Chapter 21: Growth

──Deep in a dark, deathly still cave. The only sounds were the dripping of water and a strangely cheerful hum.

“Hmm-mm-hmm~♪”

The source of the voice was, at a glance, bewitchingly out of place in this space.

Lustrous, dark skin and silver-ash hair that flowed as if in a breeze.

She walked with a gentle, dance-like step, her outstanding figure swaying.

In one hand, she held a teacup letting off white steam.

With an elegant gesture, she brought it to her lips and took a sip.

“…Hm, good. I suppose the plan is finally reaching its climax.”

Her long time in hiding was finally coming to an end—at the thought, a sensual smile bloomed on her lips.

A small slime wriggled at her feet, following her.

Its surface was a translucent, pale pink, and it was deftly holding up a silver tray of sweets with its tentacles.

“Oh, thank you, Furefi-chan.”

The woman gently stroked the slime’s squishy body, then plucked a sweet from the tray and brought it to her mouth.

──Consorting with a monster. An abnormal sight. But for this woman, it was just another day.

She lightly tapped one of the mana crystals embedded in the rock wall and, as if guided by its faint glow, stepped deeper into the cave.

Opening a door, she revealed a room lined with numerous barriers and cages, inside of which monsters held their breath in silence.

A small, flame-wreathed dragon; a tentacled, eyeball monster; a mist-like spirit—

“Now then~ I wonder if that little one is doing all right.”

As she scanned the cages with a smile—she suddenly stopped in front of a particularly large one.

“…Oh?”

The monster that was supposed to be inside was gone. It was an empty shell.

The next moment, the woman’s expression completely changed.

“—I-it’s gone?! Don’t tell me… it escaped?!”

CLATTER

The teacup in her hand fell to the floor with a dry sound.

The shattering of porcelain echoed throughout the cave.

The anxiety on her face revealed that not a shred of her earlier composure remained.

“…Why now? Of all the times…!”

Spinning around in a fluster, she ran deeper into the cave, her skirt fluttering.

As an unsettling presence tinged the cave air with a chill—her figure quietly vanished into the darkness.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

We finished our rest in the transfer room, surrounded by the faintly glowing magic circle. After clearing the 10th floor, we took our first steps onto the 11th.

The atmosphere was a complete change from the spacious passages of the floors up to the 10th.

The passages narrowed, and the light from the crystals embedded in the walls struggled to reach, making it seem as though dim shadows were squirming in every corner.

The damp air grew heavier, seeming to cling to the skin.

From this floor onward, the troublesome monsters would start to increase.

The ones to be especially wary of were the Fizaliths, which attacked from a distance.

They could launch wind magic with precision even from the depths of a narrow passage, making them hard to avoid a surprise attack.

We proceeded slowly, on high alert.

After several more battles, the coordination of our party gradually started to improve.

We descended smoothly through the 11th and 12th floors and proceeded to the 13th.

Our first encounter on the 13th floor was with a pack of Blood Dogs. There were five of them.

They were large beasts covered in jet-black fur, similar in shape to wolves, but their red eyes, abnormally long limbs, and split mouths gave them a grotesque appearance. They growled as they edged toward us.

First, Ichinose drew her sword and kicked off the ground.

She instantly lopped the head off one of the Blood Dogs.

THUD

The fur-covered body collapsed to the ground.

I could feel a wave of agitation run through the remaining Blood Dogs.

The remaining four turned from Ichinose and charged toward the rest of us.

“I’m going too!”

Elena swung her morning star, drawing the attention of the remaining Blood Dogs.

It turns out Elena isn’t just skilled in healing and support, but in close-quarters combat as well.

She hefted the heavy-looking morning star. And then, with all her might—

“Hiyah!!”

CRUNCH!!

A sound that seemed to echo in the bones rang out.

The morning star accurately smashed one of the creature’s skulls, and the Blood Dog let out a high-pitched “YIPE!” as it was sent flying into the wall.

With all eyes on Elena, I took the opening to chant my spell.

“«O earth, surge forth and conquer my foes—Conquista!»”

The ground responded to my mana, and earthen chains shot out, wrapping around the legs of the two foremost Blood Dogs and breaking their stance.

“I won’t let you escape!”

With the Blood Dogs immobilized, I moved in and delivered the finishing blows with my own saber.

“Leave it to me!”

Carnelia dashed forward, slipping past my side.

She raised her magic gun and pulled the trigger.

“First Echelon—’Alchemic Bullet’!”

A glowing bullet was fired, exploding on impact and felling another Blood Dog.

The last one, in a final act of defiance, activated its signature self-enhancement ability.

Red, vein-like light pulsed across its body, and with its newly strengthened physique, it leaped at me.

CRACKLE

Sharp fangs lunged for my throat—.

“Too bad. It’s an illusion.”

It was a fake, an illusion Prefa had cast.

The Blood Dog’s attack cut through empty air, its teeth clamping down on my intangible phantom.

The Blood Dog was confused.

Without missing the opportunity, Ichinose moved in swiftly and cut down the final beast.

The battle was over. Carnelia and I looked at each other, and our hands naturally went up for a high-five.

Carnelia smiled and slapped my hand in return.

We continued our smooth descent, and it was just as we reached the 15th floor.

In the depths of the dim passage, I saw several human figures.