The 36th Floor possessed characteristics that set it apart from previous floors (excluding special boss floors).
...A mountain, huh, Ren thought.
The ground was sloped, and the visibility was wide open. When they said "mountain," they didn't mean a rich, green mountain, but a desolate one with bare earth and rocks, sparsely covered with grass and trees. If one were to create a fragment of a world, they should definitely not use this mountain as a reference.
According to the strategy guide, the descending staircase was located near the summit of the mountain. Compared to flat ground, climbing requires more stamina and is unsuitable for combat as footing is difficult to maintain.
I can see why Maria-san was so worried about this floor, Ren mused.
For Mariabelle, whose strong point was light footwork and whose main combat style was kicking, this was a difficult stage.
Moreover,
Leaving aside the entrance area, one is detected by enemies after moving even a short distance... is that right? Mariabelle asked.
That appears to be the case. Moving around carelessly could result in being surrounded by many enemies, Iris confirmed.
Having an open view meant it was easy to spot enemies from afar, but conversely, it meant the enemies could also easily spot them. It would be difficult to avoid combat, and if they made too much noise or prolonged a fight, they would face consecutive battles against newly attracted enemies. They needed to act more carefully and swiftly than ever before.
For now, let's try advancing slowly, Ren suggested.
I agree. We can't start until we check the enemy's strength once, Meteora consented.
Ren and the others began to climb the mountain, staying alert. It was fortunate that they didn't have any heavily armored members. Although the slope wasn't extremely steep, walking in heavy armor would quickly lead to exhaustion. The ability to store their luggage in the Storage skill was also a tailwind.
Of course, if this were just a normal mountain climb, it would be important to have various gear ready for emergencies like getting lost, but...
There they are. Two enemies diagonally to the front right. ...They are huge, Iris reported.
Soon enough, they confirmed the presence of the enemies. They were humanoid creatures over three meters tall. They had a physique proportional to their height and were holding clubs that looked like roughly whittled tree trunks. Their skin looked hard and sturdy, reminiscent of rock, and their eyes held a clear, dangerous glint.
They were Ogres—flesh-eaters. They possessed greater muscle strength and durability than Orcs, and their large strides gave them decent speed. They would keep attacking even when hit repeatedly without falling, and Mariabelle had recounted, as if she never wanted to remember, that if you were accidentally caught, you could be eaten whole.
I really don't want a lot of those around, Fūri whispered.
Complaining won't make them disappear. ...They don't seem to have noticed us yet, should we launch a surprise attack? Meteora suggested.
That's probably the only way. Be careful, they can throw their clubs when necessary, Ren warned.
Iris and Meteora notched arrows toward the Ogres, who seemed to be walking absentmindedly, their heavy footsteps echoing.
The arrows, enhanced in range and power by wind spirit magic and further blessed by Fūri, the Wind Spirit, successfully struck the targets from a distance. The Ogres, each struck by an arrow, let out grating shrieks and turned their bloodshot eyes toward Ren and the others.
Keep showering them with arrows, Iris! Meteora urged.
Of course! Iris replied.
The two archers continued to snipe. As a second and third arrow pierced them, the Ogres quickened their pace toward the party. Seeing the leading one raise its club-holding arm, Mei deployed the iron-sphere launching mechanism hidden in her arm. She fired a heavy projectile, which successfully struck the opponent's hand directly.
The air vibrated with the Ogre's angry bellow.
That's a terrifying voice... Meteora-sama, is that a language? Mei asked.
It's certainly not the common language. I haven't learned it, and Ogres are said to have low intelligence, so conversation is unlikely, Meteora replied.
Is that so... Then, we have no choice but to vanquish them! Mei determined.
As the distance closed, Ren and the others joined the attack. Shion's fox-fire flew amid countless flame arrows, and Iris and Meteora switched their magic from arrow enhancement to Fire Bolt, launching a full-scale fire attack.
However, the Ogres were truly tough. Before their high HP could be depleted, the enemies were right upon them. Mei and Fūri stepped forward, replacing the four retreating members.
Mei, holding her mace, looked tiny in front of the Ogre. This was natural, as the Ogre's mass was more than double hers, but—
"Hey, aim for me!"
Fūri deliberately called out a provocation, then used Wind Slash to make a shallow cut on the enemy's skin. Although it wasn't a serious wound, the Ogre, apparently annoyed, raised its club. The descending club passed harmlessly through Fūri's etherealized body, striking the ground heavily.
Whoa, even though I know it's safe, that's scary, Fūri thought.
But well done, Fūri-san, Mei praised.
While the Ogre's attention was diverted, Mei swung her weapon and struck the enemy's leg hard. Despite her small size, her power was sufficient, creating a painful sound that could be heard from a distance.
Shion! Ren urged.
Yes! Shion replied.
This was the moment to press the attack. With no reservation, two maximally enhanced Mana Bolts and seven Fox-Fires struck the other Ogre, instantly draining its HP and causing it to vanish from the world.
"Wind Slash!"
Fūri's magic severed the first Ogre's leg tendons. A barrage of mace attacks and arrows decisively turned the tide, and Ren and the others joined in to quickly finish it off.
...Whew, we managed it. This is not an opponent I want to fight often. Normally, you'd need a unit-level force to deal with this, Meteora commented.
Yeah, I bet it would be easy if ten people just kept shooting arrows. Unfortunately, we can't easily gather that many people, Ren said.
Since the field was wide, a human-wave strategy might be viable. If two or more parties cooperated to defeat the enemies one by one, the danger level would drop significantly.
If they were to conquer it relatively safely with one party:
Let's fly after all, Ren decided.
In that case, I would appreciate it if someone would carry me, Mei requested.
They quickly collected the drops, dumping them into the storage, and then Ren and the others soared high into the sky, heading straight for the summit.
They engaged the boss at the summit by having Ren and Shion primarily launch magic attacks from the air, ending the fight as quickly as possible. Clubs and rocks thrown by the boss could be easily avoided with caution, and flying negated the disadvantage of the difficult terrain.
Ren's conquest reports had previously been unpopular with the veterans for being "too specific to be useful," and their current conquest method would likely receive a similar assessment. However, safety was paramount. Since ordinary floors could be re-conquered later, a proper investigation could be conducted then.
-----------------
"I apologize for the delay, but I have reached nine tails."
"Congratulations, Shion-chan. Now you can fire nine shots simultaneously, right?" Fūri cheered.
"You sound like some kind of super-weapon. I wish you could fire beams instead of fire," Mei commented.
Shion's tails, which had been capped at seven due to prioritizing other skills or reserving skill points, finally reached the maximum of nine.
When all her tails were fully out, she was incredibly fluffy. As her body size had proportionally increased to that of an adult fox, each tail was also thicker, making her movements so voluminous that one might mistake her for "some new kind of cleaning tool?" Of course, touching them felt incredibly good.
After everyone had their fill of petting, Shion added:
"In addition, I can now freely change my size."
Pop! Shion (in fox mode) instantly shrunk to the size of a kit fox, which was her size when they first met.
"What is this, she's too cute…!?" Meteora exclaimed.
"Oh, right, Shion was already big when Meteora joined us. Big Shion is cute too, but small animals have a unique cuteness, don't they?" Ren said.
"Yes, this is cheating. Say, Shion. Shall we sleep together tonight?" Meteora asked.
"Yes, of course. ...But you don't mean it in a perverted way, do you?" Shion asked.
"Well, while I'm not opposed to becoming more intimate with you all, I meant it in the normal way just now," Meteora replied, casually injecting unnecessary information.
When Ren pointed out that Meteora seemed to like girls, she got angry. "You have no right to say that, and besides, it's all your fault!" Apparently, it was Ren's influence.
"By the way, Shion-san. What happens if you transform into a human in that state?" Mei asked.
"Well, I take a form proportional to my size. ...Like this."
Pop! She transformed again, this time into a beautiful fox-eared girl who looked around ten years old.
"She's so cute…! Ugh, Shion-chan is changing so much, isn't that cheating?" Fūri complained.
"Now, now. Fūri is beautiful too, after all."
"Thanks, Ren. But it's a little complicated to hear that from someone who gets bigger with every level-up," Fūri said.
The resentful gaze was directed not at Ren's height, but at her chest.
"Ah, this. Honestly, it's getting to be a hindrance now," Ren admitted.
Ren's chest, which had continued to grow with her level-ups, was now at a size where her clothing and underwear were severely limited to custom orders.
If the male Ren had seen her on the street, he would have definitely stared three times, not just twice. And if any of his friends had snapped a picture, he would have swallowed his pride and begged, "Send it to me."
Whether it was the Succubus power at work, even at this size, there was no impression of her figure being unbalanced. As a girl, she honestly felt a sense of pride, almost wanting to think, "I'm ridiculously sexy and cute, aren't I?" But—
"I think I'll take a skill to adjust the size—or rather, the appearance."
The skill was Bewitching Beauty. It allowed her to customize her already beautiful (and sexy) appearance to her liking, creating a perfect balance. Of course, it had no effect on her combat abilities (though she might gain muscle strength if she made herself extremely muscular). Just the ability to keep her chest size at a comfortable level would be well worth it.
Fūri blinked in surprise. "You're going to make that smaller!?"
"Why are you so surprised, Fūri?" Ren asked.
"It's obvious, isn't it? We benefit from that more than you do!" Meteora declared.
"Right, Mii-chan!" Fūri agreed.
Fūri and Meteora inexplicably shook hands. Indeed, they had far more opportunities to touch her chest than Ren did herself.
"I know this is late, but is it really fun for you all to touch it?" Ren asked.
"Of course it feels good! Right, Iris-chan?" Fūri asked.
"Eh!? Y-yes, that's right. It's soft and comfortable, and it's kind of reassuring," Iris stammered.
"An ample chest is a symbol of motherhood. I would be somewhat disappointed if it were significantly reduced…" Shion added.
Even Iris had sided with the opposition, and Shion was looking dejected.
"I-It's okay. I don't plan on making it significantly smaller," Ren assured them.
"Oh, in that case, that's fine then," Meteora readily agreed.
The quick agreement was a relief. In reality, Ren preferred having a large chest anyway, and she wanted to avoid having to buy a whole new wardrobe and underwear.
"By the way, it looks like I can also become a beautiful boy if I want to."
"Ah. I'm not really interested in that. Maybe occasionally," Fūri said.
"I see."
Ren wondered if everyone was losing interest in boys. If so, it was definitely Ren's fault, and it made her a little worried.
Then, Mei tugged on Ren's sleeve.
"What is it, Mei?" Ren asked.
Mei stared intently at Ren. After gazing at her silently for a moment, Mei pointed to herself with an outstretched index finger.
"Master. Please feed me too."
"Ah. You mean providing life energy?" Ren asked.
"Not exactly. Well, that is also fine, but I will be dissatisfied if you do not pay attention to me."
Ren was surprised to hear her say such a thing. She had often asserted that she "hated being left out," but Mei, lacking a sex drive, was thought to not need this kind of attention. Had her feelings changed? Or was the reason simpler?
"You may touch my soft parts as much as you like, and you may rub yourself against me or press into me. I will even show you the techniques I have learned for just such an occasion."
Being told that made it ironically difficult to say, "Then please do."
"Okay. Then, I will take you up on your offer from now on."
Another person was added to the list of those Ren would "sleep with" at night. At this point, Ren wondered if she needed a duty roster, but whose fault it was was definitely Ren's own.
============
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