After completing the dungeon exploration procedures on the first floor, I descended underground toward the dungeon. However, the atmosphere felt slightly different than usual.

Lately, the lobby had always been overflowing with adventurers…

“Not many people today. Is it because of yesterday?”

“Yeah. There are still adventurers using the dungeon, but they don’t stay long. They head out immediately.”

Curious about the change, I asked a staff member who was idly waiting at the counter. It seemed that the enthusiasm from yesterday was still carrying over.

It was tempting to call them simple-minded, but given that yesterday’s event had led to the biggest haul since the dungeon opened to the public, it wasn’t surprising that people were still affected by it.

It’s good to see adventurers so lively.

“The shallows should be crowded. I doubt there will be any accidental attacks, but stay alert just in case.”

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, I’m heading out.”

Though he worked at the Adventurers’ Guild, he was also a member of the second squad and knew about the time when the dungeon first became accessible.

Of course, he also knew I had been coming and going from there.

His words of caution weren’t out of serious concern. In fact, judging by his expression, he wasn’t really worried at all—just amused.

Well, since I had already completed the procedures, I might as well head straight for the dungeon.

I waved to him and the other staff members before proceeding down the passage.

◇

“Whoa… That’s quite the large-scale battle going on again…”

As soon as I passed through the corridor, I ascended to the ceiling.

I activated my Serpent eyes and 【Fairy’s Eye】 to scan the shallows, and everywhere I looked, battles were raging against monsters.

Rather than just isolated skirmishes, the entire shallows were engaged in combat.

In terms of numbers, there had been more people back when the Knight Order and some adventurers had exclusive early access before the dungeon opened to the public.

But now, instead of large groups, there were many smaller parties or solo adventurers, meaning there were far more independent units in action.

They were spread evenly across the entire floor, each fighting in their own way.

Even the party of female adventurers who had been downcast yesterday was now hunting with renewed energy.

It was quite the lively scene.

The monsters here usually formed small packs rather than acting alone, so I had thought a four- or five-member party would be the best way to balance battles.

But these smaller groups and solo adventurers were coordinating with each other seamlessly.

Normally, you’d expect some disputes, but instead, they were proactively working together.

It was a rare sight—something you’d only see in other dungeons when adventurers were in dire situations.

“…Maybe it’s the effect of that café-like place?”

That place encouraged communication beyond pre-existing parties.

Maybe the social atmosphere there had strengthened the sense of camaraderie among adventurers, leading to this level of cooperation in the field?

This wasn’t my planned hunting ground, but with this many people around, it would be tough for me to find a spot to hunt properly.

There’s no room…

Might as well move on.

◇

After smoothly passing through the shallows, I arrived at the upper layers.

Just as the branch chief had mentioned, there were hunters active here as well.

The monsters here weren’t necessarily stronger than those in the shallows, so the adventurers who had been hunting down there could probably handle them.

However, just getting to this floor was no easy task—it required more than just brute strength.

That process naturally filtered out some adventurers.

Even so, it seemed like people were still figuring out the best way to hunt in this area.

Multiple parties had set up bases in the larger chambers and were hunting from there.

The monsters in this area appeared both in the chambers and along the connecting corridors.

The best strategy would be to move from chamber to chamber, clearing the monsters in each before advancing.

That way, you’d avoid unnecessary encounters and could deal with groups of enemies efficiently.

Maybe that’s why they looked so relaxed even while fighting.

Were they being cautious?

“…Hmm? Oh, hey, Vice Captain Sera!”

While floating near the entrance to the upper layers, watching the battles below, I noticed a group finishing off their monsters.

One of the adventurers, who had been keeping watch while processing the monster remains, spotted me and called out.

“Hey, you all made that look easy.”

Since I had caught their attention, I descended slightly and shared my impressions of their fight from above.

Before I knew it, other nearby adventuring parties had gathered around as well.

Maybe they weren’t used to hearing feedback from a top-down perspective, because they were all nodding seriously as they listened.

I also took the opportunity to ask them about their battle approach, and it turned out my hunch had been right.

They were deliberately fighting cautiously.

Even though they could get information from the Adventurers’ Guild, they preferred to verify everything firsthand.

Then, they would share those findings among themselves.

“It’s not that we don’t trust the Guild, but… their information comes from the Knight Order, right? Their priorities are different from ours. If we don’t confirm things with our own eyes, we can’t rely on it.”

“…I see.”

That made sense.

The support structures were entirely different.

These guys were like the scouting teams among the adventurers.

Rather than focusing on profit, they were prioritizing gathering information.

They put a lot of thought into this…

After chatting a bit more, they decided to wrap up their hunt for the day and return.

That would leave an open hunting spot, but…

I was already in the mood for the middle layers, so I bid them farewell and continued deeper into the dungeon.

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

Sera ・【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】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Wings】 ・15 cards

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

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

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