"[Saber]… and [Braver], [King] are all top-tier titles made of a single word…"
At the plaza beneath the Babel Tower at the dungeon entrance, adventurers gathered in front of the bulletin board, staring at the newly posted announcement, and began to talk among themselves.
Although this wasn't a clearly established rule, and there were exceptions, among the titles bestowed upon adventurers during the [Denatus], there vaguely existed an unspoken tradition. The shorter the title, the more significant its meaning.
This rule could be traced back to the previous era, for instance: [Empress], [Conqueror], [Silence], [Gluttony]
Or rather, the more such titles there were, the more they reflected the gods' 'serious mindset' rather than mere 'playfulness'.
Of course, the children of the lower world generally couldn't understand the deeper meaning at that level.
The adventurers merely realized that yet another hero who would make history had been born, nothing more.
Then, after discussing and bragging with their companions, they would still return to their daily lives and adventures, facing the dangers and challenges of the dungeon.
And in a place out of sight from these adventurers, Shirou Emiya, the center of the discussion, had already quietly passed them by, and together with his companions, entered the dungeon.
"Today is our first time entering the dungeon as a team, so we can take things slower."
Emiya said, "Let's set our final goal at the safety zone on the 18th Floor, how about that?"
Anya and the others, "No problem."
"Alright then, let's go."
The adventurers passed through the large entrance in the center of the plaza, gradually disappearing into the shadows of the dungeon labyrinth.
A few minutes later, a young male cat-person quietly appeared at the edge of the plaza. His gaze was dark and fixed tightly on the dungeon's entrance.
———
After entering the dungeon, Emiya and the others adopted a standard front-middle-rear formation.
Lunoire and Anya served as the vanguard and middle guard respectively, protecting the front of the party to prevent sudden monster attacks. Emiya walked in the rear as the rearguard, using a bow to shoot monsters ahead while remaining alert for potential threats from behind.
Chloe moved flexibly on the flanks, responsible for monitoring the surroundings, while Haruhime and Lefiya were protected in the center of the party.
Lefiya also carried a large backpack, serving as the "supporter." Although her Strength and Endurance stats at each level were relatively low, as a Level 3 adventurer, her strong base level allowed her to carry heavy loads more easily than ordinary supporters.
The goal of this expedition was only the 18th Floor, more for team coordination than a formal adventure. In future deeper explorations, they would still need to hire more professional and trustworthy supporters.
"Floors one to four, we don't need to rush. Let's let Haruhime train a bit here," Emiya observed the surroundings while suggesting.
The weapon he had prepared for Haruhime wasn't a standard staff. Although the girl was a spellcaster and a staff was typically the standard equipment for casters…
Haruhime's unique magic couldn't be effectively amplified by a normal staff. Therefore, Emiya went ahead and crafted a sword, his specialty, for her.
However, this was no ordinary sword. Though its sharpness and other attributes placed it only at the third-tier weapon level, it had special additional effects.
Similar to Lefiya's [Wind Guard], this sword possessed a fixed magic.
(Fixed Magic) Foxfire: Haruhime could consume mana to release a small fireball from the sword's blade.
This magic, though it appeared to be a standard flame attack, carried Haruhime's unique magical properties as a fox-person.
Theoretically, [Foxfire] could be directed and controlled in speed by Haruhime's will, but she currently couldn't manage such precise control.
On the first floor of the dungeon, they encountered a lone kobold.
Then, under Haruhime's effort, the adventurers witnessed a completely different kind of "useless" from the "useless elf" Ryuu, one focused solely on combat.
Haruhime, sweating nervously, gripped the sword with both hands, trying to release [Foxfire] just as Emiya taught her.
However, the pressure made it hard to concentrate, and every fireball she released flew off bizarrely, hitting walls or flying into the air, missing every target completely.
She tried to swing her sword at the approaching kobold, but her movements were extremely stiff. As a result, due to her lack of strength and skill, not only did she miss, but her sword got stuck in the rock wall and couldn't be pulled out.
While she was fumbling to free her sword from the wall, the kobold charged at her ferociously.
"Ah!", Haruhime panicked and tried to dodge, but in her nervousness, tripped over her own feet and fell flat to the ground.
"Uwah…", The nearby girls couldn't bear to watch and covered their faces, showing helpless expressions.
Chloe's mouth twitched, "Even newly blessed Pallum or kids wouldn't lose a one-on-one to a kobold."
Lunoire shook her head and sighed, "No, not just those blessed by the gods, even ordinary people with a bit of training wouldn't lose to such a low-level monster."
Still, although Haruhime's performance was frustrating, apart from Lefiya, who had some doubts, the others didn't question the validity of letting this totally "combat-useless" fox-girl participate in dungeon adventures.
As for Haruhime, lying on the ground, her face flushed red to the ears, she wished she could dig a hole to crawl into. She didn't even dare look at Emiya, afraid of seeing disappointment in his eyes.
Emiya, having shot the kobold with one arrow, dismissed his projected longbow, walked up to Haruhime, and extended a hand to help her up, "Don't worry, Haruhime. The first time is always a little rough. Take it slow, you'll get used to it."
"O-okay…", Though embarrassed, Haruhime's resolve was firm and unwavering.
Emiya looked around and said, "We're on the 12th Floor now. Next, we'll be entering the middle layer."
"Starting from the middle layer, Lv.2 monsters will appear in large numbers. We must prepare accordingly."
Under Emiya's command, all except Haruhime donned cloaks made of "Fire Spirit Fabric."
This special material could effectively resist the fire breath of Hellhounds, making it essential gear for adventurers exploring the middle layers.
As for Haruhime, her protection was even more complete. The leather armor she wore had very high defense, especially against elemental attacks.
Upon reaching the 13th Floor, the air seemed even more oppressive, the dim corridor filled with a sense of danger. Before long, they encountered a pack of Silverback Apes.
These monsters were massive, extremely strong, and violently aggressive. Every muscle on their bodies gleamed under the light, appearing indestructible.
"Lunoire," Emiya spoke briefly.
"Understood," The human girl nodded without hesitation, raised her fists, eyes flashing with battle intent. She charged straight in, her figure turning into a blur.
Silverbacks: a terrifying threat to Lv.1 or just upgraded Lv.2 adventurers, posed no threat in front of Lunoire.
Her red-and-black gauntlets danced in her hands, fists howling through the air, and Silverbacks fell with thunderous crashes one after another, unable to fight back at all.
"Lunoire, your attacks are a bit too reckless," After watching her fight, Emiya reminded her.
Lunoire had often chosen not to dodge or defend at dangerous moments, instead continuing to attack aggressively. Although she wasn't injured this time, that was mainly because of her level advantage.
If the enemy had been a fearless Lv.3 monster, the outcome could've been very different. She might've been wounded already.
"In the dungeon, adventurers must avoid injury as much as possible," Emiya continued, "This differs from your previous combat style."
Lunoire had undertaken many high-risk missions where killing a specific target was the top priority.
As long as the target was killed, even taking hits or serious injuries was acceptable.
But in the dungeon, enemies were endless monsters. Trading blows with them usually put the adventurer at a disadvantage.
Lunoire replied awkwardly, "Ah, I know… I just tend to rush in out of habit… I'll try to adjust."
By comparison, Chloe handled things much better. As an assassin, her fighting style naturally prioritized self-preservation, making it easier for her to adapt to dungeon combat.
Emiya: "Keep moving. Lunoire, switch to sword and shield. When we encounter the next group of monsters, don't attack outright. Anya as well, let Lefiya do a ranged bombardment. We need to adapt to various combat modes."
"Understood!"
"Got it, nya~"
The adventurers maintained formation and advanced steadily, calmly dealing with the increasing number of monster attacks. Before long, they smoothly reached the 17th Floor.
Suddenly, Chloe, who was on the flank, furrowed her brows and sniffed the air slightly, her expression turning grim, "Wait. The smell up ahead isn't right. Heavy with blood… smells like human blood."
Exchanging quick glances, Emiya and the others sped up. Upon stepping into the room ahead, the sight that greeted them made everyone hold their breath.
The entire room was filled with a thick bloody stench. Broken corpses were scattered across the floor, evidence of a brutal recent battle.
At the center of the room, a giant, blood-red mantis monster was waving its sharp forelimbs, shredding a dead human adventurer into pieces.
In a corner of the room, a delicate elf girl with long black hair was curled up, trembling.
———
The blood-red mantis monster, after tearing apart the last adventurer in the center of the room, suddenly let out a sharp screech, its eyes filled with murderous light.
Its wings spread wide and it lunged toward the black-haired elf girl huddled in the corner.
However, Emiya was faster than its movement, "Trace, on."
Blades sliced through the air, drawing a fierce arc. Before the mantis's sharp forelimbs could strike, he had already positioned himself in front of the girl.
[Skill [Oath Under The Snow] activated]
[When acting to protect others, Attack, Endurance increase. Magic and Skill effects enhanced]
The sword clashed with the mantis's blade-like forelimb, producing a sharp metallic clang. Sparks flew in the air.
"Lv.4 variant," Emiya instantly made the judgment.
Based on the monster's appearance and behavior, this red mantis was a rare variant of the Lv.2 Crystal Mantis found in the dungeon's middle layers.
Compared to normal Crystal Mantises, its size and strength were significantly increased. Its exoskeleton had evolved from magic-resistant crystal into a metallic shell likely offering high resistance to physical attacks.
Additionally, its attacking forelimbs had become extremely sharp. Though bug-type monsters generally had lower base stats, its strength reached the mid-level of Lv.3. With blades sharper than many adventurers' weapons, its effective attack power rose to upper Lv.4.
Such a monster appearing on the 17th Floor was completely an "abnormal event", even a serious case of "dungeon malice."
Emiya clashed with the mantis monster, his blades meeting its deadly limbs in rapid succession. The monster's attacks were fierce, leaving almost no openings. But its frenzy was neutralized by Emiya's superb swordsmanship.
The difficulty of subjugating this red mantis was at upper Lv.4. Its attack speed, reflexes, and claws posed a terrifying threat to Level 2 adventurers.
However, once its overpowered speed and sharpness lost their edge, its base abilities were only slightly stronger than a normal Crystal Mantis.
And Emiya, able to predict its attacks and precisely suppress it mid-battle, was its worst possible matchup.
At that moment, Lunoire closed in swiftly from behind. She raised her iron fist and slammed it down onto the monster's back.
The mantis's body shook slightly, then it vibrated its wings violently, trying to escape by flying upward.
However, before its left wing fully spread, Lunoire's fist swept by, landing a solid blow with the modified [Naegling Kai]. Her metal gauntlet's power was unforgiving, severing half the wing instantly.
Its metal armor was tough, but not tough enough to withstand the punch of the [Black Fist].
Emiya calmly and swiftly commanded, "Lefiya, fire the flame magic sword."
Lefiya responded immediately, taking aim. The magic sword Emiya had projected earlier gleamed in her hands.
A scorching fireball launched from the magic sword, heading straight for the mantis's back.
As expected, the fireball struck the mantis's side, but deflected off its metal shell.
The flames flowed off like water over polished glass, reflecting away and hitting the wall.
Emiya had never expected a mere Lv.2 low-tier flame sword to injure this variant mantis.
His true goal was to gather as much intel as possible about this unknown enhanced monster before destroying it.
"Just as I thought, its shell retains the Crystal Mantis's magic resistance."
Emiya swiftly threw out [Kanshou and Bakuya], the black and white twin swords tracing elegant arcs in the air as they flew toward the mantis's body, drawing its attention.
At the same time, Emiya's hands flashed again, a new projection instantly formed.
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