"It should be around here…"
That piercing roar of monsters had spread along the stairway passage, completely different from the ordinary cries of Hellhounds in Ais's memory.
Extremely shrill…
With the mindset of since I'm already here,
If it were just some passing adventurer encountering such an unbeatable, troublesome fire-breathing monster, the girl wouldn't mind offering a bit of help to ensure their safety.
It wasn't about stance.
It was simply the hatred toward monsters deep within her heart, driving her to want to slaughter them all.
Besides—
Could the Dungeon's "abnormal situation" really disappear that quickly?
Staring at the staircase passage leading to the Middle Floors ahead, Ais didn't pause her steps at all. Perhaps it was related to that unheard-of monster cry.
"…"
As a Level 5 adventurer, Ais held an absolute advantage in speed. After quickly reaching the next floor, relying on her keen instincts honed through Dungeon experience, she quickly locked onto the direction—it was just up ahead.
Then—
The blonde girl saw, in the distance ahead, the somewhat familiar back of an adventurer. She couldn't recognize him immediately, but what drew her gaze—
Without a doubt—
Were the monsters confronting Ron.
Hellhounds?
The creatures in front of her couldn't overlap with the Hellhounds in her memory at all. The only similarities were probably just the canine heads.
Rather than dogs, they looked more like… grotesque chimera-type monsters. Their overall posture resembled the dinosaurs from illustrated books, their mismatched bodies forming something extremely unnatural.
Even she felt a trace of discomfort after seeing their appearance clearly.
"Mutated monsters?"
Realizing this, even with her somewhat airheaded personality, a hint of anticipation still rose within her heart. She was glad she hadn't chosen to leave.
This investigation—
Would definitely yield results.
"Abnormal situation."
But just as Ais drew the spare sword at her waist, preparing to join the battle—
As the adventurer ahead kept retreating, widening the distance, she tilted her head slightly.
Those golden eyes of hers, like amber, subtly contracted in focus.
"…"
No other reason.
She had definitely seen this adventurer before while heading into the Dungeon expedition—and that time had been on the 6th Floor.
Back then, the monster Ron faced had been a War Shadow that mimicked the appearance of an adventurer.
Strange.
Could there really be such a coincidence?
No one could give Ais an answer. But before she could think further, she noticed Ron, who had been forced back by several Giant Dogs, creating a safe distance—
Launching a counterattack.
She saw the boy tighten his grip on the pendant in his hand.
He casually tossed aside the short sword in his right hand, as if beginning a chant. Immediately after, a red magical sigil appeared behind him.
That sigil seemed to represent some kind of faith?
As his magic power was continuously channeled, the phantom of an ancient dragon's head manifested above Ron.
And the moment Ais saw that draconic projection—her already puzzled gaze suddenly narrowed.
"…"
Then—
As if the casting had finished, a surge of flames instantly swept forward, engulfing the Giant Dogs that were advancing.
The temperature was terrifying.
Even from a distance, she could feel the heatwave rolling toward her. The dazzling flames illuminated the previously dark cave passage completely.
"Magic."
This was likely the method Ron had mastered.
Simple, direct, and decisive. As the dragonfire poured forth, the originally damp air began to dry under the intense heat.
A very effective method.
The large-scale sweep of flames cut off any escape routes for the monsters. When the fire landed on the Giant Dogs' gray-brown skin, covered in sparse fur—
The stench of burning flesh began to spread.
The temperature seemed so high that, in an instant, the monsters' bodies were scorched open, flesh splitting apart.
"Aw—!!"
"…"
Driven by pain, the monsters let out sharp, ear-piercing roars.
Upon reaching the Middle Floors, monsters typically possessed a basic level of intelligence. They wouldn't act like those in the Upper Floors, driven purely by slaughter.
When faced with danger—they would usually choose to flee.
But these Giant Dogs did not.
Through their crimson eyes, Ais sensed only a desire for slaughter—a fixation on tearing Ron apart.
Completely unreasonable.
She didn't continue observing from afar. With just two short swords, Ron shouldn't have been able to withstand the frenzied assault of so many mutated monsters.
But what followed completely exceeded her expectations.
To be precise—
Having already fought these monsters, Ron knew the disadvantage of short swords against them, so he decisively abandoned his usual high-speed attack style.
These monsters were tough.
Perfect for testing the incantation he obtained after slaying the ancient dragon Lansseax.
Lansseax's Glaive.
As an incantation that best embodied Lansseax's power, the moment he began casting, Ron felt his magic power rapidly draining.
Crackling red lightning—
Almost instantly—
Condensed in his right hand into a red lightning blade. The violent energy it carried radiated destruction at a glance.
Facing the charging pack of Giant Dogs—
This time, Ron didn't retreat.
The "Lansseax's Glaive," formed purely from magic, exceeded even greatswords in length.
But as a magical construct—
It had no weight whatsoever.
Lowering his stance, he explosively released the strength in his legs, his figure shooting forward like a cannonball toward the monsters.
"Then…"
"Time to draw the blade."
Faith-based incantations—
Were not merely a backline support style.
With Ron's overwhelming stats as support, they could be used far more comprehensively.
In the terms of this world—
A magic swordsman.
The nearly ten-meter distance was closed in an instant.
He could even smell the burnt stench, along with the Giant Dogs opening their grotesque jaws, lunging to tear him apart at the point of contact.
Ron showed no hesitation.
"—!"
The red lightning blade in his right hand slashed cleanly across the charging monsters.
The moment it was unleashed—
Its contained energy exploded forward on a massive scale, covering an extremely wide area.
Countless red lightning bolts erupted from the ground, carrying explosive force that completely tore apart the sturdy bodies of the Giant Dogs.
Dust surged into the air, mixed with the shredded flesh of the monsters, splattering across the surrounding walls.
[Soul Shards +5]
[Soul Shards +5]
[…]
At a glance—
They hadn't even reached a second phase.
The power of the red lightning had already completely annihilated the Giant Dog pack trying to surround Ron.
"Done."
Even by Ron's own judgment, the effectiveness of these incantations had exceeded his expectations.
Against high-HP elite monsters, the results might not be as impressive—
But against ordinary monster swarms, it was pure, overwhelming area destruction.
Looking at the dark purple magic stones scattered on the ground, along with the yellowed canine fangs as drops—he exhaled lightly.
The overall gains were quite good.
More importantly, after testing the actual damage of the "incantations," at the very least, in the upcoming Familia expedition, he would be able to provide the team with an extra layer of safety.
"…"
After picking up all the drops,
Ron had no intention of continuing deeper. The purpose of this trip had only been reconnaissance, and after that brief clash, he had already grasped a rough idea of their strength.
Very strong—at least for ordinary adventurers.
But if fought one-on-one, without being surrounded by a pack of Giant Dogs, a Level 3 adventurer should be able to kill them—though the process would likely be quite strenuous.
"Not bad."
And just as Ron was about to head back, he turned around and saw a blonde girl standing in the distance, wearing a light breastplate and holding a rapier.
From afar, her figure was exceptionally tall and slender. Inside those blue knee-high combat boots were a pair of long, fair legs that were impossible to ignore, their lines graceful.
Her face, as cold and ethereal as a spirit's, remained calm and indifferent even after witnessing the entire battle.
Ais Wallenstein.
Of course, Ron knew the identity of the blonde girl before him—the record holder of the previous generation, the "Sword Princess," a Level 5 adventurer.
To run into her in the Dungeon?
But upon thinking about it, he didn't find it strange. At the very least, the Loki Familia must already be aware of the Dungeon's abnormalities. Besides, the driving force within the Sword Princess—
Was this—
To continuously grow stronger, and to kill every monster she hated.
If their Familias were to establish a cooperative relationship, then they would inevitably come into contact in the future. So toward the airheaded girl before him, Ron had no objections.
"…"
It wasn't just a stereotype.
After realizing that the adventurer fighting the mutated monsters was the same passerby she had met some time ago—whose name she had forgotten to ask—
Ais truly didn't know…
What kind of expression she should show when facing Ron.
Having watched the entire battle—
Compared to their first encounter, when the boy's methods had still been somewhat unrefined, she could now visibly sense the growth in his strength.
More than that, it was his progress in technique and methods!
To be precise, it had already reached a rather exaggerated level—being able to manifest a dragon's head, unleash flames, and handle a swarm of monsters with ease.
And then—
There was that long blade formed from red lightning. Judging purely from its power and range, even Ais could faintly sense a hint of danger from it.
Inconceivable methods!
'A very impressive adventurer…'
'This time, no matter what, I can't forget to ask his name.'
Her expression remained calm as always, yet those amber-like golden eyes of hers, when looking at Ron, revealed a rare glimmer of interest.
It had nothing to do with his identity as an adventurer.
It was purely her curiosity toward these "mutated monsters"!
Ais couldn't understand why Ron kept encountering such situations so frequently. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the chance to step in and kill the Giant Dogs herself.
However…
Judging by their strength, those Giant Dogs were roughly around Level 3.
At most, they only piqued her curiosity. But if they could form a party to explore together, then perhaps in the Lower or Deep Floors, they might encounter even more powerful monsters?
Noticing his gaze, waiting for Ron to greet her first clearly wouldn't work. The girl decided to take the initiative. In her brilliant eyes, there was no barrier formed by the divisions between Familias.
Only a desire for unknown monsters and for greater strength.
"…"
"Um… may I ask your name?"
"…"
Her voice was ethereal.
To some extent, it carried almost no emotional fluctuation that an ordinary person would have. Yet unlike Ryuu Lion at the beginning, there was no sense of keeping others at a distance.
Instead, it only felt clear and pleasant to the ear—along with that faint innocence of someone inexperienced with the world.
Even her way of starting a conversation perfectly matched her airheaded personality. Faced with the question, Ron didn't answer immediately, instead looking at her face.
And as if realizing she might have been too abrupt, Ais parted her lips slightly, paused for a moment, then explained: "The monsters you encounter… are all very unusual."
"Mm…"
"They're all monsters I've never seen before in my past Dungeon explorations, so I'm very interested in you. I wanted to ask your name."
"If there's a chance in the future…"
"It would be best if we could form a party and explore the Lower and Deep Floors together."
Her attitude was especially earnest as she added this explanation. Even though she was making such a forward request, it was hard to feel any annoyance toward her.
You really have to hold it in.
You couldn't expect an airhead to understand social niceties—but after interacting with Ais, it became clear she lacked the arrogance of high-level adventurers.
What Ron saw—was simply her overwhelming desire to grow stronger.
However, as for the idea she mentioned—forming a party to explore the Lower and Deep Floors—he didn't quite know how to evaluate it.
Even if he went along with the Loki Familia, they might not even make it there safely.
Ron tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth, his expression somewhat strange.
"Miss Ais Wallenstein, thank you very much for the invitation, but forming a party…"
"I think…"
"It shouldn't happen so quickly."
"…"
It did seem like she had been a bit too hasty.
The girl nodded lightly, understanding that such a thing would be difficult for any ordinary adventurer to agree to.
So she settled for less: "Then… can you at least tell me your name?"
"…"
They were bound to get to know each other eventually.
The crafting material for the Glintstone Staff—the "Great Holy Tree Branch"—would also require assistance from the Loki Familia. And it wasn't impossible that Ais had already heard his name in Orario.
She just didn't know what he looked like.
Ron smiled brightly and nodded.
"You can call me Ron."
"Miss Ais, if nothing unexpected happens—"
"We'll have plenty of chances to meet again in the future. It's about time, I should head back to Orario."
"…"
"Ron."
Watching the boy's back as he left without the slightest hesitation, Ais remained standing where she was, unable to stop herself from softly murmuring his name.
She recalled the conversation she had overheard through the door back at the Familia's residence.
"Becoming an adventurer and reaching Level 3 in just 35 days."
"Wiping out the Apollo Familia…"
Any one of those feats would cause a sensation in Orario.
At first, she hadn't paid any attention.
Because—
She was already walking her own path, with no interest in other adventurers.
But now, it was different.
Twice in a row, both encounters with Ron had involved these special monsters.
"…"
The blonde girl's expression remained calm.
But at this moment, her curiosity toward Ron had already reached an astonishing level.
Recalling what he had said before leaving—
"We'll meet again."
Ais watched his gradually receding figure.
In her clear, ethereal voice, there was—rarely—a trace of something called anticipation, as she tilted her head slightly.
"I just wonder…"
"When that will be?"
"…"
Very interesting.
For now, Ais had no intention of telling her Familia companions about this "promise." As she considered whether she could find those mutated monsters after Ron left—
She suddenly halted.
The girl looked toward the distant corner of the cave ahead.
From that endless darkness, she seemed to catch the presence of an adventurer—watching.
Or perhaps—
"Monitoring" would be a more accurate description?
Ais immediately changed direction.
But before she could pursue, that vague figure of the adventurer had already retreated at a speed even faster than hers.
She frowned slightly.
"So…"
"Its target was Ron?"
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