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

Hearing the stern voice coming from the figure in front of her, Lefia nodded, and a gust of wind rose.

With a sharp "thump!" sound of kicking the grass, the figure suddenly disappeared—blowing away the individual in front of it.

Just like before, she swept a wooden sword across the ground and felled the man-eating flower that prided itself on its enormous size. Before Lefia could even stare in astonishment, the masked adventurer drew a large circle, dispersing the monsters that surrounded them.

The enemy group that was trying to surround the boy and girl was forced back in one fell swoop.

(Wow, so fast...!?)

The swift movement left Lefia frozen in place.

Even with Lv.3 dynamic vision, the carnivorous plants struggled in agony, unleashing countless tentacles, but the masked adventurer swiftly slipped through them, delivering another powerful blow. The monster's long, thin body was slammed into the remaining crystal pillar.

The incredible speed and sharp combos made both her and Bell tremble.

"How……!?"

The remnants of the dark faction are the same in this respect.

They were supposed to witness the carnage from afar until the very end, but the one-sided, overwhelming battle made them scream in horror.

"……This is……"

The masked adventurer, who had been launching an overwhelming offensive, got up and grumbled as he watched the carnivorous plant being knocked away, roaring angrily.

The texture of the bark she felt from the wooden sword seemed to indicate its formidable hardness; the fact that the bark was so tough that it couldn't be broken no matter how hard she tried to cut it surprised her.

Lefia snapped back to reality and quickly called out:

"Hitting and striking won't work on that kind of monster! Slashing attacks are more effective!"

For a fleeting moment, the sight of her fellow elven ears peeking out from under her hoodie, and the intense, high-speed battle reminiscent of a swordswoman, drew Lefia's attention, but she still shared the information she knew with the other party.

"Also, it reacts to 'magic'!"

Just the next moment.

Equipped with a short katana in his left hand, he fought off the tentacled adventurer, then narrowed his sky-blue eyes and began to chant.

"[The forest and sky that have now faded into the distance. The endless night sky inlaid with countless stars]."

"Parallel chanting".

Lefia's eyes widened to their limit.

Up to ten carnivorous plants were simultaneously drawn by the rising "magic," roaring and their tentacles flying everywhere. The masked adventurer dodged, cut, and deflected them all, continuing his rapid run and letting his high-pitched song echo across the battlefield.

"[Respond to my foolish voice, and grant me the protection of the star once more. I give light and mercy to those who have forsaken you.]"

Attack, move, dodge, and chant. If defense is also included, it's five actions performed simultaneously and with remarkable speed. Most astonishingly, even while chanting, her overwhelming attack speed shows no sign of decreasing.

Lefia was deeply shocked.

This reminded her of the "magic swordswoman" Philvis. However, unlike her who used short, incantation-based "magic," she was now performing a long incantation. While it wouldn't involve setting up a magic circle, what she was about to unleash was undoubtedly a high-powered "bombardment."

Users of "Parallel Chanting" and "Magic Swordsmen".

People believe that what clearly distinguishes these two is the power of "magic." In a more general sense, it is the presence or absence of a magic circle.

Compared to the former, who primarily wield "magic" as a weapon, the latter refers to those who specialize in "magic" to the point of mastering "magical skills" (developmental abilities) and can fight independently on the front lines. If we were to categorize Lefia and Riveria, they would be rear-guard mages who have mastered "parallel chanting," essentially mobile artillery.

Therefore, strictly speaking, that masked adventurer was not a "magic swordsman".

She is fundamentally different from professional defenders like Lefia—an elven warrior.

(More than Miss Philvis, or Lady Riveria...!?)

The masked adventurer's "parallel chanting" was far more precise, swift, and intense than that of Riveria, a pure defensive mage.

No, that's not right. She's more accustomed to singing than that strongest mage in the city.

The only difference lies in the number of times "parallel chanting" is used.

As if on the front lines of a fierce battle, without anyone's protection, she wove countless "parallel chants," and as if she had brought songs of victory time and time again, she brandished her blade and uttered a generous and intense song.

"Come, wandering wind, drifting traveler."

Despite bearing some resemblance to the Sword Maiden, there are decisive differences between the Masked Adventurer and her.

It's not just about hand-to-hand combat; it can also annihilate large groups of enemies with magical firepower in an instant.

The scale and volume of "magic" that this avant-garde profession should not possess are comparable to the artillery fire of a high-ranking mage.

It's practically a combination of herself (Lefia) and Ais, a high-speed mobile turret with enhanced speed.

"[Soaring through the skies, galloping across the wilderness, moving at a speed surpassing all things]—"

Lefia was speechless as she watched the elven warrior who could handle all enemies with ease, a user of "Parallel Chanting" who would leave even first-level adventurers dumbfounded.

Her graceful singing and dancing, as swift as the wind, captivated even Bell.

"[—Conquering the enemy with the brilliance of a galaxy!]!"

The chanting was quickly completed.

At the same time, the masked adventurer jumped backward, greatly increasing the distance between himself and the enemy.

She pointed the wooden sword in her right hand at the swarm of carnivorous plants, summoning countless large orbs of light around herself.

"【Light of the Wind】!!"

The star magic entwined with green winds is activated.

That was the same kind of magic as one of Lefia's trump cards. Compared to a barrage of projectiles that wins by sheer number of projectiles, her area-of-effect attack magic had a larger scale for each projectile.

The carnivorous plants that relentlessly pursued the masked stomach monsters were engulfed by the barrage of fire from the giant sphere of light.

"————————————————————————Ahhh!?"

Countless explosions erupted.

Those man-eating flowers struck by the "magic" had holes ripped into their bodies, shattering in the light, their petals and tentacles blown to smithereens. The overwhelming power caused all the "colorful magic stones" to explode, turning the monsters' flesh into dust.

The roar of the shelling, the mountains of monster corpses, and the rising dust and smoke... the sight before their eyes caused Lefia and Bell, whom she was supporting, to spasm in their faces.

"...A bit...that went too far."

The masked adventurer said this while glancing in a certain direction.

The sky-blue eyes looked towards the depths of the forest, where the remnants of the dark faction, who had been hiding, were already fleeing in panic.

It seems the other side has no intention of using any more tactics; the battle is over.

As her cloak billowed in the wind, she tucked the katana and wooden sword into her scabbard.

Soon, she walked straight toward Lefia and the others, her long boots, which covered half of her beautiful leg curves, clicking as she went.

"Ah... thank you so much for saving us... so, you are...?"

"I'll answer the questions later; let's get treatment first."

Seeing her fellow adventurers approach, Lefia spoke in a panic, but they glanced at their bodies and told her not to ask any further questions. Bell, needless to say, also had obvious external injuries on her body.

The masked adventurer immediately began the treatment as she instructed.

She first had Bell sit down on the spot. As for the obedient boy, seeing that Lefia was also present, he seemed unsure whether he could call out her name, who was hiding her true identity, and hesitated to speak.

“Um, um…”

"Please don't move, Mr. Crannie."

The masked adventurer knelt on one knee, gently bringing his right hand close to Bell's face.

"【The song of the forest that has now faded away. A melody of life in remembrance】."

Then, she chanted a different kind of incantation than before.

"May you grant healing to those who seek you."

Both Lefia and Bell wore expressions of disbelief.

"【Noah's Healing】".

Just as they expected, the other party used "healing magic".

Like sunlight filtering through the trees, the warm light took a little time to slowly heal Bell's head lacerations and facial abrasions.

The masked adventurer focused the warm light in his palm, then sequentially aimed it at the boy's skin, which was burned by the dissolving liquid, and at the bruises and sprains.

"You...you can use healing magic...?"

"Yes, but unlike elixirs, it doesn't have an immediate effect, so its use is limited."

The mental energy consumed was less efficient than the previous attack magic, not to mention compared to a healer. The masked adventurer answered Bell's question in this way.

Witnessing that the other party was omnipotent, whether as an adventurer or a magical race (elf), and only knew how to bombard... Correction, Lefia, who specialized in firepower, almost lost all confidence in all aspects, but after the boy's death, she asked him to treat her.

The external injuries on both of them disappeared, and the dissolved skin was completely restored.

Bell also gave her some magic potion. She staggered and was unsteady on her feet, but she still managed to stand up on her own.

Lefia faced the masked adventurer again, determined to get to the bottom of things this time, however...

"Alright, Mr. Craney... I don't know what your secret is, but I'm really disappointed this time."

“Ugh…”

The elf looked at him with an almost reproachful gaze.

The narrow, sky-blue eyes hidden beneath the hoodie made Bell shrink back.

"If I remember correctly, I just brought you back to the campsite after you got lost in the forest, didn't I?"

"I'm so sorry...!"

"I should have told you, the forest is very dangerous at night."

The masked adventurer lectured Bell, scolding him for wandering in the forest and nearly losing his life. Coupled with Bell's hunched shoulders and downcast head, he looked like a boy being scolded by his neighbor's older sister.

The relationship between the upper and lower parts is obvious at a glance.

"Please, please wait a moment!"

At this time.

Lefia hurriedly stepped forward.

"It's all my fault, all my fault... I'm the one who caused this person to be affected."

"..."

"He did nothing wrong... so please don't misunderstand him, my fellow countryman."

Rafia spoke up for Bell.

Ignoring the surprised boy, she locked eyes with the silent woman of her tribe.

After hesitating for a long time, Rafia squeezed out her voice and told her clearly:

"...He saved me."

Needless to say, Bell was involved in the conflict between the dark factions, and the battle with the Underground Gatekeeper would have been extremely dangerous without Bell's presence.

Although Lefia didn't really want to praise the boy... she was still very grateful to him for protecting her.

Suppressing the urge to groan, Lefia admitted her mistake and told the boy that she shouldn't have blamed him.

The masked adventurer, who had been listening quietly to her explanation, let out a soft "heh".

She did smile under her hoodie.

"I am very happy to meet a fellow countryman like you."

Seeing that the elf before her was nothing like an elf at all, able to admit her mistake against her own dignity (pride), her tone revealed joy.

These words, which seemed to come from the heart, caused Lefia's cheeks to flush red.

The woman of the same tribe turned back to Bell and bowed slightly in apology.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Craney, I was too hasty."

"No, no... I was wrong too."

The masked adventurer apologized, and Bell put one hand on his head.

Seeing the misunderstanding cleared up, Lefia felt relieved... but at the same time, she felt that this voice and behavior seemed familiar... specifically, in a certain tavern... She had a question that was bothering her and growing stronger.

Just as she was deep in thought, a sound like kicking trees came from above her head—and a blonde, golden-eyed girl appeared.