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

"────"

That was an emerald-colored magic circle that encompassed all the elves.

The radiant field of light absorbed the remnants of "magic" scattered within the passage, gradually "restoring" them onto the surrounding elves.

It also applies "Royal Blessing," which enhances the power of "magic."

(—Rare skill.)

Rives, whose eyes were wide open and bulging, only understood this much.

"Just like Finn and his ilk once looked down on the dark faction—"

The elven royal family used the time gained by the elves through the barrage of projectiles to complete the incantation, allowing Linglong's exquisite voice to resound throughout the passage.

"You underestimate us too much."

Faced with her "prey" who approached her without bothering to scheme or plot, Rivera made a cold and ruthless declaration.

"[Snowflakes fall heavily, three harsh winters have passed—my name is Alfre!]"

She stood side by side with Lefia, who was chanting the Summon Burst spell, raising her staff.

Just as the emerald magic circle emitted an even brighter light, the voices of the two elves—master and apprentice—overlapped:

"[Ecstasy: Fimbulb Winter]!!"

A total of six blizzards swept away the snow.

Faced with the massive "freezing bombardment" launched simultaneously by both sides, Rives clicked her tongue.

"Tsk!?"

She kicked the floor of the main passageway where she had been standing, and at the last second, she plunged into a side passage of the maze.

Her left arm, unable to escape the firing trajectory in time, along with the cursed sword, was swallowed by the blizzard's jaws. The monster twisted one eye, and in a split second, she abandoned it. She used all her strength to shatter the instantly frozen arm, preventing herself from being dragged into the artillery's path.

Less than a second later, a deafening blizzard roared up behind Revis.

Two ice cannons, capable of freezing everything, left a trail of azure blue that engulfed the main passage, creating an illogical scene of extreme cold within the labyrinth. Revis endured the chilling air, which still frostbitten her skin even when she escaped into a side passage, as she withstood the bombardment... When she removed her right arm from her face, she saw a veritable "frozen cave" in her field of vision.

The passageway was covered in frost, and the entire space was submerged by huge blocks of ice and ice pillars.

It became an "ice cave" with no gaps to squeeze through, refusing passage to anyone.

"A bunch of little flying insects...you're pretty clever!"

Rives angrily slammed her fist into the icicle in front of her, but only the surface cracked; she couldn't break the massive block of ice. She couldn't use the main passage, and she had no way to leave to catch up with Riveria and the others.

What's terrifying is that, despite having only one corner, they were able to completely freeze this stone maze, which was built using "Obsidian Soldier's Body Stone" that reduces the effects of "magic".

Even after deducting the extraordinary effect of "simultaneous firing" of the same spell due to "summoning magic," its power is still terrifying.

"Damn it, does even repairing take time...!"

And she lost an arm.

The severed portion of the left arm below the elbow was frozen in ice, preventing the monster's much-vaunted "self-regeneration" from working for a long time.

Rives was tricked by the elf master and his apprentice, and the humiliation made her tremble with anger.

"Lady Rui-Ruiweis!? What... what is this...!?"

"You guys figure out a way to clear these ice blocks, I'm going to take another route to catch up with those elves!"

Hearing the artillery fire, the remnants of the dark faction gathered; Rives left the icy passage to them to deal with and began to move in the opposite direction.

(That elven royal family is troublesome. Carelessness could lead to a repeat of the same mistake. Perhaps I should wait for my left arm to heal... Damn, that will take some time.)

Seeing that the wound hadn't even started to heal yet, Ruiwei cursed inwardly.

The door, opened by the key, made a heavy "thump!" sound, as if representing the woman's restlessness.

"Have they left?"

Meanwhile, the loud slamming of a door on the other side made Riveria twitch her sharp ears.

Riveria and the others didn't leave their original positions. Instead of spreading out, they hid around the corner of the main passage, waiting for Revis to leave on her own. Because this action was so daring, Lefia and the others, who had been watching the ice-covered passage the whole time, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"None of you should leave my magic circle. I need to collect the 'magic essence' from the scene."

"Yes, Lady Rivera!"

The emerald magic circle radiating from Riveria collected the remnants of "magic" that filled the passageway. Not only Riveria herself, but also the elves' bodies absorbed these remnants. This was the true nature of the "skill" that had so horrified Revis.

【Alf Regina】.

Even looking back at the long history, this "rare skill" probably only appeared in Riveria.

The effect is to enhance the "magic power (ability)" of the manifester (Rivilia), while also amplifying the magical effects of her fellow (elves) within the magic circle, and recovering the "magic essence" that has spread to the surroundings, converting it into spiritual power.

In other words, only those of the same race (elves) who stay within the magic circle set up by Riveria can have their magic power enhanced, and the mental energy consumed can be restored along with Riveria's.

The latter, in particular, brings unparalleled benefits. Although it is far inferior to the unreasonable recharge ability of the "Fairy Essence Clone" encountered on the 59th floor, its recovery efficiency is much higher than the "Mental Recovery" development ability that can automatically restore mental energy.

Finn ordered Riveria to launch a surprise attack on the man-made labyrinth entirely because of her "skill." The troops would inevitably have to traverse the vast, uncharted labyrinth, and the [Sign of the Elf King], capable of wielding enhanced magic and instantly restoring mental energy after use, would become a powerful weapon.

The ability that filled Loki with ecstasy when it manifested also gave rise to an elite elven force centered around Riveria. Overjoyed, Loki then wanted to give the force an extravagant name, "Fairy Force," but Riveria, who disliked superficiality, refused—but that's another story. —However, there's a little-known fact: the name unexpectedly became popular with the elven members, who secretly used it.

This is a little-known ability of Riveria, who is praised as "the strongest mage in the city," and it is also an extremely valuable team-wide skill.

"Lady Rivera, what should we do next?"

"First, replenish your supplies. My 'skills' aren't omnipotent enough to fully restore your mental strength. Also, treat the injured."

"yes!"

Led by Lefia, who even used summoning magic and launched a massive artillery barrage, the burden on the troops was not light. The group, centered around Alicia, gradually began resupplying.

Riveria told them to do it themselves and turned to a girl.

"Lakta, how's the map coming along?"

"Ah, yes, I'm drawing!"

Among the elf-led army, only one girl belongs to a different race.

That's Rakta the rabbit-woman. There's a reason why she was taken to the "Deep Layer" by Finn and the others under the guise of "playing" since she used to often be with Lefia.

She has a talent for mapmaking.

"No, but many places are blank...! It doesn't look like a map at all...!"

"It's alright, this will come in handy when we conquer man-made mazes in the future."

Faced with Lakta, who hopped around with rabbit ears and stammered, Riveria took the half-drawn map.

As the girl said, the map only recorded the passages that Riveria and the others had traversed, and it wasn't complete. However, details such as the number of "doors" were meticulously recorded, and considering that she drew it in her spare time while surrounded by Riveria and the others during their battle, it was already quite commendable. Normally, compasses cannot be used in underground labyrinths due to the effects of special minerals, but this man-made labyrinth is not subject to this limitation. Being able to determine that their current location is south of "Daedalus Road" is also a significant achievement.

Since the only goal this time is to avoid mindlessly going around in circles, this can already be considered a success.

"Lakta, I feel like we've already descended ten flights of stairs. What's your assessment?"

"Me too! I also think it's about ten stories deep if you convert it to an underground labyrinth..."

Upon hearing this answer from the mapmaker, who possessed exceptional spatial control abilities, Riveria pondered for a moment.

(Using the same old tricks won't work on that weirdo... If we encounter her again, my unit and I will surely be routed. We have to find an "escape route" now...)

Riveria would never underestimate Revis, nor would she dare to.

They were only able to skillfully deal with her because their opponent underestimated them. Just like when Finn was defeated, once the monsters enter a true combat-ready state and attack, Riveria's all-mage force will be overwhelmed by the enemy and wiped out in no time.

They cannot continue to fight against the remnants of the dark faction indefinitely.

Compared to the enemy's manpower and resources, the combat strength of Riveria and her companions was ultimately too insignificant.

(There is a way to find an escape route... if the god mentioned by Ais in her "past" is one of the main gods of the dark faction—an evil god...)

After a moment's thought, Riveria decided on her course of action.

"We need to find the 'tunnel' leading to the underground city. We'll start moving from south to southwest now."

"yes!"

The elves and Lakta stood up and immediately began to move.

To avoid encountering Revis, they stayed as far away from the battleground as possible. Following Rivera's directions, the group quickly found the staircase leading down from their current location on the tenth floor and began descending it.

The group went down one more floor from the eleventh floor to the twelfth floor.

Cautiously.

And quickly.

Just as the monster's attack suddenly stopped, Riveria and the others caught "Luck" with the help of Lakta's measurement technology.

"It's an underground city...!"

"Success!"

The sound of explosions and shattering debris rang out, and smoke billowed from the maze walls.

Lefia and the others emerged from the smoke and dust, and upon seeing the fogged-up floor—the genuine 12th floor of the dungeon—they cheered.

"It seems that the god who instigated the wyvern to attack Ais nine years ago really did use the man-made labyrinth..."

Rivera, having opened the "door" to the passageway and destroyed the labyrinth wall, turned to look at the stone path that perfectly connected to the underground city, and closed her eyes.

She wasn't sure if all the floors were connected to the man-made labyrinth. However, when Ais first joined the group, she mentioned having made contact with a relic that resembled an evil god on the 12th floor, which gave Riveria a clue. Even though there was no way to escape, the relic had vanished from the dungeon. Riveria believed it must have used the man-made labyrinth, meaning there was a passageway on the 12th floor.

Riveria finally breathed a sigh of relief, but only her mind still held onto her fighting spirit.

(A new "key" has arrived. Although many parts are left blank, the map of the maze has been drawn, and the escape route has been found... but it's still not enough.)

As those ordered to attack the labyrinth, our achievements are still insufficient.

That's what Riveria thinks.

(Ideally, we could also discover the location of the "Fairy Clone," or destroy important enemy facilities...)

The enemy's stronghold is now in chaos, presenting a golden opportunity.

Having fought their way through the artificial labyrinth, Rivera had a real understanding that the Loki Familia's efforts to cut off the enemy's man-eating plants (monsters) and supply lines had not been in vain. Coupled with Finn's surprise attack, the enemy's preparations were still incomplete. Such an opportunity would not come again. Rivera wanted to gather as much information as possible about the artificial labyrinth, striving to leave this magical realm completely undefended.

(Water strider monsters are endlessly emerging... There must be a small-scale breeding ground for them inside the man-made labyrinth, otherwise it's impossible to explain the origin of so many monsters. If only we could find them and destroy them...)

If there is one worrying problem, it is the existence of Rives.

(That strange man was also injured... My magic and Lefia's magic did indeed devour one of his arms.)

As Rivera unleashed her freezing barrage (Ecstasy of Fimbulwinter) upon her opponent, deep within the blizzard, she indeed witnessed the woman's arm detach from her body along with the cursed sword. Her opponent would likely not recklessly attack again, but would prioritize healing. In fact, if her opponent, weakened and reckless, had recklessly charged in, Rivera would have certainly sent her to her doom this time.

(Even if the strange woman gets close, at least as long as I keep casting second-tier attack magic (Advanced Sword of Victory), I can sense her approach before she gets close and retreat in time... Now that I have a way out, this is definitely not a gamble with a slim chance of winning.)

Rivera weighed the risks against the returns and made her decision.

She looked up at the elves' faces.

Although they had expended much of their strength, the fighting spirit in their eyes had not faded. Everyone was in high spirits, determined to destroy the demonic lair that had killed their comrades. Seeing their high morale, Riveria nodded in satisfaction.

"Listen up, now that we have an escape route, we will use this place as a starting point to disrupt the man-made maze once again, within the time limit."

She summoned the elves to the dungeon and announced to everyone that she would launch another attack.

As expected, no one objected to her intentions. Led by Alicia, the elves requested an imperial decree to ignite an even fiercer war.

"Fortunately, we have obtained the second 'key'. I hope someone can take this and travel through the 'underground city' from the 'Tower of Babel' to the 'Daedalus Road' to bring reinforcements here."

Rivera, kneeling on one knee, looked around at the members sitting in a circle. Considering the need for a speed that could quickly travel back and forth to the surface, and taking into account the consumption of mental energy, her eyes finally settled on the beautiful, thick golden hair.

"Lefia, go."

"!"

She specifically named the girl who had fought her way through the labyrinth as the unique "spear." She was the last new recruit to join the "elf force," and therefore bore the heaviest burden.

Although Lefia's firepower and "summoning magic" were a pity, Riveria judged that this was the best choice.

"This is also a very important responsibility. When we retreat, we will need the help of support troops... Can you bring them here immediately?"

"Okay! Three hours... no, I'll be back in an hour!"

"I trust you."

Lefia placed her right hand on her chest and spoke. Riveria returned her a faint smile and then stood up.

As the elves prepared to attack again, Lefia turned her back on her brethren and ran toward the entrance to the current cave.