“Mm-hmm… it’s about time, isn’t it?”

Ten minutes had passed since the poison began to take effect.

The stronger ones among the Ogre horde—the boss-class individuals—were still standing, but most of the others were unable to move.

With their numbers reduced this much, it would be manageable to finish them off, even though these were lower-tier monsters.

First, I should eliminate the ones that can still move… Hmm?

As I lowered my altitude to approach the remaining Ogres, I noticed something slowly emerging from the passageway connected to the adjacent hall.

“What… is that?”

It was too far to see clearly, but the creature walked on two legs.

A demon beast, perhaps?

Since it appeared to be alone, it likely wasn’t an Ogre… Judging by its size, it seemed larger than an Orc.

The Ogres in the lower area didn’t appear to be converging with it, so there was no sense of camaraderie.

What is that thing?

For the moment, I decided to postpone my attack on the Ogres to monitor the unknown creature’s approach.

Though it was still at a distance, it might be better to deal with it swiftly. However, if it turned out to be a demon beast, it might throw something at me.

Even though I had the protection of 【Amber Shield】 and 【Wind Garb】, ensuring I wouldn’t be taken down in one strike, it was best to avoid situations where I could be attacked mid-battle.

I had been in this lower floor for about thirty minutes now… Well, if it comes to a fight, my combat style doesn’t take much time, so there’s no need to rush.

“Oh? Finally showing yourself—wait, what the…?”

The creature that had been lumbering along the passage came into view. Even from this distance, it was clear what it was.

Though it walked on two legs, it had a slightly hunched posture, with long arms dangling forward. In its right hand, it gripped a large stone.

If I had ignored this thing and focused on fighting the Ogres, it might’ve thrown that rock right into the fray. Close call.

But still… to encounter a Giant Ape down here in the first chamber of the lower floors…

◇

“…Hmm. No openings at all.”

When sparring with Seriana and the others in the training grounds, someone of my level wouldn’t find any gaps to exploit.

But against monsters, it’s surprisingly doable.

They’re obvious when distracted or letting their guard down.

It’s probably because I’m so weak that they don’t feel the need to stay on high alert.

Thanks to blessed artifacts, divine protection, and the support of the snakes, I can manage to defeat them, but my own strength is pitiful. Their judgment isn’t wrong.

However, this Giant Ape wasn’t showing any signs of carelessness.

For the past five minutes, it had been circling me from a distance, never taking its eyes off me.

To make things worse, the poison didn’t seem to affect it.

Giant Apes appeared during the Mantis encounter too, and back then, poison didn’t work on them either. Monsters of this caliber must have immunity.

If I waste more time, it’ll just be pointless.

“…What should I do now?”

Currently, there was one Giant Ape and two Ogres still active.

The Ogres weren’t much of a problem, but the Giant Ape was troublesome.

Whether it’s a Demon Lord species or not, my attacks wouldn’t inflict significant damage on it. Using a bow might work, but hitting it would be difficult.

It’d be easy to retreat, but if I did, the poisoned monsters would recover.

I don’t fully understand the mechanics of dungeon monsters, but if I left them to adapt and gain resistance to poison, that would be a problem for me.

If possible, I want to finish them off here.

◇

While keeping all three active monsters in sight, I carefully approached the ones that were already down.

I started with the one farthest from the Giant Ape.

“Hup!”

I unleashed the snakes toward a group of immobilized wolves and pierced their cores.

Normally, I’d decapitate them and offer the cores as treats to the snakes, but not today.

I needed to take them down quickly.

One by one, I eliminated them, their numbers exceeding thirty before I knew it.

At that point, there were no more monsters far from the three active ones.

Around twenty monsters remained, but they were within a few dozen meters of the trio.

The Ogres were positioned at the center of the fallen horde, while the Giant Ape roamed restlessly, never taking its eyes off me.

Its movements were erratic, making it hard to predict its next actions.

Perhaps it would be better to retreat after taking out one monster at a time.

I could dart in at high speed, pierce a core, and retreat immediately.

Fortunately, I’ve fought all these monsters before, so I know the location of their cores.

With the speed of 【Floating Orb】, I should be able to disengage before they attack.

“Here goes!”

Descending from above, I accelerated toward a target about ten meters away.

I pierced its head core and immediately pulled back.

Looking back, the three monsters were watching but didn’t move. Looks like it’s working.

For now, I’ll use this strategy to reduce their numbers.

But as I chipped away at them, bringing the count below ten, the two Ogres stepped forward.

The Giant Ape, meanwhile, continued its restless pacing, its gaze fixed on me.

I was used to fighting Ogres, so with these two stepping up, I might as well finish them off in one go.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera ・【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・7 cards

Seriana ・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards

Alec ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・7 cards