"Hmm... well, that should about do it."
Rei said with satisfaction, patting the head of Set beside him.
Set, feeling his beloved Rei's hand on his head, closed his eyes in comfort.
His good mood was partly from the patting, but no doubt mostly because he had absorbed two Magic Stones and leveled up two of his skills.
Tornado had reached Level 3, now capable of producing one roughly five meters tall.
Multi Slash had reached Level 2, increasing the number of additional slashes in a single strike from one to two.
In other words, Death Scythe's original attack would land once, and simultaneously two more slashes would be unleashed.
That was plainly evident from the three deep gashes carved into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Those wounds had been left by a Multi Slash released without much force—just enough to confirm the skill's effect.
...Truth be told, he had been tempted to unleash a full-power Multi Slash, but this forest was still a Dungeon, after all.
As long as that remained the case, causing a major commotion would undoubtedly draw monsters.
Having already set up camp and shifted into an end-of-day mindset, fighting Goblins right now would be nothing but a hassle.
Then again, a five-meter tornado would have been quite conspicuous.
At any rate, having finished confirming his skills, Rei patted Set's head with satisfaction and looked up at the sky—or rather, what probably served as the ceiling.
Up there, somehow, the moon and stars existed right alongside the sun.
Gazing at a scene that could hardly be called the interior of a Dungeon, Rei reflected on the skills he had acquired—or rather, leveled up.
Both Tornado and Multi Slash were extremely useful.
Tornado was used when Rei unleashed his trump card, Fire Whirlwind, so if Tornado grew more powerful, Fire Whirlwind would scale accordingly.
Though since Rei used Wind Hand to enlarge the Fire Whirlwind's scale, the final output might not change much from previous levels. If anything, it would be more accurate to say the time needed to form it would simply shorten.
And then there was Multi Slash.
For Rei, this one was extremely valuable in the sense that it directly increased his offensive power.
A single swing could produce the same result as striking three times.
(Well, having the extra slashes always land right next to the original one is a bit monotonous. It'd be a lot more practical if I could direct them wherever I want.)
Rei thought this, but quickly shook his head and dismissed the notion.
Right now, the number of additional slashes was still only two.
But if Multi Slash continued to level up, eventually a single strike could produce ten... no, given that skills tended to power up dramatically at Level 5, that number could grow even higher.
If asked whether he could freely control all those additional slashes, Rei would have to shake his head.
Though if it came to that, he would presumably find a way to master their control.
"Well then, should we head back? They're probably getting ready for bed by now."
"Gruu..."
At Rei's words, Set let out a slightly disappointed purr.
From Set's perspective, he honestly wanted to play with Rei a little longer.
Rei understood that, but as long as they were inside a Dungeon, he couldn't afford to let his guard down too much.
He was fully confident he could handle any monster attack, but a meaningful danger was one thing—taking on pointless risk wasn't enjoyable for Rei either.
When he explained this to Set, the griffon looked sad but accepted it.
(I'll have to make plenty of time to play with Set next time.)
Lately, even when he did play with Set, the others were usually around.
Of course, Set didn't mind that, but he still naturally hoped to play with Rei alone.
That was why Set had been acting more spoiled toward Rei lately.
...Watching such scenes, the others found Set even more endearing, and quite a few among them felt jealous of Rei. But that was simply something anyone traveling with Set had to accept.
With those thoughts, Rei rode Set back to the campsite.
"Hm? Ah, you're back."
Elena, sensing their arrival, smiled as Rei and Set emerged from the forest.
Rei raised his hand in greeting, but Elena's figure, illuminated by the campfire's glow, seemed almost otherworldly thanks to her innate beauty.
Though Elena was not the only one possessing such ethereal beauty.
Marina and Vihera, each matching Elena's looks in their own way, radiated the same fantastical charm.
In terms of that otherworldly quality, Marina stood out the most.
She normally projected a feminine allure without even trying, but right now she was expressing it even more strongly than usual.
Even so, Reliu showed no particular sign of being drawn in.
That was how devoted he was—outside of his wife Schmine, he probably didn't even register other women as women.
Which was exactly why Marina and the others felt at ease, knowing he wouldn't make any unwarranted advances.
(At the coast, Bistol was with us, and this time in the Dungeon, Reliu's here. In that sense, having no one around who'd make weird passes at Elena and the others definitely makes things easier.)
Having one's heart stolen by beauty and acting on it was perfectly normal behavior for an ordinary man.
But when it came to Bistol and Reliu specifically, Rei concluded there was no need to worry—for their respective reasons.
Having companions he could camp alongside in peace made Rei realize once more just how remarkably comfortable this was.
(Well, I did wish Reliu hadn't come along if possible... but then again, with Byune around, I can't absorb Magic Stones openly anyway. So that part doesn't really change, does it?)
Watching Byune pet Ielo, Rei sat down by the campfire.
Thanks to the Dragon Robe, which functioned like a simplified air conditioner, he wasn't cold even at night this season, and sitting by the fire wasn't too hot either.
Even so, gathering around the campfire with everyone was something they naturally ended up doing.
"So, I hear we're camping inside the Dungeon tonight. Does that mean we're staying holed up here until we conquer the whole thing?"
Reliu asked Rei while sipping tea, though his tone carried no particular displeasure.
At every meal, he could eat freshly prepared dishes made by a professional cook and freshly baked bread. For sleeping, there was the Magic Tent—inside, it felt no different from an ordinary room. No, in some cases it was even more comfortable than the average inn.
The water from the Dagger of Flowing Water tasted as divine as Celestial Nectar, and above all, traveling with Rei and the others meant he got to be around Set.
If there was anything to complain about while traveling with Rei's group, it was the absence of his wife, Schmine.
Other than that, he was living so comfortably that he felt he could keep traveling with them indefinitely without issue.
...Though that one complaint was precisely the hardest to bear.
"Pretty much. Yesterday we went back once to report the situation inside, but from here on, I don't plan to return to Golts unless something extraordinary happens. ...Well, I am a bit curious about that Rock Plant, but it's not like they can investigate it quickly."
The Guild was supposed to look into it, but there was no telling when they'd have answers.
From what Rei gathered at yesterday's meeting, it would likely take quite a while.
"I see."
Reliu muttered at Rei's words, clearly disappointed.
He was no doubt thinking about how badly he wanted to see his wife, Schmine.
"Once we conquer the Dungeon, you'll be able to go back to Gilm... and at the very latest, you'll be back before winter, right? So one month... no, maybe two months? Even if it takes longer than expected, it won't be three..."
"Nwaaargh! T-three months?! You're telling me I won't see Schmine for three months?!"
At Marina's words, Reliu let out a cry of despair.
The others turned toward the outburst, but... once they saw it was Reliu, they quickly went back to what they were doing.
Not that there was anything in particular to do in the current situation.
Among them, though... Vihera alone was some distance from the Magic Tent, trying out various things.
She kicked off the ground and surged forward, but apparently unsatisfied, tilted her head and kicked off again.
She repeated this over and over, tilting her head each time.
It was painfully clear that things weren't going well for her. And yet... there was no frustration, irritation, or anger on Vihera's face.
If anything, she was smiling—enjoying her own attempts, even enjoying the failures.
"The flow of mana is just... I can't quite get it to click, you know?"
Saying that, she kicked off the ground once more, and... BOOM. A sound that made one genuinely wonder if something had exploded echoed through the area.
That noise naturally reached Rei and the others near the Magic Tent, and everyone came to see what had happened.
"Vihera, what on earth was that sound?"
Arriving at the source and seeing that Vihera didn't appear injured, Marina asked in clear relief.
She'd been certain a monster had attacked under cover of darkness.
But there was no sign of any monsters, and in that situation, it was obvious without a moment's thought who had caused the noise.
"Oh, sorry. I was just trying out a new skill. I feel like I'm almost getting it, though."
Vihera said it so casually that Marina could only stare at her in exasperation.
In a nighttime forest—a place where a monster attack could come at any moment—making a noise that loud, something on the level of an explosion, meant there was no guarantee curious monsters wouldn't come investigating.
Then again, if it came to drawing monsters' attention, the campfire everyone was sitting around probably did that well enough on its own.
"Be careful. I know you're strong, Vihera, but this is a Dungeon. An unknown monster none of us have ever seen could show up at any time."
"If it does, I don't particularly mind. Fighting a strong opponent is exactly what I'm hoping for."
"Come on..."
"I know. That was a joke. I'll stop practicing my skill for tonight."
Vihera called it a joke, but her desire to fight unknown monsters was dead serious.
Traveling with her, anyone could figure that out easily enough.
At the same time, they'd also come to understand just how powerful she really was.
(Vihera says she wants to fight strong opponents, but... by training like this and getting even stronger, she'll naturally surpass anyone who used to be on her level. And the stronger she gets, the fewer worthy opponents there'll be, won't there?)
Marina thought this, but being unable to stop pursuing strength was simply who Vihera was.
"Well then, shall we head back? From tomorrow we'll be searching this forest, and we need to find the stairs to the third floor too."
Vihera said this without the slightest sign of caring about Marina's thoughts, and started walking toward the Magic Tent.
As if following her lead, the others headed back as well.
"You've got your hands full, huh. With party members who are all so... colorful."
On the way back, Reliu muttered that to Rei.
It was true—every member of the Crimson Lotus Wings had their quirks, to greater or lesser degrees.
...But adventurers were a mixed bunch by nature.
So naturally, there were plenty of oddballs among them.
"Maybe so. But... I can say with certainty that the Crimson Lotus Wings are the best party I could ask for."
With those words, Rei broke into a confident, full-faced smile.