It’s hard to believe it’s already nearing the second month of summer.
And so, Luban joined us, and we set out to subjugate the lower-level boss.

In other words… here we are again, the dungeon’s lower layers.

Fiora’s leg issue, which caused some delays previously, was resolved with 【Floating Orb】, allowing us to reach the middle layers and the lower layers in roughly the same amount of time.
We managed to proceed without many battles, and we still had plenty of energy left.

If that were all, there wouldn’t be an issue… but I can’t shake a bad feeling about this.
After clearing the first room of the lower layers to compare with the pre-obtained information, I did a brief investigation, including the upper areas…

“This place isn’t made up of individual rooms; it’s more like a huge hall divided by walls, with open spaces above. It’s not just the lower passage—we might get attacked from above, too…”

After descending and observing the area above, I shared my findings.

According to the preliminary survey, the halls were only connected by passages, but… there’s a large gap between the walls and the ceiling, potentially allowing monsters to pass through.
The gap seems to be around five meters—big enough for something to come through from above.

“…I see. Understood. Let’s retreat for now and reassess the situation.”

“Got it.”

And so, we made our way back to the middle layers.
It was the first time this group had retreated, even if it was to strategize.

Well played, lower layers…!

◇

The initial strategy for the boss battle involved splitting into front, middle, and rear guards.
The front guard would face the boss directly, the middle would handle the surrounding minions while supporting the front, and the rear would provide overall support with their backs against a wall.

Zighart and Fiora were assigned to the rear guard. Zighart would cast spells from magical platforms, and Fiora would bombard the enemies with magic while riding on 【Floating Orb】—this was supposed to give us an advantage.
However, with the walls being open above, there was now a risk of monsters attacking from behind.

While Zighart and the others could handle it, such a scenario could disrupt our coordination.
With the distance between the front and rear guards, continued attacks might split the team.

Thus, we decided to condense our formation into just two groups: front and rear.
And as expected, positioning against a wall became the top priority.
Even though there was still a possibility of monsters coming from behind, it was deemed better than being completely surrounded.

As for gathering materials, hitting the monster cores directly was to be avoided where possible. However, the primary goal remained a no-casualty victory.
If necessary, we’d target the cores directly.

Zighart, capable of front-line combat, took up the rear this time to prepare a powerful charged attack if needed.
It was clear he was taking this seriously.

As for my role, it didn’t change much.

I would fly around, spreading poison and providing support when possible.
The only addition was keeping an eye out for monsters from above.

“Sera, can you see anything?”

“No… This area is a no-go. The ceiling isn’t open here… The structure might be different.”

I shook my head in response to Alec’s question.

Using 【Fairy’s Eye】 and the vision of my serpents, I tried to see through the walls into the next room, but it was no use.
Previously, the walls had been thin enough to see through, but these were noticeably thicker.
Maybe this was the limit for such observations.

Was this the fifth room since we entered the lower layers?

So far, no demon lord-influenced monsters had appeared, but we did encounter strengthened types.
Although we were saving our energy for the boss fight, even Zighart couldn’t take some of these monsters down in one hit, depending on where he struck.
The boss might be just around the corner.

“I see. Sera, stay close to Teresa. What do you think? Is the boss ahead?”

“I’m not sure if it’s directly ahead, but it’s close. The magical energy here is getting denser.”

While the men were discussing this, staying vigilant, I remained with the women.

“Shouldn’t everyone take a break…?”

The plan was to avoid using 【Hideout】 except for equipment changes.
I wouldn’t mind if they used it, though…

“We haven’t exerted ourselves much, and it’s best not to lose focus. They’re experienced in battle and can rest adequately here.”

“I see…”

【Hideout】 was so comfortable it might lead to relaxation.
For those used to dungeon or battlefield conditions, overly comfortable environments might actually make it harder to regain focus.

…That wasn’t a problem for me, though.

“They’re used to resting like this, so don’t worry about them. Are you holding up alright? I’ve been saved thanks to this thing…”

As Teresa spoke, nodding in understanding, Fiora descended after collecting some materials from the upper wall.
Using 【Floating Orb】 efficiently, she didn’t seem tired at all.

“I’m fine. What about you, Princess?”

“I’m good.”

The upper and middle layers had most of the monsters taken care of by supporting groups.
Even so, I didn’t even have to use 【Danrem’s Thread】 in the corridors this time.

I just floated along and followed them, without a trace of fatigue.
I’m ready for anything!

◇

As we continued chatting, the men wrapped up their discussion and called over to us.

“Let’s get moving. Are you ready?”

The men were already prepared, but we didn’t need much gear and hadn’t removed our equipment to begin with.

“Whenever you’re ready. Any changes to the plan?”

“No. Judging by the situation so far, nothing too unusual should occur. Stick to the original plan.”

Zighart answered Fiora’s question.

In the end, there’s no telling what we’ll encounter.
Whatever happens, happens.