"If he needs it."
"Appropriately help Ron carry out practical combat training. His starting conditions are much harsher than yours, yet he ended his Dungeon exploration so quickly."
"I imagine the process definitely wasn't smooth."
These were the instructions given to her by Lord Takemikazuchi, the War God, before he went off to work.
The girl had no objections. After finishing Dungeon exploration, they would spar with each other anyway; this time, it was simply a matter of changing the training target to a member of another familia.
For Yamato Mikoto, this was nothing unusual—it could be said to be mutual assistance among adventurers.
She took out a wooden sword used for training from the storage room, then returned once more to the open space in front of the communal dormitory.
Just as Mikoto was hesitating about how to begin—
She did not expect that this boy, close to her in age and with rather delicate features, would take the initiative and say, "Hello, my name is Ron. May I ask how I should address you?"
"Yamato Mikoto."
"May I ask what you need?"
Even though her god had already instructed her in advance, the girl still felt a bit shy.
"I just wanted to ask, Senior Yamato—do you have time right now? Regarding matters of practical monster combat techniques, I'd like to ask for your guidance."
Ron's attitude was sincere as he asked proactively.
She did not feel that it was hard to speak up. In fact, interpersonal relations were quite simple—just be proactive, ask seriously and humbly, and provide emotional value.
That way, you could freeload help from a Lv.2 high-level adventurer.
Maximum cost performance!
And yet, the girl's previously relaxed expression unconsciously grew serious again when she heard the form of address "senior." She did not feel offended.
The key point was—he called me senior!
Thinking of how Lord Takemikazuchi had specifically instructed her on this matter, it really would not seem right if she were to injure Ron.
The girl's brown-black eyes looked toward Ron as she explained in advance: "Practical combat techniques are honed through constant training. There's a strong possibility of getting injured, so I must make this clear to you beforehand."
"No problem."
Getting injured during practical combat training was far easier to accept than losing one's life in the Dungeon!
Ron took the training wooden sword from the girl's hand, his eyes brimming with eagerness.
However, facing the girl's doubtful gaze, his attitude remained calm and unhurried: "There's no such thing as holding back in practical combat training. If you're worried about that kind of issue, then I think there's no need to spar!"
"…"
Hearing Ron say this, a trace of surprise flashed through Mikoto's eyes.
Her impression of the black-haired boy she had only known for a short time was quite good. At the very least, one needed to possess such a quality to be worthy of Lord Takemikazuchi's careful guidance.
She tightened her grip on the training wooden sword in her hand.
She did not rashly initiate an attack, but instead carefully observed Ron's movements.
Whether it was his stance or the way he held the sword, it was hard to imagine that Ron had only just begun basic swordsmanship training. Still, the god she believed in, Takemikazuchi, would not deceive her.
Mikoto adjusted her breathing, her gaze sharp like that of a hawk, and decisively stepped forward: "Excuse me."
For a novice adventurer who had just begun basic swordsmanship training, facing a Lv.2 veteran who frequently fought in the Dungeon, the outcome was already decided from the very start.
In both speed and strength, it was a complete suppression.
Ron could only rely on passive defense with the training wooden sword, turning the basics of swordsmanship into muscle memory through repeated use.
The most direct result was that when facing Mikoto's hard-to-track rapid assault tactics, he could instinctively raise the wooden sword to block and defend.
As for finding openings and exploiting post-attack recovery—those commonly used "soulslike techniques" were utterly ineffective in the face of a chasm-like gap.
This sense of pressure—was far stronger than what he had felt when encountering elite goblins in the Dungeon. The key point was that this might not even be Mikoto fighting at full strength.
There was no concept of holding back in sparring.
Continuous high-intensity combat rapidly drained Ron's stamina.
The speed at which he used the wooden sword to parry and block gradually became insufficient to deal with the girl's rapid assaults, and the price of taking hits with his body was unceasing pain.
Until he was flipped to the ground by Mikoto's upward strike.
Feeling the soreness all over his body, Ron lay sprawled on the ground, completely giving up: "I think today's practical combat technique training can end here."
The level gap was indeed the harshest mother to novice adventurers!
But for him, it was not without gains. At the very least, the next time he faced an elite goblin, as long as he maintained his current state and approached it with a cautious attitude, he probably would not end up wasting a use of "Revival"!
"Sorry."
"Are you all right?"
The girl put away the training wooden sword. When she noticed Ron's slightly twisted expression, she finally realized—sparring across levels was not suitable for her.
Yet recalling the scenes from just now, Mikoto could not help but feel puzzled. Even though Ron had been on the defensive the entire time, his solid fundamentals alone were enough to show that he trained quite diligently.
A novice adventurer having this kind of strength was already quite rare.
As for what Lord Takemikazuchi said—"I imagine the process of Dungeon exploration definitely wasn't smooth"—if it were not a matter of privacy, she really wanted to ask…
Exactly where was it not smooth?
At the very least, in the areas on floors 1–5, the girl could not think of any monsters that could threaten Ron.
"Your fundamentals are very solid."
She added, "Your reaction speed is also quite swift. I think that as long as you don't go to the area of the sixth floor, there's no need to worry about safety issues."
"I think so too."
So Ron chose to "wriggle" on the first floor.
He stood up and stretched his body, then expressed his thanks to the black-haired, long-straight-haired beautiful girl who was willing to help with practical training: "Senior Yamato, thank you for your practical training."
"In the future, there may be many times when I'll need to trouble you."
"Once I start making money as an adventurer, I'll definitely treat you to a meal!"
"No need…"
The girl subconsciously shook her head and refused.
But looking at Ron's resolute gaze, she said helplessly, "Then wait until you break through to Lv.2 before considering something like treating someone to a meal."
...
The Central Plaza in the early morning was quite lively.
Ron stood below Babel Tower at the Dungeon entrance. After passing the identity check by members of the Ganesha Guard, he headed toward the spiral staircase.
The bustling crowd of adventurers even made the atmosphere feel somewhat subtle.
It was like office workers queuing and squeezing onto the subway to go to work—though considering that the vast majority of Orario's adventurers made a living by killing monsters to earn money, that comparison was inexplicably fitting.
Wearing the armor that Hestia had brought back—already repaired—Ron chose to start again, beginning his own "soulslike Dungeon exploration."
Passing through the safe floor.
Realizing the importance of route selection, Ron chose a different direction this time.
The corridor leading to the first floor was not only the one from yesterday. In his view, deliberately avoiding the standard route was necessary, but after yesterday's special training, Ron was full of confidence.
And so—
With the uneasy premonition brought by "Dungeon Hatred" pressing down on him, he arrived at the first-floor area that most adventurers would choose to pass through quickly.
Before he had even stepped out of the staircase, by the faint light emitted from the Dungeon walls, Ron saw a familiar monster.
It wore a light brown, oddly styled outer garment. Around its forehead was a necklace made from teeth and bone fragments, and in its hand it held a sharp curved blade.
An Elite Goblin.
The culprit that had wasted one use of his "Revival" skill yesterday.
And upon meeting again, Ron no longer had his initial panic. With a calm expression, he drew the short sword at his waist. If he really had to say some pre-fight trash talk, he only wanted to state: "By rights, a goblin of your level isn't even qualified to block my path in the Dungeon!"