After spending several days investigating the respawn times of monsters appearing near the upper levels, today was no exception. I continued to defeat monsters and observe their behavior from within 【Hideout】.

For now, I believe I’ve covered this area thoroughly. While it’s possible for me to continue the investigation into the next area alone, I wasn’t granted permission due to the presence of mixed parties of ogres and magical beasts.

Well, I could handle it if it were just about defeating them, but it would likely slow down my pace significantly. Considering the objective of gathering holy coins, it’s far more efficient for me to target weaker monsters.

Whether the investigation of the next area will continue isn’t clear, but it doesn’t seem to be my responsibility.

“Ah?”

I noticed monsters respawning in the corridor I had been monitoring.

The respawn interval for monsters in this corridor is roughly 40 minutes, whereas the hall’s interval is a little over an hour. Each area has different timings.

If I’m in a state where I can use 【Danrem’s Thread】, it wouldn’t even take 10 minutes to eliminate all the monsters in the corridor. With efficient pacing, I could pass through before the hall’s monsters respawn.

Though I could defeat the hall’s monsters too, the next corridor beyond it is likely already repopulated with monsters. Waiting for them to respawn tends to… diminish my motivation.

If it were early in the morning, I might feel differently, but it’s already well past midday. It’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to defeat every monster in sight.

I think I’ll wrap things up soon.

I scanned 【Hideout】 to ensure nothing was left behind.
Water supply… check. Electricity… check. Monitors… check. Everything’s fine!

“Alright… let’s go!”

I activated various blessings, brought Akame and the others outside, and left 【Hideout】.

◇

“Hm?”

As I safely reached the shallows and floated toward the dungeon’s entrance, I noticed a group of four engaged in combat near the center of the shallows.

They were adventurers selected by the Adventurer’s Guild. Although the view was slightly obstructed by trees from above, their coordination was impressive.

One wielding a spear kept the monsters at bay from a distance, while another with an axe delivered the finishing blows. A third, armed with a bow, lured distant monsters by firing arrows into their groups.

And the one handling the brunt of the attack, holding a shield, was none other than Alec.

Alec had recently been spending a lot of time hunting deeper in the shallows with members of the 2nd Division after concluding his investigations of the upper levels.

The shallow entrance was allocated to adventurers from the territory, while the deeper parts were designated for use by the knights.

While hunting, they also kept an eye on the shallows, prepared to offer aid if anything happened—training for such scenarios.

“Hm…”

At the edge of the deeper area, I could faintly see members of the 2nd Division hunting as usual.

Is Alec off today? Even on his day off, he’s diving into a dungeon. What a dedicated guy.

“Oh, it’s over… Alec!”

I watched them finish their battle and start dealing with the corpses before descending to join them.

Noticing me, Alec paused and looked over.

“Sera, heading back already?”

“Yeah. What about you, Alec? It looks like this is knight work…”

From above, I couldn’t tell, but up close, I noticed he was wearing the knight order’s uniform under his armor.

I thought he was off duty, but given his attire, it seems he’s working after all.

“Ah, those guys are adventurers from the territory’s capital,” he said, glancing toward the group handling the corpses.

Following his gaze, I saw one of them raise a hand in greeting, which I returned with a wave.

I don’t know them, but it seems they know me.

…Well, I guess that makes sense.

“If you were watching from above, you might’ve noticed—they’re all using different weapons, right?”

“Yeah. An axe, a spear, and a bow.”

While it’s not unusual for everyone to use different weapons, typically, people choose ones that are most suited for the area they’re in.

For this floor, I think a sword with good maneuverability would be the most practical choice.

Considering that, their choice of weapons—while effective—seemed a bit odd. These weren’t amateurs, though; they looked quite skilled.

Being selected by the Adventurer’s Guild, they’re likely experienced. Perhaps there’s a reason behind their weapon choices?

While I tilted my head in puzzlement, Alec chuckled.

“They’re testing which weapons work best for the floor’s monsters and environment. Interesting, isn’t it?”

“Interesting… but why go through such trouble?”

It’s not like the information isn’t useful, but wouldn’t weapon preference be more about individual adventurers’ tastes? Does the Adventurer’s Guild go that far?

“It’s not for the guild—it’s for the knights. A request from the lord himself,” Alec explained.

As he spoke, the spear-wielding adventurer finished with the corpses and approached us.

“For the knights?”

“Yeah. When something happens in a dungeon, the Adventurer’s Guild typically asks the most experienced adventurers for help. But Riana’s still a new territory, right? In such cases, the knights—especially our 2nd Division—are expected to handle it.”

“I see.”

I nodded at Alec’s explanation.

While there aren’t formal adventurer ranks, some serve as the face of their city. Riana does have such figures, but the territory itself is still young.

So, relying on the knights makes sense.

“Knights are instructed on what equipment to use, right? That’s probably why this request exists,” Alec added.

“With the lord’s personal request, the pay is good, and we’ve got a skilled shield-bearer like Alec protecting us,” said one of the remaining adventurers, now finished with their work.

The axe and bow users joined us, smiling wryly.

While their weapons didn’t seem optimal, they didn’t appear dissatisfied. Was it the pay? Or Alec’s presence?

Earlier, he guarded the party admirably… no wonder they trust him so much.

Zighart’s name might be well-known, but Alec seems to be the preferred choice for forming a party.

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

【Hideout】+1 【Blessing】【Mira’s Blessing】・【Floating Orb】【Shadow Blade】【Crimson Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】・60 cards

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

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】・1 card

Alec ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・2 cards