Meanwhile, the expedition party—led by the Hestia Familia and joined by Daphne and Cassandra of the Miach Familia, Aisha of the Hermes Familia, and Ouka and Chigusa of the Takemikazuchi Familia—was making steady progress through the Lower Floors.
"How is it, Bell? How does [Hakugen] feel in your hand?"
Ssh—!
"It's incredible. Actually, it's so good it's startling."
Ssh—!
"I could cut through monsters with heavy carapaces effortlessly."
The weapon Welf was currently maintaining with a whetstone was the dagger he had mentioned before, crafted from a Unicorn horn: [Hakugen].
To familiarize himself with the new blade, Bell had temporarily sheathed his primary weapon, the Hestia Knife, in favor of using Hakugen.
"I suppose it was worth the price of the Unicorn horn, then."
Thud—!
"Though I caught an earful from Lili-doll about it! Don't go thinking only Bell gets special treatment."
Shring—!
"Alright, give me that one too."
Having finished the maintenance, Welf handed Hakugen back to Bell and reached for the Hestia Knife.
"I've barely used the knife the Goddess gave me because I wanted to get used to [Hakugen], though?"
"I know. I'm just checking it over just in case."
Ssh—!
After handing over the Hestia Knife, Bell watched intently as Welf wiped the blade clean with a cloth. He looked as if he were harboring a specific curiosity.
"Welf, that knife is made of Mithril, right?"
"Yeah. It's easy to process and has a high magic conductivity rate."
Ssh—!
"It's an excellent refined metal."
Ssh, ssh—!
"The conductivity is high, but that doesn't mean you can just enchant it willy-nilly."
Clack—!
"Even if you pour magic into the blade, it just ends up diffusing."
As they finished their exchange, Welf completed his work on the Hestia Knife and returned it to Bell.
Grab—!
"..."
'So magic conducts well, but it can't be gathered...'
Bell pondered this, his mind occupied with how to become even stronger. His expression was a complex blend of the tension and anticipation that preceded a grand adventure.
"This is going better than expected. Your orders were precise, and everyone trusts you."
"You really do have a talent for command."
Daphne, who had been resting in the tent, praised Lili as she stepped out, recalling the accuracy of the positioning and instructions Lili had displayed during their descent.
"Thank you. It's only because you taught me so much before we departed."
"..."
"Daphne-sama....?"
"Beyond this point lies the Lower Floors, territory even I haven't stepped into. I can't predict what will happen. From here on, we must assume the absolute worst-case scenario."
'There will be times when you must make cold-blooded choices...'
"The worst-case scenario.... you say....?"
"But I believe you'll be able to make a calm judgment when the time comes."
".....Yes."
Meanwhile, near the sleeping area where Cassandra and Chigusa were lying down, a worried conversation could be heard.
"Even after waking up, the fluttering in my chest won't stop...."
Ssh—!
"I tried telling Daphne, but she won't believe me at all....!"
"Hmm~ Was it really that scary of a dream....?"
"Ominous green moss spread everywhere!"
Cassandra spoke to Chigusa about the sinister sights from her prophetic dream, but Chigusa didn't seem to be listening with much gravity.
"Surely!"
Tighten—!
"Something terrible is about to...!"
"It'll be fine~ No matter what happens, we're all here together...."
"Chigusa-san....?"
"So let's just feel safe and go to sleep....."
It was possible she was simply too exhausted to care.
"Okay...."
**
Ssh—
"A [Moss Huge]?"
"Yeah. Usually, they're found on the Middle Floors, but...."
"So it's become an Irregular."
"Traces of magic stones were found, so that's likely the case."
"Hmm~"
Akuo didn't feel particularly interested in what Vane was saying.
A Moss Huge was, at best, a Level 4 monster. Even accounting for its status as an Irregular and an Enhanced Species, it was clear it wouldn't be a match for Akuo.
"As it moves up to the Lower Floors, there's a possibility the ecosystem will be ruined. Besides, when we found it, it had already...."
Vane recalled the moment they first discovered the traces of the Moss Huge.
-'This is....!'
-'A pile of adventurer corpses.'
-'It's as if they were parasitized....'
-'How gruesome.'
The corpses of adventurers were entwined with green vines as if consumed by plants, their weapons shattered. Most tellingly, the locations where they died were all notoriously dangerous spots. It pointed to one conclusion.
"It possesses intelligence."
"!!"
"Or perhaps I should say.... it's certainly a cunning bastard."
"Ho...."
'So it's a beast in a different sense....'
A monster that was already difficult to deal with had now gained cunning.
Because so many massive incidents had occurred recently, this might seem minor, but in its own way, this was a major event.
'If even the Xenos didn't notice it, it has the intelligence to hide its tracks.'
"It's likely still on the move. It's probably hunting for magic stones...."
'Hmm.... Should I take it to Knossos?'
"The bastard is lucky. The situation is playing right into its hands..."
The identity of the Enhanced Species [Moss Huge] had likely not been revealed to the surface yet. In such a situation, the chances of the surface's powerhouses moving were zero percent. For the Xenos to move again so soon after the previous incident was too risky.
"Unless a powerhouse happens to appear by luck, that thing will treat the Lower Floors like its own home and gorge itself on magic stones, right?"
Ssh—
"Alright, I've decided."
'It's just an Enhanced Species. I'll dispose of it quickly and hide.'
Step, step—
"Are you going to help?"
"Yeah. If I leave it alone, it'll slaughter every adventurer and monster in sight."
Ultimately, Akuo decided to head up to the Lower Floors himself to subjugate the Enhanced Species [Moss Huge], which had become a biological disaster.
Seeing Akuo take action, Vane felt a sense of gratitude and approached him.
"Don't overdo it. It hasn't been that long since you were heavily injured..."
"It's fine, it's fine~"
Step, step—!
"....."
As she watched Akuo walk toward the upper floors, Vane felt a strange sensation, and a doubt began to sprout.
'Something has changed about him since he returned...'
Tighten—!!
"Why does this feel so unsettling?"
The feeling she had was likely not an illusion.
Rumble—!!!
"Stop being so temperamental, will you?"
Boom—!!
"Take better care of your children~"
Even the Dungeon seemed to tremble as if sensing something leaking from him, but Akuo casually struck the wall and spoke nonchalantly before continuing his ascent.
**
"It's dangerous to push too far on the first day of exploration."
Step, step—!
"Let's go a bit further and then head back."
"Right~ We haven't even covered half of the regular route yet."
After a short rest, Bell's group was advancing through the 25th Floor with relative ease. Lili, recognizing this, was planning a safe route when—
Step—!
""""!!""""
Bell, who was at the front, sensed a presence. He immediately grew wary of the approaching footsteps.
Step—!
"That's....!?"
Step—!
However, the adventurer approaching them with weak, staggering steps was a man Bell recognized.
"Luvis-san!?"
Clack—!
"Get into formation. Something's wrong."
The elf adventurer 'Luvis' had previously been assigned a quest to search for missing persons in the Lower Floors. For some reason, he was walking through the tunnel alone, and Aisha's instincts flared with caution.
Step—!
""""!!!""""
"Ugh...."
Drip—! Drip—!
What entered their sight was Luvis, covered in wounds and missing his right arm.
"Save...."
Thud—!
Luvis tried to speak as if to convey a message even in that state, but his strength failed him, and he collapsed.
THOOM—!!!!!
"!!"
THOOM—!!!!! THOOM—!!!!!!
The answer to their confusion appeared immediately behind Luvis—a massive monster covered in green moss.
Ssh—!
"Stop!"
Dash—!!!
-.....!!
Whoosh—!!
The [Moss Huge]'s eyes gleamed at the sight of new prey. To catch the rabbit rushing toward it, it swung a blunt weapon made of crystal.
Whish—!!
"Hyaaah!!!"
CRACK—!!!!!!!
"!?"
Bell evaded the heavy swing with high-speed agility and swung [Hakugen] to counter, but the Moss Huge displayed a shocking level of anticipation. It spun its body and responded with a kick aimed directly at Bell.
'It read my movements?'
Spin—!!
'This is different from any monster I've fought today....'
"Could it be an Enhanced Species!?"
Tighten—!!
'But if that's the limit of its movement.... I can win!'
Bell immediately identified the monster as an Enhanced Species and took a stance as if facing a human opponent. Simultaneously, the Moss Huge lunged at him.
Thoom—!! Thoom—!! Thoom—!!
'Here it comes....!'
Clang—!!!
Whish—!!
'Now!'
Grab—!
"!?"
Bell parried the monster's hammer and tried to exploit the opening, but the Moss Huge countered even that. It grabbed Bell's arm and hurled him into the wall.
CRASH—!!!
".....Cough!"
Chills—!!
"!!"
'Its presence...!!'
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
Before Bell could recover, the Moss Huge charged at him with a cunning and intelligence that suggested a deliberate intent to kill.
Step—!
"I barely dodged it...."
"Don't rush in recklessly!!"
"We're coming!"
Seeing Bell narrowly escape by leaping away, Welf and Aisha rushed in to take the monster down with a coordinated attack.
"N-No...."
-.....
"Run.... away!"
Luvis, who was receiving emergency treatment from Haruhime and Cassandra, shouted in terror, warning them of a danger yet to be revealed.
Burst—!!
At that moment, cannon-like muzzles sprouted from the Moss Huge's body, aiming directly at Bell's group.
"That's...."
Creak—!
"Don't get hit!!!"
As Luvis finished his warning, a barrage of projectiles erupted from the muzzles, seeking to pierce through them all.
RATATATATATA—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
""""!!!""""
Bell and Aisha immediately dove behind rocks for cover. Lili, Haruhime, and Ouka protected themselves with defensive cloaks and shields they had prepared in advance.
CR-CR-CR-CRASH—!!!!
"This is troublesome....!"
'It's not magic. Did it mutate its own biological organs?'
The hail of bullets was violent. Ouka's shield couldn't block all of the sudden barrage of over a hundred projectiles.
Thwack—!!
""!!""
"Chigusa-dono!!!"
Unable to cover both of them, a green bullet struck Chigusa's exposed shoulder.
Stop—!
'It stopped...!!'
The Moss Huge seemed to have exhausted its stored ammunition, and the attack ceased. Bell and Aisha prepared to counter-attack immediately, but—
-.....
Ssh—!!
"What!?"
"It's running away? A monster is...!!"
As if it had achieved its objective, the Moss Huge fled the scene. Bell and Welf were stunned by its behavior, but their attention was quickly diverted.
"Chigusa!!!"
Twitch—! Writhe—!
"This is.... vines....?"
Green vines began to sprout from the wound on Chigusa's shoulder, worsening the injury. Similarly, vines began to grow from Luvis's wounds as well.
"The green moss.... is swallowing everything...."
Following Cassandra's trembling voice, the sudden encounter with the [Moss Huge] came to a grim, temporary lull.
========================
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