It seemed that because the dreaded Dark Faction had suddenly fallen into a brief silence, many adventurers finally found a moment of respite, seizing the opportunity to head into the Dungeon.
After all, compared to guarding against madmen every day, fighting mindless monsters was far preferable.
In the past, when Roland traversed this colossal and unknown Dungeon alone, he rarely encountered other parties. On the few occasions he did, it was merely a handful of people.
However, things were starkly different now. Every stretch of the way, he would be surprised to find a team of adventurers appearing not far ahead.
Roland, deeply touched by this change, listened to the laughter of nearby adventurers—sounds filled with the joy and excitement of a good harvest. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he could see through the clamor to the satisfied smiles on their faces.
...
A single-handed sword traced a dazzling arc through the air. The blade shimmered with a brilliant white light, and with a gentle wave of the wielder's arm, it effortlessly sliced through the massive, hideous bodies of the Minotaurs.
It really is much more comfortable using a sword like this, Roland thought. Although elemental weapons created from my own magic are no worse than these steel blades, there is always a sensation of holding my own mana.
That sensation felt almost too intimate with his own power; it lacked the distinct thrill and excitement that came from wielding an external object.
Sure enough, holding [Oath of Justice] gave him that refreshing sense of freedom—like the childhood fantasy of "If I had this sword in hand, I'd behead the wildflowers for ten miles around."
Roland moved rapidly along the labyrinthine passages, intricate as a spider's web. He chose the optimal path without hesitation, sprinting at top speed toward the very end of the 17th Floor.
His gaze fell forward. He did not see the [Monster Rex] that usually blocked the adventurers' path. Instead, there were only the remains of monsters like the Minotaurs. Taking the boss's place in this vast space were the supporters of various Familias, busy clearing the battlefield.
The respawn time for the 17th Floor boss was roughly two weeks. Since Roland had defeated it the time before last, it meant someone else had taken it down within the last few days.
He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was roughly 10:00 AM. It would take about two hours to reach the 24th Floor.
Calculating his pace, Roland ignored the gazes directed at him from the surroundings. He moved past the Familia members who had stayed behind to act as supporters and slightly quickened his step.
18th Floor. The Safe Zone.
In the silent forest, crystals of various shapes harbored a transparent, azure glow. There were small crystals scattered everywhere, and others as large as giant swords... dyeing the entire forest in a pale blue hue.
Following his gaze upward, the extremely high ceiling was filled with radiant crystals, countless in number, emitting a color akin to the blue sky.
It was currently [Daytime].
Roland's eyes were drawn to the massive tree that reached toward the heavens; that was the path to the next floor.
Even though he had witnessed it many times, he was still captivated by such a mysterious and fantastical scenery.
Middle Levels, 19th Floor: The Great Tree Labyrinth.
Roland stepped into this area once more. The striking gold and silver blade in his hand shone like starlight within the misty space.
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Danmachi : Mage's Infinite Journey (168 Chapters – Ongoing)
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In this labyrinth themed around insect-type monsters, a group of Bugbears charged at him as if they were fleeing something else. Their roars, which sounded as if they had found an easy target, came to an abrupt halt as they rushed toward Roland. The lead bear was decapitated in an instant.
Blood splattered along the path of the swinging blade, and the bear's brain matter hit the ground before them!
The Middle Level monsters, possessing enough intelligence to feel fear, turned around, intending to flee.
...
24th Floor.
According to the Guild's rough guidelines, this area barely fell within the exploration range of a Level 2 adventurer team.
Roland unfolded the map Tsubaki had given him. After briefly identifying his direction, he rode the wind, flying toward the circled area.
...Before him lay a downward slope. The stairs were formed by the gnarled, clumping roots of old trees that blended into the environment, creating a gentle incline.
The number of glowing mosses clinging to the walls decreased sharply. Compared to before, the area ahead was dimly lit. Roland slightly increased his vigilance as he jumped down to the lower level.
The scent of soil was rich. The surroundings were no different from the tree hollows that served as rooms earlier, except the ground beneath his feet was softer.
It was no longer the hard rocky surface of the Upper Levels, nor the thick tree trunks that connected the passages in the Great Tree Labyrinth. Instead, it somewhat resembled the 18th Floor.
"Buzz—"
Roland explored slowly. His eyes, unclouded by the darkness before him, looked up toward the source of the strange noise ahead.
Three massive beehives were buried deep within a sunken tree hollow. Countless Deadly Hornets, which had not yet detected the intruder, swarmed around the hives.
Roland immediately stopped. He did not rashly charge into the monsters' field of vision, because something was wrong here.
The number of Deadly Hornets wasn't particularly troublesome for Roland, nor was it the main reason for his pause. It was the abnormal behavior of these Middle Level monsters, known for their aggression.
The three giant hives blocked the only passable path, sealing the cave entrance like a gate. The swarms of Deadly Hornets guarded the spot, refusing to move an inch.
"Strange. Are they guarding something?"
Roland frowned, falling into deep thought. He carefully recalled every sentence of his conversation with Tsubaki, but he couldn't determine if she had actually reached this specific spot.
He wondered if the oddities Tsubaki had sensed were caused by these monsters, whose numbers far exceeded estimates and whose behavior was so bizarre.
When Roland looked at the map in his hand, the mark Tsubaki had drawn pointed clearly to the deeper area—the very tree hollow currently blocked by the hives.
But from beginning to end, Tsubaki hadn't mentioned the monsters. This meant the presence of these monsters was a change that had occurred in the last few days.
Roland shook his head, thinking to himself, With what I know of Tsubaki, she wouldn't deliberately hide such important information. That implies even she didn't make it this deep...
Advance, or retreat?
Roland made up his mind. He stepped out from behind the protruding tree root that had concealed him.
With his sword at his side, it emitted a faint golden glow in the lightless depths of the labyrinth.
His pitch-black eyes, seeming to brim with death, flashed with a spectral blue light. He stared straight at the swarm of monsters buzzing in chaotic agitation, his gaze as calm as an ancient well.
In the blink of an eye—
Mana gathered. Magic that required no chant was awakened.
Raging flames bloomed wildly around Roland, appearing as if they would swallow everything in the vicinity.
That scorching aura surged continuously into the single-handed sword he gripped. The blade, originally shimmering with gold and silver, now looked as if it had been dipped in magma, turning a vivid and dazzling red-gold in an instant!
Even though the commission didn't require Roland to risk his life, the scene before him was, for him, "as refreshing as putting on a brand-new pair of underwear on New Year's Day."
"Buzz——"
The pitch-black Deadly Hornets scattered, their wings beating loudly. It was a frenzied riot of alarm as they clustered outside the tree hollow, where the hives alone already took up most of the space.
Roland lowered his body slightly, his gaze locking onto the monsters attacking from all directions. His eyes were sharp enough to track their two methods of attack: raising the bowl-thick stingers at their tails or opening mandibles strong enough to snap iron.
One breath. Roland committed the monsters' movement trajectories to memory. He raised his right hand, slashing the flame-wreathed [Oath of Justice] through the swarm.
Two breaths. The segmented parts of over a dozen large insects at the front crashed onto the muddy ground, but the massive cocoon of monsters quickly filled the gap with a fresh wave!
Three breaths. His wrist didn't stop; twirling the blade, he pulled the weapon back with even greater speed, slicing through the monsters again with inexhaustible force.
Four breaths. As the Deadly Hornets froze in mid-air, their hard shells—usually a nightmare for Level 2 adventurers—failed to protect them this time. Along with the four thin wings on their backs, they were cleaved in two.
Five breaths. The flaming sword, drawing upon his mana, suddenly erupted with fire, forming a 3-meter-long blade of flame. Roland reached the front of the hives, effortlessly dodging the reddish-yellow liquid sprayed without warning from within.
Six breaths. Roland gripped the giant flame sword tightly with his right hand and sliced horizontally through the three hives blocking the cave entrance. Immediately following through, he swung the blade like a buzzsaw through the remaining monsters. Blood and limb fragments flew in unison; even the magic stones were ground into powder.
Eight seconds. All surrounding monsters had been exterminated by Roland.
Pushing aside the halved hives blocking the entrance, Roland walked vigilantly into the cave. Inside, he saw a massive tarp covering something.
Roland pulled it back to reveal over a dozen sacks filled with an unknown substance standing upright.
Opening a sack, Roland took a closer look, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. Piled inside were individual crimson stones.
Fire Stones. These were materials dropped only by the [Flame Rocks] on the 44th Floor of the Dungeon. They were extremely volatile and easy to detonate. A point-blank explosion was more than enough to kill a Level 3 adventurer.
It was a good thing Roland hadn't used a Fire Element spell to bombard the entire area. If he had, the explosion from this many Fire Stones would have caused the Dungeon immense pain, triggering a Dungeon irregularity.
If that had happened, Roland would have been in big trouble. If the resulting irregular monster spawned right next to him, that would be fine; he could just eliminate it.
But if it spawned elsewhere and slaughtered its way toward him, other adventurers might have been attacked in the process. That would have been a disaster.