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

She didn't want to tell Bell about her absurd and nonsensical "precognitive dreams," which she herself couldn't fully grasp, and confuse his judgment.

"...Mr. Bell."

Cassandra believed her "prophetic dreams" were a "curse".

Nobody wanted to believe it.

Nobody took it seriously.

Even the gods may not have noticed.

However, there was only one person... this boy was willing to believe. For Cassandra, this was a kind of salvation.

She didn't want to let go. She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to lose him.

If she could have him as her own, Cassandra would be willing to be his lover, or even his partner.

This wasn't longing, but a scheme to seek redemption—a distorted emotion. Even if she was rapidly drawn to him, it wasn't to the boy himself, but merely a delusion fueled by the belief in the "uniqueness" of a "dream." Cassandra thought it was nothing more than that.

Therefore, I am definitely not good enough for him.

But Cassandra wanted him to live, wanted to see him forever… This desire should be allowed.

"Please come back alive."

Cassandra told him this seemingly exaggerated statement with all her heart.

"After we get back to the surface... I want to talk to you about more things."

I have no choice but to entrust it to him.

Entrust it to that white light, whose ending even "precognitive dreams" cannot foresee.

After the young prophet made her wish with swaying eyes, the boy smiled brightly at her, as if he could blow away all the mere tragedy.

"Okay, I promise you."

Volume Thirteen, Chapter Three: The True Meaning of Gale

That is the fire of anger.

It was an urge to burn my chest; there was no other way to describe it.

When I saw that figure from behind.

The moment I witnessed that profile.

I captured that fleeting moment in those eyes.

Her dormant emotions, deep within her heart, then surged forth.

Still alive!

Still alive!

Still alive!

Those guys—that man!

Once she unfortunately comes to this understanding, who can stop her burning anger?

The hand holding the wooden sword trembled, and the weapon itself emitted a low, indistinct, angry groan.

This became the tipping point. She shed her cloak of justice and transformed into a pure beast, relentlessly pursuing the numerous figures emitting terrified screams.

Countless flashes of silver blades streaked along the way.

She had no recollection of the amount of water that splattered with blood.

When she learned about "that," she was driven by righteous indignation.

No, righteous indignation is just a facade; perhaps she simply wants to vent her wild and unrestrained passion. Because even she herself can no longer distinguish which is her true self.

She was simply driven by impulses called anger, by dark emotions.

They deceived themselves by using convenient terms like "sense of mission."

—This time, this time for sure.

The blade was ravenously hungry, and her heart was raging with intense passion.

The memories of the past roared, demanding that she settle everything.

As she transformed into a gust of wind, speeding through the maze faster than anything else, she suddenly thought:

My first confidant, it seems, once said something to me when I was easily impulsive.

My second confidant seems to have forgiven me for my mistakes.

What would that third-ranked boy think if he saw me now?

As anger and resentment burned within her, only this matter concerned her.

then.

Her hands, which had shaken with them, stung as if she were sobbing, but she pretended not to notice.

*

Only highly skilled adventurers in the expedition team who have considerable exploration experience in the "Water City" are allowed to advance to the 27th floor.

Mr. Perth was in charge of the elite force, and I represented the Hestia Familia. At first, Mr. Perth seemed hesitant when he heard that only I was participating, but after I explained the reasons, such as the speed of movement—and Miss Aisha gave him a glare—he was allowed to participate.

I put on the Goliath scarf that Miss Welf and Miss Cassandra had prepared for me, and with Lily and the others watching us go, we set off from the 25th floor.

"Ooh o ...

Amidst the splashing water, ferocious roars rose and fell.

The monster's yellow eyes flashed with ferocity as it attacked us adventurers.

"Half-fishman".

These are half-fish, half-human monsters covered in blue scales. Like humanoid creatures, they walk on two legs, and their protruding fin-like hands wield the "landform"—natural weapons. Their scale-covered appearance evokes the term "lizardman of the water." They begin to appear on the 26th floor and are particularly formidable enemies in the "Water City of Mystery."

The half-fish warriors emerged from the water flowing through the tunnels, wielding the natural weapons of the "lower layers"—crystal maces.

"Mmm-hmm!"

I leaped to dodge the attack that shattered the crystal ground, and the White Illusion flashed past right above the Merman's head.

With a twist of the waist, the lightning-fast slash easily severed the monster's head.

The ultra-lightweight, gleaming dagger displayed its exceptional agility, allowing me to skillfully sever all the crystal hammers and spears that slammed into me by hordes of enemies, even while I was in mid-air.

"!?"

Seeing me charge into the horde of monsters and fight with acrobatic skill, the merfolk clearly showed fear.

I didn't miss this opening, and as I landed, I used my hand as a support to execute a spinning kick that stayed close to the ground.

The monsters were kicked hard in the legs, causing their companions to fall to the ground.

"Mr. Perth!"

"good!"

Mr. Perth and the others immediately swung their weapons at the fallen horde of monsters. Their raised greatswords and hammers, aptly described as "wiping out" the half-fishmen in one fell swoop.

(The murlocs' tactics are basically based on collective action. But once the "murloc leader" at the center of the group is eliminated, they will lose their leadership!)

Although this was my first time dealing with "half-fishmen," I had already grasped their ecology and attack methods after listening to Miss Eina's lectures. I practiced the methods from the textbook while using a modified version of the lightning-fast tactics to launch rapid attacks on the enemy horde.

I rushed toward the merman leader in front of me, who was being guarded by other monsters and kept making unpleasant "clucking" noises.

(Wearing the Goliath Scarf seems to have slowed me down a bit? But that's alright!)

Unlike the "White Illusion," the scarf, which prides itself on its enormous weight, made me feel like I was being pressed down from my neck down; but I increased my speed by a step.

Before the surrounding monsters could react, I drew a black dagger from my waist toward the half-fish leader with its wide-open eyes.

"call!!"

“Guaaaaaa!?”

The Goddess Blade, drawn with a whoosh, unleashed its power on the "Half-Fish Leader".

The powerful, cannon-like slash struck the monster's chest, instantly reducing the monster leader to dust, which scattered across the ground, losing its original form.

"Oh no, it's light quartz!?"

"!"

Immediately afterwards, I heard screams from Mr. Perth and the others behind me, which made me turn around.

Within a passage at least five meters high, several purple crystals floated in the air. At the center of a crystal the size of a round shield, there was a pale yellow organ resembling a single eye.

"Floating Crystal" is an inorganic monster.

They float above the adventurers' heads, with a crystal-like appearance and no means of close combat.

The only, and most troublesome, attack method is the heat beam emitted from the single eye!

"! 』

“Hmm!”

Faced with the incoming thin beam of light (laser), we all jumped back.

Amber light scorched the crystal-encrusted floors and walls of the underground city, etching a line. Mr. Perth and his companions hurriedly sought cover and looked for an opportunity to act.

The standard method for defeating floating crystals is to let them fire all their beams, then attack while they are charging for their next attack. This is also the most correct approach.

However, I plunged into the burst of hot light.

Because I believe that if it were that person with golden aspirations, they certainly wouldn't stop.

"Hey, hey, [White Rabbit Feet]!?"

I endured the gasps of the high-level adventurers as I increased my speed.

The enemy is floating in the air.

The dagger couldn't reach that distance.

(Although quick-attack spells (fire and lightning) would also work!)

Give it a try.

I listened to the almost inspired whispers in my mind, and gripped the scarf around my neck with my right hand.

The next instant, I suddenly untied the Goliath scarf and swept it out in one swift motion.

"Given that level of weight!"

I'll use it like a whip... no, like a chain.

Use it to block and deflect the beams of light emitted by multiple floating crystals, and then hit them directly!

『──!? 』

The jet-black scarf, hurtling towards them like a whirlwind, shattered the monster's crystals into dust or knocked them to the ground.

The shattered floating crystals either lose their luster and fall silent, or they lose their "magic stone" and return to dust.

"It worked...!"

Armor made from the hide of the Black Giant (Goliath) (a dropped item) is unique. Its sturdiness, capable of withstanding both blades and flames, makes it as tough as the hardest shield, and conversely, it can also be the hardest weapon.

I secretly applauded the scarf that could even bounce off the light from floating crystals.

"It hurts, it hurts..."

I smiled excitedly as I rubbed my right arm.

It might be that the unfamiliar movement or the weight of the scarf injured my tendon. While thinking, "It seems best to use it less until I get used to it," I decided not to be stingy and sprinkled some recovery medicine (elixir) on my arm.

This is different from the linear long-range attack of [Flame Lightning]; it is a mid-range "indirect attack".

Now, the attack methods might change even more.

Although Welf prepared this for me as a piece of protective gear, I feel a little guilty towards him...

"【White Rabbit's Paws】...Is this really your first time on this floor?"

Mr. Perth said this as he came over to me.

The monsters were all defeated, so the other adventurers disarmed themselves. Mr. Perth, in particular, squinted at me as if he had seen something dazzling.