Category: Umareta Chokugo ni Suterareta kedo, Zensei ga Taikensha datta node Yoyuu de Ikitemasu

Orion was officially the Seventh Prince of the Arseral Empire—but in truth, she is a woman. This was because her twin brother, who was meant to be the Hero’s reincarnation, had died in childhood. To preserve the line, the twin sister had taken his place.

Her real name was Rione. Normally, she hid her chest beneath armor—but underneath, a magnificent pair of curves awaited.

“There’s a private shower in the room. You should use that to wash up.”

Anje said casually.

“Hey, Anje-oneechan!?”

“Well, in that case, I suppose I’ll use that one.”

Orion muttered.

Thanks to Anje’s unnecessary comment, Orion ended up using the private shower instead of the large bath.

It was cruel… I’d been looking forward to bathing together after so long…

『Serves you right.』

While I was sulking over my misfortune, Orion returned from the shower.

“You were quick.”

“I couldn’t linger… someone might have peeked.”

“True enough. No one lets their guard down around that type.”

Just then, a notification chimed. It seemed we had arrived at our destination.

“This must be the building.”

Amid the desolate wastelands stood a lone, sturdy structure. Rugged and imposing, it could almost be called a fortress. High-level wards surrounded it, guarding the place against any unwanted intrusions.

As we disembarked from the airship and approached the entrance, a voice called out from a small window beside the massive gate.

“This is the Adventurers’ Guild Association headquarters. Please show your guild cards.”

We presented our guild cards as requested.

“Six A-Rank adventurers, huh… wait? Six? I only see five.”

“Did you forget about me?”

Seething from not being able to share the bath with Orion, I had Fana hold me up, making sure to assert myself.

“!? A baby…? It’s speaking!? Wait, I’ve heard about this. A baby who became an adventurer at zero years old and skyrocketed to A-Rank in no time… so that’s you, huh? Hmm… I still can’t believe it, seeing it with my own eyes.”

“Wait, you know me?”

I asked, surprised.

“Of course. This is the Adventurers’ Guild Association, after all. Information from guilds all over the world flows through here… In any case, your guild cards appear genuine. You may enter.”

With a deep, resonant sound, the massive doors swung open, and we stepped inside the headquarters.

“We’ve been expecting you, Fana-sama, Anje-sama, and Orion-sama. I am Randia, a staff member of the Association assigned to oversee your S-Rank promotion exam. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The one who greeted us was an elderly man with the air of a butler. His speech was polite and precise, yet there was an unmistakable sense of authority about him—likely a retired adventurer of considerable skill.

“Thanks to the arrival of the three of you, it seems that all candidates scheduled to take the exam this time have gathered. We will assemble everyone shortly to explain the exam’s details, but until then, please make use of the free accommodations inside the building to rest.”

According to the staff member who introduced himself as Randia, the headquarters also functions as a fully equipped adventurers’ guild. Well, this place serves not only as the Association’s main office but also as a base for adventurers challenging the Infinite Wastelands.

As such, it offered everything a traveler might need: not just lodging, but a dining hall, item shop, and even a dismantling station. There was a buyback counter, of course, and blacksmiths on hand to maintain weapons and armor.

“Hmm… how many are taking the exam?”

“Well, two more people signed up at the last minute, so this time there are slightly more candidates than usual—a total of twelve. I must admit, I never expected that after being granted your exam qualifications just a few hours ago in Vegaltia, you’d have already arrived. You came by that… flying ship, didn’t you?”

“You know about that, ojiichan?”

Well, I had reported the magical airship to the guild once before.

“There’s a place to sleep on that ship, so tonight I’ll stay there instead of using the free accommodations here.”

“Ah, even such a thing exists? I’d very much like the opportunity to ride it myself someday.”

Huh? There’s no way I’d let some old geezer ride with me.

『Master, you are a geezer too, though.』

(I’m a cute, adorable baby! Ba-bu, ba-bu!)

“I just came on the ship, so I’m not tired or anything.”

“Yeah, more importantly—let’s hear about the exam already.”

We also told him that we didn’t need to rest, so he went straight into explaining the exam.

Apparently, even those of us not taking the exam—like me and Karen—were allowed to listen in.

We were guided into a spacious conference room that could easily fit fifty people. 

One by one, the candidates for this session began to gather. Of the twelve candidates, eight were men and four were women—Orion counted among the women. Most seemed to be in their late twenties to early thirties.

Teenagers Fana and Anje were by far the youngest, and it showed when they entered the room—earning a few surprised glances.

Of course, no one was stupid enough to get angry and shout, “What’s a brat doing here!?”

When it comes to an A-rank adventurer with abilities close to S-rank, it’s possible to understand to some extent the other person’s skill just by looking at them.

“…What’s a brat doing here!?”

Ah… I’m wrong. There is one here.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Leaving Vegaltia behind after a long absence, we headed north aboard the Seno Grande Kai.

“It would take about half a month to get there on land but with this ship, we should arrive with plenty of time to spare. We’ll be there in just a few hours.”

Our destination was the Infinite Wastelands, the greatest magical frontier on the continent, where Fana and Anje would be taking their S-Rank promotion exam.

“Still, isn’t it a bit much to tell us the exam starts tomorrow and that we have to reach the venue today?”

“…Yeah. Without this ship, we wouldn’t have made it in time.”

The S-Rank promotion exam was held only four times a year. And by the time Ark approached us about it, the next session was already scheduled for the very next day.

“Hahaha, with the lot of you, I’m sure you’ll make it in time. Well, if you can’t, you can just take the next exam. Your eligibility stays valid until you actually sit for it.”

Ark had said that with a laugh. He sounded carefree about it, at least.

“By the way, only thirteen people have ever been officially recognized as S-Rank adventurers. Of those, just six are still active.”

“That’s few…”

“We’ve only met one of them so far. But considering that level, six almost feels like too many, honestly.”

Anje was referring to the martial arts tournament held in the Arseral Empire. The S-Rank adventurer she had in mind was undoubtedly Goritia, one of the competitors there.

“…I want to meet him again. I think I could fight him evenly now.”

“…I’d rather not. That hellish moment when that walking mass of muscle picked me up—sometimes I still wake up from dreams about it…”

Well, a baby finds true comfort only in his mother’s breast after all. A man’s arms are simply unnecessary.

“I heard about thirty people take the exam each year. But almost none of them pass. It’s an incredibly narrow gate. Only one person every few years, apparently.”

Incidentally, once you fail, you’re barred from retaking the exam for an entire year.

“That actually sounds fun! Ahh, if only I had the qualifications—I would’ve loved to take it with you all…”

As we were talking, land that looked like our destination finally came into view in the distance. A desolate stretch of earth, nothing but reddish-brown soil and jagged rock formations spreading endlessly before us.

“So that’s the Infinite Wastelands.”

“Yeah. Brings back memories. There wasn’t anything on the level of a Demon King, but plenty of vicious demon tribes made their homes there. With the mana density being so high, I suppose it’s a comfortable place for them.”

Naturally, countless vicious monsters also made their home here.

Setting up a headquarters in a place like this was practically an invitation to be attacked, which meant they must have had absolute confidence in their ability to repel any threat.

“Where exactly is the Association’s main building anyway—hmm?”

As I peered down at the ground through the window, I spotted a lone figure locked in combat with a monster.

It was a giant scorpion native to the wastelands—an Inferno Scorpion. It’s a troublesome beast, boasting incredible mobility, a hardened exoskeleton, massive pincers capable of cleaving even solid rock, and a barbed tail that fired jets of venom so toxic that mere contact meant death.

Yet despite facing such a creature, the figure handled it with ease.

Dodging the venomous beams, they closed the distance, casually batting aside the scorpion’s pincer strikes with a sword.

Then, after severing its legs and stripping it of its mobility—

“Lightning.”

A violent surge of lightning pierced straight through the scorpion’s exoskeleton, ravaging it from the inside.

“Well now, that’s pretty impressive. Eh? wait… Don’t tell me that’s Orion!?”

The movements and the flow of mana felt strangely familiar, so I took a closer look. Sure enough, it was Orion—the descendant of Leon the Hero, with whom I had once teamed up to defeat the Demon King. She is also the Seventh “Prince” of the Arseral Empire.

I descended from the Seno Grande Kai to the ground below.

“Hey! Long time no see, Orion-oniichan!”

“…You—R-Reus!? Why are you here?!”

Orion stared at me, eyes wide with shock, having finally noticed my presence.

“That’s my line. Well, we are here since Fana-oneechan and Anje-oneechan are heading to the Association headquarters to take the S-Rank promotion exam.”

“…They are? They’re taking the promotion exam too?”

“Too?”

“Yeah. Actually, I’m planning to take it as well.”

It turned out Orion was headed to the same place, for the very same reason.

“Oh, really? I didn’t know you were an adventurer too, Oniichan.”

“I registered when I was twelve and worked as one as part of my training.”

So he’d been our senior in that regard.

“I only reached A-Rank about a year ago, but after parting ways with you, I left the empire to push myself harder. I traveled from guild to guild, deliberately taking on the most difficult requests I could find. Eventually, they suggested I try my hand at the S-Rank promotion exam.”

“I see. Then since we’re here, why don’t we head there together on the airship? We’re close already, but it’d still take a fair while on foot. And I’d love to hear all about the feats you’ve accomplished during that time.”

“I get the feeling you have far more interesting tales to tell…”

Orion replied, forcing a wry smile. Even so, he nodded, and we returned to the airship together.

“I was wondering who it was—turns out it’s the hero from back then.”

“…Long time no see.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while. So you two are taking the promotion exam as well?”

“Don’t tell me you are too? That explains why you were out in a place like this.”

“What a coincidence.”

Fana and Anje had fought alongside Orion in the martial arts tournament and later joined him again during the incident that followed. Karen, on the other hand, was meeting him for the first time.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Karen, a samurai from Edo in the Far East.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Orion, from the Arseral Empire.”

With that, I made a suggestion to Orion.

“Oniichan, you’ve gotten pretty dirty over the course of the journey, haven’t you? Why don’t you go wash up in the large bath while you’ve got the chance?”

“…I’ll pass.”

“Huh? Why not!? Fine, I’ll stop beating around the bush and say it outright! Oniichan, you smell really bad! You absolutely should take a bath!”

“If I do that, you’re just planning to come in too, aren’t you?”

“S-s-such a thing—of course not!?”

『Master… it’s painfully obvious』

Lindwurm’s dry remark came.

I pressed my case with all the conviction I could muster.

“I mean, what’s the big deal if we bathe together anyway? I’m a baby, you know!? What—are you the type who thinks even a zero-year-old boy has sexual desire and goes, ‘That’s gross!’?”

“There is no way you count as a normal zero-year-old!”

As we were going back and forth like that, Karen tilted her head in confusion.

“…? Isn’t Orion-dono a man?”

“Oh, no. Despite the looks, Orion-oniichan is actually a woman.”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“…Fana, Anje. Go stand over there for a moment.”

When I told him that the three girls had cleared the dungeon on their own, Ark gave the two of them that instruction, his expression unusually grave.

“?”

“What are you planning to do?”

Tilting their heads in confusion, the two nonetheless obeyed without protest. Then, without warning, Ark raised his spear and dropped into a combat stance.

“—!”

Instantly, Fana and Anje reacted.

The staff and adventurers who had been in the middle of cleaning up froze, their hands stopping as they took in sharp breaths at the sudden, dangerous turn of events.

Yet neither side moved… and in the end, it was Ark who relaxed his stance first.

“No mistake about it. …Both of you have already surpassed me completely.”

He nodded as if arriving at some realization, then stated it flatly.

“W-what!?”

“You’re saying those two are stronger than the Guild Master!?”

“No way… the Guild Master used to be an S-rank adventurer!”

“And didn’t he say he’s been in just as good shape lately as he was in his prime?”

As disbelief rippled through the room, Ark began to walk.

“Come with me. There’s something important we need to discuss.”

We followed as instructed and were shown into the Guild Master’s office on the top floor.

“…Now then. It’s hard to believe, but it seems you truly did clear the dungeon. If possible, could you tell me a bit more about how it happened?”

In response to his request, the girls gave a detailed account of everything along the way to the seventy-fifth floor—what the journey had been like, the boss’s traits, and exactly how they had brought it down.

When they also laid out the materials dropped by the boss—

“What is this…? Just looking at it, you can tell it’s dangerous.”

“Looks like it could be used to forge a weapon, doesn’t it?”

“What kind of weapon are you even planning to make…?”

Ark let out a weary sigh.

“…Honestly. You lot never fail to casually step far beyond common sense. Still, let’s set that aside for now. I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, because of the rules, this will have to concern only you two—Fana and Anje—but… would you consider taking the S-rank promotion exam?”

At those words, Fana and Anje both drew in sharp breaths.

“S-rank…”

“Us… at the very top of all adventurers?”

“That’s right. I never imagined two candidates would appear at the same time, but… in terms of ability, you more than qualify.”

Ark said it with a wry smile, giving them his wholehearted endorsement.

“Hm? What about our master?”

“Of course, that baby over there—and the beastman as well—have strength to spare for S-rank… but as I mentioned earlier, there are rules. To become an S-rank adventurer, you need at least five years of documented achievements.”

He gave a clear answer to Fana’s question.

“Five years… There’s no way a baby could meet that requirement indeed…. And Lill has only just become an adventurer.”

“So that means I’d have to be at least five years old to become S-rank.”

“An S-rank at five years old would be completely unprecedented…”

Well, it’s not like I’m particularly attached to adventurer ranks anyway.

“Where will the exam be held?”

“Oh? Sounds like you’re motivated.”

“Mm. It sounds fun.”

“Yes. I’d very much like to take the challenge.”

“Then I’ll grant you the qualification to sit for it. Among the many guild masters out there, only a very select few—including myself—are authorized to issue eligibility for the S-rank exam. As for the location… it will be held at the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild Association.”

“The Adventurers’ Guild Association?”

“It’s an organization that most adventurer guilds belong to. They establish various guidelines for guild activities—and in fact, they’re the ones who set the standards for adventurer ranks. To become S-rank, you need their approval. But because of the chairman’s eccentric tastes—ah, I mean, his preferences—the headquarters is located in a rather remote place.”

Ark pulled out a map and pointed to the spot.

It lay far to the north of Vegaltia, in a stretch of desolate, ravaged land.

“Hardly any vegetation grows there. It’s just endless stretches of bleak, rocky terrain. It’s also so vast that it earned the name the Infinite Wasteland. It’s the most dangerous great frontier on the continent. And near its outskirts, in a place inconveniently remote even by those standards, you’ll find the headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild Association.”

“Huh. So that’s where it is.”

The Infinite Wasteland was once a region ruled by several particularly vicious demon tribes. It was also the place where, in my previous life, I hunted them down one by one and succeeded in wiping them out completely—an achievement that would later earn me the title of Great Sage.

“Honestly, just reaching it is a trial in itself… but for you lot, it should be no trouble at all.”

After that, Ark prepared their examination qualification certificates. They were issued on special paper infused with the creator’s mana, making forgeries easy to detect.

“By the way, you should know this—only registered adventurers are allowed to enter the Association’s headquarters.”

“Then Karen has to register as an adventurer first. Oh, right… there’s an exam involved.”

Karen, having only just arrived from the eastern lands, hadn’t even registered as an adventurer yet.

“Mm, is that so? What kind of exam is it?”

“There’s a written test and a practical one. The practical shouldn’t be a problem, but the written exam might be tough to clear right away… The East and West have very different common sense, and more importantly, Karen, you’re not exactly the brightest…”

“Indeed, my intellect is somewhat lacking—wait, that was rude, was it not!?”

“Well, don’t worry. I’ll just feed you the answers through telepathy.”

“Hey. Don’t openly talk about cheating right in front of me! Sigh. But you cleared the dungeon together with Fana and Anje, didn’t you? In that case, that fact alone is more than enough. By the authority of the Guild Master, I’ll approve your exam pass and promote you to A-rank.”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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It seemed that Beelzebub had truly been defeated.

Even after waiting for a while, it did not revive, nor did a second boss appear.

“These feathers… must be the drop items, I guess.”

Scattered across the floor were several jet-black feathers, seemingly shed from the boss’s wings. Infused with considerable magical power, these feathers would likely serve as excellent materials for crafting weapons or armor, granting strong effects.

“You did it, you three. The dungeon is cleared safely.”

I spoke to the three girls, still exhausted from the fierce battle.

Even so, I hadn’t expected a strategy like narrowing an entire vast chamber just to restrict the boss’s mobility.

Anje had implemented her bold idea instantly, Fana had immediately understood the intent and used her wind magic to further limit its movement and expose the real target, and Karen had seized the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a single decisive strike.

Their performance had exceeded all my expectations.

“Mm… I’m hungry.”

“That’s the first thing you say? Well, I guess I am hungry too…”

“I was warned by Master that it was too dangerous… and yet, I went all-in with a once-or-never secret technique… but it worked! Though… the recoil’s left me completely exhausted…”

Karen lay sprawled on the ground like a flattened frog. It seemed that the secret technique had been unleashed on a whim, without any rehearsal.

I cast healing magic on the three of them.

“Internal-External Linked Complete Regeneration Magic.”

By healing both inside and out, this spell could restore even someone like Karen, whose qi had been completely drained.

“Mm… stairs.”

“I wonder where they lead?”

“This should take us back to the surface. Some dungeons have a direct route to the surface that appears once the boss is defeated.”

The dungeon itself seemed eager for us to leave quickly—probably to prevent anyone from damaging the Dungeon Core.

The spiral staircase stretched endlessly upward, far above us. After descending all the way from the seventy-fifth floor, the climb back was a considerable distance, but there was no need to rush, so we ascended at a steady, relaxed pace.

Reaching the top, the staircase opened onto a corridor just inside the dungeon’s first floor, near the entrance.

As soon as everyone stepped into the corridor, the staircase leading to the boss room vanished.

“Corpses of monsters scattered everywhere… but it’s surprisingly quiet.”

“Yeah… none of the monsters are moving.”

Outside the dungeon, adventurers were busy dismembering and hauling away the fallen creatures. It seemed the cleanup operation was already well underway.

“You’re back.”

“Ark-ojiichan. Looks like the dungeon outbreak has settled down.”

“Yeah. That happened about five hours ago. As you can see, we’re still cleaning up the huge pile of monster corpses. The entire guild is working on it… but there’s so many that it’s nowhere near finished.”

“…Five hours ago?”

Since the three girls had defeated the boss only about thirty minutes earlier, it seemed the dungeon outbreak had already been quelled before that.

“All thanks to that beastman. As a Fenrir… with her in her human form, her power is probably far more limited than it should be, right? But still, she was that powerful…”

“Yeah. At least half her power was suppressed.”

“That’s terrifying… but you, the one who tamed such a monster, is far more terrifying than it is.”

Lill, who had been helping haul the monster corpses, noticed me and came over.

“Master, you’ve returned.”

“Just now. Seems that the monsters up to the fiftieth floor weren’t even a match for Lill in her human form.”

“Of course. No matter how many there were, they were no match for me.”

Surely, it might have been necessary to revert to her original form, but Lill she could have defeated even Belzebub on her own.

“Lill, you say? Effective today, you’re promoted to A-rank. Leaving someone like you at B-rank makes no sense.”

Ark shrugged and announced Lill’s promotion under his authority as guild master.

“That aside, given your nature, I expected you guys to have stayed a bit longer in there.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You said you were going to conquer the dungeon, didn’t you? Yet you returned awfully quickly.”

“Huh? We did manage to conquer the dungeon, though?”

“Huh?”

“We actually defeated the boss. As I predicted, it was exactly the seventy-fifth floor. The boss was a fallen angel, a formidable enemy with a disgustingly fly-like face.”

When I stated it clearly, Ark stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, and then shouted:

“N-n-n… you… you guys actually conquered the Great Vegaltia Dungeon—r-really!?”

His roar made all the staff and adventurers who were busy with cleanup freeze in place, their eyes wide with shock as they turned to look.

“Y-yeah, no mistake.”

“It was tougher than I expected.”

“I was the one who delivered the finishing blow!”

The room in the guild’s basement instantly buzzed with murmurs and astonishment.

“Wait, seriously?”

“This dungeon… no one has ever cleared it before, right?”

“Not a single adventurer has even seen the boss in person…”

Ark’s lips trembled as he stammered:

“I… I never thought anyone would actually clear it… and in such a short time… well, considering your exceptional nature, I suppose it’s not impossible…”

“Ah, of course, as I declared, it was just those three girls who cleared it. I didn’t intervene at all.”

“No waaay!?”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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At the bottom of Vegaltia’s Great Dungeon, in the boss chamber of the seventy-fifth floor, awaited a monster with jet-black wings.

“I… am… Beelze…bub… the Sin..ful… King of Flies… Exiled… from the Heavens…”

A grating voice filled the air. It wasn’t a human voice—just listening to it made the skin crawl.

“Mm… did it just speak?”

“Disgusting… it doesn’t even have a mouth, so how is it making a sound!?”

“Is this the boss?”

The three girls braced themselves, alert and ready.

『The King of Flies… Beelzebub, is it…?』

(You know about it, Linlin?)

『…Just from stories. It’s said that a former high-ranking angel fell from grace and became a great demon… That is the King of Flies, Beelzebub. It’s a tale from the age of myths.』

Demon. An intelligent life form said to dwell in a world different from this one. It is said that to appear in this world, a demon requires some kind of vessel. A little while ago, we had even fought a cursed sword inhabited by a demon… but in this case, the dungeon itself was probably serving as the vessel.

“This monster is stronger than I expected… If things go south, I’ll have no choice but to join the fight myself.”

The King of Flies, Beelzebub, detached from the pillar and took to the air.

“…Fast!”

In an instant, it closed the distance and swung a massive scythe-like weapon, reminiscent of a death god’s scythe.

“!?”

“Ugh!”

“Gah!?”

The three girls tried to block it with their weapons, but the sheer force sent them flying.

“Fast… and strong.”

“Even though I blocked it, the force…!”

“M-my hand is numb!”

Beelzebub passed by them and immediately executed a sharp U-turn, lunging at the girls again.

“How about this!?”

Anje quickly raised a wall of earth, blocking Beelzebub’s path. But just before colliding with it, Beelzebub made an almost right-angle turn and effortlessly bypassed the obstacle.

With fly-like speed and agility, it charged at the girls once more.

At that moment, a gust of wind swept toward Beelzebub. It was Fana’s magic. Seizing the instant when its speed faltered, Fana swung her sword.

Gakiiiin!

“…Blocked.”

Fana’s strike was deflected by Beelzebub’s massive scythe. With Fana now exposed, Beelzebub plunged headfirst toward her.

“…Dodge, Fana-oneechan!”

Reacting to my shout, Fana twisted her body just in time.

A needle-like appendage shot from Beelzebub’s mouth, piercing the space where her abdomen had been moments before.

“Yagyū Shinnen-ryū, Swift Thunder!”

At the same time, Karen’s blade struck toward Beelzebub. But it leapt into the air with astonishing speed, evading the attack.

“…My fastest technique…”

“Wait, it’s attacking with that!?”

“Watch out! If that pierces you, it’ll probably drain all your blood!”

“T-that’s… terrifying.”

Some flies are bloodsuckers, like mosquitoes.

“And it’s not just the blood—it’ll likely inflict all sorts of dangerous status effects as well.”

“Flies are known carriers of plagues, after all.”

Then, before anyone noticed, Beelzebub had somehow perched atop the first pillar. Its abdomen suddenly swelled grotesquely.

What the hell… disgusting…

The swelling descended downward—and was expelled from its rear.

…Poop!?

No—fortunately, upon closer inspection, they were eggs.

“Eggs!? And in such huge numbers…”

Thousand, no, tens of thousands of tiny eggs spilled from Beelzebub. Each was barely the size of a pea, yet the sheer volume far exceeded the size of Beelzebub itself—physically impossible, but likely a result of its magical abilities.

The eggs instantly hatched, releasing countless flies. A deafening buzz filled the chamber as they swarmed, merging into a thick black cloud. From that cloud, a shape began to take form.

“A clone…?”

“The fly monster’s multiplying!?”

“W-what is happening…?”

The countless small flies coalesced into figures identical to Beelzebub. Including the original, there were now ten of them. Immediately, all ten Beelzebubs lunged at the girls at once.

“Mm… which one’s the real one?”

“I have no idea!”

“This one! Yagyū Shinnen-ryū, Ranu!”

The three girls had no choice but to rely on instinct, striking at the ten indistinguishable Beelzebubs.

“…Missed.”

“This one’s not it either!”

“There’s barely any impact at all!”

The fakes, composed of countless tiny flies, seemed to have a liquid-like property. No matter how they slashed or struck, they reformed instantly into their original shape.

“Ugh!”

A massive scythe swung toward Fana from behind. She reacted instantly, twisting to dodge, but couldn’t evade completely—a spray of blood erupted from her right shoulder.

“So… that was the real one! Yagyū Shinnen-ryū, Swift Thunder! Uh—!?”

“Wha!? That was a fake too!?”

Karen immediately countered, but her blade only knocked a few of the tiny flies apart from the fake. They quickly reassembled, returning to their original form.

“The fakes can attack too!?”

“Yeah… and it actually hurts.”

“This is ridiculous!”

Surrounded by ten Beelzebubs, the three girls had almost no options left.

Hmm… perhaps this opponent is too strong.

It might have been impossible for them to handle this fight on their own.

“With the fakes attacking and the real one buzzing around, hitting it is nearly impossible… then I’ll make sure it can’t fly!

While shouting, Anje unleashed her magic. A massive wall of earth erupted, cutting across the vast boss chamber.

“I’m not done yet!”

Another wall appeared, parallel to the first. With the two walls in place, the room’s open space shrank to a fifth… no, a tenth of its original size.

“I see… so that’s one way to do it. But it can still move freely forward, backward, up, and down.”

Impressed, they realized that while clever, this alone wouldn’t completely neutralize Beelzebub’s mobility.

“Next, it’s your turn!”

“Mm.”

Sensing Anje’s intent, Fana responded instantly.

A fierce wind tore through the space. The violent gust swept through the narrow corridor between the walls of earth. Ten Beelzebubs were flung across the chamber, crashing into the far walls.

The impact blurred the outlines of the fakes. Unable to withstand the pressure of the wind, the bodies composed of countless tiny flies collapsed.

At last, the real Beelzebub was revealed.

“Now, Karen!”

“…Got it.”

Exhausted and grimacing from expending massive amounts of magic, Anje and Fana dropped to their knees.

Entrusted with their opening, Karen planted her feet firmly on the ground.

“Consider it done…!”

Karen surged forward, charging straight at the real Beelzebub.

“This perfect opening that the other two created… if I miss it, there’s no way we’ll defeat the boss! I absolutely cannot let this chance slip… But a normal strike probably won’t be enough… In that case, it’s all or nothing…!”

As Beelzebub raised its massive scythe in preparation to strike, Karen unleashed her attack.

“Yagyū Shinnen-ryū Secret Technique, Zetsunen!”

A desperate, all-or-nothing slash, channeling every ounce of her fighting spirit into the blade.

This was the very technique once demonstrated by her swordmaster, the old Yagyu Genzo, against the great serpent Yamata no Orochi. It’s a secret skill lying beyond even the formal mastery of the Yagyū Shinnen-ryū.

Karen, despite her advanced skill, had not yet fully mastered this move… but now, there was no other choice.

The strike hit Beelzebub squarely on the crown of its head, driving straight through its body down to the lower abdomen.

“Impossible… I… w-what… H-H-HaAAAAAAAGH!?”

With one final, strangled scream, the bisected body of Beelzebub collapsed, crumbling further as the copies vanished alongside it.

The boss chamber was soon swallowed by a heavy silence.

“They did it?”

『Master… why the foreshadowing?』

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Though their pace had slowed considerably, the three girls steadily cleared each floor. Yet as we approached the seventieth floor, they began facing moments of real struggle against increasingly dangerous monsters.

“Oaaaaah!”

On the sixty-eighth floor, they encountered a monstrous spider—the Arachne Queen. A spider of the highest rank, with the upper body of a human woman grafted onto its arachnid form.

“!?”

“This silk… it’s such a pain!”

“It sticks and we can’t even cut it…!”

The three girls had been lured straight into the queen’s web, a web of incredibly strong and sticky threads, forcing them to fight on the monster’s own terms. To make matters worse, the queen’s subordinate venomous spiders—the Death Weavers—were lying in wait in large numbers. Dodging the queen’s lashes of silk and venomous fangs, the three girls engaged in a fierce back-and-forth battle.

Fana leapt through the threads, chasing the Arachne Queen as it darted across its web at incredible speed, but no matter how fast she moved, she couldn’t quite catch up. Then, just as Anje activated an earth wall she had secretly prepared, blocking the queen’s path, Fana closed the distance and sliced at its neck.

“…It’s still alive.”

“Wait, cutting there doesn’t kill it!?”

“I’ll handle this…! Yagyū Shinnen-ryū, Oborozuki!”

Even after its humanoid head was severed, the Arachne Queen continued to thrash and move—but finally, Karen’s blade delivered the finishing strike.

After repeated deadly encounters like this, the three girls finally reached the seventieth floor.

“Mm… just five more floors.”

“…We finally made it this far.”

“Hah… hah… I… I request a short break…!”

We decided to take another short break, but…

“…Monsters.”

“They really won’t let us rest, will they!?”

“And even though we’re hiding, they find us immediately!”

The three girls immediately went on alert, sensing the approaching threat. This had become a recurring pattern over the past few encounters.

The new enemies were dog-like creatures. They are known as Blood Stalkers, these hyena-like monsters always traveled in packs.

“These guys again!?”

“They must have tracking abilities.”

Fana spoke.

They were also highly intelligent, coordinating with each other to attack from blind spots, strike simultaneously, or probe their opponents cautiously. Sometimes they would retreat to create distance, regroup with more allies, or use quick, agile movements to harass their targets.

“Mm… should we take turns resting?”

“Yeah. Fortunately, these monsters aren’t too strong for this floor.”

“How about that little recessed area further ahead? Even against a pack, it should be easier to handle. There’s no cover, but if we’re going to be spotted anyway, it’s the same either way.”

“Good idea.”

“For once, you’re being smart.”

“Hmph, I’m not that clever… wait, did you just slightly insult me?”

“Your imagination.”

In the end, they decided to take turns resting. Two would recover their strength while the remaining one acted as lookout and monster repeller. They rotated like this, resting and fighting in shifts, before resuming their advance.

But from the seventieth floor onward, monsters became incomparably stronger than anything they had faced before, making the climb extremely challenging.

Even clearing a single floor now took several hours.

“Mm… this is tough.”

“At this rate, it’s going to take forever to reach the bottom floor.”

“By now, the dungeon outbreak might have subsided, don’t you think?”

“We’ll see when that happens. With Lill there, we don’t have to worry about the surface. Let’s just proceed at your pace, oneechan.”

With Lill on their side, wiping out the monsters even those coming from the fiftieth floor would be a piece of cake.

Like that, step by step, they cleared each floor. And finally, they reached the bottom, the seventy-fifth floor.

★★★

“…A straight path?”

“The atmosphere has changed a lot.”

“I see a door up ahead.”

At the bottom of the stairs leading to the seventy-fifth floor lay a single, perfectly straight corridor. Unlike the cave-like interiors they had traversed so far, the walls and floor were now made of stone, giving the place the appearance of ancient ruins.

At the far end of the corridor stood a massive double door.

“Looks like this leads straight to the boss.”

“…Finally, we’ve made it.”

Perhaps due to the tension, Anje’s throat made a small gulping sound.

With no monsters or traps in sight, they advanced along the corridor and reached the doors. Up close, the doors were enormous.

“…Mm… I’ll push it.”

Fana pressed against the doors, and with a deep, rumbling groan, they swung open almost on their own.

Beyond the doors stretched a vast chamber. It was a circular space, reminiscent of an arena, with a single pillar standing at its center. Wrapped tightly in chains, something was crucified to the pillar.

A humanoid figure, but with jet-black wings.

The moment we stepped inside, the doors slammed shut. It seemed we couldn’t leave until the boss was defeated.

…Though, technically, teleportation magic might still work.

The black wings unfurled. At the same time, the chains snapped, and the figure began to move.

“…Its face…”

“Gross…”

“Is… is that a fly!?”

It was a grotesque monster, with a human body, jet-black wings, and a head that bore a terrifying resemblance to a fly.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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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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“Defeat the dungeon boss…? Hey, hey, hey—are you seriously saying that?”

After staring at me in shock for several seconds, Ark finally snapped back and confronted me with a face full of disbelief.

“Vegaltia’s Grand Dungeon has never been conquered! Not a single person has reached the end. It’s one of the highest-level, most dangerous dungeons in the entire country—no, in the entire world! And you’re telling me to clear it just like that!? Whatmore, with only those three girls!? That’s impossible no matter how you look at it!”

“It’s fine. I’ll be going with them at least. Well, I don’t plan on lifting a finger you see. And I’ll leave Lill here with you. So no matter what monsters show up, you shouldn’t have any problems.”

Even a top-tier dungeon wasn’t going to cough up something that could rival a Fenrir. And even if it did, it would only be at the very bottom—only the boss could possibly compare to a Fenrir.

“Hold on a second! I’ve gone down to around the fortieth floor before, but even that was pretty close to death, okay!? And you’re saying we’re headed even deeper than that!?”

“Anje-oneechan, that’s unusually timid of you.”

“Even I, the so-called musclehead, know the difference between bravery and being suicidal! And—wait—who are you calling a musclehead!?”

Uhm… You literally called yourself that just now…

“Don’t worry. I went down to the sixtieth floor alone easily, and honestly, with how strong you girls are now, I think you could handle that much without sweating.”

“Sixtieth floor… and easily….”

“Ahaha, for us, even with a five-person party, forty-five floors was our limit.”

“Back in my prime, I reached the fifty-fifth floor solo… but I judged going further was too dangerous and turned back.”

Gain, Emily, and Ark each revealed their personal dungeon records.

From the historical data, the farthest anyone had ever reached was apparently the sixty-third floor.

“By the way, from what I can tell, the bottom floor of this dungeon is probably around the seventy-fifth floor.”

“““Seventy-fifth floor!?”””

Their voices all overlapped in shock.

“Sixty floors might be manageable, but seventy-five? That’s impossible! Didn’t we hear that even the S-rank guildmaster could only make it to the fifty-fifth floor!?”

“…Well, even if I reached my limit, that was just the range considered safe for exploration.”

“Ahaha, Anje-oneechan, don’t worry. With how strong you are now, you could even beat the guildmaster. And of course, Fana-oneechan too, right?”

At my words, Ark’s temple twitched ever so slightly.

“That… is not something I can take lightly… though, since it’s your assessment, I suppose it must be correct.”

With his acknowledgment, the adventurers around us murmured in astonishment.

“Seriously… those girls are stronger than the guildmaster…?”

“Hey, hey, come on, that can’t be…”

“But the guildmaster himself is nodding, isn’t he?”

Karen was a little below the other two in strength, but the details didn’t matter much.

“Come on, even as we stand here, more monsters keep appearing. Let’s get moving!”

“Mm.”

“…Hah, I swear, I won’t be responsible if anything happens!”

“I’ll give it my all!”

And so, Fana, Anje, and Karen charged headlong into the dungeon.

“Alright then, Lill, you’re staying behind. Take care of things here.”

“Understood.”

With Lill handling the base, I followed after the three of them.

“We can’t afford to dawdle, so I’ll guide you along the correct route. And I’ll handle any traps too.”

I’d only ever gone down as far as the sixtieth floor, but with a little exploration magic, finding the right path was easy.

“Got it. We’ll leave it to you.”

“So all we have to do is smash every monster that appears in front of us, huh? Simple enough!”

“Very straightforward. I like it.”

On the first floor, only weak monsters like goblins and slimes normally appeared—but with the dungeon in runaway mode, even creatures normally found on the fortieth floor were lined up in formation.

“Hng!”

“Haaaah!”

“Yagyū Shinnen-ryū, Waves of the Torrent!”

Yet the three girls effortlessly cut through them, not slowing their pace in the slightest as they dashed down the corridor.

“Nice. Monsters from the fortieth floor don’t stand a chance anymore.”

Back when we were in Vegaltia, these floors had been a challenge to them.

“Still, if we fight fortieth-floor monsters from such a shallow level, we might run into trouble. Oneechan, take a left here!”

I gave directions to avoid the denser monster routes. Even if it meant a slight detour, it would ultimately be faster.

★★★

After about an hour of pushing deeper into the dungeon, their full-speed sprint brought them to the fortieth floor—the previous record for highest reach. Of course, this was just a milestone. There was still nearly half the dungeon left before the seventy-fifth floor.

“So, how’s your fatigue? Do you guys need a break?”

“Mm, I’m fine. But I am hungry.”

“I’ve got food.”

“I want some.”

“I want some too!”

“Me as well!”

I pulled rations from the pocket dimension and tossed them to the girls. Chomping on bread and meat, they didn’t slow down in the slightest, continuing their relentless run through the dungeon.

“(Munch munch) Hmm….fewer monsters here? (Munch munch munch)”

“(Chomp chomp)…Yeah, seems like it! (Chomp chomp chomp)”

“(Crunch crunch)… It’s been a while, but are we… taking a safer route, perhaps?(Crunch crunch crunch)”

“Nope, not really. I think most of the monsters from these floors probably moved up to the higher levels. (Slurp slurp).”

I took a moment to replenish my energy with some milk as well.

And so, barely encountering any monsters, we steadily pushed from the fortieth floor all the way to the forty-ninth.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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When we returned to Vegaltia for the first time in a while, a dungeon outbreak had erupted somewhere in the dungeon. The moment we learned that adventurers were already fighting in the guild’s underground levels, we headed there without hesitation.

“Need some extra hands, Ark-ojiichan?”

“Anyone can see they need all the help they can get. Preferably fighters of the highest caliber… for example, the likes of you two.”

The middle-aged guildmaster, Ark, shot me a quick wink.

Yeah, no thanks.

A wink from an old dude is just disturbing.

“…Fana and Anje, huh? Looks like the two of you have sharpened your skills again.”

“Riiight? To be honest, I couldn’t see her movements at all this time.”

The ones speaking in exasperation were Gain and Emily, both A-rank adventurers.

“Instantly wiping out a whole group of monsters from the fortieth floor…”

“…That’s already beyond A-rank level, isn’t it?”

“Just what kind of training did you two go through after leaving this town…?”

A few other vaguely familiar faces were scattered around as well.

I couldn’t remember their names—but honestly, unless they were girls with big breasts, there was zero need for me to remember them anyway.

And then—

“Masterrrrrrrrr!! I missed you soooooooo much!!”

“Zeta-oneechan.”

“Reus-kuuuun! It’s been too looooooong!!”

“Collette-oneechan too.”

My two disciples launched themselves at me from both sides at almost the exact same moment, clinging to me with all their enthusiasm.

Pressed between two magnificent pairs of soft hills, I found myself once again arriving at a firm conclusion.

(After all, my disciples should always be big-breasted!! No objections accepted!!)

『In fact, there are nothing but objections.』

I really wouldn’t have minded staying buried in this double-breasted paradise a little longer… but unfortunately, now was not the time to relax.

Oh well, maybe I’d enjoy it just a bit more.

『Master, that took you one second to contradict yourself.』

Unfortunately, the two of them let go of me before I could relish the moment any further.

“Master, look at this! I forged a new weapon! I can make some decent stuff now. Of course, compared to yours, it’s still nothing! Please, teach me more about smithing!”

“Uh… okay.”

“Reus-kun! Please listen! I’ve already healed everyone in this entire city! Isn’t there some town somewhere with endless patients who’ll never run out!?”

“R-Really…?”

Both of them pleaded with me desperately, eyes blazing like maniacs.

“Hah… hah… Master, please! I want to forge even better weapons!”

“Please teach me too, Reus-kun! I just want to keep tinkering with magic circuits forever! Hah… hah…”

“G-guys…. your breathing is way too heavy! Both of you, calm down! We need to deal with the dungeon first!”

This is strange though. We were only apart for a short while, yet my disciples seem to have gotten even more unhinged…

“Well, anyway, now that we’re here, everything will be fine.”

“You’re joining the battle? That’s a huge relief. …Though I’m seeing two unfamiliar faces. New comrades of yours?”

Ark asked, and I answered.

“Yeah. This is Karen-oneechan. She’s a samurai we met in the Eastern Lands.”

“An honor to meet you.”

“From the East? So you lot went all the way there.”

“And this is Lill. She actually registered as an adventurer in this town, but come to think of it, you two never met, right?”

“No, we haven’t. If I had, I’d remember for sure. …There’s no way I’d forget someone who looks like a walking natural disaster.”

“Ahaha, you’re sharp as always. She’s in human form now, but her true identity is a Fenrir.”

“Fenrir!? That’s a monster straight out of myth! No, wait… Now that you mentioned it, I did hear a report about some outrageous beastman taking the adventurer test and jumping straight to B-rank… Don’t tell me—that was her?”

Ark pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“Y-you… only you would make a Fenrir your companion. Still the same rule-breaking brat as ever…”

I decided to make him a suggestion.

“Anyway, we’re happy to help. But you’re not planning to just stay here and keep killing whatever monsters pop out forever, right?”

“Hm? That was exactly my plan. As far as I know, a dungeon outbreak can only be stopped by defeating every monster that emerges.”

“That’s not true. There is a way to end a dungeon outbreak.”

“What? …If you’re the one saying it, I suppose it must be reliable. In that case, things will go quickly. We’ll form a team and head straight for the solution.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. I’m planning to leave it to those three.”

“…What?”

I listed the three names.

“Fana-oneechan, Anje-oneechan and Karen-oneechan.”

“Hm? Us?”

“You mean you want us to handle it on our own?”

“Does that include this one as well?”

The three girls who had been listening reacted at once.

“Yeah. With how strong you all are now, I think this difficulty is just right for a team of three.”

“So in other words… it isn’t that difficult. Alright then, what exactly needs to be done?”

In response to Ark’s question, I explained the simple method.

“You just defeat the boss on the very bottom floor of the dungeon. That’s all. Take it down, and the dungeon outbreak will stop immediately.”

“Whaaaat?”

Ark stood there, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Good grief… one thing after another.”

An elderly man muttered irritably.

Despite his small stature, it was obvious even through his worn gear that his body was unusually well-trained for his age. His name was Ark.

He was the Guildmaster of Vegaltia’s Adventurers’ Guild, reigning at the very top.

The vast underground space beneath the Adventurers’ Guild had been constructed with a specific purpose.

Here, at the entrance to the dungeon, the space served as a battlefield in case any monsters emerged from the dungeon—designed so adventurers could repel them effectively.

And now, it seemed, that “just in case” had come true.

Normally, the dungeon’s monsters wouldn’t stray far from their territory. But now, they were all advancing toward the surface at once, spilling out from the dungeon entrance.

This phenomenon was called a dungeon rampage.

It was an extremely rare and catastrophic irregularity. The only way to deal with it was to continue defeating the monsters as they emerged until the rampage stopped.

The guild immediately issued an emergency call to the adventurers. They fought tirelessly, determined not to let a single monster escape into the city.

“GRRAAAAAAH!!”

“Hmph.”

Ark effortlessly pierced the head of a vicious monster lunging at him with the spear in his hand. Quickly withdrawing his spear, the enormous, lifeless body of the monster crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud.

“A-amazing, Guildmaster…”

“That monster… isn’t it one that should only appear after the thirtieth floor?”

“To take it down in an instant… there’s no doubt he’s still fully capable in the field.”

The young adventurers held their breath as they witnessed the sheer skill of the former S-rank adventurer.

“This isn’t the time to be admiring him!”

The voice came from a burly man who slashed a nearby monster with his sword, snapping the younger adventurers back to reality.

He was Gain, an A-rank adventurer.

“Y-yeah, no matter how strong he is, the Guildmaster is getting on in years. He can’t fight forever.”

A petite woman, casting an offensive spell spoke in agreement. She too was an A-rank adventurer, and her name was Emily.

“…She’s not wrong, but having it stated so bluntly does sting a little,”

Guildmaster Ark muttered with a faint frown, then bared his teeth in a ferocious smile.

“But you know, lately my body feels unusually good. I might even be able to match my prime days if I’m careful.”

Then he pierced a monster in its weak spot, finishing it in an instant.

“(This is all thanks to that girl’s treatment. It’s not just that my mana circulation improved—my body has clearly become lighter ever since.)”

Ark thought to himself.

At that moment, a column of light suddenly poured down from above the frontline adventurers. The wounds the adventurers had sustained in battle vanished before their eyes.

“E-everyone, please keep going…! I can only support you, but…”

It was Colette, the girl who had just cast the area-of-effect healing spell, shouting desperately.

“‘Only support’…? Come on, a healer who can casually cast such a wide-area healing spell is pretty rare, you know?”

Emily, speaking with a hint of exasperation, was nodded at in agreement by Ark, who was also deep in thought.

“(Moreover, every adventurer here has received the healing to their mana circuits from her, and they’re clearly stronger than before. In terms of contribution, she might even surpass Gain and Emily themselves.)”

Ark thought so. But there was one more person whose contribution rivaled Colette’s.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!!! Hahaha! With this many monsters swarming out, it’s the perfect chance to test my blades!!”

A woman, carrying dozens of weapons on her back, laughed maniacally as she slashed through monster after monster. It was Zeta, a masterful blacksmith and a B-rank adventurer, displaying her incredible prowess.

Every weapon she crafted possessed performance comparable to that of national treasure–level arms. Not only the spear that Ark wielded, but most of the adventurers gathered here now used her weapons.

“Just a light thrust is enough to pierce even a dragon’s scales… Once you’ve experienced this level of performance, there’s no going back to your old weapons.”

She had already been known as a highly skilled blacksmith, but suddenly the quality of her weapons improved dramatically.

When she began calling her previously forged weapons “failures” and started breaking them, many had seriously worried that she had lost her mind…

“Has the performance of her weapons gone up again…?”

“Ahaha, we might see her destroy her past works once more.”

Recalling that time, Gain and Emily exchanged wry smiles.

“(Without those two, we wouldn’t have been able to hold back the monsters so easily… But still, if even more vicious monsters start appearing from the lower layers, I wonder how long we can hold out.)”

Ark’s apprehension quickly became reality.

“““Aaah!?”””

The adventurers were blown away en masse.

Before them stood a Destrol, a monster that appears around the fortieth dungeon layer. A colossal figure over ten meters tall, wielding a massive club nearly five meters in length.

Of course, if it were only this one, defeating it wouldn’t be particularly difficult, but…

“““Ooooaaahhh!!”””

“Monsters from the deeper layers are appearing one after another…”

“Their strength is nothing like the monsters we’ve faced so far!?”

“E-even with Guildmaster Ark and Gain here, it’s going to be tough…”

The deeper you go in the Vegaltia dungeon, the stronger and more vicious the monsters become. The fortieth floor and below are called the deep layers, where even A-rank adventurers find exploration extremely difficult.

“…This is bad. At this rate, we won’t be able to hold this area. I didn’t want monsters spilling out into the city, but… I have no choice.”

If too many monsters gather in this underground space, maintaining the front line will become impossible.

On the other hand, if they retreat to a more open area above ground, they could pick off the vicious monsters one by one, making the battle more manageable and giving them an advantage.

However, in that case, it would be impossible to avoid causing damage to the city.

Just as Ark was about to make this difficult decision—

Zubazubazubazubazubazuu!!

A sudden gust of wind blew through, and the monsters began turning into nothing but chunks of flesh one after another.

Dodododododododododo!!

With a tremendous crashing sound, the bodies of the monsters were crushed and flattened.

“W-what…?”

When Ark looked, he saw the figures of two girls on the battlefield.

Both were familiar to him.

“Coming to help.”

“This is quite a situation!”

They were A-rank adventers, Fana and Anje.

“…Well, well, well. You’ve returned at the perfect timing, haven’t you?”

And then there was one more.

It looked unmistakably like a baby, barely six months old.

“Need some extra hands, Ark-ojiichan?”

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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