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

(Now that the man-eating plant (monster) has appeared... then what will happen next...?)

That person might be waiting for me just ahead.

The man-eating flower monster reminded Ais of the red-haired woman; her image flashed through her mind.

Ais clenched her left hand.

She quietly prepared herself, making sure her heart was ready.

"Another fork in the road..."

The team encountered another fork in the road and had to stop.

Faced with two roads that diverged sharply to the left and right, Luluni sought guidance from Asfi.

"Asphie, where are we going this time—"

at this time.

The hissing sound of a body dragging forward could be heard, drowning out Lulu's voice. Monsters with bright and dazzling flowers were seen sprouting from both sides of the road.

"They've launched a pincer attack from both sides..."

"No...there's more later too."

"Oh my god!"

Just as Ais was about to deliver the final blow to Lulu, who was groaning, she issued a warning.

They were surrounded from three directions: left, right, and rear. Seeing the numerous carnivorous plants crawling up the ceiling and ground, the other members of the Hermes Familia frowned.

Their escape route was completely cut off.

"...[Fiora], could you please take charge of one of the lanes?"

"I see."

Ais granted Asphie's request.

The strategy involves Ais, the only Level 1 adventurer, suppressing the enemies in one of the passages, while the others take the opportunity to eliminate the monsters in the other two directions.

Soon, at Asifi's command, a total of sixteen adventurers rushed out.

There were eight people behind, seven on the right, and Ais fighting alone on the left.

Then, just as Ais's "Sword of Despair" cut down the carnivorous plant before anyone else—the next instant.

As if it had been planned, a huge pillar fell from the sky and landed beside her.

Ais reacted immediately and retreated hastily.

She kicked the ground and did a backflip to dodge the giant green pillars that were launched one after another with a series of "thumps". By the time she noticed them...

The road on the left was completely blocked, and she was completely isolated from Asphie and the others.

"We've been separated!?"

Behind the pillar that had transformed into an extremely thick wall, came Lulu's scream.

Ais's golden eyes widened as well. The traps that were not usually found in dungeons left her and her companions, who were separated by a distance, equally astonished.

—They've been pulled apart!

Before they could calm down, the remaining carnivorous plants bared their fangs and claws as they attacked Ais.

"Roar!!"

"!"

Ais slashed the enemy's tentacles, instantly killing a total of five monsters.

As she turned the last one to dust, she ran to the wall, intending to destroy the green pillar so she could reunite with Lulu and the others behind it.

However, a fierce killing intent prevented her from doing so.

"...!"

A strong fighting spirit shook Ais's shoulder.

She turned her head and gazed into the depths of a dimly lit passage.

Ahead in that darkness, there was an undeniable and profoundly impressive presence.

Ais felt she couldn't turn her back on her opponent for even a second, so she turned around... and raised an eyebrow. As if drawn by a magic spell, she walked into the darkness ahead.

The withered flowers blooming on the wall swayed with phosphorescence, illuminating Ais's face.

The silver breastplate and shoulder armor reflected the light, and the sound of boots echoed on the silent, solitary road.

It doesn't take much time.

Ais, who was moving forward, was like a mirror reflecting her, slowly.

The person also broke through the darkness and came out.

"—I didn't expect you to come by yourself, just what I wanted."

As expected, the person who appeared was a red-haired female animal trainer.

She made no disguise; her skin was fair, and her hair was blood red. Her true face, exposed by green eyes, stared intently at Ais.

—She was indeed here.

His golden eyes met the woman's cold gaze.

In the long, wide green walled passageway, Ais confronts the woman.

"……what are you doing here?"

"Who knows?"

"What...what is this maze? Did you make it?"

You don't need to know.

Ais met the other person's gaze, becoming more wary and discreetly observing their appearance.

The woman appeared to have been robbed; her combat uniform was somewhat damaged, and she was not carrying any protective gear or weapons.

As expected, the other party seemed completely unwilling to answer his question.

Just like before, they refused to answer without giving a chance to explain.

"Shut up and come with me. Someone wants to see you. I need you to come with me, 'Arya'."

Upon hearing those three words, Ais's gaze sharpened.

"I am not 'Arya'."

Upon hearing Ais's denial, the woman looked suspicious.

"Arya is my mother."

"Nonsense, 'Arya' can't have children. Even if... you're not 'Arya' herself, it doesn't matter."

As they talked, Ais leaned forward.

"Why do you know Arya? What do you know about Arya?"

"I only know the name because that guy kept urging me to see 'Arya'... I was so annoyed that I followed the voice's instructions to find this person, and then I met you. That's all."

As their conversations increased, Ais began to reveal her emotions, but the woman remained cold, indifferent, and unmoved.

She ended the conversation, as if she felt she had said something unnecessary.

"Enough with the nonsense, I'm taking you there."

After saying that, the woman stuck one hand into the ground.

As her slender waist bent and her full breasts swayed, a hissing sound, like swirling water, came from beneath her feet.

Finally, she jerked her hand away, spraying red liquid onto the ground and spitting out long, blocky objects.

No mistake, it is a longsword with a hilt.

—A natural weapon?

The woman swung her sword at the astonished Ais, shaking off the liquid that was stuck to it.

The longsword's terrifying shape resembled flesh and blood taken from a living creature and poured directly into a mold for forging. It lacked any embellishments, such as a guard, and the crimson blade appeared anything but sharp, exuding an aura of menace, as if being cut by it would incur a curse.

Ais remained silent, quietly relaxing all the excess strength in her body.

Facing a formidable foe poised to strike, she entrusts everything to her beloved sword (the Sword of Despair), becoming a swordsman.

"I'm going to go."

In an instant, the woman launched an attack.

She had the red hair draw a diagonal line like splattering blood, then raised her longsword and slashed.

Ais blocked the attack head-on and deflected it back with the "Sword of Despair".

The only sounds were the clanging of military knives and the heavy thud of metal being struck. The woman unleashed a barrage of slashes with the ferocity she had displayed in Rivera Town. Facing a horizontal slash that made the air groan, Ais easily dodged it by bending down and immediately countered with her own knife.

It was as if the first battle was being reenacted, with pure swordsmanship clashing with fist and foot techniques in a fierce fight.

"...?"

During the heated exchange, the woman's expression became suspicious.

With her eyebrows arched, she widened her eyes as she noticed Ais's swordsmanship becoming faster and faster.

The silver sword, inlaid with afterimages, struck with lightning speed, taking away the woman's reaction and astonishment in a flash.

The woman's longsword was deflected far away, even causing her to lose her balance.

"What!?"

Ais gave her no time to waver, relentlessly pursuing her.

After enduring a fierce and continuous attack, the woman managed to defend herself but could not withstand the next blow and was forced to retreat significantly.

Unable to counteract the force of her diagonal slash, she scraped the green ground with her feet.

When they finally came to a stop, the woman was stunned.

She slowly reached out to touch her full breasts, her fingertips damp with slippery red blood.

Despite her minor injury, she looked up at Ais.

"You wouldn't..."

The woman's brow furrowed as she watched the girl who was still staring at her with sharp eyes.

"You've elevated your [ability stats]...!?"

Witnessing that Ais's abilities were completely different from what they were ten days ago, the other party seemed to finally realize it as well.

Reaching a new peak after achieving great feats, [Upgrade].

After a fierce battle with the Dark Floor Master, Ais broke through her limits and reached the peak known as Lv.6.

The girl who suffered a defeat in that crystal town is no more.

"Ugh, this is so troublesome...!!"

His dismissive words revealed his frustration.

The sheer physical strength that was overwhelming ten days ago is now evenly matched.

In contrast to the woman glaring fiercely at Ais, Ais calmly retorted:

"I just don't want to lose to you."

Under the dark night sky, the feeling of utter defeat that she had completely crushed drove Ais to the peak.

Hidden deep within her heart, even more so than her fellow members of the [Family], was an innate "unyielding" personality. The girl, displaying her inflexible and fiercely competitive nature, accepted the arrival of this moment. This was a battle for revenge.

Ais pointed the tip of her sword at the woman, expressing her will.

“Tsk…”

The woman clicked her tongue and raised her longsword again; Ais and she glared at each other.

The other person's expression was no longer indifferent; instead, their sharp, spear-like gaze pierced through Ais, clearly regarding her as an enemy. An even stronger sense of oppression than before assailed Ais.

Both were quietly observing for an opportunity. Then, the woman slowly spoke: