The tightly sealed door behind the Boss Room slowly opened on its own, reflecting dazzling golden light from the Second Floor.
The five of them walked out one after another, and an unexpectedly magnificent scene instantly unfolded before their eyes.
The exit was set halfway up a steep cliff, with a staircase extending downward along the rock wall on the left.
“So this is the Second Floor…..”
Cass stopped, gazing down at the scenery, and was about to take out his ring terminal to snap a photo, but Siloque stopped his photographer behavior beforehand.
During team operations, you couldn’t be caught by Myut with any items linked to your identity.
Especially since Myut was still standing behind them, smiling with narrowed eyes.
Jade and Weiss didn’t care much about the view of the Second Floor. Jade shouted, “So high! You’d definitely die if you fell from here….” while Weiss silently took the lead, scouting down the staircase.
Siloque wasn’t in a hurry either, taking in the full panorama of the Second Floor.
Unlike the First Floor, which was filled with pale blue walls and ceilings, the terrain of the Second Floor was made up mostly of endless low, table-shaped rocky hills, their tops covered in soft green grass, with large bull-type monsters wandering about.
Compared to the holy aura of the Maple Court Garden on the First Floor, the Second Floor looked more like a farm.
According to the setting, this was the Kingdom of the Bulls, and the Boss guarding the First Floor was the protector of this land.
Now, this floor—once only accessible after dueling Cliff in the first run—was already under his feet.
That’s what you get for choosing the second run.
And even teamed up with a dangerous yet reliable member of the Evil Demon Society.
But on second thought, being able to calmly appreciate the scenery in the Dungeon was a kind of luxury.
“After braving danger and defeating the Boss, the view must look even better. I feel like I did something extra—if I could have acted more skillfully, everyone would have felt more accomplished defeating the monster.”
At some point, Myut stood beside him, golden tea-colored hair dancing lightly in the breeze.
“No, I’m very grateful to Miss Myut. With you here, I felt totally safe. If you hadn’t stepped in, we’d all have died at the hands of that Minotaur. How could we still be here enjoying the view?”
“Is that so…. When the Boss died, you all froze. I thought maybe I’d done something to make you hate me.”
Myut placed a hand on her full chest, her expression easing considerably:
“May I ask, what is your name?”
“Wolf.”
“Oh…. Mr. Wolf.”
For the first time, Myut asked Siloque for his name—an alias.
“Hey! How long are you two Iron Barrel Men planning to stand there gawking?! Miss Myut, there’s no railing on these stairs. Let me help you down!”
“No need! You two should go slowly and watch out for those spotted vines on the wall. Whatever you do, don’t pull—”
“Whoa! Cough, cough! Why’s it spraying smoke all of a sudden?!…I suddenly…feel so sleepy…..”
“Jade, I told you not to touch things randomly!”
Myut’s warning came a bit late, but fortunately Weiss steadied Jade before he fell.
Facing Siloque and Cass, Myut gave a soft smile:
“Then, gentlemen, there’s actually a faster and safer way down. Would you like to try it?”
“A faster method? What is it….”
“It’s fine. Scathach, come.”
“We’d like to try it.”
“Huh?”
Siloque jumped in and answered for Cass.
If Cass knew, he definitely wouldn’t have agreed.
Go ahead and savor it.
Myut nodded, grasping Siloque’s and Cass’s gauntleted hands in hers. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like a beautiful woman holding the hands of two armored men.
With the two in tow, Myut walked toward the railing-less cliff.
“Wait, Miss Myut, don’t tell me you’re—”
Ignoring Cass, Myut leaped off the cliff with the two of them.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!——”
Cass screamed as the scenery soared upward and his body plummeted.
“This…nameless gentleman screams a lot like a girl.”
“How is Miss Myut still talking so calmly?!!
Siloque, you bastard! This joke is way too much!
Cass almost burst into tears, cursing Siloque for the first time.
Of course, Siloque didn’t hear Cass’s inner complaints.
He simply enjoyed the sensation of wind under his feet, admiring the ever-expanding landscape, and gazed up at the beautiful, false blue sky atop the Second Floor.
Before the trio hit the ground, a scythe materialized in midair.
Myut stepped onto it with the two of them, using it as a platform to land lightly in a patch of shrubs.
***
Second Floor, C Zone.
“Scathach, careful not to slip on the moss.”
“…..I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
Cass muttered with annoyance, stepping into a shallow puddle.
This was a damp cave, the mining site of their current commission.
“Didn’t you want to become the strongest explorer? How can you be afraid of heights?”
“Suddenly jumping from a high place without gear is basically suicide!”
Siloque didn’t mind, a muffled chuckle echoing inside his giant helmet.
At last, this rich, handsome, quick-to-learn, and popular guy got a taste of defeat.
“….Please stop laughing.”
Cass sighed helplessly, giving up.
The only light in the cave came from small patches of glowing moss, making it nearly pitch-black.
But no one worried about monsters suddenly appearing.
“Monster at one o’clock above…though I doubt this warning is even needed.”
Weiss’s tone was already resigned.
She pointed to a creature clinging to the cave ceiling.
It had a large, bloodshot eye, with bits of slimy, mud-like monsters clinging to it, watching them from above.
Siloque remembered this monster was called Red Eye. It had a chance of dropping the skill, which could reveal an opponent’s stats and level.
Red Eye was a cautious monster.
If an enemy’s Lv was lower, it would attack and prey. If higher, it would flee.
The creature glanced at the team, then immediately slipped into a crack in the stone.
But it was too late.
With a swing of her scythe, Myut split the fleeing Red Eye in two.
The eyeball, along with a puddle of slime, plopped to the ground.
“Experience acquired!”
Jade skillfully delivered the finishing blow.
From jumping the cliff to traversing the cave, it had basically become Myut’s solo performance.
Weiss would occasionally scout ahead, and whenever a monster appeared, Myut’s scythe would slice it up—always leaving just enough life for the others to land the final hit.
It couldn’t be helped; except for special cases, monsters here were at least Lv15.
The two tanks in the party could barely withstand their attacks.
So far, Siloque Lv10→Lv12; Cass Lv12→Lv14; Jade Lv8→Lv10; Weiss Lv9→Lv10.
Mm, not bad. Leveling up as fast as expected.
The pleasure of each level up even numbed Siloque a bit.
The speed made his earlier struggles feel almost fake.
Confirming Myut’s attention was elsewhere, Siloque slightly parted the armor on his arm and quietly typed on his ring terminal, drafting a message to the Tuners, ready to send at any moment.
At the same time, he noticed messages from Beiren, Bried, and Hill.
Siloque didn’t look closely, just replied with an emoji to show he’d received them.
He hoped Beiren wouldn’t be upset about the delayed response….
As they say, it’s easy to invite a god but hard to send one away.
Lastly was dealing with Myut.
Siloque whispered to Cass:
“Take the anti-toxin potion.”
“I did. But Siloque, I still can’t tell if Miss Myut is from the Evil Demon Society. Didn’t she have a perfect chance to kill us when we jumped the cliff?”
Walking here was basically free leveling.
Cass couldn’t help feeling guilty.
For someone who enjoyed defeating tough enemies, this wasn’t leveling—it was leeching.
And someone else was doing the work for him.
All he had to do was pick up the rewards.
“You’ll understand soon.”
Cave Stone Man.
Its massive body, the size of two trucks, emerged from the cave wall, blocking their path—a monster with a chance to drop .
Myut casually sliced it into forty-eight pieces.
A few more monster ambushes followed, but Myut handled them all effortlessly, and the party made steady progress to the mining area.
“Got it! It’s really ours…..”
Jade cheered, holding up the diamond-shaped purple crystal that was the target of their commission, then a sense of emptiness swept over his face.
“Weird? I’m not as hyped as I thought?”
“It’s because everything went too smoothly, thanks to a certain someone.”
Weiss replied irritably, glancing at Myut.
“Congratulations, Mr. Jade. That completes the commission.”
Myut still wore her saintly smile.
A few meters away, Siloque and Cass were busy stuffing their backpack with ore.
“Can you carry that much?”
“No problem. How could having more money not make you happy?”
Urging Cass to pack more ore, Siloque felt he could handle it.
***
“Miss Myut, I can’t imagine getting here without you. Even though I leveled up a lot, it doesn’t feel real….”
Jade scratched his head awkwardly.
“No, no. I just did what was necessary.”
Myut set up a stand, lit an alcohol lamp, and began making milk tea.
At Jade’s suggestion, the group took a break in a room within the cave, planning to set out for the return journey afterward.
Siloque hugged his knees, staring blankly at the orange-purple core of the alcohol flame.
Myut wore fantasy medieval clothes, yet used modern camping gear to brew milk tea, chatting and laughing with Jade.
Weiss’s expression was troubled, but she occasionally joined the conversation.
The blend of ancient and modern made Siloque feel as if they were cosplayers.
Weiss had become more reserved, wary after witnessing Myut’s strength.
Cass sat nearby, glancing over a few times but never joining the conversation, focusing instead on maintaining his sword—sprinkling polish, oiling, and wiping the blade.
Siloque had warned Cass in advance: avoid too much contact with those three, and speak as little as possible.
“After you drink the milk tea…never mind. Just don’t panic. You’ll be fine. Whatever you do, don’t move without my signal.”
Siloque spoke at a volume low enough that the other three couldn’t hear.
“? If something’s up, tell me now. Stop saying half and leaving the rest out…Just like when we met Cliff, you did this too….”
“If I told you everything, wouldn’t that spoil the surprise?”
“You….”
Siloque nudged Cass with his elbow, signaling him to keep quiet.
Then Myut approached, carrying two bowls of milk tea, handing them to Cass and Siloque.
“I used the finest Sri Lanka Season Tea, and added cardamom and cloves to the milk for flavor. I hope you enjoy it…..”
“Thanks, I was just thirsty.”
Before Myut could finish, Siloque gulped it down in one go.
Smooth, milky, delicious.
“…..Ahh…..Delicious.”
“Is that so? I’m glad you like it.”
Myut took the empty wooden bowl from Siloque, satisfied.
Eh?
Cass was stunned.
This milk tea was freshly brewed and boiling hot.
And didn’t you say there was something suspicious about Myut?
So why did you accept food from her without hesitation?
Under Siloque’s repeated secret hand signals, Cass, even if reluctant, blew to cool the milk tea and drank—it really was tasty.
Across from them, Jade chugged his down and asked for seconds.
Weiss stared at the milk tea in her hands.
The milky surface formed a thin skin, and the aroma of milk and tea was intoxicating.
She instinctively looked up at the woman who had handed it to her.
Myut’s brows curved in a joyful arc, a sweet smile blooming on her lips.
Weiss felt a sudden fear.
Don’t drink it.
Her body craved the sugar, but her mind protested.
Something felt wrong.
“I don’t really want to….right now—”
“Drink it. You’ll feel wonderful.”
“Ugh!!”
A breeze brushed past, and Myut appeared beside Weiss, tipping the milk tea down her throat.
“Cough!….Wh-what are you doing!”
Weiss spat out a mouthful, stumbling back and drawing her dagger.
“Eh? This feeling…..”
Everything in front of her blurred and shimmered. Weakness spread through her body, and the dagger slipped from her grasp.
Thud, clang, clatter.
Jade, Wolf, and Scathach all collapsed—some forward, some backward, some to the side.
As Jade fell, his head hit the bowl, but luckily, the milk only splashed above his shoulders, so it wouldn’t stain his clothes and be hard to clean.
“You…woman!….”
Weiss was already on the ground, consciousness fading, mouth opening and closing, drool pooling at her lips.
Myut picked up Weiss, cradling her gently.
Two soft, round peaches pressed against Weiss’s cheeks from both sides, filling her nose with a sweet scent of milk and cream.
Myut’s hands stroked Weiss’s face in gentle circles.
If Weiss could speak, she would have purred like a cat.
“…..Nn….”
Ahh, I want to stay like this forever, breathing this scent, touched by these hands….
“May the Blessing of Izabilis guide your dreams.”
Myut kissed Weiss’s dirt-smudged forehead.
Weiss could no longer resist, her soul and body sinking into the darkness of sleep.
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