After that, we fought several more times. Since the enemies were mostly ranged attackers, Rain-san and Lucre stole the show.
This floor really was rear-line territory.
The 87th had more grouped monsters, giving front-liners room to shine—but the 86th was almost all solo targets.
"How's that? Not bad, right?"
After one fight ended, Selma-san asked me.
"Not bad...? That's underselling it. I seriously think this is what *Silver Rabbit*'s First Unit should look like."
My honest opinion.
This party didn't lose out to the Hero Party at all.
Selma-san, Will, and Rain-san were already stronger than their Hero Party counterparts in the same roles.
Lucre and I were harder to compare—bad matchups.
For me—it'd be Oliver. That guy's a genius.
I didn't know how strong the new enchanter Philly was, but her support buffs were definitely higher than mine.
Without **Impact**'s burst potential, their overall strength had probably risen.
In a full-power clash—I'd win.
But my buffs had time limits.
Relatively speaking—as explorers—it was hard to say who was better.
Lucre's comparison was Luna.
Luna was the strongest rear-liner I knew.
Weak at support—but top-class in attack and recovery magic.
Plus—she had an ability.
Its synergy with magic was insane.
She still struggled to control it fully—but if she mastered it, she could surpass Selma-san as an enchanter.
An incredibly reassuring presence in a party.
"I see... Orun—from your perspective, do you think we could conquer the 92nd floor?"
Selma-san's question drew everyone's attention.
"Yeah—I do."
"...Because you're here?"
"No. With or without me—I think you could beat the black dragon."
That wasn't a lie.
Their skill level was that high.
I honestly wondered how they'd lost before.
They must have trained desperately this past year after Albert-san's death.
"Thanks, Orun... We worked our asses off this year, but we weren't sure it paid off. Hearing that from someone who's reached the top—it gives us confidence."
Rain-san smiled through tears.
It wasn't hard to imagine how painful this year had been for them.
*Silver Rabbit* aimed to conquer the Great Labyrinth.
But without replacements, they hadn't properly dived deep in a year.
On top of that—as the clan's top explorers—they were expected to set an example.
Endless effort without guaranteed results.
Sponsor pressure.
Immense stress.
Yet to my eyes—they matched the Hero Party in strength.
I genuinely wanted to help them.
I wanted their hard work rewarded.
What I could do—was give everything to conquer the Great Labyrinth.
I reaffirmed that resolve.
◇
About two hours since entering the 86th floor.
We finally spotted a Noxious Sheep.
This one looked slightly smaller than average.
Our goal: its wool.
We needed to secure it before killing the monster.
Monsters vanished into magic stones upon death.
Parts sometimes remained by chance—but when targeting specific materials, we didn't rely on luck.
There was a surefire way: harvest the part while the monster was alive.
Once separated—it stayed even after the body vanished.
"Orun—how much wool do you think you can get from that one?"
Selma-san asked how much I could shear.
"If nothing interferes—two-thirds minimum."
"Plenty. Rear line—pin it and watch our surroundings. Will—support Orun's movement. Once shearing's done, I want to test **Impact** with Rain-san's magic. Can you sync timing?"
"If I know type, location, and countdown."
"Got it. I'll send it mentally. All right—go!"
At Selma-san's signal, Will charged the Noxious Sheep.
Selma-san buffed him.
I swapped my longsword for dual short blades—half length—gripping one in each hand.
**Double Technical Up** and **Agility Up** on myself.
**Sharpness Up** on both blades.
I closed in.
Rain-san locked its feet with **Rock Bind**.
Lucre slowed it with **Thunder Shock**.
The Noxious Sheep exhaled paralyzing reddish-black breath at Will—but Selma-san generated wind to nullify it.
"Take this!"
Will spun his twinblade expertly—pummeling the sheep's face.
I circled to the side—careful not to cut too deep—harvesting wool.
I stored it instantly.
(Note: I used the clan-issued ring storage artifact—not my personal bracelet.
Clan rule: all labyrinth loot went into issued storage.
Handed out before dives—returned to Exploration Support after.
Payment added to party funds later.
I could technically pocket stuff—but penalties were brutal. Nobody risked it.
Old Hero Party habit—I had to be careful not to use my personal one.)
In about five minutes—I'd sheared most except the belly.
Selma-san must have judged it enough.
She mentally briefed me on Rain-san's incoming spell—then started countdown.
I backed off and began building my own formula.
At zero—
Spikes erupted beneath the Noxious Sheep—impaling it.
But the wool blocked most penetration.
Lucre's spell—not for damage. For pinning.
Lightning spears rained from above.
"**Impact**!"
Right before impact—I activated **Instantaneous Ability Hyper-Boost**.
Lightning scattered everywhere.
The Noxious Sheep dissolved into black mist.
Fortunately—a magic stone and some leftover wool remained.
"Orun-kun! That spell really is amazing! Even with most wool gone—one upper-tier spell took it down!"
Rain-san rushed over—bouncing with excitement.
So much gap moe...
◇
We kept fighting—gathered enough stones—and returned to the surface.
Four Noxious Sheep total.
Plenty of wool.
"Phew~ Ground level feels so nice~"
Lucre let out a lazy sigh.
Long lower- or deep-layer dives drained your spirit.
Wanting to space out after surfacing—I got it.
"You dive every other day, right? So tomorrow's free?"
I checked tomorrow's schedule with Selma-san.
"Yeah. I'll be at Exploration Management in the morning. Want to come? Estella mentioned your teaching role early—better get details soon."
Right—the guided expedition thing.
Probably those kids.
I wanted details ASAP.
Being an executive really kept you busy.
Since I was one now—I wanted to lighten Selma-san's load.
Compared to Hero Party days—beating my exhausted body into paperwork after dives—this was paradise.
That was rough...
Derrick and Aneli never helped...
"Hey hey! Since yesterday got canceled—how about Orun-kun's welcome party now?!"
"Oh! Yeah—let's do it! Right, Big Sis?"
"Sure—no problem. Rain, Orun—okay with you?"
"Of course!"
"I'm good too. Thanks, everyone."
◇
With the welcome party decided—we moved to a private room at a *Silver Rabbit*-owned restaurant.
Five of us laughed and chatted—enjoying food and drinks.
Laughter never stopped.
—Obviously.
Rain-san was a total lightweight.
She laughed nonstop.
Her speech and gestures matched her appearance perfectly.
Now I understood Will's morning joke.
Still—everyone here was genuinely good people.
I was honestly happy to keep diving with them.