"Well, this is certainly something..."
Rei murmured involuntarily as he took in the sight before him.
Beside him, his fellow vanguard Ara stood with her mouth agape. Behind them, Elena and Kyuste, occupying the midguard, were similarly stunned. Even Vel, stationed in the rearguard, had his eyes wide with astonishment.
Only Seto, standing next to Vel, let out a cry that sounded almost pleased.
"Um... we're definitely on B4F of the dungeon, right?"
"Indeed. You just walked down the stairs yourself, didn't you?"
Ara had finally come to her senses enough to mutter the question, which Kyuste promptly confirmed.
"No, I get why Ara’s confused," Vel added, his voice uncharacteristically flat with shock. "Coming down into a dungeon only to find this spread out before you... anyone would be surprised."
What lay before them was, by all accounts, a forest. As Ara had pointed out, there was even a sun-like object hanging in the sky, bathing the entire floor in bright light.
"Steady yourself, Ara. This is a dungeon—a place where the impossible becomes reality. If you lose your focus, you create an opening for the enemy."
Elena spoke in a soothing tone, placing a reassuring hand on Ara’s shoulder. The touch seemed to bring the warrior back to reality; she turned a deep shade of crimson and bowed her head in embarrassment.
"Now then," Elena continued. "Ara isn't the only one surprised by a forest appearing in the depths of the earth, but everyone needs to settle down. Unlike the floors up to B3F, we have no map from here on out. We can't just head straight for a destination anymore; finding the stairs to B5F will be a challenge. Let’s all take a deep breath and shift our mindsets."
Following her lead, the group took a long, deep breath. Interestingly, the air they inhaled didn't have the stale, recycled feel of a dungeon; it was the crisp, fresh air found in the heart of a deep woodland.
"Good. We’ll proceed with more caution now. I'm going to adjust our formation slightly. To allow him to fully utilize his skills as a thief in this environment, I'm swapping Rei and Vel. Rei, you and Seto will take the rearguard. Keep a close watch for monsters attacking from behind or from the canopy."
"Oh, finally time for me to show my true worth," Vel said, his usual lighthearted tone returning as he moved to the front. "I'm much better at this kind of forest scouting than I am with standard dungeon traps. Rei, the back is all yours."
"Leave it to me," Rei replied. "I’m used to working with Seto. You won't have to worry about our six, so just focus on what's ahead."
"Spoken like a man with total confidence. I like it."
With the formation adjusted and the group’s nerves steeled, they prepared to move.
"So, Lady Elena," Ara asked. "Which direction are we heading?"
Elena scanned the horizon for a few seconds before shrugging.
"Without a map, any path we take is just a gamble. In that case... Rei, use your adventurer's intuition. You pick our direction."
"Me? Are you sure?"
"Yes. None of us have a better plan, so I'd rather trust your instincts than leave it to blind luck."
Rei looked around, feeling the weight of the responsibility. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be making such a major decision on a whim.
"...Right. It's unlikely we'll clear this floor today, so how about we focus on finding a spot that would make a good base for a camp?"
"A base?" Elena asked. "So... a river, perhaps?"
"Exactly. Though a watering hole carries the risk of attracting monsters coming to drink, so it’s a double-edged sword."
"True. But if we have to spend the night on B4F, securing a water source is vital for more than just survival."
"I agree. We have water in our containers, but the more we can save, the better."
"Very well. Then we look for a river or lake... but that still leaves us with the problem of which way to go."
Elena gave a wry smile, but Rei simply smiled back and reached out to stroke Seto’s neck.
"Seto, can you catch the scent of water? Or maybe hear it flowing?"
"Guruuu!"
Seto let out a confident cry, as if to say, Leave it to me! Elena and the others watched with genuine admiration for the gryphon’s keen senses. Rei was particularly surprised to see even the haughty Kyuste looking impressed.
(I mean, if it came down to it, I could just have Seto fly up and scout from the air, but...)
While Rei was weighing his options, Seto seemed to catch a scent or sound. The gryphon looked toward the left and let out a high-pitched cry.
"Looks like there's water that way. Shall we?"
"Yes. That works for me. Kyuste, Vel, Ara—we move left."
Following Elena’s command, the party began their trek. Fortune was on their side for once; while it was a forest, the trees were spaced far enough apart that they didn't need to hack their way through undergrowth.
"Gurururu..."
It was roughly an hour into their march when Seto let out a low, warning growl.
The sound from the rear startled Ara and Vel, who reflexively spun around with their weapons ready.
"What is it?" Elena asked calmly.
Rei watched Seto, who was restlessly scanning the treeline. "Seto’s on edge. He’s sensing monsters nearby."
"Can you tell from which direction?"
"No, that's the problem. It’s coming from all around us."
"A pack, then. They're surrounding us."
Everyone’s expression darkened. Being surrounded was bad enough, but in a forest, the terrain provided the attackers with infinite places to hide. They were at a severe disadvantage.
"Lady Elena, shouldn't we just strike first?" Ara suggested.
"I’d love to, but how can we strike what we can't see?"
Ara bit her lip, then looked at Rei as a thought struck her. "What if Lord Rei used his flame magic to just... burn the whole forest down?"
"Absolutely not," Rei replied instantly.
"Why not?"
Vel let out an exasperated sigh. "Burning the forest down would be great, right up until we're charred to a crisp with it. And that's assuming the smoke doesn't kill us first."
"Ugh..."
"Seriously, Ara. Think before you suggest we set ourselves on fire."
"Shut up! Everyone makes mistakes!"
"Yeah, but yours are getting dangerously frequent."
"Quiet, both of you," Kyuste snapped, leveling his magic spear. "We're being hunted. Show some focus."
Despite their bickering, Ara and Vel were already in combat stances—Ara with her sword drawn and Vel with an arrow notched and ready. Elena had her whip-sword gripped tight, and Rei held the Death Scythe. Seto crouched low to the ground, coiled like a spring.
Then...
"Gururururururu!"
The moment Seto roared, the enemies lunged from every direction.
They looked like monkeys, but with sharp fangs protruding from their mouths and fur that seemed to be covered in a layer of flowing water. They ranged in size from about sixty centimeters to nearly a meter tall. There were at least twenty of them closing the circle.
"Water-covered monkeys? Like a primate version of a Water Bear... I think the Monster Encyclopedia called them Water Monkeys?"
Elena reacted immediately to Rei's murmur. "Rei! Give us the intel!"
Rei swung the Death Scythe in a wide arc to keep the closest ones at bay while shouting out the details from memory.
"They're Rank D! They use water-system magic. Their fur is coated in a layer of water that parries flame-system magic and dampens physical impacts. Wind or earth magic is effective against them. For physical attacks, use high-impact weapons like clubs or axes—or very sharp, piercing thrusts that can bypass the water layer!"
"It's a pity Rei's signature magic is off the table here," Elena noted. "That means my wind magic is our best bet. Rei, you can use wind too, right?"
"I can. But my repertoire is limited to the Flying Slash I used on that Mantis."
"It'll have to do. Everyone, focus on—here they come!"
The Water Monkeys, unable to contain their predatory excitement, leaped from the branches with bared fangs. Some individuals stayed back, acting as artillery and spitting small Water Balls at the party.
"Flying Slash!"
Rei unleashed a vertical strike. The compressed wave of wind sliced through the air, bifurcating the first two monkeys that tried to pounce on him. The blade of wind continued past them, leaving a deep gash in a massive tree before dissipating.
"Kikikii!"
The pack shrieked in alarm as their comrades fell, their internal organs spilling onto the forest floor. But the onslaught didn't stop. Elena unleashed her own magic, and while her Wind Blades were less powerful than Rei’s, she could fire dozens at once. The monkeys caught in her storm were shredded; many lost fingers, ears, or limbs to the barrage of invisible razors.
"Kikikii! Kikikikikii!"
Ara finished off several wounded monkeys rolling on the ground, her sword cutting through them with ease. The water-slicked fur was no match for her Herculean Strength; she simply powered through the magical defense to sever heads and limbs.
Beside her, Kyuste’s magic spear was proving remarkably effective. As his spear manipulated water, the protective layer on the monkeys' skin simply dispersed the moment his tip made contact, allowing him to run them through effortlessly. Elena’s whip-sword, meanwhile, lashed out like a living thing, biting deep into their torsos as if the water didn't exist.
"Gurururururu!"
Seto, ignoring the elemental defenses entirely, slammed an Eagle Claw into a monkey, the impact of the strike—enhanced by the Bracelet of Herculean Strength—shattering the creature's ribcage and sending its remains splattering against a tree trunk.
Realizing they were being slaughtered, the survivors scrambled back into the canopy, putting distance between themselves and the party.
"Are they retreating?" Kyuste asked, panting slightly.
"I doubt it," Vel replied, his bow drawn and aimed at the shadows in the trees.
"But surely they've seen enough to know they can't win?"
"If they were smart, yeah. But look at their eyes. Do those look like the eyes of a beaten enemy to you?"
Kyuste looked. The monkeys were staring back with pure, unadulterated hatred and hunger. There wasn't a trace of fear in them.
"Stubborn brutes. They can't even recognize when they're outmatched."
Just as Kyuste spoke, a sound tore through the forest.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
A thunderous, savage roar shook the very air.
Immediately, the Water Monkeys turned away from the party. Without a moment's hesitation, they vanished into the deep forest, retreating with the discipline of a trained army.
"I see," Elena murmured, impressed. "A pack of this size actually has a leader."
Rei was still on high alert when Seto suddenly looked toward a massive tree deeper in the woods and growled.
Rei followed the gryphon’s gaze and saw it: a Water Monkey of truly massive proportions. It stood nearly two meters tall—double the size of any of the ones they had just fought.
(That roar definitely came from him.)
The Giant Water Monkey noticed their gaze. It glared at Rei and Elena with a chilling level of focus, then turned and vanished into the foliage as if it had never been there.
"That was a Water Monkey? It looked more like a Water Gorilla," Vel remarked. "Rei, is that size normal?"
"The books say they're usually small—one meter at most."
"Then we just met a Rare Species or a High-ranking Species," Elena concluded. "And a smart one at that. A monster with the intelligence to call for a retreat when the odds aren't in its favor... that's the last thing I wanted to encounter down here."
Her words hung heavy in the air, and everyone in the party found themselves nodding in silent agreement.