Amidst the blaring alarm, human-shaped reptiles—Lizardmen—surged forward. Ren and the others, waiting at the room's entrance, dealt with them swiftly and without panic. However, there were a few changes to their setup.
"Wind Blade!"
"Wind Slash!"
Two voices activated wind magic: Shion, the fox spirit, who was being held by Ren and facing forward, and Fūri, the Wind Spirit, who directed her pale, smooth right hand down the passage.
The wind, released not as a formless torrent but as blades, had minimal effect in pushing the enemies back but relentlessly sliced the skin of those who came into contact with it.
To the enemies who kept advancing despite their screams, further attacks rained down:
"Fire Arrow!"
"Fire Bolt!"
A torrent of flame arrows unleashed by Ren and large flaming projectiles used by Iris poured onto the Lizardmen. Using wind and fire together could neutralize the advantages of each, but a wave attack could fill the gaps between activations and make it harder for the enemy to cope.
In the storm of long-range magic attacks, the Lizardmen at the front vanished one after another. Ren's group sliced through the massive horde of enemies without letting their offensive falter until no moving figures remained.
With no one left moving, a loud noise remained, and the wind blades smashed the alarm device as a final blow.
"Mmm, that feels good! Being able to use magic alone makes the reincarnation worth it!"
Fūri, the one who destroyed the trap, stretched and let out a cheerful voice. As she puffed out her chest, the lines of her slender body were emphasized, and Ren almost swallowed hard. Although her chest size hadn't changed (something Fūri herself was slightly disappointed about), her smooth, sporty curves were still present. With her pale and smoother skin, her sensuality had, if anything, increased.
Iris smiled at this.
"It makes sense that a Wind Spirit would be able to use Wind Spirit Magic."
"Yeah. Maybe I'll even become better at wind magic than you, Iris-chan?"
In fact, Fūri being able to use magic was a huge boost to their fighting power. The Wind Spirit—Sylphid—was more of a magic-based race. Just as Fūri somewhat boastfully said, she had a full array of wind-based spirit magic. Wind Slash, which releases wind blades, was one of the basic spells and was highly effective at short to mid-range. For Fūri, a Thief, it could be activated after sneaking close to the enemy, but even when used from a distance like now, it had decent power.
Due to the issue of magic attack power, matching Iris in damage might be difficult, but she could now utilize her previously unused MP. As she leveled up, she would be able to use wind to deliver messages or even fly. In terms of breadth of use, she might even surpass a professional.
(In fact, since Iris and Meteora are in a position to borrow the power of spirits, Fūri is arguably the professional when it comes to wind magic.)
"It's also great that I became strong against physical attacks. I'm better against traps now, too."
"Exactly. I think you'll be able to fight much more easily in a melee."
Being resistant to physical attacks was another characteristic of the Sylphid. Even in the normal state, the damage taken was lower than before. If she used the "Etherealization" skill, physical damage would be halved or less. Since she would become a magical collection of wind, being punched or slashed would just be a case of "it might hurt a little," not a fatal injury.
As she acquired more skills, her defense could be increased further. The drawback was that Fūri also couldn't physically interact with things while etherealized, but once she got used to her new body and could instantly switch between materialized and ethereal states, she would be safe even in an emergency.
"I can take some new skills since I leveled up. Thanks, everyone."
"Don't worry about it. We're comrades."
Since they had spent a good deal of money on the Reincarnation Stone purchase, Ren and the others were currently short on funds. They hadn't changed the pace of their dungeon exploration, but they were actively making multiple rounds to earn money. Fūri's MP was depleted after one run, but Iris still had her bow and arrows even when her MP ran out. Ren's MP could be replenished even if it was exhausted, and if Ren was using magic constantly, Shion could gather magic power from the atmosphere to recover her MP.
Speaking of MP replenishment:
"I can get MP from everyone now, even without touching them, so let's keep going!" Fūri said.
After much deliberation, Ren used the Reset Stone and acquired the new skill, "Fated Mate." This connected Ren magically with Fūri, Iris, Mei, Shion, and Meteora.
Thanks to this, Energy Drain was activated even when Ren wasn't doing anything. The amount of MP received was minuscule, but with five people, it added up significantly. Since this happened continuously, even during combat and travel, it couldn't be ignored. At the very least, it reduced their rest time, and it greatly increased Ren's combat power in decisive battles.
"I don't mind being touched or kissed, though," Fūri teased.
"Fūri. Let's pick up the drops first," Ren said.
When Ren told her partner, who had playfully hugged her, she said, "Okay!" and separated, walking down the passage while giving Ren an inviting glance. Ren smiled and followed. Since Fūri's participation in combat had increased, Ren tried to help with the drop recovery as much as possible. It also helped speed up the post-battle process, as Ren's break time had been reduced.
Mei, who was not very useful for stone and earth collection for the storage, watched Ren and Fūri's collaborative work and murmured:
"It looks like we can clear the 35th Floor next time."
-----------------
After cutting short today's exploration and returning to the temple, Ren sent a message to Meteora saying, "We're coming home."
You're slow. I've been tired of waiting. Hurry up and get back!
The reply came instantly. This was the other effect of the skill Fated Mate. Ren could previously send messages using a different magic, but with the "Mate" target of the skill, two-way telepathy was now possible. However, testing showed that communication from inside the dungeon to outside the dungeon was impossible. Since the inside of the dungeon was like a separate world, it was likely outside the range of the effect.
Ren smiled wryly, sent an acknowledging reply, and headed home with her companions.
"Welcome back. You must be tired. Let's eat after you drop your bags and change," Aisha said.
"You finally returned. Couldn't you have taken it a little easier?" Meteora commented.
When they arrived, they were greeted by Aisha in an apron and Meteora in a dress. After being entrusted to the cosplay shop owner several times and not causing any trouble, the Princess was allowed to wait at home. Although Ren still felt a slight unease, Meteora and Aisha seemed to have waited together peacefully without fighting.
...Judging by the fact that Meteora wasn't wearing an apron, she hadn't helped prepare dinner, but Ren wasn't expecting that much from a princess, anyway.
After quickly getting ready, they immediately sat down for dinner. The meal was more luxurious than before, due to their cohabitant's refined palate. This also increased the enjoyment of daily life for Ren and the others.
"I was studying language with Meteora-san today," Aisha informed them during the meal.
"Oh, really?" Ren asked.
"Yes. I taught Aisha, and I learned from Aisha. Japanese, or whatever you call it, is quite a unique language, isn't it?" Meteora said.
"That's true. It would be difficult to master if you're not a native speaker," Mariabelle agreed.
"Yes. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji make it complicated," Mei and Iris chimed in, agreeing with Meteora's sentiment.
Ren's party, though filled with non-human races and lacking a sense of being purely Japanese, had Ren, Fūri, and Shion as native Japanese speakers. Mei and Iris were also taught the language by their Japanese parents, so they were also native speakers. While Ren didn't understand the feeling of foreigners saying, "Japanese is difficult," she somewhat understood the reasons why.
"It really is. I don't understand why so many types of characters were necessary. Were your ancestors fools?" Meteora asked.
"Ahaha. Well, apparently, it became this way by incorporating the languages of other countries," Fūri answered with a wry smile.
Meteora sighed. "You should have just created a common language."
"In Meteora's world, could people communicate even if they were different races?" Ren asked.
"There were dialects depending on the race or region, but we could understand each other to some extent. There was also a unique Dark Elf language, but it was an ancient language, so some people couldn't speak it."
In that regard, fantasy worlds seemed more advanced. Perhaps because with so many different races, not being able to communicate would cause serious problems.
"In any case, mastering Japanese will take time. It might be faster to teach you all the common language instead," Meteora suggested.
"Hmm. I struggled quite a bit with English, though," Ren admitted.
The other-world language seemed to be based on connecting words made up of combinations of basic letters. While the category was similar to English, it was also quite difficult because they had to memorize a lot of vocabulary.
"I think it's fine to just learn the necessary words first. If you can say things like 'enemy,' 'coming,' and 'danger,' you could at least warn the Elves, couldn't you?" Mariabelle suggested.
"That's right. If Half-Elf Iris-san conveyed the warning, they might trust her to some extent."
Even if they couldn't stop the enemy completely, a warning might reduce casualties. Ren, recalling the battle on the 35th Floor, looked at the girl who had been the enemy leader.
"...Are you ready?" Ren asked.
"...I suppose so," Meteora replied, with a slight hesitation in her voice.
Despite the hesitation, Meteora looked straight into Ren's eyes and stated clearly:
"Go. Go and fight for your purpose."
"That means killing Dark Elves, though. Are you still okay with that?" Ren pressed.
"You are not lying. ...At the very least, it is a fact that this place is a foreign world from my perspective, and you suddenly appeared in my world. In that case, there is no place for me back there anymore."
Most of the Dark Elves under her command died in that battle. Even if she could return, she would be going back to her country alone. She would undoubtedly be held accountable, and the fact that Ren kissed her wouldn't disappear. Additionally, she had the suspicion of "the end of the world" that Ren's group had told her about. It would be impossible for her to live the same way as before. Furthermore, if that battle were to be repeated, it would no longer be "the battle the Meteora who is here experienced."
"I really want to see this 'dungeon' for myself first, but I'll refrain from that," Meteora said.
"Why?" Ren asked.
"I can't shake the fear that if I go, I might revert to the person I was before I met you."
It was unlikely to happen. But she couldn't say it was absolutely impossible.
"So, go one more time and confirm it. Whether I am there or not."
If another Meteora existed, she would be a separate entity from the current Meteora. If Meteora was not on the 35th Floor, the uniqueness of her existence would be preserved. Either way, it would provide some guarantee.
"However, come back as soon as possible. ...When you are gone, the 'connection' is severed, and it makes me uneasy," Meteora confided.
"Connection?" Ren asked.
"Ren-sama. She is likely referring to the Energy Drain through the skill," Mariabelle clarified.
"Ah, right," Ren realized.
If telepathy didn't work, it was logical that the Energy Drain wouldn't either. For the one draining, it was just five people becoming four, and MP was still being recovered, so unless they checked the detailed values, they wouldn't notice. But for the ones being drained, there was a huge difference between being drained and not being drained.
"It makes you feel quite happy, too. If it was severed, I might even have withdrawal symptoms," Fūri commented.
"I agree. It would be lonely, like being separated from Ren-san," Iris added.
"Master is a sinful man... I mean, a sinful woman," Mei said.
"The connection with Ren-sama is also precious to me. If possible, please keep me close for a long time," Shion pleaded.
Ren felt a mix of embarrassment, shyness, and great happiness at the words directed at her from everyone. "Yes," she replied.
"Let's keep fighting together. ...And Meteora, too, if possible."
"Then, go and fulfill your role quickly."
The Princess, who was sweet when she wanted to be but not always, gave her words of encouragement with her face turned away in a deliberate pout.
============
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