"Guruuuuu!"
Seto's cry echoed through the dungeon passage as it swung its front leg, equipped with the Bracelet of Herculean Strength.
An Eagle Claw Strike slammed into the torso of an Orc weighing well over a hundred kilograms, effortlessly blowing it away.
With its ribs shattered, the Orc was sent flying and slammed hard against the wall—taking what amounted to pursuit damage—leaving it in a state where it couldn't even scream.
"Nn!"
In the few seconds the monster was paralyzed by pain and shock, Byune dove into its guard. Of the two daggers she wielded, her right blade slit the Orc's throat, while her left thrust upward through the lower jaw, aiming for the brain.
Watching this, Rei was impressed by how she twisted the dagger extensively inside the Orc's skull before pulling it out. If a blade were simply withdrawn, there was always a chance that simple bad luck for the attacker—or good luck for the Orc—might leave the creature with enough consciousness to launch a reflexive counterattack. To prevent that, she stirred the blade within the head to extinguish its consciousness and its life. Such thoroughness was a trait Rei appreciated.
Though Byune occasionally partied with Vihera, she mostly dove into the dungeon solo. Because of that, this level of caution had become second nature to her; she had learned through hard experience the danger of suffering a counterattack by letting her guard down before a foe was truly finished.
However, in contrast to the impressed Rei, Elena cast a worried gaze toward the girl.
Elena had been accumulating combat experience since she was young, but she hadn't begun participating in actual battles until her mid-teens. Until then, her experience had been limited to mock battles with her instructor knights at best.
"You're free to feel sympathy for her, but wearing it on your sleeve is an insult. Remember that."
Elena reflexively glared back at Vihera, who had addressed her.
However, even when met with Elena's accusatory look, Vihera remained unperturbed, meeting her gaze with a calm composure.
After their eyes locked for several seconds, Elena quietly looked away.
She understood. She knew that her attitude was exactly what Vihera had called it: an insult to Byune. Nevertheless, seeing Byune—who was only a ten-year-old child—diving solo into a dungeon, the naturally kind-hearted Elena couldn't help but worry.
Leaving the two women to their exchange, Rei quickly cut off the Orc's right ear, which served as the Orc Proof of Subjugation Part. He extracted the Magic Stone and stored the corpse inside his Misty Ring.
Regarding the Orc meat, he knew from previous experience that it tasted decent enough, so it was destined to become food for Seto.
Just as he was about to store the Magic Stone...
"Nn."
Rei felt a tug on his Dragon Robe and looked down.
There stood Byune, holding two Seal Worm Magic Stones they had obtained earlier. She was staring intently at the Orc Magic Stone in Rei's hand.
"...Nn?"
"Ah... sorry, but I don't have the ability to read your mind. Vihera, any idea?"
Troubled by Byune's emotionless stare, Rei turned to Vihera. She gave a small shrug and explained.
"It's not that complicated. You mentioned earlier that you're collecting two Magic Stones for every monster type, right? And you said you didn't have any Seal Worm Magic Stones yet. She wants to trade. Two Seal Worm Magic Stones for one Orc Magic Stone. The Orc stone sells for a bit more because of the rank difference, so you'd technically be coming out ahead."
"I see. But what would she have done if I didn't have an extra Orc stone?"
"Who knows? She probably figured there was no harm in asking."
"Nn!"
Byune nodded at Vihera's words, confirming the theory.
Rei hesitated for a moment, but since both Seto and the Death Scythe had already absorbed an Orc Magic Stone, he decided it would be a waste to refuse. He gently placed the stone he held into Byune's small palm.
"Nn."
She gave a small nod, then turned her eyes toward the Orc's right ear before looking back up at Rei.
She didn't put it into words, but her intent was unmistakable: she wanted that as well.
"...Nn."
Byune continued to peer up at Rei with an expectant gaze.
After a few seconds of thought, Rei decided it was in his best interest to build a good relationship with Byune, given her skills as a Thief. He let out a small sigh and handed over the ear.
It might have been a slightly lopsided trade, but having Byune around meant they didn't have to worry about traps, which was a significant advantage. If handing over an Orc Proof of Subjugation Part ensured they could continue as a temporary party, it was a bargain. He might have hesitated if she had asked for the meat, but the ear was a small price to pay.
"Well then, now that we've settled that, let's keep moving. At this rate, we should be able to reach B5F today... or maybe even deeper."
At Elena's words—she had been watching Rei and Byune's interaction with a smile—everyone nodded in agreement and set off down the passage.
Unlike B3F, which was a mess of crossroads, this floor consisted of standard passages with occasional branches. They followed behind Byune through the dungeon.
The monsters that occasionally appeared were generally only as strong as common Orcs. For Rei's group, these weren't opponents that posed a struggle—with the exception of Byune.
Because of her small stature, she lacked the power to deliver heavy blows against thick hides and muscle, but she contributed by using her specialized needles to blind enemies, creating openings for the others to finish them off.
After several hours of travel, they finally discovered the stairs leading down to B5F.
"That went quite smoothly. Rei and I spent a great deal of time yesterday just searching for the stairs."
"Were you struggling even with a map?"
Elena had intended to use the map for this floor as well, but after Byune claimed to have the paths perfectly memorized, they had left the navigation to her.
In response to Vihera's tone, which suggested that maps should prevent such delays, Rei gave a wry smile.
"We didn't have a Thief, so we had to move slowly to check for traps and deal with unexpected monster encounters."
"A Thief, hm... If you wanted one that badly, you could have hired one of the Holy Light Religion's Thieves from the entrance plaza."
At Vihera's suggestion, Elena gave a small shrug and looked toward Rei.
"It seems Rei doesn't care for the Holy Light Religion... or religion in general, for that matter. If not for that, I wouldn't have minded paying the thirty-percent commission."
"...You hate religion?"
"To be honest, yeah. I just don't have a good impression of religious groups. Besides, if they take thirty percent of the income, that's one thing for common materials, but I suspect we'd have a lot of friction regarding the magic items and Magic Stones we're after."
Chatting as they went, they descended the stairs to B5F...
"Oh."
Rei inadvertently let out a sound as they came upon the party waiting there.
A four-man adventurer party was gathered near the B5F stairs. That wasn't unusual, but the problem was that one of them was a Holy Light Religion warrior.
"Nn, ah... Hey, I know you. With that Gryphon, you must be the rumored Crimson. And that's quite an eccentric group you've got there."
The warrior, who seemed to be the leader, spoke to Rei, likely trying to bridge the awkward silence.
Rei's party was certainly a sight to behold: Rei, known as Crimson; Vihera the Mad Beast, famous in Exil for her beauty and bloodlust; Byune, a descendant of House Flaut—one of the four houses that founded the Labyrinth City; and Elena, who hid her identity under orders from the Guild Upper Management but possessed a dignified beauty that rivaled Vihera's.
It was no surprise they drew stares.
"Do we stand out that much? Well, this party is probably only for today. So, did you just get here?"
"Yeah. Something came up. We're on a Magic Stone Hunt on this floor. Apparently, there's a shortage, so House Rebisole requested our help."
House Rebisole. At the mention of the name, Byune's eyebrow twitched. Given her usual lack of expression, the reaction was obvious, but most assumed it was just because she was a member of the founding four houses.
At the same time, Vihera looked at the Holy Light Religion warrior with an expression of understanding.
It was an open secret that House Rebisole, one of the Three Houses Governing Exil, was closely tied to the Holy Light Religion. It was also known that they were aggressively buying up Magic Stones as if competing with House Marstchel, though their motives remained unclear.
(So, buying them from the Guild and shops wasn't enough; they're directly hiring adventurers now. I wonder what they're plotting.)
While Vihera felt suspicious, she kept her face neutral and listened to the conversation.
After the light greetings were finished and the men decided to proceed further into the dungeon, they waved and began to leave the room with the stairs and magic circle—but the Holy Light Religion warrior stopped in front of Rei.
"I gathered from your conversation earlier that you dislike religion. However, we are those who have received the Blessing of the Goddess of Holy Light. I would appreciate it if you refrained from outright denying our faith."
"Ah, sorry about that. It's just a personal preference. I have no intention of disparaging your specific religion."
"...I see. Personally, I would like to see a promising young man like you receive the Blessing of the Goddess of Holy Light. Please, visit our church sometime. I'm certain you would come to understand the Teachings of the Holy Light Religion."
The man offered Rei a smile, but Rei merely furrowed his brow and pulled up his Dragon Robe's Hood to hide his face.
"Regrettably, all religions look the same to me. Sorry, but I have no intention of joining the Holy Light Religion."
"Hmph. What a waste. We would have loved to have a powerful asset like you among our ranks—especially an Alias Holder."
"Asset." Several members of the party reacted to that word.
Vihera was one of them, but she didn't say anything, instead casting a flirtatious glance at the other men in the adventurer party who were ogling her. It was as if she were trying to distract them from noticing anything.
Whether it was a signal or not, the Holy Light Religion man let out a sigh, gave Rei and the others a small bow, and returned to his group.
The party followed their leader out of the small room, forcibly dragging along the members who were still entranced by Vihera’s physique.
"Honestly, the Holy Light Religion is a new faith, so they aren't that powerful yet, but could you try not to pick fights with them?"
Vihera said this after listening to the exchange, but her tone made it clear she wasn't being serious.
She clearly had her own opinions on the matter.
"Nn."
Byune felt similarly; she tugged on Rei's Dragon Robe, stood on her tiptoes, and patted his shoulder repeatedly. It could have been her way of saying "well said," or perhaps a quiet warning about the exchange.
"...So, what's the plan? If we keep going, we'll likely run into them again. That wouldn't be pleasant for either side."
"No need to worry. B5F is a fairly complex maze. I don't think we'll cross paths with them that easily... though I can't say it's impossible. I'll leave the call to you, Rei. What do you want to do?"
To Vihera, who asked with a provocative smile, Rei lowered his hood and nodded with a confident grin.
"We're going, of course. Elena's and my goal is to find magic items and unknown Magic Stones in the deep layers."
"Good. Let's move then. We'll just have to be careful. Byune, if you would."
"Nn."
Byune, who remembered the passages almost perfectly, nodded with her usual stony expression. True to her word, they arrived at the stairs leading down to B6F without encountering another soul.