""""!!!""""
Welf's declaration was more than enough to leave everyone present in a state of shock.
"W-Wait a minute! You're going to forge a magic sword...?"
"I'm forging it right here. I meant exactly what I said."
"But that's..."
"You're going to use this place as a smithy!? In the middle of a danger zone where we could be ambushed at any second!?"
"Exactly."
Lilly immediately tried to talk sense into him.
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Ssh—!
"This isn't even a Safety Point! You're talking about smithing in the middle of a high-risk area!?"
"And what about the tools? The furnace?"
"What are you even going to use for materials to forge a magic sword!"
Welf simply answered her barrage of questions with absolute conviction.
"The clay, the furnace... I brought them all for maintenance purposes."
"!!"
"I'll start the fire using my last magic sword."
Thud—!
"As for the materials..."
'—Lady Hephaestus. Akumo.'
Recalling his idols, Welf's eyes filled with resolve as he pulled something from his breast pocket.
"This is...!"
"Adamantite. And..."
Ssh—!
"The core of [Gram]."
"!!"
"Trust me. If we're going to blast through these monsters and reach the 27th floor, this is the only way!"
A powerful certainty—a profound faith in the 'child' he was about to create—radiated from Welf.
"Once I start the forging process, I won't be able to move."
"So, protect me until the magic sword is finished."
Grip—!!
"Entrust your lives to me!!"
Discarding his own greed for the sake of his comrades and his adventure, his determination to give his all to the forge made him look remarkably like the man he admired, Akumo.
"There is no other way!!"
"Will you trust me!! Or will you not!!"
Welf squeezed the fragment of [Gram] in his hand as he made his plea.
"Trust me... no, trust in Akumo's masterpiece...!!!"
Seeing him like this, Aisha quietly approached.
"I'll ask you one thing."
Step, step—!
"Can you really do it?"
At Aisha's question, the words of his mentors echoed in Welf's mind once more.
—'A blacksmith, like an adventurer, is a being that moves forward.'
—'You have clay. You have iron. Then there is only one thing to think about, Welf.'
—'A being that constantly strikes the iron, tempers itself, and grows.'
—'Is your [Flame] burning?'
Welf's heart was tempered even harder.
"Of course!"
"As long as I have clay, iron, and a blazing fire, a weapon can be forged!"
"I'll temper myself and pour my own flame into this creation!!!"
His words—his [Flame]—succeeded in swaying everyone present.
"Hmph! Don't you dare waste the [Pioneer's] materials!"
"Isn't that obvious, Bors!"
"We're leaving our lives in your hands."
"Thank you...!"
"You lot, form a perimeter! Entrust everything to [Ignis]!"
At Aisha's command, they all moved into a formation designed solely to protect the blacksmith.
"Do not let a single monster get near Master Welf, no matter what!"
"""""""OHHHH!!!"""""""
Carrying everyone's trust, Welf ignited the fire with a magic sword.
Whoosh—!!!!
'Thank you...'
Clang—!!!
Without forgetting to offer a silent prayer of gratitude to the 'child' that had fulfilled its duty, he raised his hammer.
"I'm beginning!"
At that same time, in the Deep Floors where Bell, Ryu, and Akumo were located.
"[Noah Heal]."
Shhhhh—!!!
Perhaps because she had managed to get some sleep, Ryu had recovered enough Mind to cast magic on her mangled foot. The injury closed enough for her to stand.
Ssh—
"Thank goodness..."
"Indeed, Bell."
Bell and Akumo watched with relief, smiling as her condition improved to the point where she could move on her own.
"It is not fully healed yet."
Stare—
"I really should have used this magic on you or Mr. Cranel instead..."
"Hey now! Didn't I tell you not to say things like that?"
"But if I think about it logically—"
"I've told you many times! If you recover, Ryu, it ultimately reduces the burden on me and my brother."
Ryu had looked at the still-wounded Akumo and Bell, overcome with guilt, and tried to heal them first. However, their fierce opposition had forced her to use the magic on herself.
"...It seems both you and I are equally stubborn."
"Seriously, this could go on forever."
Grin—!
"Then, let us assess our current situation."
"Sure thing~"
Unable to argue further against the concern shown by Akumo and Bell, Ryu began to analyze their surroundings.
"Judging by the labyrinth's architecture, there is no doubt that this is the 37th floor, the [White Palace]."
"I agree. The problem is..."
"We have no idea which area of the floor we are currently in."
The [White Palace] was a Deep Floor, far larger and more dangerous than the 25th–27th floors they had been on. Furthermore, much of it remained unexplored, making accurate mapping impossible.
"We are low on equipment and items."
Ssh—
"To continue exploring against monsters of the Deep Floors... it is far too precarious."
"On top of that, everyone is at least moderately injured and physically exhausted..."
As Ryu explained, Akumo's expression hardened.
He wanted to heal them with his own magic, but his spells consumed far too much Mind. Moreover, due to the parasitic vines binding him, Akumo himself would likely not be healed by his own restorative effects.
—'Even if it drains my Mind, healing you two is...!'
—'Absolutely not. Without you, Akumo, the two of us can't navigate the Deep Floors alone.'
—'I'll be fine, so...'
Thud—!
—'Just as I took care of myself... please, take care of yourself too!'
—'Ryu...'
Akumo, who had been ready to burn his Mind to heal them, finally yielded to Ryu's scolding. He decided to conserve his energy and move forward.
"We have no choice but to advance while using recovery magic incrementally as my Mind allows."
"Furthermore, since we are far off the regular route, the chances of anyone strong enough to reach the Deep Floors happening upon this specific spot are slim to none."
Being experienced veterans, Akumo and Ryu abandoned any hope that a Familia descending to the Deep Floors would find them in the vastness of the 37th floor.
'Of course, Welf is up there, but...'
"Even if Mr. Cranel's companions managed to find our trail,"
'It's impossible with their current skill level.'
"It would be impossible for them to reach this depth on their own."
Step, step—!
"Besides, there was already a major incident on the 27th floor. The likelihood of a rescue quest being issued immediately is low."
Akumo nodded in agreement with Ryu and began walking. Ryu and Bell followed close behind.
"If we just stay still, we'll only end up like them."
Ssh—
"To survive, we have no choice but to keep moving."
At their words, Bell glanced briefly at the skeletal remains of a fallen adventurer. Unlike before, he steeled his heart, determined not to be shocked and not to become a burden to Akumo and Ryu.
Whoosh—!
"I'm starting."
Back on the 26th floor, the blacksmith also steeled his resolve.
"Forging a weapon in the Dungeon... normally, it would be insanity."
Grip—!!
"Since we're betting our lives on this, I have to get it right!"
"Don't waste your strength! Everyone, raise your shields and just focus on stalling for time!!"
""""OHHHH!!!!!""""
To protect Welf, Bors and his men gripped their weapons and shields, prepared to put their lives on the line.
"It'll work out, so believe in our blacksmith!"
Boom—!!
"If it's a magic sword he's making with his life on the line, it can definitely break this deadlock!!"
Ouka, smiling at their spirit, gripped the massive axe Welf had made for him and shouted words filled with absolute trust.
—Kieeeee!!!!!!!
"They're here!! [Antianeira]!!"
At the sound of monsters screeching from the tunnels, Bors immediately called out to Aisha.
"[Hell Kaios]!!!!!"
Aisha unleashed a powerful red slash that tore through several charging Mermen, cutting them down in a single stroke.
"More are coming!!"
Crash—!!!
"Thrust your weapons through the gaps in the shields!!"
Squelch—!!!
Stab—!!!!
Bors and Ouka held the line with their shields against the surging monsters, while Daphne, Aisha, and Bors's party members handled any that tried to squeeze through or jump over the front line.
Clang—!!
Clang—!!
"Urgh...!!"
'So this is Adamantite...!!'
Clang—!!!
Clang—!!!
'Is my skill still not enough...!'
Regardless of how well the others held out, their ultimate fate rested on whether Welf could successfully forge the magic sword.
"Given the current situation, we have to head for the 36th floor."
"The 36th floor... that's the Lower Floors, right?"
"Yes. There will be monsters, but... it's significantly better than the Deep Floors."
'Water, food, even the temperature—everything is more hopeful there.'
Ssh—!
"The nearest Safety Point is on the 39th floor, so going down is out of the question."
Akumo, staring into the dark tunnel, explained the plan to Bell alongside Ryu.
"As for the path to the connecting route..."
"Neither I nor Akumo know the way."
'From here on, every single choice is a matter of life and death...'
"We cannot afford to waste magic either."
Their destination was set, but they remained critically low on stamina, Mind, equipment, and items.
"Therefore..."
Just as Ryu was about to speak heavy words to Bell.
Step, step—!
"Why are you hesitating?"
"Akumo...!"
"Brother...? Why are you going over there..."
Akumo stood up and began walking toward something in the distance.
Ssh—
"...It's time for [Looting]."
Standing before the bleached skeletons of fallen adventurers, Akumo spoke with clinical detachment.
"...What?"
Bell asked back, momentarily failing to process the words.
No, he understood. He just couldn't believe the word '[Looting]' had come so calmly from Akumo as he stood over the dead.
"...We will search the deceased for any remaining equipment."
'I can't leave this all to Akumo.'
Seeing Akumo take the burden of delivering the cold, hard truth to Bell, Ryu couldn't let him carry the weight alone. She approached the corpses, forcing Bell to face reality once more.
"Ryu... what are you saying?"
"...We are using the equipment of the dead for supplies."
Step, step—!
"W-Wait! Looting the bodies...!"
Bell was deeply distressed and rushed forward to stop them, but...
"We utilize the predecessors who were defeated by the Dungeon."
'I can't even tell if they were good people or bad...'
"This is no time to be picky about our methods, Bell."
Akumo simply leaned down, ignoring Bell's protest as he began searching for anything useful. Ryu stood before a skeleton that appeared to have been a woman.
"If it's too hard for you, don't do it."
"..."
"Ryu, if you can't do it either..."
Flinch—!
"Whew..."
'Almost dropped it...'
Akumo didn't want to force Ryu into this if he could help it, but...
"...I will do it."
'I don't want to rely only on you anymore...'
In the eyes of Ryu and Bell, Akumo looked strained as he clumsily searched the bodies with his one good arm, his eyes filled with a desperate hope that he would find something to help them survive.
"I'll do it...!"
"Bell, you don't have to force your—"
Grip—!!
"Let me do it... please..."
Bell couldn't just stand by and watch Akumo like that.
'To survive... for my sake...!'
Rattle—!
"...!!"
'I'm sorry... but I want to go back alive!'
Grip—!!!
'For my brother and for Ryu...!!'
Clenching his teeth, Bell approached the corpses. Suppressing his urge to gag, he pulled out their weapons and rummaged through their bags, continuing the [Looting].
'Even if it's nothing but a sophistry...'
"I'll take your share... I'll borrow your strength...!"
'It's okay if you don't forgive me...!'
"I will... definitely return to the surface."
In that moment, Bell learned the selfishness and the raw instinct for survival required by the Dungeon. Though Akumo and Ryu had learned these lessons long ago, their hearts were no less heavy.
But in this place, who could possibly judge them?