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

wrong.

That's not some "Grim Reaper".

That's a monster.

「!?」

I gripped the hilt of the sword from its sheath at my waist and drew it in one swift motion.

Protecting the immobile Miss Ryu, I stood up and raised the Goddess's Blade.

Faced with me like this, Death (the monster) seemed to chuckle, clicking and rattling his mask.

○

A memorable first encounter.

My first battle in the "deep" realm, and possibly my last, was against a "sheep."

"Skeleton Sheep".

This sheep-like monster, which appears in the deepest regions, is a medium-sized creature, approximately 140 cm tall. Its face, with two empty eye sockets (holes), and its entire body, as its name suggests, are composed of "bones."

These are the so-called skeletons. This race, which can move and wander around despite having no flesh or internal organs, is still considered an anomaly even in the dungeon, and they frequently appear on the 37th floor.

The most representative monster is probably the "Earthborn." These are skeletal warriors whose entire bodies are made of bones. Due to their striking appearance, even novice adventurers who cannot enter areas below the middle level know about these monsters.

Putting everything else aside, I've heard that the "floor master" who appeared on the 37th floor is also a skeleton.

This murky white labyrinth can be described as a den of "living corpses".

"...!?"

As I dug out all the information about the Deep Species (monsters) that I had learned from Miss Eina's lectures before the expedition, I scanned the skeletal monster that violated the laws of biology.

The sheep's skull appears as if floating in the dim light, but the area below the head is not clearly visible. This is because the "skin" extending from the back of the skull covers the skeletal body.

Unlike other skeletons, the "skeleton sheep" has a long and large "skin".

It covered its entire body, including its toes, leaving only the bones and hooves barely visible. The skin was far from clean, a dull color, and riddled with tears, making it look like it was wearing a tattered robe. No wonder it reminded me of Death.

There are also some extra "skin" around the neck, like a hood, hanging down from the left and right sides.

The only information available from the field of vision was a skull that appeared to be floating eerily in the darkness.

"..."

The monster simply stared at me with its dark, sunken eye sockets. It shook its skull, making a clicking, rattling sound that echoed eerily through the labyrinth.

Should I observe the enemy's moves, or take the initiative to strike? The extreme tension made me hesitate in my judgment.

After the eerie sound abruptly stopped, the next moment...

The skull's face was now right in front of me.

「!?」

The moment I heard the sound of the stomping of the ground, the "skeleton sheep" had already rapidly approached me.

The reason was simple: the "skin" concealed the enemy's body. The inability to see the bending of their limbs or their preparatory movements for advance led to this failure. I relied too much on visual intelligence and missed the prelude to the attack.

Two twisted horns pressed in, followed by open upper and lower jaws.

The bone mask, devoid of any emotion, reveals countless ugly, sharp teeth.

I stared in disbelief, and in a moment of panic, I leaned to the side.

“Wu!?”

I fled to the ground, and the skeletal sheep leaped over my head.

The monster, its surprise attack having failed, landed with a thud. I immediately stood up and stepped forward to protect Ms. Ryu, who was still lying on the ground.

Just as I finally decided to start attacking the monster...

"Huh...it's gone!?"

There was no trace of the enemy, not even a shadow.

All that could be seen were the still-smoking ruins of the collapsed structure, and a dark, gloomy space spread out.

How could this be? Could it be... gone?!

"No!... It's 'the robe of the skeletal sheep's fur'...!"

At that moment, Ms. Ryu, who was standing at my feet, seemed to groan as she uttered the name of a "dropped item".

My heart skipped a beat.

That's right, the "skin" of the "skeleton sheep" is not just used to cover its body.

Instead, it blends into the dimness that permeates the entire floor, using "camouflage" to conceal itself. In other words, it's like the "camouflage" used by adventurers when hunting. The "Skeleton Sheep" can hide in the darkness.

The eerie sound of knocking on bones instills fear in its prey, which then silently creeps closer to devour its life.

Adventurers have given the "Skeleton Sheep" another name – "The Death Hermit"!

(Where is it, where is it... where could it have come from!?)

I kept looking around. No matter where I looked, there was only darkness. The enemy must have covered his head with an extra hood, making him completely invisible. I was utterly bewildered and manipulated by the enemy's ability to "steal."

The loud, pounding heartbeat drowned out the only clue—hearing—and robbed the peace of mind.

Just as I was beginning to waver, Miss Ryu called out again:

"right……!"

"!"

All that could be heard was the sound of fur robes fluttering and bones rubbing against each other.

I dodged at the last second, but it was too slow.

The wind that blew brought a terrifying heat to the right arm that was being brushed against.

Although it was only a small part, a chunk of flesh had been bitten off his arm. Ignoring my wide-eyed stare, he let the "skeleton sheep," its fur robe billowing, land on its four legs.

"Ugh...!?"

The instant I turned my head while holding down my right arm... I regretted looking.

A gurgling chewing sound came from between the monster's fangs.

My flesh and blood, which had been taken from me, dripped incessantly from the seams of my jawbone, and even from between the bones of my throat.

The "skeleton sheep" was dyed red from its chin to its throat.

That disgusting appearance truly instilled in me a fear of monsters—no, a fear of the deeper areas (dungeons).

“──!”

The "skeleton sheep" no longer concealed its ferocious killing intent. It first shook its body frequently, and then lowered the position of its skull to almost touching the ground.

He lowered his posture, almost as if he were standing on his toes under a fur coat.

An ominous atmosphere made the adventurer's instincts flash red.

The next instant, pop pop pop!! The monster's "skin" swelled up.

"Varied……!?"

It turns out that a part of the body (skeleton) has bulged up.

It is a long-range weapon that pierces the swollen "skin" from the inside and fires at the prey.

Three "bone spears" came rapidly toward me.

It's a spike—no, it's a "pile"!

I was unable to completely dodge the long-range attack launched by the enemy's extended skeleton.

Two areas, above the right shoulder and between the left armpit, had flesh removed.

“Ugh!?”

Although I was spared from being pierced, I was unsteady on my feet, and the "skeleton sheep" continued its pursuit, intending to send me straight to my death.

It lunged forward, kicking and stomping the ground as it retracted its extended bones.

The sharp, blood-stained fangs are about to pierce my neck!

"Ugh... Waa ...

"!"

Just before my throat was about to be bitten through, I extended my left arm to sacrifice my neck.

The "skeleton sheep" that bit my arm pinned me down, causing my back to slam hard against the ground.

"Mr. Crannie!"

Miss Ryu's shouts were intertwined with the sounds of my battle with the monster.

However, I soon sensed that she had suddenly realized something.

The monster's fangs did not pierce my skin.

I deliberately let it bite my left arm.

It bit into the arm wrapped in layers of black leather.

It was the Goliath Scarf. This toughest armor, which had even successfully withstood the Destroyer's "claw" attacks, could block any enemy attack. Its sharp fangs made a grinding sound, trying again and again to bite through my arm, but just couldn't. At that moment, I first sensed the "Skeleton Sheep's" emotional reaction—confusion.

I groaned in pain from my left arm as I desperately struggled to resist by flailing my limbs.

We fought fiercely for a few seconds.

The "skeleton sheep" suddenly began to convulse and stopped moving.

The monster's abdomen emerged from its leather robe. The Goddess's Blade, held in my right hand, pierced the gap between its ribs, shattering the blue-purple light floating within its empty body... "Magic Stone."

In an instant, the "skeleton sheep" turned into dust, its outline disappearing into the void.

"Haa, haa, ha...!?"

Ignoring the thick dust that streamed down my body, I looked up at the maze's ceiling, panting.

Only one battle.

Just that alone has consumed so much of my energy.

This is... the "deep layer".

"...!"

No, this is bad, this won't do.

If they encounter other monsters in their current state, this time it really will be—

Driven by instinct, I crawled out of the dust that had buried me and picked up Miss Ryu's fallen body.

I supported her with my shoulder again and we started to move.

(I have to get out of here...!)

If we don't hurry, the other monsters that heard the fighting will come over.

I absolutely couldn't fight the monster again. The stamina my "healing magic" restored was used up in just one hit. We need to escape to another place and weather this storm.

I strode forward without hesitation.

The "skeleton sheep" caused my fresh wound to bleed.

I've been bleeding heavily since just now. If I'm not careful, my head feels like it's about to succumb to dizziness. If it weren't for the upgrade (rank up) that granted me superhuman Lv.4 resilience, I would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

With each step forward, physical strength and energy are ruthlessly depleted.

My left arm hurts so much, I feel like I could just cut it off. It's like a description of my fate; the pain makes the word "destruction" flash endlessly in my mind.

Even so, I continued on.

To move forward in order to survive.

I became no different from a broken doll, just moving forward.

"...Mr. Crannie...that's enough..."

Just as she couldn't bear to watch this agonizing march any longer, Miss Ryu, who had initially offered no resistance, moved her lips and said: