Ren was sitting on the edge of the lake, letting her feet hang down. The cold lake water soaking up to her ankles was comfortable. Shion, in her small fox form, settled on Ren's lap, and Ren gently stroked her while basking in the sun.
Ren was finally wearing a swimsuit, and it was a black, very revealing style. In a sense, it was something she had always longed for, even as a man. You couldn't wear a swimsuit like this without confidence in your figure. Since she could stabilize her physique with a skill, it would be a waste not to wear it. She certainly never thought she would be the one wearing it when she was a man.
"The wings on my back are a nuisance in times like this," Meteora commented.
"Meteora," Ren replied.
The brown-skinned beautiful girl approached with her clothes soaking wet and clinging to her body. Being a resident of a fantasy world, she apparently believed that "bathing is done naked." However, also believing that "a princess's nudity should not be casually exposed," she was wearing a thin garment, like a yukata.
Naturally, the wet fabric clung to her skin, emphasizing her gorgeous body lines and even becoming slightly transparent, creating a sight that was, in a sense, "more erotic than nudity." But as usual, there were only girls at this lake, so it was fine.
"You look like you're having fun," Ren said.
"I am. A bath is nice, but a water bath is exceptional. It's even better because the water here is clean."
Meteora crouched down and cupped her hands to hold water. After watching Ren and the others for a moment, perhaps thinking, "Maybe I should play a prank on them," she looked at them. Shion, who sensed the mischievous intent, pleaded with her eyes to stop, and Meteora reluctantly dropped the water back into the lake.
Then, a slender arm, boasting a contrasting whiteness against Meteora's brown skin, wrapped around her. Fūri, hugging the Princess from behind and pressing her chest against her, smiled at Ren and the others.
"It's great we could all come to the lake," Fūri said.
"It is."
While they had been consumed by battles with Ogres, the season had quickly shifted from spring to summer. With August bringing serious heat, Ren and the others had come to the lake for a swim.
There were several other groups of girls similarly enjoying the water. The mountain project looked like it might be completed this year, but there was still no end in sight for the sea project. Since the lake and the river were the only places they could play in the water, the lake was very popular.
"The sea, you say. Even I haven't seen that," Meteora admitted.
"Oh, really?" Ren asked.
"Yes. After all, there isn't much greenery near the sea, is there?"
"Ah."
Ren felt like there might have been a few places with nearby forests, but she honestly couldn't recall. Trees, except for a few exceptions, were probably vulnerable to salt. In that case, the sea wouldn't be a place that forest-dwelling races like Elves and Dark Elves would go out of their way to visit.
"I wonder if there are sea Elves?" Ren asked.
"The sea is the territory of Mermaids and Mermen. Even powerful water spirit magic wouldn't be able to compete with them," Meteora said.
"Fantasy is amazing; there are all sorts of creatures," Ren marveled.
Ren wondered if mermaid-like races would appear in this world someday.
"Living would be difficult if your lower body became a fish... I could at least walk on the ground, but they wouldn't even be able to do that," Mariabelle commented.
"That's true. They probably couldn't survive for long without water. In a normal house, we'd have to let them monopolize the bathtub," Ren agreed.
They would have to live in this lake or the water area next to the Shrine. Then they would have to build a dedicated pond or something for them to move to.
"They probably couldn't wear anything but swimsuits."
"Wouldn't they get used to being naked eventually? Shion-chan doesn't ask for clothes when she's a fox," Fūri noted.
"That's true. Although, getting too used to nudity might make things difficult if we return to human form later…" Mariabelle mused.
After returning to human form.
The thought reminded Ren of her worries, and her eyes involuntarily became distant. Fūri, Meteora, and even Shion had expressions that said, "Oh, that problem."
"...Seriously, what should we do?" Ren sighed.
"Right. I personally think you're worrying too much. Even if it takes ten or twenty years, you can't say, 'So what?' in the case of humans, can you?" Meteora said.
"No."
Ren and the others were now faced with the choice of either "pushing forward as they are" or "taking a long preparation period."
The preparation period would be very long, at least a year, as it included the possibility of pregnancy and child-rearing. Of course, they wouldn't stop diving into the dungeon entirely during that time. Two or three people would still go for leveling and fundraising when they had free time. This would ensure their levels would naturally rise.
Naturally, the time required for conquest would increase.
—The lifespan of the initial transferees was a worrying time limit.
Pushing forward as they were carried a high risk. At the very least, they needed to level up. To ensure a somewhat safe breakthrough, they needed to accumulate more experience than ever before.
To minimize the time taken, they would have to increase their exploration from "twice a week." To be extreme, increasing it to seven times a week would more than triple their leveling pace. Of course, such a regimen would place a huge burden on both mind and body.
However, as a mixed-race party, Ren and the others were capable of pulling it off.
"That's reckless. Trying to do the impossible is foolish," Meteora insisted.
"I don't plan on going into the dungeon every day. But whether we settle here or not is something we really need to consider."
It wasn't that Ren hadn't thought about it before. She had been conquering the dungeon smoothly enough to think, "Maybe we can go all the way at once." The battle on the 40th Floor, however, had changed that to a thought of, "If we conquer it normally, it might take another ten years."
It would be too painful to look ahead and continue the tightrope walk of leveling for another ten years.
Meteora sighed loudly, making sure Ren could hear it.
"Why are you trying so hard? Why don't you just do what you can?"
"Because we're human. If we give up here, the number of people who can't return to Japan might significantly increase. The same goes for the newly summoned people."
The dungeon difficulty was constantly rising. If they didn't adopt the human-wave tactics the Sage suggested, they had to break through with powerful individual strength. And Ren's party was likely the only one capable of that.
If another hero-like party would emerge, Ren would be happy to hand over the responsibility. But judging by how much the townspeople relied on Ren and the others, that wasn't likely to happen easily. Betting on the transferees of the following year was too irresponsible.
"I feel like if we don't keep aiming for it, we might stop caring entirely."
Ren and the others now had long lifespans. If they lived normally, they would live much longer than humans. Furthermore, Ren's appearance had drastically changed from when she was human.
It was highly questionable whether she would be happy to return to being a man now, or if she could live a normal life. If several more years passed, her feelings would likely shift to, "I want to clear the dungeon, but I don't want to return to being human." If that happened, there would be no reason to return to Japan.
"...Well, yeah. If we can't go back, I guess it's fine if we don't," Fūri said, narrowing her eyes and looking up at the sky. The sunlight filtered through the trees was blinding.
"Of course, I want to see my parents and friends. But while everyone else is in high school or working, we're high school dropouts. ...At that point, wouldn't it be easier to just accept that we can't go back and give up? That's what I sometimes think."
This might be a feeling unique to the young. Or perhaps it was due to having become a different race. Most people in the city said they "want to go back if they can." The longing for their hometown might intensify with the passing of years. Anyone would want to resolve their regrets once they became aware of their own mortality.
"Then, why are you still trying to fight?" Meteora asked.
"It's for Iris, isn't it?"
The voice came from behind them. Ren turned to see two similar-looking people—a young girl and a woman—standing there. Both had blonde hair and blue eyes, and similar features, but the woman's ears were distinctly more pointed than the girl's.
It was Iris and Iris's mother. The girl looked somewhat downcast, like a scolded child.
Iris's mother smiled.
"Iris told me. That Ren-san and the others are worried about their future course of action."
"...Yes."
Ren and the others felt somewhat awkward. As pointed out, the biggest reason they wanted to conquer the dungeon was for Iris. And going further, it was for Iris's parents—especially her father.
The woman, who was young for an Elf but had still lived much longer than Ren's group, nodded as if she understood everything.
"Please don't worry about us. All of you should do what you want to do. This is the opinion of both my husband and me."
"But, that would mean…" Ren trailed off.
Even if the mother was fine with it, Iris's father might never return to Japan. It was natural that if the parents knew Ren and the others' intentions, they would say, "You don't have to try that hard." Ren would probably say the same if the situation were reversed. She would think it was strange for someone else to try that hard for her sake.
However, the fact that they couldn't give up was also true.
But,
"This isn't something only Ren-san and the others have to bear," Iris's mother said, her voice slightly firmer.
"I told Iris the same thing. Of course, we appreciate your feelings—that is, the fact that Iris and Ren-san care about us. But we do not wish for any of you to push yourselves to conquer the dungeon."
"Mother," Iris whispered.
"Of course, we would be happy if we could return to Japan. But if someone suffers, gets injured, or dies for that to happen, we wouldn't be able to simply rejoice, would we?"
Iris had likely been admonished with similar words. She couldn't say anything strongly. What Iris's mother said was sound logic. It carried even more weight because it came from the party whose time limit was approaching first.
"In the first place, if one desperately wants to return, that person should be the one putting themselves on the line. ...If the time comes, I am prepared to do so myself."
"Oh, you'll fight? For an Elf who has only lived for thirty or forty years?" Meteora scoffed.
"If necessary. I was originally human too, after all."
Meteora was older in terms of years, but Iris's mother was the more mature one. This was partly due to her being a parent, and partly because humans mature mentally faster.
She smiled a little mischievously.
"All my daughters are grown and no longer need constant care. The younger ones seem interested in the dungeon, too. Perhaps the three of us—mother and daughters—should challenge it together."
"That would... make the old man extremely happy," Ren said.
"You can disregard the Sage. The important thing is for Ren-san and the others to know that 'it is okay to have expectations of others.'"
There were still veterans continuing the conquest. The junior transferees were also trying their best. Among them were some who started diving into the dungeon because of Ren's group.
Ren and the others didn't need to be the only ones trying hard.
"Please consider that in your decision. ...If Iris starts acting selfishly again, I will scold her once more, so please don't hesitate to tell me."
"...Thank you."
After returning home, Iris quietly said, "I am sorry."
"I just didn't know what to do anymore. I wasn't dissatisfied with Ren-san and the others."
"Thank you, Iris. It's okay, calm down," Ren said, comforting the girl who looked on the verge of tears. They settled down in the living room.
Mei, meanwhile, had been eating stones by the river. When she rejoined them, she simply said, "I entrust the decision to Master." Since she was the kind of person who would speak up if she hated something, Ren knew this was her honest opinion. It might be a sign that Ren was trusted.
After a while, Iris calmed down and said, "I'm okay now."
"My mother scolded me. ...I still want my father to return to Japan, but I've decided to stop trying so hard that I break myself."
"That's good. I think that's best, too," Ren replied, nodding.
Fūri tilted her head. "Then, what does that mean?"
"Are we taking a break? Or continuing?"
"Hmm... Why don't we continue for a little longer? Of course, we'll take time for leveling, but we'll stick to the usual two dungeon dives per week. Let's get strong enough to challenge it, clear up to the 50th Floor, and then think about it again."
One could say they were just postponing the decision. However, reaching the 50th Floor was also a significant milestone. The fact that the younger generation reached that point might inspire the subsequent groups. Whether they rested for a while or continued, thinking, "Only halfway left!" was better than thinking, "Still more than halfway to go…"
Her companions didn't object.
"Sounds good to me. If it's about accumulating power, I have no reason to object," Meteora said.
"Yeah. Honestly, if we were suddenly told to start raising kids, I'd think, 'Isn't it too soon?'" Fūri added.
"I also agree. Let's go as far as we can before we take a break," Mei agreed.
"Let's set a record of reaching the 50th Floor that no one can break. Then we can brag about it for a while," Shion said.
"Thank you, Ren-san. I'll work hard too…!" Iris promised.
Thus, Ren and the others set their new goal as "Conquest of the 50th Floor."
Now that the native generation had also acquired class levels, Ren wondered what they would find there.
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