They arrived at the 1st Floor of the Dungeon. Watching Aiz cut through Kobolds and Goblins like a whirlwind, Roland followed her pace and leaned in. "Aiz, can we stop for a second? If we fight all the way to the middle floors like this, it'll take too long."
Aiz stopped, looking puzzled. "But if I use magic to speed up, I won't last long." Even as a Level 3, magic wasn't something she could use all day.
"Aiz, can I carry you?" Roland asked.
Aiz's dazed expression shifted into a hint of joy. She nodded. "If it's Roland... okay."
Roland knelt down, and Aiz climbed onto his back. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck, her golden hair mingling with his black strands. Roland felt the cool metal of her breastplate against his back as she leaned her head against him.
"Hold on tight, Aiz. I'm going to accelerate."
"Mm," she whispered in his ear.
Roland switched to Swift Master. Their hair began to flutter as gales swirled around them. With a powerful step, Roland took flight, soaring through the Dungeon at extreme speeds. About thirty minutes later, they reached the 18th Floor—the Under Resort.
Roland knelt to let the excited Aiz down. She looked at the crystal forest, then at Roland with pure admiration. "Roland, that was amazing. How can you keep the 'wind' going for so long?"
"Ah... I guess my mana is just a little bit more than yours. You'll be able to do it too someday," Roland said, turning his head in embarrassment. "Shall we start hunting here?"
"Yes."
They moved into the floors Roland hadn't explored yet: the 19th Floor. This was the Great Tree Labyrinth. Colossal trees and interlocking branches formed a maze where the visibility was near zero due to thick white fog. There were no landmarks, and the ground was littered with toxic marshes.
Giant insects hid in the canopy, and monsters utilized the fog for ambushes. This environment buffed the monsters while debuffing the adventurers.
As they entered, several Poison Mushrooms began spraying toxic spores.
"Ariel!" Aiz chanted her super-short magic, wind swirling around her to boost her speed and power. She leaped through the branches, her blade slicing the mushrooms in half before the wind dissipated. As she landed, a Bear-type monster lunged from the fog at her back.
Roland's sword blocked the claws instantly. Aiz reacted, spinning to pierce its skull while Roland severed its arms to finish it off.
This was a Baku-bear, a monster far faster than it looked, with strength and defense on par with a Minotaur. Suddenly, four more emerged. "Aiz, two each," Roland said.
Aiz, currently Level 3, was much stronger than these monsters but had slowed her pace to let Roland train. Roland dodged a claw and sliced through a bear's palm before driving his blade into its armpit, shattering its magic stone. He captured the sound of another approaching, leaped into the air, and used his momentum to drive his sword through its head, pinning it to the ground.
Aiz walked over, having already finished her two. Roland praised her, "You're really something, Aiz."
Her lips quirked up slightly—a rare, visible sign of happiness.
Screech—!
A fire-red bird monster appeared above, gathering flames in its beak.
"Ariel—" Aiz began, but Roland stopped her. "Let me handle this."
He took a stance as if drawing a bow. Using his experience as a Glacial Master, he manifested a massive bow made of gale-force winds. A swirling arrow of air materialized on the string. As the bird fired its flames, Roland released the string.
The arrow of wind tore through the air, shredding the surrounding trees and piercing the bird, causing it to explode into fragments. Roland dissipated the bow and turned to Aiz. "See? I've got some skill too. You don't have to worry about me."
Aiz nodded. "Roland is strong. I'm not worried." She then grabbed his sleeve, her eyes sparkling. "Roland, why can your 'wind' do that? Can I learn it?"
"I'll try to teach you, don't get so excited," Roland laughed, patting her head. "We'll practice when we reach a safer floor. For now, let's push to the 22nd."
"Mm. I'll listen to Roland."
They fought through the 19th to the 21st floors. On the 20th, they ran into a Monster Party of Mad Beetles. The two of them became twin storms of destruction, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.