“Hmph… seems like something sharp-minded has shown itself. Was it suppressing its presence…?”

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to run… it seems ready to fight, though… is that it?”

Zighart and August repositioned their shields as they stood beside Alec.
It was probably to support Alec, but for even Zighart to move forward, along with August?

As Zighart said, until that one attack, it seemed to have been suppressing its presence. Even though we’d been looking right at the area where the giant ape must have been, we didn’t notice it. But now, it’s not even trying to suppress its presence—it’s clear as day.

Green and red, with the green vastly outweighing the red.
It’s a physical type, huh.

That dark gray giant ape must be the target.
It’s perched above, looking down at us arrogantly.
Its presence exudes the aura of a boss, fittingly commanding respect. The others remain thoroughly on guard.

“Hmm… hn?”

As I focused on its features to discern anything peculiar, I noticed something.
Through 【Fairy Eyes】, I could see green and red as usual.
However, I spotted something else near its chest.

I tried to focus my gaze to determine what it was, but at that moment, a black, wave-like distortion came into view…

“…Wha!?”

‘!?’

The boss ape let out a roar that echoed across the entire floor.
Its volume was enough to make not just me, but everyone instinctively cover their ears.

As they quickly repositioned themselves, I…

“Ugh…”

Though I was riding on a 【Floating Orb】, I swayed and eventually descended to the ground.
This… this has never happened before. My head’s spinning… and something’s dripping from my nose…

“Princess… are you alright?”

Teresa stepped in front of me, shielding my collapsed form from the boss ape.

“Yeah… I feel a bit dizzy, but I’m fine. …Wait, ugh, is this a nosebleed?”

Wiping my nose, I answered Teresa, but seeing the blood on my hand, I was shocked.
Why a nosebleed…?

“That roar had magical energy imbued in it. Since you use blessed items and familiars to see magic, you must have taken the brunt of it. Perhaps you should retreat?”

Luban explained as he stood beside me, tilting his head.

“Ah… that makes sense.”

I remembered the time Zighart’s brilliant light directly struck me—it had been overwhelming.
The 【Fairy Eyes】 and serpent vision aren’t natural to human eyes, after all.
This time, it was sound rather than sight, but perhaps all my senses had been heightened. Not that it’s a pleasant discovery.

“Oh… you three, wait!”

Lifting my head, I saw the boss ape still unmoving, while the other three were preparing to advance.
I hurriedly called out to stop them.

With their strength, they might be able to defeat it, but I had to share what I’d observed…

“What’s wrong?”

Though the boss ape remained in their sights, Zighart stepped back to hear me out.
It’s enough to tell him.

“That ape… it’s a Demon King species.”

‘!?’

Zighart, Teresa, and the others all froze in surprise.
Even though the two in front probably didn’t hear me, the disturbance from those behind them seemed to reach them, and they turned to look.

Seizing the opportunity, the boss ape resumed its assault, launching projectiles at Alec and the others.

◇

Dungeons and the outside world.

There are several differences, but one major one is that dungeons exclusively contain monsters, which also appear in greater density.

In addition, a mysterious phenomenon called “respawning” makes combat much more frequent compared to outside.

Moreover, monsters of the same species that appear in the same floor generally show no individual variation.
That is to say, monsters of the same kind have roughly the same level of strength.

In short, irregularly strong monsters like Demon King species are said not to appear in dungeons.

But I’m convinced that boss ape is a Demon King species.

Thanks to Mitsume joining, 【Fairy Eyes】 now provides even more detailed insights into the target’s strength.

Previously, when we defeated the wolf Demon King species, I noticed a black aura overlaying the usual green and red colors.

The boss ape had the same black aura.
It extended from its chest, thinly veiling its entire body if you looked closely.

This feeling of unease—it’s exactly the same as with that wolf.

After explaining my observations, Zighart muttered “A Demon King species…” and immediately rushed back to the front lines.

He’s a mage, yet he charges in…?
Then again, he’s incredibly versatile. Perhaps he’s evaluating its movements in close combat first.

“…Aren’t you all going in? Wait… what are you doing?”

Watching Zighart’s retreating figure, I turned back to Teresa and the others.
Fiora aside, Teresa and Luban can handle both long and short-range combat. Shouldn’t they be joining in?

But instead, they were spreading illumination magic around, not just near us but at a distance too.

Thanks to that, the dimly lit area was now much brighter.

“So that roar… it’s not just a threat to us, is it?”

“It’s likely a call to other magical beasts. It serves to intimidate us, yes, but its primary purpose is to summon allies,” Luban explained.

“…I see.”

Memories of a bitter encounter in a dungeon came rushing back.

In the capital’s dungeon, when I encountered a demon, I didn’t participate in the fight itself until the end. Instead, I had to deal with the swarming monsters it summoned.
That had been exhausting…

“Is the light to make the battle easier?”

“A bit of that, but mostly to draw them here. Princess, it might be better to hold back either the 【Fairy Eyes】 or serpent vision for now.”

“Staying above ground isn’t safe either. If there are magical species, you’ll be targeted.”

Teresa and Fiora, along with Luban, seemed completely prepared.

Ah, so our role is to keep the monsters from reaching the others.
The lighting magic is like a giant bug zapper, huh…?

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera: 【Hideout】+1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】・【Floating Orb】【Shadow Sword】【Crimson Bee’s Needle】【Fairy Eyes】【Dragon’s Lungs】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】・60 cards
Seriana: 【Area Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena: 【】・【Green Fang】・1 card
Alec: 【Heavy Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・2 cards