At the top of the staircase connecting the fifty-first floor to the fifty-second, the group paused for a moment.
As they looked toward the steps leading down into the fifty-second floor, apprehension filled every pair of eyes.
"From this point on, everyone needs to pay close attention to their condition. There likely won't be any opportunities to resupply for the rest of the journey."
Everyone gave a small nod. The fifty-first floor hadn't been particularly difficult for them.
Because of that, their current condition was almost entirely optimal.
"In that case, let's move!"
With those words, Finn led the group down the stairs.
Watching the tense expressions around her, Tsubaki—completely unaware of the situation—glanced around suspiciously.
Following behind Finn and Shirou, she tugged on Shirou's sleeve and asked, "Is there some weird trap on the 52nd floor?"
"As far as I know, there aren't any traps, but attacks can come literally at any moment."
With that, Shirou fell silent, his gaze sharpening as he scanned the surroundings. After all, he carried heavy responsibility.
As for whether Tsubaki knew anything about the dangers of the fifty-second floor, Shirou could only reassure her internally that, under Finn's leadership, she would be safe.
She would learn the details soon enough.
For now, he needed to focus on observing every corner.
The combat environment below the fifty-second floor was usually dark, which heavily affected the group.
However, Shirou could see everything clearly thanks to his clairvoyance.
His immunity to environmental obstructions in his vision—an ability derived from that clairvoyance—allowed him to see clearly even in the dark, let alone under weak lighting.
Because of that, Shirou, as the party's lookout, bore a great responsibility.
The moment the group stepped onto the fifty-second floor, everyone began running.
"Avoid engaging in combat as much as possible. Just push the monsters away!" Finn repeated his instructions.
Shirou continuously searched for monsters hiding in the shadows, calling out their locations to prevent ambushes.
Here, the respawn rate and frequency of monsters were just as high as before.
However, the group had no intention of lingering in battle; their main goal was simply to drive monsters away whenever they appeared.
The only long-range attacker was Shirou with his bow.
But every member present was overwhelmingly strong, and exploiting an enemy's weakness to kill it instantly was commonplace for them.
Thus, as the group advanced, monsters fell one after another. Magic stones and dropped items were scattered everywhere on the ground.
Looking at the loot, Tsubaki felt the urge to pick them up, but Shirou's earlier words echoed in her mind.
They couldn't stop.
With that in mind, she suppressed her desire and continued sprinting with the others.
Soon, she noticed something strange.
Their supporters were chasing after the first-tier adventurers with frantic desperation. A visible sense of danger was etched across their faces.
Even Gareth, who was at the rear, urged everyone to keep moving.
The group remained silent, holding their breath, the only sound being the echo of their footsteps.
They tried to block out the roars of the monsters, a sinister tension swallowing the small group whole.
Then, a threatening roar echoed from far away.
A dragon's roar!
The roar of the king of monsters reverberated in their ears.
Tsubaki instantly recognized the sound, yet—as far as she could sense—there were no enemies nearby.
"Finn!"
Hearing Riveria's voice, Finn gave a small nod.
"We've been found!"
The moment Finn confirmed it, a chilling atmosphere swept through the entire group.
"Run! Run!"
Shouts of urgency echoed repeatedly, and everyone's speed surged dramatically.
The supporters, who were already struggling to keep up, found it nearly impossible now.
Their faces were pale, as if their souls were about to flee their bodies.
"It's coming!"
The perceptive Ais immediately warned the others.
"Bete, change direction!"
At Finn's command, Bete—who was leading the charge—instantly veered off the main route and into a side passage.
The next moment, the ground shattered beneath them.
A torrent of flames erupted upward, obliterating everything in its path.
A massive pillar of fire blasted from the depths, piercing through the entire floor and shooting upward.
"This is insane!"
One needed to understand that the fifty-second floor, where Shirou and the others were, was vastly larger in area and dozens of meters taller than Orario itself.
From the fifty-eighth floor—where the blast originated—to the fifty-second floor, the distance between them spanned several hundred meters.
The deeper the dungeon went, the stronger the monsters became.
The thought that deeper floors could spawn countless monsters comparable to level 7 adventurers or higher made Shirou tremble slightly.
Based on his estimation, level 6 adventurers should at least be comparable in combat power to low-ranking Servants.
With that level of power, if one of them fought seriously, they could destroy Orario and its Servants without sparing a thought for the lives of ordinary people.
Before they could even marvel at the strength of their unseen enemy, Shirou and the others were forced to dodge constant attacks coming from deep underground.
At the same time, dozens of monsters assaulted them relentlessly, making their situation increasingly difficult.
"Even if it attracts Caterpillar Monsters, it doesn't matter! Riveria, cast protective magic, now!"
They continued to run and fight.
Shirou focused intensely on shooting arrows at distant monsters while continuously bombarding hordes of enemies with his Muspelflamme arrows, easing the pressure on the vanguard clearing the way.
Right after the group dodged yet another fiery blast from below, Lefiya's voice suddenly rang out behind them:
"Raul, move!"
Shirou turned instantly—and what he saw filled him with fury.
To save Raul, Lefiya had shoved him aside… but in doing so, she herself was caught in the web of a grotesque spider monster.
"Die, you monster!"
Enraged, Shirou killed the spider with a single arrow, but Lefiya was thrown backward by the recoil and fell into a nearby passage.
It was a narrow chute carved open by the monster's breath, extending across several floors.
"Lefiya!"
Seeing Lefiya fall, Shirou sprinted forward and leaped in after her.
(End of Chapter)