Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"...Aren't there any clues?"

The image of the fairy, whose true face was concealed by a veil, was reflected on the blue crystal.

This is the 18th floor of the underground city, known as the "Maze Paradise".

The crystals that bloomed like chrysanthemums across the ceiling were silent. It was an underground labyrinth, yet night had fallen, and Ryu was conducting an investigation within it.

The location is on the 18th floor, in the eastern part, in the Great Forest.

As she kicked the tree trunk and moved along the branches, she took out a piece of fine metal from her pouch.

"I think I obtained this magical item in this area..."

It was a sphere, and the material appeared to be mithril.

Although it bears some traces of melting due to the high temperature of quenching, it is basically intact. Equally striking is the fact that beneath its seamless shape lies an extremely disturbing eyeball-like object.

Its surface is engraved with a 'D' symbol that is neither a common language nor a sacred script.

(That was more than two months ago...)

The process of obtaining this strange magical artifact was both accidental and complicated.

This happened when Bell, having reached Level 2, went missing in the "Middle Layer," and Ryu and her group went to the dungeon as a search party. Bell had wandered into the great forest on the 18th floor—for some reason, the Thousand Fairies of the Loki Familia were also with him—and was being attacked by a new type of carnivorous plant when Ryu intervened and saved him. After ensuring Bell and the others' safety, Ryu went alone to track down the suspicious duo who had released the monster.

The true identities of those arrested are those of a secret faction. To be precise, they are its "remnants."

They are remnants of the evil god's clan that Zui and the Astrea Familia opposed five years ago, and are adversaries with whom they have a deep connection.

Although the unexpected events prevented her from interrogating the remaining members, Ryu successfully retrieved the magical artifact that should have been part of their belongings.

"This is the sixth time I've come to the 18th floor since then for investigative purposes... Will it end in disappointment again today?"

Unable to tolerate the existence of the remnants of the secret faction, Ryu conducts his investigation alone.

In reality, despite the sheer number of events that happened so frequently—including the war game that her friend Sheele was involved in, the incidents with the Ishtar Familia, and the farce at the largest casino—she was basically too worried about the boy Bell to go to the dungeon and simply couldn't find the time. However, she finally got to get serious after the Ares Familia, who were part of the Kingdom of Lachia, went to war with Orario.

Relying on the resilience of a high-ranking adventurer, she left her bed late at night after the tavern closed and came to the dungeon like this. Not wanting to involve anyone, she didn't mention a word to Mia, Hill, the "Abundant Mistresses," or Bell and the others.

However, for a solo investigation, 18 floors is too vast.

Even this vast forest, where the remnants of the group were discovered, was already filled with lush trees, crystal clusters rising and falling against the ground, and so on—in short, it was teeming with obstacles and cover. Visibility inside was poor, and there were many places to hide. To track down the organization, whose size was currently unknown, was like finding a needle in a haystack. They even went so far as to disguise themselves and search the western part of the building, "Riviera Street," but still couldn't obtain any useful information.

Ryu's investigation has reached a stalemate, which is the current situation.

(Sure enough, I should at least ask Andromeda to analyze the magical items...)

There are many possible approaches.

If I were to ask Asphie, who shared a tragic fate with me and fought alongside me to the very end during the 'Dark Ages' when the underworld was rampant, she would surely help. If I had done that, perhaps things would have progressed by now.

However, Ryu did not put it into practice. She felt that since this item might be related to the Dark Faction, Asphie would probably not be willing to share the analysis results and information she had gathered about the magical artifact.

Five years ago, [Swift Wind], who brought the finishing touches to the eradication of the Dark Faction, would certainly not be able to remain calm when confronting the forces of 'evil'.

Asphie, who has a close relationship with Ryu, would surely make that judgment and try to brush it off with "nothing gained." After all, she often pretends to be indifferent but is actually kind-hearted. She would probably feel uneasy about Ryu losing many friends and her "familia" and think that contact with the dark faction would be dangerous.

—And that is the ‘correct answer’.

If Ryu gives this "magical item" to Asphie, "fate" will change drastically.

[The Omnipotent One] will likely keep everything from [Gale] and then secretly contact the Supreme God to push things forward.

If the situation had changed before the "bomb" of the talking monster was revealed, perhaps the fate surrounding the city would not have changed. Perhaps then, the people who should have joined hands would have parted ways, the hero who inspired everyone would still be a man-made creation, and many adventurers, including him, would have become offerings to the demon city.

It happened in a place where the fairy Leon couldn't interfere.

The Hestia Familia, the apparent parties to the incident, were completely unaware of this.

And it also implicated the Loki Familia, the people behind the scenes of the incident.

Although all of these are just assumptions.

However, it can be asserted that it will eventually descend into extreme chaos and become unmanageable.

Unexpectedly, Ryu, who holds the 'key', is already standing at the 'point of divergence'.

"Although we've already investigated once... let's go investigate the area where the carnivorous plants fought again."

Of course, that was something she, who couldn't know the 'future,' could never have imagined.

Undisturbed by anyone and without involving anyone else, Ryu expanded her search area while pursuing the movements of the secret faction. Considering the possibility of overlooking clues, she went to places she had already investigated once.

The familiar trees with their leaves gradually thinning, the forest canopy, the crystal forest resembling a ring of stone formations—she arrived at a corner of the forest where she had once saved the boy and girl.

"...?"

Sure enough, there was nothing suspicious about it.

Just as she was thinking this, she started walking in the opposite direction from the great forest.

On the east end of the floor, where the sky-high rock face at the edge of the forest can be vaguely seen.

The magical item stored in the waist bag released heat.

"This is……"

After taking it out and placing it on my palm, I found that it was responding like a pulse.

Seeing the almost 'resonance'-like state, Ryu fell silent. Then, like a probe, she stretched out her arm to test the strength of the reaction. Eventually, she was guided by the gradually increasing heat to a certain place and stopped in front of a rock wall that, at first glance, was no different from the surroundings.

"...The forest sky that has now faded into the distance. The endless night sky studded with countless stars."

That was almost an instinctive action.

Faced with the 'wall' blocking her way, Liuyin began chanting an incantation.

"【The Wind of Light】"

With a soft murmur, three luminous orbs, entwined with green wind, were released directly in front.

The 'magic' whose power and scale were limited evoked destruction and impact.

The rock wall crumbled along with the dust, revealing a passageway inside.

"...!"

Startled, Ryu surveyed her surroundings, and after confirming there were no ambushes or traps, she resolutely entered the 'passage'. As soon as Ryu stepped inside, the rock wall behind her—a component of the dungeon—regenerated instantly, all traces of magic vanishing without a trace.

This is a large horizontal cavern that uses countless stones and appears to be man-made rather than a natural underground structure.

As you proceed along the passage, a heavy metal door appears before you.

"Could it be that……"

The door, flanked by two demonic statues, was made of the "hardest metal." Ryu, having discerned this, attached his magical artifact to it.

Soon, the red gemstone embedded in it responded, and the 'door' opened its enormous jaw.

"Oh, that's how it is..."

Ryu finally figured out what this strange magical artifact was.

It is the key needed to enter this far-fetched fortification, this "domain" directly connected to the underground labyrinth.

"The lair of the dark faction... or something similar."

Although it cannot be confirmed at this stage, the possibility is very high.

Ryu drew the wooden sword from his waist and entered the 'labyrinth' shrouded in darkness.

The straight path only extends to the very beginning. Immediately afterwards, it reveals itself as a 'maze' with numerous branching paths.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were covered in stone slabs. There were bas-reliefs of plant patterns carved into the walls. Magic stone lamps, though dimly lit, were placed at equal intervals. This place was truly a man-made maze. Ryu had already encountered several dead ends here, completely losing track of what was happening.

"...It's too complicated and bizarre."

Each time she reached a fork in the road, Ryuto marked the stone wall with her katana. If she didn't make the most of her adventurer experience, she herself would be trapped in the labyrinth and unable to find her way out.

Then they kept an eye out for traps and other people, confirming whether there was any threat.

Consciously aware that they were intruders, they held their breath and cautiously moved forward.

(While it serves the purpose of preventing enemy invasion... it doesn't function as a base or fortress. It's more like another underground labyrinth or dungeon—)

A mysterious labyrinth that is extremely profound and unfathomable, and whose scale is gradually being revealed.

Just as Liu Yinyin felt a chill creeping into her heart.

"!"

With a loud rumble, the sound of something being activated came from the depths of the maze.

And, more than one place.

The sound was strikingly similar to the sound of her opening the "hardest metal door" earlier, and Ryu realized this. Then...

"Aaaaaah!"

Countless "gazes" emerged from the depths of darkness, and a terrifying number of monsters swarmed in.

"Monsters...!? No, they're enemy scouts!"

My existence has been detected? Where exactly was I exposed?!

Stunned, Ryu was forced into battle.

"Invaders of the 'Artificial Labyrinth Knossos'...who are they?"

Ryu's "misfortune" was that she was discovered immediately after she infiltrated.

The "eyes," primarily plant reliefs, placed throughout the maze, captured her current location and even her anxious expression.

"It's not those remnants of the underworld faction. Take them out..."

Ryu's "luck" lies in the fact that only "one person" discovered her.

Humans who avoid sunlight, have somewhat sickly white skin and hair, and have a "D" in their left eye.

This labyrinth, even though it is 'unfinished', is already so vast that it rivals the middle level of the dungeon. Even the 'Hunters' and the remnants of 'Evil' cannot fully control it.

In fact, the reason why the "man" looked at this labyrinthine scene filled with "eyes" was by chance.

The man only stopped to watch to check on the progress of the maze's work.

"There's only one person... Crystal Strider is enough, right?"

Ryu's greatest "luck" was that the "man" was the "master craftsman clan" possessed by obsession, whose sense of crisis was far lower than that of the "barbarian" Dix Perticus.

He was an amateur when it came to combat, focusing on only one thing.

Apart from the completion of the 'maze', everything else was just trivial matters.

If he had known beforehand that the intruders were renowned first-class adventurers, perhaps he would have been more prepared and used some appropriate deadly traps to repel them. However, he neither had the time nor the inclination to be overly cautious and risk the destruction of an intruding fairy.

As he looked down at the adventurer's figure reflected on the water film spread out on the base, he gripped the ruby ​​in front of him and remotely operated it to open multiple "doors," releasing countless monsters.

With a triumphant air emanating from his left eye bearing the letter 'D', the 'man' turned and walked away, saying this as he did so.

"I'd be wasting even a second on you. Just lie dead somewhere I don't know, you fairy."

"call!"

With a flash of his wooden sword, Liu killed all the monsters that rushed up to entangle him.

We can defeat them. But there are too many of them. No, there are far too many.

The enemy's abilities were at most at the "mid-level," but even after understanding this, Ryu couldn't completely suppress the wavering in her heart.

"A water strider-type monster...!? It's a new, unconfirmed species!"

Large hordes of new enemies surged from the ground, walls, and ceiling.

Faced with this horrifying sight that evoked physical disgust, Ryu would retreat and fight back intermittently.

(This isn't the monster we fought on the 18th floor before! While it's not conclusive evidence linking it to the remnants of the Dark Faction—it looks very similar! Like that man-eating plant!)

Despite the only similarity being their yellowish-green skin, there was a sense of déjà vu. Although tempted to examine their remains, adventurer's experience told him that excessive thinking was fatal. So, Ryu abandoned his greed and chose to retreat immediately. Even if they were low-level monsters, facing so many enemies that they almost filled the entire passage, even being hit by just one of their attacks would eventually result in them devouring his limbs and his entire body.

She left the monster horde behind, speeding away at an unstoppable pace, retracing her steps—

"What!?"

Then I was shocked.

The water striders that had been there before were now crowding in front of me.

It wasn't because of that, but because they were stuck firmly to the wall like they were trying to invalidate the 'marks' that Ryu had carved.