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

Valette laughed heartily, completely unfazed by the sharp, murderous aura emanating from Bert.

The woman held an ominous one-handed sword in one hand—a "cursed weapon".

Valetta raised her sword to chest height and thrust it forward, her voice rising in a defiant taunt that echoed back.

"We've come this far, no need for pleasantries, right? If your companion shows up, I'll be in real trouble~ And if someone comes to dampen the mood, you'll feel disappointed too!!"

"..."

"Okay, come on!"

Bert's gaze was fixed on Valette, who was giving her opening remarks.

In this underground space, Bert had already sensed that dozens of enemies were hiding behind the pillars.

It's almost certainly a trap. But none of that matters to Bert right now. Bert, filled with murderous intent, decided that no matter how many enemies there were, he would crush them all head-on.

Driven by rage, Bert was about to take a step...

"?"

He noticed that.

(This is……?)

The stone floor was covered with countless eerie geometric patterns, emitting a ghostly glow.

Its color is purplish-red, perfectly concealed by the surrounding purple phosphorescence—the magic stone lights—which cover the ground. It has a radius of sixty meters, encompassing almost the entire underground space.

It is circular in shape, starting from the position where Valetta stands.

As Bert squinted at the pattern obscured by the magic stone light...

"What's wrong, LV6! Are you scared!?: You can't just shamelessly run away like that!"

Valetta is right; he cannot simply turn around and leave.

Is it "magic", "curse", or something else entirely?

It doesn't matter what it is. In the mind of a hungry wolf, there is only one thing: killing its prey.

Bert stepped out of his metal boots and into the crimson circle.

"--whee!"

Valetta's laughter became the signal for battle.

Bert kicked the stone floorboards to start the race.

"Gaa ...

"Guys, charge!!"

Bert's roar clashed with Valette's commands.

The werewolf charged straight at the woman; in contrast, remnants of the dark faction, clad in veils and robes, attacked from all sides. Death's (Thanatos's) retinue, all wielding "cursed tools" and with bloodshot eyes, leaped from behind a pillar, ready to plunge their blades into him.

“Get out of the way!”

“Gah!?”

But Bert easily repelled them. Bert swung his limbs to fend off all attacks, successfully dealing with a thrust from a blind spot. His running momentum remained undiminished as he slammed four remaining members of the gang against a long pillar.

"What a terrifying murderous aura, isn't it! Not bad, [Fierce Wolf]~!"

Valetta grinned wickedly, swinging her right arm horizontally; in sync with her movement, more assassins appeared and pounced on Bert. Bert's eyebrows twisted, he punched his enemy's face, deftly deflecting the blade with his gauntlet, and kicked the enemy so hard that blood gushed from his mouth with his sharp, long legs.

Facing a ferocious wolf charging straight at us, just as the distance between us and the enemy was less than twenty meters.

Valette left without looking back.

"!?:"

"You're so fierce! So fierce! If you catch me this time, I'll really bite you to death!"

As the woman smiled and backed away, Bert's anger flared up once again.

The woman drew a dagger from her long coat, and Bert deflected all the attacks with a swift movement. Taking advantage of Bert's momentary slowdown, Valeta leaped aside, hiding behind a pillar as she continued her escape.

(I'm not kidding!)

Valetta used the vast underground space to escape everywhere, frequently provoking Bert's fury. Her smiling face only fueled his anger; he knew it was a provocation, yet it still infuriated him. Seeing the wolf's face approaching, smashing pillars with a roar, the woman simply laughed.

It was a complete chase. Bert was much faster than his opponent, but the attacking members of the [Sanatos Familia] repeatedly prevented him from getting close to Valeta.

The purple magic stone lamp above their heads, and the purplish-red patterns under their feet.

Bert, caught in the eerie, sinister light, had annoyed expressions that were twisted and distorted.

"You guys have to protect me~! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

The tyrannical queen burst into laughter as the numerous henchmen sprang out from behind the pillar.

She thoroughly enjoyed playing hide-and-seek, or as some might call it, while simultaneously unleashing sharp, pointed projectiles.

Her appearance was also bathed in the purplish-red light rising from the stone floor, adding color as if through makeup.

"—Garua ...

“Guuuu!?”

Bert roared and accelerated explosively, his fist narrowly missing Valeta's face, almost killing her. The force was enough to shatter the floor, and the aftershock alone sent the woman flying.

Valetta did not resist the force. After rolling on the ground, she immediately used her one-handed sword as a cane and stabbed it into the ground to quickly regain her footing.

"As expected, getting close to him will be terrible...!"

Valetta's cheeks were smeared with dust, and she grimaced with a resentful smile.

The enemy attacked Bert to protect her, and Bert gritted his teeth in retaliation.

(Missed!? Damn it!)

Bert cursed himself for missing such a crucial opportunity. Even if the enemy was a Level 5, in his normal state, his claws would have already pierced the opponent's body. Was it because he was too angry, causing his body to lose control?

Bert smacked his lips as he fought off the enemies. His men were annoyingly persistent, so he punched and kicked them violently. Blood splattered once more in the underground space.

Bert chased after Valette, who had pulled away.

Next time, next time I must take care of her. His bloodshot amber eyes concealed an absolute killing intent.

The traps that heighten vigilance in a corner of one's consciousness are nothing, Bert thought, feeling disappointed. What a joke. Like adding fuel to a fire, Bert's anger swelled.

However—he was wrong.

The woman's "ultimate trump card" had already been activated.

“——”

The earliest sense of abruptness comes from the change in scenery.

The Death Apostles, who had initially been toyed with, gradually became able to keep up with Bert's skills. With tears streaming down their faces and blood flowing freely, they still looked fierce and tried to devour Bert with their cursed blades.

Not right.

The enemy's speed has increased.

No, that's not right.

This... could it be—

"whee!"

Its effects were initially very slow, so slow that Bert was unaware of them.

"Hehehehe!"

Then, as time goes by, it will be revealed as it truly is.

"Hehehehehehehehe!"

As the woman's upturned lips hinted at pleasure, Bert realized his speed was starting to wane, and he became acutely aware of the "abnormality."

(What's going on?)

My limbs feel so heavy.

His whole body felt like lead.

It wasn't that the enemy increased their speed. Quite the opposite.

Bert's skills had become ridiculously and comically sluggish.

"It's been long enough, damn it. — The time has finally come."

As Valetta spat on the ground...

The enemy's attack finally struck Bert.

「!?」

Bert was dumbfounded when he discovered a shallow cut on his back.

Although it was only a minor injury, the burning heat of the "curse" on his back made Bert's hair stand on end. At the same time, he spun halfway around and elbowed an enemy member, knocking his cheekbone away. The enemy screamed in panic but did not stop their attack. To avenge their fallen comrade, they began to counterattack Bert.

Bert deflected the deadly cursed blade, but he was too slow, far too slow. His reaction was far too slow. It defied the perception and speed expected of a first-level adventurer; his physical movements couldn't keep up at all.

Bert had no time to dodge, and the number of defensive attacks suddenly increased.

(This is--)

Bert noticed.

Noticing the "abnormality" that was currently befalling them.

Body movements are restricted in a way that accelerates.

"How's the situation, [Wolf]?"

「!?」

After barely managing to repel the enemy, Valette's sweet breath tickled Bert's cheek.

The woman instantly switched from fleeing to attacking, launching a close-quarters fight, and Bert actually let her get close. Faced with the menacing grin right in front of her, Bert swept his right arm, and Valeta fell backward, easily dodging the attack.

Valetta's eyes widened in fury, and she activated the hidden knife in her shoe, delivering a high-speed horizontal kick.

"Kill them!!"

“Wu!?”

The opponent delivered two consecutive kicks, and the metal boots [Frosvelt] were struck by the enemy's foot blades, shattering the topaz embedded in the center along with part of the armor.

Having lost their core, the superiors, made of refined metal (mithril), fell completely silent.

"I know perfectly well that your troublesome boots can absorb 'magic'!"

Valeta successfully disarmed Bert, then, like a juggler, performed a high kick while upside down, wedging her shoe into her opponent's gauntlet, and then used the recoil from the powerful kick to create a significant distance.

On the contrary, Bert was no match for his opponent's strength and actually staggered two steps in place.

While losing Frosvelt was a devastating blow, the biggest problem right now is the significant decline in agility and speed. Physical reflexes are deteriorating every second. No, even strength is declining.

Bert glanced at the boot core that had absorbed the "magic"—a fragment of topaz—while looking down at his hands and feet, and the crimson patterns that still radiated an eerie glow.

(No doubt about it, the more I move, the more my [ability stats] get fucking lower...!)

As if to provoke Bert's anxiety, Valette said from afar:

"You finally figured it out, you pig-headed idiot~ You guessed right, this is my 'magic'."

"!"

"The magic's name is 'Kill the Demon.' Well, to put it bluntly, it's just... 'barrier magic.'"

The attack was temporarily suspended, during which time the woman's voice echoed in the dark underground space.

As if responding to her voice, the geometric patterns covering the floor emitted a magical light.

"It's called a barrier magic, but it doesn't prevent anything. Not only that, it requires an incredibly long and tedious incantation, and the magic is forcibly dispelled once I leave the barrier. Plus, it consumes a ton of mental energy; it's completely impractical for real combat. I can't stand it!"

Valetta complained incessantly about her only magic, then added, "However..." with a smirk.

"It's perfect for setting these kinds of 'traps,' especially when you want to trick a wild beast that's gone mad with rage."

"...!"

"The effect of [Kill Luo] is 'status down'. Anyone who intrudes into the barrier without my permission will have their power and movement forcibly reduced. ... The effect will be repeated every time the enemy makes a mistake."