"[Sol Light]!"
Shuuuuu—!!!
Cassandra's healing magic washed over Chigusa and Luviss, taking hold of their bodies, yet their condition failed to improve.
Squelch—!
'Even if I cut the vines...'
Creak, groan—!
"It seems the seeds that invaded their systems have taken root, using the stamina of these two as nutrients."
'They keep growing...'
Ouka hacked away at the vines sprouting from their flesh, but it was an exercise in futility. The emerald tendrils surged back instantly, coiling tighter around Luviss and Chigusa.
"Recovery magic and potions are counterproductive... they only accelerate the growth of the vines..."
"This is no different from a parasitic tree. They are being consumed by a monster's parasite!"
"Urgh...!"
The sudden ambush combined with a parasitic vine they had no information on had driven the party into a corner. Their comrades' lives were draining away by the second.
"I've never seen anything like this. With my skills, I can't save them..."
As Cassandra, the sole healer, admitted her helplessness, a heavy shroud of despair fell over the group. No immediate solution presented itself.
""""...""""
"It doesn't matter if it's just an idea you just had!"
""""!!""""
"Tell us your opinion, Cassandra-san! How can we save them?"
Thud—!
"No one has died yet! We are all here! If we think together, we can find a way!"
Bell's voice cut through the panic, jolting everyone back to their senses.
He knew better than anyone that waiting aimlessly in this situation was the swiftest path to a funeral. Action was the only currency that mattered in the Dungeon.
".....Yes!"
Feeling Bell's absolute trust in her and the rest of the party, Cassandra steadied her breathing and proposed the best plan she could devise.
"To save them, we must return to the surface immediately and seek a healer far more skilled than I..."
Ssh—!
"For instance, we must request aid from the [Saint of the Battlefield] of the Dian Cecht Familia."
"Or, if we manage to eliminate the main body that planted these seeds, perhaps...!!"
Cassandra looked at Bell as she spoke. He nodded firmly, as if that was all the confirmation he needed, before turning to the rest of the group.
"Does anyone else have any thoughts?"
"If you do, please speak up!"
Bell analyzed the situation with a cold, pragmatic focus. As Cassandra suggested, retreating was a valid option, as was hunting down the monster they had just encountered.
"I can only fight. Right now, I'm not being of any help..."
Grip—!!
"So please, lend me your strength!"
Witnessing Bell's sincere plea for help, the light of determination returned to the eyes of the party. They began to dissect the crisis with renewed clarity.
"Understood, Bell-sama."
"Right. Like Bell said, let's have a constructive discussion! If we pool our wisdom, nothing is impossible!"
Lili and Welf were the first to speak, affirming Bell's leadership.
"I believe the only paths available to us are the two Cassandra-sama mentioned."
"Whether to head for the surface immediately or subjugate that monster..."
"Yes. Lili recommends returning to the surface. That monster is an Enhanced Species that has consumed a significant number of magic stones. Furthermore, it possesses special abilities..."
Ssh—!
"There's no telling how long a subjugation would take, and the risk of failure is high."
Lili looked at the wounded Chigusa and Luviss, prioritizing a safe return. Welf added his thoughts in agreement.
"True. But what kind of monster was that anyway?"
"We're in the Middle Floors, but that's not a monster that should appear in this vicinity..."
"It must have grown strong by eating magic stones and descended to the Lower Floors...!"
"As Daphne-sama says, it's likely hiding somewhere in the Lower Floors. There's no guarantee we'll encounter it again."
Given the critical condition of the wounded and the fact that the Moss Huge—which clearly knew how to retreat—would likely keep avoiding them, the consensus seemed to be shifting toward returning to the surface.
"No.... That monster will definitely appear again...."
"Luviss-san...!"
"My party is still left on this floor. I know it's shameless to ask, but please... defeat that abominable creature and save my comrades...!"
Luviss's desperate plea reached Bell. It provided critical intel: there were more survivors, and the Moss Huge was likely actively hunting the group.
"What? You... did you abandon your comrades and run away?"
"Don't say such foolish things...! I became the decoy..."
"What do you mean? And why are you so sure it will appear again...?"
Ssh—!
"It's looking for this..."
Aisha questioned why he was alone, and Lili expressed doubt about his role as a decoy. In response, Luviss handed a pouch from his bag to Bell.
Clatter—!
"Magic stones?"
"A monster targeting adventurers for their magic stones!? I've never heard of such a thing...!"
"But it is the truth."
Grip—!
"The [Moss Huge] that ambushed us ate magic stones right in front of our eyes and attacked with terrifying power..."
Biting his lip in frustration and worry for his kin, Luviss pleaded with Bell.
"Once these vines were planted in our bodies, we had no choice but to flee..."
Grip—!!
"But it kept tracking us...!!"
"So you became a decoy to split the target's attention."
"I beg of you, [Little Rookie].... My comrades must be hiding somewhere on this floor.... Dormul's party as well...!"
"Dormul-san's group too...!?"
Luviss's revelation threw the party back into a dilemma. If they left now, the monster would continue to hunt them, and with confirmed survivors still in the Dungeon, they couldn't simply turn their backs and retreat.
"I believe we must subjugate it here and now."
"!!"
"Dragging this out will only make the situation worse. Especially since there are survivors..."
"Agreed. It's less risky since we don't even have to search for it anymore."
Lili was surprised by Mikoto and Welf's stance, while Ouka nodded in agreement.
"We don't know if their stamina will hold out until we reach the surface, and there's no guarantee the [Dea Saint] can cure this."
"The same applies even if we defeat the monster...!"
Lili continued to argue against the high-risk subjugation, but...
"No, the probability is higher."
"!!"
"The [Moss Huge] creates clones by splitting its moss. If we kill the main body, the clones—and likely the parasitic vines—should vanish."
"....."
"Look, I want to play it safe too, but from what I've heard, it doesn't sound like that thing is going to just let us walk away."
With even Daphne supporting the subjugation, Lili finally stopped her counterarguments and turned to Bell.
"We've all given our opinions. I'll leave the final judgment to you, Bell-sama."
"....."
Bell pondered for a moment. Considering the survival of Luviss's and Dormul's parties, and his own assessment of the monster's strength from their brief clash, he judged subjugation was possible.
He made his decision.
Stand—!
"We will defeat that monster! First, let's head to the point where Luviss-san's party was ambushed."
Step, step—!
"It's strange that there have been no sightings of this [Moss Huge] until now."
"It was likely hiding itself.... It only targeted adventurers it knew it could beat...!"
Step, step—!
"That monster is different....!"
Having directly experienced its strength and nearly dying, Luviss's voice was thick with caution as he repeatedly warned the group.
Step, step—
As the party ventured deeper into the 25th floor...
"!!"
'This is...'
"Bloodstains?"
Splashes of blood, presumably from Luviss's comrades, appeared before them. The trail stretched long, as if something had been dragged.
"Let's follow it."
Bell, suspecting the trail led to the missing adventurers, maintained a high state of alert as they followed the crimson path into a cavern.
Step, step—
"That's....!!"
"Horrific."
Inside the water-filled cavern, they saw Luviss's comrades collapsed in the center, bleeding. Standing over them, as if waiting for the party to arrive using the survivors as bait, was the Moss Huge.
"Sherry, Lana...."
"Your comrades?"
"Yes, but Allec is missing...!"
Grip—!!
Luviss trembled with rage, but Aisha calmly analyzed the situation for the group.
"The situation is bad."
Ssh—!
"If we try to save those elves, we'll be surrounded not just by the Enhanced Species, but by the monsters in the water."
"It knew we were coming....!"
"For a monster to set a trap like this..."
Ouka and Cassandra were horrified by the monster's malicious intellect.
"To kill it for sure, we should use magic, but..."
"""..."""
"Those elves would be caught in the blast."
The party was paralyzed by the dilemma.
"Bell-sama and Aisha-sama, please handle that Enhanced Species."
Lili, realizing that hesitation would be fatal, immediately began assigning roles for the rescue operation.
"Welf-sama, Mikoto-sama, and Ouka-sama, focus on the other monsters and the rescue of the elves."
'Since we've come this far, there's no turning back...!'
"The rest of us will stand by so we don't get in the way."
"What do you think?"
Aisha was satisfied with the precise positioning and agreed, though her eyes narrowed as she sensed a hidden threat.
"Good plan, but..."
Ssh—!
"Do your waiting further inside the cave."
Slash—!!
Before she even finished her sentence, Aisha bifurcated a Blue Crab that had been creeping up behind Haruhime.
"It would be embarrassing to die like that."
"Yes!"
Lili immediately acknowledged the flaw in her positioning and decided they should all enter the cave together.
"Let's go."
Dash—!!!
At Aisha's signal, the party surged forward. Bell, Aisha, and Ouka led the charge, with Welf in the center and Lili, Daphne, Cassandra, Chigusa, and Luviss bringing up the rear.
Dash—!!!
"First, the [Moss Huge]—"
"No..."
"!!"
"This thing is..."
However, their plan was flawed from the start.
Crumble—!
"""!!"""
The massive figure they had assumed was the monster collapsed, revealing it was merely Luviss's comrade, Allec, disguised with moss and mud.
Whoosh—!
"Get away from the rear!!!"
Rumble—!!
—!!!!!
The ominous premonition was correct. The real [Moss Huge] erupted from the water along the path, lunging directly for the rear support.
Ding—!
Ding—!
Ding—!
"Hyaaaah!!!!"
Boom—!!
Bell instantly charged Argonaut into his feet, launching himself like a projectile. He gripped [Hakugen] and severed the crystal hammer the monster was swinging at the rear line.
Slash—!!!
—!!?
"Chaaaah!!!!!!"
Slash—!! Slash—!!!
The [Moss Huge] dodged the lethal arcs of [Hakugen], discarded its shattered hammer, and began raining down heavy blows with its massive fists.
"Bell!!"
"Bell-sama!"
Boom—!!!!!!
Thud—!!!!!!
Bell evaded the strikes. Despite Welf and Lili's cries of concern, he fought with everything he had to buy time for the others to rescue the survivors.
Flare—!
—!!?
Thud—!! Thud—!! Thud—!!
As mana gathered in Bell's hand and ignited, the monster seemed to panic, charging at him with reckless abandon.
"[Fire Bolt]!!!"
Boom—!!!!!!!
—Gyaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'It tried to stop me from using magic...?'
The attempt was thwarted as the lightning-like flame blasted into its body, forcing a scream of agony. Bell was stunned yet again by the monster's ability to sense and react to magic casting.
Thud—!!
"....!! I won't let you get away!!"
Fire was clearly its weakness. Its aggressive momentum vanished as it scrambled backward. Bell prepared to press the advantage, but...
Grab—!
"!?"
'M-my leg...!!'
Whoosh—!!!
"Uwaaaah!!!!??"
Determined not to go down alone, the monster coiled vines around Bell's leg and dived off the cliff into the water to extinguish the flames.
Splash—!!!
""!!""
"Bell-sama!!"
The party rushed to the edge in horror, but Bell and the [Moss Huge] were already sinking deep into the turbulent waters.
"Gah—!?"
'This is bad, at this rate...!!'
—.....
Hum—!
As Bell struggled to hold his breath and regain his bearings in the sudden plunge, the [Moss Huge] watched him with glowing eyes, as if carefully observing the one who had nearly killed it.
Ssh—!
—.....
Thud—!
"!?"
'It released the vines...?'
As light began to filter through the water ahead, the monster—knowing exactly what lay beyond—uncoiled its vines from Bell's leg. It grabbed a rock to anchor itself and shoved Bell toward the light.
Roar—!!
"!!"
And then, what appeared before Bell's eyes was...
"Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A waterfall plunging into an abyss of unknown depth.