The final lesson?
Furina felt a twinge of dread, but she forced herself to summon her courage. Her right hand gripped her longsword so tightly her knuckles turned white, her gaze locked onto the corner of the tunnel ahead.
As the seconds ticked by, even she could hear it now—the soft, rhythmic patter of countless scuttling legs.
The feeling that a storm was brewing only added to the mounting pressure in her chest.
They're here!
The moment the first silhouette emerged from around the corner, Furina's body coiled tight.
Four adventurers, their gear looking decidedly lackluster, scrambled out from the shadows in quick succession. They were two men and two women.
What caught the eye most, however, was a petite female adventurer among them. Despite being bundled up in a hooded cloak, the frantic flight had forced her to reveal her face.
A backpack significantly larger than her own frame was strapped to her back, yet she moved with surprising agility, seemingly unburdened.
A Pallum?
Carrying such a massive pack—was she a supporter? And she must have some kind of developmental ability that enhanced her strength; otherwise, a Pallum's physical constitution would never allow her to move so nimbly while hauling that much gear.
Sushang and Furina both lingered their gaze on her for a second longer.
It felt like this Pallum supporter really knew her stuff. As it happened, they had been planning to look for a supporter for their next venture.
Perhaps they should try asking if she knew any reliable acquaintances in her circle later.
"What are you doing!? Run!" When the lead adventurer first saw Furina, he briefly hoped that a high-ranking adventurer was stationed here. But then he spotted the plain, unremarkable sword in her hand.
His heart plummeted, his hope crashing as quickly as it had risen, yet he didn't forget to shout a warning for them to flee.
A gathering of Killer Ants was still a significant threat to newcomers.
It wasn't that they couldn't defeat them—if they were truly willing to join forces and make a stand, it would be strange if they lost. But they were adventurers here to make money.
A desperate struggle like that risked damaging their weapons and, inevitably, left them injured.
Even if they managed to wipe out the ants, they would still have to shoulder the costs of healing, equipment repairs, or even full replacements, not to mention the loss of income during their recovery.
It was an entirely unprofitable venture.
Combined with the fact that they had already been fighting for most of the day—leaving them not just exhausted, but nursing a collection of minor wounds—their confidence in mounting a desperate defense was thin.
However, when he got a clearer look at the duo's situation, his breath hitched.
Why was there a blue monster standing behind that white-haired girl? Was that… a crab? Why had he never seen one of those on the seventh floor before?
Were they being flanked?!
"Watch out behind you!" he yelled in a panic.
Furina could guess the misunderstanding, but she didn't bother explaining. They would realize the truth soon enough.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Furina tapped the tip of her sword against the ground, the incantation for her spell slipping from her lips: "Shower me with praise!"
The moment the words fell, the Hydro elements swirling from every direction coalesced into a bubble the size of a person right in front of the girl. As the bubble burst, a crown-wearing Hydro elemental manifestation appeared before them all.
Then, invisible ripples of water spread outward. The panting, exhausted adventurers suddenly felt a surge of strength rise from within their bodies.
They didn't even need to think to know the source of this boost.
"So this was your magic all along!"
The leader, who had initially thought the two girls were frozen in terror, realized they were planning to hold the line against the ant swarm.
Seeing Killer Ants in such large groups was rare, but were they really this confident?
Though surprised, this wasn't the time for shock.
The sound of countless scurrying arthropods grew louder by the second. The leader, having reached the pair, hoisted his weapon and spun around, facing the corner head-on.
"You've been a massive help, little miss! How long can this magic hold?"
Feeling his strength returning and his injuries dulling, the man got straight to the point. The others followed his lead, forming a defensive front line and shielding Furina as if she were a rear-guard support.
The Pallum supporter took a few extra steps to reach the very back of the formation, casting a puzzled glance at Mademoiselle Crabaletta—who had just deposited her magic stone and gathered materials to the side.
"About half an hour..."
Furina gauged the magic power remaining within her and answered. If she were only summoning Mademoiselle Crabaletta, her mana expenditure and recovery would be balanced, but maintaining both at once was a different story.
"That long!?"
Instead of looking disappointed or pressured, the leader looked stunned.
I knew it. This magic really is incredible… Furina felt more certain than ever.
She counted the number of Killer Ants spilling out of the corner, then shared a look with Sushang.
The two walked ahead of the adventurer party. As they moved, Mademoiselle Crabaletta stepped up right behind Furina, causing the Pallum supporter's eyes to widen in shock.
"You two...?"
The three members of the party looked bewildered. Setting aside the girl with the sword, why was someone from the back-line stepping to the front?
"We need to clear this swarm as quickly as possible; we can't let them keep spreading!" Sushang said, raising her blade. "Furina and I will take the lead. You just need to handle any stragglers that slip past us."
"A-are you two really going to face these Killer Ants alone?" The leader paused, double-checking.
Neither girl responded. Sushang's silence was consent, while Furina had already focused her entire spirit on the monsters before them.
"That's too dangero—!" The other female adventurer tried to intervene.
While individual Killer Ants weren't overwhelming, they were tough and hit hard; they were far more difficult to handle than a dungeon lizard.
But her words were cut short by the leader raising a hand.
Watching the two walk toward the swarm, a sudden premonition gripped his heart.
In Orario, a city overflowing with adventurers, tales of prodigies were never in short supply.
A white-haired girl in fancy clothing with a plain weapon, a brown-haired girl in common garb with an extraordinary sword—a duo like that shouldn't be unknown, yet he had never heard of them.
The answer was obvious: they were "newbies."
Newbies who had managed to reach this depth, who had harvested such a massive bag of magic stones…
Even though their current actions felt like the reckless arrogance of someone heading to their doom, he had a lingering feeling that he was witnessing the dawn of two top-tier adventurers.
For a rookie, a moment like this was surely the kind of "great feat" that paved the way to leveling up.
He decided he wanted to watch this moment with his own eyes.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL