===Natsuko Kaminari POV===
"Alrighty kiddos. Today we are going to enter the tenth floor of the dungeon. This is the Final Boss Floor, so we can't afford to have anybody giving a half-hearted effort this time. So then. IS EVERYBODY READY?!"
"YES SIR!"
"YEAH! THAT'S THE CORRECT ATTITUDE TO HAVE!!!"
We entered the dungeon. It was the same as the last time, except this time, I had a feeling of foreboding. It almost felt as if things were gonna go wrong.
The dungeon was dimly lit, and there were distant screeches echoing from its depths. It was obviously eerie, but in a way it felt as if it was inviting us in, beckoning us to try our hand at reaching the bottom.
The first few floors were as uneventful as ever. They were probably difficult for the common man, but with our special stats and the training from the royal guards and veteran adventurers, they weren't too hard to get through.
We reached floor 9 pretty easily. Everything was going well so far. There were louder and scarier sounds coming now, but it was probably nothing. Just some more small-fry like everything else in this dungeon, nothing to worry about.
Turns out that was just wishful thinking.
As we were walking forward, I noticed a person break away from the group. I couldn't see who it was because their face was oddly blurred. Whether it was because of the lack of light or some sort of skill, I don't know. All I knew was that it was going ahead. all alone. While I debated whether to tell Roux or not, we heard a loud roar, blaring our ears off. It was coming from the direction of the drifter.
I didn't wait. it was like my feet were moving on their own. I ran. Everyone ran. the non-combats seemed to be frozen in place. The ones around them seemed to practically pull them away.
"Is anyone hurt?" Once we were outside Roux started inquiring.
Almost everyone seemed to have scratches and minor injuries from running into walls, or being pushed by their classmates, but nobody had sustained any major injuries.
"Ok, good. Now", Roux continued, a bit cheerfully now that he knew everyone was safe, "Let's do a head count. One, two, three, four, five, six… wait a second, weren't there seven of you?"
He counted again. Six. There was no denying it. We lost a person. And that person was Akuma Umare. I didn't really know him, but I did feel something of a kinship with him. We were both once loners after all, after all. In all seriousness, we can't leave him behind. At the same time though, it's too dangerous in there. I hate to admit it but I was too scared to go back there.
Still there was a chance that he's still alive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//The next day//
"I'm sorry kids, but all the evidence suggests that he's gone", Roux broke the news to us during breakfast. He must have gone back in yesterday to find something. He had dark circles under his eyes.
One of our own died.
How?
Why?
I... No. We can't take this as lightly as we have been. This is the real world, Not some sort of game. It is a matter of life and death. There is no 'restart'.
My resolve made, I turn to my classmates.
"Effective immediately. All non-combatants will stay in the castle and provide support for the greater mission at hand. Some combatants will stay back at the castle to act as protectors of the non-combatants. Only me, Yuki, and Azumi will fight on the front lines. Meanwhile, Miho and Minoru will study magic in the capital. Kotaro will officially start work as an adventurer. We need as much information as possible. Does anyone object?"
No one objected. With our plan confirmed, we started to head back to the castle.