After taking a short break, we moved forward for a little over an hour.

The frequency of battles with monsters gradually increased, causing our progress to slow. Although we hadn’t encountered the boss yet, we were starting to get a better understanding of the lower floors’ structure.

The large hall we initially thought was a single room turned out to be part of a much larger hall that had been divided by earthen walls. The actual walls of the hall were the ones without openings at the top.

This enormous hall seemed to mark the division within this floor. But it was absurdly vast.

Judging by the distance covered, we had probably already passed nearly half of the middle floor. It’s said that dungeons grow larger as you descend, but this scale was something else.

Still, given that we were cautiously progressing with the expectation of encountering a boss, it felt a bit anticlimactic. Everyone seemed to share the sentiment, though no one relaxed their guard; conversations grew sparser.

“Mm?”

Alec, leading the group, raised his hand and halted near a wall.

Looking up, there was no connection to the ceiling. We were still somewhere in the middle of the floor.

“It’s here.”

“Yeah…”

The men exchanged some cryptic words. From the context, it seemed there was a boss ahead.

“Mm-hmm… nothing’s changed, though…”

Through this particular wall, it was possible to vaguely perceive what lay beyond. Concentrating, I tried to catch a glimpse, but while I could see some monsters, there was no sign of the boss.

However, they seemed certain it was there. Even I could sense the change in their auras.

“Could it be hiding its presence like the monkey boss did before?”

If it was stronger than that boss monkey, it probably had better intelligence too.

“Likely. Just like before, make good use of that and the snakes,” Alec said, gesturing toward 【Fairy Eyes】 and the snakes. He was probably recalling our previous experience. But that had been a sneak attack.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it properly this time.”

I hadn’t just been playing around on the middle floor. While I did enjoy myself, I also trained in switching between blessings and using the snakes for reconnaissance. My linking vision with the snakes wasn’t as accurate, but I had new defensive blessings and items to compensate.

Not only was it sufficient, but my defense was stronger now.

With reconnaissance and support while flying around, I was all set!

“Good. Don’t overdo it. If it gets too dangerous, hide in the back. Everyone ready? This time… we’re going in!”

After giving me instructions, Alec called for the group to move forward. Earlier, we’d entered with high spirits only to be let down. Everyone chuckled lightly.

Intentional or not, it helped us relax just enough. With refreshed determination, we braced ourselves for the boss fight.

◇

The boss’s chamber—at least, that’s what we decided to call it—was an unpleasant terrain.

There were no obstacles like earthen pillars, but the uneven elevation and poor footing made it tricky. The middle floor had similar elements, but here it was even more pronounced. The entrance to the boss’s chamber was located at a significantly lower level, and numerous monsters peered down at us from the higher ground.

Since we had to be wary of potential projectiles, I stuck with the group, making it difficult to see the enemy and identify what kind of monsters awaited us. However, they were definitely no fools.

“…Ah.”

“Did you spot something?”

As I scanned the surroundings, I noticed a particularly strong monster among the crowd. The monsters on this floor were already formidable, but this one stood out.

“Yeah, there are a few exceptionally strong ones. I can’t see them clearly yet, but maybe the boss here is another Demon King type?”

“Most likely… There’s no need to force a confrontation. Let’s start by heading north along the wall as planned. The direction remains the same, right?”

“Yeah, straight ahead is north.”

As the navigator, I confirmed the direction for Alec.

Exploring the boss’s chamber began with circling along the wall to gauge the room’s size and structure. This approach allowed us to avoid being surrounded and ensured a better fighting position if we encountered the boss.

With that in mind, we began moving to the right—eastward. The ascent up the slope started immediately. It didn’t bother Fiora and me, as we were floating, but it looked rough for those on foot.

◇

“…Ah.”

“Monsters?”

Soon after climbing the slope and starting to move along the wall, I detected a group of monsters heading our way.

Though their forms were obscured by the terrain, they were about 40 to 50 meters away. Some were surprisingly strong despite not being influenced by the Demon King’s aura.

At this distance, the others usually would have noticed by now, but the boss’s presence seemed to interfere with their perception. They could focus and detect them if needed, but conserving energy for the boss fight meant I had to serve as the group’s eyes.

…The responsibility felt heavy, now that I thought about it.

“Yeah, there’s a group of about twenty. They’re walking this way. Demonic types… probably ogres? Some of them are pretty strong.”

Using the snakes’ eyes, I could make out their forms but not their species. Given their number and classification, ogres seemed likely.

“From that direction… twenty demonic types… ogres, perhaps?”

“Seems so. Let’s deal with them first.”

Based on my information, Alec and the others turned their attention toward the monsters.

Once they focused, they could detect them. That’s something I still couldn’t manage to grasp.

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

Seria: 【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Garment】・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee’s Sting】【Fairy Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Snake Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Feather】・3 cards

Seriana: 【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena: 【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards
Alec: 【Heavy Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・5 cards