Walking through the massive chamber beneath the Wall of Grief, Leon grumbled about his own luck.
"Come on, it's not that bad. We've only been part of, what, one or two Monster Rex kills total?"
Jeanne frowned slightly, thinking back, and looked at Leon with some confusion.
"Well, sure, the number of times we've directly fought one isn't that high, but... the odds of running into one spawning during a routine dive aren't low at all."
"I remember exactly how many times I've had to run for my life!"
Everyone: "..."
They passed through the Wall of Grief without incident and entered the steep descending passage.
Before long, the view opened up dramatically.
Brilliant crystals blanketing the ceiling lit the entire space bright as day. Dense forests, babbling streams, magnificent cliff walls, glistening crystal paths, and natural pools that made you feel at ease just looking at them...
"We're finally here!"
"Under Resort!"
Kureha, Laurier, and Aura, the three who were visiting the place adventurers called Under Resort for the first time, stared in awe at a landscape that had no business existing underground, momentarily speechless.
Even the well-traveled Kureha hadn't expected to find a place this enchanting hidden eighteen floors beneath the surface.
"So this is... the miracle that is the Dungeon?"
"I thought the Wall of Grief was impressive enough, but just one floor down on 18... there's somewhere this beautiful?"
Leon pulled out his battered brass pocket watch, checked the time, and made a suggestion.
"Let's camp here in Under Resort for today. Rest up, then head for the Great Tree Labyrinth tomorrow."
Jeanne and Rose both nodded in agreement.
"Playing it safe is smart. Anything can happen in the Dungeon, especially with a small party like ours. We don't have anywhere near the risk tolerance of the big teams."
Then Persephone spoke up.
"If we're camping here, I know a good spot."
"Follow me."
"Sure."
...
East side of Under Resort, deep in the forest.
With Persephone leading the way, it took them about half an hour to reach the campsite she'd mentioned.
"Wait, Floor 18 has a place like this?"
"There's a pond, a small waterfall, and a stream, plus plenty of food sources around."
"Flat ground, good sightlines. Perfect spot for a camp."
"This is the one!"
Just as Leon's group settled on their campsite and was getting ready to explore Under Resort and Rivira Town...
Floor 17.
A deafening roar echoed through the cavern, the sound arriving before the creature itself. With a thunderous crack, the Wall of Grief exploded outward from within.
"Ugh, what a pain."
"Not necessarily. Now that Goliath's spawned, this is a good chance to put the new recruits through their paces, isn't it?"
"Any other time, sure. But we're already short on supplies. Every minute we waste adds more risk."
"Fair enough. It is what it is, no point making excuses."
"Let's end this fast!"
"Gareth, I'm counting on you for the vanguard!"
Dungeon, Floor 18. Under Resort.
Each stake hammered down one by one, the wooden tent pegs sinking steadily into the soil.
Leon wiped the sweat from his brow, reached over to adjust the tension on the guy lines, and only after confirming the tent was properly secured did he let out a long breath.
"Finally done."
"Setting up a tent feels harder than fighting monsters."
Hearing his griping, Rose and Kureha, busy working on the other tents, both shot him looks of pure exasperation.
"That's because you did it wrong, isn't it?"
Rose held a support pole steady for Kureha while simultaneously calling him out.
"When you bought the tent, didn't the goblin shopkeeper at the supply store throw in the instructions? Nobody told you to wing it without reading them. Look how much time you wasted going in circles."
"Kureha and I are almost done with our third tent and you just finished your first."
"That's what you get for trying to be clever."
Having his incompetence ruthlessly exposed, Leon's face flushed. He cleared his throat and tried to defend himself.
"Ahem... old habit. I didn't think putting up a tent would be this complicated."
"Besides, this one's different from the simple tents we used last time. It's a newer model... the setup's a teensy bit more involved."
His flimsy excuse earned him simultaneous eye-rolls from both Rose and Kureha.
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Uh..."
Just as Rose had Leon cornered with no comeback, Jeanne and Persephone pushed through the underbrush and emerged from the nearby woods, each carrying a basket overflowing with natural ingredients as they stepped into the flat clearing the group had prepared.
"Setting aside you being too lazy to read the instructions..."
Jeanne set her basket down, her tone and expression both serious.
"Leon, while Persephone and I were gathering food, we noticed... something going on near the Wall of Grief."
The moment they heard this unexpected news, the easy mood drained from everyone's faces.
Leon rubbed his stubbly chin and gazed thoughtfully toward the passage leading to the upper floor.
"You're saying... Goliath spawned? Huh, so it must've been right around when we came through."
Persephone set her basket of ingredients on a flat tree stump, her hand instinctively resting on her sword hilt as she looked around at the group.
"What do we do? Should we go check it out? The Dungeon doesn't exactly play fair. If some kind of Irregular pops up and catches us off guard, gathering intel after the fact is going to be a lot harder."
She'd barely finished when Jeanne's expression suddenly froze, a look of surprise crossing her face.
Then she shook her head, as if relieved.
"Looks like... that won't be necessary?"
Persephone's eyes narrowed in confusion at her sudden change of attitude.
"Jeanne, what do you..."
At the same time, Leon, Rose, and Kureha seemed to realize something too, and all eyes turned to Jeanne.
Sure enough, what she said next confirmed what everyone was already thinking.
"When we were gathering ingredients, besides the faint sounds I picked up, my skill Revelation also activated. It told me Goliath had spawned."
"But just now, the skill's response cut off... which means..."
Leon's mouth twitched as he finished her sentence.
"Means that poor bastard Goliath spawned less than half an hour ago and already got deleted."
"Right?"
Jeanne nodded.
Everyone: "..."
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