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

Superiors are special weapons with attributes, crafted by one of the few top blacksmiths in the labyrinth city of Orario.

These are high-level products made by blacksmiths who have received "blessings," almost like weapons of the gods. Among these rare and special weapons, Ais's sword has the attribute of being "indestructible."

Although its power is not as great as other level 1 equipment, it will never be damaged in battle.

[Gubern's Familia] System, First-Tier Special Weapon: Sword of Despair.

In order to continue the fight, even if it's just for one more second, Ais chose this weapon as her beloved sword.

"Ais, I'm going to attack the right side—!"

"Um."

Tiona transforms into a whirlwind of unrestrained battle, while Ais cuts down enemies with unstoppable momentum. At first glance, they seem to be fighting separately, but they never allow their opponent to attack their partner's (ally's) back. The two respect each other's attack range, sometimes leaping, sometimes switching positions, sliding their bodies into suitable spots.

The two girls displayed a tacit understanding and worked together to pile up the corpses with ease.

"Four monsters have appeared in the right passage! More monsters are coming from deeper within to join them! Lefia, give a signal as soon as you're ready!"

While Ais and the other forwards blocked all the monsters, Tione, positioned in the middle, gave instructions and provided support with throwing knives from time to time.

Faced with the ever-appearing monsters, Lefia received instructions to raise her staff at the very back of the formation and begin to "incantate".

"[—The plunderers are ahead, take up your bows. Respond to the voice of your people, nock your arrows.]"

The monsters lurking deep within brought an extraordinary sense of oppression, while the vigorous and powerful fighting spirit of her predecessors was even more astonishing. Faced with such an overwhelming situation, she controlled her voice, which was almost trembling with tension, and recited the words leading to "magic".

Her heartbeat rose to the point of bursting, shaking Lefia's vision.

"--Roarooooo ...

"!"

Suddenly, the wall next to Lefia cracked.

With the small explosion of the fragments, a giant spider, its color a mixture of red and purple, appeared.

That was a "deformed spider" with eight legs and compound eyes.

The giant spider monster that emerged from the underground city broke through the wall and pounced on Lefia.

Caught off guard. Raphael froze on the spot, unable to move at the sight of the hideous jaws looming over her.

However, the spinning scimitar that flew towards them stopped the monster's surprise attack.

"Guye!"

"Continue singing, Rafia."

"Okay, okay!"

Tione let her long black hair fly as she rushed to Lefia's side.

A recurve knife, thrown and embedded in the monster's face, was twisted, swung, and slashed by her, instantly dismembering the deformed spider.

"Ah, uh, that...!"

Lefia hadn't calmed down yet and couldn't start chanting immediately.

While she was spending too much time chanting, Ais and the others had already taken care of all the black rhinoceros hordes from the vanguard.

After the monster was defeated, a brief moment of tranquility entered the passage.

"I'm sorry... I... I..."

"It's okay, Lefia. There's nothing we can do about it. Sometimes things like this happen."

When Tiona, carrying the Great Twin Blades (Ulga), and Ais, who had sheathed her sword, returned, Lefia bowed her head in apology. Tione, who had been keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, also returned at this time.

Lefia felt extremely guilty for missing the opportunity to attack and being unable to coordinate with Ais and the others.

"No way, at level 3, I'm just going to drag everyone down..."

"Calm down, Lefia."

Tiony placed his hand on the shoulder of his extremely dejected junior.

Seeing the girl raise her head timidly, she and Tiona both spoke up to comfort her.

"Even if your LV. aptitude is low, your magical power will still be effective against the monsters on this floor (here). You have Riveria's backing, don't you? Have confidence."

"Lefia's ability is in 'magic'... uh, what was it again? Loki mentioned it... right, right, it's specialized (fully mastered)! And you also have 'skills,' so monsters are doomed as soon as you unleash them!"

"this……"

When people talked about her abilities, Lefia instantly lost her grounds for rebuttal.

She tossed her thick, golden hair and looked back at her back, which lay between her neck and shoulders.

Those who receive "gifts" from God have "hieroglyphs" inscribed on their backs—the script used by the gods, like inscriptions on a monument. The combination of these characters represents the "gifts" bestowed upon the children by the gods.

"God's Grace (Pharna)" - also known as [Ability Value]

It is a blessing that, based on the experience points gained by the kin from various facts and phenomena, enhances their abilities through the gods, enabling them to discover new powers.

For the people of the lower realm, "divine grace" is ultimately just a catalyst for growth. They must accumulate "experience points" through actions such as fighting monsters, thereby altering the structure of their "ability points" and strengthening their own abilities through their own actions. In other words, the "grace" bestowed by the gods can be seen as the seeds that unleash the latent potential within the people of the lower realm.

"Strength," "Endurance," "Dexterity," "Agility," and "Magic" are the five basic ability values. These, along with "Magic" and "Skills"—two special or inherent abilities—and rank (LV) of capacity, constitute the ability values. The LV, often referred to as "evolution" of mind and body, allows for a significant leap in the level of an individual's abilities, granting them a boost or more, and bringing them closer to a higher level of existence, like a god. This is perhaps the most accurate description.

Lefia's [Ability Value] is LV.3, and she has a special enhancement in "Magic Power" related to "Magic", making her a perfect defensive mage type.

Tiona is right. She also has "skills" that can help enhance the power of "magic," making her the strongest firepower in the squad.

"But...but I can't even protect myself by myself. Just now, if it weren't for Miss Tione, I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my duty and would have died in vain..."

However, Ais and the others are all LV.5.

In the labyrinthine city of Orario, only a very few can call themselves "Level 1 Adventurers," the very best of the best. Purely in terms of ability stats, or even more specifically in close combat, Lefia's strength is simply inferior to theirs.

In fact, if Lefia were to challenge the monsters that appeared on this floor alone, she would surely be helpless and suffer a terrible defeat.

Lefia desperately tried to find something to say to refute Tiony and the others' encouragement.

"...Lefia, what you're supposed to do is different from what we're supposed to do."

At this moment, Ais spoke up.

Unexpectedly, the quiet girl joined the conversation, and Rafia looked up in surprise.

"Rivilia also told me that we should protect Lefia and the others from monster attacks, while Lefia and you were responsible for protecting us from monsters... um..."

Ais became more and more stammering as she spoke.

Tiona and the others were all staring at Ais. Because she wasn't usually very talkative, she couldn't clearly express her thoughts.

Ais struggled to organize her thoughts, her cheeks flushed slightly, her gaze shifted briefly, and finally she said firmly:

"We'll always protect you... so, Lefia, please help us when we're in danger, okay?"

Seeing her gaze fixed on her with clear, golden eyes, and feeling trusted as if she were a companion, Lefia's eyes widened. She couldn't speak; her lips trembled, and she lowered her head, finally managing to nod in agreement.

Only a faint sob could be heard.

The gloomy atmosphere suddenly changed, creating a more gentle ambiance.

Tiona smiled broadly and happily put her arm around Ais's shoulder.

Seeing her stunned expression, Tiony smiled.

"Then let's hurry up and collect the 'magic stones'. There are so many, we can't let Lefia do it all by herself."

After a while, Tione made this declaration. Ais and the others then split into two groups to begin the retrieval operation.

They crouched beside the monster's corpse and removed the "magic stones" from its chest for recycling.

After losing the blue-purple crystal, which was about the size of a small stone, the monster's body rapidly faded and finally turned into dust, disappearing without a trace as if nothing had ever happened.

"Tione, I didn't pick up any 'dropped items,' is that okay? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

"If we pick up all those big horns and hides, our bundle will be full in no time. We should prioritize the spring water."

Tione answered Tiona's question listlessly. Soon after, Ais and the others emerged from a passage littered with monster parts (organs).

Once the "magic stone" that forms its "core" is lost, the monster will be completely obliterated. The remaining part of its body that retains its original form is called "dropped items" by adventurers.

These "magic stones" and "dropped items" can be exchanged for money at management organizations (guilds) or commercial [families], and are the main source of income when exploring dungeons.

"Lefia, are those things heavy? Do you want me to help you carry them?"

"No, no need! I can do it. Let me handle this little thing."

Lefia firmly refused Tione's offer. Besides her staff, which served as a weapon, she also carried a long, cylindrical backpack slung across her back.

There is a profession called supporter.

Supporters weren't originally combatants; their job was to collect dungeon loot such as "Magic Stones" and carefully store them until they returned to the surface. Sometimes they also had to carry spare weapons or items for the team. In short, they were "porters."

However, adventurers need support members to explore dungeons efficiently. Generally, if there is no dedicated support member in the party, this role will be filled by a member of the [Family] or a member of the party with lower abilities.

Lefia, who is responsible for support but not for mobility, volunteered to serve as a supporter.

"...It's coming."

"Where are you, Ais?"

"In front...and behind."

After they had been walking along the unchanging path for a while...

Ais's eyes sharpened. Just as she had whispered, a dangerous cracking sound began to echo from both the direction they were heading and from behind.

The next second, just like the deformed spider that had suddenly attacked Lefia, the monsters broke through the dungeon walls and appeared. And there were several of them at once.

Lefia gasped, and Ais and the others formed a protective formation around her, once again stepping forward to fight the monsters.

Monsters are born from dungeons.

Just like chicks hatching from an egg, they will break through the walls from the inside and appear in any corner of the maze.

Monsters are monsters from the moment they are born. At birth, they are already mature beings (monsters) capable of immediate combat. The deeper the floor, the stronger the monsters born; in the deeper areas, the threat they pose is beyond imagination.

Dungeons are the "womb" of monsters.

Humanity's understanding of the dungeons ends here; as for why this vast underground world exists, they know nothing. The only certainty is that this underground labyrinth, like humanity and monsters, is "alive." For example, if you try to physically damage the walls, after a period of time, the dungeon will repair the damaged parts and restore its original structure.

Why is there light underground?

Why are monsters born?

Why does the maze's structure return to its original state?

From ancient times to the present, almost none of the mysteries surrounding the dungeons have been answered; only the undeniable facts remain clear.

The gods, who should be omniscient after descending to the mortal realm, either feigned ignorance or were truly unaware, refused to reveal any truth to the children—the inhabitants of the mortal world.

"A dungeon is just a dungeon. What else is there to pursue in a dungeon?" This is the wise saying of the gods.

Unravel the mysteries of the underground city.

Perhaps this is the ultimate goal of adventurers who pursue the "unknown".

"I don't think I'll encounter any monsters today."

"It would be best to avoid it if possible. I'd be happiest if I didn't have to fight."

"That's not what I meant... um—"

After the battle just now, Ais and her companions encountered several more monsters. They are currently making steady progress on the 51st floor.

Tiona led the way, followed by Ais, Lefia, and Tione, who brought up the rear. They formed a line of four, exposed to the tension unique to the dungeon.

The dungeon, where monsters never appear, exudes a profound silence, a stillness that also breeds dread. Danger lurks everywhere in this labyrinth, where anything could happen at any moment.

The uneven terrain with huge elevation differences, T-shaped roads or roads branching into three or four, and a complex maze.

They became increasingly vigilant, not missing a single suspicious sign, and used the map to choose their route to their destination. The group strayed from the regular route to the next floor—the 52nd floor—and continued deeper into the building.

"We're almost there... Let's check the precautions before we arrive at Yongquan."

Seeing that the wide passageway was beginning to narrow, Tiony spoke up.

Ais and her group continued onward, confirming the key points of the adventurer's request with each other.

"Our ultimate goal is to obtain the spring... but I'm afraid we'll have to fight the powerful dragon (Cadmus) first."

"Uh, the 'powerful dragon' you mentioned, is that one..."

"Hmm, that's pretty strong..."