"!!"
'What was that just now...?!'
Akumo was startled by a familiar energy he suddenly sensed.
'[Gram]...?'
The aura of his masterpiece, which he thought had been destroyed, resonated once more. For a brief moment, Akumo was thrown into confusion.
—Grrrr!!!!
Whish—!!!
"Tsk...!!"
The situation before him didn't grant him the luxury of contemplation. A Werewolf lunged at him, its razor-sharp claws aiming for his throat.
Shuuuu—!!
"[Energy Ball]!"
—!!
Boom—!!!
A sphere of mana bloomed from Akumo's hand, instantly piercing the Werewolf's vitals and ending its life.
Slash—!!!
"Hyung! More are coming!!"
"Damn it...!"
'Should I use a larger technique...?'
"[Energy B—"
Just as he was about to use [Energy Ball] again to create some distance.
Whish—!!
"Everyone, this way!"
""!!""
Faced with the swarming monsters, Ryu threw a Fire Stone from her pouch. Akumo and Bell immediately realized her intention.
"Bell!!!"
"[Fire Bolt]!!!"
Bell's [Fire Bolt] struck the Fire Stone, triggering a massive explosion.
Kaboom—!!!!!!!!!!
"Ryu-san, that was..."
"Something I confiscated from a Dwarf."
"Phew... How many do you have left?"
"Only five remaining, Akumo-san."
'Five, huh...'
Akumo considered Ryu's words. While they were useful items, they were excessively loud and their numbers were insufficient. He pondered how best to utilize the remaining Fire Stones.
'Ryu-san said to avoid combat as much as possible, but...'
Step—!
'The frequency of encounters and the number of monsters are already far too high...'
"Haa... Haa..."
'If Hyung sustains any more injuries, it'll get dangerous...'
Bell was also analyzing the situation, worrying if everyone could hold out until they reached the 36th floor. Amidst their thoughts, Ryu's voice reached them.
"I will begin mapping now. Please stand guard."
"Got it." "Understood."
Scratch— Scratch—
Pausing their deliberations, Akumo and Bell protected Ryu, staying alert for any monsters that might emerge.
'Ever since the last battle...'
"Your movements have too much waste, Bell."
Akumo pointed out that Bell was acting out of fear and impatience.
"I know... I know that...!"
Grip—!!
"I know I shouldn't be like this... but the monsters are so strong and fast... the more impatient I get, the harder it becomes!!"
It was a fact Bell knew all too well.
Yet, the trembling wouldn't stop. If anything, his anxiety only intensified.
Slowly—
"I'm sorry..."
He was angry at himself for not doing better, and he felt a crushing sense of guilt, fearing he was nothing but a burden to Akumo and Ryu.
""...""
Akumo and Ryu watched him for a moment.
Thump—!
"Hyung...?"
Akumo placed a hand on Bell's head, ruffling his hair as he spoke.
"You're foolishly kind..."
Pat— Pat—
"The fact that you haven't given up in a situation like this means you're already doing a great job."
'And yet he still blames himself...'
Looking at Bell, who never sought to blame others and only looked at his own shortcomings, Akumo offered sincere advice.
"Try to believe in yourself a little more."
"If you do, you'll become much stronger."
Following Akumo's words, Ryu's voice also entered Bell's ears.
"Observe the enemy's movements carefully and predict them. Monsters in the [Deep Floors] possess high intelligence."
Step—
"Akumo-san, look at Cranel-san's right arm."
At Ryu's prompting, Akumo noticed that Bell's right arm was held in a slightly more unstable posture than his left.
"You have a habit of lifting your right arm when you're anxious. Be mindful of that when you aim for their Magic Stones."
Ryu gave him advice so he could become more proficient and, ultimately, survive.
"And please, trust me and Akumo-san more."
Smile—
"For now, we are a party."
She offered a warm smile, hoping to alleviate even a fraction of the anxiety Bell was feeling.
".....Yes!"
Perhaps that sentiment reached him; the anxiety gnawing at Bell's nerves faded slightly but surely as he smiled back at Ryu.
"Besides aiming for the Magic Stones, do you remember what else I told you?"
"To utilize the terrain."
Nod—
Bell remembered Ryu's previous advice perfectly.
"Do not forget what we've said."
"You can do this, Bell."
Seeing his resolve, Ryu and Akumo smiled, placing their faith in the boy before them.
**
"We've reached the 27th floor!"
Meanwhile, thanks to Welf sweeping monsters aside with his [Kazuki], the expedition party arrived at the 27th floor without significant casualties.
"We're finally... here."
"Don't daze off!"
"Hieek!?"
Cassandra had frozen for a moment, overwhelmed by the fact that they had reached the birthplace of the disaster, but she jumped at Aisha's scolding and hurried forward.
—Kieeee!!!!!!!!
"Monsters incoming!"
A pack of [Lamias] appeared to block their path. Just as Ouka was about to charge with his axe.
Grip—!!
"Here I go!!!!!!!!"
Flare—!!!!!!
"[Kazuki]!"
Boom—!!!!!!!!!!
Welf swung [Kazuki], incinerating over ten [Lamias] in a single strike.
"I guess there's no turn for me again..."
"As expected, the power of that magic sword is on another level...!"
"It shows no signs of breaking even after being used so many times!"
Ouka was stunned by the overwhelming flames despite having seen it several times, while Daphne and Bors were aghast at both the power and the durability of the magic sword.
"An unbreakable magic sword..."
'I've never heard of such a thing outside of the [Pioneer]'s weapons...'
"You've become an absurd blacksmith, [Ignis]."
'However...'
Aisha was also impressed by [Kazuki]'s power, but she didn't believe such a weapon came without a price.
"Haa... Haa....!"
'The consumption is higher than I thought...'
"Did Akumo-san use things like this without breaking a sweat...!?"
As she suspected, Welf was shocked by the sheer amount of Mind and mana drained with every single strike, proportional to its devastating power.
Twitch—!
"!!"
'I felt it again...'
Sensing the flames, Akumo looked up at the ceiling, feeling a persistent heat.
"Akumo-san?"
"O-Oh... what were we saying?"
"I was in the middle of explaining the layout of the 37th floor to Cranel-san."
"Right, let me tell you..."
'Was it just my imagination?'
His senses should have been dulled by the vines constricting him, yet Akumo curiously felt a strange, warm heat. Pushing the thought aside, he followed Ryu's lead and explained the 37th floor to Bell.
"It's surrounded by a circular wall called the [Great Circular Wall], so it's easy to tell when you're on the outskirts."
Step—!
"The problem is that each individual area is the size of an entire floor in the lower levels."
'Furthermore...'
"While the entrance to the 38th floor is in the center, the entrance to the 36th floor that we need to find is at the very edge."
"Please keep that in mind, Cranel-san."
Bell tried to burn their explanations into his memory. Ryu then handed him something.
"Drink this to recover."
Slosh—
"Ah, thank yo—"
'!!'
It was a potion, but Bell was visibly taken aback.
Swirl—
"Uwah..."
The potion's color had long since changed, and mold was even floating inside it.
"You must drink it."
"H-Hyung should have it first..."
"You saw that healing doesn't work on me, didn't you?"
"..."
As Akumo said, because of the vines binding him, all forms of recovery were failing to take proper effect. Akumo spoke to Bell with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Don't be a picky eater, now."
"This is completely different from being a picky eater!?"
"Ahaha!!!"
Seeing them, Ryu thought they truly resembled a father and son.
"Drink up."
"Ah..."
The demand to drink the potion remained firm.
"It looks incredibly old..."
"Potions don't have issues even if they've spoiled."
"Really...?"
"Most likely."
"Ryu-san!?"
Bell grew even more nervous at Ryu's uncertain answer, while Akumo burst into laughter at the sight.
"Ah~ this is too funn—"
Grip—!!
"Can you really laugh in this state!!"
"Hey, it's better than being gloomy, isn't it!?"
"Don't give me that!!"
Yank—!!!!
Ryu, perhaps finding his attitude heartless, pulled on Akumo's ear in punishment. Akumo let out a pained yelp, the sting snapping him back to attention.
"..."
Smile—!
Bell couldn't help but feel a little better seeing Akumo get scolded, a small smile appearing on his face.
".....I'll drink it."
Of course, that smile soon turned into a face of grim determination as he looked at the potion.
Pop—!
"....!!"
Gulp, gulp—!!
Bell finally downed the potion. An intense bitterness and a bizarre scent assaulted his senses, twisting his face into a grimace as his stomach made a strange noise.
"Ugh...!!!"
Gurgle—!!!
However, Bell's [Resistance] soon settled his stomach, and fortunately, the potion's effect activated normally.
"Phew..."
"If you don't want to drink more of that, don't get hurt, okay?"
"Eeeek!?"
The potion served as an unexpected motivation. With that, they began to move forward once again.
Brief smiles graced their faces during the short rest, but—
Step, step—
"""!!!"""
—Grrrr...!!!!!
"Should we run?"
"It's too late, we can't escape!"
A pack of Werewolves appeared within minutes, forcing their expressions to harden again. Akumo and Bell took their combat stances.
"Both of you, do not forget what I told you."
"Yes!"
"Let's go!"
Dash—!!!!
**
Meanwhile, Tsubaki's group had successfully descended the cliff and was rapidly clearing monsters as they moved down the floors.
"Seiya!!!!!!"
Slash—!!!
As a master blacksmith and a Level 5 first-tier adventurer, Tsubaki cut through monsters with a single stroke, living up to her reputation.
"Nya!"
Rip—!!
"!!"
Slash—!!!
"Oraa!!!"
Crunch—!!!
Anya, Chloe, and Lunoa were an unexpectedly powerful force, all being Level 4 veterans. Using spears, daggers, and fists, they struck down every monster in their path.
Screeech—!!!!!!!
"I don't know much about the Dungeon, but is it always this much of a festival?"
As Lunoa spoke over the constant sound of monster screams, Tsubaki immediately denied it.
"If it were like this all day, the corpses of adventurers would be piled up like mountains everywhere."
"It's definitely an [Irregular], nyan! Mya doesn't know a Dungeon like this, nyan!!"
Anya also realized the abnormality and didn't lower her guard. Chloe, sensing something, spoke up.
"I think there's a dangerous monster around, nyan."
"What? What do you mean?"
"It's an intuition, nyan. Just a feeling, but..."
Tsubaki asked in a serious voice, but Chloe only showed them her twitching tail and ears.
"Mya's tail won't stop moving, nyan..."
Twitch, twitch—!
"On this floor, or maybe the one above or below... anyway, something dangerous exists, nyan....!"
Step—!!
Despite her words, Tsubaki and the rest had no choice but to press on.
Step, step—
"Just a little further and we'll reach that place."
Bors led the group back toward the site they had fled from.
"!!"
"Is this... from the subjugation team?"
"Yeah. They were taken out by that monster."
Tremble—!
"What on earth appeared here...!?"
Everyone except Bors's group was horrified by the gruesome sight, and their wariness of the [Juggernaut] continued to climb. However, they couldn't stop, thinking of Akumo and Bell who had protected them from that very monster.
"Let's keep going. Standing around won't accomplish anything."
"Understood, Bors."
Step, step—
As they continued following Bors, a voice drifted through the air.
—'Don't...!!'
".....?"
"What's wrong, [Antianeira]?"
".....It's nothing."
'Was it my imagination?'
The voice had sounded like a sorrowful girl, filled with worry and sadness.