Rei, Elena, and their companions had just descended into a small room on B9F.
After stopping to eat lunch in their magic tent on B8F, they had made a straight dash for the stairs, arriving here on B9F while cutting down any monsters that crossed their path.
Naturally, B9F was just as cavernous as the previous floors. Elena let out a small sigh at the sight.
"Well, including this floor, we only have two left. We should be liberated from this cave setting tomorrow, but… what should we do for now? It’s been quite a while since lunch. I think it might be best to return to the surface soon."
"Hm, you have a point. Wait a second. If I recall, this floor was…"
At Rei's words, Elena pulled a map from her magic pouch. She studied the parchment for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.
"Just as I thought. This floor will be quite easy. There aren't any branching paths at all; it’s a straight shot to the stairs."
Hearing that, Rei tilted his head in confusion.
"Does that even… count as a dungeon?"
"Guruuu?"
Seto, who had been listening in, seemed to share the sentiment. He let out a low rumble from his throat in agreement.
Elena offered a wry smile at the sight of the one man and one beast, but as if to say that seeing was believing, she turned the map toward Rei.
Rei took one look and let out an involuntary sigh. The map truly depicted a single, straight corridor extending from their current room, ending at nothing but the stairs leading down to B10F.
"…What do you want to do?" Elena asked.
"Well, don't ask me. What’s your take as an adventurer, Rei?"
Rei fell into thought for a moment. They didn't possess a clock, so he couldn't be sure of the exact time, but he could estimate it based on his internal clock and the time elapsed since lunch.
It’s probably somewhere between three and four in the afternoon, he reckoned.
If his gut feeling was right, they could likely clear B9F without any issues—provided the map Elena had borrowed was accurate.
…Of course, that was assuming the map was correct and that no well-hidden traps lay in wait.
And then there’s the matter of the monsters, he mused.
He weighed the risks against the potential rewards before finally reaching a decision.
"Alright. Let’s clear B9F before we call it a day."
"Are you sure? Considering the hour, I feel like we’ll be cutting it close."
"Yeah. It’s summer, after all. Monsters get more vicious at night, but we still have a little breathing room."
"…Very well. If you say so, Rei, I shall follow your lead. Fortunately, I still have plenty of energy left myself."
Elena nodded, and they stepped out of the small room together. She kept her weapon readied, prepared to react instantly to any threat.
Rei and Elena exchanged a nod and began their march. One step, two steps, three steps… they continued forward, but for better or worse, not a single enemy appeared.
Wrapped in a heavy, stifling silence, the two men and two beasts—Rei, Elena, Seto, and Iero—pressed onward.
"No enemies are appearing, are they?"
"No."
"Gurururuuu?"
Rei voiced his growing doubts about the total absence of any hostile presence. Elena answered him shortly, and Seto, who was walking point, tilted his head as well.
They continued their advance for what felt like an hour. Rei and Elena still lacked an exact time, but their internal senses told them enough. After walking for so long without encountering a single soul, Rei finally spoke up, his suspicion reaching its peak.
"Isn't this a bit suspicious?"
"What is?" Elena asked.
"This passage. It’s a single path, which is fine, but we've been walking for ages without anything happening. I can accept that no enemies have appeared—it’s a stretch, but it could be a coincidence. But this corridor itself is wrong. It feels… right, just like when we dived into the dungeon of the Altar of Inheritance."
"…! I see. You're right. It doesn't look like there are any obvious traps, so you're saying the endless passage itself is the trap? That would mean a trap using space magic… but is there another practitioner here as skilled as Grimm?"
Even though Elena had inherited the magic stone of an Ancient Dragon, the mere thought of Grimm filled her with awe. She felt as though she wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fair fight.
However, Rei shook his head at her concern.
"I doubt there are many monster-class beings like that just wandering around. But this dungeon is still growing. Perhaps it’s related to the Anomaly Species we've been fighting. At most, maybe a great mage on par with Grimm is acting as an enemy here… though I’m not sensing much danger, relatively speaking."
"So we still don't know the cause."
"Exactly. But to get out of this, we'll likely have to destroy the starting point."
Rei muttered this as he recalled their previous experience. Elena frowned slightly, perhaps thinking of Vel, the man who had betrayed them.
Rei didn't waste any time. He leveled his Death Scythe toward the floor and began to concentrate his magic power.
"Well, if it's just about destroying the starting point, the same method as last time should work."
"I’m counting on you."
He nodded at Elena’s brief reply and began to chant.
"Flame, burn and spread while showing your crimson light. Become a carpet of flames as my will dictates."
A mass of fire coalesced at the butt end of the Death Scythe. He slammed the weapon into the ground, crushing the flames to complete the spell.
"Faint Flame!"
Obeying the spell, the crushed fire spread thinly across the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, racing forward down the corridor.
Iero, seeing the magic for the first time, reached out with his short claws to touch the burning light in curiosity. The temperature of the fire was only about twenty degrees Celsius, so there was no risk of him being burned.
The fire continued to expand, reaching far down the passage to places beyond Rei's sight.
And then…
Cr-crack, crackle…
A faint sound echoed through the area, followed by a noise like shattering glass. Nothing in their surroundings looked different, yet it was undeniably clear that something had changed.
"Did it work?" Elena whispered, touching the wall. To her touch, it felt no different than it had moments ago. Yet, she could sense a fundamental shift in the atmosphere.
Beside her, Rei touched the wall as well, a relieved smile crossing his face.
"The mechanism was the same, but the strength of the magic wasn't even close to Grimm's."
"…So it would seem."
Both Rei and Elena let out sighs of relief. Given how much of an outlier Grimm was, Rei was honestly glad they weren't dealing with a monster of that caliber. Fortunately, thanks to his connection with Zephyle, Grimm had been friendly toward Rei. But that was a rare exception. A typical Lich would loathe the living, seeing them only as prey to drain of life and magic power.
"At any rate, we broke through. Let's hurry. We've spent more time on this floor than I planned. Once we reach B10F, let's head straight back to the surface. It’ll be night before we know it."
"Agreed."
Elena nodded, and they proceeded down the corridor, now free from the trap that had likely been constructed through space magic.
"Still, this is a bit strange," Rei muttered as they walked.
"What is?" Elena asked. They were still keeping a sharp eye out for traps and monsters, but they continued their conversation.
"I think it’s a fact that this core has grown more than the one in the dungeon of the Altar of Inheritance. But why set a sophisticated trap like space magic here on B9F? If I were the dungeon core, I’d save the powerful stuff for the lowest floor—the 33rd, wasn't it? B9F is for people somewhere between beginners and intermediates. The real threats to the dungeon would be those elites, Arbor's Edge, right? It would make more sense to use this against them."
"…There are a few possibilities. The worst-case scenario is that the dungeon core considers us a threat. Even if the core has a will, it’s hard to say if it’s a consciousness we can understand, but it wouldn't be surprising if it could identify dangerous adventurers."
Rei frowned at the thought. Being singled out by the core of a dungeon large enough to support a labyrinth city was a daunting prospect.
Elena noticed his expression and continued with a small smile.
"Alternatively, the dungeon core might not consider that trap very important. Or more accurately, perhaps it has even more powerful weapons at its disposal."
"So it just threw it at us to see what would happen, and we happened to get caught? That seems like a bit of a stretch…"
"Probably. I agree. But it’s a possibility. There are other theories, but these two seem the most likely at first glance."
Elena kept her eyes moving, scanning their surroundings.
I didn't say it to Rei… but there is one more possibility. A space magic user might be intentionally interfering with our dungeon conquest. Though, that raises the question of why they would target us specifically. And if someone is using space magic, the mage would have to be nearby… No, perhaps I’m overthinking it.
She searched for any hidden presence but sensed nothing out of the ordinary. Deciding she was just being paranoid, she continued straight ahead with Rei.
(…Have they gone?)
Once Rei’s group had disappeared into the distance of the straight corridor, the man finally let out a breath of relief.
He had known the magic would hold, but seeing the strength of those two men and two beasts up close had made him realize just how outclassed he truly was.
His survival had nothing to do with his own skill. It was entirely thanks to the magic item his superior had provided: the Robe of Concealment, which masked both his form and his presence.
It was a masterpiece created by Estha Nor, an alchemist who had belonged to the clan of the legendary Majin, Zephyle. It was undoubtedly a top-tier item, though it was notoriously difficult to use, as the effect would vanish the instant the wearer moved.
Because of that limitation, its performance was flawless, capable of deceiving even the five senses and sixth sense of a Gryphon like Seto, let alone Rei or Elena.
(I’m never taking a job like this again. Just because I can use space magic, I get stuck trying to trap monsters like that… It’s not even a joke.)
The man’s mind was racing with complaints, but he kept them strictly internal. Even a small movement would break the robe’s enchantment. Even if Rei’s group was out of sight, he couldn't be sure they wouldn't detect him the moment he revealed himself.
(And why the hell are they targeting that Crimson anyway? Well, I’m just a lackey; it’s not for me to know. Still, it’s a lot to ask of the guy being used as bait.)
The man had been ordered to use space magic to lead Rei and Elena astray. The trap didn't necessarily have to be on B9F, but they had been short on time. B9F had been the only place where the conditions were right to set the snare.
(Seriously, though… reaching B9F only a few days after entering the dungeon? What kind of insane speed are they diving at?)
Muttering grievances in his head, the man remained perfectly still, waiting for his comrades to come and retrieve him, terrified that Rei and Elena might reappear the moment he took the robe off.
"That was surprisingly anticlimactic."
"…Yeah."
Rei agreed with Elena’s assessment. After breaking out of the looping space, they had reached the stairs to B10F without a single monster appearing or a single other trap being triggered.
"In the end, we didn't see a single monster."
"Gurururuuu."
Seto let out a disappointed rumble at Rei’s comment. Watching the one man and one beast, Elena found herself smiling naturally.
This was the kind of life she had wanted in Exil. It certainly beat dealing with Vihera and her constant, home-wrecking advances toward Rei.
With those peaceful thoughts, the two men and two beasts descended to B10F and stepped into the teleportation magic circle to return to the surface.