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

"!"

Ais and the others widened their eyes upon hearing the report.

According to current information, the collapse occurred centered on the "cave labyrinth" on the 15th floor, blocking all passages.

Because other floors also collapsed, it is currently impossible to proceed beyond the 14th floor.

"What about the students in the 'school district'?"

Ais was the first to inquire about this matter.

Besides caring about the lives and deaths of the young children, I also want to confirm the safety of a certain junior.

"Students in the 'school district' have to go through the procedures at the guild before entering the dungeon, so we can keep track of their exact numbers... I heard that the vast majority of them have already returned to the surface... but two 'teams' have not yet returned..."

Elphie explained haltingly, her face pale as she continued:

"One of them is the 'Seventh Squad' led by Lefia..."

Upon hearing this, Ais and the others immediately stood up from the sofa.

"Let's go! We have to rescue Rafia quickly!"

"That's right, you can carve a path through rocks and stuff."

Tiona and Tione rushed out because their companion was in danger, and Ais was ready to give chase.

But Loki, who was still sitting on the sofa, spoke up to stop the three members of the Familia.

"Calm down, everyone~ As long as Lefia isn't trapped under the rubble, she'll be fine. That child is already a Level 4 Super Lefia, you know?"

"But Loki, there's always a chance of something going wrong—!"

"Moreover, the number of my 'favors' has not decreased, so I can at least be sure that Lefia is not dead."

Hearing Loki say this, Tiona and the others, who were initially extremely anxious, immediately calmed down.

"Even if we force our way through the collapsed rocks, it will only cause a secondary disaster, so we need specialized equipment and the assistance of mages. You should go and cooperate with the Ganesha Familia, who should have already begun their operations. Tione, you will be in charge."

"knew!"

"I'll relay the message to Finn and the others. Ais and Tiona will go with you too. I agree to you mobilizing all the members currently in the house."

"Um!"

"Me too! I want to go!"

Tiony, Tiona, Ais, and Elfie rushed out of the room one after another.

After giving his instructions, Loki, soon alone in the spacious reception room, let out a heavy sigh.

"This is such a crucial time for that child... They really have no sense of timing!"

Loki got up and walked to the window.

Looking towards the bustling Central Park, the god murmured to himself.

"No matter how peaceful the city is, the underground city is still the underground city."

*

"Luke, are you alright?"

The tremendous noise from the continuous shaking of the earth finally subsided.

Lefia spoke up to the boy kneeling beside her.

This is one of the passages on the 15th floor, and it is a long and narrow cave that is completely off the main route.

The two ran a considerable distance. Large-scale landslides are extremely deadly; even a level two adventurer like Lefia had no choice but to run.

The surroundings were still filled with smoke, causing Lefia to frown.

"Nano... Cole, Miri... Damn it!!"

The boy, still kneeling on the ground, punched the floor in frustration.

Luke gasped for breath uncontrollably, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness, his body trembling slightly with unvented rage. Seeing this, Lefia couldn't help but smack her lips in a sound she'd never made before in her life.

If it were Finn, Rivera, or Grace, they would have noticed the strange behavior of the "evil bat" and immediately ordered a retreat. After all, they had students to protect, and they would never be foolish enough to be distracted by investigating the cause of the "strange feeling."

He mistakenly believed he was omnipotent simply because he had reached level 4.

I still have room for improvement.

Lefia, who had put Nano and the others in danger, kept cursing herself in her heart.

"...Luke, please take a deep breath first, then slowly exhale. Once you've adjusted your breathing, answer my question."

To avoid becoming emotional due to self-blame, Lefia quickly switched her mindset.

Having probably regained his senses after hearing those words, Luke took a deep breath as instructed and got up from the ground.

"Is this the first time 'Seventh Squad' has encountered a landslide in a cave? Have you ever encountered a similar incident during field surveys in the 'School District'?"

"...Yes. We were almost buried alive in the ruins in the southwest of the continent (Tereshas). The entire ruins collapsed... We were rescued and managed to escape..."

"In that case, I believe Nano and the others will not panic. Even though they are currently in the dungeon, as long as they have had similar experiences, they will surely know the basic ways to deal with it."

The presence or absence of experience has a significant impact.

As long as you don't lose your mind, your chances of survival in the dungeon will increase significantly.

"The problem is that Nano and the others may have already fallen to the floors below. The floor in the collapsed area is completely gone, and Nano and the others, who are currently sheltered by rocks, will likely be affected..."

In the instant Rafia pulled Luke away, she clearly saw that the floor had collapsed.

Having lost their second-tier adventurer (Lefia) and captain (Luke), the "Seventh Squad" is almost certainly caught up in the collapse.

"……Why?"

At this time──

Luke glared at Lefia, who was calmly analyzing the situation, and questioned her loudly in a trembling voice.

"How can you be so calm!? Nano and the others are in grave danger!!"

This is a perfectly normal question.

Luke was forced to separate from his companions with whom he had spent so many years, and it was naturally difficult for him to calm down, let alone remain composed. If Lefia were in his shoes—forced to separate from Elfie and the others—she would surely be shaken as well.

To avoid provoking Luke, Lefia displayed a firm stance by raising one finger.

"I have two reasons for remaining calm. First, losing my temper won't change the situation, and making a scene will only waste my energy and leave me mentally exhausted, which won't help either."

"...!"

"By the way, we'll only proceed with the operation if Nano and the others survive. While they might be dead, it also means they might still be alive. Given this possibility, do you have a way to abandon the three and return to the surface?"

Of course, it's impossible to do such a thing.

Luke glared at him, his brow furrowed, his attitude serving as his response.

Seeing that his emotions had gradually calmed down, Lefia raised her second finger.

"The second reason is that if I, as a senior, lose my composure, it will have a ripple effect on you, as a junior."

"!!"

"So even if I have to put on a brave face, I must maintain a calm demeanor in front of you 'students'."

In fact, Lefia is not wavering at all, and she should be able to remain calm even if she encounters an even more unreasonable situation later.

After all, that's how Riveria and Ais are.

Lefia is always worried and afraid whenever she encounters something unusual in the dungeon, but they never lose their minds in front of her and never say anything that makes her uneasy (although they have said some scary jokes).

Show a calm attitude.

Don't fall silent.

Whether it's joking or just being witty, it's fine.

In times of crisis, it is extremely important to have a calm and composed conversation like this. Even if the effect is limited, it can reassure both parties.

In the past, Rafia was the one who received help.

This time, it was her turn to help others.

"...Sorry, senior, I was too impulsive again."

"Don't say that, it's inevitable to encounter such situations."

After staring at each other for a few seconds, Luke, who had been feeling like an ant on a hot pan, finally calmed down and frankly apologized.

Luke had already been warned when he first visited the dungeon and clashed with Lefia, yet he still lost his composure again. Luke felt ashamed of himself for this, so Lefia decided to give him the following words from a personal perspective rather than from the perspective of an adventurer.

"Luke, for an adventurer, your tendency to lose your composure is a bad habit... but I don't dislike your camaraderie."

Rafia smiled.

Express your feelings of affection frankly.

Even in the dimly lit cave, Luke's cheeks were flushed at that smile.

However, Lefia, who had already taken out the map from her pouch and was examining it, did not notice this.

(Even if I wanted to leave, this place is too far from the main route. Fortunately, I still know where I am... That being said, it's also far from the path to the lower level.)

Lefia, who remembered all the escape routes, traced the path from her current location to the proper route on the map with her finger.

(In terms of escape alone, the artificial labyrinth (Knossos) has a path... but unfortunately, it's unusable right now. Besides the fact that the artificial labyrinth is classified, even if Luke and I successfully escape, it would be in vain without taking Nano and the others with us.)

While the legacy of the master craftsman (Daedalus) connects to each floor, it's currently unusable without the "key." The main issue is that this location is far from the area where the "door" is located. At worst, those familiar with the artificial labyrinth (Knossos) can utilize it when dispatching rescue teams.

"...The most important thing right now is to reunite with Nano and the others."

Lefia, who was considering countermeasures, proposed a course of action.

Fortunately, this was originally a "mini-expedition" that was planned to involve camping overnight on the floor, so more food, water, and supplies were prepared than usual. Half of the supplies were with Lefia, and the other half were carried by the mage Nano, who was also acting as a supporter. The fact that the two of them were on opposite sides at the moment was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

It is estimated that the surviving members of Nano and others had about half a day to move around after being isolated.

Putting aside the possibility of staying in one place to conserve energy, if they are forced to engage in a "relay battle" against an endless stream of monsters, considering the timing of resupply, they can only last this long at most.

Three teenagers must be found within half a day from the vast middle-level area.

"Senior... if there are any other teams or adventurers caught in the collapse..."

"We can only ignore it. Even if other teams are trapped, unfortunately, we are already struggling to take care of ourselves, let alone others. In this situation, finding our lost comrades is frankly very difficult, so we don't have the resources to rescue any other victims whose whereabouts are uncertain."

The situation is extremely urgent, and there is no time or energy left for them to think or feel confused.

After hearing Rafia's resolute instructions, Luke bit his lower lip.

The safety of the team must be borne by themselves—this statement may sound cold at first, but it is the most correct judgment for an adventurer, so the kind-hearted boy chose to accept it.

He also prioritized saving his companions out of selfishness.

Moreover—although Lefia said that, she would definitely help any other victims as soon as she found them.

This was simply to help Luke eliminate the "heartlessness" and "lies" that confused him.

"Luke, although I think I can guess what Nano and the others 'would do' when they got separated, I still want to hear your opinion, after all, you've spent far more time with them than I have."

Lefia asked the question based on this premise.

"Do you think Nano and the others will choose to wait for 'rescue' in this situation, or will they fight their way out on their own?"

Facing this problem—

Luke closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

"Before we met you... before we met our senior, we would definitely have chosen to wait for rescue."

Recalling his past, the boy then shouted:

"But thanks to your careful guidance, I believe they will definitely choose to move down to the lower levels! They will never entrust their lives to fate or chance! Instead, they will carve out a path to survival with their own hands!!"

Even if it's full of risks, I'll still choose to "take the risk".

Choose to become an "Adventurer".

Upon hearing this answer, Lefia couldn't help but smile.

"Great, I agree. Let's proceed on the premise that Nano and the others will manage to reach the 18th floor."

"good!"