The moment Seto leaped from the shadow of the rocks, he instinctively sensed something hurtling toward him and forced his body into a sharp, diagonal tilt.
An instant later, a magic shockwave—the signature sniping attack of the Jewel Sniper—shot through the space where the gryphon had been a fraction of a second before.
Ordinarily, it would have been impossible for anyone to move with such grace while carrying Rei and his Death Scythe, a weapon that weighed well over 100kg. However, common sense did not apply here. Since both Seto and the Death Scythe were products of Beast Magic, the gryphon could maneuver nimbly without feeling the weight of the weapon, just as Rei could.
But still...
"Tch! As I thought, the rapid fire is a pain!" Rei shouted, gripping tightly to Seto's back to keep from being thrown off.
The reason for his frustration was the Shield of Light—his Magic Shield—which he was manually controlling to cover himself and his partner. While the shield was capable of blocking almost any attack, its absolute defensive power was limited to a single use.
That one-time protection was already beginning to dissipate like mist before Rei's eyes. It was obvious why; they had already relied on it once to survive the initial volley.
"Seto!"
"Guruuuuu!"
Seto gave a high-pitched cry in response to Rei's call. Utilizing the precious few seconds bought by the shield, he beat his wings vigorously. Rei watched the surrounding scenery blur as they accelerated.
At the same time, more magic shocks pierced the air, trailing the zigzag path Seto carved through the sky. Having used the reprieve provided by the Magic Shield to reach top speed, Seto was no longer an easy target for the Jewel Sniper's shockwaves.
In terms of pure speed, the shockwaves were likely faster, but they traveled in strictly linear trajectories. It was difficult to pinpoint a target darting through the air like a zigzagging bolt of lightning. Every shot missed, doing nothing more than gouging holes into the rock faces along the sniper’s line of sight.
"Seto, can you see it?! Where is the Jewel Sniper?!"
"Guru, Gurululuuu!"
Seto cried out confidently as he beat his wings. Because a gryphon possessed the upper body of an eagle, its vision was developed to be far sharper than its other four senses. While Rei could only vaguely guess the sniper's location based on the direction of the fire, Seto's keen eyes were already locked onto the target.
He saw it: an insect-type monster clinging motionless to a massive rock about a kilometer away. A red jewel was embedded in its back, taking up nearly half its body. The moment the jewel glowed—
"Guru!"
Seto flapped his wings and forced a sudden change in direction. An instant later, a magic shockwave tore through the space his body had occupied a moment before.
"Gurululuuuuu!"
As they advanced in their erratic, zigzagging trajectory, a roar erupted from Seto's beak. This was no mere cry; it was one of Seto's skills: King's Intimidation. The sound had the power to freeze a listener's heart and dull their movements.
They were still about 700 meters away, but the roar seemed to have an effect. The interval between the shockwaves flying toward them grew noticeably longer. However, due to the distance—and perhaps the fact that King's Intimidation was only level 1—the monster wasn't completely paralyzed. Seto continued to close the gap while weaving through the incoming fire.
500 meters. He evaded another shockwave with a sudden flap of his wings and adjusted his course again.
300 meters. The figure of the Jewel Sniper clinging to the rock face became visible even to Rei's eyes. Seto dodged the next discharge with a barrel roll. Rei held the Death Scythe in his right hand while clinging to the gryphon’s back with all his might.
100 meters. Rei swung the Death Scythe, releasing a Flying Slash to intercept another incoming shockwave.
30 meters. He funneled magic power into the Death Scythe and sliced through the next magic shock.
...And finally, 0 meters. Seto beat his wings hard to kill his momentum and braced his limbs against the rock face directly beside the Jewel Sniper. Rei reached out from the gryphon’s back and successfully snatched the monster up, taking care not to touch the jewel that discharged the shockwaves.
The creature seemed specialized entirely for long-range sniping; once caught, it could do nothing but struggle weakly with its spindly legs.
Finally safe from the bombardment, Rei took a moment to study the Jewel Sniper in his hand. In terms of shape, it looked very much like a giant ladybug. Because of the large red jewel embedded in the center of its back, it lacked the typical wings of an insect. However, its rounded, plump form strongly reminded Rei of a ladybug nonetheless.
(Though, I have no idea if ladybugs even exist in this world.)
Fortunately, once gripped in his hand, the Jewel Sniper stopped discharging shockwaves from its jewel. It simply kicked its legs in a futile attempt to escape. Watching its struggles, Rei felt a strange sense of endearment toward the thing.
(It’s a bit cute, despite the fact that it was just trying to kill us... Hm?)
As he adjusted his grip to ensure the creature wouldn't slip away, Rei happened to look down and noticed something on the ground.
"Is that... an adventurer's corpse?"
Just as he suspected, the figure lying below was clad in armor and still gripped a sword. It was undoubtedly the remains of an adventurer.
"Why out here... well, I don't even have to ask."
The body had a fist-sized hole clean through its torso. It was the kind of gaping wound left by a spear thrown at full strength—like the ones Rei himself unleashed. There was no doubt as to what had caused it.
"Cute, right," Rei muttered to himself, a self-deprecating smile on his face as he recalled his thought from a minute ago.
At a glance, it might look like a ladybug and have a certain charm. The jewel embedded in its body was undeniably beautiful. But the Jewel Sniper was still a monster that lived up to its name, cold-bloodedly picking people off from a distance.
"Seto, let's head down. Since we found him, we should bring him back to the guild."
"Guru."
Seto gave a short cry and descended toward the ground. He landed silently despite the weight on his back. Rei hopped down, holding the Jewel Sniper in his right hand and the Death Scythe in his left. He stored the scythe in the Misty Ring first.
Then, he touched the dead adventurer and stored the body as well. Deciding there was no more reason to linger, he climbed back onto Seto and headed for their original starting point.
The capture itself had happened so quickly it felt like an instant, but they had covered a distance of about a kilometer, so the flight back took a little time. Still, it was dozens of times faster than walking. If they had tried to navigate the maze below on foot, the difference would have been hundreds of times over.
"There they are."
"Guru."
As they flew over the cliffs, the figures of Elena, Vihera, and Byune came into view. Even before they could see that Rei had successfully captured the sniper, they had stepped out from the cover of the rocks—a sign of their absolute trust in Rei and Seto's strength.
"Well, whether it's trust or just being relied on, it’s better than the alternative."
"Gurululu?"
Seto tilted his head slightly, as if asking what he meant. Rei just shook his head and petted the gryphon's back. Seto purred happily and glided down to the ground.
"Nn!"
The moment they landed, Byune hurried over to Rei. Her expression was as blank as ever, but her promptness suggested she was anxious to see the results of her request.
"Byune was worried about whether you could take the Jewel Sniper alive... but it seems her concern was misplaced," Vihera noted, looking at the giant, jewel-encrusted insect clutched in Rei's right hand. She offered him a small smile.
"I keep my word. ...Just to confirm, we're exchanging this for the Cyclops magic stone. We still have a deal?"
Rei held the Jewel Sniper out toward her, keeping its back turned away from everyone. Byune gave a silent, firm nod. Rei looked to Vihera, who also smiled and confirmed there was no problem. Not that it mattered much; since the Cyclops materials, magic stone, and Proof of Subjugation Part were all stored safely in the Misty Ring on Rei's wrist, they wouldn't have been able to back out even if they wanted to.
"Then the deal is struck."
Rei nodded and handed over the Jewel Sniper.
"A word of caution: this thing fires magic shockwaves from the jewel on its back. It seems it can't fire them as long as you're gripping the torso like this, but be careful. Don't go pointing its back at anyone, just in case."
"Nn."
Byune nodded and accepted the Jewel Sniper from Rei's hand.
"Heeh... even from the side, you can see how brilliant that red jewel is."
"Indeed. A gem of such beauty is a rare find. It’s no wonder it’s considered highly valuable," Elena added, unusually agreeing with Vihera’s sentiment as they crowded around to look at the monster.
"Anyway, that should satisfy the request. What's your plan now? We're going to keep moving through this maze and find the stairs to B15F."
"...Nn."
"Unfortunately, we'll be heading back to the surface. It would be too difficult to follow you while trying to keep a live monster secure. ...Personally, I would have loved to continue our dungeon conquest together, Rei."
The moment Vihera said that, Elena cleared her throat loudly beside Rei.
"Oh? Is that a cough? You really should be careful with your health. You wouldn't want to hold Rei back, after all. But don't worry—if that happens, I'd be more than happy to take your place in his party."
"Your concern is entirely unnecessary. I am the picture of health. More importantly, shouldn't you be delivering your request item?"
"Nn!"
At Elena's sharp retort, Byune—who was holding the Jewel Sniper with both hands—let out her usual grunt and urged Vihera to move.
"Phew... well, she's right. Since we're carrying a live monster back up, we should probably hurry. Rei, about the materials you're holding for us—we'll wait for you at the guild. We can divide everything up there."
"Got it. We'll find the stairs as soon as we can and meet you back on the surface."
"Yes, please do. Byune, let's go."
"Nn!"
Byune gave Rei a small, polite bow and followed Vihera back toward the path they had come from.
Watching them go, Elena spoke up thoughtfully.
"Come to think of it... monsters aren't supposed to be able to approach the rooms with the teleportation magic circles. Will they be alright carrying it, since it's not a familiar?"
"It'll be fine," Rei answered with a shrug. He turned to the curious Elena and explained, "The circles have a repulsion effect that keeps monsters from wandering into the rooms, but that doesn't mean they're impassable. The incident with the Bandit Goblin Mage proved that. If an adventurer forces a monster into the circle, teleportation should still work. ...Probably."
"For someone who spoke with such confidence, those are remarkably uncertain words," Elena said, looking at him with an exasperated gaze before turning her attention to Seto.
"Seto is a special case, but there has to be a way to bring monsters tamed in the dungeon back to the surface. Our inn even mentioned they had to renovate their stables specifically to accommodate monsters brought up from the depths."
"That's true... I believe the staff mentioned something like that," Elena murmured, nodding as she recalled the conversation.
"Anyway, let's leave it at that for now and find those stairs to B15F. Those two will be waiting for us at the guild, after all."
"Guru!"
Seto purred in agreement, and Elena nodded. With their business concluded, the party resumed their exploration of B14F.