“What are you sulking for? Don’t dawdle—keep up.”
“Haha…Siloque, you’re so strict… You’re like a completely different person compared to how you are at school.”
Layer 1, C Zone.
Siloque, now in new gear, led Cass, who had changed back into his combat suit.
Along the way, they encountered a Needle Hare.
A rabbit monster with sharp Beast Horns protruding from its forehead crept along the ground from a blind spot.
If its blood-red horn—valuable enough to be used as a rare weapon material when turned into a drop item—stabbed you, even the worst case would be a fatal wound.
The monster’s movements were fierce and fast, but with one as bait and the other in ambush, the two of them could deal with it quickly through teamwork.
“It’s a good drop. Look, this beautiful garnet-red Beast Horn.”
Siloque played with the horn in his hand.
This thing could fetch at least 4000R.
“…Oh, Siloque, you keep it.”
Cass hung his head.
“We’ll split the spoils after we get out. I’ll just hold onto it for now.”
“No, I don’t really need it.”
“You said it yourself, young master, so I’ll accept it without hesitation.”
I remember that suit is a Special Edition Outfit—he likes that set so much?
Ever since Siloque told Cass he was taking him to level up, Cass had been listless the entire way.
“Siloque, come to think of it, why did you refuse to team up with us?”
Cass, having switched his mood, finally asked the question halfway along their route.
“For justice. I can’t join the team yet.”
If it were me, I wouldn’t like being the only guy in a team of all beautiful girls, except for the main character.
Besides, a team of three is already stable—if I joined your group, wouldn’t I just be a third wheel?
“Sigh… Forget it, you have your reasons.”
“Now”…. not possible now, but maybe “later”?
Cass latched onto that word.
“Alright, I get it. Then why did you ask me to go into the Dungeon alone with you? Wouldn’t it be safer to bring Bried and Kersey along too if we’re just leveling up?”
“If they come, efficiency drops a lot. Monsters split the experience points of drops based on enemy LA and numbers. The monsters on Layer 1 already give little experience, and the more people, the less everyone gets. With just the two of us, we can ensure safety and efficiently gain experience.”
“I get the logic, but the Dungeon is way more dangerous at night than in the morning. If we switched to morning, we could still make it back in time.”
“Conversely, grinding at night gives higher experience too. With risk comes reward.”
Siloque shot down Cass’s safe, mainstream proposal.
“Isn’t the difficulty too high for just the two of us?”
“Trust me. When have I ever lied to you?”
Siloque smiled faintly.
“Just follow me. Leveling up isn’t as hard as you think.”
“Oh….”
Cass couldn’t quite meet Siloque’s gaze.
You’re way too obedient…
Siloque only thought Cass was too honest, giving him the illusion that he could lure him anywhere with a piece of candy.
After another fifteen minutes, a coniferous forest appeared ahead, forming a stark natural boundary against the pale blue rock walls of C Zone.
“Wait, Siloque, are you sure we’re going the right way? If we go any further, we’ll be in D District. That’s too deep—the monsters there are beyond what we can handle.”
Cass scanned the area.
It wouldn’t be strange if a powerful monster suddenly jumped out.
It’s not that he didn’t trust Siloque, but after last time’s battle with the kangaroo-head, Cass understood it deeply.
There’s no room for error in the Dungeon.
“No, through that forest is our destination. We’re not lost.”
Siloque seemed perfectly at ease.
“Siloque, calm down. D District has a safety level of Lv7 and above. It’s hard for me to manage alone, and now that it’s night, monster strength increases by one.”
“Hey, hey, Cass, didn’t you say you’d protect me? Where did all that bravado go?”
Siloque seemed amused, a mischievous grin on his face.
It made Cass unconsciously recall his mother, Vitoris.
“Well, that depends on the situation…”
Cass’s Lv was the highest in the class, but since his class was ranked lowest in the whole school, his strength was barely enough for D District—monsters there would feel insulted facing him.
Cass knew Siloque was last in the class.
A few days ago, while leveling, he’d heard from Bried that Siloque was only Lv2 at best.
“You need at least three Lv6 Explorers, or one Lv10 Explorer, to safely handle this area.”
Siloque said nothing, calling up his ring menu and switching to shared mode.
“Cass, look.”
“No, Siloque, that’s not what I meant—even if you have some powerful skill…”
Cass saw the status screen, and the Straight Sword in his hand wobbled and slipped.
“Heave-ho.”
Siloque caught the sword with one hand before it hit the ground and made a sound.
“Lv….8….”
Cass rubbed his eyes several times.
The window didn’t change.
Lv8. All stats matched what you’d expect from an Lv8.
Cass didn’t even notice that Siloque’s skill slot contained abilities not dropped by monsters on this layer.
“Siloque, what are you…”
Cass suddenly felt dizzy.
Ordinary people only level up 2 or 3 times a year in the Dungeon.
He’d heard that eating monster drop meat, processed into food, could help you level up.
But there’s no way you could level up that fast!
Monster drop meat was rare and crazy expensive. If you had the money to buy it, you’d be better off buying a good sword and hunting slimes for the experience.
People usually just ate monster meat for the taste.
To go up 6 levels in under three days—Cass wondered if Siloque had undergone Meat Modification Surgery.
“I told you, didn’t I, Cass?”
Siloque brought the spaced-out Cass back to reality.
“Leveling up isn’t as hard as you think. Just treat it like a game—a game you play with your life.”
***
Defeating everyone might be hard, but if it was just taking out Cliff, Bried was more than enough.
Bried focused on the back of Cliff’s neck, about ten meters away.
She considered herself a calm person.
She could stop Cass from acting rashly, teach Siloque combat techniques, support the team without stealing kills, and calmly assess the situation…
As long as there was someone by her side.
Deep down, she was more emotional than rational.
That day, what Cliff had done to her and her friends—
And the suffocating, sticky malice she’d felt.
But now, things were different.
The enemy was in the light, she was in the shadows—the perfect setup for an ambush.
Bried was well aware of her own talent—the terrifying effect of [Velocity Layering].
All kinetic forces could be stacked.
Running thrust, full-body jump strength, wrist power, grip, sword swing—combine them, and at minimum, it had the destructive power of being run over by a truck.
Once speed was layered, anyone below Lv20 couldn’t even track Bried’s movements.
She’d proven it herself in mock battles with her dad when he wasn’t being serious.
If she could take out Cliff here, everyone could train in peace, and no one would get hurt on the day of the duel.
Cliff and his crew were joking around, seemingly unaware that a pair of eyes filled with killing intent were locked onto them.
They kept coming closer.
Five meters left.
A perfect opportunity!
She could charge out and seriously injure this scum in an instant, then use all her remaining magic to activate [Velocity Layering] and escape before anyone could react.
Bried licked her dry lips, eyes like blades, focused on Cliff’s neck as her sword silently slid from its sheath.
—I admit you’re strong in a one-on-one, but Cliff would never let himself duel you alone.
There’s no way you could win.—
The kitchen. Black hair. Apple Risotto.
Suddenly, a memory flashed.
Like liquid nitrogen, cold reason flooded her mind.
She resheathed her sword.
Behind cracked rock walls and naturally broken stones, Bried watched as Cliff and the others passed by, moving farther into D District.
“Not coming? Boring.”
Cliff stretched his neck.
“Boss, what’s wrong? You feeling sick?”
“Someone’s been watching us.”
“Monster? Where? I don’t sense anything.”
His underling raised his shield, glancing around.
“Probably Hatred Lock-on from a monster. Anyway, monsters here give lousy experience, not worth killing.”
“Yeah… As expected of Cliff—sharp as ever. Too reliable.”
Ignoring his subordinate’s praise, Cliff dispersed the magic swirling around his body.
If that monster had jumped him, he’d have blown it away with a single skill.
Too bad it didn’t take the bait….
“Count yourself lucky.”
Bried whispered, slumping against the wall to steady her breathing.
I don’t know what talents or skills the others have.
If there’s a Priest who can use physical enhancement Buff, I won’t escape.
Plus, with this terrain being so narrow, the success rate for a sneak attack is low.
Siloque’s warning came to mind.
Even if I succeeded, Cliff would just lose mobility, and there’s no guarantee his cronies wouldn’t retaliate.
If I failed, with Cliff’s crew, who knows what they’d do to me?
Given the Dungeon’s high rate of disappearances and deaths, it’s not just the monsters to blame….
I’d only become a burden, threatening my allies.
Bried convinced herself.
—Told you not to challenge them.
Serves you right, doesn’t it?—
….If I failed, Siloque would probably tease me like that.
Remembering that pale face, Bried felt irritated for no reason.
The person who used to trail behind her was slowly catching up.
What’s he doing now, anyway…
Kind of want to eat Siloque’s cooking.
As night deepened, Dungeon monsters grew more dangerous.
Bried decided to leave quickly.
She stepped forward—then stopped.
It was rare to see Cliff and his gang.
Leaving empty-handed felt wasteful.
At the very least, she should find out Cliff’s talents and skills to prepare a countermeasure for next month’s duel.
“I’ll just watch for a bit…”
Bried reminded herself to keep her distance, ready to run if anything went wrong.
She changed direction, quietly tailing Cliff’s group along their tracks.