Dungeon, 5th Floor.
Inside a certain empty, uninhabited chamber.
Shii—!
The longsword in Yukino's hand, carrying a razor-edged chill, pierced a Kobold's throat.
The "monster" instantly crumbled into black ash.
She flicked a non-existent bloodstain from the blade.
Her sky-blue eyes glanced, cool and distant, toward Mahiru, who was observing from the safe zone with Zyhark.
"Did you see it clearly? Aim for vitals, avoid unnecessary grappling, save your stamina."
"Monsters don't give you a second chance."
Her tone carried that usual instruction-flavored tsundere bite:
"Of course."
"If you think your eyes learned it but your hands stayed useless, it's not too late to retreat now."
Mahiru tightened her grip on the sword; a flicker of displeasure crossed her caramel eyes.
She shot back at once:
"'Technique' of this level is obvious to anyone with normal intelligence after a single look."
"No need for you to harp on it, Yukino-san."
"Rather than worrying about me—"
"—maybe worry whether your own sword swing looks elegant enough."
"Lest a certain picky god gets secretly put off."
The moment that line fell—
The seemingly smooth rock wall at the side suddenly cracked and peeled.
A Frog Shooter sprang out.
Its scarlet tongue lashed straight toward Mahiru's back!
"Watch out!"
Zyhark shouted on reflex.
However—
Mahiru's reaction was lightning fast!
She didn't even turn.
As if eyes had opened on her back, her footwork slipped sideways, her wrist turning in the same breath.
The longsword, as though pre-scripted, flashed in an upward diagonal rake!
Swish!
A streak of blade light.
The tongue was severed at the root!
While the Frog Shooter reeled in pain, Mahiru had already turned.
Her sword traced a clean, crisp arc and stabbed precisely into its core.
Her movements flowed like water, without the slightest drag, even showing a calm and accuracy at odds with her delicate exterior.
"Looks like—"
"—some people not only learned it with their eyes, their hands aren't useless either."
Watching Mahiru dispatch the ambusher with brutal neatness, a hair-thin glimmer of approval crossed Yukino's gaze, though her words still pricked:
"But feeling proud over trash at this level?"
Zyhark hurried forward, picked up the newly appeared Magic Stone with his gloved hand, tucked it into the pack on his back, and gave an inward nod.
For a first taste of real combat, Mahiru's showing far exceeded his expectations.
That cool head and that agility—worthy of her potential indeed.
They passed through the corridor and arrived before the entry leading down to the 6th Floor.
Zyhark stopped and suggested: "Starting from Floor 6, monsters hit harder."
"Mahiru, want to get a bit more acclimated on 5 before we go?"
Yukino also paused, tilting her head toward Mahiru, voice even:
"If you need it, I can demo a few more times."
"Wasting time, yes—but better than walking to your death."
Mahiru shook her head.
Her flaxen hair swayed lightly beneath the hooded cloak.
She spoke with steady resolve:
"No need."
"Wasting time on low-level 'monsters' is meaningless."
She recalled the lore Zyhark had given her yesterday.
Across Dungeon Floors 1–12, the Ability Scores benchmarks for Lv.1 adventurers roughly correspond:
Floors 1–4 → I–H.
Floors 5–7 → G–F.
Floors 8–10 → E–C.
Floors 11–12 → B–S.
As for Floor 13—the start of the Middle Levels—adventurers are expected to be Lv.2 to tackle it.
Though she had just received Falna, thinking of her magic and skill,
Mahiru felt confident she could take on stronger challenges.
Watching from the side, Zyhark lifted a quietly pleased smile.
What else can he say?
SSSR-tier potential really does carry that pride!
But that's good.
Pressure is the best catalyst for growth!
So—
Zyhark didn't press further.
The three stepped into the dimmer, heavier-aired 6th Floor.
They hadn't gone far before, at a forked chamber, six black monsters peeled themselves out from the shadows.
Their bodies were pitch-black, about one-sixty tall, built like humans.
On their cross-shaped faces was set a hand-mirror-smooth, perfectly round, uncanny plate.
At the end of their slim wrists gleamed three razor hook-claws.
"War Shadows—the so-called 'newbie killers.'"
Yukino's cool voice sounded, carrying a "finally, something with a little bite" undertone.
She folded her arms and stepped half a pace back, ceding center stage as she tipped her chin at Mahiru:
"Here. These ambush-loving trash are yours."
"Let me see how much weight your 'anyone can do it' actually has."
"Yukino!"
Zyhark spoke, a bit worried:
"Mahiru is still new. War Shadows are fast—and they swarm."
"Plenty of rookies get buried under them…"
However—
Before he could finish,
Mahiru moved!
In those caramel eyes, it was as if golden holy light was gathering.
A bell-like clear chant with sacred cadence flowed from her lips:
"—Cast off the mask, grant me the power of light."
"Angel Descent!"
The instant the aria ended, dazzling golden radiance erupted around Mahiru like a sunburst!
Her whole body was wrapped in a warm, hallowed aureole.
Her longsword seemed infused with the very essence of light, breathing a brilliance too sharp to meet with naked eyes!
Countless fine golden motes, like stars, blinked into being, circling her in merry dance, twinkling, spiraling!
The chamber flooded with sudden sacred light, warm yet overwhelming.
Most shocking of all was her speed!
At the moment the enchantment completed, her whole being became a golden lance splitting the dark!
This initial burst— even made Yukino, with [Ice Soul Bloom] active, feel a twinge of awe!
Yukino thought:
"So fast!"
"This light-attribute 'add-on' boosts speed that much?!"
Zyhark, too, was inwardly rocked:
"Holy—this speed VFX! This light pollution! SSSR card! Definitely an SSSR card!"
That golden streak traversed half the chamber in the blink of an eye.
Light spilled across a War Shadow's face; it hadn't even raised its hooks.
Mahiru flashed before it— and her light-sword swung like a blade of judgment!
There was no violent clang.
Only an extreme flare of light!
Vumm—!
Like ice hurled into a noonday sun, the War Shadow was swathed and purged by blinding brilliance.
No scream.
Only black ash dissolving away—and a Magic Stone ringing on the floor.
Mahiru didn't pause for a breath!
The dazzling streak of gold traced a graceful dogleg through the air.
She dove straight into the remaining five, clustered together!
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Like gold lightning, detonating consecutively in the dark!
In the air, five short, blazing trails of light remained!
As Mahiru's figure settled, light as a falling feather, the golden light-plate and orbiting motes around her slowly drew back.
By then the five War Shadows had followed their comrade, turning, in the same instant, into five drifting curls of black smoke.
Only five Magic Stones remained on the ground— and a finger-ring-like drop glimmering with eerie luster.
This was the War Shadow Finger-Blade.
The entire fight— from start to finish—took less than three seconds!
Mahiru let her breath even out a touch.
She turned, fixed her gaze on Yukino's face—where a thread of surprise lingered—and lifted her chin slightly.
In those caramel eyes, a teasing, triumphant challenge danced.
Her cherry lips parted; the gentle words pricked like a needle:
"Yukino-san, would you say… this handling counts as 'efficient'?"
"I didn't waste your precious 'guidance' time, did I?"
Yukino swiftly smoothed her expression back to its usual freeze.
Arms folded, she answered faintly:
"Hmph. All you did was lean on a speed edge from your magic's nature."
"Against low-IQ monsters, that's just opportunism."
"Real fights aren't that simple."
"Also—your mana cost wasn't small, was it?"
"Run into real danger later and you won't even be able to cast."
Her mouth spared no quarter, yet Yukino inwardly admitted that the speed, decisiveness, and early grasp of spell-control Mahiru had just shown were at least on par with her own combat level when she first received Falna.
"This one's potential… can't be underestimated."
That line of praise lived only in Yukino's heart.
As for Zyhark at the side—he was bursting with joy already.
He looked at Mahiru like a rare treasure, screaming inside:
"As expected of an SSSR card!"
"At this rate, my Familia's rise is just around the corner!"
Stoked by Yukino's barbed commentary,
Mahiru's fighting spirit burned brighter.
She gave a small hmph and replied in honey-wrapped sharpness:
"Heh, better to carve with light than just lob unaesthetic ice blocks."
"At least my glow brightens this gloomy maze."
"Unlike certain people's chill that only makes the place more unpleasant."
"As for mana… don't trouble yourself."
"At the very least, I'm clearing the problem in front of us—rather than standing off to the side tossing out useless, non-constructive remarks."
Yukino let out a cold laugh:
"'Elegance'?"
"Chasing meaningless 'elegance' in mortal combat is the real stupidity."
"My ice at least freezes movement and creates openings."
"Your over-conspicuous glow? Other than drawing extra attention, I fail to see strategic value."
"Moreover, a mindset that's this easy to bait—rushing to show off—dies fastest in the Dungeon."
"You—!"
Mahiru's face cooled.
Yukino's poison kept dripping:
"Am I wrong?"
"If I hadn't yielded you the spot, would you have had your 'performance'?"
"Know your place, rookie."
"You say that like you're not a rookie; and my 'place' is simply 'not losing to you'!"
Mahiru shot back.
"Ridiculous."
Yukino snorted again.
While the two girls traded rapid-fire jabs,
Zyhark had already nimbly scooped up all the Magic Stones and the War Shadow Finger-Blade.
Listening to the endless crossfire by his ears, he felt a headache—and a weird urge to laugh.
These two high-perched flowers from their original anime, side by side, are natural-born nemeses.
"All right, all right, ladies—does bickering grant EXP?"
"We should keep moving."
Zyhark cut in, helpless, and led the way deeper into the passage.
Yukino and Mahiru glared once more, then called a truce and followed his stride.
Perhaps their rivalry had transmuted into fuel.
On the way, whenever lone monsters popped from walls or floor, be they Kobolds or War Shadows, they were severed on spawn— no chance to close the distance—by Yukino's and Mahiru's snap-flashes.
Zyhark only had to trail behind, content as a "scavenger" Supporter.
With such efficient pace, they soon reached the end of Floor 6— standing at the sloped stairway down to the 7th.
"Next is Floor Seven."
Zyhark paused, taking up the lecturer's mantle again:
"Main monsters here are Killer Ants. Hard shells, six legs."
"The hook-claws on their upper torso are nasty, and when threatened they call their buddies—very troublesome. They're also called 'newbie killers.'"
"There are also Poison Moths, which scatter toxic phosphor dust. Not instantly lethal, but stacking poison is dangerous. Their drop is Purple Moth Wing."
"Sometimes a rare Blue Morphobutterfly shows up…"
However—
Before he finished, Yukino clicked her tongue in impatience and stepped straight down.
She left only a cold tail-note:
"Just roll over them."
Mahiru glanced at Zyhark.
Her face was neutral, but her voice softened a shade:
"Let's go, Zyhark-sama."
"Theory never beats what your body learns."
Zyhark rubbed his nose and followed.
Great.
His two Familia girls—each with a mind stronger than the last.
...
…
(End of Chapter)
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