Lost ancient ruins actually exist within the Dungeon?
The girl could not figure out the reason—but upon hearing Ron's command, and sensing the massive swarm of monsters rushing in, her movements did not hesitate in the slightest.
They were all the Imps they had just encountered.
Through the moss attached to the monsters' exterior, Mikoto realized they resembled statues more than living creatures.
Using the katana in her hand would likely not produce ideal combat results. More importantly, these monsters, moving with both hands and feet, charged forward at extremely high speed.
No wonder Ron had chosen to explore together with her...
"I'll use magic to restrain the monsters."
"No problem."
"Remember to include yourself within the magic's range. These Imps… will definitely pop out from places you wouldn't expect and ambush you."
This was the composure of a Soulslike veteran.
The number of monsters was considerable—visually estimated at nearly fifty. However, being able to use gravity magic to reduce the Imps' mobility meant they were not yet too troublesome.
Ron abandoned defense.
He discarded all burdens onto the ground. Gripping the greatsword "Great Fortune" with both hands, his gaze sharpened, constantly observing changes in the surrounding environment.
Just moments ago, facing so many monsters, he truly had not been fully confident.
But now, with Mikoto on-site as a safeguard, it seemed he could indeed attempt it. As he looked at the monsters, all he felt was adrenaline surging through his body.
Even his body trembled slightly—
Not from fear. After becoming a Level 2 adventurer, Ron urgently needed a vigorous, exhilarating battle to test where his current limits lay.
He did not launch an attack rashly.
Standing beside Mikoto, he waited until she completed her incantation. The gravity field that quietly formed began spreading outward with Ron at its center.
As for the monsters rushing in—
Their originally agile speed became visibly sluggish in an instant. Yet driven by the Dungeon's hostility, they continued advancing relentlessly.
The fury in their crimson eyes seemed determined to tear Ron apart completely.
Crack.
'This is exactly the feeling I want.'
Within the gravity field of "Futsunomitama," Ron's movements were not particularly hindered. If it had to be described precisely, it was roughly comparable to running in full gear. After quickly adapting—
He began his hunt of the Imps.
The motion of swinging the greatsword inevitably became sluggish. Yet against monsters whose speed had likewise been reduced, the wide horizontal sweep of the greatsword "Great Fortune" proved exceptionally efficient.
Most crucially, Ron chose to trust his body's instincts. His broad, wide-ranging attack patterns would inevitably create openings in his defense. Facing the monsters leaping in from behind with overhead strikes, he used the inertia of his swing to pivot nimbly.
And as he completed the rotation through sheer physical strength, the force of the slash was amplified once more. When the blade struck the Imps, countless fragments of stone shattered apart.
As well as—the surrounding monsters that were blasted away.
"You want to dance too?"
Having lost their advantage in speed, the Imps, confronted with the greatsword's enormous attack range, saw the balance of this battle steadily tilt toward Ron.
The facts proved:
Trash mobs were still trash mobs.
As long as he remained vigilant and prevented Imps hiding in dark corners from launching sneak attacks, the overall difficulty of dealing with them was not as high as he had anticipated.
During this battle, Ron had already lost count of how many monsters he had slain.
The most direct change—was that the accumulated Soul Shards had already reached the threshold for drawing a new Character Save Slot. When no more Imps surged in from the surroundings, he planted the greatsword against the ground and looked toward Mikoto in the distance.
"Seems like…"
"We're temporarily out of danger."
"…"
The girl said nothing, yet her pale complexion clearly revealed signs of mental exhaustion. When casting magic, she had to output mana continuously.
Even her own movements were restricted.
Normally, only when exploring with companions would Mikoto feel at ease using it. Because of its many limitations, she could easily become a live target for monsters.
But fortunately, Ron had not betrayed her trust. Throughout the duration of the magic's effect, he had not allowed a single monster to slip past to her side.
"As long as it's over."
Mikoto wiped the cold sweat seeping from her forehead with her sleeve. "If there were still monsters around… with my current mana reserves, I definitely wouldn't be able to hold out."
If there was anything regrettable… it was probably that she had not been able to personally experience the strength of these Imps. But she understood that in the earlier situation of being surrounded by monsters, a team was necessary.
"What next?"
"…"
Ron could confirm:
The current Floor was much safer now, but the frost-mist mechanism shrouding it showed no signs of dissipating. That meant—they had not yet fully cleared this Floor.
There had to be something still inside.
However, having carried out the exploration under the gravity field of "Futsunomitama," he could feel his stamina draining sharply, his condition steadily declining.
He shook his head helplessly: "We have to finish exploring this area before the mechanism disappears. But in our current state, I suggest we find a place to rest briefly first."
"I have no objections."
The girl's gaze was complicated, yet she did not refuse the proposal.
This Familia expedition had gone very smoothly. They had safely reached the safe floor on the 18th Floor, and had even encountered monsters similar to Minotaurs along the way.
But the sense of oppression brought by those monsters… was far less intense than the pressure of briefly teaming up with Ron for exploration. Mikoto deeply realized—if she relaxed her vigilance even slightly, she would be left here forever!
Following Ron to the campfire, the blazing flames dispelled the chill in the air and, within this extremely dim environment, brought her one of the few sources of security.
Yet that fire could not illuminate the confusion in the girl's heart.
"With this level of Dungeon exploration difficulty…"
She took a waterskin from her bosom and placed it beside the campfire to heat, then probed tentatively, "Have you ever thought about developing your Familia a bit?"
"I've thought about it."
Thinking about it now still counted as thinking about it.
When "mechanisms" and "ancient ruins" began appearing in the Dungeon, Ron gradually realized that relying solely on fighting alone would not be enough going forward.
If he had not encountered Mikoto, he might very well have been unable to return to Orario for a long time.
But truly finding companions he could completely trust—ones who would not leak the secret of the Dungeon's hatred—would be extremely difficult.
After all, the intensity of a Soulslike Dungeon was simply not something ordinary people could endure.
"But there aren't suitable candidates, right? You should understand the specific situation of teaming up with me. One day, we might end up completely buried in the Dungeon."
"I'm not worried about that kind of issue."
"But you can't expect companions in the Familia to reach my level, can you?"
"…"
The girl rarely remained silent.
After handing the heated waterskin to Ron and resting briefly, she stood up again and suggested, "Let's finish exploring this area as soon as possible."
"I have no objections."
After drinking all the hot water from the waterskin, Ron felt the stiffness in his body ease somewhat. He raised the lit torch, but before he could begin exploring this ancient ruin, the girl beside him gently tugged at his sleeve.
Following the direction of Mikoto's gaze, he saw the altar at the very top of the abandoned building complex.
More precisely, behind the altar stood a stone archway shrouded in layers of mist!
A "fog gate."
So encountering an Elden Ring fog gate inside the Dungeon—was something mistaken here?
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