The source of the voice came from behind… it was Alec, who had arrived from the middle to the lower layers.

I was able to stay calm despite the sudden voice from behind; he must have been using the 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】, right?

What a considerate guy.

But, what did he mean by “don’t move”…?

“Mm?”

When I glanced down, I saw something flying toward the Giant Ape.

Even with my enhanced vision through 【Prayer】, I could only make it out as a shadow, but it looked like an arrow with something attached to it.

“Oh?”

It was indeed an arrow, and it struck the Giant Ape squarely, but rather than sticking, it was knocked away and fell to the ground.

However, while it didn’t pierce, an orange powder-like substance was swirling around the Giant Ape’s face.

Was this what was attached?

I couldn’t tell what it was, but the ape shook its head in an annoyed manner.

“Nuuh?!”

This time, it wasn’t an arrow, but three humans passed under me, heading toward the Giant Ape.

They were armed, so they were likely brought by Alec from the group hunting in the middle layers.

It seemed like the Giant Ape was about to fall into their hands…

“…Oooo”

Reaching the Giant Ape, the leader of the group swung a spear horizontally.

At first, I thought it was a leg sweep, but he had cut off its left foot.

The spear’s tip was glowing, so it must have been some kind of blessing… perhaps similar to August’s?

And, with one leg gone, the Giant Ape lost its balance and fell forward, at which point the remaining two thrust their spears into its exposed back.

It was like whale hunting…

And, one of the spears seemed to have pierced its core, as the Giant Ape’s body disappeared along with it.

…

I had struggled so much to figure out how to defeat it, but these three took it down in an instant. They’re insanely strong!

“Sera”

While I was admiring their strength, I heard Alec’s voice from below.

He must have reached my feet without me noticing.

“Good job. You’re a little late though.”

When I checked the timer, over an hour had passed.

There might have been an alarm, but… with all the noise, maybe I didn’t notice it?

He probably came to check since I hadn’t returned.

“I thought you’d be fine, but just to be sure. I didn’t expect the Giant Ape to show up here though.”

Alec paused for a moment, scanning the area before continuing.

“There doesn’t seem to be much destruction. Looks like you fought well. I gave orders to take it down… but was it unnecessary?”

The group who defeated the Giant Ape were gathering up the scattered remains and returning to us.

They didn’t seem shaken; it was probably just another day for them.

“No, no, it was just lacking a decisive move… I was struggling a bit. It was good timing, though.”

Yeah… I wasn’t planning on being defeated, but I was starting to get uncertain about whether I could take it down. After all that learning, I was hesitant to flee…

If it was one-on-one, I might have managed with time, but with the monsters respawning…

“Ah!? “

Oh no! I almost forgot something important!

“What happened!?”

“Monsters will start respawning soon!”

It had been over 30 minutes since we started fighting, and it wouldn’t be strange if they began to spawn.

Unless they had some kind of wide-range technique, this could turn into a bit of a hassle.

“!? You all! The monsters will respawn soon. Let’s head back!”

Upon hearing Alec’s voice, the group immediately ran over, ignoring the remaining remains.

There was no hesitation in their actions…

In any case, it was time to retreat.

The lower layers… maybe it was a bit too soon for me.

◇

We returned to the middle layers, and I stayed close to Alec while taking a break.

During that time, I learned about the group who had defeated the Giant Ape. They weren’t adventurers from any clan or mercenary group.

They were from a mine a few kilometers north of the territory where I had previously defeated Cymodoki.

They had made a village at the base of the mountain as their base, and their main job was clearing monsters from the tunnels.

The area was filled with strong monsters, and the battles in the dark, cramped tunnels were far from easy, and adventurers usually avoided it due to its inefficiency.

However, this group actually preferred that environment, so they had set up their base there.

But, that was before the area became part of the Riana Territory. Since then, knights had been patrolling, and the number of monsters had gradually decreased, reducing their work.

They hadn’t been well known because they stayed in remote areas, but their skills were unquestionable, and they were recruited by Alec.

In a way, they were Alec’s personal soldiers.

Such people existed!? I was surprised, but then again, Alec had many roles—knight, adventurer, and more. He must have needed support in each of those capacities.

While I had been lounging around in the mansion, he had been doing all sorts of things.

Currently, Alec had interrupted our conversation and was having a meeting with some adventurers who were testing something in the middle layers.

It seemed like he was going to continue hunting here.

As for me… maybe I’ll head back soon?

It’s dusty, and I’d like to take a bath.

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

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

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・28 cards

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

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