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

"Tell Enyo that it's time to take action on his own sometimes."

Turning her back to the trembling man in the hooded robe, Rives began to walk deeper into the cave.

"That's all I have to say. Get out of here."

Upon hearing these words, a few drops of red blood began to drip from the masked man's feet.

Looking up, several man-eating flowers were blooming on the ceiling above, writhing there, their countless tentacles capturing a large number of monsters.

The pitiful offering, its flesh constricted and bleeding by the tentacles, fell again beside Revis with a thud. The monster wielding the man-eating flowers began to devour these monsters, as well as the dragons pinned to the ground by their weapons.

Faced with the woman's pitiful dinner, the masked man turned and left.

The monster's scream came from behind again, and its blue-purple hooded robe swayed in disgust.

◆

Deep within the labyrinth where there is no sunrise or sunset, only the hands of a clock tell everyone that the next morning has arrived.

Many tents erected in the battleground were shrouded in the dim light and phosphorescence of the building. The girl snapped shut the silver watch in her hand, which was carved with leaves and trees.

Sword, wand, double-edged sword, cleaver, silver boots, long staff, great axe, spear.

Numerous adventurers gazed at the various weapons that radiated light.

The clown flag, erected at their camp, also gazed at the crowd with a comical smile. The leader of the dwarfs then spoke.

"--Set off."

With a steady command, Finn led the elite Loki Familia out of the campsite.

The members who remained at the base shouted farewell to the master blacksmiths as they descended the giant rock and began their journey through the gray forest.

The squad consists of seven combatants, five supporters, and one blacksmith, totaling thirteen people.

The midfielders are Bert and Tiona, the center-backs are Ais and Tione, and then Finn.

The defenders are Riveria and Grace. Although some personnel deployments have changed, it is still the golden formation of the Loki Familia's first-class adventurer squad. This deployment, with two supporters carrying weapons and items on each side, forms the current formation. Tsubaki, as a guest general and technician, is positioned in the center of defense, where the leader (Finn) is located.

The supporters, carrying large backpacks loaded with massive weapons and shields, made their way towards the large hole at the western end of the 50th floor.

"Ugh, why do I have to be a forward with Bert?!"

"Shut up, you stupid Amazons."

As the supporters grew tense and fell silent, Tiona, carrying a greatsword of indestructible attribute, complained. Bert, fully armed, wearing silver boots (Frosvelt), with the indestructible twin swords "Roland's Twin Blades" at his waist, and leg pouches adorned with more than ten "magic swords," didn't even glance at her, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Ha, ha! The Loki Familia is always so lively."

Seeing that the vanguard attackers weren't fighting hard but just bickering, Tsubaki, who had her hand on the hilt of her katana, chuckled. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Finn, standing beside him, gave a wry smile.

"Lefia, your breathing is rapid. Relax your body."

"Yes, yes, Lady Rivera!"

"I won't make you end up like Tiona and the others, but... well, just be calm. What mages need is courage in emergencies. Hey, Raul, you too!"

"Okay, okay!?"

Hearing Riveria's words from beside her, Lefia, who was positioned in the support role at defense, took her advice to heart. The royal closed one eye, remaining as composed as ever, her emerald eyes reminding her not to forget the "Heart of the Great Tree." Behind the two elves, Grace, covering the rear for the squad, stroked his beard and shouted loudly at Raul, who was huddled in a ball at center-back.

Surrounded by completely composed first-level adventurers, the long-haired female warrior (Amazon) and the blonde, golden-eyed swordsman standing in the center in front of Lefia turned around. Tione winked at her as she walked, and Ais gave a small smile in return.

Seeing them smile at her, Lefia naturally smiled back, nodded, slung her cylindrical backpack back on, and followed the group. The magic gem at the tip of the girl's wand emitted a faint blue-white light.

"Alright, from now on, no more chatting. Everyone, prepare for battle."

Soon the group passed through the large gray forest, and a large hole appeared before them, Finn said.

A large opening in the western wall of the building—a passageway connecting the 50th and 51st floors—forms a precipitous ramp. Looking down at this cliff-like slope, several pairs of monstrous eyes can already be seen in the darkness below.

The entire squad silently raised their weapons. Finn, carrying a long spear, spoke:

"—Go, Bert, Tiona."

go ahead.

The ferocious werewolf and the fierce female warrior (Amazon) transformed into the wind and rushed down the steep slope.

The squad followed behind them, and the attack on the uncharted territory began.

As soon as they left the safe floor, they were immediately engaged in battle with the monsters. Bert's silver boots and Tiona's greatsword dealt with them in the blink of an eye.

"Follow the planned route! Stay alert and don't let the new species get close!"

From the 51st level to the even deeper 57th level, there is a rare labyrinthine structure in the "Deep Layer". The black lead-colored underground city structure depicts flat ceilings and walls, with intricate and unified passageways connecting the caves.

As if returning to the original intention, the maze has the same structure as the "shallow layer", but its scale and breadth are completely different. The team moves forward at a fast pace and follows Finn's instructions.

Unnecessary battles are forbidden, let alone wasting resources.

With the goal of reaching the 59th floor of the unreached area, the group sped through the underground city.

"A monster is about to emerge from the passage ahead."

"Never mind the vanguard! Ais, Tione, take care of them!"

"yes!"

The swordsman's keen intuition predicted that a monster was about to emerge from the passage, and Finn shouted out instructions.

The passage Bert and his companions had taken directly through had cracks appearing in the walls on both sides, and just as Ais had said, the "Black Rhinoceros" horde burst through the walls. In an instant, two recurve blades and a rapier (the Sword of Despair) tore the newly born rhinoceros monsters to pieces.

"You guys better not fall behind the group!"

Grace smashed the pursuing monster with his axe and shouted loudly to the last members of the squad.

The dungeon is roaring, and monsters from all directions are trying to stop the adventurers who are invading the labyrinth.

From the fork in the road, from the crossroads ahead, from the ceiling, from the wall.

A series of encounters with monsters, the threat from the "deep layer." Black rhynos and giant spiders (deformed spiders) attack from all directions at a frequency that no floor has ever seen before.

The team battled the surging monsters, but they were never afraid.

"Garua ...

Bert charged headlong into the monsters blocking his path, delivering a lightning-fast kick followed by a spinning backfist, sending all the enemies flying. [The Ferocious Wolf] ignored the limp, fallen corpses and continued to tear more enemies to shreds.

He fully utilized his speed, originally intended for guerrilla warfare, employing hit-and-run tactics to attack ahead of the main force, crushing a monster in one blow. The werewolf, with his high-speed movement and wild kicks, carved a path for the squad.

"Brother Bert is even fiercer than usual..."

Seeing the werewolf succumb to its boiling blood and produce monstrous corpses, one of the vanguard supporters, armed with a longsword for self-defense in one hand, trembled with fear and whispered.

He gasped. Before him, “Ber is so arrogant—!” The female warrior (Amazonian) burning with competitive spirit was also wielding her greatsword and swiftly killing enemies.

"Hmm, the fighting is even more intense than I've heard. — Oh! Got it!"

Chun squinted at the battle unfolding before her, instantly slaying the attacking black rhinoceros with her katana and grabbing the "black rhinoceros horn" that emerged from the collapsing dust. The blacksmith, speaking in the language of the gods, happily tossed the rhinoceros horn into his backpack.

The katana flashed from its sheath, a sonic-speed iaido technique.

Raul, who was running alongside her, groaned as he witnessed a series of Iaijutsu slashes that were indistinguishable to the naked eye.

"Miss Tsubaki, you're a blacksmith, how can you be so skilled...?"

"Well, don't all weapons need to be tested before use? I wanted to know how effective my creation would be against the dungeon monsters... so I kept burrowing underground and hacking and slashing, and that's how I got stronger."

"What the hell? That's terrifying!" Raul was terrified by what the simple-minded blacksmith said.

The half-dwarf, focused on collecting weapon materials (dropped items), also dragged in the surrounding supporters, acting on his own, but not to the point of hindering the team's progress.

"Lefia, don't refine the 'magic' rashly, it will attract those new species. We can chant it when we encounter them. For now, leave it to Ais and the others."

"I...I understand!"

Surrounded by her teammates in the defensive position, Riveria and Lefia ran close together.

Emerald eyes served as a reminder to the still-growing girl, while also constantly observing her surroundings. The mages who controlled the squad's firepower trusted their comrades.

Make all the necessary preparations and wait to take the stage.

"Navi, give me the Great Twin Blades (Ulga)!"

"yes!"

Without turning her head, Tiona threw the greatsword with the non-damaging attribute behind her back and exchanged weapons. The female member of the Lv.4 Vanguard Supporter group tossed her the Great Twin Blades (Ulga's Biography).

Equipped with heavy weapons made of super-hard metal (hard steel), Tiona stared intently at the thick wall of flesh formed by the monsters gathered before her, and dashed out.

She ran past Bert and charged into an army of up to twenty monsters.

"I'm going to... go for it—!!"

She used her entire body, truly pouring all her strength into it, to unleash the Whirlwind Slash.

With a spinning top-like slash using its massive double blades, it sliced ​​all the monsters in its path in two.

Tiona, accompanied by her dying screams, unleashed a bloody storm. Just then, she noticed a noisy attack coming from the distance along the path she had fought her way through.

"—It's here, a new species!"

Yellow-green clumps flooded the entire wide passageway.

Its skin, ravaged by vibrant colors, is reminiscent of a manta ray with its wide, flat arms. A cluster of wart-like appendages resembles a war chariot, and its body is filled with a corrosive liquid capable of dissolving everything.

The Loki Familia have finally encountered their most wary larval monster.

"Change formation!! Tiona, retreat!"

Commander (Finn) immediately issued an emergency order.

As soon as he shouted, Ais immediately switched places with Tiona, who was retreating, and rushed out of the center-back position.

"【Wake up】."

Ais activated her magic and, shoulder to shoulder with Bert who was running forward, launched an attack.

"Ais, give her to me!"

"—The wind."

At Bert's request, the power of the wind was transferred to the silver metal boots.

The werewolf swirled the air around the Frosvelt armor on his feet and drew his twin swords from his waist.

Blessed by the wind and possessing indestructible weapons, the two leaped out and jumped towards the larval-type squadron.

"Ooh o ...

The shattered gong screamed and shook the surroundings.

The corrosive liquid sprayed from the enemy's mouth was deflected by the wind armor, and then the sword light with the indestructible attribute tore the monster to pieces.

Ais and Bert displayed their skills amidst the strong winds, ensuring not a single drop of corrosive liquid spilled on their companions behind them. Even if the monsters simultaneously shot out liquid or exploded, spraying bodily fluids, the result was the same. Bert's whirlwind kick pierced through several enemies in one go, while Ais's lightning-fast slash sliced ​​through a massive body in one go; against enemies with indestructible attributes, there was no way they could damage their weapons.

Including their joint operation, the city's largest faction (Loki's Familia) came prepared and were no longer going to lose to the new species (monsters). Ais and her companions used the Wind Armor, which the larval type was least effective against, to ravage the enemy, slaughtering all the monsters like a raging torrent.

They repelled the enemy's advance.

"[A sealed-off light, a frozen earth. Snowflakes falling from the sky, three harsh winters—my name is Alfre!]!!"

"Everyone, disperse!"

Behind Ais and the others' struggle, Riveria's "parallel chanting" came to an end in the blink of an eye.

At Finn's command, the vanguard and center guards instantly retreated to the left and right, forming a gun-muzzle formation.

An emerald-colored magic circle appeared in the center of the cannon.

The silver staff was raised—the first-tier magical weapon, the Great Elf, burst forth with a flash of ice and snow.

"[Ecstasy: Fimbulb Winter]!"

Three blizzards sped along the passage.

The azure and snow-white bombardment, along with the labyrinth, froze all the monsters ahead. As Ais and Bert sought refuge in the side passage, the straight path stretched all the way to its farthest end, transforming into a world of azure ice.

From frozen larvae to monsters caught in the crossfire, they all became countless ice sculptures standing everywhere.

"Oh my, what amazing 'magic'! I wish I could use a 'magic sword' to unleash it."

"If that were really the case, we mages would lose face."

In the frozen underground city, Tsubaki cried out, "Oh—it's so cold, so cold!" rubbing her arms. Rivera gave her a wry smile. Ais and Bert rejoined the team, and just in case, they ran through the passageways, smashing all the monster ice sculptures.