In contrast to the overcast sky above ground, the sunlight pouring down here felt aggressively hot. Bathed in that intense, direct glare, Rei, Elena, and Seto—two humans and one beast—surveyed their surroundings.
Having only arrived at B11F the day before, they saw nothing particularly unusual about the environment. The only real change was the sheer number of adventurers. Various adventurer parties were setting off in every direction, each driven by the singular goal of finding the Spear Frog Anomaly Species.
Standing just outside the small room that housed the magic circle and the stairs, Rei and his companions watched the others scatter, fanning out into the desert from their central starting point. While a few parties chose to cooperate with one another, most acted independently, determined to claim the target for themselves.
As they watched the groups depart, a voice called out from behind them.
"Oh? You three haven't started moving yet? Everyone else who arrived on this floor has already vanished into the distance."
Rei and Elena recognized the voice immediately, but they still froze in surprise when they turned around. Vihera was there, but instead of her usual dancer-like attire made of layered thin raiment, she had draped her body in a heavy overcoat.
They knew she had brought it with her—they had seen her porter carrying it—but the image of Vihera was so inextricably linked to her dancer's outfit that seeing her covered up felt entirely wrong.
"Vihera-san, we should be going. If we take too long, another party will kill the Anomaly Species before we even find it," the middle-aged porter urged. His tone was exceptionally polite, either out of natural habit or because he was well aware of just how dangerous his employer could be.
Vihera turned back toward him, her overcoat fluttering with the movement. "I suppose you're right. Byune, do you have a feel for which way we should go?"
"Nn... Nn!" After thinking for a few seconds, Byune pointed a small finger toward the north.
There were no tracks or clues to go on yet, so it was almost entirely a matter of instinct.
Well, if you call it a thief's intuition, I guess it sounds somewhat persuasive, Rei thought. In that case, let's try our own luck.
He glanced down at Seto. If the other side was relying on a thief's intuition, he would rely on wild intuition. However, looking at the griffin happily purring as it leaned into his hand for more pets, Rei found himself doubting just how much "wildness" Seto actually had left in it.
"Guruuu?" Seto rubbed its head against him, practically begging for more attention. Rei couldn't help but smile wryly; the beast felt more like a spoiled pet than a predator at the moment.
"North, then. Well, Rei, Seto... and Elena as a bonus. How about a little competition to see who hunts the Anomaly Species first?"
"A competition?" Rei asked.
"Yes. It's boring to just part ways and say goodbye, isn't it? Think of it as a little game." Vihera gave a slight shrug. A short distance ahead, the porter and Byune were waiting impatiently for her to hurry up, but she ignored them, waving an overcoat-wrapped hand as she continued. "We'll see who takes down the target first. What do you say?"
"...Wait," Elena interjected, sensing something suspicious. "Since you're calling it a match, it won't just end with the hunt itself, will it? What are the stakes?"
Vihera shrugged again. The fire of battle lust burning deep in her eyes made her true desires plain to see, and she didn't bother hiding them when she spoke. "Nothing too complicated. If I win, I'll have Rei spend a night with me."
Rei let out a weary sigh at her intentionally misleading phrasing. Elena knew Vihera was being provocative on purpose, but she still felt her mood sour instantly.
"And if we win?" Elena asked, feeling it was her duty to establish the other side of the bet.
"Let's see... You can do whatever you like with me for a night—"
Elena didn't let her finish. Her hand shifted toward the whip-sword handle hidden beneath her cloak.
Judging that it would be unwise to push Elena any further, Vihera took a step back with a playful smile. "I'm joking, I'm joking. But really, is there anything else you want? You don't look like you're hurting for money... Ah, I know. How about we form a party for a while later in the dungeon?"
"Entrusting my back to a dangerous woman like you sounds more like a suicide attempt," Rei countered.
"Then what? Is there anything you actually want? And just so we're clear, I'm not giving up any of my magic items."
"I don't see much point in a wager, but... fine. Let's just say you'll owe me a favor."
"I'd prefer if you were more specific now," Vihera replied.
She clearly wanted to avoid an open-ended debt, but since Rei couldn't think of anything he wanted from her at the moment, they left it at that.
Actually, I was a little interested in those gauntlets that create claws with magic power, Rei mused.
Rei’s primary combat style revolved around the Death Scythe and magic, both of which excelled at mid-range to long-range. While he could handle close quarters using the Death Scythe's shaft or butt end, his Mithril Knife, or his own physical ability, those were strictly secondary options. Vihera’s gauntlets, which could manifest claws for close-range shredding, were highly appealing from a tactical standpoint.
"Phew. Well, if that's what Rei wants, I suppose I have no choice. I'll accept the challenge. That's one favor, then?"
"Yeah... wait, what?"
The moment Rei nodded, Vihera turned and ran toward Byune and the porter as if the conversation were settled. She moved quickly, as if trying to flee before Rei could realize how she had just twisted the terms.
"...Rei. Think back on what just happened," Elena sighed.
Rei went over the exchange in his head, realized where the flow had gone wrong, and went pale. "...Ah."
"Do you see it now? The match was supposed to be for a favor if you won, but the way she phrased it at the end made it sound like you've already agreed to owe her one. You nodded right along with her..."
"I-It's fine. We just have to win, right? I want that Anomaly Species' magic stone anyway. I have no intention of losing to Vihera and Byune."
"Grurururuu." Seto rubbed against Rei as if to comfort him for his blunder. Rei petted the griffin's beak in thanks.
After a few minutes of gathering his wits, Rei finally spoke. "Alright, if we're doing this, we absolutely cannot lose. We're going to counter Byune's thief's intuition with Seto's wild intuition. Seto, which way do you think we should go?"
"Guruuu? ...Grururururuu."
After thinking for a moment, Seto turned its gaze toward the west. Other adventurers had certainly headed that way, but the desert was vast. As long as they didn't follow someone's trail exactly, they were unlikely to cross paths too closely.
"West it is. Seto, I'll need you to scout from the air like usual. They say the Spear Frog is three meters tall, so it shouldn't be hard to spot... but stay alert for other monsters. I want to grab magic stones from Sand Snakes and Grand Scorpions since we've only found one of each so far, and I definitely want a magic stone from a normal Spear Frog, too."
"Grurururuu!"
With a confident cry, Seto took a short running start, flapped its powerful wings, and soared into the sky. Rei and Elena watched it go, shared a brief nod, and began their trek across the sands.
Though Seto slowed its pace to match them, the speed of flight was incomparable to walking on the ground. To keep up, Rei and Elena avoided the harder, easier-to-walk ridges and cut a straight path across the flat, shifting desert floor.
"Phew. Even with this cloak, the heat is miserable. It’s cloudy outside the dungeon; I wish some of that cool weather would leak down here," Elena said, casting a resentful look at the sun-drenched, cloudless sky.
"But it's just the sensation of heat, right? No actual damage?"
"Feeling the heat is harm enough."
Elena had inherited the power of the Ancient Dragon Magic Stone, and while her physical capabilities were far beyond human, her senses remained relatively unchanged. She could walk through fire without being burned, but she still felt the agonizing temperature.
Or perhaps this is a side effect of the Ritual of Inheritance being interrupted... she thought bitterly. She shook the thought away and focused on the path ahead.
Walking beside her, Rei seemed entirely unbothered. His Dragon Robe regulated his temperature perfectly, and his own constitution was an outlier in every sense of the word.
"Grurururuu."
After about an hour of walking, Seto descended from the sky, landing and gesturing toward their right with a sharp cry.
"Monsters? No, that doesn't seem right," Rei muttered.
"Indeed. Seto doesn't seem particularly threatened," Elena added.
They stared toward the right, and soon, pillars of sand began erupting into the air. It wasn't a one-time event; the geysers of sand exploded upward a second time, then a third.
"Explosions? Someone's fighting," Rei said.
"Likely. Either Flame-type Magic or perhaps Earth-type Magic used to manipulate the dunes. Either way, there's a battle going on. Should we check it out?"
Elena left the choice to Rei. He hesitated for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"The adventurers here are all veterans. If we barge in on their fight, they'll just assume we're trying to steal their kill. Unless they're clearly losing, they won't be grateful for the help, and the odds of that are slim. No point wasting time."
"Fair enough. We've been dragged into enough other people's messes. Since everyone's here to make a living off monster materials, it's only natural they'd guard their prey."
Elena nodded in agreement, and they resumed their trek. Urged on by Rei, Seto gave a small purr and took to the sky once more.
About twenty minutes later, more explosions echoed across the desert, this time from a completely different direction.
"There's fighting everywhere," Elena noted. She looked toward the sound, but true to their decision, she didn't slow down, keeping her eyes on their own path.
Rei nodded beside her. "The target Spear Frog could be anywhere, and everyone's fanning out to find it. Naturally, they're going to run into other monsters along the way. Besides, the Guild's offering high prices for any materials or magic stones found during this request."
"I suppose those two are fighting as well," Elena said softly.
Rei knew exactly who she meant. He smiled beneath the hood of his Dragon Robe. "Probably. Knowing Vihera, she's likely having the time of her life."
"...I wasn't implying that I'm worried about Vihera, you know?"
"Oh? Then who were you thinking of?"
"T-That's... well, Byune! She's so small; it's only natural to worry about her safety."
"If you say so."
Elena grumbled, but in truth, someone like Vihera—who treated her with a normal, if slightly too familiar, attitude—was a rare thing in her life. While she had her grievances regarding Vihera's advances toward Rei, she didn't actually dislike the woman. Realizing this, Elena focused her efforts on dodging Rei’s teasing as they continued their hunt.