The sight spreading out before them wasn't exactly a desert. At first glance, the sparkling water and the lush trees and greenery surrounding it made it hard to believe this was a desert floor at all.
Of course, there was still sand. The ground was made entirely of it, and Rei vaguely understood that what they were seeing was an oasis floor, having passed by a smaller oasis on the level above.
But still...
"It’s one thing to have an oasis, but the entire floor? Can you even call this a desert floor anymore? I confirmed it on the map, but seeing it with my own eyes is another thing entirely..."
"...I knew what to expect intellectually from the map, but still," Elena murmured beside him, catching her breath at the sight as soon as they stepped out of the small room.
They had purchased maps for everything up to B20F for the time being. As the one managing them, Elena was well aware of this floor’s layout, but seeing it in person was a different experience. Rei felt the same way; despite his prior study of the maps, the reality of the oasis floor gave him much to consider.
"Guruuu?"
Can I go in the water? Seto asked, looking up at Rei.
They had just pushed through the rocky desert, and Seto's fur was caked with fine sand. It was only natural that it wanted to wash off the grime. Rei understood the feeling, but he shook his head.
He personally wanted to take a break at the oasis as well. However, they had a promise to deliver the Cyclops materials to Vihera and Byune. More importantly, he had three people stored inside his Misty Ring who had been petrified by a monster believed to be a Basilisk.
In Rei’s judgment, they couldn't afford to linger here.
"Guruuu?"
No? Seto tilted its head slightly, turning its round eyes toward him. Rei lightly stroked the Gryphon’s head.
"Sorry, but you'll have to endure it for today. I'll give you a thorough brushing once we’re back at the inn."
"Guruuuuuu."
Seto cried out, sounding truly disappointed, but it immediately perked up at the prospect of the brushing and turned on its heel. Rei and Elena followed the Gryphon back into the small room with the magic circle and teleported out of the dungeon.
"It’s a bit later than usual, but this much is within the margin of error."
Rei muttered as he looked up at the sky. The sun was currently tucked behind towering cumulus clouds. The sky was a piercing blue, showing no signs that summer was coming to an end.
As Rei had noted, they were emerging later than their typical routine, but there was still plenty of time before evening. It was roughly past 4:00 PM.
"Well, we were in quite a rush at the end because of that incident," Elena said.
Rei nodded, knowing she was referring to the Basilisk without naming it. Ignoring the usual gazes they drew from the adventurers in the plaza in front of the dungeon, he led Seto and Elena—who had now removed her cloak—toward the guild.
Normally, he would only be there to exchange materials for money, but today was different. He had to hand over the Cyclops materials other than the magic stone and meat to Vihera and Byune. He also had the corpse of the adventurer believed to have been killed by the Jewel Sniper, and most importantly, the three statues.
I should probably consult the guild about this, Rei thought.
He showed his dungeon card to the gatekeeper, stepped out of the plaza, and headed for the guild.
"Good, it’s not too crowded yet," Rei muttered with a sigh of relief as he scanned the guild hall.
While the guild wasn't always busy at this hour, there were plenty of exceptions. With Shaffner still missing, the incident involving House Rebisole hadn't fully settled, and then there was the matter of the anomaly species appearing in the dungeon. Because of these factors, the guild could have been swamped for any number of reasons. Additionally, a fair number of adventurers like Rei tended to return early to avoid the evening rush.
"Ah, Rei. You’re back."
And unlike those early birds, there were those who had been waiting for them from the start. Vihera had already removed her cloak, revealing her provocative dancer's attire that accentuated her voluptuous curves. Elena's expression soured slightly at the sight.
However, since they had agreed to meet here, she couldn't ignore them. She followed behind Rei as he walked over to Vihera and Byune.
"I assume your request was completed successfully?"
"Yes. We handed over the Jewel Sniper without any trouble. And you?"
"Well, we successfully reached B15F... yeah."
"Nn?" Byune grunted softly, sensing a certain nuance in Rei's words.
"A lot happened. Regardless, do you want the materials I was holding for you now?"
"Yes, please. The purchase counter is empty at the moment."
Vihera glanced toward the counter. Indeed, there wasn't a single adventurer in sight, and the guild staff member on duty bowed slightly when he realized they were looking at him. Taking that as their cue, the group headed over.
"Sorry, but could we ask you to process some materials?"
"Yes, certainly. Since Rei-san is here, I assume we'll be using an Item Box?"
Having dealt with him numerous times, the staff member immediately looked for where the materials would appear.
"Rei, if you would," Vihera prompted.
At her request, Rei began retrieving the Cyclops materials from his Misty Ring. Bones, tendons, and hide were piled onto the counter and then onto the floor as they ran out of space, drawing the attention of every adventurer in the hall.
"Is this... could it be a Cyclops!?" the staff member gasped.
He was a professional, after all. He immediately identified the monster upon seeing the right ear—the Proof of Subjugation Part—and the fragments of the characteristic horn, even though it was damaged.
"Yes. We encountered it while working on the request we just turned in. But as you know, Byune and I don't use porters, so we left the heavy lifting to Rei," Vihera explained.
"I believe the reports said B14F, right? I think there was a report of a Cyclops appearing there once, several years ago... but still, for a monster ranked at the top of C-Rank, it’s a miracle you’re all unharmed."
The staff member searched his memory for a few seconds before turning a look of pure admiration toward Vihera, Byune, Rei, and Elena. He clearly didn't think Vihera had taken it down alone.
"Hey, did he say Cyclops?"
"Yeah. I guess she really is a 'Mad Beast.' I wouldn't want to fight one of those even with a full party."
"That Byune girl is from House Flaut, right? A thief, I heard. So the other three did the fighting? Wait, if Crimson has an A-Rank Gryphon with him, wouldn't a Cyclops be easy pickings?"
"If you think it's so easy, go tame your own Gryphon and try it yourself."
Ignoring the chatter behind him, Rei finally pulled out a massive hammer with a three-meter-long handle. The hall erupted in fresh murmurs at the sight, but Vihera paid them no mind and turned back to the staff member.
"That's all for the materials. What do you think?"
"...This is a very impressive hammer. Though, to be honest, there’s no demand for it as a weapon in this state."
"That's why I brought it here as material instead of taking it to a weapon shop. It can't be used as-is, but the metal seems to be high-purity iron. It should be worth a decent amount, wouldn't you say?"
The hammer was so heavy that the guild’s reinforced floor—built to withstand the boots of countless adventurers—actually creaked. Only someone with the raw strength of a Cyclops could ever hope to wield it. However, as Vihera noted, high-purity iron was valuable as a raw material for blacksmiths.
I wonder who made it? Rei mused. I can't imagine a Cyclops having advanced blacksmithing skills...
While Rei pondered this, the appraisal finished, and several other staff members appeared to haul the materials away. Most of it was easy enough to move, but it took ten people just to lift the Cyclops's hammer and drag it toward the back.
"Thank you very much. On a side note—and I’m asking purely out of curiosity—what happened to the magic stone? The shortage has eased up thanks to the House Rebisole incident, but we're not fully stocked yet. If possible, we'd like to buy it."
As the staff member placed gold and silver coins on the counter, Vihera took the silver for herself, handed the gold to Byune, and gestured toward Rei.
"Sorry, but the magic stone went to Rei. If you want it, you’ll have to negotiate with him."
"You’re saying that knowing Rei-san won't sell a magic stone unless he has at least three of them, aren't you?" the staff member sighed.
He turned a hopeful gaze toward Rei anyway, but Rei simply shook his head in silence, prompting another sigh.
"I’ve been told to buy up as many as possible, but... well, it can't be helped. At least Rei-san and his party are consistent about selling everything after the first two."
He spoke loudly enough for the other adventurers to hear, glancing around the room. Several people caught his meaning and quickly looked away.
"Honestly, with the shortage being what it is, I wish more people would dive into the dungeon and bring some back. Anyway, Rei-san, did you have other business? Do you have materials to sell as well?"
"Yeah, there's that... but I also found something unusual in the dungeon. I wanted to consult with the guild on how to handle it."
The staff member nodded, looking curious. Strange occurrences were common in the dungeon, and it wasn't unusual for people to bring back things they couldn't identify.
"I understand. Could you show me?"
"Is here okay? They're quite large."
"That’s fine. I assume they aren't as large as that hammer?"
The image of his colleagues struggling with the ore hammer flashed through his mind. He silently prayed for their muscles tomorrow. Rei nodded in response.
"Not quite that big. Alright, here they are."
After receiving final confirmation, Rei pulled the three statues from his Misty Ring—the fox beastman woman, the elf, and the human man.
"...Eh?"
The staff member let out a bewildered sound, completely caught off guard by the sight of the statues. The surrounding adventurers, who had been waiting to see what else "Crimson" would produce, were equally stunned.
"Oh? Statues? No, wait..." Vihera murmured, leaning in.
"Nn," Byune agreed.
Even for statues, the terror on their faces was far too vivid, and their clothing, armor, and weapons were rendered with impossible detail.
"Wait, p-please wait. Could these be..."
The staff member quickly snapped out of his daze and rushed around the counter. He approached the statues timidly, checking their faces. When he realized the truth, he gasped.
"I knew it! These three... they're the members of Sky Bell! They were reported missing and presumed dead! Rei-san, where on earth did you find them!?"
Rei felt a sense of grim satisfaction; his suspicions were half-confirmed. Whether it was a Basilisk or something else, they had clearly been attacked by something with the power of petrification.
"On B14F... Elena."
Deciding that words weren't enough, Rei looked to Elena. She understood immediately and pulled a map from her magic pouch, spreading it on the counter.
"Here, in this area with the branching paths... we found them when we took the long route," she said, pointing to the spot.
The staff member nodded, looking from the map to Rei and Elena.
"B14F... we never expected them to be on that floor. Could you wait here for a moment? Their party members actually issued a search request for them. If you’re willing, I’d like to register this as the completion of that quest."
Rei felt a flicker of a bad premonition at those words.
Meanwhile, the guild quietly took custody of the other corpse Rei had recovered near the Jewel Sniper, processing it without the spectacle that had accompanied the statues.