Early morning.
The sky was only just beginning to brighten, yet Ron was already fully prepared to set out for the Dungeon. Accompanying him was Mikoto, who had gradually adapted to the rhythm of exploration.
Standing before the central plaza, the informants who had been monitoring him had long since disappeared.
Perhaps Apollo had already made up his mind and was preparing to use the invitation to the ball to initiate a "War Game" against Hestia in front of the assembled gods.
'That's fine too…'
'At least they won't be like annoying flies, making it impossible to explore the Dungeon in peace.'
Feeling the faint chill in the air, Ron only felt that his energy was more abundant than ever. If carrying out high-intensity Dungeon exploration every day was merely about gaining more strength, then such a goal would most likely, in the dull and monotonous process of exploration, gradually wear away the original intention.
But if viewed from another angle—to accumulate as much power as possible before the War Game—so long as he could win, the Familia's future rate of development would absolutely be faster than anticipated.
He had even already prepared his speech in advance.
'The reason the Hestia Familia is able to have its current scale today is entirely because it was earned through effort and sweat…'
"We won't explore the Middle Floors for the time being."
"I have a premonition—when we reach the 12th Floor, we will absolutely encounter the substantive Floor Boss rare variant young dragon recorded by the Adventurers' Guild."
After confirming today's exploration objective, Ron was just about to set off when he realized that the black-haired girl was still standing in place. He looked up and saw that Mikoto's face was full of hesitation.
Compared to usual, something was clearly off.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just…"
Having only recently transferred to the Hestia Familia, if one were to say that she could quickly integrate into the Familia's atmosphere and maintain an extremely high level of loyalty, that would still be rather difficult for the current Mikoto.
After all, her original intention had been to obtain greater improvement.
And at this stage, the Familia… was clearly facing difficulties it could not resolve. Hestia had not told her, and even Ron, as the captain, had not mentioned a single word about it.
"I think what you're doing is wrong."
"?"
The girl was not good at lying.
She could only express her inner thoughts truthfully, her expression unusually serious: "Although I only transferred here not long ago, I am still a member of the Familia."
"Then what?"
"Even if something really does happen, as a member of the Familia, I must shoulder the responsibility of protecting it. I also want to do something within my power."
"No problem."
Even Ron's tone was filled with surprise.
He had not told Mikoto because he was worried that the pressure would become too great a burden. After all, she had mastered the gravity magic "Futsunomitama"; in battle, she would absolutely be able to play a role.
But since the atmosphere had already reached this point, there was no need to dampen the girl's surging passion.
He smiled frankly: "Then do you want to know what happens next?"
"If possible…" Realizing her reaction had been somewhat excessive, when facing Ron's candid smile, Mikoto always felt a trace of inexplicable unease.
"I also want to contribute my own strength."
"It's simple."
"Accept the War Game initiated by the Apollo Familia—and then defeat them."
"???"
Mikoto: O.o?
...
Perhaps because they were about to enter the Middle Floors.
The Dungeon's intent to resist had clearly intensified; this could be seen from the endless number of monsters, their overall strength still firmly on point.
During this time, there was no shortage of imps hiding in dark corners, leaping out with split scythes raised.
Groups of Goblins shooting cold arrows from afar…
Even the small bat-type monsters, under the "Dungeon Hatred" debuff, were gradually moving closer to the direction of the giant bats from Elden Ring.
And this was exactly what Ron was seeking.
Only battles of the highest intensity could bring improvement in ability values, as well as repeated honing of techniques and mastery of various Combat Arts.
'Why haven't we reached the execution threshold yet?'
Time was like fine grains of sand slipping through one's fingers—if one was not careful, it would quietly flow away.
After repelling who knew how many waves of mutated monsters, the problem currently troubling Ron was—there was no sign whatsoever of any extermination mechanism for the Dungeon's monsters.
As if being indulged, the monsters surged in continuously, like a viscous tide.
'That's fine too…'
At least at the current stage, Ron had not yet made preparations to head toward the Middle Floors. Facing the giant bats before him—so enormous in size that they could only crawl along the ground—their dark-brown wing membranes stirred up dust with every flap.
Their grotesque heads, sharp fangs fully exposed without concealment; yet constrained by the cave passage environment, there was simply no space for them to take flight.
Monsters of this kind… one of their few threats was probably those extremely sharp claws.
'Have the bat banshee come out and speak…'
[Shattering Crystal]
As a crystallization magic that does not require chanting, even without using a wand, Ron could still shape it by hand—though the effect was relatively weaker.
With the guidance of the magic, his mental energy continued to be consumed. A deep blue radiance continuously emerged in his palm, causing the originally dim cave passage to burst forth with a color that did not belong there.
Until the charge reached its limit, magic power constructed snowflake-like crystals without any temperature. Their shining brilliance was extremely dazzling, and with a flick of Ron's hand, they shot straight toward the monster.
Crash—
The Shattering Crystal, at the instant it made contact with the giant bat, as its name implied—instantly shattered into countless crystalline fibers, piercing through the mutated monster's defenses and turning the pitch-black bat entirely azure.
The injury was not fatal.
Instead, the pain caused the giant bat to erupt in a sharp screech. High-frequency sound waves continuously reverberated within the cave, and even the dust in the air seemed to start dancing.
'Would've been better to just cut it down directly…'
Ron only felt his ears grow numb.
Thanks to often using "Heal" magic to lock his HP during life-and-death battles, his internal reserve of mental energy suffered no impact from casting spells.
The effect was simply rather ordinary.
He had come to explore the Dungeon, not to listen to a giant bat hold a concert!
He decisively stepped forward, instantly dashing in front of the monster. Gripping "Great Fortune" with both hands, he assumed a combat stance. After stabilizing his posture, he lowered his body.
Facing a monster with low defense, Ron did not need any deliberation at all. Taking advantage of the greatsword's size, he thrust upward from below, directly piercing through the giant bat's abdomen.
Combat Art: Giant Hunt!
'Before mastering powerful magic, Combat Arts are the most practical.'
[Soul Shards +3.]
After picking up the spoils dropped by the slain monster, his figure did not pause for even a moment. In the dim environment, the concept of time was extremely blurred.
One of the few things that could still be confirmed was the body's instinct.
When, after finishing his midday bento, he once again felt a strong sense of hunger, Ron already knew it was about time to begin the return trip to Orario.
He found the girl not far behind him—her face showing fatigue from the high-intensity Soulslike Dungeon combat, yet still maintaining a high fighting spirit. Ron smiled lightly and spoke concisely: "It's time to head back to Orario."
"After all, this banquet hosted by the Apollo Familia is being held especially for us. We can't exactly keep the host waiting for too long, can we?"
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