-1438- Didn't determine everything

Squad Building E601 Room.

At this very moment, Misora, Lecty, and Rico had gathered here, each sitting in their respective positions, heads bowed, their faces full of gloom.

The oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire room, making the air feel heavy and suffocating.

Despite their recent victory in the ranking battle, the mood within E601 Squad was heavier and more somber than ever before.

It couldn't be helped. Since the squad was formed, this F-ranked squad, often ridiculed as the weakest, had experienced ten consecutive defeats without a single victory. Now that they had finally won, they were instead met with criticism and accusations from others. This was a significant blow to the three members of E601 Squad, who had resolved to win this battle.

Yet, the three could not muster any response.

Because, as others had pointed out, their performance had indeed been terrible.

Despite their abilities having transformed, they had neither gained others' recognition nor experienced any joy in their victory. This situation caused the three girls, who had resolved to become stronger in pursuit of acknowledgment, to fall into deep despair.

If no one had come here today, Misora, Lecty, and Rico would likely have remained in this depressed state, perhaps even until nightfall.

Fortunately, someone did visit this squad room.

With a hiss, the automatic door to the squad room opened.

The three members of E601 Squad instinctively looked up and saw someone they hadn't seen in a while.

"It seems like you're reflecting on things properly."

Rozen entered from outside, looking at the three girls present with his usual laid-back and nonchalant tone.

"Senpai..."

Misora, Lecty, and Rico looked at Rozen, but there was no excitement in their eyes, which remained dim, reflecting their deeply low spirits.

Even so, Rozen continued to speak.

"Originally, I estimated your chances of winning this ranking battle to be less than 30%, but since the E571 Squad was also affected by the large audience today, disrupting their mindset and coordination, your chances increased to 70%. Winning this ranking battle wasn't surprising at all."

Rozen fixed his gaze on the three.

"However, you should be well aware of just how poorly you fought in this battle, right?"

His blunt words left Misora, Lecty, and Rico speechless.

Because it was the truth.

A 30% chance of victory?

A 70% chance of victory?

What difference did it make?

Given the level of their opponents this time and the current strength of E601 Squad's members, they should have had a 100% chance of winning this ranking battle.

Not to mention Lecty's Swordsmanship was at an A-level, and Rico's sniping skills were also A-level. Even Misora had significantly improved due to her ability to somewhat control her telekinesis, no longer being the girl who had previously suffered 134 defeats.

Yet, despite having such capabilities, the squad had been pushed to such a degree by a team that hadn't even risen to D-level. The way they fought was downright embarrassing.

But this was precisely the issue that E601 Squad sorely lacked.

"As a squad, your team combat capabilities are extremely low, and your coordination is almost nonexistent. Even if your individual strengths are high, if you can't unite as a team, this is the level you'll end up at."

Rozen pointed out E601 Squad's flaw.

"I bet you've rarely considered this issue before, right?"

Rozen's words directly exposed the inner thoughts of the three members of E601 Squad.

Wasn't it so?

Misora had always aimed to become an excellent Magic Cannon Swordsman, but apart from this goal, what else could she see?

Lecty wanted to become stronger to protect others, but she hadn't considered achieving this goal by cooperating with those around her to protect others together, had she?

As for Rico, it went without saying. Because of the inferiority complex she hid deep within her heart, she never trusted others. She only wanted to become a perfect person and gain her sister's approval, but when had she ever sought the approval of her teammates, Misora and Lecty?

Therefore...

"To put it bluntly, all you've ever thought about is your own dreams and goals, subconsciously ignoring the people around you. When I gave you the opportunity to become stronger, you completely immersed yourselves in training to enhance your own abilities. But did you ever think that you are members of a squad? You should not only train your individual skills but also practice your coordination, your formations, and your judgment abilities."

Rozen mercilessly pointed out each flaw.

"Misora, you made up your mind to become stronger, to win, but the way you showed your resolve was by rushing forward first, without even thinking. As the squad leader, you should not be at the forefront; instead, you should be giving instructions to your team, analyzing the battle, and formulating strategies. But you didn't do any of that."

"Lecty, you too. You focused on summoning your courage and not dragging your teammates down, which is fine, but you didn't consider that you needed to act in coordination with your teammates, right?"

"As for you, Rico, to be honest, I'm most disappointed in you. You're the only one among the three who's smart and quick-witted, and you have exceptional abilities. Given your sniping skills and intelligence, you should have immediately realized something was wrong. In the absence of coordination from Misora and Lecty, you should have used your sharp vision and sniping techniques to provide supporting fire from the rear. That's something you could have done, but you lost your calm, became anxious, and, due to your lack of trust in Misora and Lecty, you chose to act alone. This resulted in a situation where your teammates couldn't attack. This is, without a doubt, the worst mistake you've ever made."

Rozen continued to speak.

"Under such circumstances, even an average E-rank squad with good team coordination and tactical strategies could have pushed you to the brink. If the E571 Squad hadn't made mistakes today, do you think you could have won with brute strength alone?"

Each of Rozen's words struck at the hearts of E601 Squad.

Rozen's words carried more weight than anyone else's.

Because Rozen had relied on his strategies and teamwork countless times to overcome stronger opponents. Even though he had now become strong enough to win almost any battle without needing to strategize, Rozen always remembered that strength didn't determine everything, and strong and weak didn't always decide the final outcome. The one who could win in the end was often the one who was most unexpected.

If that weren't the case, Rozen wouldn't have formed the S128 Special Task Force. Aside from wanting to fight alongside Kanata, Chloe, and Yuri, whom he shared the same goals with, it was because Rozen never believed that just because he was strong, he could fight alone.

Even though Rozen was now stronger than ever and could fight alone, without his familiars, whose existence was imprinted into his soul, Rozen wouldn't have become as strong as he was now.

That's why Rozen always remembered that, besides being a Magus and a Jujutsu Practitioner, the most important thing was that he was a Summoner.

If he didn't have familiar (companions), no matter how powerful Rozen was, he couldn't win in the end.

So...

"If you want to keep climbing higher, then it's time to make some changes. Besides focusing on your own goals, you should also pay attention to those around you."

One sentence made the three girls of E601 Squad fall into silent contemplation.

At this moment...

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!"

Suddenly, an alarm sounded.