DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Orario.
Another week passed quickly after Haruhime joined the Aislynn Familia. During that week, not much out of the ordinary took place. In the Dungeon, the members of the Aislynn Familia ran into acquaintances from time to time, but there were no other confrontations worth mentioning.
As they did every week, the Aislynn Familia had their Falna updated. During this update, everyone except Haruhime had an Attribute reach E-rank, while Tatsuo's Agility went all the way up to B-rank. This meant that, during the upcoming Dungeon dive, he was qualified to head down to the Tenth Floor.
Currently, Tatsuo, Violet, James, Alfonzo, Elicia, Aletia, Akatsuki, Sakura, Zelretch, Momo, and Haruhime were making their way towards the Dungeon to start their seventh week of Dungeon diving.
And because Tatsuo was the only one with B-rank Attributes, the teams had to be shuffled once again.
This time, Tatsuo would be heading down to the Tenth Floor with Haruhime acting as his Supporter. While that would usually be pointless, since Haruhime had no way to protect herself on such deep floors, Alfonzo had spent the previous day in the forge creating a ranged weapon—a handheld crossbow—for her. With Tatsuo's ability to [Transmute] materials, she would be able to do some damage to the monsters, even if not much.
The others would split into teams of three to explore the Eighth and Ninth Floors. And since James and Sakura both had experience exploring these floors last week, they would be split up.
The first team would be made up of James, Violet, and Zelretch. The second team would consist of Alfonzo, Akatsuki, and Aletia. And the last team would be Elicia, Sakura, and Momo.
Of course, there was one person who was not happy with the way the teams were split, even if she knew it was for the best.
"It's not fair," Aletia said while pouting as she looked at Tatsuo with a pitiful gaze. "Every time I get to go to the next section of the Dungeon, you do, too. When are we ever going to be on the same team?"
"Sorry, Aletia," Tatsuo said while smiling wryly. "I can't help it. Because of my Skill, I grow faster than the rest of you."
"Damn protagonist," James muttered.
"Seriously, it kinda felt like he took a humble jab at all of us," Alfonzo muttered.
"You two know that's not what I meant," Tatsuo said while smiling apologetically. A moment later, however, his smile turned smug. "If I were doing that, I'd say something like... *Cough*"
"Please, stop, Tatsuo-Kun," Akatsuki said, interrupting Tatsuo before he could really get started. "I feel the AOE is too big on that attack. We'd all get caught in the crossfire."
"*Sigh* Fine~," Tatsuo replied, sounding quite disappointed that he was stopped.
"By the way, you have to take care of Haruhime-San, Tatsuo-Kun," Violet said while looking at Haruhime with worry.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to her," Tatsuo said reassuringly.
While Violet and the others were concerned about her safety, Haruhime was rather nervous, as well. Especially since this would be the first time since she joined the Familia that she would be alone with one of its male members.
Not long afterward, the eleven reached Babel Tower and entered the Dungeon, traveling together until they reached the Eighth Floor. Then they split off to find their own hunting areas.
DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Dungeon, Tenth Floor.
Upon reaching the Tenth Floor, Tatsuo noticed that most of the features were the same as those of the Eighth and Ninth Floors. The only real difference was the fact that there was mist lingering in the air, as if the morning mist had never settled. And because of this mist, the Tenth through Twelfth Floors were often referred to as "the Mist Labyrinth."
"The monsters on this floor are different from the ones on the floors above," Haruhime said softly as she and Tatsuo moved carefully through the Tenth Floor. "Although Needle Rabbits still appear, all the other monsters are new."
"Yeah, Rose-San mentioned it," Tatsuo replied. "Starting on the Tenth Floor, Orcs, Bad Bats, and Imps start showing up, too. You're gonna have to watch out for the smaller ones, Haruhime-San. Don't let them sneak up on you."
"I know," Haruhime replied softly. "I'll stay on guard."
Although Haruhime had not been responsible for her own safety for long, she adapted rather quickly, thanks to her training with James and the time she spent exploring the Eighth and Ninth Floors with Alfonzo, Elicia, and Violet. Though she still looked like an amateur in battle, she was doing better than when she first started.
As for the new monsters Tatsuo mentioned, they were exactly what you would expect from a fantasy world.
The Orcs were large pig-headed humanoid monsters with massive physical strength. However, unlike the Orcs that appear in most stories, these monsters were not fat. Rather, they were bulky and packed with dense muscles. They also used the landscape as weapons. For example, if they came across one of the dead trees littering the Tenth through Twelfth Floors, they would rip it out of the ground and use it as a bludgeoning weapon.
Next were the Bad Bats, black, bat-like monsters with sharp fangs. Like most bats, they used echolocation to navigate. However, they took this ability to another level, as they could also launch sound-wave attacks that disturbed an Adventurer's concentration. As a result, it became much harder to cast spells while Bad Bats were present.
Lastly, there were the Imps. These diminutive, demon-like monsters were unlike the other monsters in the Dungeon. While most Dungeon monsters of the same species cooperated to face Adventurers, Imps were the only monsters known to employ tactics. They were even known to set traps to gain the upper hand against their opponents.
Eventually, Tatsuo and Haruhime reached an open area. They could see some of the monsters moving through the mist, and they knew they would be in for quite a fight if they decided to take those monsters head-on.
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"Wait here," Tatsuo said quietly. "I'm gonna try to thin the numbers a bit before they notice me. That way, the fight will be easier in the long run."
"Be careful," Haruhime said as she reached back and pulled the crossbow Alfonzo crafted for her out of her backpack. "I'll try to back you up from here if I get the chance."
"Just don't shoot me by accident," Tatsuo said playfully while smiling at the Renard.
Immediately, Haruhime blushed and lowered her head. Seeing that, Tatsuo was dumbfounded.
'Isn't she supposed to have androphobia?' Tatsuo asked himself. 'Then why is she blushing like that? Or are my good looks so amazing that they pushed right through her fear of men and struck her in the heart?'
Though narcissistic, Tatsuo's thoughts were not completely wrong. Although Haruhime had a fear of men, that did not mean she did not find men attractive. So, Tatsuo's smile really did push right past her fear.
On the other hand, Haruhime's blush was partly due to embarrassment, as she knew she wasn't very accurate with her new crossbow. After all, she had only practiced with it for an afternoon.
"Be careful, Tatsuo-Sama," Haruhime said softly as she tightened her grip on the crossbow.
"I'll be back," Tatsuo said with a grin before vanishing from where he stood with a [Blink].
In the next instant, Tatsuo reappeared on the shoulder of an Orc with his right hand reeled back and a magic circle floating in the air in front of it.
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"[Void Dragon's Tearing Claw]," Tatsuo chanted as he thrust his hand through the magic circle.
*Squelch!*
In the next instant, just as the slow-witted Orc realized there was something on its shoulder and turned its head, Tatsuo thrust his hand into its eye and straight into its brain, killing the large monster instantly. Then, before the Orc could fall, Tatsuo intended to hop off its shoulder and [Blink] to his next target. However...
*Screech!*
... as soon as Tatsuo jumped away from the falling Orc, a piercing screech echoed through the area. As a result, Tatsuo's concentration was disrupted and his [Blink] was not cast, causing him to fall to the ground.
*Roar!*
At the same time, because of the Bad Bat's screech, the other monsters were alerted to the presence of an outsider. Because of that, the other two Orcs in the room sprinted towards the nearest tree and yanked it out of the ground while the Imps gathered together and started chittering as they planned how they would attack.
"Shit!" Tatsuo exclaimed. "Where the hell was that bat? I didn't even see it."
Though there was no one to answer Tatsuo's question, the Bad Bat was actually roosting in a tree behind the Orc Tatsuo had just killed. The Orc had blocked his line of sight, so he missed it.
*Boom!*
The monsters did not intend to give Tatsuo too much time to think about where the Bad Bat could have been hiding, however. As soon as the Orcs had their weapons, they charged towards Tatsuo with the uprooted trees raised high, primed to smash them down.
*Screech~~~~~!*
On top of that, the Bad Bat continued to screech. Tatsuo realized that the screech not only disrupted the concentration needed to cast spells, but also made him react more slowly than usual to the Orcs' attacks.
Things were compounded when the Imps joined in, surrounding Tatsuo and using the Orcs' large frames to camouflage their approaches.
"Urgh! Fuck!" Tatsuo grunted as he took a hit from an Imp while avoiding an Orc's smash.
*Bang!*
"And this is why I should have listened and made some weapons for myself," Tatsuo muttered after kicking away another attacking Imp. "If I had one, I could at least throw it at that flying rat. But now, I can't even use my magic because my head feels like someone moved the antenna on one of those really old TVs."
Actually, the Bad Bat's screeching had disrupted Tatsuo's concentration so much that he completely forgot Haruhime was there. Then again, even if he had remembered, he would have been more afraid of getting shot accidentally if she decided to help.
Fortunately, Haruhime had thought Tatsuo was joking when he told her earlier to make sure she didn't shoot him. If she had thought he was serious, she probably wouldn't have been concentrating so hard on locking onto the Bad Bat flying around the battlefield.
"Tatsuo-Sama needs my help," Haruhime said to herself while tracking the Bad Bat through her crossbow's sights. "I have to shoot that bat down. Otherwise, Tatsuo-Sama will get hurt."
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As time passed, Tatsuo took more and more damage from the monsters surrounding him. As a result, he began to slow down, making it easier for subsequent hits to land, as well. Even so, he managed to avoid all the Orcs' attacks, knowing they were the most dangerous.
Seeing that, Haruhime concentrated even harder, and sweat began to stream down her face. Unfortunately, with Haruhime's level of training, getting a bead on a monster flying so freely through the air was more difficult than she expected. Luckily, Tatsuo created an opportunity for her.
Knowing that he would be able to fight at full capacity once the Bad Bat was dead, Tatsuo waited for an Orc to smash down the tree in its hand. Then he swiftly dodged, hopped onto the tree, and sprinted towards the Orc's shoulder.
However, before Tatsuo could even run the length of the tree, the Orc, angered by the fact that its prey was standing on its weapon, swung the tree upwards in an attempt to fling Tatsuo off.
But this just happened to be what Tatsuo was waiting for.
Angling himself correctly, Tatsuo was sent flying into the Bad Bat's path when the Orc swung its club. Unfortunately, the Bad Bat saw what Tatsuo was trying to do. So, before it reached the point where its path and Tatsuo's would intersect, it spread its wings and stopped in its tracks.
*Swish!*
And that was exactly what Haruhime needed.
Although her aim was not good enough to shoot the Bad Bat in the head or the heart, Haruhime did land her shot, putting a crossbow bolt through the Bad Bat's right wing.
*Screech!*
Although the Bad Bat continued to screech from the pain, it could no longer use the debilitating screech that disrupted concentration. As a result, Tatsuo's mind cleared. Before he even reached the height of his short flight, he raised his hands to his mouth, looked towards the Bad Bat, and took a deep breath as a magic circle flared into existence between his hands.
"[Void Dragon's Roar]," Tatsuo chanted exhaling breathing through the space between his hands.
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A moment later, the Bad Bat was shattered into chunks of flesh and blood. After taking a quick break, Haruhime reloaded her crossbow—which was much easier to do than with a normal crossbow, thanks to a mechanism Alfonzo had added—and started firing at the remaining monsters while Tatsuo began his onslaught.
Without any further disruption from the Bad Bat, Tatsuo finished off the rest of the monsters in short order. And thanks to landing hits on the monsters, there was a good chance that Haruhime's Dexterity would rise significantly when it was time to update their Falna once again.