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

"Shoot!"

"This is the last batch!"

"Whatever, shoot!"

At Rivera's command, several archers fired their last arrows at the climbing monsters. Although the arrows broke upon impact due to corrosion, the attacked monsters lost their footing, fell off the rock face, and dragged several of their companions down to the ground.

"There are still so many...!"

"The camp hasn't been surrounded yet, which is a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune."

Lefia screamed in pain, while Finn calmly observed the situation from the side.

The monsters seemed to have low intelligence, forming a thick line and attempting to climb the rock platform from the same direction. Thanks to the concentrated attack positions, the remaining members of the guild, under Rivera's command, have been able to defend the stronghold until now.

"!"

When her companions were in danger, Ais rushed out.

She charged forward alone, launching a surprise attack on the monster team from the side.

Ais cast a spell, causing the wind to swirl around her, and then slashed fiercely with her sword.

"Ais!"

She defeated a monster, causing a sensation throughout the area.

Rivera called to her from the rocky platform, and a glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of the other members of the group.

As everyone watched in astonishment, Ais began to fight the monsters.

"Let's go!"

"Um!"

"Sorry, Captain!" Bert, Tiona, and Tione followed suit.

Lefia and Raul were a step behind, but they caught up as well.

"Finn..."

"It's too late to stop Ais and the others now. Grace, please protect Lefia and Raul."

"Okay, got it."

Finn was helpless as he watched his hot-blooded band members charge forward without waiting for instructions.

However, he also felt that this was a good thing.

While knowledge and experience are essential in dungeons, and one should always remember to act rationally, it would be rather tactless to dampen their enthusiasm in this situation.

Driven by their burning anger and passion, they launched a counterattack that would likely be more effective, useful, and forceful in reversing the current situation than a hundred commands.

Although they are too hot-blooded—and always prone to losing control—they are still a cause for concern.

Seeing that they had already shown off their skills in their own ways, Finn stopped thinking about it and equipped his sword.

"Let's start the counterattack."

▲

Like a wedge driven deep into the monster army, Ais's attack completely changed the course of the battle.

Faced with the female swordswoman's fierce attack that was slaughtering her comrades, the monsters that were climbing the rock platform changed direction, attempting to overwhelm their opponent with numbers and launch an attack.

At this moment, Bert and the others immediately joined the battle, and with the addition of Lefia's magical attacks, the monsters instantly lost their order.

Each time an enemy approaches, the monster reacts accordingly; the adventurers, on the other hand, move around to distract the monster.

The two sides were mixed together, and in the blink of an eye, a state of chaotic battle ensued.

"Hey, do you still have weapons?!"

As Tiona dodged the monster's attacks, she shouted loudly to the rocky platform.

A moment later, a reply came from the top of the rock: "Uh, yes, there's more!"

"Give me a spear, a spear! Two, please!"

"Got it!" When they reached the rocky platform, the weapon she wanted was thrown down from above, and Tiona caught it with a smile.

Holding a three-meter-long polearm in both hands, Tiona rushed towards the monster, intending to cause another ruckus.

"Hey—! I'm here—!"

She hopped and skipped among the monsters, provoking them.

The larval monsters shot corrosive liquid at the girl who was running around everywhere.

"Hey!"

"——!"

She easily dodged the corrosive liquid and immediately heard the monsters' screams.

Surrounded by monsters, you can easily make them fight each other by deliberately jumping into them and luring them to shoot out corrosive liquid.

As planned, Tiona reduced the number of monsters around her, a fierce smirk spreading across her face as she thrust her spear at the remaining ones.

"Watch this—!" A thrust with all his might.

The reaction force from the pierced skin lifted the monster's massive body off the ground, leaving it suspended in mid-air.

The spear's attack range prevented the bodily fluids spurting from the wound from reaching Tiona. She felt the spear pierce the magic stone inside the monster's body, and cheered as the monster's massive form instantly turned to dust.

"Next one—!"

Discarding the spear whose tip had dissolved, Tiona locked onto another target.

They killed about twenty monsters.

Corpses and corrosive liquid were scattered all over the ground. Ais rested her legs in a corner and caught her breath. Just then, a "whoosh" sounded beside her as she hit the ground.

Looking back, Bert, wagging his tail and with gray hair, walked towards him.

"Hey, Ais. Less than half is enough, let's get some wind."

"..."

Ais understood what he meant and looked toward his legs.

Metal boots that reach to the knees. Not armor, these silver boots, designed for weaponry, boast impressive, sharp curves, giving the strong impression of being not only slender and beautiful but also sturdy and durable. Topaz is inlaid in the center of the calf.

Ais gently reached her hand towards the boots.

"The wind."

Receiving Ais's will, the swaying wind was instantly drawn into the topaz. The topaz shone, transmitting the wind throughout the entire pair of boots.

Bert's feet were entwined with air currents, just like Ais's.

The second-tier special weapon created by the Hephaestus Familia: Frosvelt.

This special weapon can absorb external magical effects and temporarily add special attack power. Combined with the inherent striking power of the metal boots, its power can be greatly enhanced.

The weapon is made of mithril, a refined metal with excellent magic conductivity.

The silver metal boots absorbed Ais's magic and gained the power of wind.

Thanks.

Her strikingly beautiful features were distorted by a ferocious smile that rivaled even Tiona's.

With a "thud," Bert used the wind pressure to kick open the ground and start running.

"—Watch me kick you all to death!"

He sprinted at breakneck speed, casually unleashing flying kicks at his enemies.

The whirlwind kick from above shattered the monster's face, dispersing its bodily fluids like Ais's sword, leaving it unaffected. Now, there's no need to worry about the enemy's troublesome characteristics.

As if to vent the frustration that had accumulated along the way, he used his powerful foot strikes to attack every monster he saw.

Bert roared as he ravaged the enemy.

The last recurve knife melted.

"..."

She dodged the spraying corrosive liquid and landed on the ground. Without thinking, she reached for her waist, but couldn't grab anything.

The throwing knives are all used up. All weapons are exhausted.

(These guys...)

Tione frowned as he faced a worm-like monster that was even more troublesome than he had imagined.

Reluctant to lose her weapons, she wanted to deliver a fatal blow at the crucial moment, but the enemy's durability was quite high, and she couldn't be deprived of her mobility. The monster let out a piercing roar, and its wounds gushed fluid as it stubbornly chased after Tione, which only exacerbated her frustration.

Learning from her younger sister (Tiona) to lure the enemy, her own petty actions disgusted her. Ais was one thing, but that wretched wolf never considered anyone's feelings, only laughing and slaughtering monsters—that infuriated her even more. She really wanted to tear him to pieces and grind him into a pulp.

In short, we need to replenish our weapons first—no, perhaps we should go and cover Lefia and the others. Even though I'm not very good at it, I'll just chant some magic—

Tiony had initially tried to remain rational, but at this point, she clicked her tongue in disbelief.

"This is such a pain."

Her mask was peeled off.

Tione revealed part of his true nature, charging out in one breath to attack the monster head-on—delivering a brute-force right hook.

All that could be heard was a loud "bang" from the girl, as her fist pierced through the enemy's body.

The arm embedded in the monster's body began to dissolve. Corrosive fluid gushed from the wound, seeping into Tione's entire body. Her brown skin was burned. The little clothing covering her upper body also dissolved and fell away.

Tiony paid no attention to any of this. With a fierce look on her face, she continued to drill her right hand inward, and amidst the monster's screams, she pulled out the magic stone she had grabbed in one swift motion.

The monster trembled in agony before finally turning to dust.

Tiony spat on his own smoldering, foul-smelling form, and then repeated the same action two or three more times.

Ignoring her own health, she relentlessly killed the monsters one by one by beating and kicking them to death.

"Miss Tione..."

"...Lefia, do you have any elixir?"

When Tione met up with Lefia, he looked like he was half covered in mud.

Her beautiful, jet-black hair was burned off after being doused with corrosive liquid. Her wheat-colored skin, now a dark purplish-black, continued to dissolve as she spoke.

Her right eye was tightly closed, but she could barely see the other person with her unaffected left eye. Pale-faced Lefia hurriedly took out the panacea from the small bottle and practically poured it all over her body.

"Tione!"

"Captain..." Finn ran to their side.

Tiony swatted away the corrosive liquid with her hands, using several bottles of panacea before her body gradually returned to normal. She awkwardly shifted her body, her full breasts, now fully exposed after losing her clothes, trembling.

Finn, unusually, raised his eyebrows, his face full of anger, but he sighed and forced himself to suppress his rage.

"Don't do anything reckless."

"what……"

Finn untied the loincloth he was wearing and shoved it into her hand.

He pointed to Tiony's naked upper body, implying that she should cover herself up.

Tiony took the loincloth and held it to her chest, her cheeks flushed.

"Commander...!"

"I'll have a proper talk with you after we get through this. Be prepared."

"yes……!"

Tiony stared intently at Finn with the deeply moved eyes of a young girl. He turned away, suppressing a sigh, his eyes filled with exhaustion. Lefia, standing beside Tiony, also kept backing away, maintaining her distance.

"Why is Miss Tione still alright after being hit by the corrosive liquid (that)...?"

"You're just too unambitious."

“S-Sorry…”

"Okay, coming."

After seeing Tiony and the others, Grace's answer made Raul apologize. Grace protected him while fighting, easily pulling out weapons that had sunk into the ground with the explosion.