The 26th floor.
The enemies that appeared were still Lizardmen.
While they were troublesome due to the increased number and variety of enemies, they were gradually getting used to their movements. They could be handled by utilizing area magic and rapid fire.
However, a new and troublesome factor had emerged.
Ren and the others, having overcome several traps and enemies, noticed footsteps echoing faintly in the earthen cave.
"...Here they come."
Shion's ears also twitched slightly.
This time, it wasn't a trap but an enemy attack. The alarm wasn't ringing; the enemies were simply acting autonomously.
Wandering Monsters.
Up until now, enemies basically stayed put and didn't engage in combat until they made eye contact with each other. However, some enemies from the 26th floor and beyond roamed the dungeon, moving toward intruders if they detected sound, and attacking without warning.
The footsteps gradually grew louder, eventually transitioning from walking to running. The clattering metal sound was likely from their equipment.
Ren and the others exchanged glances, stopped, and prepared to meet the enemy.
Iris's arrow checked the foremost vanguard. When the enemy raised its shield to block the arrow, Iris's main Firebolt struck directly, significantly reducing its HP.
As the second vanguard leaped to the front, Ren's Double Magic Arrow (with Boost) activated, further stalling the enemy.
Just as the light arrows vanished, Shion's Foxfire surged in a five-shot burst, expertly destroying the two vanguards. It then checked the enemies in the rear.
Mariabelle and Mei immediately stepped forward and crushed the remaining enemies sequentially.
"Phew, we managed that."
Furi, who had her knife ready in case any enemies slipped through, breathed a sigh of relief.
Iris, who spearheaded the engagement, lowered her bow with a smile.
"It's tough to be constantly on edge. Though I suppose that's what's normal..."
"It was normal for the enemies' locations to be fixed. We can't help it if things are different now."
The Wandering Monsters' movement patterns are generally fixed, but they also change based on Ren and the others' actions—the sounds of combat and their voices. If they made a loud noise, the monsters would naturally move toward them.
In a sense, it was similar to the alarm, but the complication was that only a portion of the enemies behaved this way.
The possibility of being suddenly ambushed couldn't be ruled out unless every Wandering Monster was defeated, and the significance of three-way and four-way intersections became far greater. Ambushes from the rear could now realistically occur.
"One option for these floors is to aim only for the boss, rather than exploring everything. The burden is too great even if we divide the coverage into multiple dives."
"The dungeon's sheer size and the respawning enemies are indeed very troublesome now..."
In a way, the fact that the alarm strategy worked up to the 25th floor might have been the dungeon's benevolence, a way of saying, "Make sure you earn enough here."
No, it's unknown if such a game-like intention truly exists. But their experience so far confirmed that there was an intent to impose difficulties on challengers in stages.
"However, the value of the treasure increases along with the threat level. It would be a waste to ignore it."
"Yeah. In that case, I think I'll ask Iris to do that."
Iris, who was prompted, nodded slightly.
"Let's just take a shortcut."
She placed her hand on the wall, concentrated her mind, and activated Earth elemental spirit magic.
"Tunnel."
The earth at the point where Iris touched vanished, revealing a hole large enough for one person to comfortably pass through.
They had the map from the strategy guide. The hole she just opened was a huge shortcut to an area where high-value treasure was located.
"I practiced this after Mother taught me, for situations like this."
"Brilliant, Iris-sama. This will save us a lot of time."
Iris blushed, her blue eyes shining at Shion's sincere praise, and then she became serious.
"But please be careful. There's a chance the enemies might use this passage too."
"Right. We might be attacked while passing through this hole."
Fortunately, the hole Iris created was guaranteed to be free of traps. Since Furi, the Thief, didn't need to lead, they could assign Mei to the front.
Mei, who readily stood at the entrance of the hole, put the mace she was holding into Storage.
"Bare hands are more useful in narrow spaces."
The mace, a weapon that increases its power through centrifugal force, is unsuitable for narrow spaces. Even Mariabelle's kicking techniques would be hindered, making spinning kicks difficult. Thus, Furi, with her excellent hearing and agility, took the position at the rear.
"Alright, let's grab only the treasures we really want and then go defeat the boss."
"O-Oh..."
Her companions, who almost habitually shouted "Oh!" in unison, replied in a low voice to avoid drawing enemies.
-----------------
"Hmm. So, the 26th floor was also cleared safely."
"Yeah. We managed, somehow. I'm starting to understand the difficulties everyone faced when they first tackled this."
Ren's range of activity had significantly broadened since she gained the ability to fly.
When walking in town, she was bothered by the gazes of people (mainly men), but flying directly to her destination eliminated that worry. Even if eyes were on her, it was out of curiosity, like "Is that a bird or a plane," rather than a lustful "Whoa, that's lewd."
Even so, she had to limit her destinations since flying frequently for shopping would still attract attention.
Iris's parents' home in the forest and the Sage's house, where he clearly showed no interest in chasing women, were easy places to visit.
The Sage, in particular, couldn't come to Ren's house, so she had to go to him.
This time, she came with Shion, just the two of them.
They used to come as a whole group, but with the increased party size, this kind of visit might become more common.
The Sage listened to Ren's report, nodded, and said, "Smooth progress is good."
"The strategy guide you rely on was originally created by pioneers who gathered information and drew maps. You must forge a new path one by one in the new layers."
"It really sounds like a mind-numbing task."
Having experienced Wandering Monsters and alarms, Ren felt this deeply.
If the 26th floor was this much trouble, what would the 50th floor be like? If they had to reach the 100th floor, how much effort would that require?
"Say, is the accuracy of the strategy guide going to drop the further we go?"
"Undoubtedly. It should be fine up to the 30th floor, but beyond that, there might be unconfirmed information. Proceed with caution, and share any new discoveries."
"Got it."
Ren and the others' battle could help future challengers. That felt like a heavy responsibility.
"But I feel like I'm gradually becoming an important person."
"Nonsense. I told you before that you are the representative of the younger generation. Shion, you must understand the meaning of that, don't you?"
"Yes. What Ren-sama and the others have achieved is extraordinary."
"Shion. You're making me embarrassed, so stop."
"Ren-sama, if you were guided to the 25th-floor level in just half a year after coming here, wouldn't you feel that way...?"
"...I'm sorry for putting you through this hardship."
When Ren picked her up and stroked her, Shion wagged her tail and said, "It's no problem."
She had leveled up and grown to a moderate size, making her even more comfortable to hold. It seemed Ren no longer had to worry about "hugging her too tightly in my sleep."
The Sage watched Ren and Shion's interaction and spoke after a moment of silence.
Was he perhaps wishing he could stroke Shion, too?
"At any rate. You are the leader of that residential area, aren't you? I want you to be aware that you have a corresponding responsibility and trust placed in you."
"Yeah. ...The responsibility of being a leader while being in debt at this age is too much."
"You have always accepted changes flexibly. Think of this as the same thing."
As instructed, Ren looked down at herself.
The ample chest that wasn't there a year and a half ago—when she first came here. Her white, smooth skin was entirely familiar now, and she couldn't accurately recall what her skin felt like when she was a man.
She could now control the wings on her back and her tail almost perfectly, and being fashionably concerned about exposure had become second nature.
Incidentally, today she was wearing pants so her underwear wouldn't be visible while flying.
"Was this conversation mainly a lecture?"
"No. I thought it was time to grant you a special privilege."
He said this and stood up, putting on his cloak.
"Let's go. Follow me."
As told, Ren picked up Shion and went outside. The slender middle-aged man mumbled a small spell and softly floated into the air.
A high-level magic-based class would be able to fly. It wasn't surprising, given that he created that portal, Ren nodded as she followed him.
They headed to the temple, but he landed not inside, but on the exterior. Specifically, near the outer wall, avoiding the stairs on the four sides.
However, upon closer inspection, a small gem was embedded there.
"What is this?"
"It's the entrance to the treasure vault where the Divine Artifacts are stored."
"What?"
Touching the gem with the Sage, it gave a small glow. This apparently registered Ren as a user.
"Only Ren will be registered. But well, I don't mind you taking Shion in with you."
"Can I increase the number of registered users like you did just now?"
"No. You don't have the authority for new registration. You also can't bring companions. Does the difference between 'user' and 'administrator' rights make sense?"
Apparently, she could take Shion with her as long as she held her. It felt like she was being treated like an animal or cargo, but since it was awkward in many ways, I decided not to comment.
"How do I enter?"
"Just touch the gem and wish to 'enter.'"
When Ren did as she was told, she felt a sensation similar to entering the portal.
Inside was a small, stone-built room, where several items were placed. Ren's senses as a magic user told her that these items were of an absurdly high level.
The appearance of the items—a box with a coin slot, a simple book, something that looked like a trash can—was quite peculiar.
"Are these the Divine Artifacts?"
The Sage, who had entered after her, confirmed, "Yes."
"Using these, you can directly convert dropped items into cash, or purchase as many potions as you like. It might be a chore for you to bring in the collected items by yourself, but it should lead to a modest increase in your income."
"Yeah."
Bringing Shion would double her Storage, which would be a huge help.
"I never thought I would get to see the rumored Divine Artifacts so quickly..."
"You are special. Assume that I limited Furi and the others' entry to keep the number of users as low as possible."
"Then why grant me permission?"
"I told you. I intend for you to eventually be involved in the core of the town. This is a sort of preparation for that."
To give her responsibility and check whether she could fulfill it.
If she was deemed trustworthy, she would be called to the upper-level meetings to offer her opinions.
"Wouldn't it have been better to have the meeting first? You know, since they say these things shouldn't be broken or stolen."
"Did you want to be invited?"
"No, I hope I never am."
The Sage laughed and said, "Someone who says such a thing would never do any harm."
"This place is protected by a skill similar to Shion's 'Sanctuary.' To put it bluntly, with the level of power you all possess, you wouldn't even be able to move them, let alone destroy them."
"It was that strictly guarded..."
"It's a necessary measure. These are one-of-a-kind items, and there are no replacements."
However, the things that could be done with these Divine Artifacts were limited.
A party that uses a lot of potions, like the ones they associate with, would be overjoyed, but for Ren's party, it would likely only amount to a "slight increase in income."
"...Maybe we could sell potions in place of sacred sake or something?"
"You may do so, assuming you anticipate visitors for the first shrine visit. Some might buy them out of curiosity, and if they feel the price isn't right, they simply won't buy."
"Oh, you'll allow that?"
Well, keeping potions stocked for emergencies wasn't a bad idea.
Being able to buy them without worrying about running out of stock was helpful, and since there were also vending machine-like Divine Artifacts that generated magic items with fixed effects (though the types available were limited), there might be some good uses for them after careful consideration.
Ren smiled and said, "Thank you."
"Can I assume that in exchange for using this place, I should work hard on dungeon conquest?"
"Yes. I'm glad you understand."
Since she hadn't brought much money or items today, Ren decided to use it another time.
Ren moved toward the entrance and joked,
"I'm glad you didn't attack me, saying no one would ever know, since no one comes here."
"I have no intention of throwing away the trust I have built up to this point."
Ren, for her part, was prepared to send a message to Furi or someone else and resist to the death if she had been attacked, so she was truly glad it didn't come to that.
============
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