Mid-January, after the fall of autumn.

Riana’s dungeon, which was soon to be opened to the public, concluded the internal investigation conducted by the Knight Order.

The second division, in charge of the investigation, withdrew from the dungeon, and together with the first division, they left to patrol the territory in preparation for the arrival of the Holy Coin transport from the royal capital.

The adventurers who had early access to the dungeon were not targeting the high-difficulty areas, such as the deeper upper layers or mid-layers where the monsters were stronger and farther from the entrance. Instead, they focused on the shallower areas, which were easier to clear.

While some may be trying to make their last earnings, with the Knight Order pulling out, they likely didn’t want to push their limits.

And now, Zighart dashed through the relatively clear mid-layer.

Thanks to my 【Prayer】, he had been running non-stop from the entrance to here.

Even when monsters appeared, he would immediately shoot a beam and pierce their cores with a “shup!” sound.

This is what “one strike, one kill” means.

However… even though I had guided him through a relatively monster-free route from above, what a fast pace.

“We’re in the mid-layer, Sera! Let’s take a break in the corridor!”

“Got it!”

I responded to Zighart’s command from below and dropped in altitude. When I looked at him, there was a thin layer of sweat on his face, but… he didn’t seem winded at all.

“Hey, aren’t you tired?”

“Huh? Well, a little. That’s why we’re taking a break, right?”

“Should we use the 【Hideout】?”

“No, it’s unnecessary. This place is enough.”

With that, he pointed to the corridor ahead, which connected to a lower layer, and headed in that direction.

While monsters could appear in the corridors inside the layers, the corridors between layers were different.

Indeed, it was a perfect place to rest, but… he wasn’t even exhausted enough to need the 【Hideout】. Considering he had been running at quite a pace for over an hour, that was impressive.

As I watched in amazement, Zighart turned and made eye contact with me.

“If you want to, you can go inside. It’s fine.”

Zighart was leaning against a wall, hydrating.

He didn’t sit down, likely because he didn’t want to let his guard down. Despite coming this far without incident, he showed no signs of complacency.

“No, I’m fine.”

As usual, I was just floating. No exhaustion for me.

It would be awkward for me to enter the 【Hideout】… so, I’d skip it.

It would take a little longer to recover, so I might as well prepare while I wait. I activated the benefits and blessings again and, while riding my 【Floating Orb】, began a simple warm-up exercise.

“Alright… Sorry to keep you waiting, Sera, I’m ready. How about you?”

After a short while, Zighart seemed to have recovered. About ten minutes, I’d say?

I was all set too.

Today’s goal for the dungeon exploration was the first room of the lower layer, where I had once ventured solo but failed.

The objective there was to test whether I could defeat the Giant Ape solo using the “Burning Ball” that Fiora made for me.

The “Burning Ball,” as the name suggests, was the size of a ping-pong ball.

It was Fiora who named it, but her lack of flair was quite something… I wasn’t confident in my own naming sense, but hers was something else.

In any case, it was a sticky, slimy gel wrapped in thin paper. When it hit a dungeon monster, it would melt instantly and ignite.

But the target was still the Giant Ape.

Before it appeared, I would need to stall for time and, after it showed up, I’d need to thin out the monsters to ensure a one-on-one fight.

Well, both problems could be solved easily by floating on my 【Floating Orb】 and paralyzing them with my 【Purple Wings】.

“I’m ready any time! Let’s go!”

Alright, time for a rematch.

◇

“Ugh…”

It had been about 30 minutes drifting in the sky.

I had successfully paralyzed most of the monsters and managed to lure the Giant Ape from the back corridor.

Zighart was waiting in the corridor leading to the mid-layer, just in case.

Everything was going according to plan.

In the hall, the moving monsters included the Giant Ape, which still showed no signs of being affected by poison, and five of the leaders from a group of ogres.

There were more ogres moving than last time, but that wasn’t a problem.

However… something seemed off. The monsters that had been neutralized were scattered around the hall, and I wasn’t sure if that was affecting things.

I’d need to deal with them quickly, but… how should I do it?

“Sera! Can you handle it?”

Noticing I hadn’t moved yet, Zighart, hiding in the corridor, offered to help.

The point was to fight the Giant Ape, so accepting his help wasn’t a bad idea, but… I wanted to challenge myself to clear this hall solo, especially with a guardian by my side.

“I’m fine!”

It was a kind offer, but I had to decline.

Nothing would change in terms of the plan.

First, I’d take out the ogres’ eyes, then whittle them down one by one.

That’s it.

Just to be sure, I looked at the Giant Ape… and as expected, it paid no attention to us and was wandering among the fallen monsters.

Alright… this should be doable!

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

Seria・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Cloak】・【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】・13 cards

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

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・8 cards