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

The third time was after Ais had just reached Lv.5.

In the first battle, Ais was destined to lose, but fortunately, Riveria and others intervened and the matter was dropped; the second battle ended in a draw; the third battle was in fact a complete victory for Ais.

"Why attack us at this time?"

"Why should I tell an ugly freak who'll soon be unable to speak?"

All the fighting stemmed from Frini's dislike for Frini. Initially, she only wanted to give the arrogant girl with the fastest record an adventurer's "baptism." However, this girl grew stronger at an extraordinary speed, eventually surpassing Frini in status, reputation, and strength.

"Stronger than myself (Folini), more beautiful than myself (Folini)."

Although Frini strongly disagreed, others thought otherwise. She could no longer tolerate it.

Freya hated the beautiful girl who had so easily become a first-class adventurer. Just like the chief goddess (Ishtar) hated the goddess of beauty (Freya). Beneath the open veil, Freya's large eyes were bloodshot.

Even from the sidelines, it was clear that she was filled with murderous intent and indignation. Judging from her past experiences, Ais realized that this battle was inevitable.

(—Luminous particles?)

At that moment, Ais noticed something.

Beneath the lifted veil, Phryne's face, exposed to the outside air, emitted particles of light.

"I'm going to take you down today, [Fiora]!"

The face shield was pulled down with a loud bang, and the emitted light particles were also blocked.

In the blink of an eye, the giantess raised her great battle axes high and charged forward.

"————"

That approaching speed.

It was faster than Ais had anticipated, overwhelming, and constituted an undeniable "threat".

「!?」

The ground where Ais had been standing just seconds before exploded as if the scene had been replayed.

Frini, who was raising her right battle axe to swing, met Ais, who narrowly dodged with her left battle axe.

[Fiora] successfully blocked the attack with her weapon this time, and the excessively strong impact made the sword vibrate.

—So heavy!

Ais was astonished.

Frini Jamil should be LV5, but she is engaging in close combat with strength and speed almost on par with a LV6 [Sword Maiden].

"Hehehehehe! What's wrong, [Fiora]?!"

"...!"

Ais used a sharp sword to meet the double blades that were swinging freely everywhere.

The battle was extremely fierce, causing even the surrounding members of the group and the Amazons to gasp in shock. Blades clashed, sending sparks and the sounds of impact scattering across the trading port.

(Upgrade? She's reached Lv.6 too...?)

Judging from all these factors—attack power, movement speed, and perception range—Ais's intuition screams: the enemy's abilities (stats) are definitely not Lv.5.

There are countless possible reasons why Frini's upgrade might not have been announced, whether it was due to a lack of reporting to the guild or a lack of official updates. Perhaps she really has reached Lc6.

But, but, what is this sense of disharmony?

What exactly is this omnipotent feeling emanating from the opponent, as if intoxicated by heavenly nectar—?

"Miss Ais!?"

Seeing that Ais and Freni were evenly matched, their companions all cheered.

While simultaneously fighting two Amazonian Level 2 adventurers (Navi), other girls watched in surprise as the [Sword Maiden] struggled against an unexpected predicament—

"Stop making so much noise!!"

Flini, seemingly annoyed by the harsh sound, threw an axe.

That was thrown at Navi.

This brutal throw, disregarding the fact that her own people (Amazons) would be affected, possessed the obvious power to blast all the girls to pieces in one go.

As the great axe hurtled toward them, Navi and the Amazons, who were engaged in battle, froze in place.

"!"

Ais, who had temporarily distanced herself from Frini, ran at top speed.

She cut into the attack beam and used her sword to knock away the high-speed spinning blade (cutting machine).

"Hehehehe! You idiot!"

Seeing Ais stand up to protect Navi and the others, Frini mocked her and took the opportunity to corner her.

The extraordinary power of the greatsword caused Ais to lose her balance, and Phryne, facing her, raised another great axe and slashed down on her head.

“Wu!?”

Ais was forced to block the blow head-on with her sword, her knees buckled, and the ground cracked.

Seeing the girl like a butterfly pinned to a board, Freni tore her lips into a savage grin, then roared:

"Now's the time! Sally, do it!"

The roar was directed towards the area outside the battlefield.

The Amazons who hadn't participated in the attack but were hiding on the rooftops, as if they had planned it all along, pointed their staffs at Ais and chanted something.

"~ ...

In an instant, a sharp high-frequency wave struck Ais and Freni.

Unable to bear the unpleasant noise that felt like it was piercing her chest, Ais forcefully swung away the axe that had been blocked, and tumbled and rolled away from her original position.

"That was...?"

The persistent tinnitus deep within her eardrums made Ais frown, but she wasn't injured. There were no other noticeable abnormalities.

To be honest, the ultrasound waves from earlier also affected Frini, hitting both of them directly. Turning his gaze, he saw that the armored Titan hadn't changed at all. She didn't pursue, but simply observed him as if watching a good show.

Aiss had her doubts; the fact that she noticed that could only be described as intuition.

—Could it be?

Driven by a sense of foreboding, she opened her lips and uttered:

"...[Awaken (Tempest)]".

The "wind" enchantment, which should have been triggered by a very short incantation, remained silent, not responding to Ais's call.

"...!?"

"Hehehehehehehehe! Looks like it was a success!"

Seeing that Ais's [Wind Spirit Dash] had not been activated, Freni let out the loudest laugh of the day.

Frini's overjoyed demeanor, along with the events that had transpired in her life, led Ais to the answer.

"A curse...!"

"You guessed right!!"

That is different from pure "magic," as its name suggests, it is the power of the object of a curse.

The initiator must pay a price (be punished), but in return, they can exert spell effects that "magic" does not have. Things like "abnormal resistance (development ability)" are also meaningless, and can only be used to defend against or break spells in limited ways.

The "curse" used this time is most likely "demon sealing".

This power can seal the "magic" of those who are "cursed".

(She doesn't actually have any "magic"...!)

For Frini, who had not learned "magic," the curse would have no effect whatsoever. The enemy probably had planned all along to have Frini subdue Ais and then use the "curse" against her.

She always avoided using [Wind Spirit Dash] in human battles, but now she's suffering the consequences.

Ais's ultimate trump card has been locked away.

"These anti-status spells and curses were originally intended for the [Warrior (Otah)]... Hehehehe, perfect for an experiment."

Freni muttered to herself, staring intently at Ais, who could no longer use "magic," licking her lips with her tongue sticking out from inside her helmet.

"I originally intended to render Nine Hell powerless as well! Luckily, she had a good nose!"

"...!"

"After all, an elf who can't use 'magic' is completely useless!"

Hearing her opponent insult Riveria, Ais wanted to yell back, "That's not true!" but Frini's sudden swing of her axe stopped her.

Having withstood a powerful and astonishing blow, the sword emitted a sharp, piercing sound.

"Even without 'Wind' you're no match! You're no match for me now! Aa ...

"...!"

These kinds of "curses" can be broken by defeating the sorcerers, but the "sealer" sorcerers who were with Frini's group have long since disappeared. Under these circumstances, it is impossible to chase after them.

Waiting for the "curse's" time limit to pass is also a poor strategy. Because Ais has to catch up with Tiona and the others, there is simply no extra time.

Facing the female giant who was still wielding Lv.6 power, Ais glared fiercely and stood up to fight using only her swordsman abilities.

—He's just like a hero from a fairy tale.

The orc girl hid in the shadows of the warehouse, watching the valiant figure of the [Sword Maiden] as she fought.

"!"

Surrounded by Amazonian guards led by a long-legged shrew, a mix of emotions swirled in her emerald eyes.

Beneath the hooded kimono, long, golden hair, identical to Ais's, swayed shamefully.

✉

The large ship carrying Tione and Argana and the others had already sailed out to sea.

Once they left the land, all that reached them was the light from the lighthouse covering the shore.

On the ship, where no one approached, amidst the sea caves where Tiona was fighting, the sounds of fierce beatings echoed continuously, fueled by the fervent atmosphere of the Amazonian people.

“Shh!”

Tiony's high kick caught Algana.

Aljana defended with her arms, jumped back, and tilted her head in confusion.

"You're much better than you were in yesterday's battle, Tione... Why?"

Tione's precision had improved. Her swift and accurate movements effectively put her at a draw with Algana.

"Have you become less perceptive?"

Although Tiony said this, she was secretly sticking out her tongue.

Tiony and Tiona had only reached Lv.6 the day before arriving in Melen. Yesterday, she felt she hadn't caught up with her rapidly increasing abilities. In other words, it was a gap between her physical and mental state, but in battles between first-level adventurers, even this small thing could be fatal.

Before the battle, Tione sparred with Tiona for this very purpose. Just as Ais had trained her body to handle a large group of monsters after reaching Level 6, Tione also adjusted her mind and body in a simulated battle that resembled actual combat.

Now, Tiony has firmly grasped the reins of her body, controlling this fierce steed, and will no longer lag behind her opponent as before. Tiona should also no longer be completely suppressed by Baje from beginning to end.

(That's what they say, but she's still stronger in terms of "strength"...)

I heard that Algana and the others reached Lv.6 in the last few years. In short, they are still slightly better than me and Tiona. Judging solely from ability stats, our opponents are still stronger.

However, the last conflict also made Tione realize that the gap in ability between his opponents and himself was not as large as that between Finn and the others.

Then it comes down to "skill" and "tactics". Whoever craves victory the most will be the winner.

"Oh, is that so? I've become slow-witted!"

Even when Tione spoke harshly, Algana simply accepted it with a smile.

As long as she was in the midst of battle, this female warrior could enjoy herself to the fullest, and she put on a fierce smile.

"Then I need to become faster... stronger."

"!"

As her fighting spirit and killing intent surged, Algana charged forward. Tione met her attack head-on.