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

For this very moment, Lefia was so happy she felt like she could fly.

Ignoring the girl's joy, Phil Weiss immediately took the next step.

"From now on, I'm going to take the training to the next level."

"what?"

Phil Weiss said, "Wait a moment," and walked toward the entrance to the cave.

Watching her disappear into the passage ahead, Lefia, who had been left behind, tilted her head and obediently waited as she had been told.

Then, she defeated ten monsters that occasionally emerged from the walls.

About five minutes later, she heard "that".

"This...this is...?"

A faint rumbling sound from the ground, and layers upon layers of croaking frogs.

Just as the approaching tremors and cries began to make Lefia panic.

Philweis appeared at the entrance to the cave—returning with a large horde of monsters.

「!?」

"Veridis, let's start training again. This time you must deal with these monsters."

Philweis, who was running straight towards them, gave these instructions to the astonished Lefia, and then ran from in front of her to behind her.

The frog-like monsters known as "Frog Archers," who had been chasing after a girl of their kind, croaked and pounced directly at Lefia.

"Huh, huh ...

—"Monster Gift (pass parade)"!?

Up to twenty monsters pounced at once, and Lefia jumped away from her original position.

Ignoring her fright, a large group of frog archers charged forward.

"Veridis, you are not allowed to lay a hand on the monster."

"What!?"

"I want you to use only the 'magic' composed of 'parallel chanting' to drive away the monster horde."

Lefia was eager to use her staff magic to drive away all the monsters equivalent to Lv.1 in one go, but Philvis gave her an instruction to wait.

"No matter how the monsters on this floor attack, they cannot inflict fatal damage on you in your current state, making it perfect for practicing 'parallel chanting'."

"I often do this kind of training when I practice 'parallel chanting'," Phil Weiss told Rafia from a distance.

Miss Philweis is just as strict (Spartacus)!! Lefia screamed inwardly, understanding the purpose of the current situation, and began to frantically chant incantations.

Seeing that she only dodged and didn't fight back, the swarm of frog archers surrounded her and began to attack. Although this kind of monster was only slightly stronger than low-level monsters like "Goblin" and "Earth Spirit", it was really hard to withstand such a relentless barrage from all directions.

"[Snipe, elven archer! Shoot through! You're guaranteed to hit—Eh, pfft!?]"

The monster with a huge, one-eyed eye shot out a long tongue from its mouth, hitting her in the face and stopping the chanting.

Sticky saliva smeared Lefia's face. Philweis was right; the frog archers' attacks were almost harmless, but they could also launch long-range attacks, putting Lefia in a tough fight.

She actually felt that the training difficulty had indeed increased.

The enemy is not singular but plural, and we must also be wary of fire from the perimeter.

She even felt that there might be no better practice subject than this frog monster when learning "parallel chanting".

"—Proud warriors, archers of the forest."

Lefia continued singing, dealing with both physical impacts and long-range tongue strikes.

"[With the advancing plunderers ahead, take up your bows. Respond to the voice of your people, nock your arrows.]"

She let her skin be bruised and battered, and sweat pour down her face as she passionately wove incantations.

Always maintain a broad perspective, have the heart of a great tree, and employ minimal self-defense combined with movement and evasion.

Lefia incorporated all the teachings of Ais, Riveria, and Philweis into her actions.

"[Light the flames, forest lights. Command your arrows, fire arrows of the elves!]"

The incantation was interrupted several times, and the chanting failed several times, but Lefia never complained.

She will never kneel down and admit defeat.

"[Like a sudden downpour, fire burns the barbarian tribes]."

Her eyes reflected the goal she wanted to reach, the aspirations of a young girl standing at a high place.

In her heart, there was the image of the young man who was probably still vomiting blood and running around.

I will not lose, I will never admit defeat.

Fueled by an indomitable, fiery will, Lefia cried out:

"—[Volley of Fire Javelin]!!"

The incantation is complete.

Lefia shrugged off the physical impact and dodged the barrage of tongue strikes, leaping backward and unleashing a golden magic circle beneath her feet. Dozens of fire arrows generated by the magic circle rained down on the swarm of frog archers.

The monsters' enormous single eye and skin were stained a fiery crimson as they were engulfed by a storm of magic projectiles.

Before it even had a chance to let out a death scream, the wide-area attack magic unleashed its power, and several explosions rang out.

"..."

Philweis was originally fighting off the monsters that had invaded the room to avoid interfering with her training, but when she saw the scene in front of her, she narrowed her eyes.

Panting heavily, the elven girl, staff in hand, stood steadfastly amidst the remnants of sparks and magic.

"It's getting more and more presentable."

After eliminating the frog archers, it's time to rest.

Phil Weiss walked up to Lefia and said those words as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Th-thank you so much! Thanks to Miss Phil Weiss, I was able to…!"

"No, you already had a foundation before I taught you, all thanks to your hard work."

Receiving smiles and praise, Lefia blushed, holding her wand. She felt as if even Ais and the others had praised her teachings, and she felt so proud and happy that she didn't know what to do.

Lefia lowered her head and fidgeted, while Phil Weiss gazed at her tenderly with her crimson eyes.

"However, Miss Philweis's teaching method is really easy to understand, and I can feel that the training is going very smoothly... I think Miss Philweis might be very suitable to be a teacher?"

"...It was just a coincidence; I don't have the capacity to lead others."

The "magic power" that their bodies had been expending suddenly caused fatigue, and Lefia and Philwis sat on the ground in the dungeon.

The two sat facing each other with their knees bent in the center of the cave. Lefia started a conversation, and Philweis gave a stiff reply. But it wasn't a cold rejection; rather, it was an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

Seeing the girl with her eyes closed and a slightly flushed face, Lefia couldn't help but laugh.

She sensed even before training began that the distance between them had shortened.

It's no longer the distant, unapproachable relationship we had when we first met.

Through conversations and sharing of feelings, and then overcoming the battle on the 24th floor, their hearts drew closer.

As Dionysus, the chief god, once said, perhaps Phileith did indeed open her heart to him.

Lefia felt very happy and her heart was filled with warmth.

But she couldn't resist making even more greedy demands.

She had a wish that Phil Weiss could help her fulfill.

"Um, Miss Philweis..."

"What is it, Veridis?"

Lefia blushed and said to the girl of her tribe who was watching her:

"May I call you by your name from now on...? Can you call me Rafia?"

Upon hearing this suggestion, Phil Weiss froze on the spot, and then—her entire face turned bright red.

She seemed to understand what he meant, and immediately became shy, refusing to agree no matter what.

"There's no way!"

"Please!"

"I told you, it's impossible!"

Please give it a try!

"You're so annoying!?"

"I'm just so annoyed!!"

Both of them blushed and started yelling at each other.

Lefia leaned closer, pleading desperately, her voice growing louder and more excited, overwhelming Phil Weiss.

She leaned back slightly, unable to speak, and finally turned her flushed face to the side.

When Lefia saw her turn her face away, she thought she had indeed angered her and felt frustrated.

However, Philweis, who refused to meet Lefia's eyes even in death, her lips opening and closing several times—finally murmured in a barely audible voice:

"...Leviathan."

The girl's profile, even the elf's pointed ears, were flushed red.

Hearing her softly call her name, Lefia's expression visibly brightened, and she replied with a "Yes!", her face beaming with a smile.

On one side, she was bowing her head, the blush on her face still lingering, while on the other side, she was chuckling foolishly, expressing joy with her whole body.

The two elven girls, who were complete opposites, even forgot that they were in a dungeon and enjoyed a period of peace for a while.

"...I have a question I'd like to ask, is that alright?"

"...What's the problem?"

"Are you... also going to participate in the 'Expedition'?"

Just as they finally regained their composure and the relaxed atmosphere gradually faded.

The two discussed the Loki Familia's "expedition".

"...Yes, I will also go with Miss Ais and the others to the floors we haven't reached yet."

They will enter the deepest part of the area in three days.

In the dungeon guide that combines the overall combat strength of the factions, Riveria and Finn have personally told Lefia that she has also been assigned to the main team heading to the 59th floor.

Upon hearing her say that she would become a turret and rear support personnel (supporter), following Ais and other first-level adventurers to the deeper levels, Philweis's crimson eyes lowered slightly.

"Is that so..."

Only this one sentence escaped from between his thin lips.

Amidst a complex mix of emotions, including a fleeting moment of loneliness, Phil Weiss remained silent.

Under Lefia's gaze, she finally opened her closed eyelids.

"I remember you can copy... the magic to summon your fellow (elves), right?"

"Huh... Ah, yes."

Phil Weiss stood up, and Rafia looked up at her.

Upon hearing her mention the origin of the nickname "Thousand Spirits," Lefia nodded reflexively.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me the conditions for summoning magic?"

She asked Lefia what the conditions were for performing magic.

Lefia was a step behind and stood up as well. Although she hesitated for a moment, she trusted Philweis and confessed the "magical" information that should have been kept secret.

Summoning magic: [Spirit Ring]

Magic that is limited to one's own kind (elves) can be used by oneself by paying the casting time and mind for both spells.

The conditions for summoning are: complete mastery of the spell's effects and incantation.