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

Daphne, holding Lily, and Ming, holding Haruhime, led the group to retreat through the damaged passage.

Strangely, Aisha and the others, along with Cassandra, witnessed the same "giant serpent monster" that was confronting Bell and the others at the same time.

“That’s…!”

"Lemton...!"

Its enormous and towering body is classified as super-large, comparable to the "floor master".

It is a giant serpent monster with a total height of five meters and a total length of probably more than ten meters.

Faced with that incomparably long and massive body, my mind went blank for a moment.

Despite its imposing presence, I couldn't glean a single piece of information about the monster before me. Even when I heard Miss Ryu groan and utter words that sounded like its name, I remained completely clueless.

In order to embark on an "expedition" to the "lower levels," I've already memorized so much monster knowledge by being by Miss Eina's side...!

“—Ah.”

But very quickly.

When I grasped the deepest part of my mind, the information at the bottom of my memory, I couldn't breathe.

"Could it be...!?"

*

"Uranus".

The man in black spoke to the crystal ball he was holding.

"Just as you guessed, I discovered the vault for monsters."

Are there heretics imprisoned?

"No, no. There are only ordinary monsters."

This man was the right-hand man of the old god (Uranus), and the "wise man" who lived for eight hundred years—Fels.

When a certain faction launched its conquest of the artificial labyrinth (Knossos), the mage successfully and secretly infiltrated the labyrinth and is reporting the news to the magic item "oculus".

"As expected, in addition to the 'heretic,' they also transported other monsters captured in the dungeon."

"How many?"

"I can only say it's countless."

In the cold, stone-built hall, black cages of various sizes were scattered everywhere. Inside the cages were all sorts of monsters: plant-like monsters with yellowish-green skin, large groups of monsters that had been captured, and dragons whose saliva stretched between their countless fangs... Perhaps due to some kind of magical artifact, the monsters were in a state of calm, and no matter how close Fels approached, they only gave dull reactions.

The magician shone the magic stone lamp he was carrying in one hand on each one, and even though they had lost their living bodies, they still felt a chill run down their spines.

"Are Reed and the others there?"

"I split up with them. Some of the heretics had also been imprisoned, and I figured that even if they weren't compatriots, they wouldn't feel comfortable seeing this... Also, the enemy's offensive was very fierce."

"Is there any way to handle this?"

"To be honest, it's difficult. Not only are there many of them, but there are also many troublesome monsters among them."

Fels found a carelessly discarded monster register, glanced at it, and offered his straightforward opinion.

From the "middle level" to the "lower level," every kind of monster that could be considered difficult to deal with was present here. It seemed that the remnants of the "evil forces," led by the [Ikeros Familia], were repeating some kind of experiment; Fels noticed this as he read the documents.

Then, he stopped in front of the huge cage located at the deepest part of the hall.

"But then again, I really didn't expect this..."

Fels groaned softly from beneath his black clothes.

"Even the monsters from the deeper levels have been brought out..."

Before him stood two enormous cages, their iron bars bent askew from the inside.

Volume 13, Chapter 4, COUNTDOWN

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

The man's laughter echoed in the cave.

Ahead, as Ms. Ryu and I stood side by side, a giant basilisk dripped large drops of slime from between its sharp teeth.

It is the giant serpent monster "Lambton".

This is a rare monster from the deepest level. Its head tapers towards the front, and its gaping jaws are so large that it could potentially swallow even a large-sized (orc) creature whole. It has nine openings on either side of its mouth, organs not found on other monsters.

The most eye-catching feature is the artificial collar below the face, which, almost like a pet belonging to a trainer, is made of glowing rubies.

The skin color is dark blue.

Its amber-colored eyes darted around, staring at me and Miss Ryu.

"How did the monsters from the 'Deep Layer' get to the lower levels (here)...!?"

The appearance of monsters from a remote, deep region in the "Water City" is a truly extraordinary "abnormal situation."

Just as I was wavering in the face of this unbelievable situation, the cat-man twisted the corner of his mouth in a mocking manner.

"I brought it from the man-made labyrinth (Knossos). It was one of those guys captured there. You've had dealings with those creepy 'talking monsters' and Ikelos's gang, so you should understand what this means."

"...!"

The other person seemed to know everything about my involvement in the "Heretics" and the [Ikelos Familia] incident, as they shouted at me. Indeed, if this person was connected to that artificial demon palace, it wouldn't be hard to understand their background.

Even so, such a huge monster is bound to be seen by adventurers no matter what.

To this day, there has been no sighting among adventurers, not even a whisper of it. It's very strange!

Perhaps my inner screams were betrayed by my gaze, for the man maintained his cheerful demeanor and continued speaking to me:

"Haven't you heard of the 'White Rabbit's Foot'? Among countless monsters, only the 'Great Serpent Well' possesses this unique characteristic."

"...!"

"The name 'Lemton' is like an adventurer's nickname."

That's right.

Before the expedition, when I was listening to Miss Eina's lecture, I even used the "Deep Zone" monster encyclopedia as a reference, just in case. Now I am recalling the information about the monsters in the Deep Zone that I looked up back then.

"Lemton" was originally a nickname given to it by adventurers.

Its official name is "Worm Well".

I remembered the origin of the name and was startled; Miss Liu beside me twisted her eyebrows and said:

"'Lemton' will carve tunnels underground and move between floors...!"

"A monster moving between floors!?"

Upon hearing Aisha's explanation, Welf forgot his current situation and raised his voice to ask.

"That's right, that's why people call it the exaggerated nickname 'Lemton'."

The location is in the passageway on the 25th floor. Lily and the others, like Bell on the lower floors, are confronting the "Great Serpent Well." Aisha is among them, a smile that has lost its composure appearing on her face.

This "Great Serpent Well," which is considered an ominous sign, is located on the 37th floor.

The ability feared by adventurers, as the name suggests, is that it can dig deep, well-like tunnels between floors, appearing on the upper floors.

"A monster from the lower floors has somehow managed to enter the upper floors...!?"

This is not an "abnormal situation" for the "Great Serpent Well," but simply a "habit."

It could disregard the rules of the floor area and move freely between floors. As adventurers, Mikoto and Chigusa understood how terrifying this was, and their faces turned pale.

The unexpected encounter with a monster beyond imagination caused Lily to utter a stiff, frozen sound:

"So, what is that monster's ability...!"

The management organization (guild) has determined its potential to be Lv.4.

Its accidental appearance in the "lower levels," which pronounces an inevitable total annihilation on adventurers, can be called an "ominous sign."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Welf raised his greatsword and barked contemptuously.

Controlled by Tucker, who wields a red whip, "Orochi Well" slowly adopts an attack posture.

Just as the entire team tensed up, Aisha called out:

"You absolutely mustn't try to catch that monster! It'll take you to another floor!"

However, before that, once dragged underground, she would inevitably be caught between the rock and the monster's giant body and turned into mincemeat—Aisha didn't mention this.

In short, once that behemoth catches you, you're finished.

"Take them down, 'Lambton'!"

The werewolf Tucker lashed his whip across the ground, making a loud sound.

The giant serpent monster let out a low growl and pounced in one breath.

"Aa ...

“Wu!?”

I made a big dodge to avoid the "Great Serpent Well" that was rushing towards me from the front and back.

In the enormous cavern, which was at least 20 meters high and 50 meters wide, the monster's body easily reached the outermost wall with its impact, sending chills down my spine.

The serpentine body sliced ​​off fragments of crystal or crystal clusters from the ground, scattering them everywhere. The raging water even formed huge waves that crashed squarely against me.

Even though I was soaked to the bone, I still kept my eyes glued to the monster lurking in the distance.

"The difference in ability level between them and the monster on the 27th floor is too great...!"

The "Orochi Well" will appear and disappear mysteriously on the upper floors, starting from its 37th floor. Conversely, it will not appear on floors lower than its habitat. This is because in a labyrinth (dungeon), the deeper you go, the stronger the individuals (monsters) you encounter; going to the next floor in such an underground world is tantamount to suicide.

It's said that these monsters, which appear with potential abilities unsuitable for their respective floors, have caused the complete annihilation of many high-level adventurer teams. It's also rumored that the "Orochi Well," though residing in the "deep layers," is the most feared monster among adventurers exploring the lower areas.

The unique sound of digging into the ground is a harbinger of disaster.

It can be described as a monster that heralds an ominous sign.

(But even disregarding that, the "Orochi Well" has never appeared on such a high floor as the "Water City"!!)

The highest floor where this monster has been confirmed to appear is the 29th floor. Miss Eina clearly stated that it couldn't possibly have dug up a bedrock ten stories high.

Now the whole truth is out.

The "big hole" that Mr. Perth and I discovered was dug by this monster!

This is the trajectory of this "giant snake well"—an ominous sign—moving between floors!

"Jump up, 'Lemton'!"

The moment the cat-man animal trainer slams his whip to the ground.

"Lambton" roared and soared into the air in one breath after the start.

"What—"

A massive serpentine arch is depicted overhead, reaching a height of over ten meters.

Its skin glowed with a deep blue light, and its long, slender body swam gracefully in the air. Although it was a monster, the breathtaking sight still captivated me. Even as time seemed to slow down, a terrifying warning instinctively rose in my mind.

The aggregate of threats twisted its body, slowly, pulled by gravity.

The shadows obscured the white crystal in the ceiling (the light source). Only my location remained shrouded in darkness.

I looked up in astonishment and saw the enormous body of the serpent spinning as it fell directly below me.

"Get out of the way, Mr. Crannie!"

Miss Liu's shout pushed me from behind, and at the same time I dodged with all my might.

"──────────────────!!"

The cavern… no, the entire labyrinth trembled violently as “Lymton” smashed the ground I had been standing on just a second before.

Just as the impact sent me flying, that scene flashed through my vision.

The giant serpent monster spun its long body as it dug through the rock, creating a hole.

As my body bounced on the crystal, my long and large body had already completely disappeared into the ground.

I used the recoil from the roll to quickly stand up and barely regain my balance. However, when I saw the cave with a "big hole" dug out, I immediately turned pale.