But things were different now.
In this party, Persephone was a genuine peak Level 3 combatant. She might fall a little short of adventurers who specialized purely in combat when it came to head-on engagements, but her Level and stats were the real deal.
Beyond her as a proper Level 3, Jeanne and Rose were both Level 2 but possessed permanent rule-breaking skills. Combined with their polished combat technique, their actual fighting ability was on par with Persephone's.
Those three with their Level 3-equivalent power, plus Kureha, the Sword Saint whose build was all-in on attack and speed to a degree that even Leon couldn't fully read, plus Aura and Laurier providing coordinated support that let the two elven girls punch well above their weight.
The whole party could steamroll anything the Middle Floors threw at them.
Even factoring in Irregulars, unless the Dungeon spawned two Monster Rexes at once to "warmly welcome" them, they wouldn't feel any pressure before reaching Floor 25.
Leon could've shouted at the top of his lungs: Come on, who's next?!
"Stop standing there giving speeches and get over here and help!"
Jeanne shattered a Minotaur's skull with a single thrust and didn't stop moving. She flipped the Banner Lance into a reverse grip and ducked a lateral sweep, then used the shaft to swat the Minotaur skyward. Her silver heeled boots kicked off the ground. She dropped low, closed fast, and ran the wide-eyed, terrified Minotaur clean through.
Watching that seamless chain of fluid combat, Leon clicked his tongue and kept his eyes on the swarm.
"I could do all that too if I felt like it. Just seems like a lot of work when one fireball clears the same space..."
He muttered to himself as he raised a hand. With a thump, flames swelled and spiraled from his palm, instantly condensing into a scorching fireball that he hoisted above his head.
"Damn... the higher my Level gets, the more Magic I've got after two rounds of level-up accumulation. Sure, the power, range, and area are all better, but the control just keeps getting harder!"
He cocked an eyebrow, locked onto a Minotaur charging straight at Aura and Laurier, and hurled the wagon-wheel-sized fireball with everything he had.
"Fireball!"
A chain of deafening explosions ripped through the corridor, one after another.
The women fighting nearby didn't so much as flinch.
Only Persephone, who had just cut down her tenth Minotaur, let a flicker of shock cross her stunning features.
"Leon, you..."
Her lips parted, her eyes unfocused, and she just stared at the man who'd once humiliated her, mind gone blank for a moment.
Beside her, Rose caught a massive natural-weapon greataxe on her shield with her left hand, then her right-hand shortsword defied all physics by accelerating mid-swing, punching straight through a Minotaur that had tried to blindside her. She followed up with a vicious shield bash that launched the creature into the air, then used the pointed tip of her kite shield to shear its head clean off.
She flicked the blood from her blade, glanced sideways at Leon, his cloak snapping in the blast wave, and said to Persephone with a gentle smile.
"You probably have some idea what Leon's like by now. He always holds something back, never goes all out, especially not where people can see. Hiding his power level is pure instinct for him. Don't let that harmless act fool you, Miss Persephone."
Rose glanced once more at Leon as he drifted along the edges of the battlefield, alternating between Scorch and Fireball for fire support, and the corner of her mouth curled upward.
"He's just that kind of shameless man."
She paused, then added softly.
"In every sense of the word."
Persephone: "..."
She understood perfectly well what Rose was implying.
As if Leon's "training" had left her with some kind of conditioned response, that single nudge from Rose was enough to bring that unbearably humiliating memory rushing back up.
No! Don't think about that! Stop it... get out of my head!
But the harder she fought it, the sharper the memories became.
Especially that strange pleasure that seemed burned into her, that giddy, weightless feeling of being carried to the top... her eyes glazed over and her cheeks went red.
"Fireball!"
An explosion vaporized the Minotaur closing in on Persephone, and Leon glanced back to find his gorgeous boss flushed red, eyes glistening, body going visibly weak. He had no idea what to make of it.
What's her deal now? Spacing out in the middle of a fight?
After a moment's thought, he moved in close, shielding her behind him, and went back to clearing the swarms pouring in from every direction with fireballs.
Half an hour later.
Everyone was working together, quickly gathering Magic Stones and Drop Items scattered across the ground.
Leon crouched on the floor, efficiently butchering Minotaur carcasses while repeatedly glancing at the beautiful boss beside him, her cheeks still tinged pink.
"Hey... Persephone, are you... okay? Something's off with you."
"Zoning out in the middle of combat? I think all that peaceful farm life's made you soft. You've gone and lost your edge."
At his teasing, Persephone's expression froze. She quickly snapped back to her usual icy composure, though deep in her eyes lurked a barely perceptible hint of hurt.
Before he could say anything else, Persephone let out a quiet "hmph," turned on her heel, and walked over to Jeanne, Rose, and Kureha. She started sorting loot and slipped naturally into their conversation, leaving Leon thoroughly hung out to dry.
"Huh? What just happened?"
Laurier patted him on the shoulder with a giggle, dragging out her words playfully.
"You seriously still don't get what Persephone was feeling? C'mon now. Guess I gave you too much credit."
Leon looked from her to Persephone and back, none the wiser.
...
After that little episode, the group pressed on deeper toward the Lower Floors.
Floor 17. The Wall of Grief.
"Finally went smooth for once. I'm telling you... there's no way we just happen to run into the Monster Rex every single time we come through here. If we really were that unlucky, I'd have to seriously reconsider whether this whole adventurer thing is cut out for me."
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