"You all did well. Thanks to you, we have gained another piece of new information. This year can truly be called a year of great progress."
The Sage's attitude toward the new 'Blessing' was much calmer than before. He briefly showed a look of joy at the report, but quickly composed himself and informed them. It seemed there had been various issues regarding the introduction of the native generation following Shou and Ken.
"A year? That's an awkward cutoff, whether by the calendar year or the fiscal year."
"Setting aside the calendar, in terms of the world's development, we consider the 'Transfer' as a turning point. You yourselves count time by the years since your transfer, don't you?"
"That's true."
The timing of New Year's or Christmas didn't shift. The academic year cutoff was in April, but the history of the other world changed significantly the moment new Transferred people arrived.
The Sage sighed softly, looking at Ren's group sitting across from him.
"The time for the next summoning is approaching."
A considerable amount of time had passed while they were conquering up to the nineteenth floor and helping the leaders. It took about half a month for each floor. There wasn't much time left until June.
"Hey. Speaking of which, what is the summoning like here? Do people just suddenly appear one day?"
"No. Portents appear several days before the summoning. Specifically, the temple begins to glow. When that happens, you must be careful when exploring for a while."
It wasn't that they couldn't explore, but running into the new Transferred people unexpectedly would be awkward, and they might be asked for explanations. It was safer to just stay put and leave it to the experienced Sage once the temple started glowing. Ren and her comrades subtly nodded to each other, agreeing to do the same.
"Of course, I will handle the new Transferred people. But the five of you—no, all nine of you—will be in a position to be watched as 'Pioneers'."
"Seriously?"
"You are dungeon veterans close to their age. Furthermore, conquering the twentieth floor in one year, especially with children in your group, is a feat worth calling a great achievement."
The Sage added, with what Ren assumed was a joke, that they would simply stand out. Ren's party, with her purple hair, Iris's blonde hair, and Mei's silver hair, looked distinctly "fantasy" and naturally attracted attention. What would happen if a newly Transferred Ren saw a party like that? ...The reaction would definitely be either "amazing" or "super shady."
"We just worked hard bit by bit, though."
"That is what is important. It is a living example that effort can lead to achievement, and at the same time, a warning against greed. Death awaits those who underestimate dungeon conquering, thinking it's easy."
"...You're right."
The dungeon wasn't so terrifying that one would say "you can't see the end and can't easily go home." It could even be called a kind design, as long as one knew when to retreat. But precisely because they could always return, it was easy to misjudge when to retreat. One mistake, one misstep, could ruin everything. Furthermore, reaching the twentieth floor had shaken their guarantee of "returning safely." What if they had chosen to push forward instead of defending the stairs? What if one of their comrades was immobilized by an enemy attack? Could they truly choose to abandon them and flee?
"Even if we are pioneers, there's not much we can do. The most we can do is give advice if asked."
There wasn't much interaction with Transferred people from different years. They occasionally spoke and saw each other's faces, but they never fought side-by-side, and the strategy guide had more detailed information. It was questionable whether the newly summoned individuals would follow instructions from a "group of cosplayers pretending to be veterans." This was one reason why Transferred people from the same year formed parties together.
"I don't demand much. You only need to lead by example. Show them what it means to be a party aiming for the front lines."
"The front lines, huh. ...That seems like a distant goal."
When they cleared the tenth floor, Ren hadn't anticipated the difficulty would spike this much. There were things you couldn't understand just by reading the detailed strategy guide; you had to experience them firsthand. If the twentieth floor was like this, how difficult would the thirtieth floor be?
The Sage narrowed his eyes at Ren's murmur and said, "If you understand that, then you will be fine."
"What's with the unusual comment? You're not planning to die, are you?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I've merely decided to take a longer view. I think I can rely on the next generation a little more, don't you think?"
"So, you won't throw large numbers of children at the dungeon, aiming for the twentieth floor?"
"I won't. The twentieth floor is too far. Even I understand that much."
That must be why the fifteenth floor was also a benchmark for the Sage. If Storage was only granted at the twentieth floor, he couldn't have adopted such a bold strategy. The human wave tactic was only possible because many people had the potential to acquire it.
"Whether Shou and the others can conquer the twentieth floor or not will be one of the criteria for judgment. This includes how many months or years it takes them to reach it, with the guidance of their predecessors, after training themselves from a young age."
"You'll be watching them on a yearly basis?"
"Unfortunately, it takes time for children to grow."
They couldn't just change their bodies and power up like Mei, the golem. Additionally, human lifespans aren't long. Considering the time needed to gain real-world combat experience, it was better to start exploring at a younger age. They had countless things to consider: at what age they should start exploring, how many years it should take to reach which floor, and how to collect fragments while minimizing casualties.
"Um, Sage-sama. Has the third group been decided?"
"Ah, mostly. I plan to put two girls into the same party as Shou and the others."
"Two girls..."
And he was deliberately putting them in the same party as Shou's group. The faces of the two likely girls clearly flashed in Ren's mind.
"That would make an eight-person party, right? ...Isn't that too many?"
"A new challenge starts from the first floor when new members are added. There's no need to gather all the existing party members. They can tackle it as a six-person party: two instructors and four children."
This way, the leaders could rotate their work schedule. The two who were off-duty could rest or accompany other parties. They could also venture into the lower floors alone to earn pocket money. While it felt like he was deliberately creating complications, this method would naturally delay Shou's group's progress. It would also increase the time the girls could spend with Shou and the others, so it might turn out to be a good idea.
"In the future, they could split into two parties."
"Didn't that fail once before?"
"There's a complete difference between forming a party with only inexperienced members and letting go after they've gained some experience. We might even add two more people from the new Transferred group."
A native-born generation member who had experienced up to the tenth floor and a newly Transferred novice with a 'Blessing' would be fairly evenly matched. Ren nodded, realizing the reasoning.
"You've thought about this a lot."
"We have many people who offer their opinions. ...Speaking of which. Do you want to join the discussion?"
"No, thanks. It'll just end with everyone drinking, right?"
"Don't compare it to the social gathering focused on watching the first sunrise."
"Oh, really? That's surprising."
Ren thought it wasn't bad if they were holding proper discussions, but he still answered no. He didn't like formality, and a gathering dominated by elders tended to disregard the opinions of the younger generation.
"I see, that's a shame. ...But you will likely receive a formal invitation soon."
"I'll think about it then."
Their business was concluded after conveying the new information and receiving their reward. As Ren stood up and prepared to leave, the Sage said, as if remembering something, "Oh, right."
"Can you accept one more person into your party?"
"Hmm... well, if she's a girl and we get along. You're not planning to introduce someone else, are you?"
"No, I'm not. But there might be someone who is left out of the circle of Transferred people, right? It wouldn't hurt to prepare yourself just in case."
Ren replied to that by saying, "If that happens, consult with me." Six people wouldn't be bad. Since Mariabelle was planning to seriously help out from the twenty-first floor onward, they weren't particularly struggling.
--------------------
"...It's finally been one year since we came here."
On the way home. Ren muttered this, feeling the significantly warmer air outside. Furi, walking beside him, smiled and said, "Time flew, didn't it?"
"We have to prepare various things. We need to buy what we need while we can."
"My parents did that back home, too. Stocking up because prices were going to go up."
They couldn't buy too much food due to concerns about shelf life, but the two people in charge of cooking insisted, "It's important!" Ren had no intention of arguing. If the dinner table got luxurious because they had to "eat it before it goes bad," he wouldn't complain.
"New Transferred people, huh. What kind of people will they be?"
"I know. Haha. I kind of feel like I'm attending an entrance ceremony."
"An entrance ceremony... does that mean a lot of people enter the school at once? It must be lively."
"Yeah. The number of people is several times that of the Transferred people."
Reflecting on his middle school entrance ceremony, Ren remembered how the underclassmen seemed so much younger, even with just a one-year difference. While he smiled fondly at their innocence, dressed in brand new uniforms, filled with nervousness and excitement for their new lives, he also felt a slight awkwardness, thinking, "Was I like that a year ago?" The new Transferred people would probably be similar.
"There will be weird ones, and interesting ones, too. They're human, after all."
"Then, Master is one of the 'weird and interesting ones'."
"You too, Mae."
The big difference between the summoned people and the new students was that the former didn't come here willingly. Their anxiety would be far greater than that of starting school. Ren was a little worried: could they truly make a life for themselves in this world? Would people who ran wild like Takuma's group appear again?
"Ren, you might want to think about how you present yourself. The new arrivals don't know you were a man before, do they? And they won't have resistance to your charm."
"...Ah, right, I forgot about that."
However, they had just concluded that a disguise wouldn't really work. To avoid being called an "evil woman" by the newcomers or having more people confess like Shou and the others, she had to take measures in other ways.
"Maybe I should avoid going out for a while...?"
"That might be a good idea. Ren's story will probably spread after a while, and just going to the dungeon won't start any weird rumors."
"My bad. I'll help with the chores in return."
"Thanks. Though we don't really have that many chores for you to help with."
Furi and Iris did the cooking, and Mei proactively handled the cleaning and laundry. Ren's job was mainly to use magic to start the fire, prepare the bath, and make ice. When she thought about it, she realized she was only useful because of magic. It seemed she had no choice but to be more useful in the dungeon.
"I'm going to increase my MP more and use magic aggressively."
"Yeah. I'll cooperate with your MP recovery."
Ren wondered if a Succubus was actually incapable of doing anything without comrades. Since Energy Drain was the foundation of everything, it was only natural, but she reaffirmed her gratitude for Furi and the others being there.
Ren sighed and smiled.
"There will be many things to deal with from now on. But if Furi and the others are here, I feel like I can do anything."
"Idiot. What's with the serious talk?"
"Yes. I can work harder, too, if I'm with Ren-san and the others."
Furi held one of her hands, and Iris hugged her other arm. Ren felt a strange familiarity with Mei's muttered "I'm displeased" because she was left out. Out of relief and joy, her wings and tail couldn't help but move.
If she could be useful to her comrades and stay with them, being a Succubus wasn't so bad. There were inconveniences, but she decided to enjoy them all.
"Well then. Let's have a quick lunch when we get back and prepare for the evening."
"Yeah. Tonight's the party."
They were too tired for a celebration after returning from the dungeon yesterday, so it was postponed until today. After talking to the owner of their usual Western restaurant, she kindly packed the prepared dishes into bento boxes. They were stored in the Storage while still warm, waiting for their turn. The Storage was helpful in these moments because it performed better than a refrigerator.
Instead, the venue would be the leaders' house. They planned to have a big commotion with Shou and the others joining in. The gifts they brought were the alcohol they had bought in advance and the pork jerky they had started curing yesterday. Alcohol and good food were a pleasure between the tough dungeon explorations. Now that she had tasted it, Ren almost felt like she didn't want to return to Japan until she was twenty.
When Ren imagined the evening, she couldn't sit still. Wishing she could fly everyone home, Ren leisurely walked with her comrades toward the house where Mariabelle was waiting.
============
🚀 Want Early Access & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!
Free readers - don't worry, I'll still be posting daily updates here. But Pa4r3on members get the VIP treatment!
Your support helps me create more wild stories like this. See you on the dark side! 😈"