"Huff… huff…"
Lefiya gasped for air, her heart still racing as she stared at the monsters behind them. Black mist rose into the air, piles of monster corpses scattered across the ground.
"You actually made the Green Dragon fight the other monsters… Bell Cranel, just how much do you really know about the Dungeon?"
Lefiya couldn't help but voice her amazement.
Bell let out a small laugh and explained,
"Most of the large monsters we rammed into are overflowing with hostility."
"The Green Dragon only cares about gems. When it chased after us, it was bound to crash into monsters that weren't dead yet. Once even one of them starts attacking, they'll all turn on each other."
Bell took out a Mind Recovery Potion and drank it in one go. The charging plan had gone remarkably well.
To maintain Argo's Ship, Bell had consumed a great deal of magic power. Aside from him, Filvis and the others were essentially untouched.
"I never thought we'd break through in such a short time…"
Ryuu sounded genuinely curious.
Had Bell predicted the existence of the Gem Tree from the very beginning and planned to use the Green Dragon to cover their escape? Factoring such a stroke of "luck" into a plan was almost unimaginable.
"While the Green Dragon is still tied up, let's head to the Pantry."
After finishing their resupply, Bell quickly gave his instructions.
Normally, command of this party should have fallen to the Lv.5 Ryuu. Yet Filvis and the others had all made it clear that even if their opinions differed, they would still follow Bell's decisions.
Before his words had fully settled, the elf girls moved in perfect unison. They carefully placed the gems Bell had given them into their packs, checked them again and again, and only then moved forward.
The bark-like walls gradually changed, the pale red road stretching into a cavern. In the dim passageway, the faint shapes of monster corpses could be seen.
"No magic stones or drop items were taken. Judging from the state of the bodies, this was done by the Sword Princess."
Ryuu examined the traces of battle on the ground and quietly reached her conclusion.
"With the terrain changing, the Reverse Veil won't work anymore. Ais-san could only push through head-on."
Bell added.
"Then… the reason there are no monsters here is also because of Ais-san?"
Lefiya asked, confused. She had thought the closer they got to the Pantry, the more monsters there would be.
"No… these monsters weren't targeting the Pantry…"
Bell frowned.
"What do you mean by that…?"
"Huh…?!"
Lefiya froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening in shock.
The Pantry.
It was a special area in the Dungeon meant to supply monsters. In every Pantry stood massive quartz pillars, from which nutrient-rich liquid seeped down from above. To make feeding easier, the surrounding terrain was usually reshaped into a vast, empty hollow.
But what stood before Lefiya was something completely abnormal.
A grotesque green wall.
Its uneven surface gleamed with a nauseating sheen.
Whether plant or flesh was impossible to tell. Like a tumor grown by the Dungeon itself, the mass of living wall completely sealed off the path leading to the Pantry.
"The monsters can't get into the Pantry, so they're migrating to the other side. That's why the number of monsters here dropped so suddenly."
Bell looked at the bizarre green wall as he explained. He had been wondering what kind of abnormality had occurred in the Pantry. But this familiar sense of wrongness felt exactly the same as what he had experienced at the ruins of Antares.
Some kind of existence had parasitized the walls of the Dungeon.
"C-could it be that we took the wrong route?!"
Lefiya asked anxiously.
"Cranel-san wouldn't make a mistake."
Ryuu answered before Bell could speak.
"Ugh… but…"
Lefiya kept moving forward, yet her words were filled with unease. She didn't want to accept reality. A sudden increase in monsters could still be explained, but this green wall was an unprecedented unknown.
The catastrophe Filvis had spoken of seemed to be slowly unveiling itself.
"The sword marks on the monster corpses show that Ais-san is ahead. If even a Lv.6 like her hasn't come back out, then what's waiting ahead is probably a hard fight."
Bell calmly assessed the situation. He didn't try to reassure Lefiya, nor did he attempt to raise morale. For these pure and upright elf girls, such words would have been nothing more than unnecessary noise.
Just as Bell expected, Lefiya said nothing more. She simply tightened her grip on her staff and continued forward at a steady pace.
Filvis stared ahead with a serious expression and spoke up.
"Cranel, should I chant magic and blow this wall open?"
"No. Ais-san must have cut her way straight through. The fact that there are no traces left now means the wall has regenerative abilities."
Bell approached the nauseating flesh wall and sensed a faint, rhythmic pulse.
The wall was alive.
Wasting magic on the outside would accomplish nothing. More importantly, there was something that deeply bothered Bell.
Why would Ais, who had been cautious the entire way, choose to rush straight into this flesh wall? She might be airheaded at times, but she wasn't reckless. In the face of such an anomaly, the correct choice would have been to wait for reinforcements.
Unless… something had drawn her in.
Bell had experienced something similar during the battle at Rivira Town. Back then, when the Violas and Female Body Type monsters were rampaging, Ais had ignored the main battlefield and chased after the red-haired woman alone.
If this wall really was connected to the Jewel Fetus, then Ais was likely in serious danger.
With countless thoughts racing through his mind, Bell made a swift decision.
"Firebolt!"
Firebolt erupted, accompanied by a violent roar as the flesh wall burst into flames. A large hole tore open in the green barrier, the original path stretching deeper inside.
"Remember, don't get dragged into prolonged fights. Protect yourselves, but rescuing Ais-san comes first."
After giving his orders, Bell entered the wall together with Filvis and the others.
Behind them, squelching sounds echoed as the green wall began to heal.
"So gross…"
Lefiya shivered, goosebumps rising all over her body.
It felt as though they had entered the inside of a monster. Green, tumor-like masses clung to the walls all around them. A strong stench of decay assaulted their noses, and every step felt like treading on rotting flesh.
"This terrain doesn't match the map. Follow me."
Starting from scratch, Bell began constructing a new map in his mind.
Lefiya and the others followed silently, careful not to interrupt his thoughts. Beyond trust, feelings of admiration and reverence welled up within them.
When it came to exploring uncharted areas, modern adventurers were remarkably weak. Even with existing data and maps, anyone who didn't make a living from exploration was prone to mistakes when trying to draw maps step by step with pen and paper.
Bell, however, managed it through memory alone.
The more time Lefiya and the others spent with him, the more they felt the unique presence of an ancient hero about the boy.
Just as their thoughts began to wander, Bell suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
"…Are there enemies?"
Lefiya raised her staff and scanned their surroundings. Aside from the green walls, there was nothing else in sight.
Bell turned around and made a quiet shushing gesture.
"..."
Lefiya immediately closed her mouth.
Green walls surrounded them, the stench of rot hanging thick in the air.
In the midst of the silence.
The sound of clashing blades gradually became clear.