Once they passed the fiftieth floor, monsters began appearing again.
“Looks like this dungeon outbreak is happening only in floors shallower than the fiftieth floor this time.”
Dungeon outbreak always had a specific range. Sometimes the entire dungeon would go into runaway mode, but other times—like now—it affected only certain floors.
“Well, in some cases, the affected area can expand over time.”
Even as I muttered this to myself, the three girls were effortlessly scattering the monsters of the fiftieth floor.
“Good. You guys still got plenty of room to spare.”
Soon, we passed the fifty-fifth floor—the level Ark had once reached solo—and pressed on to the sixtieth. This was the floor I had once explored alone, searching for over 80% pure mithril.
“…Come to think of it, there was that adventurer guy who came solo back then too. Looking back, he might have been pretty skilled.”
“That was during my temporary dormancy. Even for the former S-rank guildmaster, the highest solo floor was fifty-five, so we can assume he was at least of equal or greater skill. I imagine he must have been quite surprised to see the Master.”
Monsters on the sixtieth floor weren’t instantaneously destroyed, even by Fana and the others. Still, they didn’t struggle. They dispersed them efficiently while keeping some energy in reserve.
“Hah… hah… T-they’re certainly opponents we can fight… b-but my stamina… it’s getting tough…!”
Karen, who’s exhausted, was breathing heavily. Her fatigue is now obvious.
“Yeah, it’s been a forced march up until now. Let’s take a short break.”
We decided to take a break. Giving everyone a moment to recover both stamina and magical energy. I guided them to a spot that offered both visibility of the surrounding area and cover to stay hidden.
“I could speed things up by healing you with magic, but I want you to push yourselves as much as possible.”
I could’ve set up a barrier to let them rest safely, but I decided against it.
“All right, my guidance ends here. From now on, it’s all on your own strength.”
“Normally that’d be fine, but we’re in the middle of a dungeon outbreak, you know? I don’t think we have time to explore slowly.”
“It’s fine. I left Lill behind, so at most, only monsters from the fiftieth floor and below should appear. Besides… there’s someone here who can use a method equivalent to exploration magic.”
“Eh? Who’s that?”
Anje furrowed her brows and scanned the group one by one.
“No… Could it be me!? Now that you mention it, I did have a vague sense of which path to take! Next… over there, right!?”
“Nope, totally wrong.”
“Just a hunch, isn’t it…?”
Karen confidently pointed in the exact opposite direction. Definitely not her.
“Mm… go straight over there… about a hundred meters… then left… fifty meters… now diagonally right…”
“!? You… you can sense it!?”
“…Mm, kind of.”
“Just a hunch too?”
“But you’re right, Fana-oneechan.”
Fana had perfectly grasped the route they needed to take.
“The path the Master showed me… somehow, I just knew it too. I don’t think it was a hunch… maybe… the flow of magical energy?”
“Exactly.”
In a dungeon, there exists a flow of magical energy. It runs from the shallow floors toward the deeper ones, subtle but steady, like a gentle wind. Those who can sense it are able to determine the route that leads to the stairs descending to the next floor.
“But if it’s just the flow of magical energy, we should be able to feel it too, right? …Though I have no idea what I’m sensing.”
“It’s extremely subtle. Only someone delicate can pick it up.”
“Well, I’m about as far from delicate as it gets!”
Anje huffed in indignation.
“This is just a matter of talent. Fana-oneechan excels at wind magic. It’s the kind of magic that demands the most precise manipulation of magical energy, and wind magic is all about that.”
“Still… isn’t she basically the thick-skinned one? Nothing ever seems to faze her.”
“That’s true, but this isn’t about personality. Being emotionally sensitive and being good at delicate work are different things.”
…Although, personality-wise, Anje might actually be the more sensitive of the two.
“On the other hand, people skilled in earth magic have incredible endurance. Not only do they have a large reservoir of magical energy, but they also possess the mental fortitude to sustain it over long periods.”
“Not bad at all!”
Anje’s mood brightened noticeably.
“You two can use magic… lucky you…! Not that I’m jealous or anything! I’m a samurai! I’ve devoted my life to the blade! I don’t envy you at all!”
“You are using physical enhancement magic, though.”
“That doesn’t count!”
With all three fully recovered, they resumed their exploration. Fana, now able to sense the correct route, led the way.
“Mm… there’s a monster just around the turn.”
“You can sense it even though you can’t see it!?”
If you can feel the flow of magical energy, detecting monsters isn’t difficult. Sure enough, just as Fana had said, a monster was waiting immediately after the corridor turned.
“Yagyū Shinnen-ryū, Swift Thunder!”
Karen immediately struck with a slash.
“So it was here!”
“Mm… there’s a trap at your feet.”
“Huh?”
Click.
By the time Fana pointed it out, Karen had already stepped on a floor switch. Immediately, arrows shot out from the walls, aiming straight at her.
Karen, having just finished her technique, couldn’t react in time, but Fana swung her sword and cut the arrows down before they could hit.
“You can even sense traps… t-thank you, that saved me!”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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