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

Page 854

(Now there's absolutely no way to chase after those adventurers. Bell Craney clearly asked me to do this, what a rip-off!)

The only Level 2 adventurer cursed himself inwardly while pondering how to break through this situation.

"Hmph, hmph hmph hmph...!? This magical artifact is too powerful! It even obeys monsters from the 'Deep Layer'... The Dark Faction is truly magnificent!"

On the other hand, in the passage through which Aisha and the others escaped, the werewolf Tucker was overjoyed.

He looked down at the red whip with the pearl at the front, indulging in a false sense of omnipotence.

The whip was actually a magical tool created by the remnants of the "evil forces" hiding in the man-made maze.

This is a "mysterious" crystallization—no, a collection of "curses"—developed by the hunters [Ikeros Familia] in order to raise funds for smuggling monsters such as "Heretics" and to create "safe goods" that would satisfy buyers.

Even a beast tamer with insufficient abilities, or rather, without the abilities of a beast tamer, can make a monster obey simply by putting a collar on it; it is a forbidden magical item.

Because its effectiveness was so astonishing, this "sinful" property never entered the mass production stage; Jala took advantage of this man-made labyrinth incident to bring it all out.

"When I first heard about Jalal's 'plan,' I thought he'd gone mad... but now it's feasible, it'll work!"

The werewolf youth who had long enjoyed the benefits of serving the only surviving cat-man in the Rudra Familia—originally a small-time hoodlum with no connection to "evil forces"—became loyal to him after witnessing the effects of this magical item.

Not only did he agree to frame Jaro's nemesis, Gale, but he also guaranteed that his "plan" would succeed.

"Let's hurry and go! Follow Jhalo's orders!"

The other comrades carrying backpacks all nodded.

Tucker and the others left behind the "Lemton" gift and departed.

"Haruhime, 'Level Boost'! Begin chanting!"

"Should we... should we use the Nine-Tails (Kujō)? Use it on Master Mikoto and all of them?"

"Two tails are enough! If you faint now, it'll cause trouble later! Upgrade the levels of both [Ignis] and [Warrior]!"

Aisha and the others, following Lily's instructions, arrived at a dead-end cave.

She called out the nicknames of Welf and Sakura, issuing a barrage of instructions.

As the only one with experience in exploring deep areas, she wouldn't let Lily and Daphne interrupt. She always saw the balance of the entire team from a perspective different from the commander's, and hearing her gruff voice, it was clear how critical the situation was.

"The last 'enhanced species' was also... I'm never bored with you guys."

"I never dreamed that a fighting prostitute (barbela) would say that."

"Yes, it's a real shame... no, should we feel honored?"

Aisha, with a hint of complaint, turned her lips into a smile and raised her broadsword.

Enveloped in the light particles of "Level Ascension," Welf and Sakura joked around as they picked up a greatsword, an axe, and a shield, and stood on either side of her.

With their strength focused on the vanguard, the team battles against the "deep" monsters.

"...This is the [Calamity]?"

"Cassandra, stop spacing out!"

While the prophesied girl was still in a daze, the battle began.

"──────────────────────!!"

The special collar around its neck glowed in a resonant manner, and the giant serpent monster "Lemton" shook its entire body.

"It took me quite a bit of effort to move this guy to this floor."

"Lambton" reacted to the whip bouncing off the ground, bending its long body to launch a fierce attack, and Ms. Ryu and I desperately tried to get rid of it.

"Although this thing can move by digging, it's still so big that it'll be discovered eventually. Every time it's exposed, it has to devour all the adventurers who see it."

"...!"

"The most tiring part was releasing it out of the man-made labyrinth (Knossos)."

As I clenched my fists, the man glanced at me as he bluntly admitted to killing someone.

"【White Rabbit's Paw】, after you fought with Ikeros and his gang, I gave up on the artificial labyrinth (Knossos). Because you would cause... no, when that bastard Dix messed it up, I guessed the guild would investigate my hiding place (secret base)!"

Sure enough, things turned out just as I expected! The man yelled at me.

"Since our hiding place was gone, and our safety was no longer guaranteed... From that moment on, I began to carry out the 'plan'."

Thrown back by the shockwave, I turned my head as I landed and asked without thinking:

"Back then!?"

"That's right. How could I possibly take the monster away in just one or two days while Leon was chasing me? I hid two 'Lymton' on this floor first."

"Varied……"

"As long as they stay quietly in the water, they won't be caught by other adventurers. Oh right, I forgot, maybe Tucker and the others are letting the monsters attack other adventurers? Because I also gave those guys a 'whip'."

"...!"

The man continued, trying to sway my resolve:

"Then, two days ago, just as the faction (familia) alliance finally poured into the artificial labyrinth (Knossos), I made a 'plan' in advance and was about to go out with the others... when I was caught by Leon, who happened to be there."

He glared directly at Miss Liu with genuine resentment.

"To deal with this woman who's chasing us, I've used Arjan and Tucker. Leon will definitely come after us since we're ahead on this floor. I want them to use this time to incite the townspeople and try to slow her down."

So, when he managed to get rid of Miss Ryu and escape from the man-made maze to the 18th floor, he first sent two of his men to the town. That's roughly how it happened.

One of them was caught by Ms. Ryu, who caught up with her later, and was interrogated before she rushed to the 27th floor.

The werewolf named Tucker escaped undetected... presumably by using his interrogated accomplice. He killed his fallen accomplice, pretending to be one of [Wind's] henchmen, and then ran to report to us and Mr. Perth in town.

Then, following the man's instructions, he led everyone to form the "Gale" subjugation team.

These wildly speculative imaginings of mine are making me increasingly nauseous.

However, I'm sure I'm right.

"Those guys who came with me to the 27th floor, Leon, I originally intended to use them as bait to lure you away! Just when those people from town finally arrived, I blew them all up in one go!"

"...!"

He recruited the townspeople as his accomplices, sacrificing them in order to raise their guard against [Gale].

Hearing the other party speak so brazenly, Miss Liu's face turned furious.

I also feel fear and disgust towards such an unscrupulous opponent.

But... now that things have come to this, why is he revealing the whole story?

Is it to show that he's calm and collected? Or is it to disrupt our concentration? Or perhaps... to buy time?

Just as I was puzzled, a tail fell from above, accompanied by an even stronger impact that shattered the ground.

“Wu!?”

I jumped back significantly, creating distance.

As I tried to catch my breath, which was almost too suffocating, Ms. Ryu landed beside me.

"It seems that Jarrow did indeed allow this monster to absorb the 'magic stone.' Its abilities have been enhanced."

"...!"

These words prepared me mentally for a long battle.

The enemy is such a behemoth that targeting the "magic stone" embedded within its body is virtually impossible. A desperate, one-hit kill won't work. Perhaps sacrificing a significant amount of mental energy to unleash "magic" and disrupt the balance of power is the most practical tactic.

Faced with a physical collision that can send everything flying, even volunteering to form a human wall wouldn't be effective... Should we implement "parallel chanting" and "parallel charging," with the two of us becoming artillery emplacements? But with such an obvious and easy-to-understand tactic, would that beast tamer just sit idly by...?

I drew upon my experience to try and devise the best way to fight.

However, what Ms. Ryu said next surprised me.

"However, I have figured out that guy's commands and the monster's movements."

She told me that she had completely mastered the attack pattern instilled in her by the animal trainer—the "Lymton" movement driven by the "whip"—which left me speechless.

They've already figured it out... in such a short time!?

"Breaking that collar is an option, but if the monster starts causing trouble after it's freed, things will get complicated. I'll use force to strip it of its power."

"Oh, okay! But, but, how do I do it...?"

"Jarra is wary of my 'magic.' So, I'll use this weapon to deal with it."

Unlike me, who was flustered, Miss Ryu's fingers quickly slid across the wooden sword.

"Mr. Craney, you take care of the diversionary tactic. I'll deal with the monster."

"I...I understand!"

"The only tricky problem is that the monster digs underground. Once it makes a move to burrow, please stop it with a quick-attack spell. I trust you."

Faced with an overwhelmingly powerful monster, seasoned adventurers clearly asserted:

"I've played against 'Lemton' once—there's no reason to lose to it."

Miss Ryu—no, it's the Astrea Familia—whose guild login record is floor 41. She has fought many battles in the deepest areas and is a true powerhouse.

They possess keen observation and insight, as well as the intelligence to fluently formulate and propose battle plans. Most importantly, they have the essential awareness to make decisions and carry them out.

I couldn't help but feel that my "level" as an adventurer was far inferior to that of this person.

"I want to finish this quickly and then capture my enemy (Jara)."

The fairy harbored a burning anger within her heart, which manifested as a swift arrow.

"!!"

At the same time, I ran out in the opposite direction.

The monster's compound eyes darted around, each eye capturing its prey that scattered to the left and right.

I attack the monster to draw attention again, using maximum "agility (foot speed)" to confuse my opponent.

“Haaaa!”

"Huh!?"

Taking advantage of this opening, Miss Liu bravely threw herself into the enemy's arms.

Just as she had said, she had seen through the enemy's movements. She dodged the monster's counterattacks with its long body by the narrowest of margins, and slashed repeatedly with her wooden sword, which she had infused with the force of a thrust. The monster's scales were blown away, and its skin gradually became tattered. The attacks produced an impact as heavy as a sledgehammer, and a smooth, audible sound as they slid quickly across her eardrums.

As for me, I sheathed the "White Illusion" equipped on my left hand.

The free hand reached towards the left leg.

I quietly checked the items stored in the reinforced leg pack.

There are high potions, magic potions, antidotes, and two rare high dual potions.

--Don't be reluctant to use it.

I made up my mind and began to play the chime.

【Hero's Wish (Argonauts)】

Pure white light particles gathered in the left hand and began to accumulate power in parallel.

To deal with a large-scale attack of this magnitude, it would probably require more than two minutes of charging up.

However, my current responsibility is not to kill the opponent.

Instead, they continued to cover for her!

"Tsk, burrowing underground! 'Lambton'!"