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

In fact, three months have passed since the last mandatory task.

In other words, despite the numerous events such as the "factional wars" that occurred before, the guild clearly no longer intends to let the Hestia Familia continue to be so lazy.

Logically, considering the previous "expedition" was deemed a failure, this time the [Hestia Familia] should only need to fulfill one condition—updating the floor they reached, specifically reaching floor 25—to complete the mission...

"It says, 'You guys have all reached level B, so your goal should be at least level 29. No objections allowed.'"

"This...this is a paraphrase, right, Lily...?"

"It also says above, 'You already have two Level 1 adventurers, isn't this a piece of cake? Not to mention the cheat-like level advancement. Stop dawdling and get to work!'"

"This must be a paraphrase, right!?"

The above is the scene that took place inside the mansion: Lily read out the guild's order with a blank expression, and just as she was about to crumple the paper in her hand, I desperately stepped forward to stop her.

"Uranus's will probably play a part in this... He said he'd give us a break, and this happens after only a few days. He deliberately puts us through these super-difficult, hellish adventures. Is he really planning to add Bell to the Netherworld Defense Force—no, I mean, the Three Great Adventurers' Quests? Muttering to himself..."

The god seemed to be there, holding his head and muttering something.

In short, due to the unreasonable and demanding nature of Lily's so-called guild, we did not form a "factional alliance" this time, but instead came to the 29th floor alone.

—Although I feel a little guilty towards Lily, I don’t think this attack was asking too much of her.

"Lord Ryu, after clearing out the enemies in front of you, please use magic to attack the rear..."

"[Conquering the enemy with the brilliance of stars]—[The Wind of Light]!"

"Wow, so fast!? It's 'parallel chanting'!? This is a huge help!"

First of all, putting everything else aside, Ms. Ryu is incredibly strong.

Now at Lv.6, she had already conquered this "Dense Forest Canyon" many times back in the Justice Faction (Asteria Familia) era.

Whether in offense or defense, she is the pillar of our entire team, and even Commander Lily's right-hand woman. Her extensive knowledge and experience virtually eliminate all risk factors. With her around, it's no wonder the guild is urging us to "hurry up and go conquer the map."

Although it sounds a bit inappropriate to say it like this, the existence of first-level adventurers is indeed that important.

Aside from the deeper areas, I now even have a feeling that I can handle the other floors. Of course, no matter how much higher the level is than recommended, the dungeon will always come with murderous intent, and there's always the possibility of making mistakes, so I must never let my guard down... But ultimately, I can still manage to "break through head-on with brute force".

If efficiency isn't a concern, a level 1 adventurer could handle this floor alone, whether attacking or defending. If it were just me, I might not be entirely at ease, but unfortunately, Miss Ryu is here too.

With me in the forward position and her in the defense, these two alone are enough to ensure the safety of the entire team.

This kind of front-and-back formation (sandwich tactic) for first-level adventurers must be quite popular among their peers.

"Lady Haruhime, your level has been raised!"

"Although the effects from last time haven't worn off yet, let's do it one more time, just to be on the safe side!"

"No problem! I still have some left over!"

In addition, Welf and his colleagues were not entirely unfamiliar with this floor, which also became an advantage.

Although Miss Tsubaki and Mr. Reed were there to protect them, they had personally experienced this level of threat. It wasn't just theoretical knowledge, but firsthand experience. This allowed them to skip the psychological preparation stage and directly begin developing concrete countermeasures.

Furthermore, Welf can forge powerful "magic swords" that other factions lack, and Haruhime's level has been upgraded. Even Mikoto's target acquisition skill has already met the activation conditions and been perfectly activated. Even without Aisha and the others' assistance, the Hestia Familia is fully prepared to fight on the 29th floor.

With the blessing of the remaining four luminous tails of Haruhime, Mikoto and Welf once again received the golden blessing, and the effective time of Lv.3 was refreshed. So the two rushed forward to meet the enemy without any worries.

"Lady Nina! Please begin the incantation! Prepare for treatment immediately afterward!"

"Ah, yes!"

Furthermore, Nina also joined the exploration.

Please, please let me go with you.

While we were discussing at home, "It's too dangerous, so Nina, as an intern, should stay home with God to watch the house," Nina, who had just finished packing, volunteered to participate in this mandatory mission.

A panicked Miss Eina desperately tried to dissuade her, and Lily also looked troubled, saying that taking inexperienced newcomers to the "lower levels" would be terrifying, and that command might go wrong. Just then,

"Even if we become immobile statues during battle, it won't matter. As long as we have a healer with us, the team's safety will be improved."

Surprisingly, it was Miss Ryu who said these words.

Perhaps because he was forced to take on a healer-like role when he first joined the Justice Faction, [Swift], who has more adventure experience than anyone else, talked at length about the convenience of the 'healer' role in the party.

She also suggested that, for the sake of future considerations, it is best to determine as early as possible which conditions are treatable and which are not.

"On the 29th floor, even if she's one more, it won't hinder the guards. Besides... having a healer around will save us a lot on item costs, Lily Luca."

After hearing what Ms. Ryu said, Lily also surrendered. To be precise, after hearing the second half of the sentence, her attitude immediately did a complete 180-degree turn.

Considering that the expedition was bound to be very expensive, the strategist (Lily), who had started planning the budget well in advance, immediately decided to let Nina accompany them, much to Miss Eina's disappointment.

I assured Miss Eina that I would do everything in my power to ensure Nina would not encounter any danger... but I also have a strong feeling that Nina will be fine.

Nina, like Lily and the others, is a Level 2. In what was once known as the worst squad in the series, she was always being tormented and had to shoulder the sacrificial responsibilities.

As long as he stays in the backcourt, this top student can accurately judge "what he is capable of doing".

Her healing power will definitely be an asset to us; as for being a hindrance, that's absolutely impossible.

"[The sacred rings sway, white breaths are exhaled. A myriad of flowers sing in unison, the Hill of Purity]...! Ready!"

"Cast the spell on Lord Welf and Lord Fate! Be careful not to heal the monsters as well!"

"Huh!? That's such a long distance!? Should we have them brought back first before treating them...?"

"No time for that! Didn't you say you could flexibly adjust the range of healing magic? Lady Cassandra can do that! Please get to work!"

"Who is Cassandra!?"

"Pay attention to anticipating the vanguard's movement path. Don't aim directly at them; just cast your magic where they're expected to move."

"Eh, eh, eh...!? I, I understand! -- Saint, [Holy Light of Healing]!"

...However, to be fair, Lily's demands are still too high.

Miss Ryu naturally displayed a strict side. Could it be that the new recruit training at the Justice Faction is quite rigorous?

Despite the shouts and commands coming from both sides, Nina still managed to complete the mission as entrusted.

She painstakingly calculated the predicted intersection point of Welf and Miss Fate's movement paths, and then petal-like white magic shards enveloped their bodies. However, no one praised her; everyone simply continued the battle indifferently.

"W-Am I going to join some incredible [Family]...?!"

(Poor Nina...)

Seeing Nina, dressed in her school district combat uniform and clutching her staff tightly with her legs slightly clenched, I couldn't help but look at her with pity.

Although I really want to praise this classmate, since she has indeed made contributions to the front line, I don't have the time right now.

While feeling sorry for her, I unleashed my slashing net, annihilating the entire group of Rock-Skull Dragons. And just then—that guy arrived.

『Goo ...

As if struck by an explosion, the dense forest was violently blasted apart.

The giant tree snapped and scattered, its fragments flying into the air like boulders.

The massive red body trembled and roared among the tall grass.

The top predator inhabiting this area roared as it opened its blood-red maw to devour everything.

"Blood Tyrannosaurus Rex!!"

"Is this the guy? The incredible dinosaur that Riko was talking about!"

"This size is on a completely different level from the one we encountered in the 'Seoro Forest'...!"

Miss Ming, Welf, and Lily each reacted, staring intently at that imposing figure, a warning bell ringing in their hearts.

Large-scale monster 'Blood Tyrannosaurus'.

It possesses massive jaws and sharp teeth capable of swallowing a person whole, its entire body is covered in blood-red scales, and its flesh is indestructible.

With a height exceeding ten meters, it is comparable to the floor master.

As Lily said, when she accepted Miss Nazha's request to go to the "Seoro Forest," the surface creature she encountered was only about five meters tall, while the one before her was twice that size. What's even more troublesome is that, despite its enormous size, it is remarkably agile.

Even within this 'Dense Forest Canyon,' it is among the most formidable and dangerous enemies. In the threat level system set by the guilds for each level of the domain, it is rated the highest (three stars). To put it simply, it's roughly equivalent to a 'mid-level' Minotaur.

I remember Mr. Dolme and the others saying that "that thing has already exceeded the rating cap (four stars)".

The key point is that these monsters start appearing one after another from the 30th floor onwards, so they can't be classified as 'rare species' at all. Perhaps this is one of the symbols of the absurdity of this level.

Worse still, this thing had three heads at the same time.

"Goo ...

"Gah!?"

As the ruler of this realm appeared, both adventurers and monsters froze in their tracks. In that brief moment, the closest Shadow Velociraptor was the first to be preyed upon. Even the equally large Thorn Axe Dragon failed to offer any significant resistance and instantly became food in the jaws of the massive blood jaws.

The scene before us is the best depiction of this realm—'survival of the fittest'.

As the crunching sound of chewing began, I caught a glimpse of Nina's deathly pale face out of the corner of my eye.

The next moment, the blood-covered dinosaurs' eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light as they fixed their gaze on us.

"Due to their carnivorous nature, these scarlet predators (blood tyrannosaurus) are highly likely to evolve into 'enhanced species' that devour their own kind, so please be careful."

I immediately understood the meaning behind Miss Ryu's warning.

The very center and deepest part of the three heads.

One of them was significantly larger. Even among the "enhanced species," it would be considered a boss-level creature.

(The Blood Tyrannosaurus originally appeared on the 30th floor. Now that it has climbed to the 29th floor, it means that it is looking for prey and craving flesh and blood...)

Like pages of a book flipping rapidly, Miss Eina's lecture content flashed through my mind, and I made a decision without hesitation.

I don't plan to have Welf and his men fight them for the time being. So, as the commander, there's only one thing I need to do.

I stomped my foot hard on the ground.

With exaggerated and conspicuous movements, they deliberately attracted the attention of those terrifying carnivorous dragons.

I glanced at it briefly during the initial acceleration phase of the sprint.

Commander Lily's chestnut eyes met my deep red eyes in that instant, completing a silent communication.

That's all, and that's enough.

Without a second thought, I boldly charged straight toward the scarlet predator.

"Liliruka".

"Lily understands! Lady Haruhime, please cooperate with me for support fire! With Lord Bell in his current state, we won't accidentally injure anyone no matter how we fire!"

"Yes, I understand!"

After Ms. Ryu called out, I saw Lily nod in response, and Ms. Haruhime also raised her 'fan'.

The "broad vision" honed through the desperate struggles in the "deep layers" and the student life in the "school district" still plays a role in battle. With just a glance, I grasped the entire movement of the rearguard—the moment they "launched," I flashed to the side, leaping away swiftly, disappearing from the monster's sight.

Immediately afterwards, the wind blade of the fan-shaped magic sword "Azure Mist" that Welf had given to Haruhime, along with the flames of the short sword-shaped magic sword in Lily's hand, struck the group of "Blood Tyrannosaurus" with perfect accuracy.

"Gahh ...

The explosive flames roared and the wind roared.

The powerful magic cannon slammed down, and the two scarlet predators let out a mournful howl.

However, the leader, who was hidden deepest inside, was almost unaffected.

My henchmen's massive bodies formed an iron wall, blocking most of the force. So, I launched another attack.

The maneuver, executed seamlessly from the side, aimed directly at the massive carnivorous dinosaur before it. With a mere flick of its eyes, it precisely locked onto its prey.

That was a quick reaction. Even the initial movement was so swift.

The movement was worthy of the name "Enhanced Species" in the slightest. It swung its tail, which was comparable to a giant's club, with agility and ferocity, and performed a spinning attack—sweeping it away.

The 'Tornado' was born.

Under the fierce blow of the whirlwind, not to mention the henchmen beside him, even the dense forest was blown away and instantly leveled to the ground.

The limbs and flesh of the two scarlet predators flew everywhere, and broken trees shot through the air like arrows.

"Lapi-kun!"

As Welf and the others quickly dropped to the ground, they heard Nina's mournful cry.

She forgot to call me "senpai" (senior). I felt a little relieved; it seemed I was still qualified to be her classmate.

Despite these untimely thoughts flashing through my mind, I have only one response at this moment.