They spent ten minutes descending the stairs forged by the hand of Grimm, the Lich Lord. Having been linked by space magic to the true B6F, the steps eventually opened up to reveal the sixth floor, which lay before them as if it had always belonged there.
"Whoa, the owner of that voice was telling the truth. To think he could twist space and connect it to wherever he wanted... Hey, Kyuste. It's a good thing you didn't end up fighting him. If you'd lost your temper and tried to destroy that laboratory, I hate to think what would've happened."
"..."
Having witnessed such an impossible sight and experienced it firsthand, Kyuste finally understood the sheer absurdity of the entity they had encountered. Whether it was a blessing or a curse that he remained ignorant of its true identity—a Lich Lord who had endured for millennia—was debatable. Regardless, Kyuste inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that they had not ended up as enemies.
"So, this is B6F," Elena's voice echoed through the area.
What spread out before them was a standard dungeon floor, much like B1F, B2F, and the B5F they had just departed. The walls glowed with a faint luminescence, and the passages were wide enough for even Seto to fight without restriction. At the very least, it wasn't another Mushroom Mountain or a forest; it was exactly the kind of place one imagined when thinking of a dungeon.
"That said, considering how spiteful this dungeon's layout has been so far, I find it hard to believe this is just a 'normal' place," Vel muttered, and the rest of the group instinctively nodded in agreement.
"Even so, it's better than having the stench of zombies and rot wafting around like on the floor above. After a while, our numbed senses of smell should return to normal."
"True. In that case, Rei, Seto, and Vel, let's take a short break here until your noses are working properly again. Vel, you especially need it; you went straight from disarming traps in the laboratory to coming down here without a moment's rest. We'll stay alert for any approaching enemies."
"Wait, really? Lucky!" Vel cheered. Rei and Seto, who had been in direct contact with Grimm, also sat down, feeling a sense of relief they didn't let show on their faces.
Fortunately, their backs were to the stairs, meaning they were less likely to be surprise attacked than if they were resting in the middle of a passage.
"Finally, B6F. If we clear this floor and reach B7F, we'll find the Altar of Inheritance..."
"Elena-sama?"
Ara turned a worried face toward Elena at her quiet murmur. However, Elena gave a small shake of her head to indicate it was nothing and closed her eyes to recover as much stamina as possible.
"All right, is everyone ready? Let's begin the exploration."
It was about an hour after they had begun their rest when Elena called out to the group. Everyone stood up from the stone-paved floor.
"Since there don't seem to be any undead here, we'll change the formation slightly. The vanguard will be Ara and Kyuste. The midguard will be myself and Rei. The rearguard will be Seto and Vel."
"The vanguard! Leave it to me, Elena-sama! I'll do my best to crush any enemies with this Power Axe!"
"I'm counting on you, Ara," Elena replied with a smile. The others took their positions in the formation without a word.
"Vel, I'm counting on you to check for traps thoroughly. I've had more than enough of wandering into Back Spaces."
"You got it. Though I don't think monsters like that guy are just wandering around everywhere."
"Even so, it's better to be safe than sorry. Stay sharp, everyone. Once we break through this floor, we'll finally be at the lowest floor—the home of the Altar of Inheritance."
Everyone nodded, their expressions turning serious as they began the exploration. They moved from the B6F landing and finally stepped into the dungeon proper.
However...
"This is almost a letdown," Ara muttered dissatisfactorily to Kyuste.
"Ara, I understand how you feel, but don't let your guard down. You never know when a monster might strike."
"It's been nearly an hour since we entered B6F, and not a single monster has shown up. No traps, either. Just forks in the road. How am I supposed to stay on guard for this?"
It was true. Though they had stepped into B6F with great enthusiasm, no monsters had appeared, and there were no traps to speak of. The only things they encountered were several branching paths.
"...Hey, you don't think we've entered another infinite loop, do you?"
At Ara's whispered concern, Vel called out from the rearguard. "No need to worry about that. For now, anyway. Rei, don't you think so too?"
Vel looked to Rei for agreement, having realized on the floor above that the boy's senses were as sharp as his own. Rei gave a small nod.
"Yeah. The passages look the same at a glance, but they're subtly different. At the very least, it's not an infinite loop like the one upstairs."
"Guruuu," Seto crooned from behind Rei in agreement. There wasn't a trace left of the terror the gryphon had felt toward Grimm just an hour ago.
(Either he's quick to bounce back, or he's just simple-minded... Hm?)
While thinking about Seto, Rei realized he was being watched. Elena was walking beside him, her gaze fixed on him.
"Is something wrong?"
"...No, it's nothing. I was just thinking."
Her reply was clearly an attempt to hide something, but considering Elena's position, Rei felt hesitant to press the issue and let it slide.
They continued for another twenty minutes until Seto suddenly twitched. Ten seconds later, Rei noticed the change, and a few seconds after that, Vel caught on.
"Thanks to Ara wishing for company, we've got guests."
"...Eh?"
"Monsters. Four from the front... no, five."
"Everyone, prepare for combat! Vel, what about the rear?"
"Nothing from behind for now."
"Good, then we'll annihilate them all at once. Ara, block!"
The moment she gave the order, Elena shouted a warning. Ara, devoted to her lady, thrust her Power Axe forward like a shield without a second's hesitation.
A metallic clink rang out as something struck the heavy axe. Kyuste reflexively thrust his Magic Spear in response, but the weapon struck only air as the attacker darted away.
"Be careful, they're fast!" Kyuste warned.
Soon, the giant wolves revealed themselves, illuminated by the glowing labyrinth walls. They were large enough that their heads reached Rei's chest. From their upper jaws grew two long, sharp Deep Green Fangs, reminiscent of saber-toothed tigers. Furthermore, two tentacle-like appendages grew from their backs, writhing in the air with sharp, whipping sounds. One of those tentacles had likely been what struck Ara.
As Vel had said, there were five of them. They observed the party with Deep Green Eyes that matched the color of their fangs, searching for an opening.
Rei recognized them immediately from the Monster Encyclopedia.
"Emerald Wolves..."
"Rei, do you know them? Give us the details," Elena said, her whip-sword ready to strike.
"Emerald Wolves," Rei replied, readying his Death Scythe. "Individually, they're C-Rank monsters, but they hunt in packs. In a group like this, they're equivalent to B-Rank. Their greatest weapons aren't their fangs, but those tentacles on their backs. Think of them as living whips. They use them to wear down enemies before dealing the finishing blow with their fangs. They're also extremely agile and can use elementary wind magic."
"I see. So they're quite the handful."
Ara gripped her Power Axe tighter. The others held their weapons ready, prepared to strike at any moment.
"Gaaaaaaa!"
The Emerald Wolves made the first move. Along with a collective howl, a sudden gust of wind blew, obscuring the party's vision. Simultaneously, Rei felt two surges of murderous intent.
"Hah!"
Responding instantly, Rei swung his magic-infused Death Scythe, careful not to hit his companions.
"Gyan!"
With a single strike, he sliced an Emerald Wolf in half as it attempted to kick off the wall and attack him with a triangle jump. He scanned the area for the other; while there had been five in front, only two remained there. One had been drawn to the magic power in Rei's weapon and was now dead, while the other two were behind Elena. They had used the gust of wind as a screen to circle around, and they were now facing Seto and Vel.
"Vel can't handle close combat against C-Rank monsters! Rei, swap with Vel and deal with the two in the rear with Seto! Vel, provide support with your bow from the midguard. Ara, Kyuste! We'll finish the two in front!"
Rei and Vel swapped positions in a blur. Using the momentum, Rei swung his Death Scythe at an Emerald Wolf, but...
"Guru!"
"Tch!"
Seto roared at a tentacle strike coming from its blind spot, and Rei quickly jumped beside the gryphon to evade. The two Emerald Wolves lunged at Rei with frightening speed, but...
"Guruuuuuuuuuu!"
Their agility dropped significantly as Seto unleashed its King's Intimidation.
"Elena-sama, Seto used his roar! Their speed has dropped, reduce their numbers now!"
Rei sliced through an attacking tentacle and called out to Elena, who was supporting Ara and Kyuste.
"A roar! That helps. Vel, your arrows should be harder to dodge now. Fire!"
"Understood!"
Vel pulled several arrows from his quiver and fired them in rapid succession. At their original speed, the wolves likely could have swatted them down with their tentacles, but with their movements sluggish, they were forced to jump back to avoid the arrows along with Ara's Power Axe and Kyuste's spear.
The Emerald Wolves facing Rei and Seto also realized their movements had become heavy and backed off to observe them.
(That hesitation is our opening!)
Rei kicked off the ground, closing the distance with the wolf on the right. "Seto, you take the other one!"
"Guru!" Seto pounced on the wolf to the left.
"Ga... Gaaaaaaa!"
Confused by Rei's sudden charge despite its own sluggishness, the Emerald Wolf attempted to counter with its tentacles. It had two tentacles against Rei's single scythe, and its appendages were hard enough to repel ordinary blades. Its judgment wasn't wrong—if its opponent had been an ordinary adventurer. But the Death Scythe weighed over 100kg and was wielded with Rei's superhuman strength. Furthermore, it was infused with magic power, giving it an edge that could slice through metal. Not knowing Rei's true nature was the wolf's final misfortune.
"Gyan!"
With a single flash, both of the wolf's tentacles were severed. It shrieked in pain, but by the time it realized what had happened, the blade of the Death Scythe was already at its throat. That was the last thing the Emerald Wolf saw.
"Gaaaaa!"
"Guruuuuu!"
Rei stepped back to avoid the blood spraying from the wolf's neck. He looked toward Seto just in time to see a Wind Blade collide with the gryphon's Fire Breath. The intensity of the flames incinerated the wind and simultaneously engulfed the wolf in a localized inferno. Seto's Fire Breath was only Level 2, but its power was on a completely different level compared to the wolf's elementary magic.
Behind Rei, the tip of Elena's whip-sword pierced through the head of another wolf. The final Emerald Wolf was split in two as Ara brought her Power Axe down on its torso, finishing the battle.