Chapter 5

"Oryah!"

The light spirit orb, which had been sent flying with a dull thud, was pursued by the red-haired girl.

"Explosion—"

However, just before the attack, the "Thunder Cloak" gift manifested, and the girl screamed and rolled on the ground.

"Oh, you should learn a little,"

"..."

"There's no medicine for that."

The three—ranger, heavy warrior, and light warrior—looked at the clumsy battle with exasperation.

"Even though it's a monster that's hard to damage, this is just a waste of time."

The ranger, who had not even taken a stance to help in an emergency, sat down and complained to Tanis, who was waiting in the rear. He was right.

Moreover, if they were left in a sorry state after just one battle, it would affect the next one, and using potions would increase expenses. But they couldn't help her.

The red-haired girl insisted on defeating it by herself.

"Sorry, just wait a little longer."

This selfish act was ruining the party's "productive time," but Tanis was calming his companions. He had decided to let the girl do as she pleased this time.

"Damn..."

The girl, under the intense gaze, wiped her mouth and stood up.

"Weak, weak. This is no good at all."

Despite being in a sorry state, the girl was smiling.

"Not at all—insufficient!"

A straightforward, unrefined right straight punch. But this time, the sound of impact was different. Amid the dull sound of metal clashing, a clear, bell-like melody rang out. The light spirit orb, which had been sent flying, twitched in mid-air.

"...You did it."

The taciturn heavy warrior muttered. It was the special effect "Piercing Strike" that only existed in "Strike" attacks among the three physical attributes—Slash, Pierce, and Strike. The impact pierced through the magic core, rendering the monster unable to act for a short time. Though less flashy compared to the one-hit kills of "Slash" and "Pierce," it created a significant opportunity. The girl quickly closed the distance and raised her fist, but just before impact, she stopped abruptly and gently touched the light spirit orb.

"Uooooo!"

At that moment, the girl exerted her strength again, pushing the monster in the direction she wanted. In front of her stood a crystal pillar jutting out of the ground. The light spirit orb, with no place to run, was attacked by the girl like a beast.

"Explosion Fist!"

An offensive active gift. Its effect was to concentrate all the strikes delivered in a breathless state and release them in a single explosion. After a few moments of silence, the light spirit orb shattered with a loud noise.

"You did it."

"...Impressive."

"Is the magic core intact?"

Tanis was also impressed. Despite her problematic personality, her combat sense was undeniably top-notch. And she—

The red-haired girl, without even a hint of concern for the magic core, was swinging her fist in the air to remember the sensation.

After that, the red-haired girl activated "Piercing Strike" about once every five times and continued to defeat the light spirit orbs. This was an astonishingly high success rate. The other members also fought hard, and it turned out to be a good "productive time." After about half a day of fighting, they ate at the maze spring in a corner of the "Tomb of Light."

"Ouch..."

The girl's fighting style was inefficient, and she received unnecessary attacks. She sat down, a little away from her companions, looking exhausted. Tanis approached her.

"Doran. Use this."

He handed her a healing potion to restore her health and a cure potion to restore her stamina. The girl looked surprised at the leader's usual fussiness.

"You're the top earner today. Plus, you need to keep up the good work on the way back."

"Back?"

The girl frowned in confusion.

"It hasn't even been half a day. I can still do more."

"Is this a good hunting ground?"

Tanis averted his gaze and looked around.

"There are few dangerous monsters other than the light spirit orbs. Yet, there are no other adventurers. Do you know why?"

The girl seemed to be puzzled for the first time but couldn't come up with an answer.

"It's because this is a dead-end floor."

Only skilled parties among the junior adventurers come to the 20th underground floor. Moreover, with a journey of about three days one way, it's not easy to dive casually, and they need to leave some energy for the return trip.

"But—there's a shortcut to the 22nd floor, right? We can just go back from there."

The girl's goal seemed to be to fight the floor boss guarding the spiral snake path on this floor. Tanis inwardly smiled at her straightforward ambition.

"Unfortunately, even if you defeat the 'Gatekeeper,' you can't pass through the 21st underground floor."

The 21st underground floor of the Endless Labyrinth is called the "Floor of Death." The only monster on this floor is the Tracking Ant. These insect-type monsters, about the size of a large dog, sense the presence of enemies and simultaneously strike the ground with their large jaws, summoning more of their kind. They will chase you anywhere within the floor, and if surrounded, even the most skilled adventurer has no way to escape.

"So, our goal as junior adventurers is to defeat the 'Gatekeeper,' the floor boss of the 20th underground floor, and bring back the trophy as proof of our victory. Then, the Adventurer's Guild will issue a 'Shortcut Pass.'"

The next dungeon exploration starts from the 22nd floor, beyond the "Floor of Death." Adventurers with a "Shortcut Pass" never return to the 20th floor. It's more efficient to aim for lower floors from the 22nd floor than to visit the "Tomb of Light" on the 1st to 20th floors.

"So, this 'delicious' hunting ground is always empty."

"Hmm."

The red-haired girl smiled as if she had a brilliant idea.

"Then, I'll stay here."

"—What?"

"I seem to have a good affinity with the round, tingling ones, and I've figured out how to defeat them. If I train here, I'll get stronger."

Tanis, who should have known the girl's unconventional nature, was still taken aback.

"How will you get back? There's no Sherpa here."

"If other adventurers come, I'll go with them."

It's uncertain when that will happen.

"Water—there's a maze spring, but what about food?"

"Can I eat this?"

The red-haired girl tore off some light moss growing on the ground.

"That's not edible. It will make you sick."

"No good."

The girl regretfully threw away the light moss. Normally, Tanis would have lectured about the importance of party actions, but today he was different. He was curious.

"Hey, Doran."

"Hmm?"

Tanis realized he had never had a proper conversation with this wild girl.

"Why do you seek strength?"

"..."

Tanis himself sought strength as an adventurer to return safely from the dungeon and survive. But he felt that the girl's pursuit of strength was different. The red-haired girl's expression suddenly became vacant.

"Weak ones have no reason to live."

She muttered.

"That's not true. Being strong is certainly better, but each member of the party has a role. Even if your combat ability is a bit inferior—"

"Meaningless."

The girl looked at Tanis, tilting her head slightly and staring without blinking.

"Meaningless."

Tanis finally realized that the girl's state was not normal. He knew nothing about her—why she became an adventurer, where she was from, her name, or her age. Who was this girl?

Feeling overwhelmed by an inexplicable reason, he took a step back when—

"Hey, everyone. The food is ready!"

Sherpa, who was preparing the meal, called out. For a moment, the girl's usual friendly expression returned.

"Oh, food. I'm starving."

She ran happily to the maze spring. Tanis stood there, stunned for a while.

After the break, when Tanis declared his intention to return to the surface, the red-haired girl made a request.

"Hey, let's fight for another half day."

"No."

Tanis firmly refused. Carrying unnecessary items was a cardinal rule in dungeon exploration. They had little food and potions left.

"Besides, there are no light spirit orbs nearby."

"Who knows?"

"I do."

Reluctantly, Tanis explained the "Tracking Bracelet." He claimed it was borrowed from an acquaintance, keeping the party advisor a secret. The ranger, who had the "Keen Ear" gift, seemed relieved.

"What's that? I thought you had a sharp sense."

In this dungeon exploration, Tanis had taken over the role of the scout.

"Sorry. I have to return it after this exploration. I didn't want to get too used to it."

Magic items with sealed gifts were traded at exorbitant prices. Even though they were for sale, the "Yuyu Labyrinth" junior adventurer party would not be able to afford them for a long time.

"Activation—'Tracking.'"

The light spirit orbs do not move long distances. Tanis used the "Tracking Bracelet" to convince the girl, even though he knew there were none nearby. However—

"—!"

A chilling, ominous sensation froze Tanis's back. A massive presence was approaching. Stronger than the most powerful monster they had fought, the floor boss of the 9th underground floor, the Necroghoul.

"A monster is coming!"

Tanis pointed, and all the members readied their weapons. A tense silence. The view was of light moss and gray crystal pillars, a surreal, almost picturesque world.

"...Leader?"

The light warrior, growing impatient, asked.

"If it's a light spirit orb, there's no need to be so cautious—"

—Gigann

Suddenly, a heavy sound of something colliding echoed.

Gigigi

A crystal pillar creaked, tilted, and fell. After a few moments, a ground-shaking vibration spread. A massive shadow appeared in the dust and light moss.

"Could it be—"

The first to name the monster was Sherpa. He had seen it before when accompanying another party.

"Ugly Ghoul! Impossible!"

The immobile monster was the floor boss called the "Gatekeeper."