"...Is that all there is to it?"
Rei muttered to himself as he gazed down at the Ogre Corpse sprawled across the cobblestones.
The spear tip in his hand was stained with Ogre Blood, which dripped steadily onto the stone floor. There was a clean puncture wound in the creature's forehead where the spear had pierced through; blood pooled around it, and a heavy metallic stench hung in the air.
Under normal circumstances, the Ogres Rei knew would have shrugged off several wounds of that magnitude. It seemed even the monster hadn't expected to die from a single thrust.
"Was it really an Ogre? Or is it just that I’ve grown stronger than I was back then?"
He shook his head as he spoke. He was certainly aware that he had become more powerful since the time he had descended into the dungeon with Elena and the others. Yet, looking at the Ogre's manner of death, it felt like the issue went deeper than his own growth.
"In the first place, is this thing even actually an Ogre?"
The specimens he had fought previously reached a height of about 5m, but the corpse before him was only around 3m. A two-meter difference was substantial; he couldn't bring himself to believe its strength was truly worthy of a C-Rank monster.
Rei tilted his head in thought, but then he remembered the rumors that the quality of materials from the monsters in this dungeon was exceptionally poor. If that were the case, perhaps this subpar strength was only to be expected.
"Then again, considering a Goblin's head would have just exploded, the fact that this one’s skull stayed intact means it’s relatively strong for this dungeon, I guess..."
Even so, it was far too weak. Rei let out a heavy sigh.
"I wish it had at least put up enough of a fight to make me use the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor."
Despite his grumbling, he knew staying here wouldn't accomplish anything. He reached out to touch the Ogre Corpse and used his Misty Ring to store it.
"I managed to learn a skill from the magic stone of that last Ogre... I wonder if this one will really be okay."
He looked around the wide chamber. It was a vast, empty space with nothing of note. There were no treasure chests to be found, and naturally, no stairs leading further underground.
"...How did that Ogre even get in here?"
While smaller than the ones Rei was used to, it was still three meters tall. It seemed impossible—or at least extremely difficult—for a creature of that size to pass through the narrow crevice Rei had used to enter.
"If it didn't manifest directly in this room... did it force its way through those cramped tunnels? I mean, it’s not impossible, but..."
An image of a massive Ogre trying to squeeze through the passages by ducking its head and turning sideways flashed through his mind. He gave a wry smile at the absurd mental picture. Yet, that line of reasoning offered a plausible explanation for why the monster had been here.
"It struggled through those narrow paths to finally reach this open space, and then it didn't want to go back into the tight tunnels... something like that? Though, there's always the chance it just spawned right here."
Satisfied with that conclusion, he performed one last sweep of the area. But with the Ogre Corpse stored away, the only things left in the large room were the bloodstains on the floor and the monster's club.
"I wasn't expecting a treasure chest, but I at least hoped for some stairs. If they aren't here, they must be in a different room further in. ...Well, I'll take this, at least."
He picked up the Ogre's club and stored it in the Misty Ring. It was a crude thing, nothing more than a tree branch that had been snapped off a trunk with no effort made to shape it. At most, the smaller twigs that would have hindered a swing had been stripped away. It was an object better described as a tree branch than a proper weapon. Even so, Rei figured it would serve well enough as firewood.
"Looks like I haven't missed anything."
With one final glance at the empty chamber, he turned and left.
"For a newly formed dungeon... I can't tell if it's small or large."
Of course, compared to the dungeon housing the Altar of Inheritance or the massive labyrinths of Exil's Dungeon, this place was tiny. In that sense, it was narrow, but the fact that it had reached this size so shortly after its discovery was remarkable in its own right. While it posed little threat now, if it continued to expand at this rate, it wouldn't be long before it began to affect Gilm.
As Rei pondered these things while walking down the straight path, he heard it again—the unmistakable Goblin's cry.
"Again? There really are a lot of Goblins here. They're weak, but their numbers are a pain in the ass."
He sighed and leveled his spear at the Goblins approaching from the end of the corridor. Kicking off the cobblestones, he closed the distance, thinking all the while that this felt less like combat and more like bullying the weak.
"Guruuuuuuu!"
Seto let out a sharp cry as it unleashed a Fire Breath, incinerating three Goblins that had just emerged from the rocky crevice leading into the dungeon. As the monsters thrashed on the ground, engulfed in flames, the Gryphon brought its front leg down.
A mere Goblin stood no chance against a Gryphon's strike—especially one bolstered by the Bracelet of Herculean Strength. Their lives were snuffed out instantly.
Watching them fall, Seto gave a satisfied trill and began to head back toward the spot where it had been resting...
"Wait, wait, wait a minute!"
Captain Ranga, who had been watching the scene, shouted with his eyes wide. He was likely the only one capable of reacting so quickly; the other soldiers were standing frozen, unable to process what they had just seen.
"Guru?"
"What is it?" Seto seemed to ask with a tilt of its head. The round, dark eyes it turned toward Ranga were so full of innocent curiosity that it was hard to believe it had just effortlessly slaughtered three monsters seconds ago.
Looking into that expectant gaze—one that seemed to ask if he wanted to play or if he was going to offer a snack—Ranga realized that asking Seto for an explanation would be pointless.
He sighed and scratched his head.
"I guess we’ll just have to wait for Rei-kun to come back."
"Y-Yeah... But seriously, I didn't think Seto could use Fire Breath..." one of the soldiers finally managed to mutter, still looking at the scene in disbelief.
Ranga had already been stationed at this dungeon when Rei returned to Gilm. Consequently, the report Rei had given to Daskar explaining that Seto was a Rare Species Gryphon had not yet reached this far.
"If you think about it normally, it has to be a High-ranking Species or a Rare Species, right?"
"I mean, sure, but it’s a Gryphon. More importantly, it’s Seto!"
"...Personally, it’s because it’s Seto that I can believe it’s a Rare Species. I don't think a normal Gryphon, even if it were a Tamed Monster, would understand human speech this well."
"So we're going with Rare Species? Not a High-ranking Species?"
"I've never even heard of a High-ranking Species for Gryphons."
"Well, the same goes for a Rare Species. Honestly, Seto has ruined our common sense, but usually, a Gryphon isn't something you run into every day."
Listening to the soldiers' debate behind him, Ranga gently reached out his hand toward Seto, who was watching him with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Guruuuuu."
Seto leaned its head into his palm. Ranga obliged its silent request for affection, petting and praising the creature. Seto purred happily, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Seto is still Seto, I suppose," Ranga murmured.
The other soldiers nodded in agreement. At the very least, the creature currently acting like a spoiled pet under Ranga's hand was the same Seto they all knew. Ranga felt a profound sense of relief, realizing that even if the creature were a Rare Species, there was no reason to fear it. The other soldiers felt the same as they watched the exchange.
"It really is cute..."
"Yeah."
"I'm so jealous of Rei..."
"Yeah."
"I wish I could be a Tamer too..."
"Yeah."
In the middle of their idle chatter, one soldier spoke up as if struck by a realization.
"Wait a second. Seto is a Gryphon, which is an A-Rank Monster. And a Rare Species is usually treated as being one rank higher than its base species, right? Does that mean Seto is an S-Rank Monster?"
"Whoa, that’s incredible. I’ve never seen an S-Rank Monster before."
"So it’s on the same level as a dragon?"
"...Wow... I don't even know what to say to that."
Despite their verbal shock, no one showed any fear. They knew Seto's history in Gilm, and the simple fact that they had accepted "Seto is Seto" held strong. Every face in the camp wore a surprised but friendly smile. It was the ultimate testament to the importance of the creature's daily conduct.
"Hey, Seto. Can you do anything else besides Fire Breath? If you can, show us!"
At the soldier's request, Seto turned its head toward an open area away from the tents.
"Guruuu!"
With that cry, two Water Balls roughly forty centimeters in diameter manifested around the Gryphon. The two orbs began to chase each other through the air, weaving and dancing in a mesmerizing display. The soldiers, Ranga included, were captivated by the sight—until the spheres collided with one another, splashing harmlessly onto the ground.
"That was amazing!"
"...Yeah, incredible."
"I never thought I'd see something like that out here."
While some voiced their admiration, others were struck by a different kind of realization.
"Water Balls on top of Fire Breath? Those are fundamentally opposite attributes."
"And it controlled two Water Balls simultaneously... Just how strong is it?"
"At the very least, Goblins aren't even worth its time."
Seto’s mastery of conflicting elements like fire and water made it an almost mythical existence in the eyes of the soldiers. But the demonstration wasn't over yet.
"Guruuuuuuuuu!"
Seto faced the rocks at the Dungeon Entrance and unleashed its Crystal Breath. The soldiers, who had expected another burst of fire, watched in confusion as a lone Goblin emerging from the crevice was suddenly encased in crystal.
However, Seto's Crystal Breath was still at a low level; the crystal only thinly coated the surface of the Goblin's body. Under normal circumstances, even a Goblin might have been able to eventually break free if given enough time.
"Guruuu!"
But as soon as it finished the breath attack, Seto launched itself forward in a Leap. With a single Front Leg Strike, the crystal covering the monster shattered, and the Goblin's body was pulverized along with it.
Ordinarily, the scene would have been nothing short of gruesome, but as the shards of crystal broke apart, they caught the sunlight, turning the violent act into something strangely beautiful.
Of course, that beauty was only skin-deep. As Seto landed back on the ground, the air was immediately filled with the sharp scent of blood and the foul odor of entrails.
"Guruuuuuuu."
Seto seemed to find the smell unpleasant as well. It unleashed another Fire Breath, and the Goblin Remains scattered across the ground were reduced to cinders. The scent of blood was replaced by the smell of burning meat. While still unpleasant, the soldiers found it a vast improvement over the stench of raw guts.
A few moments passed in silence before one of the soldiers regained his composure and approached the blackened remains to investigate.
"...Whoa... Wait, what’s this?"
Looking down at the cinders of the Goblin Corpse, the soldier noticed something glittering nearby.
"I see. These are from earlier... Captain Ranga, what should we do with these? It feels like a waste to just leave them here."
The soldier held up several Crystal Fragments he had scavenged from the ground. Ranga considered it for a moment before answering.
"You're right. It would probably be bad for us to handle these on our own. Collect them for now, and we'll ask Rei-kun what he wants to do with them when he gets back from the dungeon."
"Aww... that’s such a waste," another soldier remarked regretfully.
"Hey, you... how can you say that after seeing what happened? Those crystals are covered in Goblin blood and bits of meat. I wouldn't touch them even if you paid me."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Crystal is crystal. Even if it’s got a bit of blood on it, the buyers aren't gonna know that once it's cleaned up, right? Besides, Seto's attack is incredibly useful. A Rare Species that can use multiple skills, huh..."
"Hey, don't go getting any weird ideas. If you try to cross Rei, you’ll end up just like the Azoth Firm."
At the guard's warning, the greedy soldier nodded quickly. He had absolutely no intention of doing something as stupid as making an enemy of Rei just for a bit of pocket change.