'I messed up!'
Rey could already sense the expectations of the audience directed towards him and Esme--specifically Esme.
'Because of our actions, most of them aren't turning back.'
There just wasn't enough casualties or despair to drive the weak away. For that very reason, many of them thought they had a chance.
'But was I supposed to? Watch as all of them got wiped out?'
If he did that, the number of casualties would have exceeded what the Guilldmaster had projected in his grand plan.
Pretty much anyone who was a Veteran would have died.
'That would be an extremely negative blow on the entire Conquest. The Veterans might have chosen to leave at that point.'
Even after the Conquest was over, the deaths of those thousands was bound to negatively affect the Adventurers Guild.
'The Guild earns a certain percentage from the Quest Rewards that Adventurers get directly from them. Also, Adventurers pay taxes too...'
The entire Quest system would also be compromised since there would be a severe shortage in the number of low-ranked Adventurers to take on low-ranked jobs.
Higher-ranking Adventurers would never want to want to take on those jobs since the pay would pale in comparison to the Quests that existed normally in their purview. Not only that, but their pride as higher-ranking Adventurers wouldn't let them stoop so low.
If this imbalance festered for long enough, many more problems would rear its head.
'The only way the Guild can combat things by then is to raise the reward of those missions on order to make them appealing to the top Adventurers.'
It would solve the immediate shortage problem, but what of in the long run? Not only would the Guild be losing a lot of money due to this additional incentive they were providing, Adventurers would see that they could earn a sizeable sum with less risk by going for low-ranked Quests, so they would stop doing more challenging and dangerous ones.
That would, in turn, make the high-ranking Quests suffer a severe lack of manpower.
'The only to combat things at that point would be to increase the incentives on the high-ranking missions as well, which will just bring about the same issues and continue the vicious cycle.'
Rey, of course, considered all of these factors--along with the fact that he didn't want any unnecessary deaths--which was why he intervened in the fight.
Or rather, he told Esme to.
'I wonder what she would have done if I didn't say anything. Did she also consider the long-term effects of their deaths, or was she willing to adhere to the original plan?' He had no idea.
What he knew for certain, however, was that his deep consideration now had severe consequences since the weaklings were now deciding to stay.
'If I had [Absolute Mental Control], I would be tempted to use it on these people, but sadly I do not.'
He did have [Compulsion], but that was an A-Tier Skill, and it only worked on one target at a time. Rey figured it would be weird, and even incredibly unrealistic, if he went around and used the Skill on every single Adventurer.
Many would pick up on it quickly.
'Besides, I really shouldn't use any Skill beyond my persona's skill-set.' He told himself.
It just seemed like they would have to endure and carry as many as they could onto the next stage, and probably the one after that.
'I can't let them all die later on after bothering to save them here...' He sighed and shrugged.
While Rey couldn't blame the Adventurers for seizing the opportunity of a lifetime by relying on the more powerful to protect, something about the situation left a bad taste in his mouth.
It felt as though they were using his kindness against him, and they were being pathetic leeches who simply wanted to gain all the benefit while making others work extra for them.
'Esme had to pause her Level-Up grind for these people, yet they expect her to do it again and again while they gain EXP…'
It felt so annoying that Rey was tempted to speak his mind in front of everyone present. He wanted to thoroughly rebuke the crowd and, even if it was by force, make them leave the Dungeon.
But…
"It's fine. Let's just keep up with it for now."
… Esme's voice came from beside him, like a soft whisper entering his ears.
He turned in her direction and found her smiling softly while nodding. It was at this moment that he realized that Esme must have also been thinking about the issue, and she noticed his displeasure on the matter.
'Calm yourself, Rey. Don't get too worked up.' He told himself, allowing his racing heart to mellow out.
"I'm fine now. Thanks." He smiled at her, and she nodded, pulling out a thumbs-up.
He chuckled almost immediately. 'I shouldn't have thought her that…'
"Well, since everyone has decided to continue the Conquest…" Richard's voice brought Rey back to reality, and he gazed at the older man ahead.
To his surprise, the Guildmaster looked in his direction. He made a sympathetic look, and Rey shrugged almost instantly.
'Let them do what they like.'
That was his final conclusion.
Whether he chose to save them or not depended on the situation.
"… We shall now advance forward!"
********
After picking up the loot and storing them, the group returned to formation and began to march towards the massive stairs.
The ground floor didn't seem to have any doors or openings that led anywhere, so it was presumed that they had to ascend. Of course, it was possible that there were secret entrances around, but given the fact that they were still unsure of the other areas of the Dungeon and how long it would take to clear them factor, they didn't have the time to check.
Rey and Esme stuck close together, since they were partners, but they still didn't stray too far away from the rest of the Heroic Rank Adventurers at the front.
With everyone's heart hardened for the challenge to come, they could never have predicted what came next.
… None of them could!