The day after the Cactus-modoki incident, Rei and his party dove back into the dungeon. Stepping out of the small room and surveying their surroundings, they couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. It was a sound layered with various emotions—part exasperation, part weary resignation.
"First a sandy desert, then a rocky one, then sand again... I really should have seen this coming," Rei muttered.
Stretching out before him was another rocky desert, its surface cluttered with countless boulders of varying sizes.
"But it is a predictable sight, is it not?" Elena countered. "Besides, I think this will be much easier to traverse than B13F, so it isn't all bad."
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you're right."
Normally, they would have checked the nature of a new floor before returning to the surface, but yesterday had been an exception. They had been in a race against time to deliver the Cactus-modoki corpse and the bodies of the dead adventurers to House Silwa as quickly as possible. They had descended the stairs from B13F and immediately used the magic circle to teleport to the surface without even glancing outside the safety of the small room.
Thus, this was the first time they were seeing B14F with their own eyes.
"And as was the case on B12F, a rocky desert is quite convenient for magic stone absorption," Elena added.
"That’s true enough," Rei agreed, glancing around.
Giant rocks were everywhere; he didn't even have to look for them. Unlike the open stretches of B13F, this terrain offered plenty of cover, making it ideal for their needs.
"Alright. Let's start with the magic stone absorption then. Elena, which way are the stairs to B15F?"
Rei stroked Seto’s head as he spoke. The gryphon was already purring in anticipation at the mention of magic stones. Elena pulled a map from the magic pouch at her waist and compared it to the landmarks visible from their position.
"That cluster of rocks is over there, and that spire shaped like a sword is over that way. That means... it should be this direction."
Elena pointed toward the southwest. She was gesturing toward a section where towering rocks, some nearly ten meters tall, stood in dense clusters, forming what looked like a primitive labyrinth.
"Of all the places, it had to be there," Rei groaned.
Looking at the area, "canyon" felt like a more accurate description than "rocky desert." However, he told himself that the maze would be far safer for their ritual than the open plains, and he began to lead the way.
Then again, even if it is a maze, Seto can scout the path from the air, Rei thought. In that sense, this might actually be an easy floor for us.
Deciding that standing around wouldn't get them any closer to their goal, he set off toward the rock-congested zone. The two men and one beast walked together, with Elena on Rei's right and Seto on his left.
The desert sun beat down with intense heat, accompanied by the dry, parching winds unique to these floors. Despite the harsh conditions, the party proceeded without a hint of struggle. Rei and Elena were protected by the Dragon Robe and Elena's enchanted cloak, but Seto appeared completely unfazed despite not using any specific magic or skills. On previous desert floors, the gryphon had shown at least some discomfort with the heat, but today was different.
"Seto, are you doing okay?"
"Guruuu!"
When Rei noticed and asked, Seto let out a cheerful trill, indicating it was perfectly fine. In fact, it seemed to be in uncharacteristically high spirits.
Did it just... get used to it? Rei wondered. Well, a high-rank monster like a gryphon shouldn't be brought down by a little desert heat.
Elena, listening to their exchange, tucked a stray lock of golden hair back into her hood. She briefly wondered if she should have pushed to bring Iero along after all, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Seto and Iero were fundamentally different. Just because Seto was fine didn't mean Iero would be. Iero was a newly born dragon species, barely more than an infant. Compared to Seto's powerful, mature frame, Iero was far too vulnerable.
The difference between a familiar and beast magic, I suppose, she thought. I envy being born that large. Though, if Iero had been the size of a fully grown dragon from birth, that would have caused an entirely different set of problems.
They walked for about thirty minutes. Despite being deep in the dungeon, no enemies appeared. Finally, they reached the entrance to the natural labyrinth formed by the massive, huddled boulders. Elena reached out and touched the sun-baked surface of a giant rock, her brow furrowing.
"Well, we haven't encountered a single enemy on the way here. What do you make of it?"
"The obvious answer is that they're waiting inside this rock maze," Rei said. "Even monsters prefer a place where they can set up a surprise attack over an open field. But... even the less intelligent monsters aren't showing their faces. That’s the part I find strange."
"Does that mean an intelligent monster is leading them? But we've never seen different species acting in coordination here, only groups of the same type, like sandworms or the cactus-modoki."
Elena looked surprised, but Rei simply shook his head.
"It could be an exceptionally powerful monster that has cleared the area... or perhaps..."
Rei met her eyes, and Elena nodded in understanding. Both of them were thinking the same thing: Anomaly Species.
"Anyway, standing here won't solve anything. We have to break through this place to reach the next floor either way."
"Umu. I am counting on you."
"Guruuu!"
Seto purred, signaling its determination to help, and the trio stepped into the shadows of the rock maze. It was a purely natural formation, so while it functioned like a labyrinth, it wasn't overly complex. However, its organic nature meant there were countless blind spots.
"If they're going to sell these as maps, they could at least mark the correct path through the maze," Elena complained, looking at the parchment.
Because the maze was natural, there were multiple routes, and the "correct" one shifted depending on who you asked or what had changed since the last survey. Some adventurers even added their own notes about where specific rare plants grew, but for first-timers like Rei and Elena, they were flying blind.
"Well, it's our first time here. We just have to find our own way," Rei said with a small shrug.
Satisfied with that answer, they pressed on. Five minutes later, they reached a fork in the path.
"Which way?" Elena asked.
"Hold on... according to the map, the right path is a dead end."
"Then we go right."
"Rei?" Elena looked at him, confused as to why he would intentionally head into a cul-de-sac.
"Since this is the first fork, no one in their right mind would choose the dead end. That makes it the perfect spot for magic stone absorption."
"Ah... true. No one would be eccentric enough to wander into a dead end on purpose."
Convinced, she followed him. Within ten minutes, they arrived at a circular clearing at the end of the path. It was about twenty tatami mats in size—large enough to move around comfortably.
"I wonder what this place was for," Rei mused, looking around. "I can't believe this was made by nature. It's almost too circular."
He wondered if the dungeon core had designed it this way with some specific intent, but he decided it wasn't worth dwelling on. He scanned the area for any signs of hidden monsters or lurking adventurers. Seto gave a reassuring trill, sensing no danger, and Elena nodded her agreement.
Relieved, Rei activated his Misty Ring. He withdrew three magic stones he had already collected, along with the fresh carcasses of an antlion, a sky fang, and two sand ants. He skipped the material stripping for now and focused on extracting the stones.
In total, he laid out seven magic stones: one sky fang magic stone, one rock spider magic stone, one antlion magic stone, two from the cactus-modoki, and two sand ant magic stones. He used his Dagger of Flowing Water to quickly wash away the gore.
"Alright, let's see how we divide these. We should start with the ones we have duplicates of—the cactus-modoki and the sand ants. Seto."
"Guruuu!"
Rei tossed the cactus-modoki stone, and Seto caught it in its beak and swallowed. No announcement message echoed in Rei's mind. Next came the sand ant stone, but again, there was no change.
Rei had expected as much. He used his Death Scythe to absorb the other two stones, but as he thought, he didn't acquire any new skills either.
"Well, they aren't exactly high-level threats," Rei remarked.
The only truly dangerous thing about the cactus-modoki was the needles they fired like a gatling gun, but even those weren't fatal on their own—just incredibly painful to endure and extract. That pain was the main reason adventurers avoided them. As for the sand ants, they were among the weakest monsters in the desert floors, only becoming a threat when they swarmed in massive numbers.
Elena, having witnessed this process before, wasn't surprised. She knew that weak monsters rarely yielded new skills. She kept her eyes fixed on the remaining stones, knowing the real test was about to begin.
"Alright, three left. How about we each take one, and the last one goes to whoever doesn't get a skill? Sound fair?"
"Guruuu!" Seto chirped in agreement.
Rei held out the remaining three stones to the gryphon. "Go ahead, Seto. You pick first. Which one do you want?"
"Guruuu?" Seto tilted its head, as if asking if it was really okay to go first. When Rei nodded, Seto’s round eyes settled on one specific stone. It snatched it up and swallowed it down.
[Seto has acquired the skill Optical Camouflage Lv. 2]
An announcement message rang through Rei's head.
"Gurulululuuu!" Seto let out a triumphant cry.
"I guess that makes sense," Rei muttered. "The rock spider is famous for mimicking stones to ambush its prey. I'm glad to see Optical Camouflage getting an upgrade."
Seto’s version turned it completely transparent, whereas the spider merely mimicked the surrounding terrain, but both relied on the concept of blending in. Rei didn't dwell on the mechanics of beast magic for long; he was already eager to see the results.
"Seto, give it a try."
"Guruuu!"
Seto purred and vanished instantly. Twenty seconds passed before the gryphon reappeared in the exact same spot, having not moved an inch.
"About twenty seconds. Doubling the duration is huge... though I can't tell if it's a flat ten-second increase or if the duration doubles with every level. I'll have to wait for the next upgrade to be sure."
"Even ten seconds was incredibly useful before," Elena said, her voice tinged with excitement. "Doubling that to twenty seconds is quite a significant boost, isn't it?"
Rei nodded. "Definitely. But... I do wonder where Seto’s growth is heading."
Between turning invisible and having its highest-level skill be Poison Claw, Seto was growing into something very different from Rei's initial image of a gryphon. He knew it was the nature of beast magic, but it still gave him pause.
"Well, as long as Seto is still Seto, I have no complaints."
"Fufu, quite right. Sometimes, I find myself envious of the bond the two of you share," Elena said with a soft smile.
Rei felt his face grow warm under his hood. To hide his embarrassment, he turned back to the gryphon.
"At Level 1, there was a thirty-minute cooldown between uses. Has that changed?"
"Guruuu..." Seto tilted its head, unsure.
"Right, we'll have to test the timing later. We also need to check the duration when you make someone you're touching invisible. But for now... it's my turn."
Rei looked at the final two stones in his left hand—the antlion and the sky fang. He thought for a few seconds, set his Death Scythe on the ground, and reached out.
[Seto] Water Ball Lv. 3, Fire Breath Lv. 3, Wind Arrow Lv. 1, King's Intimidation Lv. 1, Poison Claw Lv. 4, Size Change Lv. 1, Tornado Lv. 1, Ice Arrow Lv. 1, Optical Camouflage Lv. 2 (New)
Optical Camouflage: An ability that renders the user invisible. At Lv. 2, the transparency lasts for approximately 20 seconds, with a 30-minute cooldown. The user can also extend the effect to objects they are touching. If used to make another person invisible, the effect duration is reduced to approximately 10 seconds.