Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Jump forward!!"

The ground cracked open.

The remaining distance that Nina and the others couldn't reach the exit in time was made up by me, who gained super speed by "bombarding" the ground.

The moment I slammed into Iglin's back, pushing Nina and Rachel forward together—a devastating blow exploded from behind.

"Oooooo ...

The aftershocks of the destruction created a devastating wind pressure, and we were thrown out as if we were being blasted into the deepest passage of the cave.

The situation is exactly the same as it was back then, a time I would very much rather forget.

Everyone was blown away and crashed heavily into the narrow cave.

"Ya ...

I held Chris, who was screaming like a girl, tightly in my arms, and rolled into the depths of the cave with Nina, Iglin, and Rachel, watching the world spin all the way.

I could feel the impact coming from all directions, but this time I did manage to stay conscious, rolling down the gentle slope at an unprecedented speed, until finally—

"Ughhhhhh!?"

Whoosh!

The "Third Squad" shot out of the passage exit like shotgun shells and crashed to the ground.

Due to the impact of landing, we slid on the ground for a distance before finally coming to a stop.

Nina lay on her back with tears in her eyes, Iglin, who had fallen flat on his face, was sprawled on the ground, and Rachel, whose delicate face was revealed after losing her mask in the impact, lay on the ground in a daze.

Finally, I was the one who was thrown to the farthest point. After closing my eyes and enduring the impact on my back, I finally let go of Chris in my arms.

The dwarf, who was even smaller than Lily, rolled his eyes and fainted.

(...it seems it should still be "daytime".)

I squinted, blinded by the "bright light" coming from above, to confirm the time zone I was in.

As if drawn to my feet, I stood up and, after seeing the green plants before me and the chrysanthemum-like crystal clusters blooming on the distant ceiling, murmured to myself:

"Under Resort..."

After I distributed the remaining elixirs, it took another ten minutes before the members of the "Third Squad," who had been lying on the ground unresponsive, finally got up unsteadily.

"Why are there no rooms available for overnight stays!?"

The roar of Iglin in his "Young Master Mode" echoed through the town made of wood and crystal.

Although he was a student, the dwarf with a fierce appearance was glaring angrily, but there was not a trace of fear on his face. He was the innkeeper town leader who covered his left eye with an eyepatch.

"What?! You mean, what hotel in the world would offer a room to a guest who can't pay the bill?"

"The problem is, the accommodation fees are outrageous! What does it mean to charge 500,000 fares per night?!"

"Because Rivera is full of high-end hotels, a top-notch paradise that can't be compared to the cheap hotels on the surface. If you're not happy, you can just pay up and get lost, you naive kids from the 'school district'."

“Hmm…!?”

Mr. Perth casually picked his ear with his little finger and made that sarcastic remark, which made Iglin's veins bulge. Reggie and Chris, who were behind Iglin, kept hissing, which made me, who was holding the sledgehammer on my back, secretly smile bitterly.

The distraught "Third Squad" rested for a while at the south entrance of the building because their legs were too weak. After a lot of effort, they finally arrived at "Riviera Town," which was built on a cliff by the lake, just as "night" was about to fall.

As the crystal chrysanthemums on the ceiling gradually dimmed and the surroundings began to darken, the exhausted "Third Squad" had intended to find a hotel for the night, but ended up like this. Mr. Perth—or rather, all the residents of "Riviera"—seemed to be hostile to "school district" students, and not a single person was willing to pay us any attention.

Even if someone were willing to pay attention, they would only ask for an exorbitant amount like this.

"If you're willing to hand over your weapons, clothes, and armor, I might be able to take you in for the night?"

"Ugh...! Don't joke around! We still have to leave the dungeon after this! How can we hand over all our weapons and armor!"

After Eglin angrily shouted and spat incoherently, Mr. Perth turned his head away and ignored him.

Frustrated by this, Nina and the others could only cling to a sliver of hope and continue searching for other inns.

They were already exhausted, and then they had to face the scoundrels' baptism... To be honest, it was a bit cruel.

After confirming that I could no longer see the "Third Squad," I moved closer to Mr. Perth, who was maintaining his weapons.

"Um, Mr. Perth."

"Huh? You brat from the 'school district,' stop pretending to be so knowledgeable. I, this great one, have no respect for the naive and clueless like you—huh!"

I interrupted the conversation by brushing aside my bangs with my right hand, revealing my eyes.

"You're a rabbit with white feet!? Seriously, what are you doing dressed like that!?"

"Shh—! Don't let Nina and the others hear...! It would be really bad if I revealed my true identity...!"

After I lowered my voice and begged him, Mr. Perth, who had been looking surprised, immediately smiled.

They then invited me to enter the store from the inside of the counter.

"Are you forced to deal with some troublesome matter again?"

"That's not quite right... but there are indeed some hidden reasons."

"Being asked to babysit a bunch of kids is already much more troublesome than a typical adventurer's request."

Mr. Perth reached out and patted me on the back, which made me smile even more bitterly.

It would be wonderful if he were willing to host Nina and the others like this...

"So, what do you need me for?"

"Um, would it be convenient for us to stay overnight? I'll pay you back later."

"Actually, although I was quite rude to those brats just now, all the hotels are currently full. You guys must have come here to take refuge because of the landslide, right? Whether you came down from above or couldn't get up from below, everyone's here to stay, it's packed to the brim now."

Oh, I see... After Mr. Perse mentioned it, I immediately understood.

In fact, the devastation on the 15th floor shows that since all the paths back to the surface have been blocked, adventurers have no choice but to seek refuge on the 18th floor.

"So, do you have any camping equipment you could sell me? We'll find a safe place to settle down..."

"Oh, that's no problem. After all, I owe you a lot of favors, so I'll give you a discount!"

Looking at Mr. Perth making a circle with his index finger and thumb, and thinking that it was probably just a "slight" discount, I couldn't help but smile wryly. Then I asked about another matter that concerned me.

"Mr. Perth, what should we do about 'Goliath,' which was born on the 17th floor? I believe others will come to take refuge here, so I feel it would be better to eliminate it as soon as possible..."

"Should I say you're too kind-hearted, kid? You're just too diligent. But you don't need to worry about that. The rumbling sounds from the 17th floor have stopped, so it must have been taken down. According to Modo, who escaped, it seems the 'school district' took care of it..."

"Ah, Mr. Mordo is here too?"

Reaching "Rivera Town"—or more precisely, escorting the exhausted "Third Squad" to this "safe zone"—had already taken quite some time, leaving me no time to return to the 17th floor; only after hearing Mr. Perth's words did I feel somewhat relieved. Logically, we should have arrived at the 18th floor first, but Mr. Modo and his group probably overtook us on the way to "Rivera Town." This was because we hadn't chosen the shortest route directly to the western lakeside, but instead took the safer route through the large grassland in the center of the building.

I intended to temporarily entrust Nina and the others to Mr. Perth, and then return upstairs to confront Goliath...

"More importantly, Goliath's rampage has blocked the connecting passage. Although I have ordered people to dig a road, the entire cave has collapsed, and it will take some time to clear it."

"So...we have to stay on the 18th floor for a while."

"That's right. If you're going to camp, I recommend the area around the lake below Rivera Town. Since the monsters live in the large forest where there's plenty of food, you shouldn't have to worry about being attacked. Of course, if you don't want to waste too much time gathering food, you can camp in the forest like the Loki Familia..."

"Haha...then I'll buy some food from you while I'm at it."

"No problem, you can buy whatever you want! But as long as you're here, we'll be perfectly safe no matter where we camp!"

Faced with Mr. Perth's cheerful pat on the back, I returned another wry smile and bought camping gear and food from him. Mr. Perth probably didn't ask for my "family" certificate because he trusted me.

After Mr. Perth went into the warehouse to retrieve the goods... worried about what was happening upstairs, I looked up at the ceiling, considering whether to go and check on him—

"You really are blessed by a jinx, Bell Craney."

"Whoa!?"

Hearing that sudden voice, I was almost scared to death on the spot.

Speaking of that sound just now, could it be...?

"...Excuse me, are you Mr. Fels? Are you currently in 'invisibility' mode...?"

"That's right, I came to check on the situation as instructed by my master (Uranus). After all, this unusual situation is quite large, and one of the students looks remarkably like the world's fastest rabbit (the record holder), so I came to take a look."

Mr. Fels, who was in an "invisible" state using a magical artifact, seemed to be standing right in front of me.

That is to say, although it should also be due to Mr. Fells' considerable power, I did not sense his presence at all.

Perhaps I became a little too complacent after arriving in the safe zone (Riviera town).

"However, how did you get here? The paths to the 15th floor should all be blocked..."

"Through the man-made labyrinth (Knossos)."

Ah... I'd completely forgotten about that.

But since Mr. Fels, who possesses the "key," is here, it means that they can use the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) to get up there...

"...How much do you know about the current situation?"

"Almost everyone trapped in the cave labyrinth has been rescued by Leon and his group. A small number of adventurers were drugged and taken into custody in the artificial labyrinth (Knossos). You are the last group of students whose safety has not yet been confirmed. So you don't need to trouble yourself anymore, Bell Craney."

Mr. Fells saw right through my intention to return to the 17th floor immediately and told me to stop worrying, which left me embarrassed and speechless.

"Once the connecting path between the 17th and 18th levels is completed, the dungeon will resume normal access. Until then, you can relax in this paradise. If you're alone, returning to the surface is fine; however, I can't let the school students who are unaware of the existence of the artificial labyrinth (Knossos) pass through there, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, please don't say that. Thank you so much, Mr. Fells."

Just as I finished thanking him, Mr. Perth returned with a "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Then I'll take my leave." Mr. Fells said goodbye softly, and I could feel his presence fading into the distance. I accepted the camping equipment and other supplies, then turned and walked out of the shop.

Want to relax in this paradise...?

Anyway, let's reunite with Nina and the others first.

"Rabi, are you really alright...? They're even offering to provide camping equipment..."

"Yes, after proper communication, they provided these items."

Following Mr. Perth's advice, I set up two simple tents by the lake—I had camped during the previous "expedition," so this was no problem for me—and gave Nina a dry laugh to brush her off.

The sky above was pitch black, with the crystals providing a faint light source instead of the starry sky.

After gazing up at the dreamlike "night view" of the underground city and catching my breath, Nina guiltily looked down at her feet.

"If that's really the case... After all, we've received so much help from you, Rabbi."

Looking at Nina's sorrowful face, I felt as if my lie had been exposed, and I was secretly shocked.

"Nina~! Rabbi~! My super delicious picnic meal is done~~~~~!"

Chris and the others, who were in charge of cooking, were saying this loudly.

Although I felt a little embarrassed for Nina, I secretly felt fortunate as I walked towards the campfire.

The lake is shaped like a crescent moon, and we set up camp on its north side. The tents were situated between the lakeshore and the grassland, while the campfire was set up on the lakeshore. Chris, Iglin, and Rachel were all waiting for us around the fire.

"But... you're really amazing, Ravi."

"Wait, um, why are you suddenly saying that?"

After eating the simple risotto made with ingredients bought from Mr. Perth, along with warm egg drop soup and chunks of dry food to fill my stomach, Iglin praised me earnestly.

Everyone sat in a circle around the campfire, and for some reason, all eyes were on me.

"Although we're quite used to camping because of our experience with field surveys and combat missions... you're better at it than us, and more importantly, you even managed to get that annoying adventurer to make an exception and sell us some supplies."

"Yes, you're great..."

"Are there any techniques for this type of negotiation?"

"Um... you mean... you've been asking the other person for help?"

Rachel nodded in agreement. Chris leaned forward and asked, "After much agonizing, trying to figure out how to cover up my past, I finally managed to come up with this incredibly flimsy excuse." Iglin stared blankly and said, "What kind of technique is that?" Chris laughed heartily and replied, "That's so typical of a rabbi!"

After finishing all the food, Iglin asked questions as if getting to the point.

"You said you aspire to become an adventurer, right? So, have you already decided which familia you want to join?"

"W-Why would you ask that?"

"Because of curiosity. Although I'm very unwilling, you're clearly a supporter, but you're quite capable... It makes me want to understand you more."

Slightly flustered, I was at a loss for words under that direct gaze.

I never expected Eglin to ask such a question...