700.....701....702....703....

　My voice echoed in the dimly lit dungeon.
　Behind me was the entrance to the example dungeon where the seal was broken.
　I turned toward the school's administration and quietly counted the numbers.

　Then I heard the sound of footsteps.
　At the same time, sword fights and magical utterances shook the rock face.
　It was getting closer and closer.

''852........853..........''

　Something comes running furiously.
　In the dark dungeon, I see three men and a woman.
　With a frantic look on their faces, they are coming towards me.
　Finally, they jumped up wide and landed in front of me.

　It looked like it was a done deal ---- but I lost my stance at the last minute.
　I fell on the spot as my feet were caught on the slippery rock surface.

''Ouch........''

　It was Cecil who stroked the small ass.
　But he quickly regained his composure.
　He looked up with a gulp and shouted.

'Lacelle, what time is it?'

874.

Yay, I just broke 900!

　Cecil is pleased.
　He attached himself to Sarasa, who was trying to put his glasses back on beside him.
　Rowan pats Cecil's head.
　'You did it,' he said, and worked his mate, and the exchange was as good as ever.

　My training was coming to a general finish.
　In parallel with the improvement of individual abilities, I had begun training in a real battle format.
　From the entrance of the dungeon to the sealed door.
　The idea was for the three of them to break through as fast as possible.

　The three of them were already competent enough to get through the beginner dungeon as an individual.
　All that's left is to master the speed of decision making and party coordination.
　Utilizing our individual abilities, we will make it through the dungeon.
　If you are aware of each other's roles and form a party, you will have the ability to deal with relatively new monsters.

　That's why this was a time trial.

'We're not quite at our goal of 700. You're definitely shortening your time. That's a good feeling.''

'I've been complimented by Instructor Lacelle, guys.

I'll give you a compliment once in a while, whereas seven days ago, it was a thousand. That's good progress.

　I have to admit, I was surprised.
　I thought it would take more time, but the growth of the three of them has far exceeded my expectations.
　I guess the steady training has paid off.
　Yesterday, Cecil finally succeeded in quadruple activation.
　It still seems to be difficult to do in actual combat, but it's quite an improvement.

　The accuracy of Sarasa's information analysis ability had also improved.
　It seems that she now put herself in the rear and turned to support Cecil and Rowan.
　Accurately and briefly, she was transmitting information to the two of them, reducing the time of the battle.

　Rowan's propulsion is now a threat.
　A well-rounded body.
　He rushed forward with his well-developed legs as his weapon of choice.
　Its physical hardness is impossible for even a C-ranked monster to compete with.
　It will drive a wedge into the pack of monsters, upsetting the balance of the pack.
　At times, it would act as a shield and protect the party.
　That was the role given to Rowan.

　It's more coordinated than expected.
　In five days or so, we might be below 700.

　It's time to go.
　I knew it, I should have gotten that ready.

Good. You guys, I'm going to give you these in advance.

　I gave them the demonic jewels I had just obtained.
　I give one to each of them one by one.

What is this........ It's an insanely beautiful magical gemstone.

''Oh........ That's pretty high purity.

Oh, um..... Lacelle-kun.....

　While everyone was holding up the magic gemstone and looking at it, only Sarasa had a blue face.
　She dropped her eyes to the magic gemstone, shaking her thin shoulders as she bobbed.

''Duh, what's going on?　Sarasa.....

.... this. I've just appraised it and it comes up as 99% magical gems.


　Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu?


　Hearing this, Cecil exclaimed.
　His voice echoed through the dungeon.
　In the distance, he heard the howl of a black hound.

Hey!　This is not a magical gem of legend!　That's like a treasure armament class. It's just a normal divine weapon!

You could buy a small country, not just a castle.

　Each of my friends is surprised.

　I knew it was so.
　So 99% or more of magical jewels are treated like that.

　In fact, it's been a long time since I left the magic jewelry store, I've been addicted to 【refining】.
　When I start doing something, I can't help but get obsessed with these things.
　I was doing this in my spare time between classes, and before I knew it, I ended up with 5 magical gems with 99% purity.

''What do you mean by killing time in between classes...''

　Rowan scratches his head.

''Normally, [Refining] would be done in a room with soundproof walls to concentrate. You're not a pencil sharpener. Don't make a legendary grade magical gemstone to pass the time.''

That's my boy Racel. --That's all I can say.

　Cecil and Sarasa gave a small applause.

　I'm glad they admire me.
　But for me, it's just a way to pass the time.

　Oh dear.....
　I scratched my head.