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

"——!"

A right-arm attack, like a tightly wound spring, was unleashed. The iron fist circled halfway around Goliath, creating a whirlwind. Sakura and the others managed to escape at the last second, but were still thrown back by the rippled earth.

Goliath resumed his pursuit, opening his mouth to aim at the cherry blossoms and life that had rolled on the grassland.

"Burn away completely, external practices."

In an instant, the monster, which was about to roar (bowl), was attacked by a huge explosion.

A muffled scream erupted, and remnants of the sunfire vanished around his face amidst sparks and smoke. Welf, having activated anti-magic magic, stretched out his arm towards Goliath, who was spewing black smoke.

The "bowl," filled with magic orbs, was forcibly interrupted. He watched intently from a corner of the prairie, peering into the depths of the thick smoke... his eyes darting around.

Goliath, his large eyes bloodshot and poised for a bombardment, burst into Welf's wide-eyed gaze. Ignoring his burned face and mouth, the Titan unleashed a "bowl."

"call!"

“Ouch!”

The "bowl" aimed at Welf missed. It was Ryu who saved Welf, who cried out "Ugh!?"

She kicked and sprinted, quickly scaling the seven-meter-tall giant's back and launching a powerful attack on the back of his head, thus avoiding the "bowl's" firing angle. Using the recoil from her swing of the wooden sword, she kicked Goliath in the cheek before immediately retreating.

"So hard...and so fast. Definitely different from the usual floor master (Goliath)."

The standard Goliath that appeared on the 17th floor was equivalent to Lv.4 in strength. Ryu and her past companions had defeated the same monster several times, and based on her experience, the individual she was facing now was incomparable to them. Its defensive power could even numb her hands, and it possessed a long-range weapon called "Bowl" that it didn't have before. Most terrifying of all was the reaction and agility that a super-large monster shouldn't have.

—The enemy's potential can reach Lv.5.

Ryu made this judgment. At the same time, she banished pessimism and despair, and in this state, she explored the possibility of defeating the enemy on her own.

Escape was pointless. The moment Ryu turned his back on that giant, even the slightest breach in his fighting spirit, he would be devoured alive. Years of accumulated experience and instinct told him this with absolute certainty.

Wielding the wooden sword "Elven Radiance," crafted from a branch of a great sacred tree in a certain elven forest, the beautiful elven warrior focuses on harassing the enemy, repeatedly aiming her attacks at their feet.

"Wa ...

Only Ryu, at level 4, possessed enough attack power to inflict a "painful blow" on Goliath. Moreover, led by her, many other brave and fearless little figures moved about around them.

Goliath was furious, seemingly annoyed by these people, and he waved his arms and roared loudly.

It is about 100 meters southeast of the area where Ryu and his men fought Goliath.

Modo and his gang are engaged in a battle involving both allies and enemies, after being attacked by hordes of monsters.

"Scott, Kyle, where are you! Help me! Help me, please!"

As the monster's roars mingled with the adventurers' screams, Mordo also descended into near madness. He called out the names of his two companions, but no one answered his cries.

Giant beetles (Crazy Beetles), monstrous bears (Berg Bears), sniping dragonflies (Dragonfly Monsters), fierce bulls (Minotaurs)... all sorts of mid-level monsters swarmed in from all directions, endlessly waving their sharp teeth, claws, and horns at Mordo. He tried his best to dodge the attacks and counterattacked with the longswords he held in both hands, but the enemy's assault never seemed to end.

The monsters attacking from all directions, regardless of front, back, left, or right, were pushing Modo's rationality to its limit.

"Gaa ...

“Ouch!”

Berg Bear's sweeping attack struck Modo's shoulder. His armor was torn apart by the claws, and his longsword flew into the air in an arc. Modo himself was slammed to the ground by the monstrous force.

He pressed his shoulder, and the three-headed Berg Bear easily approached him.

Looking down at him from such a massive body, Modo's face contorted with fear, making him resemble an old woman.

The monster bared its countless hideous fangs and was about to crush him.

"Stop, stop! Aa ...

Then, before his scream could turn into a death scream...

A faster, sharper flash of light entered Motoro's field of vision.

"...Huh?"

The one who wielded the Modo sword and chopped off the monster's head was a white-haired boy.

The boy shielded the supine Modo with his back, and in a split second, thrust his sword into the chest of the remaining Berg bear. The pierced body of "Magic Stone" turned to dust and crumbled into pieces.

The last monstrous bear swung its paw horizontally, but he ducked at the last second, swung his longsword upwards, and defeated the monster.

"...Why... you bastard..."

Other monsters immediately pressed forward. The boy didn't even have time to catch his breath before engaging in battle with a new wave of enemies. Seeing this, Modo muttered hoarsely to himself.

Suddenly someone reached out and grabbed the back of his neck.

"You're getting in Bell's way here, move out!"

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Who are you?! My butt!"

Before his vision could even shift, Modo was already being dragged away, still lying on the ground.

The little girl Lily, carrying a large backpack, ruthlessly carried his body with one hand—in exactly the same way the supporters moved the monster's carcass. Sharp crystals growing throughout the grassland stung Modo, causing him to cry out in pain.

Lily's running route was perfectly accurate. She displayed professional skill, accurately discerning the relative positions of the adventurers and monsters, weaving between them without being affected. She dragged Modo's body from side to side, repeatedly changing direction, and in no time, she escaped the war zone.

"If you are no longer able to fight, then please find a place to hide, or run far away. Lord Bell saved your life, don't waste it."

Once they reached the grasslands far from the battlefield and free of monsters, Lily finally released Modo.

Motoro, who had been standing there in a daze, hurriedly got up and asked her:

"Hey, hey! Why... are you saving us?"

Bell was still on the battlefield, his white hair disheveled as he swung his sword repeatedly, just as he had when rescuing Modo, trying to save the other adventurers. His outstretched arm unleashed bursts of fire and lightning to slaughter monsters, rescuing them even from a distance.

Modo gazed at the scene before him and asked Lily a question. Lily turned around and answered.

"Let's thank Lord Bell for his overly kind nature!"

She closed her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and then went to Bell and the others again.

Hearing the "clattering" of footsteps getting farther and farther away, Modo was abandoned by someone.

He stared blankly at himself with a defeated expression, muttering:

"What do you mean...?"

Only the clanging of swords and halberds answered him.

□

"Chigusa, are we really sure it's okay for us to leave that place?"

"Y-yes...we need to collect weapons first..."

Located to the west of the Great Plains where Bear and others are located.

Hestia and Chigusa grabbed their bags and backpacks containing props and headed to the lake.

"I haven't seen it myself, I've only heard people talk about it... When fighting the floor master, weapons and shields break very quickly, so we need to prepare spare equipment, otherwise Sakura and the others..."

Hearing Chigusa's halting words, half-hidden behind her bangs, Hestia replied, "I see." Indeed, fighting those unconventional monsters for an extended period would surely wear out equipment very quickly.

Meanwhile, Hestia and Chigusa were heading towards Rivera Town. They planned to try and persuade the townspeople to secure their weapons. Chigusa, at Lv.1, was out of the question, and Hestia, with zero abilities, would likely only be a hindrance if she stayed on the battlefield. Therefore, they entrusted Lily with supporting Bell and the others, avoiding combat and focusing on logistical support.

"Ugh...! Chi-Chigusa!"

"...!"

Just as they finally managed to spot the wooden bridge over the lake leading to the island, the Berg Bear charged menacingly towards them. Despite having avoided the monster's gaze along the way, they were caught red-handed at this moment.

Berg Bear charged forward with unstoppable momentum, its limbs flailing. Chigusa, determined to fight to the death, stood in front of Hestia—suddenly, an arrow flew and pierced the monster's eye.

"oh!"

The monster writhed in agony, attacked by an elven archer. Not only him, but also adventurers from Rivera Town marched in to fight.

The army advanced towards the vast grassland behind Hestia and her companions, where the floor master was located.

"Chigusa, reinforcements!"

"The adventurers in town...!"

Seeing the high-level adventurers run past them, Hestia and Chigusa blushed with excitement.

The adventurers brushed past Hestia and her companions, launching their attack and exchanging instructions in rapid succession, pointing in a certain direction. Then, they nodded to each other and split into several groups: some annihilated the monsters along the way; some rushed to Bell and the others who were surrounded by monsters; and another group went straight for the floor master.

The adventurers raised their swords high and shouted.

"It's only at times like this that it's truly reliable!"

The first of the reinforcements to arrive at Ryu's side was Asphie.

Ignoring the shouts from the adventurers behind her, she strode across the grassland, taking two small bottles from a leather case on her thick belt and throwing them at Goliath.

The giant, who was being manipulated at will by Ryūrai's movements, was hit in the cheek by the small bottle, causing a huge explosion.

“Ooo ...

"Hey, only burns? Please...!"

If it were a mid-level monster, a single bottle of explosive oil would be enough to shatter it into pieces—even though both of her specially made grenades, crafted by a magical artifact maker, hit Goliath directly, Goliath's skin remained completely unharmed.

The giant monster unleashed a "bowl," but she easily dodged it and temporarily reunited with Ryu.

"Hayate (Ryuu)! I think I don't need to explain, but reinforcements will be here soon, prepare for a simultaneous attack. Please draw Goliath's attention!"

"Understood. Then I'll help you distract the enemy."

"Wait, something's not right—"

"Alright! You lot! Andromeda will be the bait, don't worry, start chanting!"

"—Perse! Remember this!"

Reluctantly, Asphie took on the most dangerous role of luring the enemy, running in the opposite direction from Ryu and moving around Goliath. The giants' attacks were temporarily focused on them, who prided themselves on their speed.

"There are plenty of weapons, damn it! If yours gets worn out, hurry up and get a new one!"

The scene shifts to a small hill some distance from Goliath. Directly south of the point where the crushed central tree and the cave align, the adventurers (residents) of Rivera Town have set up a temporary outpost. Swords, spears, and halberds are planted in the ground, and shields are lined up, providing spare equipment for the adventurers. The muscular dwarves and orcs unceremoniously grab greatswords and shields and leave, with Hestia and Chigusa arriving a little later.

"This...this should offer some hope!"

"Wow, that's amazing..."

Before Hestia and Chigusa's eyes, a hundred adventurers, having crossed the [Family] barrier, were gradually surrounding the giant monster.

"Surround it, surround it—!"

The adventurers moved continuously, gradually surrounding Goliath. These were not well-coordinated companions; from the beginning, they abandoned meticulous teamwork, maintaining a certain distance to avoid hindering each other and acting independently.

The mages, including the elves, gathered in several locations and began chanting "magic." Only a few had richly varied magic circles blooming beneath their feet. These were enhancement devices that amplified the power or range of magic, and only those who had mastered the "magic" ability were entitled to use them; they could also be considered proof of being high-ranking mages.

A powerful barrage of lengthy chants is poised to be unleashed.

As they weave beautiful incantations (melodies), the dwarves wielding large shields are responsible for protecting these unsuspecting mages.

"—Drink it!"

Goliath sensed danger and unleashed a "bowl," but it was blocked by the shields of the dwarves forming the vanguard wall. Not even a wisp of the aftershock reached the mages in the rear.

The power of "bowl" is less than that of a giant's direct attack. As long as they are not hit directly by the wildly swinging arms and legs, they are fully capable of defending themselves with their shields raised.

The massive forward wall also included Lv.3 individuals. These forwards judged that only Goliath's giant arm could not stop them, so they handed over all the frontline attacks to Ryu and Asphie, while they focused on protecting the mages.

"The forwards must attack! They should teach that giant a lesson and make a name for themselves!"

Ignoring the mages and the wall of vanguard attackers, the reckless forward attackers also set out. One person shouted to encourage the others, and the others, full of fighting spirit, declared that this was exactly what they wanted. They formed small teams of four or five and bravely charged towards the enemy.

Seizing the moment when Ryu and Asphie drew Goliath's attention, the giant attacked with greatswords, a destructive hammer, and axes. Multiple impacts shook the giant's lower body; it glared fiercely, but Asphie's explosives destroyed its vision. The monster roared, but the six teams of adventurers ignored them, relentlessly hacking and slashing at it.

"Bell, are you alright?"

"Welf!"

Bell arrived at the battlefield after being rescued by the adventurers' reinforcements and Mordo's group. Just as he was being overwhelmed by the overwhelming chants and shouts from all sides, Welf ran to his side.

"Where are Miss Ming and the others?"

"It's alright, they're dealing with other monsters."

Monsters beyond Goliath continue to attack. The cave leading to the 17th floor and the tree hole of the central tree are blocked, so there won't be any more monsters, but there are still enough remaining on the 18th floor. The adventurers fight hard to keep the monsters away from the mages and supply points, and Bell finds the figures of Life and Sakura among them.

"What about you? Want to join us in fighting the monsters around us?"

"I……"

Bell hesitated for a moment, then someone called to him from afar.