Upon arriving on the third floor of the dungeon, Himaru and his two subordinates were immediately confronted with a situation they had not anticipated at all.
Instead of encountering terrifying monsters or dangerous labyrinths that tested their patience, they found themselves in a castle with thousands of soldiers below, ready to march onto a battlefield.
Thousands of fully armed soldiers, in various formations that appeared ready for combat, filled their view.
Himaru, accustomed to one-on-one fights or small groups battling monsters, felt as if he had suddenly been thrown into a classic strategy game like "Age of Empires" or "Total War."
The scene before him strongly reminded him of the hours he had spent in front of the computer screen during his childhood in his first life.
Only this time, everything felt real and much more thrilling.
Himaru's heart beat faster than usual. Before him lay a vast line of troops, and Himaru realized that he, somehow, had to lead them to victory.
"Wow, this is... beyond expectations," Himaru muttered, his eyes scanning the sea of soldiers before him. "I thought we'd be fighting giant slimes or stone golems, but instead it's a mini world war."
Touma and Frienma, standing beside Himaru, also looked bewildered by this unexpected situation.
They both exchanged glances with expressions that equally showed incomprehension.
Touma's golden eyes, usually sparkling with enthusiasm, now seemed slightly dimmed with astonishment.
Meanwhile, Frienma, with her typical blank expression, looked a little more... confused this time? Even Himaru could see a faint furrow in her brow.
"Have either of you ever led an army before?" Himaru asked his two subordinates, hoping one of them had experience in this regard.
It was possible that in their previous lives in the game world, they had been involved in large-scale battles and possessed useful tactical knowledge.
"We haven't, Himaru-sama!" Touma replied in a slightly worried tone. Her golden eyes seemed to radiate confusion and a hint of frustration. "Usually we just focus on defeating one strong enemy, we've never led an army before."
"Yes, never," Frienma confirmed with her usual blank expression.
Hearing their answers, Himaru could only shake his head in resignation. "Alright, it seems we're really out of our comfort zone this time." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to rely on my own experience, even though my experience is very limited."
Fortunately, in his first life, Himaru had played the game "Age of Empires," although only when he was a child and he lost more often than he won.
His memories of the game were a bit hazy, but at least he had a slight idea of how to lead an army. "Okay, Himaru, remember what you learned from that game. Build barracks, train soldiers, gather resources... wait, there are no resources here!"
With the little remaining memories of the game, Himaru began to give orders to his troops through a transparent panel that suddenly appeared before him.
The panel displayed a chaotic-looking map of the battlefield, the number of units he had, and various command options that he mostly didn't understand.
He tried to improvise a strategy, ordering the units that seemed closest to attack the enemy units that also seemed closest.
He also tried to order some units to "hold their ground," although he wasn't sure what they were defending.
He tried to recall the basic tactics he had used in the game "Age of Empires," unfortunately he used cheat codes to win more often than thinking about strategy.
Leading an army in the real world (even inside a dungeon) turned out to be much more difficult than in a game.
Coordination between units did not run smoothly.
Some soldiers seemed to run in the wrong direction, while others just stood still in confusion.
The orders he gave were often not well understood, and the enemy continued to apply strong pressure, their formations appearing much more organized.
Two hours passed quickly, and unfortunately, the army they led had not managed to achieve a single victory.
They were constantly pushed back by an enemy that seemed more organized and stronger.
Himaru began to feel frustrated. "Why isn't there an 'attack all' button here?!" he grumbled inwardly.
Two hours later, they exited the third floor of the dungeon.
All three of their faces looked gloomy and frustrated.
Because during these two hours the army they led had not won even once.
Himaru wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This is harder than I thought. In games, there's usually a tutorial!"
"If only I could use 'tuck tuck tuck' to destroy them all!" Himaru grumbled inwardly, feeling frustrated with the string of defeats they had experienced.
He longed for the ease of playing games where he could easily destroy enemies with just a few clicks.
"Or a cheat code... well, unfortunately there are no cheat codes in this dungeon," Himaru thought.
"What should we do now, Himaru-sama? Should we try the third floor again with our remaining life today?" Frienma asked in a questioning tone.
Her expression was as blank as usual, but Himaru could sense a hint of despair in her voice.
Even Touma looked listless.
Himaru thought for a moment, weighing his options.
They only had one life left for today.
Using it to try again on the third floor, which was clearly not their forte, didn't seem like a wise choice.
"No, let's use our last life today to level up our 'Great Sage' Quirk on the second floor of the dungeon," Himaru finally replied in a firm tone.
He felt that increasing Frienma's and his own abilities would be more beneficial in the long run.
With the analytical and learning enhancement abilities of "Great Sage," they might be able to find a way to overcome the challenges on the third floor later. "After all, we need more brains than brawn for a situation like this," Himaru thought.
"Oh... I just remembered I haven't asked about your new Quirk, Frienma? What are its abilities?" Touma asked curiously, trying to divert attention from their embarrassing defeat.
"It seems my Quirk can be used to accelerate the learning process and train magic, is that right, Himaru-sama?" Frienma replied while looking at Himaru to confirm her thoughts.
She still didn't fully understand her new power, which seemed to be called 'Great Sage'.
"Yes, more precisely, the 'Great Sage' Quirk can be used to assist in all kinds of research, be it magic research or scientific research," Himaru began to explain enthusiastically.
"And 'Great Sage' can also analyze the material of an object, so if the object has been analyzed, then there is a possibility to replicate that object," he continued, his eyes sparkling as he imagined the various possibilities. "We can make as many legendary swords as we want! Or maybe... delicious food without having to cook?"
"I'm even optimistic that 'Great Sage' can help us analyze other people's Quirks, and then give those Quirks to other people," Himaru concluded, revealing the extraordinary potential of the Quirk.
"Isn't that like 'All For One', Himaru-sama?" Touma asked in a surprised and slightly worried tone.
She was reminded of one of the most dangerous villains in this world, whose ability to steal other people's Quirks had caused great chaos.
"All For One? What's that?" Frienma asked with a confused expression, as she was not familiar with the term.
This world was still foreign to her, so she did not know this information.
Himaru nodded, confirming the brief similarity between 'Great Sage' and 'All For One'. "Yes, there's a similarity on the surface. But don't worry, Frienma won't suddenly become a supervillain," Himaru said while patting Touma's shoulder.
He then explained the fundamental differences between the two abilities. "Although 'All For One' can steal other people's Quirks, 'All For One' cannot steal special Quirks like 'One For All'," Himaru explained. "It's like trying to steal someone's heart... difficult to do by force."
"I speculate that it's because of the soul that has been embedded within the 'One For All' Quirk," he continued. He had his own theory about why "One For All" was so unique. "That Quirk has become an integral part of its user, like a limb."
"Quirks that are too attached to their user's soul will be very difficult for 'All For One' to steal," Himaru analyzed. He felt there were certain limitations to "All For One"'s ability. "Maybe he's allergic to Quirks that are too 'spirited'."
"So, we don't need to worry too much about 'All For One'," Himaru informed them that 'All For One' shouldn't be feared too much.
"Because the higher the level of our Quirks in the dungeon, besides increasing the Quirk's ability, it will also increase the Quirk's compatibility with our soul," he added. He believed that the stronger the bond between their Quirks and their souls, the harder it would be for "All For One" to steal them.
"It's like building a strong bond with your pet. Other people can't just take it away." Himaru gave a simple analogy.
"So, 'All For One' most likely won't be able to steal all of our Quirks, while 'Great Sage' is different from 'All For One'. 'Great Sage' can replicate someone's Quirk without stealing it and causing that person to lose their Quirk, and 'Great Sage' has the possibility to replicate 'One For All' and even modify it into a different Quirk, just by replicating the basic functions of 'One For All' without replicating other Quirks already installed in 'One For All'. Basically, 'Great Sage' might be able to create 'One For All' with empty slots, so other Quirks can be installed according to interest," Himaru concluded his long analysis with a wide smile.
"Imagine 'One For All' with elemental powers! Or maybe... the power to make instant ramen without having to boil water!" Himaru joked.
He was very enthusiastic about Frienma's new Quirk, of course he also possessed this Quirk so he felt even more satisfied after summoning Frienma.
"With 'Great Sage', we can become an invincible team!" Himaru exclaimed in his heart.
Himaru's long and enthusiastic explanation, although interspersed with strange analogies, finally made Touma and Frienma feel calmer and understand the true potential of the "Great Sage" Quirk.
They both nodded, indicating that they understood.
After that, the three of them headed to the second floor of the dungeon to begin leveling up Frienma's "Great Sage" Quirk.
The three of them worked diligently together, fighting the robots that filled the second floor while focusing on the use and development of Frienma's new Quirk.
Touma, with her renewed enthusiasm, tried out various new moves with her 'Blood Shifter' Quirk, while Frienma calmly analyzed every attack of her opponents with 'Great Sage' and tried to replicate them.
Himaru acted as a protector and gave directions, while channeling half of the experience gained by Touma and Frienma to level up his two new Quirks.
The three of them continued to train and fight on the second floor of the dungeon until nightfall.
Frienma showed rapid progress in controlling and developing the "Great Sage" Quirk. She began to be able to replicate some of the robots' energy attacks using her magic and even analyze monster attack patterns more efficiently.
"I think we've had enough for today," Himaru said while stretching his body. "Tomorrow we'll come back and make 'Great Sage' even greater!"
After they exited the dungeon, Himaru immediately invited Frienma to meet his family for dinner.
He wanted Frienma to feel accepted as part of their family, just like Touma. "Come on, Frienma, it's time to meet my family. Don't worry, they're very friendly to new people," Himaru said.
"Dad, Mom, Emilia, let me introduce you, this is my new subordinate, Frienma," Himaru said with a friendly smile as they entered the dining room.
"The situation is similar to Touma, she is a subordinate I summoned when I managed to defeat the level 2 dungeon boss," Himaru further explained about Frienma to his family.
Frienma was warmly welcomed by all members of Himaru's family.
Father, mother, and Emilia showed their hospitality to this new family member.
Himaru's father, Kazuma, shook Frienma's hand with a wide smile.
Himaru's mother, Hikaru, immediately offered Frienma a seat next to her.
Emilia, Himaru's younger sister, stared at Frienma with sparkling eyes full of curiosity.
They asked Frienma various questions about her, her origins, and her experiences.
Frienma answered politely and calmly, although she was still a little awkward with this new atmosphere.
She explained a little about her original world and how she was summoned to this world.
Touma also helped to break the ice, recounting her experience when she first met Himaru's family as a bodyguard.
The dinner atmosphere became livelier and more crowded than usual with Frienma's presence.
Emilia was very enthusiastic about the arrival of a new family member and constantly asked Frienma various things, from her favorite color to what quirk she possessed.
Himaru was happy to see his two subordinates being well-received by his family.
He felt the bond between them growing stronger.
That night, under the warm glow of the dining room lights, Himaru's family had one more family member, an elf mage with an extraordinary "Great Sage" Quirk.
Himaru was sure that with Frienma's presence and the potential of the "Great Sage" Quirk, their future would be brighter and full of new possibilities.