There are two kinds of monsters in the Dungeon.
One kind is ordinary monsters, and the other kind is also ordinary monsters.
Before the Familia expedition was about to begin, Mikoto had still been holding onto some expectations. But when the Dungeon exploration actually started, what they encountered were nothing but standard monsters.
She even had no desire to take action.
The reason was very simple.
These ordinary monsters could be casually crushed with her current level of strength. Other than earning a bit of meager reward, she could not think of any other use for them.
But recalling the experiences of the previous two days—
When she teamed up with Ron to explore the Dungeon, even shallow-floor mutated monsters had allowed her ability values to increase by nearly 100 points.
'Once you've experienced this kind of exhilarating growth in strength, there's no going back!'
At least for Mikoto at her current stage.
This was the only way she could describe her feelings. It was not that she was complaining about her companions; it was purely a dilemma, with two difficult choices placed right in front of her.
Companions she spent every day with.
And, on the other hand, Dungeon exploration that allowed for faster strength growth and offered greater challenge.
Mikoto did not know how to solve this problem. And as the Familia leader and expedition captain, Kashima Ouka keenly sensed that the atmosphere had become slightly subdued.
With a relaxed smile, he took the initiative and said: "It feels like the pace of this exploration is a bit faster than before."
"However, we're about to enter Floor 7. From here on, the monsters we encounter will be stronger, so we still need to be a bit more careful."
"No problem."
She clearly understood that this was the leader, Kashima Ouka, reminding her.
The girl quickly realized the issue. She nodded seriously and pulled herself back into an exploration mindset. However, before the team could conduct much exploration in the Floor 6 area—
In the distance ahead.
A figure of an adventurer entered Mikoto's field of view.
"It feels like…"
"A bit strange?"
Compared to adventurers who were normally exploring the Dungeon, the figure ahead seemed as if it were wandering aimlessly through the cavern passages.
This was the "cautious" attitude she had learned from Ron.
Anything that differed from common sense could conceal a potential threat. Yet Ron had not participated in her Familia's expedition.
Under normal circumstances, he should be exploring the shallow floors, right?
Mikoto could not quite figure it out. But just as she was observing that adventurer's movement path, along with the moment they lifted their foot, a black shadow briefly lingering on the ground—
Caused her pupils to contract sharply.
A shadow.
What the girl immediately thought of was the Newbie Killer, "War Shadow."
But in her memory, that monster had always appeared as a pitch-black shadow. Now it had transformed into a human form—what was going on here?!
"Dungeon anomaly."
Could it be that after Ron explored the Dungeon, all the floors had undergone changes?
But why…
From the moment the exploration began until now, they had not encountered a single special monster!
Thinking of this, Mikoto's expression gradually turned strange. However, when Ron's familiar, refined face surfaced in her mind, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted.
Their luck was not bad.
But just as Ouka, Chigusa, and the others were about to pass by this unfamiliar passerby adventurer, she suddenly frowned, decisively reaching out to grab the arm of the girl beside her.
Facing the puzzled looks around her...
Mikoto quietly drew the katana hanging at her waist, lowering her voice—so much so that even her tone was filled with gravity.
"This guy is not an adventurer!"
"Ah…"
"Didn't you notice that something is very off about him?"
"Not really." Chigusa observed carefully, yet no matter whether judging from attire or physique, the person in front of them did not seem like a monster in any way.
At that moment, movement coming from not far behind was detected.
The imitation-body war shadow slowly turned its head. Its originally stable facial features, upon seeing so many unfamiliar adventurers, actually began to change continuously.
This bizarre scene immediately set off alarm bells in Mikoto's mind.
She truly did not know how to comment on it. But when facing this monster she had never seen before, there was not the slightest hint of retreat—instead, the fighting intent in her heart kept surging upward.
"This guy…"
"?"
Having also caught that fleeting abnormality, Ouka decisively halted his steps. Yet before he could figure out what was going on, he saw Mikoto's figure dash toward the adventurer ahead.
Extremely fast.
So much so that—even though he was also Lv.2—he felt somewhat astonished.
What truly left him unable to believe it was that the never-before-seen monster, when facing Mikoto's sudden assault, actually carried out blocks and parries with considerable proficiency.
Ouka could not figure out the reason, but he clearly understood that team coordination was extremely important.
"Chigusa, provide combat support."
Just as he was about to remind Chigusa—who was usually somewhat timid by nature—he discovered that the girl beside him had already raised her bow.
Although the hand holding the bow was trembling slightly, Ouka could still sense that Chigusa was different from usual, as if she had made some kind of decision. The timidity she normally displayed was gradually fading away.
"How strange…"
"It feels like after not exploring the Dungeon for a while, even Chigusa has become stronger, hasn't she?"
He could not understand the reason.
Yet his heart was filled with relief. If there was anyone who most hoped that the Familia's companions could all stand on their own, it was none other than the leader of the Familia, Kashima Ouka.
He was not even given a chance to take action.
Mikoto's continuous offensive was extremely fierce. Every strike she made dealt effective damage to the imitation war shadow, causing the silhouette of this special monster to grow increasingly illusory.
And when the monster launched its counterattacks, Chigusa, providing long-range support, would always fire arrows with perfect accuracy, buying Mikoto time to readjust—until the imitation war shadow was completely extinguished!
"Excellent coordination."
Instead, it was Ouka who had become a mere observer.
Having played no role at all in this battle, he spoke with excitement in his voice: "With the coordination you have now, I feel that this expedition's objective—"
"We'll definitely be able to reach Floor 18 smoothly."
"…"
Did the expedition objective even matter anymore?
Mikoto did not answer. When she bent down to pick up the dark-purple magic stone that had fallen to the ground, her conviction only grew stronger—Ron had definitely been here.
Although she did not know the specific reason.
Still, being able to encounter him in the Dungeon—how could that not count as a kind of encounter?
She did not explain much to Ouka. In a calm tone, she simply said, "This thing… is a special monster that appeared after the Dungeon anomaly."
"A few days ago, I already encountered it in the Dungeon."
"Then it looks like we'll have to take this exploration seriously," Ouka said. Incidents of Dungeon abnormalities were something that basically all adventurers in Orario were aware of.
Ouka's gaze gradually grew solemn.
Just as he was thinking about how to deal with this kind of special situation—
The one who first broke the atmosphere was Chigusa, standing at the corner of the cavern. She pointed toward the familiar figure in the distance ahead, her voice unusually tense: "Mikoto-senpai."
"I think I saw Mr. Ron… in the Dungeon."
"Right up ahead."
When Ron was mentioned, the calm eyes of the girl gradually lit up. Sure enough, all the Dungeon anomalies really were related to him.
So—
When greeting him, how should she do it so that it would seem natural?
Mikoto was truly bad at maintaining interpersonal relationships. But just as she was seriously thinking this over, she then heard Chigusa add in a slightly trembling voice: "Mr. Ron…"
"It looks like… he's been blocked in by the special monster we just encountered…"
But when the girl actually got a clear look at the battle situation, she hurriedly corrected herself: "I was mistaken… it looks like it's that group of special monsters being surrounded and attacked by him!"
"?"
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