"We managed... somehow."
Elena's voice rang out across the remains of the battlefield.
Before her lay the corpse of the rare species water monkey, its head pierced by her whip-sword. Only seconds ago, this creature had been leading a massive swarm of monsters.
As she surveyed their surroundings, she saw that the monsters that had followed the rare species in their assault were all dead. In the forest behind them, the remaining water monkeys—who had been kept at bay by Seto—witnessed their leader's demise and scattered back into the depths of the woods.
"Lady Elena, are you injured?!"
Ara rushed over, power axe in hand. Elena gave a small nod.
"I am fine. More importantly, are you alright? I placed you in the vanguard with an unfamiliar axe, after all..."
Relieved to see Ara was unhurt and even smiling, Elena’s own expression softened. Ara appeared to have escaped any serious harm.
"Yes. I sustained a few hits, but they were little more than scratches. Kyuste already healed them with his magic."
"...I see. Kyuste, my thanks to you as well."
Elena called out to Kyuste, who was walking up behind Ara.
"It was nothing. Healing is part of my duty," he replied.
Despite his earlier friction with Rei regarding the Seed of Restraint, Kyuste seemed to harbor no resentment toward Elena for accepting the terms. Toward Elena, at least.
Elena let out an involuntary sigh as she noticed Kyuste glaring venomously at Rei as the boy approached. Rei, for his part, seemed entirely unbothered by the hostile stare as he addressed Elena.
"Shall we head downstairs immediately? Or would you prefer to rest here for a while?"
"...Good question. Considering we were ambushed by lizardmen and spiders the moment we set foot on B3F, it might be better to take a short break here. Rei, can you have Seto keep watch?"
"Understood."
Rei nodded and walked toward Seto, who was still warily monitoring the tree line. As she watched his retreating back, Elena felt a headache coming on from the sheer discord between Rei and Kyuste.
"Seto, you did great this time. Here, have some of this."
"Guruuu."
Unaware of Elena’s worries, Rei spoke to the gryphon. He held out a piece of dried meat; Seto let out a happy trill, snatched the treat in its beak, and happily flopped onto the ground to eat.
Rei sat down as well, leaning against Seto's side. He pulled a canteen from the Misty Ring and took a long drink to soothe his parched throat.
(Well, Elena accepted the Seed of Restraint. Ara likely will too. Vel seems content to follow his superior's lead, so he’s not an issue... That leaves Kyuste. Given how fiercely he opposed the deal, it wouldn't be surprising if he tried to get rid of me in the heat of battle to void the agreement. I'd better watch my back from now on.)
"Guru?"
Seto nuzzled him as if asking what was wrong. Rei spent a few moments stroking the gryphon’s head until the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears.
Because of his dark train of thought, Rei almost reflexively reached for the Death Scythe resting on the ground. He stopped himself just in time as he recognized the walker.
"Rei. I think it’s about time we moved out. Could you collect the monster remains first?"
It was Elena, wearing a faint, weary smile. Rei returned the expression and nodded.
"Understood. According to the adventurers we spoke to yesterday, B5F is crawling with undead. It might be a tough floor for this party..."
"Indeed, it would have been difficult with just the four of us. But as I said at breakfast, we are fortunate to have you and your flame magic, not to mention Seto’s Fire Breath. That alone is a massive advantage."
Most undead were weak to fire, so Elena knew they would have struggled without Rei's specialized abilities. She inwardly felt a surge of gratitude that the guild had dispatched him to them.
Rei stood up, Death Scythe in hand. He prepared to move toward the corpses as instructed, then paused and turned back to Elena.
"Lady Elena. Please do not forget our agreement regarding the Seed of Restraint."
The reminder seemed to catch her off guard. She let out a small, amused huff and nodded immediately.
"Of course. I give you my word. Or do you think the Princess General is the type to break a promise?"
"No, I don't think you would. But I can't say the same for everyone here, can I?"
Elena followed his gaze, her smile vanishing.
"I understand. To be honest, I didn't expect Kyuste to be quite this stubborn. They say some personalities simply don't mix... He has always been somewhat arrogant toward anyone not of noble birth, but this situation seems to have brought out his worst traits."
"I wouldn't know about that. I just want it understood that if he tries to make a move to 'cancel' our deal, I won't be going down quietly."
"That is fair. I gave my word to accept the Seed of Restraint, and that deal is the reason we survived that battle of attrition. I have no intention of committing such a base act as feigning ignorance now that the danger has passed. If Kyuste truly attempts to lay a hand on you for that reason, you may defend yourself. No... in that case, I promise I shall be the one to dispose of him myself."
Elena’s eyes were cold and serious. She was a woman of immense pride, and she demanded the same integrity from her subordinates. Seeing that look, the tension that had been coiling in Rei’s chest finally began to ease.
"I understand. I'll take you at your word, Lady Elena."
With that, Rei began storing the monsters. He started with the lizardman wielding the scimitar that Elena had slain, moving it into the Misty Ring. He followed with the rare species water monkey and its four retainers. Even the lower-ranked goblins and fang wolves were collected, as Rei figured their parts might be useful for something.
By the time he was done, only bloodstains and a few severed bits remained on the battlefield. To avoid attracting more predators, they took a moment to bury the remains.
Finally, they prepared to descend to B5F.
"Listen up. Based on the reports from the adventurers on B3F, we are entering territory infested with the undead. We're changing the formation. The vanguard will consist of Rei and Seto, both of whom can utilize flame magic. Vel and I will take the midguard. Ara and Kyuste will hold the rearguard."
"Um, Lady Elena? I'm using an axe now... is the rearguard really best for me?" Ara asked, looking conflicted.
Elena shook her head firmly.
"What I need from you on B5F is to ensure we aren't ambushed from behind. We can usually hear the footsteps of zombies or skeletons, but ghosts can creep up in total silence. That is why I need Ara's sharp intuition and Kyuste's observational ability at our backs."
"I-I understand! I won't let you down, Lady Elena!"
"I'm counting on you. Kyuste, are we clear?"
"Of course. I shall ensure nothing surprises us from the rear," Kyuste replied with a smooth nod.
In truth, Elena had originally planned to keep Kyuste in the midguard with her and put Vel in the back with Ara. However, after the dispute over the Seed of Restraint and Rei's warning, she felt she had no choice. She couldn't guarantee that Kyuste wouldn't try to drive his magic spear into Rei's back if they were in the middle of a chaotic fight.
"Right. Let’s go."
At Elena’s command, they began their descent, with Rei and Seto leading the way. Everyone stayed alert, weapons ready to counter an ambush like the one they'd faced on B3F. Seto, too, was primed to unleash its Fire Breath at a moment’s notice.
They wound their way down the long, spiral staircase until they reached the floor below.
"A dungeon, then mushrooms, then a forest... back to a dungeon again, I guess," Rei muttered as he took in the sight.
Before them lay a stone corridor identical to B1F and B2F. The walls emitted the same soft glow, and the passage was wide enough for Seto to maneuver easily. However, there was one glaring difference.
"Guru..."
Seto let out a mournful trill. Rei understood why instantly.
"It stinks."
A heavy, putrid stench of rotting meat hung in the air.
(Actually, calling it 'like' rotting meat is an understatement. This is the undead floor. It literally smells like walking corpses.)
"It's a bit unpleasant, but is it really that bad?" Ara asked from the back, sounding confused.
Vel, who was walking beside her, spoke up while covering his nose with his hand.
"It’s definitely bad. It might be fine for someone with normal senses like you, Ara, but for me or Seto, it’s agonizing. It looks like Rei is suffering too."
Vel glanced at Rei with a look of mild surprise. He had known the boy was a powerhouse in combat, but he hadn't realized his five senses were as heightened as his own.
(Looking at how much he’s scowling, his sense of smell might actually be sharper than mine.)
"Well, we have to clear this floor either way. We just have to bear it. You’ll get used to the smell eventually, whether you want to or not."
"I think the word you're looking for is 'desensitized'... but fine. Like Vel says, better to push through than to stand around here gagging. Let's move, Seto."
"Guru."
The gryphon gave a slightly more energetic cry and began to walk. Fortunately, the path was a straight line for now, meaning they wouldn't get lost.
Rei kept the Death Scythe ready as they walked. He glanced at Seto and frowned.
(I can't rely on Seto's nose on this floor—the stench is too overwhelming. I'll have to count on its vision and hearing instead. Or maybe that sixth sense of its.)
After about ten minutes of walking, Seto suddenly came to a dead stop.
"Seto?"
"Gururururu..."
The gryphon let out a low, menacing growl, staring into the darkness ahead.
Rei immediately tightened his grip on the Death Scythe. Behind him, Elena and the others sensed the change in atmosphere and readied their weapons, peering into the gloom.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.
A light, rhythmic tapping sound echoed toward them.
"That sound... Skeletons?" Rei muttered, recalling his studies of the Monster Encyclopedia.
He got his answer less than a minute later. Two pale, bony figures emerged into the light cast by the walls.
(Right. Skeletons. Two of them.)
They were white bone from head to toe, devoid of even a scrap of flesh—looking for all the world like medical anatomical models. Their hollow eye sockets were hauntingly vacant. The only major difference from a model was the magic stone housed within the ribcage, protected by the bars of bone. For those using physical attacks, smashing that stone was the most efficient way to put an undead down.
The skeleton on the right held a rusted longsword; the one on the left carried a spear. Both leveled their weapons at Rei and Seto.
Without a word, the two monsters charged.
Clack-clack, clack-clack. Their feet tapped against the stone floor as they closed the distance. Rei watched them with cold eyes and spoke.
"Seto."
At the command, Seto stepped forward. It ignored the lunging skeletons and took a massive, deep breath.
"Gurururururuah!"
With a thunderous roar, a torrent of flames erupted from the gryphon’s beak. It was Seto’s Level 2 skill, Fire Breath. The intense heat swallowed the two skeletons instantly. The temperature in the corridor spiked several degrees, and the brilliant flash of the fire briefly outshone the glowing walls.
A few seconds later, when the flames subsided, all that remained were charred, blackened bones collapsing into a heap on the floor, alongside a half-melted sword and spear.