"So, how was it? Did those girls work hard?"
"Yeah. They were all honest and hardworking, good kids."
A total of four girls came to Ren and the others asking for "advice."
These were the promising students Aisha had mentioned.
Clad in shiny equipment (given to them along with the blessing), they seemed highly motivated and requested hands-on guidance if possible.
After some thought, Ren decided to lead the girls, accompanied by May.
He hadn't completely dismissed the possibility of a trap.
However, the opponents were amateurs at Level 1 or 2. If they wanted to, Ren could easily wipe them all out alone.
Bringing the physically tough and composed May along would effectively neutralize most sneaky tactics, making the danger minimal.
In the end, everything proceeded without any issues.
The party composition was Paladin, Exorcist, Archer, and Crest Master.
Three out of the four were religious-affiliated classes.
The Crest Master was a special class that consumed max MP to grant semi-permanent enhancements to oneself or others. This meant that "only the vanguard could use magic, including healing."
However, the balance was surprisingly not bad. Their style was suited to ending battles quickly and healing wounds slowly, rather than relying on in-battle recovery.
"I was in the Archery club in my co-ed junior high school. I was planning to do archery in high school," the Archer girl had said, sounding a little shy.
The other girls also spoke normally with Ren, though they admitted, "Your appearance is a little scary, though…"
"I don't think this world is connected to the Scriptures. Moreover, if you're not a real demon, I thought there was no need to be afraid."
It might also have helped that May, who accompanied them, said with a straight face, "If my Master attempts any violence, I will stop her, even if it means striking her."
They proceeded slowly through the dungeon with careful explanations, holding a quick review after every battle.
In dangerous situations, Ren would cast a defensive spell to protect them.
He cautioned them against carelessness just because they could win, and they ended the exploration when the members' MP started to run low. Unfortunately, they couldn't cover half of the first floor, but the experience gained this time included level-ups, so the next exploration would surely be smoother.
If they could earn the same income twice a week, it would be a greater income than working five days a week.
Fuuri nodded after hearing Ren's story, saying, "I see, I see."
"May-chan. Was Ren serious about his job?"
"Of course. My surveillance was not neglected."
"Well, I'm not trusted, am I?"
"Because, if you're going to hit on them, you have to do it properly, or it's cruel, right? Half-measures are no good. Ren is already lewd as it is."
Apparently, Ren was lewd just by existing.
"Am I that lewd?"
When he crossed his arms under his chest and tilted his head, Fuuri answered with a straight face, "Yes."
"Right, Iris-chan?"
"Y-Yes. Um, a little."
"I think it's extremely lewd."
"…I also find Ren-sama's clothing to be provocative. Well, the open back cannot be helped, though."
Even Aisha gave her seal of approval, saying, "I can see why that girl would want to make a move."
Seeing that the tide was against him, Ren cleared his throat.
"Those girls want to keep challenging the dungeon."
"That's good. …But it would be inconvenient if their homes were scattered."
"Ah, I thought so too, so I've arranged for them to move."
Girls are creatures who flock together.
Ren's party was composed of strong-willed individuals from diverse backgrounds, so it was normal for them to "each do whatever they like in their free time," but if one companion who transferred at the same time was acting separately, it wouldn't be surprising if others started to think, "Isn't she being unfriendly?"
It would be better to have the dungeon-raiding group live together from the start.
Fortunately, there were still empty houses, so when Ren spoke to the Sage, he immediately lent them another house.
"They also said they want to move to the new town once it's built."
"Really? That's great. Then we can go ahead and build the planned size."
"Agreed."
Although it was only four people, increasing the number of houses by just one, they had managed to avoid the situation where their initial target group completely ignored the plan.
The Sage also subtly gave Ren a compliment, saying, "Well done," so the effort was sufficient.
With people other than Shion starting to venture into the dungeon, things would now progress naturally.
"That's good, Shion. This way, you probably won't be relied on unnecessarily."
"Yes. …Thank you so much, everyone."
With a small sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a squeak, Shion spoke in a tone as if suppressing her emotions.
Her ears and tail, which she couldn't fully control, were twitching, which was adorable.
Ren instinctively reached out and picked her up, which elicited a cute squeal of "Kya!?" from her. Fuuri and the others complained, "That's unfair."
"Ren-san, are you trying to court Shion-san too?"
"Not courting, exactly, but Shion is very nice to hold. Iris, you like Shion's fur, don't you?"
"I-I do like it, but… that's even more unfair!"
While they were being playful, a complaint came from his arms: "I'm being treated like a pet."
"Sorry, it was a habit. …You don't like being treated as non-human, do you?"
"No, um. If I had to say, I dislike it, but 'embarrassed' might be a stronger feeling. At this age, there are few opportunities for physical contact, even with family."
"Ah… hugging can be quite embarrassing."
In that sense, this world might be easier and more relaxed.
The social conventions weren't as rigid as in the Japan they came from, so a certain amount of physical contact was allowed.
The development of civilization enriches people's lives, but perhaps it's better not to become too convenient regarding human connections.
"Shion, you can hug me whenever you feel lonely, too."
"No, I couldn't possibly…"
Even as she said that, the girl who had become a little fox unconsciously or perhaps instinctively rubbed her head against him.
-----------------
Two days after guiding the beginners into the dungeon, Ren and his companions went back into the dungeon themselves.
"It really brings back memories around here, doesn't it?"
Fuuri, the Thief, whose job was to eliminate danger before it arose and who deceptively seemed to be having an easy time, quickly took down three enemies with strikes aimed at their vital points. Shion, riding on Ren's shoulder, murmured, "Is she some kind of assassin or something…?"
"Hmm. Hey, Shion, do you like period dramas or the Warring States period?"
"? I think I like them as much as the average person, but why?"
"No reason, just asking."
The fact that a Japanese-style analogy came out unconsciously might suggest that the 'Fox Spirit' race was a natural fit for her.
"Anyway. Shall we go as far as we can?"
"Yes!"
Hearing Shion's firm reply, Ren activated his Mana Storage skill.
"Um, Ren-sama, what are you doing?"
"Oh. You're riding on my shoulder, right? It's a waste since my MP is recovering little by little, so I thought I'd use some of it up."
"Is that why it feels so comfortable here…!?"
All thanks to Energy Drain.
Well, the one who really needed MP right now wasn't Ren, but Shion.
Due to the Fox Spirit's specs, the number of times she could cast magic was too unreliable without some kind of compensation.
"Shion-chan, I think you leveled up again, right?"
"Yes, I reached Level 3. I still have skill points saved up, but…"
"It's tough. There are too many things I want."
"That is true…"
Because of the high-profile skill that relates the number of tails to the number of simultaneous magic activations, deciding which other skills to acquire was very perplexing. They couldn't help but think about it, even though it was someone else's skill.
Increasing magical attack power to boost destructive capability was an option, and so was slightly increasing maximum MP.
And of course, there was also the option of acquiring the "Three Tails" skill, which appeared simultaneously with the acquisition of the Two Tails skill.
"Wouldn't it be quite a dream to launch nine Foxfire shots at Level 10?"
"That would probably kill the boss, too, I think."
"My MP also seems likely to drop quite quickly, though."
Normally, when MP is depleted, one can only rely on natural recovery. It was Ren who was unusual for having various recovery methods.
"Hmm. But I feel like it's better to enhance your strengths, especially since you have a chance."
"Ren-san is also a result of enhancing his strengths."
"So, is the direction still to increase the number of tails?"
"Wouldn't increasing magical attack power be good, too?"
If her attack power increased, she would be able to defeat enemies with fewer spells.
This might be more efficient than increasing max MP, as it would ultimately save MP.
"If you want more MP, you could become a Mana Conductor like me."
"Ah, come to think of it, we have spare Job Change Stones. Should we use one, Shion-chan?"
"I'm already struggling over 1 skill point, and now my Job is going to increase from here…!?"
"But it's better to change jobs earlier if you can. Right, Ren?"
"Sometimes, the synergy speeds up leveling."
Well, in Ren's case, it might be an exception (omitted hereinafter).
Anyway, Shion thought for a moment and replied, "Then, I will at least consider it."
When they handed her a Job Change Stone and she checked the list, quite a few classes were displayed. The classes of the people present—such as Iris's Archer—were included among them.
Even though they were inside the dungeon, everyone couldn't help but peek at the list.
"But jobs that require the use of hands are not very compatible, are they?"
"Ah, you can't hold human weapons."
That meant that many vanguard classes, and even rear-line weapon users like Archers, wouldn't suit Shion.
If she wanted physical combat, perhaps a bare-handed combat class like Mariabelle's Pugilist?
The Fox Spirit skill list also included a skill to grow sharp claws, so engaging in close combat when she didn't want to use MP was also an option.
"What do you want to do, Shion?"
"Well… I still want to be able to defeat enemies myself. In that case, simply increasing the power of my magic seems best."
"Yeah, sounds good."
"Agreed."
Of course, Ren and the others had no objection.
If Shion continued to accompany them into the dungeon, they would get another Job Change Stone at the 10th floor, so using one now was no problem at all.
After setting their direction, they looked at the list for a while longer, and Shion reached out to one class name.
Hermit Mage
It was a class they had never seen before.
After checking the description, it seemed to allow various things through the manipulation of Ki energy.
In terms of being a support type for magic use rather than magic itself, it was similar to a Mana Conductor, but the approach was different, such as boosting the attack power of elemental magic.
"Want to try that one?"
"I am drawn to it. …But is it alright to decide so easily?"
"I think so. Deciding solely based on efficiency is boring, and you might grow more attached to a class you like. I also decided mine on a whim in the end."
"You did too, Ren-sama?"
"Don't you believe me?"
Shion stared at Ren for a moment, then shook her head, saying, "No."
"I think I will choose Hermit Mage."
"Yeah, I think that's good."
Of course, no one objected.
Her cute little hand touched the window and pressed the confirm button. The Hermit Mage class was added to Shion, and a new skill point was added, which was for class skills.
It was fine to use the early skill points freely. If she was absolutely not satisfied, there was also a Reset Stone.
Shion thought for a moment and acquired the "Three Tails" and "Elemental Magic Attack UP" skills.
The latter had a greater effect than the simple magic attack power increase skill. Since the Fox Spirit didn't seem to have non-elemental magic like Mana Bolt, it was a good choice.
"I feel like I've become stronger."
"Yes, you definitely got stronger, Shion-chan."
When they had her demonstrate her triple Foxfire in the next battle, she still couldn't defeat the goblin alone, but one Mana Bolt from Ren was enough to take one down.
"I did it…!"
"Congratulations, Shion-san."
"A great accomplishment."
The remaining goblins were smashed by May, but even the Golem girl didn't boast about herself here. They all gathered around the joyful Shion to celebrate.
They continued with that momentum, defeating the boss on the second floor, and after returning, they performed a detailed skill verification.
As usual, they all peered at the list and surprisingly discovered an MP recovery skill. "Huh?" they exclaimed in surprise, and then, looking at the skill name again, they were astonished in a different way.
Bedroom Arts
It was a skill name whose usage was understood without needing to say more.
Although changes in her expression were hard to discern in her fox form, Shion's voice was distinctly shaky as she declared, "I will not be taking this skill!"
As a maiden, she seemed displeased with the thought that she had chosen the class for the purpose of such a skill.
"Well, yeah… Even Ren wouldn't be able to use that in the dungeon, right?"
"Hey, Fuuri. That's true, but don't bring me into this."
============
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