"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem with my weapon now, right?"
Elise smiled as she faced the surrounding crowd. But at this point, the adventurers around her could no longer process her words.
Their attention was completely fixed on the sword in her hand.
"What is that?"
"A person... turned into a sword?"
"Could that be some kind of ultra-rare skill?"
The sudden scene left the adventurers utterly stunned. Even the elderly adventurer in front of Elise stood there with his mouth open, unable to find the words to speak.
"But... your armor?"
He seemed to want to continue, but Elise had already made her move.
She took out a valis coin and gently tossed it into the air. As it fell, its target was clearly her head.
Everyone's gaze followed that single coin. No one understood what she was trying to demonstrate.
Clink—
Just as the coin was about to touch Elise, a small blue barrier appeared around her. Though its surface area was tiny, it precisely blocked the coin's descent.
"This is...?"
"Just a small trick. Not worth mentioning," Elise replied with a smile. "In that case, there shouldn't be any problem with my armor either, right?"
"Ah... no problem."
The old adventurer still looked somewhat dazed, but her actions clearly proved she wasn't unprepared.
"Well then, everyone, I'll be heading into the Dungeon now. Until we meet again!"
With that, Elise pocketed the coin and entered the downward staircase, holy sword in hand.
As for what those people would think afterward, she didn't care. Her goal had already been achieved.
Originally, when she had first arrived in Orario, she had planned to keep a low profile. She was worried about making enemies everywhere and harming the Familia's future development.
Yet someone had been spreading tales of her glorious deeds all over the place. Keeping a low profile had become troublesome in itself. Combined with her striking beauty and natural charm, the impact was overwhelming.
Since she couldn't stay low-key, she might as well make use of it and spread her Familia's reputation.
Those people outside were already doubting her strength. So she would put on a proper display in front of them. If she could leave them thinking, Better not provoke her, that would be ideal.
I've already revealed my unique skill. Hopefully no brainless fools will try to ambush me...
The Dungeon beneath Orario was structured like an inverted pyramid. The deeper one descended, the larger each successive floor became.
The organization that managed the Dungeon—the Guild—divided it into Upper, Middle, Lower, and Deep Floors.
The Upper Floors spanned Levels 1 to 12. The Middle Floors covered 13 to 24. The Lower Floors ranged from 25 to 36. From Level 37 onward lay the Deep Floors.
Elise strolled slowly along the pathways of the third floor. Whether her luck was good or bad was unclear. She had encountered quite a few adventurers along the way, yet not a single monster.
"Were there too many people here earlier? Or did the monsters simply not respawn?"
In this calm and uneventful manner, she arrived at the fourth floor.
At last, monsters appeared.
Three creatures resembling dogs crawled up from the ground in front of her.
Though their heads looked canine, their bodies stood upright on two legs.
"This is... a kobold?"
Although Elise had spent over a decade in the Infinite World, she had mostly stayed in human-centered realms. She had rarely encountered non-human races.
The closest would be the world of Elementalists.
Back when she fought in the kingdom, most monsters had been eliminated in a single strike. She had never taken the time to observe them closely.
But now she had the opportunity. It was her first time seeing such a bizarre kobold.
However, while Elise was observing them, the monsters had no intention of giving her time to study.
At the same moment, movement stirred behind her. Two more kobolds clawed their way out of the ground at her back.
They formed a pincer attack.
"Five kobolds in total... Perfect. Let's test your strength."
Gripping the holy sword, Elise aimed at the three in front of her. Though she could not use faith in this world, that did not mean she was nothing without it.
Powerful Prana gathered at her feet, compressing continuously.
The instant she kicked off the ground, it exploded outward, propelling her forward at an unimaginable speed. The three kobolds couldn't even react before their heads were severed.
Thud, thud, thud!
The three monsters instantly turned to dust and scattered into the air. The magic stones within their bodies dropped to the ground.
"So small..."
Elise crouched and picked up the fallen magic stones. They were unexpectedly tiny.
"Then again, this is just the Upper Floors—the beginner area. If I want more, I'll have to go deeper..."
Seeing their companions killed instantly, the two monsters behind her instinctively took half a step back. But when they noticed Elise wasn't paying them any attention, they regained their nerve and charged at her, sharp claws swinging.
"Radiant Slash!"
Slash—
Elise spun and cut horizontally, the holy sword effortlessly slicing off one kobold's head.
Then she pivoted again, swinging toward the other kobold's neck.
But—
Psh!
The kobold forcefully blocked her strike with its claw. At the cost of one arm, it preserved its life.
In the next instant, its other claw lunged straight for Elise's eyes.
"Unfortunately, you can't break my defense," Elise said calmly near its ear.
Only then did the kobold realize something was wrong.
Its sharp claw had been stopped by a layer of blue barrier?
The kobold attempted to attack again, but in the next moment, it froze.
It saw a headless corpse.
It looked very familiar.
It seemed to be its own.
And then its thoughts ceased.
Thud!
A severed claw that still looked viciously sharp fell to the ground.
Elise flicked her wrist, flinging the blood from her blade onto the wall.
"The bodies disappear upon death, yet the blood doesn't? What kind of principle is that?"
As expected of a fantasy world.
"And that last one... it actually tried to trade injury for injury?"
That detail caught Elise's attention as well. If even monsters on the Upper Floors fought this way, she would need to be far more cautious once she descended to the Lower Floors.