Exploring the third layer went smoothly; although the Garden Panther didn't appear, it was perfectly suited for the purpose of "leveling up," as Jeanne put it.

Our coordination has improved slightly.

However, there's still a part where the third layer isn't ideal for practice, so serious training will have to wait until we descend to the fourth layer. After all, on the third layer, we can defeat almost all monsters with a single strike. Dead monsters turn into spirit stones, making it impossible to practice continuous attacks.

On the morning of the fourth day like this, as usual, I stopped by the guild and was summoned by a staff member.

"Congratulations, Hikaru-san, Jeanne-san. You've been promoted."

A staff member suddenly announced, carrying a tray with brand-new black rank insignias.

"Is there something like a promotion exam?"

"Since both of you have already exceeded the required amount of spirit stones, the exam is waived."

"Really?"

According to what was said, anyone who has contributed twenty times the standard amount of spirit stones is exempt from the next rank's examination.

However, such exemptions are rarely granted to ordinary explorers; it's essentially a shortcut for those already capable of combat or members of the nobility, and very few typically achieve this through the standard route.

Well, it's true that ever since we've been teaming up—me, Reflair, and Jeanne—we've been relentlessly hunting monsters, almost as if we were ransacking the labyrinth. It's basically cheating, thanks to the god-tier ability I'm using, and there's no denying it feels like skipping straight to promotion. But that's just how it is—can't change that.

"From now on, the two of you are Dryad-ranked. In fact, at this rate, you'll probably reach Sylvester-level status soon, but for now, congratulations."

"Thank you."

"...m-m."

Jeanne gave a strangely small reply. Though we've been spending time together for a while now, Jeanne is essentially what you'd call an "outwardly timid, inwardly strong" type—especially weak around big men. She can talk normally with the short blacksmith dwarf father, so it's not so much that she dislikes muscle as it is that she's just intimidated by large men in general.

The grade insignia of the Dryad class is made from pitch-black wood—Ebony grade, commonly known as "Ebony-class."

The Sylvester class possesses silver insignia, commonly referred to as "Silver grade." Refleia belongs to this rank.

Well, honestly, the grade itself doesn't matter much.

Though it's said higher grades bring various benefits, I can't see how it affects my current lifestyle.

Jeanne and I returned our previously worn bronze-grade insignia to the staff and now wear our new ones around our necks.

"Huh. A black insignia really looks sharp."

Jeanne seems to like it. With my black clothes and black insignia, I'm now truly pitch black.

Since your rank has increased, the price we pay for spirit stones has gone up slightly. Currently, there's no buying limit, but starting from Silver rank, you can no longer purchase spirit stones from the first layer, so please keep that in mind."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. It's a measure to prevent high-ranked explorers from monopolizing monsters in the shallow layers."

"I see."

Silver rank means the first layer is off-limits. Gold rank bans the second layer. And apparently, even the Guild won't buy spirit stones from the third layer if you're a Magic Silver rank.

Well, it doesn't concern me for now, but having the second layer banned really hurts. Maybe I don't even need to aim for Gold rank.

...No, that kind of weak ambition won't do if I'm serious about clearing the labyrinth.

I need to get stronger—strong enough to breeze through the fourth layer while humming a tune.

"Oh, someone asked me to tell you if Hikaru shows up. They're over there."

"Huh?"

The staff member's words made me flinch.

The second-wave transmigrants had ultimately not approached us, but now they've finally come—

We turned to look in the direction the staff member was pointing.

Surely, the chance of someone firing a gun in this guild is slim. Besides, there's no point in greeting someone before attacking. Just strike on sight.

Then what's their purpose—

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through my mind.

Hey hey. You're Hikaru-kun? Ahh, I've been wanting to meet you! Finally met you! Hey, viewers, can you see me? This is real-life Hikaru! He's even more handsome than I imagined! Wait—did the viewers already know this? Am I the only one who didn't know? Oh, and Jeanne-san's here too. And this beautiful lady must be Refleia. Wow, she's truly stunning! Life's so unfair!"

The man hurried over and suddenly started talking nonstop.

Ah, ah—wait! I've seen this guy's face before—

　

"What's with this noisy guy? You're being rude, showing up like this."

"That's right. Who's the beauty here? Me?"

"W… W…."

"Huh? What's wrong, Hikaru? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"WORIGAMI CHAN NEELLLL!!!"

Why? Why? Ah, right—Orikami-san was also chosen as part of the first wave of transmigrants, wasn't she?

Why are you here, of all places???

"Waha~ I'm so happy you remember me! Hello, hello, I'm Orikami!"

Orikami gives a little playful salute, twirling her arms around twice.

She was probably just over thirty years old. Always保持着 a gentle expression, never letting her warm smile falter, always smiling like a manga character with narrow eyes—she truly had the vibe of a kind, friendly older neighbor.

She's been a YouTuber since I was a kid, and practically every Japanese person knows her. In her early days, she uploaded various origami creations online, but as she took on more and more projects, she became a national YouTuber.

Somehow I ended up being chosen as a transferee, and even though I was upbeat about world transfer before my own transfer, I'd seen that broadcast several times prior.

"Hikaru, do you know this person?"

"No, not personally. Just someone who was incredibly famous in the previous world..."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I think I've seen this person before the transfer... Their appearance has changed quite a bit, though."

The first wave of transferees has already gathered across the border. Since Jeanne talked a bit with Nanaomi, who speaks English, she probably saw or was told about Mr. Orikami back then.

I'd seen the video—her look had become slightly wilder than when she was in Japan.

As Jeanne said, her trademark red hair looked duller, and she wasn't wearing glasses anymore.

"Why did you come looking for me? Most of the first wave didn't even know I'd transferred."

Origami-san seemed to have carried quite a bit of luggage, and judging from the dirt on her coat and the scarf wrapped around her head, she clearly had been through a dangerous adventure.

Could someone really have gone through such a perilous journey just to come see me?

"Well, the place I was transferred to was close by, and I'd originally planned to travel this world anyway, so it made sense. Meeting Hikaru-kun was my first goal."

She replied with a bright smile.

From her earlier demeanor, it was clear she hadn't abandoned her persona as a content creator, even in this unfamiliar world. It was truly impressive that she could maintain her style despite being suddenly dropped into a place with no known acquaintances. I once tried imitating a content creator myself, but constantly being aware of an audience and consciously presenting myself objectively was incredibly difficult.

"So that's it—this blue dot approaching the city was you? Ori-gami... was it? What a strange name."

"N-no, it's W-O-R-I-G-A-M-I. The blue dot just arrived in this city yesterday, so I'm probably the one. 'Ori-gami' is my name as a streamer, my real name is... well, never mind that."

"You said you came to see Kuro... but what's your real purpose? Did you get close because you knew about this situation?"

"Hey, hey. Jeanne. Don't talk like that—"

"Ohhh, Jeanne-san, you're scary! Honestly, it started out kind of by accident. There was also a message asking for help. ...Of course, I did have a bit of a plan too—getting in touch with Hikaru-kun, the hottest transfer student around, might just boost my own viewership, you know?"

Worigami proudly straightens his eyebrows into a sharp V-shape.

He's remarkably straightforward.

"Were you trying to use me?"

"No way! I swear I didn't have those intentions. I really just came to see you."

"Huh, I can't quite believe you... Suspicious... Yeah, you're suspicious, you are."

"Hey, Jeanne. That's a bit too much, don't you think?"

Origami-san is about the same build as me and gives off a gentle aura, so Jeanne feels free to say whatever she wants.

"If I was going to be a bother, I planned just to show my face and leave. Even though it was through a message, I did listen to some of what you said... I'm just glad you seem to be doing better than I thought."

"Eh, ah, thank you."

The message must have come from Serika.

I'd been so withdrawn for so long.

"Surrounded by such a beautiful woman, don't you think you'd get endless messages of envy from Earth?"

"Um... I don't know. Maybe." I brushed off Orikami's

casual comment. I still hadn't opened the message

yet. "Hey. Orikami, come here for

a sec." Janne suddenly grabbed Orikami and

pulled her away. After a short while, she returned from

somewhere nearby, having apparently been talking about something. I

couldn't help but wonder what they'd discussed, but I certainly couldn't ask something like, "What were you talking

about?" So instead, I brought up what had been on my mind earlier and asked

Orikami, "You were mentioned in the message earlier—did my sister send you

a message?" "That's right. Since I'm the closest in distance, I was asking viewers for ideas on where to go or what to do."

"That's right... I'm sorry, my younger sister was..."

"Oh no, thanks to you, the trip was truly enjoyable!"

The situation was exactly the same as with Jeanne.

Even if Serika had sent a message, she could've come up with countless interesting ideas if she were with someone like him. Yet she came to me. Just like Jeanne, she came here worried about me—simply because we're both Japanese.

"Since you've come all this way, if there's anything I can help with, I'll gladly assist."

"Oh really? That'd be a big help! Actually, guess what? Just a moment ago, I signed up as an explorer, and now I'm officially a dungeon explorer too!"

Orikami shows me a shimmering bronze tag.

Ah, that explains why she came here—exploring the dungeon must've been one of her goals.

If she's doing live-streaming, there couldn't be a more exciting topic.

"If I could just get Hikaru-kun to give me a little lecture, even just a small one, I'd be so grateful. I've tried mimicking combat myself, but I'm just too timid by nature—couldn't get it right."

OriGami said, tapping the sword strapped to his waist.

It's abnormal for someone from Earth to be able to fight like Jeanne. I can only fight because the blessings of spirit magic happen to be far greater for me than for ordinary people.

"That's fine, but I imagine you'll need to push yourself hard at first—would that be okay?"

"No problem at all. No problem at all. Really, I'm so grateful."

"Wait, wait, wait. If you're going to use my Kuro, please let me know first."

"That's right. If you're using my Hikaru, you must talk to me first."

Complaints came from Jeanne and Refrea, and it was agreed that assistance would be allowed only on the one day off every three days.

Ideally, I'd like Jeanne and Refrea to help too... but Jeanne probably won't be able to.