“It’s so humid…”

We walked for a while through the passage from the underground hall of the Adventurers’ Guild and emerged into the dungeon’s shallows.

I was used to it, but since this was Seriana’s first time, and the other two rarely ventured into dungeons, the difference in environment was striking.

Even though it was winter and freezing outside, the shallows here were stiflingly hot… quite the temperature contrast.

All three of them widened their eyes in surprise.

“It’s not as hot as summer, but… we should probably let our bodies adjust a little.”

Elena responded to Seriana, who was tugging at her collar to let the heat escape.

Since this region wasn’t particularly humid, the sudden muggy heat was likely quite draining.

…Well, if I activated 【Wind’s Cloak】, it wouldn’t be an issue within its range, but that would also limit our movement area.

“Sera, we’ll be fighting here for a bit, so keep an eye on our surroundings.”

Seriana, who had drawn her sword, looked up at me floating above.

“Roger that. …Seria-sama, your sword looks different from usual.”

The sword Seriana used in Zelkis was a slender blade suited to her thrust-heavy fighting style.

However, today’s sword, though still slender, had a sharp edge.

It looked like a well-honed blade, but… if she struck at the wrong angle, it seemed like it might snap easily.

“If something happens in my territory, I’ll have to take up the sword, won’t I? I doubt the same fighting style I used in Zelkis’s dungeon would work against the monsters in the Forbidden Lands. That’s why I had a city craftsman prepare this one for me.”

“Ohh…”

Now that she mentioned it, her fighting style during training had involved a lot of slashing movements.

Since she had been using wooden swords or rolled-up cloth, I had assumed that was just the nature of those weapons… but she had been thinking things through.

As I nodded in understanding, the three of them each drew their swords from their sheaths, ready to engage in combat at any moment.

The monsters in this area were still weak, but… they showed no signs of letting their guard down.

Guess I should get serious too!

◇

There were no other people in the dungeon besides us. As soon as we moved a bit beyond the entrance, monsters attacked.

Goblins, Orcs, and Wolves.

This dungeon in Riana’s shallows was densely wooded, making visibility poor and movement difficult, so battles here tended to be a hassle… but, well, not for this group.

Teresa, the shield-bearer, stood at the frontline, drawing enemy attention, while Elena stabbed at them from behind with the spear-like extension of 【Green Fang】. Meanwhile, Seriana slipped into their blind spots and delivered swift, heavy strikes as she passed.

By the way, 【Prayer】 was not activated.

Even without magic, they were utterly overwhelming the enemies with their raw ability.

The formation was similar to when Alec was with them, but since 【Red Shield】 wasn’t present, the enemies would sometimes shift their focus away from Teresa, the tank. In those cases, Elena skillfully provided support.

“Hmm… When roles are clearly defined, they’re this strong, huh…”

I often observed adventurers fighting as I passed by, and sometimes I saw people struggling right at the dungeon entrance.

This dungeon had high entry requirements beyond just the Holy Coins needed for exploration permission. Only those with above-average skill were allowed in, meaning beginners couldn’t use it.

Yet, despite that, some parties still struggled.

From my vantage point above, the issue was clear—it all came down to how well roles were defined.

Since the monsters here should be easy to defeat, some parties didn’t properly assign roles, leading to individuals trying to handle things on their own and breaking formation.

No one had died from this yet, but there were plenty of cases where injuries forced parties to withdraw, slowing down their exploration progress.

Teresa, the tank.
Elena, the support.
Seriana, the finisher.

With such well-defined roles, they were taking down monsters effortlessly, even without magic.

“Sera.”

After finishing off a group of monsters, Seriana pointed her sword in a certain direction.

I focused my senses in that direction and…

“Hmm… Three Goblins and four Boars.”

Seriana’s blessing allowed her to sense the number of monsters nearby, but not what kind they were.

That’s where I came in.

You could say this was my role in the party.

“Good. Let’s go.”

Seriana lowered her sword and called out to the other two before starting to move.

To be cautious, I went ahead to scout the terrain.

Well… not that there was anything particularly unusual.

If this were a normal day, the aftermath of other adventurers’ battles could sometimes cause unexpected incidents, but right now…

Peaceful. Very peaceful.

After repeating several more fights, we reached about the halfway point of the shallows and decided to take a break.

“Sera, activate 【Hideout】.”

“Roger that.”

If this were a real hunt, we wouldn’t rest inside 【Hideout】 to maintain vigilance, but today was just a chance for Seriana to unwind, so there was no need for strict discipline.

I activated 【Hideout】 and invited everyone inside.

After a short rest, I wondered—would we be heading back soon?

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

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【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】【Red Sword】・15 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・33 cards

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

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards