"Phew... I think we finally made it through."
Rei let out a long sigh of relief as he looked back over his shoulder. Following his lead, Elena and Seto turned their gazes toward the path they had just traveled.
Behind them lay a sprawling vista of solid green—a dense cactus grove that, in the middle of a desert, would normally serve as a vital source of hydration and food. However, hidden among those natural plants were the monsters known as Cactus-modoki.
A long, jagged scar now marked the landscape where the greenery had been torn away, leaving the sandy earth exposed. The cacti and mimics that had once stood there now lay as scorched and severed corpses littering the ground.
"We moved so slowly, taking it one step at a time, that it took longer than I anticipated," Elena remarked.
"Guruuu," Seto croaked in agreement.
It was only natural that the gryphon felt the strain. While Rei had used Flying Slash and Elena had wielded her whip-sword to cut through the mimics, Seto's primary contribution had been its Fire Breath. To prevent the magic stones inside the Cactus-modoki from turning to ash and becoming useless, the gryphon had been forced to maintain incredibly precise control over the intensity and duration of its flames. While its physical stamina was nearly bottomless, the mental fatigue from such delicate mana regulation had clearly taken a toll.
"Regardless, we harvested a massive amount of magic stones. This should help alleviate the shortage in Exil, if only a little," Rei said.
"I suppose so," Elena replied. "Though with Shaffner—the man responsible for hoarding them—having already fled, I doubt the market will remain as desperate as it was."
Rei nodded, conceding the point. Now that one of the primary forces manipulating the supply was gone, the volume of stones flowing back into the city was bound to increase.
"Even so, it’ll take time for the supply to reach everyone who needs it. Our haul won't go to waste. More importantly, what about the magic stone absorption? Since no other adventurers seem to be coming near this area, do you think this is a good spot?"
Elena looked around at the relative isolation of the dunes. Rei had expressed a desire for a secluded place when they first descended to B13F, and this seemed to fit the bill. Rei considered the suggestion for a few moments before shaking his head.
"Let’s hold off. You're right that there aren't any adventurers around, but the Cactus-modoki are extremely sensitive to magic. If I absorb the stones and learn a new skill here, there's a chance the mana surge will trigger a reaction from the surrounding grove. We managed to get through without taking any damage; I'd rather not invite an unnecessary injury now."
"Then where? This floor doesn't offer much in the way of privacy."
"We don't have to stay right here. A little further away from the grove should be fine."
"I see. That’s probably for the best. Besides, the environment here is... unpleasant."
Elena knit her brows in slight disgust as she looked toward the clearing. The area was thick with the acrid, scorched stench of burnt cactus. The desert wind was slowly carrying it away, but the odor remained heavy in the air. While not exactly dangerous, she had no desire to linger in the fumes.
"Let's put some distance between us then. Honestly, I'd be happy if a Sky Fang or a Rock Spider showed up so we could grab another stone, but I guess that's asking for too much?"
"Most likely. Usually, adventurers pray not to run into monsters... though I suppose that changes when you're looking for materials, proof of subjugation parts, and magic stones to turn a profit."
"Guruuu?"
Seto, who had wandered a few paces ahead, looked back at them as if to ask why they were standing around. Rei couldn't help but smile at the gryphon’s impatience as they resumed their trek across the sand.
"Gurululuuu!"
Seeing Rei and Elena following, Seto let out a cheerful cry. The continuous use of Fire Breath had been exhausting, but it seemed the chance to cut loose and vent some energy had done wonders for its mood.
I'm not even sure if Seto feels stress in the first place, Rei thought with a wry smile.
Despite being a gryphon with the powerful hindquarters of a lion, Seto was currently wagging its tail like a happy dog. It was fundamentally a friendly creature that thrived on attention from the people of Exil. Recently, many of the residents had even taken to giving it snacks like dried meat and sandwiches. It was rapidly achieving the same "mascot character" status in Exil that it enjoyed in Gilm.
Watching it now, there was no sign of lingering stress. If anything, the gryphon just seemed thrilled to have spent the afternoon rampaging alongside Rei.
As they walked, the harsh, direct sunlight beat down on them, but the trio was already accustomed to the heat. The burnt smell of the cactus grove had faded into the background, no longer a nuisance.
Perhaps that silence was why the sound was so jarring—a low, rumbling thrum that seemed to vibrate up through the earth itself.
"——!?"
Reacting instantly to what she assumed was a monster's ambush, Elena whipped out her whip-sword and dropped into a combat stance. She waited, eyes scanning the dunes, but no enemy appeared. Seconds ticked by in total silence.
"Sorry," Rei said, looking sheepishly away. "That wasn't an enemy. It was just my stomach."
"...That sound just now was your stomach?" Elena asked, staring at him from beneath her cloak.
Rei nodded, his face tinged with embarrassment. The smell of roasted cactus hadn't exactly been appetizing, yet his body had apparently decided to assert its hunger with startling violence.
Elena let out a soft sigh, a small, resigned smile playing on her lips. It was a look that said, I really can't take my eyes off you, can I?
Rei, feeling restless under her gaze, turned his attention to their surroundings. Unlike the upper floors, this was a desert in the truest sense. There were no rocky outcroppings to provide shade—only the occasional cactus. He found himself wishing for an oasis like the one on B11F, but he knew those were far rarer than simple shade.
"For now... let's find a sand dune to block the wind, set up the Magic Tent, and get some food. How does that sound?"
"That would be wise. I’m quite thirsty myself, so I would appreciate the break."
"Gurululuuu!"
Seto rumbled its throat in agreement, clearly ready for a meal as well. They set their sights on a large dune several kilometers away and began to move.
Perhaps it was because they had let their guard down after surviving the mimics, but they were slightly late in noticing the figures in the distance. Fortunately, they spotted them before being seen themselves.
"Adventurers?" Rei whispered.
Three human-sized figures stood in the distance. They wore cloaks similar to Elena's, making it impossible to determine their gender or race, though they were clearly people of some kind. Given their location on B13F, they were almost certainly adventurers. However, something was fundamentally wrong.
At the feet of the three shadows lay a collapsed Cactus-modoki. Rei couldn't fathom how they had captured it and brought it so far from the grove while keeping it alive.
Elena looked at Rei, asking with her eyes how they should proceed. Rei considered it for a moment. If these were ordinary adventurers, they could just walk up and say hello. Even in such a remote spot, plenty of parties sought out "secret" hunting grounds.
But these three were clearly on edge, scanning their surroundings with a level of paranoia that went beyond typical dungeon caution. The fact that they had transported a mimic—a creature that usually spent its life buried in the sand—to this specific location was deeply suspicious.
Luckily, their presence detection and five senses weren't sharp enough to pick up Rei’s group yet, but the air around them was thick with a heavy, unnatural tension.
They're definitely up to something... but what? Rei wondered.
He wasn't exactly a paragon of justice, and as far as he was concerned, he probably leaned closer to the "morally gray" side of things. Elena, as a noble, had her own reservations, but she wasn't reckless enough to interfere without more information. Seto simply waited for Rei's signal.
The three and one beast hunkered down, observing the suspicious trio surrounding the mimic. Rei’s hunger had vanished, replaced by the chill of the scene before them.
"Hey, hurry it up. You know how much of a nightmare this thing is if it gets moving, right?" one of the men snapped.
"Relax, it can't move. It's more than half-dead—it's got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel," a second man replied.
"Don't be a fool. Even a dying monster is dangerous. Have you already forgotten how many times we’ve nearly been killed doing this?"
"That's exactly why I'm relaxed. We've got the experience."
"...Enough talk. We’re testing it now. Listen up—once we confirm the result, we're out of here immediately. Got it?" the third man, seemingly the leader, commanded.
The other two nodded. One of them reached into his breast pocket and withdrew an object. It was a gemstone about 5cm in diameter, pulsing with a faint, muddy black light. As soon as his leather-gloved hand revealed it, the atmosphere around the men noticeably stiffened.
"Same as always," one muttered. "Giving me the shivers just looking at it."
"Not surprising, given the sheer amount of labor it takes to create even one of these," the leader said. "Here we go. Initiating use of Chaos Seed 3-2-7."
He stepped forward and pressed the black, light-absorbing gemstone against the dying Cactus-modoki. The gem didn't just sit there; it was absorbed directly into the mimic’s body like a stone sinking into water.
Thump!
The mimic convulsed so violently that the shockwave was visible even from Rei's vantage point. It jerked again and again. Then, the Cactus-modoki—a creature that should have been a stationary ambush predator—began to thrash and leap across the sand like a fish out of water.
Did it... heal? Rei thought.
The mimic had been on the brink of death, yet now it was surging with life. But the transformation didn't stop there.
The specimens in the grove had been roughly a meter in height. This one had been the same size... until it absorbed the seed. Now, before Rei’s very eyes, the Cactus-modoki began to swell, its form twisting into something else entirely.
The thorns protruding from its body grew longer and sharper, taking on a metallic sheen that reminded Rei of the needles Byune used in battle. And while the species normally had no capacity for walking, its lower half was bulging and developing powerful, muscular structures.
You've got to be kidding me. Is that...
Rei knew exactly what he was looking at. It was a creature that shared the base species of the floor's inhabitants but possessed entirely different appearances and terrifyingly enhanced abilities. He knew it all too well—a creature that possessed a magic stone that was nothing but a curse to his own Beast Magic.
An Anomaly Species...?