I patrolled the area like an instructor, giving advice to each party member while we hunted weak monsters from behind until we encountered Metal Pripa.
"Kei, you need to hide your presence to the maximum. Fight while thinking that you have the least amount of power. Just blending your presence with the air isn't enough. You have to disappear. Erase your existence to the utmost limit in this world. Your fighting style should begin with 'disappearing.' If you don't increase your strength, you won't be able to learn your finishing moves!"
"Yes, sir!" Kei replied, panting heavily as he stealthily took down a wolf-like monster.
"Hisui, you need to take care of your position when sniping from a long distance. If you can't do that, you need to keep changing your location constantly! The trajectory of the bullet reveals your approximate position. Snipers need the most physical and mental stamina! Now, run!"
"Understood!" Hisui, who had been sniping motionlessly like a statue, was forced to run.
I stopped Komachi, who was foolishly rushing towards a group of monsters.
"My disciple, let me teach you the basics of close combat. Observe your surroundings, your retreat path, the distance between you and your target, and then attack. You can only attack first when the power gap between you and the enemy is clear. First, see if you can dominate with your own strength. Then, grasp the space where you can escape and avoid, and finally, determine the distance and attack. If you recklessly charge, you will surely lose. Keep in mind that there's no backup available."
"Eh, oh...so you're teaching as an instructor, senpai..."
I stopped behind Maria, who was standing still, chanting to unleash a high-power technique.
"Maria's specialty is long-range attacks, but her charging time is too long. If you stand still like a scarecrow while charging, you'll become an easy target. During that time, you need to keep running or work in tandem with someone like Komachi, who specializes in close combat! Even the technique of throwing small stones that you used before is still too slow. It may work against weak monsters like the ones here, but at that speed, you'll soon become prey!"
"I-I understand!" Maria nodded obediently and ran forward with her mace in hand.
Chiaki was absentmindedly shooting ice bullets like a machine gun as the monsters spawned. She kept repeating the same motion with a vacant expression.
"Chiaki-kun!"
Startled, she turned to face me.
"What is it?"
"You should step back for now."
"Why?"
"Because your level is too different from the others!"
Indeed, she was originally not suited for this dungeon. She would be bored if it weren't for the fact that they were in a higher-level dungeon. They could even take a break until a high-experience-value monster like the Metal Pripa appeared.
"O-Okay. I understand."
I called back Chiaki and she asked, "What is it? Did you call me back for something?"
"Yeah. You're my party's vice-leader. You're the second strongest here after me."
She scratched her head, as if to say, "Of course."
"Well, that's true," she replied.
"I'm also paying attention, but I want to entrust the safety of everyone to you. Although there are no threatening enemies here, we have to keep going until the target enemy appears."
The word "keep going" caught Chiaki's attention.
"No breaks? Seriously?"
"Absolutely."
"What about lunch?"
"I gave you rice balls and drinks in the morning, didn't I?"
"That's true, but...wait, what about the bathroom?"
"You have to do it while fighting. Listen well, Chiaki. Are you going to think about the bathroom on the battlefield? When someone is pointing a gun at you, are you going to tell the enemy, 'Wait a minute, I need to use the bathroom'? Of course not. That means you have to do it while fighting!"
Chiaki looked surprised and asked timidly, "Suguru-kun, are you really saying that?"
"There are no men or women here. Time is limited. My training is generally harsh. No, it's practical. However, I'm not a demon. If things get too dangerous, I'll help from behind. That's how we'll balance it. It's just a matter of dividing the help between me and Chiaki."
"That's amazing."
"If the target Metal Pripa doesn't appear today, we'll do the same thing tomorrow. In the first place, we're lucky to have consumed all our breaks. The enemy is an extremely rare monster."
"Eh..."
Komachi seemed to have overheard part of the conversation and interrupted, "Um... Senpai, about what you just said, are we not taking any breaks from here on out?"
"Of course not. Are you taking this lightly? It's training!"
"It's currently 9 o'clock, right? From now until the end... what exactly--" She faltered.
"Hmm. It's currently 8:58. Right. Let's go until 7 p.m. today. That's 10 hours left."
"What!?"
"Is 10 hours not enough? Fine. We'll switch to a 24-hour course. Maybe it was a naive thought to think we could take a break at a fixed time on the battlefield."
"Wait a minute!"
"Hey!"
Komachi and Chiaki were shocked to hear about the 24-hour course.
"What's wrong?"
Chiaki had an exasperated expression.
"If we do that, everyone will die!"
"You won't die. I did it by myself before," Suguru said.
Leveling up was a harsh task, especially if there was limited time. In that case, breaks had to be cut to the minimum.
"Don't think in the same way as me, Senpai!" Chiaki protested.
"We're doing it again tomorrow, right?! We won't be able to keep this up if we keep doing this!"
"Of course we'll take breaks. After the 24-hour course, I'm planning on taking a three-hour nap and some free time."
Chiaki and Komachi backed away from Suguru and began to whisper to each other with fearful eyes.
"Oh... this person is dangerous. I knew Suguru-kun was a little out there, but I didn't expect this. Komachi-chan, this person is dangerous," Ayaka whispered.
"I knew Amachi-senpai was dangerous, but... I'm starting to get scared," Komachi replied.
"I'll try to persuade him," Ayaka said.
"No, please do," Komachi said.
"I can hear you."
It seemed like Suguru was being perceived as a dangerous person, but it could be a good opportunity to correct their spoiled attitude towards training and the meaning of being in their party.
"Okay, I understand! We'll do it until 7 p.m.!" Chiaki said.
"Hmm, that's a good answer."
.
.
.
It was evening.
I looked at the party members who had become much more agile than in the morning, and I was satisfied.
The growth curve was fast and steep from the beginning to the middle.
"Well done, Maria-san. Take it easy today. Let's hunt double the number of monsters tomorrow, with the same menu and time."
"Y-Yes..."
"Good job, Komachi. It seems like the practice paid off, right? You were silent and focused since the afternoon. Take it easy today."
".....Yes."
"Hisui-san, you have a good expression now. You look like an experienced sniper. Tomorrow, you have to run all the time."
"I... I was underestimating it..."
Hisui murmured something.
"It's not cool. It's awesome. Your progress is amazing. You can use the spirit magic locally, but it's impressive."
"Yes... I see..."
Chiaki fell to the ground, panting and dizzy.
"What's wrong? You look scary, Chiaki."
At dusk, I looked at my party members who moved much better than in the morning and felt satisfied. The growth curve was steep and rapid from the beginning to the middle.
"Hmm, everyone looks good," I clapped my hands.
Their faces had transformed into a handsome and fearless expression.
"Good job, Maria. Take it easy today. Tomorrow, let's hunt double the number of monsters, with the same menu and time," I said.
"Yes...I will," Maria replied, gasping for breath.
"Komachi, you did a good job, too. Your swordsmanship seems to be effective. You were silent from the afternoon and concentrated on practicing. Take it easy today," I said.
"...Yes," Komachi replied.
"Hisui, you've got a great look. It's like the eyes of an experienced sniper. You must always be running tomorrow," I said.
"....It's more than I expected. I was...underestimating," Hisui muttered.
"Uncool? No, Kei, your improvement in skill is impressive. You can use elemental magic effectively in combat. Tomorrow, fight using a wooden sword only, relying on your spirits to fight. Komachi and Hisui, wear a 30-kilogram weight to improve your speed and stamina. Maria, prohibit the use of fire magic, and fight while thinking only about moon magic," I said.
I've been investing my time in training my party members during the day, so I haven't had a chance to level up yet. Therefore, I planned to train alone until late at night, believing in the possibility of encountering Metal Perippers.
"Okay, that's it. We'll meet in front of the dungeon at 7 a.m. tomorrow! I'll be practicing alone for now, so please rest for tomorrow," I said, about to end the meeting.
Then, Chiaki raised her voice.
"Wait! Suguru, this is too much!" Chiaki glared at me and started to criticize me.
"Everyone is tired. You have to look around more, or nobody will be able to follow you. Not everyone can be reckless like you. You're acting as if you're in a hurry to live! Can't you take it a little slower? You need to look around more. You're not a good leader!"
Evening had come.
I was satisfied seeing the party members move much better than in the morning.
The growth curve was fast and steep from the beginning to the middle.
"Good job, Maria-san. You can take it easy today. Tomorrow, let's hunt double the monsters with the same menu and time."
"Good job, Komachi. It looks like the practice is paying off. You were silent and absorbed in training in the afternoon. Take it easy today."
"Hisui-san has also improved significantly. You have the eyes of an experienced sniper. You'll have to run all the time tomorrow."
"Here we are. I didn't expect it to be this much. I underestimated you."
"Oh, I didn't realize that. Thank you."
Hisui muttered something.
"I'm sorry, but I have to correct you. It's Kei."
"You've made remarkable progress. Your use of elemental magic is impressive."
"Is that so?"
He fell on the ground with his neck drooping and his breathing rough.
"What's wrong? Chiaki, you look scared."
"Wait! Suguru-kun, this is too much!"
"What, Chiaki?"
"Everyone is tired. You have to look around more or nobody will be able to keep up. Not everyone is as reckless as you are! You're strange! You're living as if you're in a hurry! You have to slow down and pay more attention to your surroundings. You're not a good leader!"
"I said the same thing in the morning. I'm just training everyone."
"You're not training them! You're just saying nonsense! And what about going for training now? You'll die if you don't rest! You went out last night and came back in the morning. You're not sleeping, are you? You have to rest, or you'll make a big mistake in a moment of carelessness!"
"I see a lot of exclamation marks. You sound like a country bumpkin."
"I'm not kidding! You always do this! When it gets inconvenient, you start making stupid jokes. That's also a good part of you, but it's just a way to escape!"
"Chiaki... The one we are asking for guidance is us, Maria and the others."
"Please be quiet, Maria."
"Look closely. Look at them. Can't you see it? I can't believe you. Can't you see everyone's faces?"
Everyone was breathing through their shoulders.
It's not enough. There's no point in defeating such weaklings.
"What do you mean?"
She looked at me with eyes that seemed to see something unbelievable.
"This guy is done. Suguru-kun... you're broken."
"What did you say?"
"Ah, how many times do I have to say it? You're broken, completely broken! It's no good. I'm sorry. You're really broken in the worst way. Aren't you afraid? Of dying! If you keep pushing yourself like this, you'll definitely die. In an instant, you'll be swept off your feet. You'll be the first one to die! You're the one taking the biggest risks! This way of life is like walking a tightrope. It's not something that can continue forever. There will be no turning back. And then you'll die! Is that okay?! Why can't you value yourself?"
"I've already overcome the fear of death long ago. But am I prepared to die?"
This is probably the final battle. Even if I go up against any one of the End Knights, I, who have staked my entire being on this fight, still have a high chance of dying.
I've been prepared to die for a long time now.
I'm determined to protect my party members no matter what.
I'll handle the final battle on my own. Even if it means we'll both die, I'm taking them to the afterlife with me. But first, I have to at least take you all to a safe place.
I know it's tough, but if we endure this now, we'll definitely have a future. We have no other choice but to work hard and connect our lives in this limited time.
"Do you really think that way?"
Chiaki looked at me with an open mouth and locked eyes.
"Of course."
After a brief moment of silence, Chiaki slumped her shoulders and said, "…I'm appalled. We're disbanding. This guy is a lunatic. It's over…"
Chiaki turned away from me and helped Kakko Kei, who had collapsed, to stand up, lending her shoulder.
"Senpai… I'm sorry. I also think that Amachi-senpai is wrong."
Komachi also lent her shoulder to Kei.
"What's your problem?"
I walked towards the dungeon with them supporting each other, leaving them behind.