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

We can only rely on the paths pioneered by our forerunners.

(But why did they choose to turn back temporarily on this route?)

The adventurers died from "poisoning." Ryu, like Bell, concluded so.

As they continued along the remaining route, the adventurers temporarily fled due to being poisoned, eventually returning to the small cave that had served as their base. That was what Ryu had initially thought.

But upon closer inspection, it seems quite unnatural.

Would a high-level adventurer who has been poisoned and has no way to cure it really make a pointless return to a distant outpost?

If it were Ryu, she would "advance." Without any items, she would have to fight against the time it takes for the "poison" to kill her body, and choosing to turn back would almost be cutting off her own escape route. This would be even more true if she couldn't expect reinforcements to arrive.

We should take a desperate gamble to find a way out and discover a legitimate path.

Wouldn't a high-level adventurer who could reach this deep area take a gamble on "adventure"?

(...or is there something ahead of them that forces them to abandon this path...?)

A sense of worry flashed through Liu's mind as she pondered the matter repeatedly.

"Miss Ryu, what's next...?"

"...Follow the map and proceed along the next route."

Bell, who had finally regained normal breathing, looked up and asked, to which Ryu gave a brief reply.

In any case, there were no other options from the beginning.

She leaned on Bell's shoulder and started moving forward again.

"...?"

After walking for a while...

The path that Ryu and his companions were taking had changed.

The stairs stubbornly stretched upwards. The usual undulating terrain where you climbed as high as you descended was gone; several times you encountered increasingly steep drops. Although the 37th floor used a multi-level structure, it was rare to see a path so compelling adventurers to ascend.

Ryu felt surprised and became constantly plagued by doubts.

(This terrain...could it be...?)

The stairs never stopped, going up and up again.

It was like being put on the gallows or led to the execution platform.

The "doubts" you hold are about to transform into strong "confidence".

Since falling into the "deep layer," the coldest sweat slid down Ryu's cheeks.

--How could such a thing happen?

It seems the underground city really wants to end their lives.

Now, the path they are on is—Ryu unfortunately discovered their current location, and was so desperate that he wanted to laugh.

"Miss Ryu?"

"...No, it's nothing."

Bell noticed Ryu's expression, but she tried her best not to let Bell sense her despair.

All Liu can do now is hide her despair beneath her expression.

"Now I know where we are."

"……!Really!?"

"Yes, please follow the passage, you should see a large staircase."

She only conveys the facts.

Soon, just as Ryu had predicted, a large, murky white staircase with crooked steps appeared.

"As long as you can climb the stairs and cross the 'area ahead'... you can get to the proper route."

Upon hearing Ryu's words, a glimmer of hope appeared on Bell's face.

Compared to the boy who suddenly felt energetic and began climbing the stairs, Ryu could only remain silent about the only option she was forced to point out.

Bell should think about this carefully.

Why was Ryu able to pinpoint her current location before even reaching the main route? How did she manage to find her way through the vast 37th floor, comparable to the entire labyrinth city?

Of course, this would only be because she had encountered an important point in the maze—or an area where she needed to be on high alert.

Bell didn't realize that Liu had memories because this was a "dangerous place" that had to be avoided at all costs; when he climbed the last step, he experienced a shiver of fear that he had lost count of how many times.

"──────"

It was an enormous cavern.

But it is clear that the structure there is completely different from that of other areas.

First, from where Bell and his companions are currently—the entrance to the passage—to the cave floor is a height of fifty meters. Far below, the floor is covered with sharp, protruding rocks, like a forest of spears, leaving no gaps. A fall from there would mean certain death, even for a high-ranking adventurer.

The only foothold they could build was the long bridge that stretched out in front of them.

It stretches all the way into the dim depths, leading to the enormous "structure" that stands at the center of the space.

At the edge of that "construct," several shadowy figures resembling monsters swayed.

At this moment, the roars that reached the sky had an indiscernible number of overlapping layers, letting Bell know that the enemy's resources were enough to make them feel despair.

He stood there, frozen in place, as Ryu, suppressing her emotions, told him:

"This is the 'Colosseum'... a killing field where monsters are born endlessly."

○

"arena".

This is one of the large spaces confirmed on the 37th floor.

True to its name as a large space, its size is exceptional among spaces on the same floor, but its exact area has not yet been measured. This is because the danger is simply too high, forcing people to abandon the idea of ​​measuring it.

Based on Bell's visual and sensory perception, the cavern appeared to be as large as, or even larger than, the great void on the 25th floor. The ceiling remained completely dark, making it impossible to determine the height. Perhaps due to air movement, a "whoosh" sound echoed from the dry, cold air flowing through the canyon floor far below, covered in sharp, rocky rocks. The sheer scale made Bell's throat tremble.

What is particularly noteworthy is probably that huge "structure" that sits alone in the center of the vast cave.

Its shape is reminiscent of a "facility" in a labyrinthine city.

"Amphitheatre...?"

The huge circular structure is exactly the same as that facility.

It emits a faint phosphorescent glow, emerging from the darkness.

The massive, whitish-white mass connected to the bridge extending in front of them was still emitting what sounded like the furious roars of a monster.

"To be precise, 'arena' doesn't refer to this area, but rather to the structure standing in the center of the cave. The name comes from... the unique characteristic of monsters that are endlessly slain."

To avoid being noticed by the monsters inside the cave, Ryu instructed Bel to lie down on the ground, and then she made the same gesture beside him and spoke.

"As soon as the number of monsters in this space decreases, the 'arena' will immediately spawn new monsters, never deviating from the predetermined limit. In other words, it's infinite."

"...!!"

"Just like a miniature dungeon... perhaps that's a way to describe this space."

Bell already knew.

He had already learned from Eina's lectures that there was a "deep zone" where monsters would endlessly emerge, with a certain number as the limit.

But having witnessed it firsthand and heard it from Ryu, Bell truly felt despair eroding his heart. The boy, now a high-ranking adventurer, unfortunately understood just how profound this fact was.

Even in the "Deep Layers," where production intervals are short and adventurers are forced to engage in continuous battles, there will always be moments when they won't encounter monsters. But this "Arena" is different. Unlike ordinary caves or passages where the fighting never ends, this "Arena" is an endless battle that will continue until the adventurer is exhausted and dies.

The "Infinite Goblet" continuously produces monsters.

This is the nickname adventurers gave to the "Arena" with trepidation and fear.

"Even first-class adventurer parties won't come near... This is the dangerous area of ​​the 37th floor."

These words left Bell speechless.

First-level adventurers—a realm that even Ais and her friends wouldn't set foot in?

It can rival the "floor master" who slumbers on the same floor, or even be the most dangerous death zone.

—Once you cross this road, you'll reach the proper route.

Bell finally understood the true meaning of Liu's words.

"In order to gain hope, one must cross this abyss of despair."

Sweat glands open wide.

What follows is an urge to pull your hair out indiscriminately.

The remains of the adventurers who had died in the small cave... the despair that had crushed them, all converged fairly around Bell and his companions. Bell's eyes darted around uncertainly, his lips uttering barely audible breaths, and countless beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

"..."

Ryu secretly glanced at Bell's profile.

The elf, dressed in a long cloak, seemed to have made up his mind under the hood, his brows furrowed and his eyes blazing.

"There is no other way but through the 'Arena'."

After the two temporarily withdrew from the entrance of the cave passage...

Ryu clearly told him.

"Miss Ryu, this..."

"We could never have turned back from here. We didn't have the strength, and we didn't have the equipment."

The location is in the middle of the grand staircase leading to the "Arena".

Liu didn't waste a single second, taking out several items from her backpack without even glancing at Bell, and busily got to work.

What Liu said is true.

Bell and his team didn't have the resources to explore other routes from here. At least, without reaching the proper route from here, escaping the 37th floor would become extremely impractical.

To survive, there is no other way but to break through the "arena" blocking their way.

"Now is the critical moment... no, it's the time when we inevitably have to 'take the risk'."

Ryu raised her head, her sky-blue eyes fixed on him.

Bell looked at it, his throat trembled, and then... he nodded.

He was covered in sweat and his heart was pounding, but he still chose to believe in Ryu, who had helped him all along.

Ryu nodded in response to Bell's complete trust.

"But how can we break through the 'Arena'? No matter how we fight them, they just keep appearing endlessly. If we try to fight them..."

"Of course, we must avoid all combat. We need to move stealthily through that area without the monsters noticing."

After saying that, Liu stopped preparing.

She used both hands to pull back a piece of black cloth.

"This is……"

"Yes, I sewed this up using the skin of a skeletal sheep."

Ryu explained it to the surprised Bell.

In her battles against monsters so far, Ryu has collected several "dropped items" into her backpack. This "Skeleton Sheep's Skin Robe" is one of them.

She tore a spare leather robe into thread and sewed the two robes together with a bone needle.

The coverage area is just enough to accommodate two people.

"...Could it be that this is going to replace the 'camouflage cloth'?"

The "Skeleton Sheep" can assimilate with the gloom that permeates the entire floor, thereby launching an attack.

In other words, the "stealth" ability that the "Death Hermit" had used to cause them so much trouble was now being imitated by them. Having personally experienced how troublesome that effect was, Bell also felt that it was indeed possible to fool the monster's vision.

"We need to get rid of body odor too. I'm going to crush the monster's entrails now and sprinkle them all over our bodies."

"Ugh...!?"