Leona’s revelation of their group’s goal—to defeat the Boss of the 20th Level—didn’t surprise me. In fact...
“Won’t that be a walk in the park for you guys?”
That was my honest opinion. I knew for myself, after sparring with the Martial Arts Club members, that they were all well trained. I felt bad for thinking this, but they were leagues above the Blue Sea Union explorers I’d met on the 10th Level.
“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll have a problem either,” Leona replied, not bothering with false modesty. I’d heard that the third-string members of the Martial Arts Club had reached the 19th Level many times in the past, which explained why the trip up here had gone so smoothly; it was akin to a review trip to let them get in some more fighting practice and experience. “The thing is...I’m worried about something.”
“Hmm? What is it?” I asked.
“Eugene, have you heard the rumors? About how the Bosses have been weirdly powerful lately?”
“No. This is my first time hearing about it.”
To be fair, until my meeting with Sumire, I’d never expected to fight against a Boss. Since I’d never planned to explore the floors above the 10th Level, I’d slacked off on gathering information about them.
“They say that the difficulty settings within Babel have been messed up as of late,” Leona said. “That Troll you fought is proof of that. In the past, there’s no way you would have run into a large black monster on the 10th Level. Something like that would’ve been standing guard on the 20th or 30th Level, at the very lowest.”
“Is that so?”
That had been my first time fighting a Boss, so I hadn’t noticed anything strange. I’d watched other explorers face off against Bosses through the Satellite System, and my first thought after actually fighting one myself had been, “Oh, okay, so this is about how strong a Boss is.” This was when I finally clued in on what Leona’s worries were.
“So that’s why you wanted my help. You were worried about relying on healing items, so you wanted me with my white mana to tag along.”
“Bingo! And in case of an emergency, we can always have you defeat it for us, right?” Leona winked.
“I won’t steal the Martial Arts Club’s prey. What’s the current Boss of the 20th Level again?”
“A Goblin King.”
I nodded at the reminder. A few days ago, I’d watched on the Satellite System as a group of explorers challenged it, only for their efforts to end in failure. Unless another group had defeated it between then and now, the Boss should still be the Goblin King.
Unlike the Troll on the 10th Level, the Goblin King was the type of Boss that commanded a group of enemies. Goblins weren’t too powerful on their own, and the Goblin King itself would be on the same level as, or maybe even weaker than, the Troll on the 10th Level. The problem with the Goblins wasn’t their individual strength but rather their teamwork and sheer numbers. Still, if the Martial Arts Club members worked together at peak strength, they should be able to defeat the King, albeit with some effort. It would serve as a great learning experience for Sumire too.
“All right, I got it. Leave the support to me,” I said.
“Thank you, Eugene! You’re a lifesaver.” Leona squeezed my hands tight.
“R-Right.”
The members of the Martial Arts Club didn’t hesitate to dish out the physical affection. When I went to wash off with the boys, they would also touch me while saying things like, “Eugene, you’re so buff!” or “Hey, what’s your training regimen?” Did this obsession with physique stem from their involvement with the club?
I figured Leona would leave now that she’d made her request, but even after she released my hands, she was standing before me, looking around awkwardly. Then she asked, “By the way, I hear that you’re pals with Claude from the Hero Course. Is that true?”
“Claude? Yeah, I take care of his wyvern as part of my duties in the Biology Club, and I’ve joined his party on expeditions as a last-minute member.” I didn’t understand why Leona was bringing this up out of nowhere.
“Oh, wow, really?”
“Why are you asking about him?”
“Mm... Actually, no, it’s nothing!”
“Uh, okay?”
And now I was left with no idea of what she wanted to ask.
“Good night and see you tomorrow!”
With that, Leona left and, as if she had been waiting outside, Sumire entered. She must have just come out of the bath, since steam was rising from her body.
“When Miss Leona passed me, she told me she’d be counting on me tomorrow as well.”
“Yeah, Leona and the Martial Arts Club plan on getting past the 20th Level, and they want us to help them.”
“Oh? Did you say you would?”
“Only if you’re okay with it.”
“Of course I am! I’ve made so many new friends!”
The words brought a smile to my face. Sumire was a cheery and kindhearted girl. When she first arrived here, her expression had always been clouded over with confusion and fear, but lately, I only ever saw her enjoying herself. I was glad the Martial Arts Club had invited us on their trip.
“We have to prepare for tomorrow’s exploration, then!” Sumire said.
“Yeah, you should retire early tonight.”
“You’re not going to sleep yet?”
“I want to get in some practice with my sword.” As I said that, I drew the sword that explorers from the Blue Sea Union had given me.
I didn’t get to use this at all today. That being the case, I would have to make up for it with tonight’s training session. I slowly held the sword in the Niten Enmei-ryu stance. Usually, I swung with a wooden sword during practice, but the weight of a real sword was far more comforting.