Monster Delivery.
In Dungeon exploration, this was not particularly rare. When encountering an overwhelming number of monsters that could not be defeated, adventurers would usually do exactly this.
It was equivalent to diverting disaster onto others.
However, Kashima had never imagined that something like this would happen to his own Familia. That hazy figure made it impossible to tell who it actually was.
But trailing behind that person were those countless crimson eyes…
"Damn it."
"Did he poke a monster nest?"
Even Kashima Ouka, who usually maintained a relatively high level of composure, could not help but curse in front of his Familia members when he saw the swarm of monsters surging toward them.
But he remembered that directly behind them was the passage to the next Floor.
This unprecedentedly dense frost mist trap had basically cut off the view from within. It might simply have been bad luck—they just happened to be standing along that guy's escape route.
There was no time to think it through.
Faced with the Dungeon's "monster feast," the most rational approach was, of course, to withdraw from the current area first. After all, once this Familia expedition was over, their companions were not in particularly good condition.
"Fall back to the 12th Floor first. With this many monsters… it's definitely not something our team can handle."
"We can wait somewhere else. The frost mist mechanism has made the temperature too low. Staying here any longer won't do us any good," Kashima ordered decisively.
However, when he saw Chigusa still lingering in place, he could not help frowning. "Chigusa, don't freeze up. The monsters are about to surge over…"
"That adventurer…"
"Why do I feel like he looks a bit familiar?"
The girl halted, her eyes filled with confusion. Especially when Chigusa heard the other party's reminder, her eyes gradually lit up.
She hurriedly added, "Captain, he seems to be Mr. Ron…"
"…"
This time, even Mikoto stopped in her tracks. She gripped her katana once more, her expression extremely serious, though the eagerness in her eyes was still visible.
"Is it really him?"
Why did it feel as though Ron were also a member of their own Familia?
Kashima could not figure out the reason. But after all, he had once demonstrated and guided them. Without his instruction, their Dungeon expedition would not have gone so smoothly.
They could be considered friends.
So, how could there be a situation where, when a friend was in danger, they would choose to stand by and do nothing?
He clenched his teeth and issued the order once more: "That adventurer has a very good relationship with our Familia. He's also our friend. Assist him in retreating."
"Don't get bogged down in battle."
"As long as we reach the 11th Floor, this group of monsters won't chase after us."
Before Kashima had even finished speaking, Mikoto had already taken action—facing such an enormous number of monsters, trying to cut them down one by one was clearly unrealistic.
Moreover, it was very likely they were special monsters that had received full enhancement under the Dungeon's "Hatred."
"I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through any thing, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth."
"Shinbu Tōsei!"
The girl chanted softly.
In the end, she formed the gravity field created by the Futsunomitama magic in the area ahead. It did not restrict Ron's speed.
Instead, those bouncing monsters were directly suppressed to the ground for a brief moment.
After buying Ron time to escape from the encirclement of monsters, when Mikoto clearly saw the familiar face of the boy slumped on the ground—along with his rare, disheveled appearance—it was truly difficult for her to manage her expression.
"Mr. Ron."
She hesitated for a moment, then greeted him in a normal, calm tone: "What a coincidence. I didn't expect that when our Familia expedition was returning, we would run into you."
"Indeed."
At a critical moment, the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia were still the most reliable.
Ron slumped on the ground, his chest rising and falling as he panted heavily. The various pieces of equipment and armor he carried had undoubtedly brought his total load to approximately 100 kilograms.
The terrain of the Floor was not as flat as imagined either.
Facing the strange looks from Kashima, Chigusa, and the others, he said helplessly, "I originally just wanted to explore casually, but I ran into a monster feast."
"And the frost mist mechanism was so dense…"
"I never thought I'd end up running in your direction, let alone actually run into you."
"…"
Kashima's expression was complicated.
But upon hearing Ron's explanation, he understood it was absolutely not intentional. Still, as he looked at the monsters that had not dispersed and were merely suppressed, he was more worried about their situation going forward.
His face grew solemn, his tone gradually turning heavy. "Ron, have you noticed that this layer's frost mist mechanism shows no signs of dissipating?"
"I have."
"The temperature inside the mechanism is still very low, and monsters are lurking everywhere."
Ron did not deny it.
However, judging from the specific positions of Kashima and Mikoto, along with the passage extending deeper ahead, the reality before them was extremely cruel.
Temporarily out of danger.
However, behind them lay the region of deeper Floors, while ahead was the area shrouded by the frost mist mechanism, ancient ruins, and countless Imps. The situation was a dilemma between advance and retreat.
"Is that so?"
It was fairly useful information.
Kashima nodded seriously, committing all these details to memory. He gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Ever since that Dungeon anomaly the other day, it's felt a bit strange."
"If our luck is even slightly bad, it's easy to fall into an abnormal situation."
In his two years of exploration experience in Orario, he could not even remember how many times he had gone back and forth to the 10th Floor. But when he carefully recalled the past, he had never encountered anything like this!
"Hard to guess…"
Ron replied vaguely. He could not exactly say that it had all been caused by himself.
Mikoto, who knew the specific reason, could not help but cast her gaze toward Ron after hearing this exchange. By now, the answer was already very clear.
She did not feel it was troublesome.
Instead, she was curious—just how troublesome ordinary monsters strengthened by the Dungeon's "Hatred" had become, to the point that even this guy had to retreat in such a sorry state.
"What should we do next?"
"…"
Not receiving Ron's reply, Mikoto did not urge him. She understood he was considering the specific arrangement. "If your condition isn't particularly good, we can return to the 11th Floor first to rest. Our supplies can still support us for a few more days."
"…"
It was a good question.
But Ron truly did not know how to answer. Knowing the Dungeon's nature, the only way for this layer's mechanism to disappear was to trigger the "Extermination" mechanism.
Only by clearing out all the Imps inside would the environmental change vanish.
But relying on himself alone, it was simply impossible to achieve. At the current stage, the best assistance he could get was none other than the Takemikazuchi Familia he had encountered in the 10th Floor area.
After adjusting his state, Ron swept his gaze across the group.
"This layer's frost mist trap will most likely not disappear. If we want to return to Orario safely, the only option is to clear out the monsters inside and pass through this area."
"Other than that, we can only wait for the Guild to discover the 'abnormal situation' and send adventurers to deal with it. But that will most likely take some time."
At this point, Ron's expression was particularly calm as he handed the choice over to Kashima and Mikoto. If they chose the latter, then what came next would be simple.
He could not possibly drag other adventurers down with him.
Take it slow—there would eventually be a chance to conquer it.
"So."
"How do you want to choose?"
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