"I s-surrender…"
My Black Katana was pressed against the throat of the Dungeon Master, Anemoi.
"Finally…" (Eugene)
I lowered my sword.
(…[High Heal].) (Eugene)
I cast a healing spell on myself.
My body was in tatters.
But at last, I managed to break through the pseudo–Deus Discipline at the 500th floor difficulty level.
It took me five years to get here.
That said, this is in the 400th floor where the flow of time is slowed to 1/400th, so only a few days have passed on the surface.
"Everyone's okay…or maybe not?" (Eugene)
When I turned around, Sumire, Sara, Airi, and Claude had all collapsed.
Sensing with magic, I confirmed that they were only unconscious.
Well then, I'll heal everyone too…or so I thought, but…
"Everyone, here comes [Heal Light]~" (Rita)
Rita-san was already tending to them.
I'm also skilled at recovery magic, but that's because I carry angel blood.
It's better to leave this to a professional.
What I'm wondering about though…
"Rita-san, what about your duties on the 100th floor?" (Eugene)
I muttered.
"The other exploration teams are still redoing the lower floors. I don't think they'll start the Deus Discipline for now." (Anemoi)
The Dungeon Master beside me replied.
"Really? That's unexpected." (Eugene)
I thought for sure that First Knight Claire-san and the others would be pushing forward full throttle.
"They seem to be taking it slow because they don't have any stock of that magic tool you called Resurrection Drops." (Anemoi)
"Ah, I see. Then they really have no choice but to move carefully." (Eugene)
Without entering the dungeon, they can't get the materials for the Resurrection Drops.
I've heard that the current Dungeon City doesn't have as many explorers as in the past…
Snap
Anemoi snapped her fingers.
A projection appeared in the air.
Through the relay device, the Satellite System, we could see the progress of the exploration below.
Sure enough, there didn't seem to be any explorers above the 50th floor.
Rather than rare magic tools or weapons from the higher floors, they were prioritizing hunting the large monsters in the lower floors that provide essential herbs and food.
By the way, our activities aren't shown on the Satellite System.
We can't let the world know that Holy Maiden Sara and Empress Airi are in the Zenith Tower, so I asked the Dungeon Master to cut the relay.
"At that pace, it'll certainly take a while to reach the 100th floor." (Eugene)
"Exactly. So you focus on your training here. Still, I didn't expect you to beat me this soon. Quite something." (Anemoi)
Anemoi stretched with a long "Nn~!"
"It's thanks to you sparring with us. Honestly, I didn't think we would get this far in just five years." (Eugene)
"…You better appreciate it. It's not every day a Dungeon Master trains someone personally." (Anemoi)
She turned her face away with a pout.
Maybe she's embarrassed.
"Truth is, ever since training with you, the growth speed of everyone has been insanely fast. If the Zenith Tower was run that way, the conquest might've gone much further, don't you think?" (Eugene)
"You mean I, the Dungeon Master, should train explorers? I can't take care of all of them." (Anemoi)
"You could limit it to those who've cleared the 100th floor or something. At the very least, it'd be more effective than summoning a Divine Beast on floor zero." (Eugene)
"…I'll think about it." (Anemoi)
I couldn't see her expression since she was still facing away.
But she seemed to take the suggestion seriously.
(Anemoi…has changed.) (Eugene)
When I first met her, she saw explorers -me included- as no more than bugs.
Now, she actually converses with me properly.
"Hey! By the way, Eugene." (Anemoi)
While I was lost in thought, Anemoi suddenly turned toward me.
"What is it?" (Eugene)
"I'll be your training partner for the Deus Discipline on the 500th floor, sure. But what about the Red Dragon? I'll tell you now, that Divine Beast is much stronger than me. Beating me doesn't mean you can handle it." (Anemoi)
"That's the problem… A Dungeon Master's strength matches the Deus Discipline on the 500th floor. I can't expect training beyond that…" (Eugene)
That was something I learned from Anemoi.
The Dungeon Master fighting me now was going all out.
But the Divine Beasts above the 600th floor are stronger than the Dungeon Masters.
And the Red Dragon's Deus Discipline is on the 900th floor.
Even if I went back to the past with my current strength, I wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hey, maybe you should give up on a rematch with the Red Dragon? Your real goal is to stop the Emperor's Assassination and the War on the South Continent, right? If so…" (Anemoi)
Anemoi made that suggestion.
A topic we discussed many times.
"If we don't stop the Red Dragon, we can't prevent the collapse of the Lykeion Magic Academy and Principal Uther's sacrifice. Nor the decline of the Dungeon City… That's why we have to stop its rampage." (Eugene)
"I get how you feel, but honestly, without Lo—Demon God-sama's power, I don't think you can stop that Red Dragon…" (Anemoi)
— "Well, yeah, that's true. Stopping Red Dragon-chan without the sealing of the Zenith Tower? Pretty impossible for mortals, I'd say."
The Demon God-sama butted into our conversation.
It seems she was listening.
"Is it really that difficult, Demon God-sama?" (Eugene)
— "It was one of the Evil Dragon Gods who fought the Olympians in the Divine War, after all. I wasn't really hostile with it since I am an Old God, but the Goddesses who fought it had a tough time." (Loki)
"In the Divine War, who was it that defeated that monster?" (Eugene)
— "If I recall, it was the Goddess of Trees, Freya, and her subordinates." (Loki)
"Even a Goddess…had trouble with it?" (Eugene)
So it really isn't something one can take on normally.
— "Well, they struggled because I kept interfering with Freya." (Loki)
"…Huh?"
— "Freya and I never got along. During the Divine War, we were killing each other the whole time. I had her cornered, but then the Sun Goddess, Althena, interfered. In the end, I was sealed away." (Loki)
"T-That's incredible…" (Eugene)
Hearing mythic stories directly from the one involved.
And Freya-sama was Demon Lord Eri's former boss.
Eri didn't participate in the Divine War, so she never fought the Red Dragon herself. But her seniors might have been directly involved.
Still, I've already asked Eri about it.
If the Red Dragon had a weakness, I'd want to know…but apparently, it doesn't.
— "Well then, do your best. I don't dislike reckless challenges." (Loki)
"…Reckless, huh?" (Eugene)
Hearing it outright made me hesitate if we should really move forward with this plan.
— "Oops, sorry for making you uneasy. Well, you won't know until you try." (Loki)
With that, the Demon God-sama vanished somewhere.
Truly a whimsical being.
"Eugy-kun!" (Sumire)
Sumire and the others, who had been healed by Rita-san, came running over.
"Sumire, you should rest a bit more…" (Eugene)
She was unconscious just now.
"If I did that, Eugy-kun would just keep training without resting! I'm fine now, so don't worry!" (Sumire)
"She's right. Eugy's already the strongest of us, so we have to make sure the gap doesn't widen any further." (Airi)
My childhood friend joined in.
Sara and Claude also seemed to agree.
I glanced at the Dungeon Master beside me.
"Anemoi, we're counting on you." (Eugene)
"I won't hold back." (Anemoi)
The moment she said that, an overwhelming wave of Dungeon Magic came at us.
This time, all of us were crushed together.
But we all lasted longer in battle compared to before.
(First, we need to get stronger and break through the 500th floor.) (Eugene)
The time for overthinking would come after.
I stood up and leveled my sword at the Dungeon Master.
◇Several Years Later◇
"Alright, let's head for the 500th floor." (Eugene)
Everyone nodded at my words.
Each of us had grown strong enough to at least defeat the Dungeon Master once on our own.
We should be able to break through the 500th floor.
So far in history, only one person has ever reached the bottom.
Today, we would drastically change that record.
We boarded the dungeon elevator bound for the 500th floor.