sign of her full combat readiness.
"Of course, overconfidence leads to injury. But as long as we don't let our guard down, we will definitely win."
"Hearing you say that, Maria-san, is reassuring."
At Ren's voice, the surrounding comrades subtly smiled. They were in a good state, appropriately tense but not overly strained. With the strength of two parties, nearly double their usual number, they felt little anxiety or loneliness even in the dark, cold dungeon.
"Maria-san. Just to confirm again, we don't need light on the twentieth floor, right?"
"Yes. Since it is a daytime wilderness, the sunlight will fully reach us."
"Sunlight inside a dungeon—that's a strange thing."
"But precisely because it's a dungeon, nothing that happens is strange."
For today, Shou and Ken were staying behind. It was the day Ren's party and the leaders' group were challenging the twentieth floor together. Not only Ren's group but also the leaders' group was fully motivated.
"With you guys, we have the strength of a hundred men. We're not afraid of any number of Goblins and Orcs."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's finish them off quickly and go celebrate!"
"Yeah, you're right. Getting too heavy about it isn't our style."
As they spoke, the exit of the stairs—the entrance to the twentieth floor—came into view. The staircase connecting the temple to the dungeon was always the same length, regardless of which floor they descended to, allowing regulars to know their arrival by timing.
"You all remember the strategy, right?"
"Yeah. Absolutely defend the front of the stairs. Engage the enemy while in a state where we can retreat at any time, right?"
"OK. Then, grab onto me as planned."
"Mhm. ...Don't hurt me, Ren-chan?"
"I won't."
Ren gently lifted the magic-user girl who entrusted herself to him and spread his wings at the rear of the group. The Thief from the other party, who was the magic-user's boyfriend, looked slightly displeased, but since this was no time for romantic squabbles, Ren ignored him.
"Let's go."
The leader at the front declared this and rushed out, taking the lead. Following his comrades who were exiting one after another, Ren stepped out onto the twentieth floor and felt the strong sunlight. At the same time, he breathed in fresh air, unlike the stale air indoors. There must be a ceiling, but the sky he looked up at was high, and due to the effect of the sun, he couldn't discern its boundary. Postponing his amazement at the mysterious scene for a moment, he floated gently into the air.
His destination was high ground. The twentieth-floor field was a large, square room. The entrance to the stairs was at the center of one side, connected to the wall by a box-like structure jutting out. This meant it was possible to gain a "height advantage" by standing on top of the box. Iris, who had already used a Wind Spirit to jump up, was positioned there with her bow drawn. Ren landed beside her and set the magic-user girl down.
"It's wide. I can't even see the far end."
"Yes. But we can see the enemies."
According to the information, the stairs to the twenty-first floor were on the opposite wall. The enemy forces were also expected to approach from that direction, and indeed, Ren could see the first wave of enemies. It was a group of about ten Goblins. They were mere mobs now, but underestimating them and taking too much time would delay their response to the second wave. Therefore, they couldn't waste the time before the enemies arrived. Ren converted his "Magic Arrow" to the Earth attribute, raining down pebbles on the enemy. Iris also drew her bow and began sniping.
"Iris. Is it okay if I wrap my tail around your leg or waist?"
"The leg, please. I don't plan on moving from this spot."
"Understood. Then, thank you."
His tail was also part of his body. As it grew longer, it also became easier to control, so wrapping it around a stationary person nearby wasn't difficult. Energy Drain slowly proceeded from the point of contact, acting like a kind of energy supply cable. This caused the magic-user girl who was sitting with them to flush bright red.
"Why are you doing something lewd at a time like this!?"
"This isn't lewd. It's not much different from holding hands."
"No, a tail is lewd."
"Hey, you two! Don't flirt up there!"
"I-I'm not flirting!"
Well, even if it was lewd, it was for MP recovery, so they would just have to accept it. Ren continuously cast magic, utilizing his increased maximum MP—raised as much as possible for this day—plus the recovery from Energy Drain. They accumulated damage on the enemies before they could reach their position. Iris was using Wind magic, instead of "Firebolt," to coat her arrows, increasing their range and acceleration.
When the enemies got closer to a certain point, the two Thieves added their attacks using their sling-type weapons. The Goblins retaliated with arrows and magic, but their scattered attacks were not much of a threat. By the time the enemies engaged, the heavily damaged first group was easily annihilated by the Leader, Mei, and Mariabelle. All three of them defeated the enemies in a single blow with a sword, a mace, or a kick. While a long-range attrition strategy tends to be unassuming, the contribution of the vanguard couldn't be ignored. In fact, if Ren took a hit like that, it would certainly be dangerous, so all he could think was, "I'm glad they're on my side."
"Oh, the next wave is coming already."
There was almost no time to rest. Ren paused for a breath, cast "Heal" on the magic-user girl twice, and returned to the job of raining down pebbles. He was deliberately using projectiles because he had no intention of moving from their fixed position until the enemies were completely wiped out—because only the enemies would be troubled by how damaged the ground became.
The second wave was larger than the first. A group of Goblins numbering more than ten was followed slightly by several Orcs. They had likely started running at the same time, with a small gap gradually forming. Ren decided to prioritize thinning out the Goblins, leaving the Orcs for later.
"I guess it's time for me to get to work. Leave the rear to me."
The girl with the staff created a fireball larger than a "Firebolt." Holding it illuminated at the tip of the staff with both hands, she concentrated to increase its power and precision, then launched it! The projectile detonated in the center of the Orc group, scattering fire and shockwaves. "Fireball." An advanced offensive spell with inherent area-of-effect properties, even without modification or enlargement. The attack was so typical of a traditional mage that Ren couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"I'm kind of jealous of that."
"Thanks. I'm jealous of your MP, Ren-chan."
"So we both want what the other has."
"Exactly. We just need to supplement the parts we lack."
The strategy of clearing out enemies while damaging the terrain was successful, and the second wave was repelled without significant casualties. Just when Ren thought they could easily win with this defensive waiting strategy, he saw yet another group of enemies appear. The number had increased, naturally, and he groaned in annoyance.
"No way, this is definitely tough."
"I told you it was tough from the beginning."
"That's true, and we prepared for it, but I still have to say it."
They rushed forward maniacally, despite being assaulted by pebbles, arrows, and Fireballs. The frontliners steadily dealt with them one by one, but the fourth wave was already approaching. Inevitably, Ren's group's margin for error began to shrink. They couldn't inflict enough damage before the enemies reached them, and the number of foes the vanguard had to face increased.
The Leader, Mei, and Mariabelle skillfully dodged the various weapons swung by the Goblins and Orcs while counterattacking, but they had to push themselves a little to protect the Cleric girl standing in front of the stairs. Cuts, scrapes, and arrow wounds began to accumulate.
"This is where I come in...!"
The Cleric was positioned on the ground, not the high platform, to maintain a central location within the group. Since Ren and the others on the platform could also be targeted by projectiles, the area in front of the stairs was, in a sense, the safest position. And, of course, the Cleric was stationed there to cast recovery magic over the entire area. Thanks to the "Ally/Enemy Identification Recovery" skill, the area recovery magic did not affect enemies. This was the power of an orthodox healer. Just as reliable as an orthodox mage. Even when a Goblin slipped past the vanguard—CRACK!—the Holy Staff was plunged into it with a harsh sound, contrary to its gentle appearance, and the enemy vanished instantly.
"Wait. Hey, isn't she strong?"
"Ah, yeah. She also has the 'Staff Attack' skill."
It's not uncommon in games for Clerics to be secondary frontliners. The sight of the healer, who was supposed to be protected, possessing a minimum level of self-defense ability, was, well, glorious.
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