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

The last bull howled in apparent fear, raising its large stone axe (a natural weapon) high with both hands and bringing it down with all its might.

An explosion occurred on the ground, filling the scene with smoke, but the Vorpal bunny had vanished.

He recklessly dodged the axe at extremely close range, and the battle ended the instant he circled behind the enemy.

The Minotaur, pierced through the back by a "magic stone," turned into a large amount of ashes and disappeared without a trace, completely unable to understand what had happened to it.

"...Huh?"

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Because the whole thing happened so suddenly, Nina didn't even understand how the enemy was killed so quickly.

They were even completely baffled as to how powerful the boy was.

The maze, which had been filled with laughter, fell completely silent, as if its mouth had been tightly shut.

Nina, Iglin, and the monsters reacted in the same way. It wasn't until the half-elf opened his lips and gently exhaled that the dark elf girl, who was the first to react, hurriedly killed the remaining remnants.

The battle has now come to an end.

"No...no way!?!"

Iglin exclaimed in surprise and ran quickly to the rabbit-man boy's side.

"W-What just happened?!"

"Um... I'll just lock onto the 'Magic Stone' and try to kill it with a single blow..."

"Your movements...don't seem like...Lv.1 at all...!!"

"Actually... I just recently [leveled up]..."

"Why didn't you tell us about this?!"

"S-Sorry."

Rachel and Chris also surrounded them. Lavi, who was surrounded by the three of them, originally wanted to hold back to avoid revealing his identity, but unfortunately, the boost from [Bullfighting Instinct (Skill)] caused his abilities to surge, resulting in him displaying unexpectedly ruthless strength to execute his opponent. He could only keep laughing and apologizing.

Nina, who had been standing there in a daze, finally came to her senses and rushed forward as if she wanted to hug him. Then she began to palpate Rabi's body.

"Are you... are you alright!? Lavi!! Are you hurt!? Are you really okay!?"

"I-I'm fine, Nina. You should really get some rest!"

"what?"

"Let's recover our strength while the monster stops attacking, and then continue on our way!"

Although the "Third Squad" looked troubled after Rabi's reminder, they were facing an emergency, and the boy's words made sense—excessive fatigue could impair their judgment—so Nina and the others stopped asking questions and took advantage of this short time to catch their breath.

After everyone used the items to recover, they immediately set off.

Chris, who was gradually demonstrating his abilities as a scout and diligently performing his duties, took the lead and carefully advanced at top speed. Fortunately, they soon discovered the "vertical pit" and the "Third Squad" reached the 17th floor.

"Although I still have many questions... I'm sure we'll find a way to reach the 18th floor now! Since Rabbi can fight, we don't need to worry about ambushes from behind!"

"We've hardly encountered any more monsters along the way! The goddesses of fate must be smiling upon us!"

Thanks to the rabbi's efforts, the "Third Squad" unexpectedly found renewed hope.

After overcoming adversity, the group was in high spirits and did not slow down. They directly killed the two or three monsters that occasionally appeared along the way. After advancing for a distance, they finally arrived at the main landmark of the 17th floor, the "Great Passage".

"Rabbi, show me the way!"

"...Just keep following this path and you'll reach the deepest part of the 17th floor."

Rachel simply asked for directions, and Rabbi, who had spread out a map with both hands, immediately gave the answer.

Hope filled the faces of everyone in the "Third Squad," and Nina unconsciously gripped her long staff tightly.

"Now...! We'll definitely get out of here safely!"

(Hmm, this should get us out of trouble, but...)

As I listened to Nina's words, I kept looking around.

The passageway was very wide, and the ceiling was far above head height, yet no trace of any monsters was found in this enormous passageway, which was large enough for giants to pass through.

so quiet.

It's so quiet.

Even if the collapse was so severe that it covered almost the entire 15th floor, assuming that the underground city was forced to prioritize structural reconstruction and temporarily did not breed monsters, the scene was still quiet enough to make one's ears ring.

And I am all too aware of this "silence".

"...!?"

Nina and the others also noticed that something was wrong.

Nina, Iglin, Rachel, and Chris, who were running around anxiously looking around, eventually turned to look at me.

Being at the back of the line, I nodded in response, emphasizing that for now, all we could do was "keep moving forward."

Only the sound of footsteps echoed in his ears, and despite his many doubts, he had to keep running forward.

It's not that the monster hasn't been born yet, it's just that it refuses to appear.

It's as if they're waiting for the right moment—or perhaps they're afraid something will come into the world.

(Just as I expected... the information on the guild notice board...)

This familiar sense of déjà vu is causing a dull ache around the back of my head.

Despite my furrowed brow, I continued charging forward with the "Third Squad".

Because the surroundings were completely silent, Nina and the others' breathing became strangely clear. A pebble kicked up by a boot flew forward with a sound, being absorbed into the silent darkness.

The biting cold seeped into the hearts of every squad member who was completely unaware of the current situation.

Chris, who was leading the group, quickened his pace as if defeated by the eerie atmosphere, and Nina and the others followed suit. They were like a novice adventurer who had passed through this place half a year ago, constantly reassuring themselves that they could leave before the silence disappeared.

A moment later—

"!!"

"This is the 'Wailing Wall'...!"

We arrived at a large cavern with an incredibly vast space.

Looking at this space where the walls and ceiling were all made of twisted rock, except for the left wall which was made of a completely different material, Rachel and Iglin were speechless with fright. As for that magnificent wall with a smooth, flawless surface, it was a symbol of "sigh" to the adventurers.

"Chris! Don't stop! Quickly—"

Just as I was about to remind my teammates, a sound interrupted me.

A "crack" sound came from the side.

“──!”

It was that sound.

It just so happened to come at this moment.

Nina and the others quickly looked over.

A huge crack, resembling a lightning bolt, ripped through the massive wall from top to bottom.

"—Run!!"

Nina and the others seemed to be propelled forward by my shouts, and they all took off running.

The cracking sounds accelerated relentlessly, transforming into a melody that pierced their eardrums, gradually draining Nina and the others of their color. What had initially sounded like agonizing gasps, the seemingly mournful cracking sounds, transformed into a raging torrent of explosions, ultimately becoming a deafening roar signifying destruction.

next second.

With an even louder shattering sound, "it" was born into the world.

"Ugh ugh ...

It's Goliath, the "Lone King of the Labyrinth"!

This enormous newborn baby, upon seeing the group of students whose faces had turned pale, immediately let out a deafening roar.

"──────────────────────────!!"

The giant roared and began to charge.

Every time the feet, which are as large as trees, step down, the ground shatters on the spot, causing a rumbling sound that shakes the entire cave.

"Run! Run! Aa ...

Iglin screamed almost in agony.

Sweating profusely, Nina and the others mustered their last remaining strength and ran with all their might.

"Goliath" suddenly surged forward from behind and gave chase!

This reminds me of that "do-or-die" experience I had six months ago!

However, I am completely calm at this moment.

At times like this, we should follow the usual practice and flee the area. We must never choose to fight back; ensuring the safety of the third squad should be our top priority.

Even without needing to conceal my identity, in this situation, my only option is to avoid fighting the floor master. Even though my level is higher than theirs, ordinary monsters are no match for the floor master. Something could easily go wrong. Even if I cover their retreat, without me, the "third squad" could still fail if they encounter other dangers. Now is not the time to "take risks"; I must completely eliminate all risks.

I was at the very back of the group, carefully measuring how far our squad was from the giant looking down at us, and constantly calculating our remaining time as we entered the countdown phase.

Run, run, and run again.

Nina and the others, just as the name suggests, desperately tried to get away from the ever-approaching immense pressure and murderous aura.

They cast aside their fatigue, worries, and fears, and focused all their energy on heading straight for the exit.

However, the little people were tripped by the shaken ground.

“Ah!”

"Chris!?"

Chris's expression froze with fear.

Nina and the others had despair on their faces.

Without thinking, I threw away my backpack.

“Ahh!?”

"Run, everyone!"

““!!””

Being at the very back of the line, I picked up that petite body without slowing down at all.

I held Chris in my arms and loudly reminded Nina and the others who had stopped in their tracks.

The "Third Squad" quickly recovered from their shock and once again ran forward with all their might.

I also pushed my legs hard against the ground, and rushed forward while holding Chris, whose cheeks were flushed and who was clinging tightly to my body.

"Run! Run! Run fast!!!"

As Iglin's screams were drowned out by the sounds of the Titans, I, positioned at the very back, was forced to make a cruel choice.

—It's too late.

—That pause just now was extremely fatal.

—Before we escape through the border, Goliath's attack will strike us first.

With both hands tied, I was unable to cast any spells (fire and lightning). It was all my fault for misjudging the situation.

"Ooh ooh ooh────"

A strong wind blew from behind, and you could feel Goliath raising his massive arm high above his head, preparing to unleash an attack powerful enough to crush everything.

You could hear Nina, Iglin, and Rachel, who had no strength left to turn around, all letting out desperate gasps.

Chris seemed unable to withstand the pressure and closed his eyes tightly while gripping my combat suit tightly.

Therefore, I took advantage of the moment when everyone was distracted to ring the "bell".

It only takes one second to charge up.

Pure white light gathered on my right foot.

Just as the destructive hammer swung down from above was about to wipe us out, I stomped my right foot on the ground.