Two weeks had passed since Tsutomu prepared for the new clan members to join and prepare for the seventy-one levels, and the three others, except for Diniel, had each trained specially, and Hanna had returned from her home village.


''I'm back!
Welcome back.


　When Hannah, who was cold outside but as energetic as ever, also returned to the clan, Tsutomu handed everyone the paperwork for the additional clan members.


''So these are the potential new clan members.


　Tsutomu handed out a form with status information to everyone. He then looked at Amira carefully, but she didn't seem particularly perturbed when she saw Leleia's name.


''........Amira, does this girl's name sound familiar to you?''
'Oh?　You mean Leleia?
Yes.
I don't know what brought them all the way from there to here, but it's okay.


　Amira didn't seem to be particularly concerned about Leleia. These three candidates hadn't yet confirmed their membership, but Tsutomu was relieved to hear that it was okay to include them once.


''O-okay. Then these three will come in a week's time, so take care of them. We'll be taking a trial period like everyone else, so let me know if you have any problems. Well then, we'll be dismissed for today. We'll dive into the seventy-one level tomorrow.


　The four of them responded to Tsutomu's words, and Hannah was tired from being squeezed so much in her home village and was begging Oli for a massage. Diniel quickly went back to his room and Daryl and Amira looked at each other and came over to Tsutomu.


Tsutomu said. Do you want to go to the dungeon if you want?
Oh, sure. I haven't been diving lately either, and I want to get used to it.


　Nevertheless, Tsutomu, who had managed to do some kind of voluntary training, decided to take the two motivated people and head to the 71st level. Before that, Tsutomu gave the two men their new equipment.


''Yes, here. New equipment.''
... hmmm.


　It is very difficult to explore the Snowfield Hierarchy if you don't have protection against the cold. There are no high-level adventurers with skills that can nullify terrain effects like the Silver Beast, so countermeasures are essential.

　Amira receives a red leather armor with a retractable back section and looks around jerkily. Since the wings are sprouting due to dragonization, the back part of the armor must be opened, so this time I installed a device to open and close it beforehand to counteract the problem. The inside of the armor is made of tanned monster skin, which is highly resistant to the cold, and is also filled with feathers that are pleasant to the touch, making it better than before.

　Daryl's heavy armor was switched to thermal protection and was fueled by fire magic stone to generate more heat. It was also equipped with a means of attacking the monsters of the Snowfield Hierarchy using the heat. Although the weight of the equipment was increased by that amount, heavy knight Daryl would not have a problem with it because of the gift of lightening the weight of the equipment.

　The innerwear worn underneath is also made to protect against the cold, and the boots were also changed into new ones that are easy to walk on the snow. We also have many other winter goods such as gloves, knit hats and body warmers. With these items, we should be able to avoid freezing to death like Aldrete Crow did in the early days.


'Do you need gloves?　You're a pain in the ass.
'You'd better get used to it. You'll have to do it later anyway.
Hmm.


　Aldoret Crow and Silver Beast had only reached the seventy-fifth level due to the mess of the ice magic stone, so the information hadn't been made public, but Tsutomu knew that there was a blizzard effect in the latter half of the snowfield level. Besides, he knew that the hierarchical lord would also cause a blizzard, so it was better to take care of the winter protection.

　After persuading Amira who didn't want to wear black scarves and gloves, Tsutomu put on a layer of scarves and gloves himself, and then headed to the guild. Then he finished the reception and flew from the magic circle to the seventy-one level.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.


I'm not going to be able to get it to freeze.


　There was no such information from the two preceding clans at the moment, but from what I could see, the cold seemed to be increasing with each level of the hierarchy. If that happened, there might be a situation where the liquid potions would freeze.

　If the potions would freeze by the eighty levels, they would have to take some kind of countermeasure. I've heard that potions lose their potency once they freeze, and taking them out of their containers would be a challenge. Therefore, measures to maintain the liquid would be necessary.


(Well, if Aldoret Crow goes to the 80th level, we'll know.)


　However, if the potion actually freezes, there will certainly be a commotion, so it's fine to just keep it in your head until that time. It would be safer to avoid taking countermeasures too blatantly, as it would make him look as bad as the Stampede again.

　When Tsutomu finished transferring the potions to the two men as usual, he provided them with a supply of potions and proceeded to step on the snow with his new boots. Then a group of Snow Wolves, the standard monster in the snowfield hierarchy, appeared.


(Because if we weren't alone, you guys wouldn't be scared.)


　Tsutomu thought nostalgically as he recalled how he had struggled with the controls of the snow wolves that kept springing up indefinitely for a certain amount of time when he cleared up to a hundred levels using five PCs alone. This time, he flew support to them from the ground and also attacked them with his airblaze.

　Daryl and Amira were still not used to the snow foothold, so their movements were bad, but still, they had no problem at least with the snow wolves. Daryl would occasionally get jumped on by a group of people and lose his stance, but his VIT over A would hold up with plenty of time to spare.

　You have to be careful with a head with a critical decision because of the thin benefit of VIT, but Daryl knows that, so he defends it properly. Before long, Tsutomu's attack skills and Amira's attacks frighten the snow wolves, and Daryl gets up and takes the hate again.

　The three of us who managed to break through the pack of snow wolves as well, and then the slime and orcs that are basically on every level are also defeated smoothly. Then Tsutomu picked up a small ice demon stone that dropped about the third battle.

　The ice demon stone brought Aldrete Crow enormous wealth, but in return, he had to deal with some troublesome issues. It must have been extremely difficult to negotiate and put together with the various groups competing for the Ice Demon Stone's interests.

　Bribery, extortion, and lenient pitfalls were naturally rampant, and even Aldoret Crow, which was able to control a large number of people among the major clans, had all sorts of troubles. If it were any other clan, it wouldn't be surprising if it had gone out of business.

　However, thanks to the efforts of Luke and his career clerks, they managed to put a soft landing on the ice demon stone's interest battle. After that, looking at the dead eyes of Luke and the clerks, it can be seen that they must have had a lot of trouble.

　The Silver Beast, who was the second one to enter the Snowfield Hierarchy, also received various negotiations from large organizations. However, since the newspaper article about the conflict at Aldoret Crow had been reported, it was relatively easy to obtain information, so they didn't seem to have that much trouble.

　The Infinite Circle also had some interference after breaking through the 70th level, but the other two clans were circulating a large amount of Ice Demon Stones, so they didn't put that much pressure on them. In the first place, there was no organization that could put pressure on those who had been awarded by the Babenberg family that ruled the labyrinth city, but it was good for Tsutomu because he was able to avoid any trouble.

　After that, the three of them continued to explore the snowfield hierarchy to collect ice magic stones, and after gathering a certain number of them, Tsutomu decided to take a break. The snow on the ground is still not deep enough to bury your feet, but it's still more tiring than usual because of the care you take.

　After spreading a sheet on the ground, he sticks his tripod in the snow and activates the magic stove, then sets down the pot and warms up the corn soup. Daryl looked at him excitedly and let him take care of the corn soup, Tsutomu prepared a mug that was color coded.


'Tsutomu, you're good at this,'
Huh?　What's the matter with you, all of a sudden?


　Tsutomu blinked at Amira's praise as she placed the great sword on the snow. Then Amira didn't like the reaction, and took the red mug as if to take it away from her, slightly swollen.


'I said it's okay to work with you,'
Oh, hello there.
You!　You should be happier than that!
Mr. Tsutomu!　I'm boiling!　Can I have a drink?!


　As he rambles with Amira, who grabs him, Daryl announces that the corn soup is ready. Tsutomu flies a medic's bullet to Amira's head as she throws the snow round, then pulls out a ladle and starts pouring the corn soup into a mug.


'What the hell. 'Totally,'
''Uh, I practiced with the guild last time with a PT, so that's probably it.


　Tsutomu was bothering to clear the snow from his robe when Daryl, who was soon finishing his corn soup and getting another, said with a wry smile. Tsutomu listened to Daryl's words and thought for a moment, then made a look of satisfaction.


''Ah, you teamed up with a white mage other than me. By the way, how was Daryl?
Well, it's unusual and I'm inclined to say a lot of things.
''I suppose. The guild's healers are probably still in the growth phase, and if it's your first PT you're forming, it won't help.


　Tsutomu said simply and huffed and cooled the corn soup and sipped it. Even Stephanie, who was similar to her own standings in terms of direct teaching, hadn't completed it, so it was only natural that the others would feel like they were bad at it.


'But I'm glad Daryl feels that way. I'm still looking out for Tank the most. Keep up the good work.
'Yes, sir!　My pleasure!
..........


　Amira is silent as she sips her corn soup as Daryl lowers his head in a manner that seems to be a credit to her. Tsutomu looked at her, who seemed to be bending her navel out of the corner of his eye, and pointed his ladle at her.


'Don't sulk,'
What?　I'll kill you.
Oh, scary, scary. Don't worry. Isn't Amira getting stronger?
"...after working with the other healers, I knew I was taking advantage of you.


　Even after that practice, Amira had been lurking in the dungeon for a while with her guild members, but there was no healer who could match her dragonization. What I found out after actually working with various healers was that the fact that I was able to fight without thinking about it until now was all thanks to Tsutomu.


'If this is the case, it's obvious that I'll fall out of the second tier. I'm just trying to keep up with you.
...Heh. If you know that much, good job.


　Seeing Amira gritting her teeth, Tsutomu lowered the ladle he had pointed at her.

　The main purpose of Tsutomu adding clan members was to increase his strength and expand his strategy for the tiers ahead. But there was also the aspect of putting in the current clan members, especially Amira, Daryl, and Hannah, to help them grow.

　If you can stay in the first army without doing anything, it's obvious that no one will do any trial and error and stagnate. Tsutomu is no different. He's doing everything he can to get back to Japan, but if he doesn't do that, he'll just slavishly pick up magical stones to make ends meet. He wouldn't even challenge a hierarchical lord who was in danger of death.


''I was wondering if I'd think about it after I fell out of the second army.
"Well I'd do anything if I could work with you. What do you want me to do?


　Tsutomu also stopped playing around with Amira, who was staring at him with serious eyes, and rubbed his ladle against the snow, wiped it off and put it away in his magic bag.


That's right. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.
Is that it?
Yeah. That's it.
So it's still the same, right?　It's more like that... right?　I don't know if you want to match your movements.
'Hmm. Can Amira fit in when she's asked to fit in?　I don't think it's going to be too late to do that now, since we haven't done anything to match the locks before.
..........


　Amira has never been good at conforming to anyone, as she has always been able to do as she pleases. That's what she'd felt keenly after forming a PT with the guild staff.


''Let's start by gaining complete control over the dragonization. The first thing we need to do is to be able to disengage the dragonization on our own, and also to be able to maintain some awareness. Once you're able to do that, I'll train you to adapt to your support skills.
But then, I'm just giving you the benefit of the doubt.
'You can indulge that part to your heart's content. What do you think I'm here for?


　Tsutomu gave a dumbfounded look to Amira, who looked down in frustration.


'Don't try to do everything yourself. What are you setting up a PT for?　I suppose so. To put it in an Amira way, using your friends is fine. So just use me as a gumbo and grow up.
Well you sound like you mean it.
No, I don't think you're that cold.　But you wouldn't believe me if I told you to trust your people anyway, would you?
It must be.


　Tsutomu, who spread his hands out as if he had given up after turning away to mend his eyes, Amira laughed in a trivial way.


''........Haha. Then I'll feel free to use it.
Do what you want. I'm letting Daryl handle the monsters and Amira handles the attacks. It's a win-win situation.
You're a real pain in the ass.


　Amira was a little annoyed as she watched Tsutomu dodging tanks and aggressively attacking, but he only wondered.