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

"Ah, Tione thinks so too?"

Tiony and Tiona looked up from the arena, their gaze sweeping towards the VIP seats at the very top—where the chief god Ganesha should be—and the figures of their guild members coming and going. Not only that, they also descended into the stands, whispering to every god or adventurer they encountered, seemingly asking them for something.

Their extremely tense actions made Tiona and the others vaguely sense that something was going on.

"What should we do?"

"...Let's go check on the situation."

Tiony answered Lefia, rising from the audience.

The three of them ran up the stairs through the enthusiastic audience.

■

"What are the children on Ganesha's side doing, Missia?"

"Uh, well, they prioritized the safety of citizens and cooperated with us to guide residents of the East District to evacuate."

"Hmm... we probably won't get any useful information under these circumstances. Let Ais handle the monster."

After listening to the guild staff's somewhat incoherent explanation, Loki looked around.

The plaza surrounding the arena finally began to move in unison. Guild members in black suits took on their duties, bustling about and frequently discussing tactics with the armed members of the Ganesha Familia. A few other adventurers, who could be seen offering assistance, immediately ran out of the plaza upon hearing instructions.

From afar, the howls of monsters echoed from the city streets.

"Loki!"

"Oh?"

Seeing Tiona and the others running towards him, Loki raised a hand to welcome them.

They had sensed the seriousness of the situation from their surroundings and had come to inquire about the details.

"In short, the monster ran away. They say it's been wandering around here."

"Oh, isn't that terrible!"

"Yeah, that's terrible."

Tiona was extremely surprised; in contrast, Loki remained calm.

She pressed Loki, saying, "Why do you sound so nonchalant!" Loki, with a wry smile, gave the instruction:

"Tiona, if Ais manages to defeat a monster, can you help her? Oh, and I should move too. You guys find a place with a good view and wait there."

"Has Miss Ais already gone to find the monster?"

"No, I haven't gone yet."

"Huh? Where is she?"

Loki answered Lefia and Tione's questions with just one finger.

She pointed to a distant corner of the arena overhead.

"there."

The wind howled.

Ais's beautiful long golden hair was blown by the wind as she looked down at the street scene from above the arena.

The outer perimeter of the arena was originally inaccessible. The outer section, with its rooftop offering no proper foothold, was the highest point in the area. From this vantage point, one could see every corner of the complex network of roads, from East Street to the main thoroughfare.

Chasing after monsters scattered throughout the streets is inefficient and a waste of time.

—Assess the enemy's position from a high vantage point, then strike swiftly and accurately.

This was Loki's plan to whisper to Ais.

"...Found it."

Not only could it be seen with the naked eye, but there was also a wind direction on the ground (here) that the dungeon did not have. Ais sensitively sensed that the vibration of the roar came on part of the magic (Wind Spirit Run), and in an instant she analyzed the location of the monster.

A total of eight monsters have been identified in the vicinity. According to intelligence, nine have escaped, and one remains missing.

Not wanting to spend too much time, Ais abandoned the search for the enemy and drew the slender sword from her waist.

"【Wake up】."

She re-entwined herself with the rising wind.

With one foot on the edge, as if propelled forward by the shouts of the audience behind him, his body fell forward.

A brief feeling of floating as you leap off a man-made cliff.

In her increasingly tilted field of vision, she fixed her golden eyes on the nearest monster.

Eliminate them at full speed.

"Miniature strong wind"

He kicked off the wall with his foot.

Using herself as a bullet, Ais decisively launched a long-range attack.

"!"

“What’s going on!?”

Run through.

Like a cannonball, she shattered the "giant" that was running wildly down the middle of the road from behind. The adventurers who were preparing to deal with the giant monster were all taken aback, and the loud bang startled the citizens who had no time to escape.

(One!)

Amidst the explosion of dust, Ais, who had been slicing through the stone slabs with overwhelming force, immediately turned around. She sped across the crossroads, carried by a sudden gust of wind—and then cleaved the monster's body that appeared before her.

"—Gah!"

(Both ends!)

The momentum is unstoppable.

She leaped onto the roof of a three-story building, dashed over several buildings in one breath, and landed on the ground as soon as her target came into view. She spotted the monster that had raised its head after noticing the shadow running on the stone slabs and immediately launched her attack.

(Three heads!)

Based on the monster's location obtained from the arena and the city's overhead map, Ais's actions were perfectly correct and invincible. She sped forward, kicking up dust and whistling wind, discovering and defeating the monster before anyone else.

In a flash, Ais closed in on the deer-like monster "Swordhorn Deer," which boasted strong limbs and moved at high speed. She ran over building walls, ignoring the terrain, and delivered a slash to the enemy.

(Four heads!)

Golden Gale, carrying a sword, ran through the streets.

■

"Please follow the staff's instructions to evacuate! There are no monsters nearby, please remain calm!"

"My daughter, my daughter is missing! She got lost in this crowd...!"

"Please calm down. Can you tell me about your daughter's features?"

Guild staff desperately tried to calm the chaotic civilians. They endured a mix of roars and screams, and with the help of other adventurers, they worked to carry out a evacuation operation.

Loki looked down at the half-elf female employee talking to the orc mother, then suddenly heard the monster let out another death scream and looked up.

"I'm really sorry to Tiona and the others, it seems Ais can handle them all by herself..."

She moved from the arena to the towering clock tower, gazing at the distant scenery and murmuring to herself.

Ahead, the blonde girl was moving through the vast city without stopping for a moment.

At this moment, she cut down another monster she had discovered.

"But then again... there's definitely something wrong with this commotion."

Thanks to the actions of the guild staff and the Ganesha Familia, the residents of the surrounding area are all safe and sound. Loki listened intently to their voices and learned that none of those who had completed their evacuation were injured.

Perhaps they should be praised for their efforts to protect the safety of citizens, but for Loki, it was unexpected.

(Not only were there no deaths, but there weren't even any injuries. How could something so good happen...? What monster doesn't attack humans (children)?)

Loki stared intently in one direction, where a monster was running wildly around a street corner, ignoring the screams of the demi-humans. It looked around as if searching for something, excitedly pushing and trampling obstacles, rudely pacing back and forth.

"Well, I wonder what will happen next..."

Ais has dealt with the monster in front of her again.

The guy who could pull off such a trick, or rather, dare to do such a thing—thinking of this, the seductive smile hidden under the hoodie and the shimmering silver hair flashed through her mind.

"--ah?"

Loki abruptly looked down at his feet.

The floor shook.

Although it wasn't quite unstable, the clock tower did sway for a moment.

She leaned out and looked around at the street scene.

"Was it an earthquake...?"

■

"Wow—it seems like it's really not our turn to perform."

Tiona and the others, who were moving along the roof of the house, stopped.

Ais not only didn't miss any monsters, but she also killed each one without needing Tiona's or the others' help.

A gentle breeze wafted by, caressing their hair.

"It feels like having food right in front of you, only to have it eaten immediately."

"Ah, I think I can understand."

"...Two or two people who aren't carrying weapons are quite outspoken."

Tiona and the others didn't bring any weapons today. They felt it would be inconvenient to bring their large weapons and staffs to the monster festival. As for armor, that goes without saying.

Just when she was about to make a wasted trip because she couldn't get involved, she heard the Amazon sisters say that all she needed was a body, which made Lefia force a smile.

"...?"

"Tiona?"

"What's wrong?"

Tiona raised her eyebrows in surprise, like a nervous wildcat looking around.

With a tense expression, she began to speak:

Is the ground shaking?

"...Really?"

"Earthquake...it doesn't seem like it."

The random shaking felt nothing like an earthquake, which made Tiona and the others feel a sense of crisis.

The senses they developed in the dungeon meant that even the smallest, most insignificant thing, or any omen, could trigger a reaction in them.

Followed by.

Just as they naturally became more vigilant, a loud explosion of something suddenly rang out.

"!"

The three people's attention was suddenly drawn to a corner of the road where a large amount of smoke and dust was billowing.

"Ah ...

Then a woman screamed.

The tremor caused by the smoke and the emergence from the depths of the fog revealed a long, monstrous creature resembling a giant snake that pushed aside the stone slabs and emerged from the ground.

A chill ran down my neck.

Tiona and the others' expressions changed drastically.

"Tione, that guy is in serious trouble!"

"Let's go."

As they shouted, they rushed out.