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

Lefia was a step behind, but she also ran forward, leaping across the rooftops and dashing straight ahead.

As screaming citizens scattered and fled, Tiona and the others landed nimbly in the middle of the road with a thud.

"Where did Ganesha and his crew get this monster from...?"

"A new species, this...?"

As the smoke dissipated, the monster, sending chills down one's spine, raised its head in horror.

A slender torso with smooth skin. The head—the front part of the body—lacks eyes or other organs, and its somewhat swollen shape resembles a sunflower seed. The entire body has a pale yellowish-green hue, giving Tiona and the others an unsettling sense of déjà vu.

"A faceless snake" is probably the most apt description.

"Tiona, do it."

"understood."

"Lefia observes the situation and begins to chant."

“Okay, okay!”

Upon hearing the instructions given by Tione, whose eyes had sharpened, not only Tiona and the others, but even the monsters reacted.

The body that had grown from the ground began to stir, its consciousness aimed at its twin sister who was confronting it.

The next instant, its entire body unleashed an attack like a whip.

"!"

Tiona and Tione avoided the brute force of the physical collision.

The stone slabs were lifted, and the sound of shattering echoed everywhere. Stones struck the surrounding shops like bullets, leaving the storefronts riddled with holes, and the wide road, at least ten meters long, was once again shrouded in smoke.

The monster made a disgusting "gurgling" sound and twisted its slender body. Tiona and Tione immediately attacked it from a blind spot, punching and kicking it mercilessly.

"!"

"So hard—!"

They all expressed surprise the moment the blow hit their skin.

The attack, delivered with all its might, was blocked.

Despite being unarmed, a first-level adventurer's powerful strikes would normally shatter the flesh of an ordinary monster, yet they couldn't penetrate or shatter it. The smooth skin, which prided itself on its astonishing hardness, only suffered a slight dent, and instead, it caused damage to Tiona and the others' hands and feet.

Tiona shook her scraped right hand and widened her eyes.

"——!"

The monster reacted with pain from Tiona and the others' attacks, then launched a fierce counterattack as if venting its anger. Its body writhed violently like a raging torrent, trying to crush and scatter them.

The Amazonian sisters dodged the attack with ease, then delivered several punches all over their enemy's body.

"They're just going to keep hitting us!"

"Ah—, I should have prepared weapons—!"

The two gasped and shouted as they fought the snake-like monster.

They dodged all the enemy attacks that would have been fatal if they had been hit. The monster thrashed about with its whole body, but Tiona and the others nimbly evaded them by leaping around, never even getting a graze.

Neither side could deliver a fatal blow, and the battle remained deadlocked.

Outside of the battle, Lefia continued to chant, taking advantage of the time that Tiona and the others had gained.

"[Unleash a ray of light, the bow of sacred wood. You are a master archer.]"

Lacking a staff (equipment) that could enhance the effects of her magic, she stretched out an arm and chanted an incantation.

A short chant emphasizing speed. Although its output power is relatively low, it is well-suited for high-speed battles.

Moreover, the target was only focused on dealing with Tiona and the others' attacks, completely ignoring Lefia. This gave her more time to aim and strike.

With a deep golden magic circle drawn, Lefia quickly constructed a spell.

"Snipe, elven archer! Pierce through, arrow that never misses!"

Just as she completed the last syllable, her magic coalescing and about to be unleashed—the situation suddenly shifted.

The monster suddenly changed its posture and turned towards Lefia.

“—Huh?”

The unusually fast reaction speed, accompanied by a chill, shook Lefia's heart.

This caused the monster, which had previously shown no concern for her, to suddenly turn its faceless head toward her.

Its vision reacted to the "magic" as soon as it saw that Tiona and the others had begun to retreat.

Lefia intuitively realized this in the next instant.

The impact penetrated through his abdomen.

"--ah."

Yellowish-green protrusions extending from the ground.

A tentacle as thick as Lefia's arm struck her abdomen hard; she was completely unarmed and unprotected, without any protective gear or combat attire.

With a grating "gurgling" sound coming from inside her body, she coughed up blood.

"Lefia!"

The body floats into the air due to the reaction force, then falls to the ground back down.

Tiona and the others cried out anxiously, for the injury was fatal to the elf's frail body, and she could not get up from there.

The eerie tentacles that grew from the ground writhed horribly, and the snake-like monster also underwent a transformation.

The front part of its body lifted up, as if looking up at the sky, and then several lines cracked open from its head with a "plop plop" sound—and then it bloomed.

"Ooh o ...

A deafening roar, like a broken gong, resounded.

Countless petals bloomed.

The vibrant colors seemed to conceal a deadly poison.

In the center is a huge mouth filled with teeth, dripping with mucus.

Deep within the mouth of a living being, inside its pale red body, the magic stone reflected the sunlight, twinkling intermittently.

"It's not a snake...it's a flower!"

Tiona was greatly surprised when she saw the monster reveal its true form.

What appears to be a snake's slender body is actually a flower stem, and the faceless head is a flower bud.

The man-eating flower monster, its hideous appearance revealed by its blooming, clearly expressed its will towards Lefia. Countless tentacles branching from its body continuously protruded from the surrounding ground, while its main body crawled towards its prey like a snake.

"Lefia, get up!"

"Ugh—so annoying, get out of my way!"

Tiona and the others tried to run to her side, but were attacked by a swarm of tentacles. No matter how many punches they received, the yellowish-green protrusions kept coming, forming a restless jungle that blocked their path.

Tione's calls were useless; the monster was already close to Lefia, who was lying on the ground.

▲

"I don't want to," Lefia thought.

A long, massive body blocked out the sun. The black shadow enveloped her several attempts to rise. As for the repulsive carnivorous plant, its mouthful of teeth dripped sticky sap, which fell beside Lefia's face.

The screams around them seemed so distant. The civilians, their faces ashen, were frozen in terror as they watched Lefia about to be devoured. Panicked, they were dragged by the arms of guild staff and adventurers to safety.

"I don't want to, I don't want to," Lefia thought again.

She chanted in her mind: Arms, legs, body, move! Any part, move! Stand up! She spurred her trembling body, which couldn't get up no matter what she did.

However, time relentlessly passed. Before Lefia could recover, the hideous maw was already upon her.

"Ah," she lamented.

The gradually blurring eyes reflected the descending carnivorous plant.

No, no, that's enough.

Same. Again, the same.

Certainly.

I will definitely, again—

"Aa ...

Two beams of light, one gold and one silver, streaked across the field of vision.

The fierce sword flash that severed the enemy's head and the radiant glow of beautiful golden hair were imprinted on her regretful, tearful eyes.

I am certain that I will once again be protected by the girl I admire.

■

A scream rang out as the monster's severed head crashed into a corner of the building.

Ais landed heavily on the stone slab with a powerful swing, her slender sword gleaming. She then turned and looked back.

Just before it was about to bite Lefia, the monster's severed body suddenly leaned back, bent limply, and collapsed to the ground.

"Ais!"

The tentacles that attacked Tiona and the others also fell to the ground as if they had lost their strength.

"That was close," Ais thought as she rushed over.

Just as they had vanquished the six fleeing monsters, Ais spotted a completely unknown, mysterious monster in the distance—like Tiona and the others—and, propelled by an unseen force, rushed to the battlefield. She recklessly channeled her magic (wind) and unleashed a devastating attack upon entering, saving Lefia's life. Had she been even a fraction slower, Lefia might not have survived.

In her field of vision, Tiona and the others were walking towards her. Ais looked at Lefia.

She was worried about the elf girl who was still lying on the ground and wanted to rush to her side immediately.

However, a slight tremor in the ground slowed her down.

"...!"

The slight shaking then turned into a huge roar.

Just as Ais raised her sword, the nearby stone slabs began to bulge.

"W-What happened...?"

"Isn't this over yet?!"

It began with Tiona and the others screaming as a yellowish-green body emerged from the ground.

Three heads surround Ais.

The tightly closed flower buds burst open all at once, their enormous mouths seemingly looking down at her.

A warm breath fell on her cheek. Ais glared, about to strike the monster—without warning,

With a cracking sound, the slender sword shattered.

“——”

"ah--"

"this--"

Seeing their weapons destroyed, not only Ais, but also Tione and Tiona were speechless.

Unable to withstand the damage from the wind (Wind Spirit's dash) and Ais's fierce sword skills, the slender sword finally gave out.

She was still focused solely on hacking and slashing—no, it should be said that she had made this weapon her beloved sword (the sword of despair). The broken blade, like a taut string snapping, cracked at the break and shattered into pieces, telling her that it had long since exceeded its limits. Instantly, silver light scattered in all directions.

Oh no, I'm going to get yelled at.

When Ais broke the substitute sword, this was the first thing that came to her mind.

"——!"

The man-eating flower wriggled.

Ais dodged the three opponents that attacked her at once by jumping.

"!"