"We'll think about it."
Kashima Ouka did not give a direct reply.
After all, there were still four Lv1 adventurers in the party. Rashly entering the Frost Mist Trap after its mutation—any slight mistake could drag the whole team down.
The best choice was to find a place and wait for the Adventurers Guild to handle it.
At that moment, Mikoto, who had not expressed any opinion, took the initiative to make a request: "Captain, take Chigusa and the others and stay here to wait."
"I'll go inside with Ron to take a look."
"Even if we run into danger, the two of us can ensure our own safety. If we withdraw smoothly, we can also report the situation to the Guild."
"It's better than wasting time."
"…"
It was hard to imagine that this would be Mikoto's suggestion.
But after weighing everything, Ouka could not find any reason to refuse. After all, her strength was something he personally acknowledged—and as for Ron, there was even less to say.
Even without support, when faced with the pursuit of so many monsters, he had still managed to escape successfully.
Ouka turned his gaze toward Ron. A matter that carried such danger had to be discussed with the person involved: "Ron, what do you think?"
"That works."
With the assistance of "Futsunomitama," to restrict the little imps' movement speed—let alone withdrawing from the 10th Floor, as long as no rare-type imps like "Imp Head (Corpse)" or "Imp Head (Elder)" appeared, Ron was confident he could handle it.
Of course, the bigger reason was—so many Soul Shards were laid out right in front of him. With such a rare chance to harvest them, it was hard for him not to be tempted. After standing up, he patted the dust off his back.
Then he looked at the girl again.
In a calm tone, he extended the invitation once more: "Then…"
"Let's take care of each other?"
Although the process had been full of twists and turns, and this temporary team had even been formed before the Familia's expedition had returned, it did nothing to diminish Mikoto's anticipation for the upcoming exploration.
Unknown monsters, and the unknown challenges hidden within the Frost Mist mechanism—though filled with danger, only in such circumstances could one obtain greater improvement!
She tilted her head slightly, her smile especially radiant.
"Of course."
"Then let's set off."
Stepping into the Frost Mist mechanism once more, clearly aware of the monsters they would be facing next, yet with Mikoto standing beside him, Ron felt an indescribable sense of security.
After all, her magic was truly overpowered.
It could even briefly suppress the Lv5 Black Goliath.
Not to mention these little imps whose on-paper strength is only Lv2.
He did not forget to explain to Mikoto the details that required attention when fighting little imps.
"These things… are all quite troublesome to deal with."
"You absolutely can't fight them in conventional ways. They even have coordinated combat abilities. Most importantly, they're extremely insidious and good at sneak attacks."
"I'll be careful."
The girl nodded seriously.
Having teamed up before, Mikoto was well aware of the difficulty of Ron's Dungeon explorations. But confusion troubled her just the same. As the figures of their Familia companions gradually disappeared, she finally could not suppress her curiosity.
"And you?"
"How did you get here? Don't tell me it was like last time—exploring deeper and then somehow ending up in the deeper parts of the Dungeon?"
"Not quite."
"This time, I pushed forward here by strength."
Ron answered without hesitation. Sensing continuous rustling sounds coming from the surrounding low shrubs, he instantly entered a combat state and drew the greatsword from his back.
But this time, no monster rushed out.
Instead, from a distance, something resembling a "bottle" was thrown toward his direction.
'Fire Pot.'
"Watch out for thrown traps."
The moment he saw the thing, that guess surfaced in Ron's mind. After warning Mikoto, he immediately lunged forward, swinging the greatsword "Great Fortune" in a horizontal slash along with the shrubs.
The sharp blade cleanly severed the monster's body.
However, what awaited him next was a "Peashooter."
An imp whose head resembled a cannon barrel continuously gathered firelight. The moment Ron entered its attack range, it directly fired a fireball shell.
The intense flames illuminated the surrounding darkness.
Even the cold environment caused by the Frost Mist mechanism was briefly dispelled.
Boom!
When the fireball struck the brass heavy shield, a violent explosion swept outward. The force generated pushed Ron—who was holding the shield—back several steps.
The scorching heat continuously transmitted through the handle.
'How exactly should I evaluate this?'
With the slightest carelessness, or if he had raised his shield a fraction too slow and failed to block the "Peashooter's" attack, as for the result—Ron could guess it with his eyes closed.
It wouldn't be fatal.
But he would definitely end up completely charred!
Taking advantage of the cannon-form imp charging up again, he stepped forward. Following along the monster's cannon-like head, he thrust the greatsword "Great Fortune" straight in, until the head was completely pierced through.
[Soul Shards +3]
Only then did he truly let out a breath of relief. While using the "Fire Pot" for a feint, he let the Peashooter hiding in the shrubs fire during the gap created as he dodged.
Just what kind of underworld crap had they dug up?
If—in past Dungeon explorations, the difficulty had only been reflected in monsters strengthened by Soulslike enhancement, then now that he had truly set foot in the 10th Floor area, Ron found it hard to judge.
An abandoned complex of buildings resembling ancient ruins had appeared inside the Dungeon.
But if he treated the entire floor as an underground tomb, then in an instant, the number of little imps around them—and the underworld-like atmosphere—suddenly felt reasonable!
"We have to be cautious."
"These little imps are even harder to deal with than Goblin Knights."
"I can tell."
Mikoto gave her assessment from the bottom of her heart. When she had teamed up with Ron before, it had only been the monsters' strength that increased, but now even the floor's environment was changing.
Was this still the Dungeon she knew?
In her memory, weren't little imps just monsters with pig heads, about the same size as ordinary goblins?
Yet an imp that threw burning "bottles," and another with a head shaped like a fire cannon—even a brief glance was enough to bring an unprecedented visual impact.
But what truly surprised Mikoto was Ron's burst speed just now, and his adaptability in reacting on the fly.
He was simply too fast—to the point that Mikoto didn't even know whether, in actual sparring, her speed could keep up with this guy in front of her!
"Pushed forward here by strength."
The girl recalled the words Ron had spoken so casually. The seed that had already been planted in her heart was watered, and it began to take root and sprout unceasingly.
If she hadn't participated in this Familia expedition back then, and had instead chosen to team up with him—could she also have achieved a qualitative leap in strength, like Ron?
She had to admit it: that former rookie adventurer seemed to have… gradually caught up to her pace!
But she herself had never gained much improvement. For Mikoto, who regarded refining her martial skill as her life's goal, a severe doubt arose in her heart at this moment.
"It's up ahead."
"This is our exploration target. If there are a large number of monsters, then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Mikoto, to use magic to restrict the little imps' movement."
After hearing Ron's reminder, the girl tried hard to regain the focused state she had when teaming up with Ron. But the magnificent sight that entered her eyes next made her pupils abruptly contract.
The ruined ancient ruins were like a mausoleum slumbering in the depths of the Dungeon.
And, the monsters spread across the mountains and fields—so many that they were simply uncountable!
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