~3rd Person POV~
Slashing and striking the monsters that leapt at him, he pressed forward without pause. He had already passed the 55th floor.
'Twenty minutes left… With no time for breaks, it feels like it's going by faster.'
The residual mana traces were still below, but they were close enough now that when Kouki used a powerful skill, Nanami could feel its power.
Picking on the mana signature from that skill, he carved a path forward, "This way."
Nanami was breaking through the floors at speeds that no adventurer in history could match.
Cursed energy couldn't be restored with mana recovery potions. And after this long stretch, Nanami's reserves had begun to dwindle. But for someone like him, who was accustomed to it, it was still manageable.
Moreover, he hadn't even used his trump card yet.
'?!!'
"That was… Damn it."
Around the sixtieth floor, he felt a tremor. It started small but repeated several times before fading. It was likely that several spells had been cast.
The tremor that came after was different, however. It gave Nanami a bad premonition.
That premonition turned out to be true in the worst possible way.
~~~
"Why… How could this happen…"
They were now on the sixty-second floor. Thanks to Hajime, they had somehow escaped the threat of the Behemoth. But Hajime was no longer here.
When the group launched their coordinated magic attacks, some misfired, causing the bridge to collapse.
Hajime had fallen into the abyss with the Behemoth. Kaori had panicked and tried to jump in after him, but the others stopped her. In the end, Meld knocked her unconscious, and now Shizuku was carrying her.
All the students present were terrified by the loss of one of their own, but all they could do now was focus on escaping.
Desperately climbing upward, they reached a wide chamber. Even Meld and the knights didn't know much about this floor. And in a labyrinth, anything could happen.
The moment everyone entered, the path behind them sealed off.
"It's over…" One of the students sighed in relief.
But then...
"W-why is that monster here too?!" Hiyama exclaimed.
Standing before them was the Behemoth.
"The cause of monster appearances in the labyrinth is still unknown. It's not unusual to encounter the same monster multiple times, even after defeating it. But for it to appear on this floor…" Meld spoke calmly, but his eyes betrayed his unease.
He quickly made a decision, then glanced at his subordinates, "Are you guys prepared?"
The knights replied jovially:
"It's a little late for that, Commander."
"This is what we signed up for."
Kouki and the others found the knights' jovial attitude odd considering the situation. But it didn't take long for them to understand.
Meld continued, "Alan, Bael, me and the others will somehow distract the Behemoth. While we do, you two use that chance to take the students and head up."
""Yes sir!"" The two knights agreed in unison.
Kouki, however, did not like that arrangement, "No! We just escaped from down there! We're not running again–"
"Kouki!!" Before he could finish, Meld roared.
Kouki flinched and fell silent.
Meld continued, "It's my job to protect you… Please understand."
"No! I won't–"
"Enough already!" Shizuku cut him off this time, already fed up with Kouki's twisted stubbornness, "Nagumo-kun is gone, everyone is exhausted, Kaori is unconscious, there's no way we can fight like this!!"
"Shizuku…"
"Sorry, Kouki, but Meld-san right." Ryutarou chimed in, "If we stay here, we'll all die. It's frustrating, but we can't beat that thing as we are right now."
"Ryutarou… You…" Kouki tried to confront Ryutarou, but stopped.
Ryutarou's fists were clenched so tightly in frustration, that they were bleeding. There was nothing more to be done.
"It's coming!!" Meld shouted, "Deploy barriers and prepare for a full assault! At the same time–?"
Before he could finish, the charging Behemoth stopped abruptly with a heavy thud. Then it turned around.
Everyone followed its gaze.
"Right on time… Though I suppose this means I'll be working overtime from here on." The words felt out of place, but the figure who spoke exuded an unmistakably powerful aura.
"Kento, stop! That beast is said to be the strongest monster! Let let us buy time while you take the students and flee!"
Meld knew Nanami's strength. But he also knew that he must be exhausted after traveling all the way to this floor. He didn't want to force him to face the strongest monster.
But Nanami remained calm, declaring, "That's my line, Meld-san."
In an instant, the Behemoth charged at the powerful figure before it. Perhaps its animal instincts told it to eliminate the greatest threat first.
Then, the Behemoth suddenly tripped, and because of its momentum, it tumbled and rolled.
No one; be it the students, knights, or even the Behemoth, understood what had happened at first. But it soon became clear... its massive left foreleg had been severed.
Nanami shifted position and joined the others, surveying the scene; the exhausted students, Kaori unconscious in Shizuku's arms, and the absence of one student.
"Where is Nagumo-kun?" He asked.
"I'm sorry..." Meld's words said it all.
"We'll talk about the details later. First..." Nanami turned his gaze.
The Behemoth, which was now missing a leg, managed to get up somehow and glared at him.
"Meld-san, only you remain. Everyone else, fall back for a moment."
"Nanami-sensei! I'll fight too!"
"Assess your own strength and the situation, Amanogawa-kun… Or should I spell it out for you? You're a liability." Nanami said, without even turning to look at him.
It was clear that Nanami was angry.
Kouki tried to step forward anyway, but Shizuku and the others stopped him:
"Stop. Nanami-sensei is right. That monster, which we couldn't even scratch with all our attacks combined, had its leg severed by him. Sensei's words are true."
"…Ggh."
Being called a liability made Kouki angry. But even he, who often acted on pure ideals, had to accept that in this situation, they had no choice but to leave it to Nanami.
"If anything happens, I'll step in!"
"…Just fall back already." Meld said.
The group moved.
Confirming that they were reluctantly falling back, Meld stood beside Nanami, asking, "You only had me stay. Is there a specific reason?"
Nanami replied in a low tone, "Meld-san, listen carefully to what I'm about to say, and don't tell anyone. I'll explain later."
"??"
Meld wondered what he meant, but Nanami's next words only deepened the mystery, "My technique forcibly creates a weak point in the target. When dividing the target, if I strike the point at a 7:3 ratio, it results in a critical hit. Even against someone stronger than me, I can deal significant damage. And if they're weaker… I can sever them with a dull blade or knock them out with a single punch."
"W–what??" Meld was bewildered.
Nanami's mana stat was supposed to be zero. But his words explained how he'd cut down trees and monsters with such ease. More shocking was the claim that he could sever weaker opponents. In other words, severing the Behemoth's leg meant…
"Please take care of everyone. I won't let anyone else die here."
"…Understood."
The moment Meld agreed, Nanami dashed forward.
At the same time, mana began to gather in the Behemoth's horn, then it charged, the energy still surging.
"I won't let you." Nanami poured strength and cursed energy into his legs and leapt.
The Behemoth jumped to meet him, mana condensing in its horn, and mouth wide open.
"…!"
Nanami spun in mid-air, adjusted his posture, and passed beside the Behemoth, striking the weak point in its head, precisely at the 7:3 ratio created by his technique.
The Behemoth couldn't comprehend what had happened. The damage was far beyond expectation. But it wasn't dead yet.
It began to reposition itself, preparing to unleash a powerful attack from its horn. But Nanami landed and immediately leapt again, aiming for its belly.
Dogs expose their bellies in submission because it's a vulnerable spot. Nanami used his technique to create a weak point there and delivered an uppercut.
"A-amazing…" Ryutarou, a martial artist (Monk), felt something akin to awe at Nanami's display of power which went even beyond his Sorcerer Job.
"It's like he's playing with it." Shizuku was stunned by how Nanami overwhelmed the monster that had crushed all their combined efforts.
"…"
Kouki had no choice but to acknowledge it. He was far inferior to Nanami at this point.
The Behemoth, being struck by the uppercut, flew backward, and the gathered mana scattered from its horn.
It writhed for a while, but Nanami delivered a final blow to its belly. The impact pierced its body, and blood spilled from its mouth and the point of impact.
At last, the Behemoth died.
As the group returned, Meld spoke, "I'm speechless. I knew you were strong, but this is beyond anything I imagined."
"Please don't call someone like me 'beyond imagination.'" Nanami replied, not out of modesty, but sincerity.
Though to anyone watching, it looked like humility.
"I cleared out most of the monsters on the way here. It seems that monster was the only one on this floor. Please let everyone rest for a bit. I'll hear what happened during that time."
"Understood." Meld nodded, "That skill of yours... can you explain it when we return to the capital?"
"All right."
There were several witnesses that had been watching the scene intently.
Some, like Kouki and the other students, had witnessed the overwhelming battle. The rest were those who had seen something inexplicable. Those who had seen something like mana overflowing from Nanami's body…