Fortunately (?) she was petite, and it seemed that only a few of her hairs were knocked off, and her head was not cut off like a certain vampire princess.

For a moment, Guanghui and the others thought that they were too noisy and had angered Shi and fired.

“Guga!”

““““──!?”””””

Hearing the groaning sound coming from behind, Guanghui and others suddenly came back to their senses.

They quickly glanced behind them and saw a monster silently poke half of its body out from the ice wall, its sharp claws about to swing at Ling. A hole was punched in its chest, and then it slid out of the ice wall and fell to the ground.

"Here we go, watch out for the walls on both sides."

Hajime warned in a calm voice, and the previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly dissipated, and everyone instantly entered combat mode.

Then, ice statues appeared on the ice walls to the left and right. They had sharp claws and a single horn, and looked incredibly muscular. If I had to use a Japanese name to describe them, they would probably be "oni."

“““““Guoo ...

Five ice ghosts on either side—Frost Ogres—roared and attacked. Kouki and his companions naturally attacked the right, while Hajime and his companions attacked the left, the two groups leaning against each other's backs.

"Shizuku! Use a quick attack—『Light Blade』!!"

“Understood! — ‘Sparkling’!”

She had intended to intimidate the Frost Ogres, but Kouki ignored them. Using Shukuchi (Shrinking the Earth), Kouki and Shizuku advanced, unleashing a fatal blow. The two Frost Ogres were struck diagonally, their bodies snapping in two.

A frost ogre was distracted for a moment, and Ryuutarou used a powerful step like a shock kick and hit the frost ogre's chest with a punch, shattering the thick ice chest.

The remaining two had been stopped by Ling's barrier.

This time, it didn't seem like the magic stone was somewhere else, allowing the monster to regenerate infinitely. Dark red magic stones rolled out from the three frost ogres, and just to be on the safe side, Guanghui and the others immediately delivered a fatal blow.

"Koki-kun, Ryuutarou-kun! Let's begin!"

"good!"

"bring it on!"

Ling used Barrier Explosion, blowing away the two Frost Ogres whose footsteps were blocked.

The two monsters that drew arcs in the air were unable to dodge, and Guanghui and Ryuutarou easily dealt them the final blow.

This was a truly remarkable battle. Though they remained on guard, it was a well-fought battle, and smiles appeared on the faces of Kouki and the others.

At this time, only a cute but powerful shout was heard.

“Ullaa ...

Guanghui and the others looked back in surprise, only to see Xia's legs spread 180 degrees, showing off her beautiful legs raised straight up to the sky.

Looking upwards in the direction of the beautiful legs, I saw five Frost Ogres beautifully lined up in five columns in the air, as if they were swimming in the air.

I don't know how this was done, but I know it was Shia who kicked them up. And the clever thing is, they weren't scattered, but arranged in five columns.

As for why Xia did this, the answer was soon revealed.

“““““Gahhhhh!””””””

The Frost Ogres struggling in the air were pulled by gravity and fell down in order.

Shia timed her legs' descent, twisting and lowering them. Perhaps it was because of her long, beautiful legs, but even this movement felt smooth and graceful.

However, what followed was a completely opposite and extremely powerful combo of attacks.

"The first one!!"

“Wow!?”

"The second one!!"

“Gufu!?”

"The third one!!"

“Puhuh!?”

The three sounds of Xia's shouting, the Frost Ogre's screams, and the sound of heavy objects colliding were endless.

Shia spun around after each blow, using centrifugal force to deliver Druken's blow, hitting the falling Frost Ogres with perfect timing.

Thus, a single blow from the Drukken would doom a Frost Ogre. A single blow of sheer brute force would shatter even the magic stone within. The debris would become shrapnel and shells, destroying the ice wall. By the time the third one was struck, even the adjacent passageway was visible.

"The fourth one!!"

“Eeh!?”

Shia's rotation never stopped, not even for a moment. With each blow, the momentum of her rotation increased, and combined with the centrifugal force, the destructive power continued to increase.

It was like a game of Daruma with the rules changed, and the Frost Ogre was beaten pitifully. It looked more like Shia was playing a game than a battle. (Editor's note: A children's game where you stack several cylinders and hit the middle with a hammer without causing the Daruma tower to collapse.)

"Finally, the fifth one!!"

The strongest impact resounded, the final blow from Drukken's five consecutive accelerations seemingly easily exceeding the speed of sound. A dry sound like air breaking apart, and a white film of air forming around the impact surface, confirmed that the blow had indeed exceeded the speed of sound.

The fifth Frost Ogre was beaten, its body shattered the moment it was hit, and then it disappeared after smashing the ice walls of the three passages.

"Slow, fragile, and lacking perseverance!"

Shia waved the Drukken, then carried it on her shoulder and struck it.

A rabbit born in the forest, after taking off its outer coat, reveals a very strict ogre (ghost) inside.

Guanghui and the others stared at Shia in silence. Then, as if lifeless, her entire body turned white, and her eyes stared into the distance.

"That's right. Slow, fragile, lacking in perseverance, right?... You're so happy with this kind of victory, you'd be like an idiot, right? Haha..."

“…Koki, don’t be so self-deprecating. How should I put it? Don’t overthink that person.”

"...I love rabbits the most, but...will I still be able to hug a rabbit after returning to Earth..."

"Of course you can, Shizuku-chan. That's 'something that looks like an indescribable rabbit,' so how could it possibly be a rabbit?"

I hope that even if she returns to her hometown and sees the cute Earth-born rabbits, she will not be afraid of them.

Although it seemed as if Kouki and the others had turned to ash, Hajime ignored them and asked Shia with a serious expression:

"Shia, did you notice your super-powerful rabbit ears beforehand?"

“Um, Hajime-san, that was just a random name I picked. Hearing you say it so seriously makes me a little embarrassed…”

Although Shia was a bit shy, she still replied after a moment's thought:

"I did hear it, but it was almost immediately afterwards. I've memorized the sound, so I think I'll be able to notice it more quickly next time."

"Is that so... I just realized a moment ago that the Magic Eye Stones only reflect a slight flow of magic power. Just as Tio expected, they may have the ability to conceal auras."

"That seems to be the case. I don't think those monsters will be the only ones to appear. It's best to consider all the monsters in the maze as monsters specially strengthened for surprise attacks."

"...Yeah, but monsters aren't that strong. Like Shia said, they're very fragile."

"And they won't regenerate. So, the problem lies in the length of the journey..."

Indeed, Sia's declaration of victory wasn't necessarily wrong. Frost ogres were slow, fragile, and inflexible, hardly a threat.

The only question then is how long one can maintain concentration in order to detect a surprise attack.

Kaori thought for a moment and took immediate action. She strongly instructed everyone to report any signs of mental or physical fatigue immediately.

Previously, she panicked because of zombies, argued with Yue, and was even teased by her best friend. To others, she seemed like a comedian. But now, she was completely different and showed her side as a medical expert and healer.

Needless to say, Guanghui and others also agreed to her request, and Lian Yue also nodded frankly.

After the somewhat handsome Kaori appeared.

The group continued their journey for about twelve hours, dealing with the Frost Ogres who launched surprise attacks periodically and dodging various maze-like traps, such as ice spear traps or holes in the ground, traps caused by the collapse of the ice wall itself, etc.

With Kaori's assistance, their physical strength remained intact. However, the constant need to remain vigilant, coupled with the monotonous scenery lacking in variety, drained Kouki and the others' mental strength beyond imagination.

Not only Kaori, but Tio also joined in to help, and the two of them repeatedly cast magic to restore everyone's spiritual power. Even so, they seemed to be approaching their limit.

The most exhausted one was Ling. Perhaps to relieve her stress, she asked Hajime:

"...Nagumo-san, I see you seem completely unaffected. How can I improve my concentration?"

Indeed, even Shia, who had previously displayed superhuman strength, began to show signs of fatigue in her focus. Only Hajime seemed completely unconcerned, his concentration remaining undiminished.

"I don't know. Before I met Yue, I explored the abyss alone, so my body probably remembered it naturally."

"Ah... I see."

Ling just said this and then stopped talking.

She had accidentally imagined that kind of horror. Alone, exploring in the unfathomable darkness, feeling nervous, worried that a monstrous monster might devour her at any moment.

No matter how much the brain wants to scream, no matter how much the body wants to rest, if you don't maintain your focus, death will come in a moment. The concentration cultivated in such a world is more like "remembering" rather than "training".

The tragic past revealed by an inadvertent sentence suddenly made the atmosphere at the scene solemn.

Ryutaro, who originally looked tired, opened his eyes wide, as if to say "I'll lose the battle but not the victory"; Guanghui's confrontational mentality was also aroused, creating a tense atmosphere.

Perhaps hoping to ease the tension, Shizuku pretended to be unusually relaxed and asked:

"Nagumo-kun, is it still far? We've been walking for quite a while... We should be at the end, right? I'm quite tired."

"Hey, hey, what are you talking about? You know we haven't entered the snow smoke area yet, right? Are you exhausted so early?"

"No... I'm not overwhelmed. I'm just reporting my objective analysis."

Seeing Shizuku pouting, looking dissatisfied, Hajime smiled. Then, not only Kouki and the others, but also Shia and Kaori, showed signs of subtle mental fatigue, so he nodded in agreement.

"Well, anyway, I think it's about time we rest. Once we find a suitable place, let's rest for a while."

"! Okay, let's do it... Thank you, Nagumo-kun."

Shizuku smiled faintly. Hajime shrugged, turned his back to her, and began searching for a "suitable place" with a compass. Shizuku looked at him with gentle eyes.

Then, several people stared at Shizuku: Yue, Shia, Kaori, and Tio. They gathered together and whispered, but fortunately or unfortunately, Shizuku was actually losing her focus due to fatigue, so she didn't notice.

Not long afterward, Hajime and the others reached the end of the passage. The passage fanned out, and at the end, a large double door was set into the wall. The wall where the door stood was right at the intersection of the area covered in snow and smoke.

The 'appropriate place' indicated by the compass seemed to be this square. Incidentally, that door seemed to be the correct route forward.

"This door is truly magnificent."

“…Mm, so beautiful.”

Tio and Yue couldn't help but admire it.

No one objected to their praise, for the massive door was truly majestic and beautiful, belying its being made of ice. Intricate patterns were carved into it, depicting intricate tangles of thorns and delicate rose-like flowers.

"This is……"

He began to approach the door and gazed at its location. At about head height, a ring surrounded by thorns was carved, with three circular holes inside.

Hajime stood in front of the door and pushed it open with all his might. However, as expected, the double doors remained motionless.

"I suppose so. Logically, if I put something into this unnatural groove, the door would probably open. But..."

"...Well, that's the downside of taking the shortest route."

"yes."

Hajime scratched his head with a wry smile.

"Mr. Hajime, what should we do? Should we go find something to open the door?"

Xia asked if they wanted to find the key to unlock it, but judging by her expression she didn't seem very positive.

It wasn't that she didn't want to look for the key, but it wasn't appropriate in her current tired state.

Although Guanghui and the others didn't say anything, their feelings were all written on their faces.

“…Hajime, if this place is alright…”

"Okay, let's take a break."

A relaxed atmosphere suddenly emanated from Guanghui and the others. Their hearts actually relaxed, and they slumped to the ground as if unable to stand any longer.

"Don't sit by the wall, you might get attacked. If you want to rest, come to the center of the room."

Guanghui and the others slowly began to move, while Hajime, standing nearby, moved a little distance away from the door and opened the treasure vault.

In an instant, a large tent appeared in the space.

Perhaps to provide a warning to the surroundings, the tent only has a curtain on the roof, but there are invisible transparent barriers fixed between the pillars. Not only can they block out wind and rain, but they can also block out cold and heat, and their performance is very excellent.

Originally, the roof didn't even have curtains, but they were added to accommodate the harsh cold weather. Warm colors are crucial, and the sunset-like orange color creates a warm atmosphere that greatly soothes the mood. Since it's made of metal, it also offers excellent protection.

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