The entrance to the 35th Floor was at the edge of an elf settlement in the forest.
Wooden houses lined the settlement. There were many trees remaining between the houses, giving the strong impression that it existed within the forest, rather than being carved out of it.
It seemed quite difficult to grasp the full layout at a glance. Although Ren and the others had a general map from the strategy guide, navigating without getting lost based solely on a two-dimensional diagram was a talent in itself.
"The enemy's movements should have started the moment we arrived here," Mariabelle said as they exited the staircase.
She had said in the pre-mission briefing:
"The 35th Floor will be the last major battle I experienced."
Ren was surprised that they had reached that point already, and she gave a wry smile, saying, "By then, more than three years had already passed."
Her hope of immediately reuniting with Aisha was dashed, and she had a new lover. Even back then, the expected goal floor was "at least the 50th," and the estimate was that it would take several more years to reach it. It was understandable that her desire to return to Japan at any cost had withered after that battle.
"The Elves are not hostile, but, like the Dark Elves so far, they don't speak our language. Let's prioritize striking the Dark Elves without antagonizing the Elves, rather than trying to cooperate."
Everyone nodded silently at this.
"Alright, then. As planned."
Ren and the others split into four directions and began to move. Ren spread his wings and soared. Mariabelle rode on the back of Shion, who had grown gigantic (in her fox form), and Iris flew into the sky using wind magic. Mei and Fūri, who couldn't fly, started moving on the ground, taking care to make as little noise as possible.
The battle on the 35th Floor was quite different from previous ones. The objective was defense, not attack, and the defense target was broad—the Elf settlement and the surrounding forest. The enemy Dark Elves would start burning the forest if left alone, so waiting passively in the village would be too late.
What a textbook "newcomer killer" mission.
Before challenging the 35th Floor, they had spoken to past experienced adventurers. Even the Sage had a bitter look, perhaps not having good memories of this place:
"You must act quickly. Whatever you do, do not think about trying to analyze the Elven language."
"Ah, you tried that, didn't you?"
"If dialogue were possible, it would be useful later on. It wasn't solely due to intellectual curiosity. …Be that as it may, be careful. Splitting the party carries its own risks."
The Sage said that if they thought they couldn't win, they should swiftly retreat or leave the forest. The victory condition was a successful defense. If they failed to meet the condition, they could return to the shrine from the staircase and re-enter to try again. It was wiser to abandon the forest and survive than to lose their lives.
Of course, winning was the best outcome.
"Wow, it's quite vast," Ren muttered.
A vast forest spanning about 20 to 30 square kilometers.
Having ascended to a considerable altitude, Ren spotted enemies advancing across the grassland outside the forest. Tall, long-eared humanoids with brown skin. The Dark Elf army was split into four groups, heading toward the Elf forest.
Their total number was about 300.
Divided by four, that's less than a hundred per group. While small in number, as Dark Elves, even their support and rear-echelon units should be able to wield a certain amount of archery and spirit magic. They were by no means an opponent to be underestimated, and facing such numbers with a small group was even more dangerous.
"Well, at least they aren't coming straight to burn the forest, which is a relief," Ren thought.
Even though they were Dark Elves, they were still Elves. If there was a large forest, they seemed to prefer taking it for themselves rather than burning it. Therefore, they planned to encircle the Elves from all four sides to cut off their escape and then exterminate them. If the enemy surrendered, that was also fine; they could be enslaved and put to various uses.
So, they had a little time.
The enemies would arrive at the forest and begin their attack in about ten minutes. It would be troublesome if they entered the forest and a chaotic battle ensued, so Ren wanted to stop them before that if possible. He targeted the group on the north side of the forest, which seemed to have the largest numbers compared to the others, and flew towards them at full speed.
A sound like an alarm horn was sounded before he even got close to the enemy. Upon seeing someone (and a demon-like figure at that) flying towards their forces alone, they slowed their advance and took a defensive posture.
A loud voice called out, likely an alien language (?), meaning "Who goes there?"
Demons or Succubi would have good compatibility with Dark Elves. If Ren had understood their language, there might have been a way to deceive them and make them drop their guard, but unfortunately, Ren had no idea what they were saying.
Ignoring them, he approached and activated a Magic Arrow with Dual Magic, Magic Amplification, and Homing Magic.
Having no allies nearby was, in a way, wonderful. Thanks to the homing effect, the light arrows were guaranteed to strike the enemies.
Screams and angry shouts.
Two or three enemies were eliminated, but the unit did not suffer significant damage. In return, spirit magic was activated, and over ten arrows were aimed at him.
"Woah, this is actually scary…!?"
An enemy arrow, propelled at high speed by the blessing of the wind, whizzed past his side. A similar attack used by Iris could smash and penetrate a certain thickness of wooden board. Shuddering at the thought of his arm or leg being shot through, Ren attempted to evade by flying in an erratic pattern.
Naturally, he also fired magic as rapidly as possible to chip away at the enemy's fighting strength. Even with the boost and Ren's increased magic attack power, the Magic Arrow might not have enough firepower, as the number of enemies destroyed per attack was not very high. If he repeated the attacks, he would eventually eliminate them all, two or three at a time, but the enemy showed further movement before that.
A figure, presumably a messenger, broke away from the unit and began flying at high speed using wind magic.
"!?"
Arrows were fired to keep him busy just as he tried to shoot the messenger down. The messenger, flying low, barely above the ground but at high speed, quickly flew away. This likely meant that attack orders or instructions to converge had been sent to the other units.
Well, that was fine.
Shion, Iris, and Mei were heading toward the other units. In a way, Ren could be grateful that they were "wasting combat strength on a pointless task."
However...
"...Ugh," Ren groaned involuntarily, seeing a single figure leap into the air from the unit.
It was a beautiful Dark Elf woman, clad in visibly higher-grade travel attire and holding an aged black bow. Her red eyes showed confusion and then anger.
The Dark Elf Queen, or perhaps Princess.
She was positioned as the boss of the 35th Floor, but the victory condition here was not to defeat her. Killing her would only make the battle a little easier. Was it a form of harassment that a boss who wasn't the victory condition would just charge in so casually?
"—!?"
"Sorry, but I don't understand what you're saying!"
She was so beautiful it seemed a waste to harm her.
Thinking something inappropriate, Ren cast magic again. He directed half of the light arrows toward the presumed Princess, but she avoided them with an unexpected move. Just before impact, she performed a mid-air somersault, like something done in a dogfight between fighter jets. Ren had read about it in a book since coming here; he wished he had studied it by watching a foreign movie or something.
No matter how good the homing function was, the arrow's trajectory couldn't change sharply. As the arrows passed far behind her, Ren tried to manually steer them back, but the black bow was aimed at him.
"Magic Shell!"
He used defensive magic to weaken the arrow's momentum and barely dodged. A quick glance down showed the enemy unit had resumed its advance. The strongest individual was tying up the enemy while the rest proceeded with the plan. It was an extremely rational strategy, except for the commander being exposed to danger. In fact, since Ren was being pinned down like this, the enemy must have had a chance of success.
Ren clicked his tongue and temporarily focused his target on the Princess. To save on MP, he stopped using auxiliary skills and attacked with a combination of standard Magic Arrow and Mana Bolt to increase the volume of attacks. By moving erratically while firing magic, the enemy's attacks were unlikely to land. Conversely, his attacks were not effective hits either, but just as he was about to use a potion...
An arrow accurately shattered the potion bottle while it was still full.
"What a waste!"
Ren glared at her in protest, and the Princess grinned back at him.
His MP was quite depleted from repeatedly using Homing. He couldn't afford to be drained by the Princess right now—he gritted his teeth, but he couldn't stop his attacks. Even by conserving, his MP would steadily decrease when used. It was the opponent who benefited from a stalemate.
Being outnumbered, Ren and his party wanted to eliminate the enemy quickly and rush to their allies' aid. The situation where Shion and Mariabelle went together was probably not too worrisome. Mei would somehow survive, but Iris and Fūri were a concern. No matter how well they did, a single surprise shot could prove fatal.
He wanted to check on them as soon as possible.
"Ugh, seriously! I have no choice!"
He grew impatient with his diminishing MP.
It was a desperate gamble.
Ren drastically changed his trajectory and charged straight at the Princess. She widened her eyes and tried to increase the distance. The chase began. Since she was fleeing at full speed, her aim was naturally off, and her arrow attacks became slightly easier to avoid. Ren stopped trying to dodge, blocking with defensive magic while taking a few direct hits.
The Dark Elves' flying ability depended on spirit magic.
Using other spirit magic while flying seemed to be a highly advanced technique, and the Princess did not attempt it. Ren, who could use magic while flying, had an advantage in that regard. He could use area magic for a diversion, defend against arrows, and...
"Heal!"
...He could also use healing magic to mend his wounds.
Wincing at the sensation of the arrows pulling out of his body, he slowly closed the distance. Flying with wind spirit magic had difficulties with speed adjustment and fine control. In contrast, the Succubus's flight, while appearing dependent on wings, was actually a unique ability unrelated to them. It was easier to adjust speed and make precise movements.
After a chase that lasted two or three minutes,
"Got you!"
Ren managed to grab the Princess's slender arm.
He pulled her closer as she struggled. Surprised by the effect of Energy Drain, the Princess was held in a full-nelson grip, dropping the bow she had been holding. Taking the opportunity, Ren removed the quiver on her back and dropped it as well.
"Ugh!"
The Princess's weight suddenly became heavy as she released her flying magic.
Turning around, she grabbed Ren's shoulder and tried to activate new magic. Despite her cute appearance, she had nerves of steel. Since he couldn't afford to be attacked at point-blank range, Ren pinned her down and took her lips in a kiss.
The enemy, and a person of the same sex at that, probably hadn't expected to be kissed.
Ren hadn't done it just for his own pleasure. Kissing dramatically increased the efficiency of Energy Drain. The absorption of life force and a certain kind of pleasure brought on by the Drain were also perfect for stopping movement and dulling concentration.
Indeed, after kissing for a while, the strength drained from the Princess's body, and she merely clung to Ren.
His MP was also recovered as a result. He cast an additional Heal without incantation and used a rope he had stored in his inventory to restrain the Princess. Binding both arms behind her back and restraining her legs in two places should make it impossible for her to escape easily. To prevent her from using magic, he kissed her again, draining more life force.
But what should he do now?
He had captured her on impulse, but the enemy unit was already moving and about to reach the forest. It seemed troublesome to chase them while carrying the Princess, and it felt somewhat wasteful to eliminate someone he had just captured.
He sent a quick message to his comrades explaining the situation. A little later, he and the now-exhausted Princess landed on the ground.
"Should I use her as a hostage to threaten her subordinates?"
Just as he thought this, he saw someone running, bypassing the forest. He flew back to meet her and found Fūri, who seemed to have separated from Mei.
"Is Mei okay?"
"Yeah. I actually ran away because I was getting in the way. She was ignoring projectiles and charging in, fighting everyone, so she's fine. ...But Ren, are you cheating on your lovers here?"
"No, it's not like that. I was just wondering what would happen if I brought this girl back."
"Ah, that's certainly intriguing."
As they were talking, a large fox and a blonde girl approached from another direction. Mariabelle was on Shion's back. It seemed everyone was safe.
"But this means the mission failed, doesn't it?"
Although they had whittled down a considerable number of enemies, some had managed to enter the forest. Perhaps realizing that a conventional attack was impossible with their reduced forces, fires soon started to rise from the forest. Ultimately, about a third of the forest was completely burned down. The Elf settlement was also partially damaged, and naturally, the staircase to the next floor did not appear.
"...A retry, huh? I'm sorry, it's my fault."
"It's fine. More importantly, we should take this girl with us, since we caught her."
The only notable spoils of war were the Dark Elf Princess they had taken alive.
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