I waited for the next team to exchange the Sacrificial Misanga from the previous group—I only had six on hand, after all.
"You girls ready?" I asked as I opened the Warp.
"Ready-desu!" Miria replied, pumping her fist enthusiastically. She seemed to be the most fired up out of everyone.
"We are ready, Master," Ram and Rem said in perfect sync.
It was honestly impressive. Did they practice that when no one was watching?
Anastasia also seemed noticeably calmer than she had been yesterday, giving me a steady nod.
Roxanne volunteered to enter first, and I agreed. Since we were starting from the exact point where the previous team had stopped, there was a chance that demons might already be lurking nearby. She stepped through the Warp and quickly confirmed that the area was safe.
I entered the labyrinth next, and once the others followed, I closed the Warp behind us.
'Alright, Roxanne. Just like last time, find us a Naive Olive first,' I said through party chat.
Naive Olives were turning out to be one of the most beginner-friendly demons. They didn't look threatening, and they even waited for us to attack before retaliating.
'Master, there are two Naive Olives nearby. Will that work?' Roxanne asked after sniffing the air.
'Sure,' I replied, and we moved after her.
This time, the only real newcomers on the team were the twin sisters. In fact, I caught snippets of them whispering to each other—they seemed more nervous about performing well than about the monsters themselves.
That made sense. They had already reached the fifth floor before, so the sixth floor shouldn't intimidate them too much.
Looking at it that way, Anastasia and Miria were probably the real beginners compared to them.
Either way, I would find out soon enough as we closed in on the two Naive Olives.
'Let's take them one by one,' I said. 'Even if there are two, the second won't attack unless we draw its aggro.'
This time, Roxanne and Miria were the first to engage the plant.
[Miria
Warrior Level 7
Equipment: Steel Boots, Estoc of Petrification, Steel Forehead Protector, Hard Leather Jacket, Hard Leather Gloves, Sacrificial Misanga]
Miria darted forward, using her new Estoc to poke at the plant's body, while Roxanne was just beside her using precise thrusts from her own Rapier. Both of them were light on their feet, deftly dodging and parrying the thin branches as the plant lashed out.
Ram and Rem quickly moved in, taking positions on opposite sides of the monster before launching their attacks.
"Argh!" Ram grunted as she swung her steel mace straight into the plant's main trunk.
BAM!
To my surprise, the plant staggered violently to the side, nearly toppling over.
Seizing the opening, Rem followed up, smashing her spiked flail into the trunk from the opposite angle. Unfortunately, her strike didn't have the same impact, and the plant managed to remain standing.
Still, the display told me everything I needed to know.
When I had first seen the twins lift those heavy weapons so easily, I had suspected that their small frames were hiding a frightening amount of strength—much like Sherry's.
It looks like I was right.
[Ram
Oni Warrior Level 3
Equipment: Steel Mace, Steel Boots, Steel Helmet, Steel Plate Armor, Steel Gauntlets, Sacrificial Misanga]
[Rem
Villager Level 4
Equipment: Flail, Steel Boots, Steel Helmet, Steel Plate Armor, Steel Gauntlets, Sacrificial Misanga]
Ram was clearly the stronger of the two. The Oni Warrior job granted her additional Strength, and it showed in how aggressive her attacks were. Her steel mace came down again and again without hesitation, while Rem kept taking pauses briefly between swings to catch her breath.
Even so, for a Level 4 Villager, Rem's ability to wield such a heavy spiked ball at all was impressive.
Hopefully, she will level up at least once today and unlock the Oni Warrior job as well.
While the Oni twins focused on battering the plant, Anastasia quietly circled to the side and began attacking its legs with her steel spear. The damage was minimal, but her positioning was careful and deliberate.
[Anastasia
Merchant Level 15
Equipment: Steel Boots, Steel Spear, Steel Helmet, Hard Leather Jacket, Hard Leather Gloves, Sacrificial Misanga]
My clever merchant was doing her best—and that was what mattered.
I had no intention of stepping in to help, yet they still managed to defeat the plant in just over five minutes—nearly half the time the first team had taken.
That was likely thanks to the oni twins' raw power and Miria's boundless enthusiasm.
Before I could even comment, Roxanne and Miria had already shifted targets and begun attacking the second Naive Olive. The twins and Anastasia joined in without missing a beat.
Honestly, it was fortunate that both the twins had chosen different weapons. With their steel helmets covering their hair, telling the twins apart without focusing on their eyes was difficult—but their weapons made it obvious who was who.
'Excellent work, all of you,' I said once the second plant fell. 'You performed very well.'
This team was impressively balanced. Roxanne and Miria controlled the flow of battle together, keeping aggro steady. Ram and Rem synchronized their strikes naturally, while Anastasia positioned herself carefully so she never got in anyone's way.
There was almost nothing for me to correct.
'Thank you, Master,' Ram and Rem said together. Ram wore a modest smile, while Rem looked openly delighted.
Standing side by side in full steel armor, wielding such intimidating weapons, the twins looked both adorable—and terrifying.
I then asked Roxanne to locate more demons. This time, I told her to choose freely.
This team was already competent—and with me joining in, things would only get easier from here.
'Rem, are you finding it difficult to swing that metal ball around?' Ram asked as we walked.
'It's fine, Nee-sama. I just need to figure out the right distance when I swing it,' Rem replied, gripping her flail more tightly. 'The wooden staff is a bit long, but I'll get the hang of it.'
'You don't have to hold it all the way at the end,' Ram said calmly. 'If it feels too long, you can grip it midway.'
She adjusted Rem's hands along the wooden shaft, demonstrating the proper grip.
Watching the twins fine-tune their hold on the long handle suddenly reminded me of a… rather strange encounter I'd had earlier that day at the weapon shop.
---
Earlier — Weapon Shop, Quratar City.
After I had finalized Ram and Rem's weapon choices, a burly man with a goatee approached me uninvited. He was carrying an unusually long polearm and looked far too eager to start a conversation.
[Van
Warrior Level 42
Equipment: Steel Chainmail, Leather Boots, Leather gloves, Steel Helmet, Polearm.]
"Those are some nice, sturdy long weapons your girls have there," he said in a gruff voice.
"Uh… yeah. Hammers tend to be like that," I replied, already regretting making eye contact.
"True," he nodded sagely. "But nothing compares to this beauty right here."
He thumped the polearm against the ground proudly.
"Just look at it. Long. Thick. Majestic."
"…Alright," I said, eyeing him warily.
"You know, it's not easy owning such a long weapon," he continued, running a hand along the shaft with a grin. "I polish it every night. Takes a lot of time."
I couldn't help but question why I was still standing here listening to him talk.
"My wife always gets upset when I'm late to bed," he went on cheerfully, "but I can't compromise when it comes to maintaining my long weapon. I need to be ready for action at any time, you know?"
I stared at him, utterly unsure whether he was genuinely obsessed with his polearm…
or deliberately messing with me using the most blatant double entendres imaginable.
"Ah—sorry. I kept babbling without introducing myself," the man said, stroking his goatee proudly. "I'm Van. You can just call me Van the Goatee. A month ago, I was Van the Beard, by the way. Next month, I'm thinking of becoming Van the Mohawk."
"I'm Michio," I replied. "Just… Michio."
"Ah, a good name!" Van laughed loudly. "Though not as good—or as long—as mine."
'Of course' I muttered internally, rolling my eyes.
"Speaking of long," he continued enthusiastically, "you made the right choice picking long weapons for your girls. I've carried this beauty for years now. I come here regularly for maintenance, you see. I oil it myself to keep it shining, but the weapon merchant here—oh, he's an expert."
Van leaned in conspiratorially.
"He gives it a proper rub. Uses some kind of secret oil that makes it feel just right, but no matter how much I ask, he never tells me what it is—"
"Oh, looks like my girls need me over there," I said quickly, already taking a step back. "Sorry to cut this… very interesting conversation short."
"I understand," Van said solemnly. "When it comes to my weapon, I can talk for hours about how strong and long it is. My wife says it's a problem."
He shook his head.
"I disagree. I have a long weapon, and I'm proud to show it off. Oh—do you want to touch it? Go on, it was just polished. I don't mind!"
---
I quickly shook my head sharply, forcibly trying to erase every memory of that Van fellow from my mind as I refocused on the demons ahead of us.
After defeating two Minos, my thoughts drifted back to Ram's War Cry skill. I should fix their Brahim chants once we got back—if I can unravel the chant then I would be able to see its effects soon.
As we continued defeating demons without pause, I started to notice something off about Ram.
She kept charging straight at enemies and swinging her steel mace wildly, repeatedly cutting across Roxanne's and Miria's lines—both of whom were trying to maintain aggro.
I couldn't help but remind everyone once again to be aware of their surroundings. I knew how easy it was to be tunnel-visioned during combat, all the girls including Ram nodded and agreed that they would be careful. But what happened next made my blood run cold.
Ram's mace swung wide during a clash with a Cheep Sheep, the arc heading straight for Roxanne's head.
Before I could even react, Roxanne sidestepped effortlessly, without so much as a glance, and the mace slammed squarely into the sheep's face instead.
I immediately triggered the extra spells stored in my Magic bracelet, finishing the demon in an instant, then moved straight toward Ram.
"Ram," I said sharply.
She flinched as if jolted awake, her grip loosening as the mace slipped from her hands.
'Do you realize you almost hit Roxanne?' I continued sternly through the party chat.
'I-I'm sorry, Master,' she whispered, lowering her head.
'I just reminded you to be mindful of others when you attack,' I said, feeling quite angry. 'That swing was heading right at Roxanne's head. If it had been anyone else, they could've been seriously injured by your Steel Mace.'
I faced her squarely.
'This is your first and last warning. I will not allow any of you to harm each other. Ever.'
'I apologize, Master… I-it won't happen again. I promise,' she said, her small body trembling as she kept her head down.
The aggressive, confident Ram from moments earlier was gone—replaced by someone uncharacteristically meek.
"Nee-sama…" Rem murmured anxiously as she looked at her sister.
'Just slow down your attacks. There's no need to rush,' I said, unable to keep my voice stern when she looked so pitiful. 'Mistakes happen. That's exactly why we're doing this training—to catch and correct them. Just keep my words in mind going forward and focus on improving. That's all I want.'
I turned and walked toward Miria, who was already collecting the drops.
'Yes, Master,' Ram replied in a clearer voice, though her head remained lowered. 'I'm also very sorry, Roxanne-san.'
She bowed deeply toward Roxanne.
'It's fine,' Roxanne said, stepping forward and lifting Ram back up with a gentle smile. 'Your mace didn't even touch me, so there's nothing to apologize for.'
'Thank you, Roxanne-san,' Ram said gratefully.
'Nee-sama…' Rem stepped closer, relief evident on her face.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes internally.
If the attack had hit Roxanne, that would've been a real concern—especially given how absurd her reaction speed was. Even then, there was Plating and my healing magic. No permanent harm would have come of it.
Still…
From what I have observed until now, Ram was quite a pragmatic fighter with sharp battle instincts—arguably sharper than mine in some respects. That made these repeated mistakes she kept making feel wrong. Very wrong.
I quietly opened the party settings and checked the Oni Warrior job again.
[Oni Warrior
Effect: Increase Strength (Medium), Increase Endurance (Small), Increase HP (Small)
Skill: Battle Lust (Passive), War Cry]
Battle Lust…
Was that skill the culprit?
If it caused her to lose herself in combat, then this wasn't just a minor flaw—it was a serious liability.
Now I was finally starting to understand why Anastasia had warned me that Oni Warriors weren't popular in most labyrinth parties.
It wasn't totally confirmed yet, though.
For now, I would keep a close eye on Ram. Also observing how Rem's fighting style changes after unlocking the same job might give me the answer I needed.
And if it turned out that the Oni Warrior job really was problematic…
Well.
I was sure I would be able to find a way to deal with it.
…Probably.
***
[Happy Belated Birthday to my reader Van! 🎂
As per his specific request, I have added the character Van to the story as a Birthday gift! 🎁
I hope he likes it.
PS: Van the Beard, Goatee and Mohawk are all his present and previous Discord handles.]
***