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

Lily turned around and asked, her expression also looking rather grim.

Although the two, unlike Welf, have gained the "development ability" of "abnormal resistance," their effect is still only at a low level and insufficient to completely isolate them from toxins. This also proves just how troublesome and powerful the "abnormal attacks" of the poisonous mushrooms are.

The "Great Tree Maze" torments adventurers not only through direct combat.

"Lady Winnie... seems to be completely alright."

"...? I'm fine?"

Winnie is a monster from the middle zone and a powerful dragon. She may have a strong resistance to "abnormal effects." Although she expressed concern for Bell and the others, she herself seemed to be in good health.

Lily sighed and instructed Chunji to drink the antidote with her, just in case.

"Where are Lord Fate and Lord Bell...?"

"Then give us one, I'll share it with Lord Bell."

His fate took advantage of the frugality he had developed in the impoverished faction (Takemikazuchi clan), and without much thought, he made this request to Haruhime.

Bell took the antidote from the Mih mark and said, "Th-then..." He drank some first, and when he handed the medicine to the girl, she suddenly realized. Half the solution had been reduced—the antidote Bell had drunk from. She stared intently at the test tube in her hands, her face flushing. Haruhime, a beat slower, also realized her mistake; even the tips of her ears turned red, and she quickly covered her eyes with her hands.

Ming blushed for a moment, then said, "Whatever!" and drank it all in one gulp.

Even Bell blushed, "Yeah, there's that trick too..." Lily flicked her finger in annoyance.

“——”

Then, after the team had all received treatment.

Winnie's ears twitched.

"There's a sound!"

"what?"

Winnie turned to look behind her as her distorted, elf-like pointed ears twitched.

Silence fell. The girl gazed back at the path she had come from. Bell followed her gaze, but found nothing amiss. Just as Welf and the others beside her were looking on in bewilderment—

"……ah."

"I heard it, there really was a sound..."

Bell and Life's ears heard it clearly as well.

There was a sound.

They had never heard such strange noises since they entered this floor.

Winnie, displaying a "monster" hearing superior to Bell and the others, revealed a fearful expression as if she had witnessed a murderous attack, and took a few steps back.

"The sound of flapping wings? No, this is..."

It didn't sound like the screams of its peers, the sounds of swords and spears, or the roars of monsters at all.

It wasn't the sound of birds flapping their wings, but a strange, intense sound—a series of striking sounds—that made even Lily break out in a sweat. She picked up her backpack from the ground again, while Welf beside her raised his large knife.

The mysterious sound grew louder and louder.

Something was approaching from the other end of the passage.

The squad seemed to be intimidated by an ominous premonition and slowly retreated.

Just as the air was stretched to its limit like a bowstring, the sound revealed its true nature.

"Tiger Head, Bee...?"

Far ahead, a swaying black shadow in the distance prompted Chunji to speak in a hoarse voice.

Its body, a black, armor-like insectoid, was shaped like a hideous, sharp angle, and was as large as an adult human. Its face had huge, pincer-like jaws, and protruding from the front of its body were poisonous stingers resembling large piles.

"...'Deadly Wasp'."

Bell's face turned pale as he called out the name of the monster.

These are bee-like monsters that appear starting from the 22nd floor. They are powerful monsters that prevent third- and second-level adventurers from entering the "lower floors".

Not only does it have a ferocious jaw, but its "poison needle," capable of piercing even heavy equipment, can send a Level 2 adventurer to their doom. Even if it avoids immediate death, fatal damage is inevitable. Its hardened shell deflects weaker attacks, making it resemble an evolved giant ant (a killer ant).

The fearsome nickname it earned was also inherited from the giant ant (killer ant) ​​as "newcomer killer," and it was called "high killer bee."

The killer bees flapped their two pairs of four wings, forming a large flock of at least twenty bees that flew over.

"—Run!!"

Welf's roar became the signal.

Turning their backs to the deadly hornet, the entire team began to run for their lives.

"It's a hornet! A hornet!! So big, so many!?"

"Now is not the time for you to be confused, Lady Haruhime!!"

"Bell, I'm scared!"

"I'm scared too!?"

In an instant, the group ran past the giant mushroom mass where the poisonous spores had dispersed, and the passage became long and wide once again.

A swarm of killer bees, spreading the destructive sound of flapping wings, advanced, and the squad screamed and fled for their lives. Some recalled being used as bait by their grandfather and chased around by hornets, while others remembered being stung on the tail in the mansion. Various nightmares returned to their minds, but things were not as simple as they used to be now.

Once caught, their bodies will be pierced with a large hole and gnawed to pieces by the giant jaws.

Bell and the others were covered in sweat, kicking and stomping on the ground formed by tree bark.

"Why did we have to run into those deadly wasps at this time?!"

"Stop talking nonsense and just run as fast as you can, Riko!!"

"Lily's running away already!!"

Seeing the unusual situation, Lily screamed and complained as she climbed upstairs, while Welf, carrying a large sword, roared.

While running away, the squad also had to coordinate with the slower supporters. Lily and Haruhime swung their legs wildly.

"...I used 'magic' to hold them back!"

"Don't do that, Bell! It won't work!"

The flying monsters soared freely through the air, making them impossible to cut with swords and blades.

Given the vast terrain where the squad was currently running, using quick-attack magic (fire and lightning) to take down the agile giant wasp (deadly wasp) would be extremely difficult. If the opponent escaped to a height of more than ten meters overhead, even the firepower of the "Demon Sword" would not be enough to eliminate it completely.

Most importantly, there are just too many of them.

Welf's claims were a drop in the ocean and futile.

"Besides, there's no time for that...!"

「!?」

The words Ming spoke while staring straight ahead startled Bell.

Giant beetles appeared in the passage, and the sight of numerous monsters attempting to block their path caused Bell's expression to contort, prompting him to quicken his pace. The two of them raced ahead of the team, beginning to clear away all obstacles.

"Ha, haa, haa...!?"

Run, run, run.

The formation was long gone, and the squad, with Welf in the rear, was running desperately.

The group ran directly past the corpses that Bell and Ming had fearlessly killed, heading deeper and deeper into the underground city.

Everyone was out of breath, their only thought being to escape the rapidly approaching swarm of killer bees.

"Lily, what's up ahead?!"

"It's a single path up to the 20th floor, so we should arrive soon...!"

While Bell was being countered, he instantly killed the bear beast, and Lily answered him loudly as if pleading.

The team followed the path, and just as she had said, at the deepest part of the enormous passage, a tree hollow with a wide opening appeared. It was a passageway leading to the next floor.

Bell and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they used all their remaining strength.

however.

With a crackling sound.

"————".

Crackling, crackling.

An ominous cracking sound emanated from the walls on both sides, echoing throughout the passage about fifty meters from the tree hole, and countless cracks appeared. Bell and the others were unable to make a sound, and at the same time, a large number of monsters were born from the walls all at once.

"Monster Party".

The vicious labyrinth trap (dungeon gimmick).

Mikoto reflexively used the [Yatagaraja (skill)], detecting a total of forty-four monsters.

Crazy Beetle Berg Bear Dragonfly Strange Dark Poison Mushroom Fighting Wild Boar

Giant beetles (crazy beetles), bear beasts (Pog Bear), sniper dragonflies (dragonfly monsters), giant pig mushrooms, and giant pigs—a monster army like a parade—blocked Bell and his companions' path.

A pincer attack. The dungeon, baring its fangs and claws, seemed poised to plunge the adventurers into an abyss of despair.

"ah--"

Countless murderous gazes froze Winnie's face.

Like her, who was also terrified, Bell and the others' feet were also swallowed by fear, and they were about to stop. However...

"--keep going-------------!!"

Welf wouldn't allow anyone to do that.

He gave orders to the hesitant squad at the top of his lungs.

Welf's voice gave everyone a push, and Bell and the others chose to believe him. The group kicked the ground, accelerating.

They charged toward the monsters that were letting out ferocious roars.

"!!"

Welf sheathed his right-hand sword in its scabbard on his back and leaped into the air.

He leaped onto the top of the squad, gripping the hilt of the longsword—the "Demon Sword"—in his left hand.

The next moment.

The moment he drew his sword, he swung the red sword out.

"Retsujin!!"

Crimson flames erupted.

The "Demon Sword" seemed to echo the will of its biological father, unleashing its maximum power—and letting out a crimson roar.

The astonishing heat from the explosion engulfed all the monsters blocking the passage, burning them along with their screams.

Bell and the others stared wide-eyed.

A flaming valley formed before my eyes.

The "Demon Sword's" fierce firepower caused the bark ground and walls to catch fire, causing the dungeon to wail in agony.

Bell and his team moved at top speed through the raging inferno, holding their breath to avoid burning their throats, pushing through the heatwave, and rushing across the path marked by countless sparks.

Just then, the "Demon Sword" made a cracking sound.

The maximum output of the bombardment seemed to have burned out its lifespan, and cracks appeared on the blade.

"Please! Hang in there...!"

Welf's expression twisted tragically as he called for the weapon in his hand.

The "Demon Sword" scattered fragments of its own body, as if it were using up its last bit of strength, and the rubies embedded in it shone brightly.

"——————————————————!!"

A massive swarm of wasps (deadly hornets) relentlessly advanced.

With only a few feet between them, countless killer bees emitted an even sharper flapping sound, attempting to sting the adventurers to death.

They aimed at the backs of their darting prey and closed in.

"!!"