Following Lili's footsteps, they ascended the long staircase towards the upper floors of the Dungeon. Along the way, they encountered many Adventurers.
However.
They were mostly traveling in groups, and among them were quite strong Adventurers, which could be easily distinguished by their relatively elaborate equipment.
"..."
Compared to other Adventurers, Shiraishi Kawa, who carried no weapons, and Liliruca, who carried a giant package, stood out particularly.
They looked very much like rookie Adventurers.
The Dungeon is the mother of monsters; even after being killed, monsters turn into black ash, and the black ash merges into the Dungeon to conceive new monsters.
The cycle of life.
In the upper levels, he couldn't feel a strong life force.
But upon entering the Dungeon, Shiraishi Kawa had a strong feeling that it was... a living nest. From an Adventurer's perspective.
An endless supply of monsters.
It was indeed a place for improving strength and gaining experience.
The regrettable part was that he couldn't bring all the Hedonistic Chosen to the DanMachi World, otherwise he would have a basic Familia.
Shiraishi Kawa didn't overthink it.
During this time, he was also observing whether his identity as a Chaos God would cause the Dungeon to mutate.
Following Lili's footsteps, they arrived at the first floor of the Dungeon. The dark cavern environment was illuminated by luminous fruits glowing on the walls.
"..."
Venturing into the Dungeon was... a unique experience for Shiraishi Kawa. He couldn't help but wonder about the specific strength of the monsters and Floor Bosses.
Without considering Lily's presence, he directly summoned the Holy Sword: Shinra Bansho, its crimson blade emitting a tyrannical aura.
He activated Mana Release, a Holy Sword User's skill.
Using it as a detection skill, he swept a hundred-meter radius around himself, instantly catching the presence of several low-level Goblins.
They were very low-level monsters.
He had hunted countless numbers of them in the Goblin Slayer World, but considering this was an area for novice Adventurers, meaning Level 1, their strength wasn't excessive.
"If it's truly developing in the direction of an Evil God, can I use Subspace to create an AKA Mobile Fortress and bring the God Chosen to DanMachi?"
"This place is perfect for new Adventurers to level up."
Such thoughts flashed through his mind.
Achieving it was still somewhat distant; currently, Shiraishi Kawa only wielded the basic authority of the Lord of Delight, with many more yet to acquire.
Similar to the Ring of Avarice, which is full of delicacies; the Ring of Lust, which is utterly chaotic; the ethereal Ring of Power... the Ring of Glory, which captivates minds; the Ring of Degeneracy, which rots flesh and bone... In simple summary, he was...
A nascent, righteous Chaotic Evil God in DanMachi!
However... with the summoning of the Holy Sword: Shinra Bansho, Shiraishi Kawa could sense the Goblins being nurtured by the Dungeon from within the nearby walls.
Their numbers increased sharply.
"Is the Dungeon repelling outsiders?"
He could only think of this possibility. He didn't maintain the Mana Release skill effect, relying solely on the amplification effect of his Divine profession.
With overall physical attributes more than 30 times that of an adult male...
Even without considering Mana Emission or other professional skills, he estimated his strength would allow him to walk through Dungeon levels above 60 with ease.
"Interesting!"
"This..."
Unaware of Shiraishi Kawa's inner thoughts, Lily, acting as his Supporter and following behind, stared at the weapon Shiraishi Kawa had summoned.
As it radiated a powerful aura...
She struggled to control her facial expression, her pupils slightly constricted. If she wasn't mistaken... this weapon must be an incredibly powerful magic sword?
His current weapon was very ordinary.
Yet he could directly pull out an extremely expensive magic sword, and most crucially, she had never seen it on Shiraishi Kawa... Could it be a special skill?
Normally, if she encountered a powerful Adventurer, she wouldn't dare to harbor any ill intentions towards him, but Lily didn't even notice...
The Ring of Avarice.
With the mark bestowed upon her, she ignored the danger.
Only one thought remained: she could definitely get a lot of money from Shiraishi Kawa to fulfill her wishes. And the monsters appearing ahead...
Their low growls...
Drew Lily's attention. There were a great many Goblins. She looked at Shiraishi Kawa and reminded him, "These are the lowest-level monsters."
...
He didn't even need a warning.
With his formidable physical attributes, Shiraishi Kawa's burst of speed was already imperceptible to the naked eye. He casually swung his sword.
The sharp power from his soul's essence, facing these lowest-level Goblins...
Was as easy as cutting a strand of hair.
The Goblins, which had shown signs of siege, were cut in half, their bodies instantly turning into black ash scattered on the ground, accompanied by...
Magic stones the size of fingernails falling to the ground.
You have successfully killed a Goblin (Lv1), gaining 100 experience points.
You have successfully killed a Goblin (Lv1), gaining 100 experience points.
You have successfully killed a Goblin (Lv1), gaining 100 experience points.
"The experience points are quite generous."
Shiraishi Kawa didn't mind; he simply tossed the cloth bag to Lily, entrusting her with the task of collecting the magic crystals. Fishing for law enforcement, as it were...
It was indeed quite good.
The so-called Ring of Avarice, unless one's will was incredibly firm in upholding their original intention, the corruption of delight would always accompany Lily.
Ultimately, she would fall into a void of desire, completely succumbing.
...
The fleeting battle left Lily's expression somewhat dazed. Although these Goblins weren't individually strong, their sheer numbers...
Even a Level 2 Adventurer...
Would likely not be able to dispatch them as decisively as Shiraishi Kawa did. So, what kind of strength did he truly possess?
She hastily took the bag he handed her.
Although she didn't speak, the meaning was already clear: these fingernail-sized magic stones were for her to pick up and collect.
"My intuition was right after all..."
Watching the figure ahead continue to clear out Goblins, Lily's expression was serious as she picked them up, though occasionally a magic stone...
Would slip unnoticed into her pocket via her sleeve.
With so many magic stones on the ground, even if she only took a portion, Shiraishi Kawa probably wouldn't notice, and this was just the beginning.
Heading deeper into the Dungeon...
The spawned monsters would become stronger, and the value of the dropped magic stones would also increase.
Repeatedly confirming that Shiraishi Kawa wasn't paying attention to her, but was merely hunting monsters, Lily still maintained her caution.
For every 4 magic stones she picked up, she secretly pocketed one.
With such a vast quantity, Shiraishi Kawa surely wouldn't notice the reduction. If this guy could explore deeper into the Dungeon...
Just thinking about it...
Lily was impatient. Perhaps she could continue to team up with Shiraishi Kawa, earn enough money to leave the Soma Familia, and continue as a Supporter...
To earn enough money...
Enough to not have to worry about money for the rest of her life. That would be pretty good, wouldn't it?
The young girl hadn't realized that the Ring of Avarice had already planted a seed of corruption in her heart, from initially earning enough to leave the Familia...
She was already thinking about a more prosperous life.
"Shiraishi-kun, levels 1-5 mostly consist of very weak Goblins. If you want to hunt stronger monsters, you need to go deeper."
Lily's eyes lit up.
She took out a Dungeon map from her backpack. The environment of the deeper levels would change, but the terrain of the upper levels was mostly fixed.
She examined it carefully.
Pointing to the distance ahead, she said, "I'll lead the way. I have the upper-level map..."
...
Regarding Lily's thoughts, Shiraishi Kawa, who had bestowed the authority of the Ring of Avarice upon her, could clearly perceive her inner feelings.
Her thoughts had already changed.
However...
This was the result he wanted to see. If the ultimate corruption were to lead to an unspeakable entity, he would still need to prevent such a thing from happening in time.
He cleared out all the surrounding Goblins.
No need to use Mana Emission.
Pure physical stats and his weapon were enough to cut through them like butter.
Shiraishi Kawa said with a smile, "Alright, I feel like the monsters on this floor are pretty ordinary. I hope the monsters in the deeper levels can give me a bit of a surprise."
"Then let's go!"
Holding the map, with sufficient safety guaranteed, even Lily, as the Supporter, actively walked in front to lead the way.
Detected a new profession, Supporter, available for learning. Learn it?
...
Ignoring the learnable profession, Shiraishi Kawa was currently only interested in the Adventurer profession from the Konosuba World, which allowed learning all skills regardless of profession.
The cost was a huge number of SP points.
But for him, who possessed a proficiency panel, there was no need to expend any.
Arriving at the Dungeon's second level, they still encountered a large number of Goblins. They easily continued to advance without any obstruction.
It was very easy.
The dropped magic stones had completely filled her pockets, forcing Lily to use empty bags instead, and the ratio of magic stone extraction also changed.
It was now 1 in 3.
...
Shiraishi Kawa noticed these details, as he was most concerned with gaining another Hedonistic Chosen and increasing his attribute values.
After easily pushing through to the fifth level...
He could clearly feel the change in the cave environment. The excavated tunnel walls were now made of earth, illuminated by the glow of fluorescent fruits.
Visibility was significantly better.
The encountered monsters also changed: Clowns and Dungeon Lizards. Even though they were numerous, they posed no obstacle to Shiraishi Kawa's strength.
"What's going on?"
Accompanied by a huge commotion from the distance ahead, even Lily, as the Supporter, was stunned. If she wasn't mistaken...
This type of monster shouldn't spawn on the fifth level at all.
Looking down the dark tunnel, what gradually appeared before their eyes was a large, brown-furred, bipedal monster.
Driven mad by being chased...
A Minotaur, with sharp, bull-like horns, charged towards Lily and Shiraishi Kawa's direction.
Its strong body stomped on the ground, causing a brief tremor.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
She had never seen a monster radiating such a powerful aura. Lily, carrying her large backpack, unconsciously retreated backward.
However...
To Shiraishi Kawa, this Minotaur was exceptionally familiar. A monster from the 15th level, a Minotaur, not a particularly strong monster.
What made it familiar to him... was the timing of this Minotaur's appearance. According to the original plot, these were several monsters that escaped when the Loki Familia returned from an expedition.
"Could I actually encounter Ais-tan?"
...
Looking at the continuously approaching Minotaur, Shiraishi Kawa didn't find it difficult, but for a Level 1 newcomer...
It basically meant certain death.
However, the opportunity to test the strength of the 15th floor monsters in advance was practically handed to him.
As Shiraishi Kawa forcefully pushed off with his legs, his speed was so fast that only afterimages remained; the ground where he stood instantly shattered, forming a spiderweb of cracks.
"..."
Even the fully focused Lili couldn't track him, let alone the Minotaur, whose strength wasn't particularly high, when Shiraishi Kawa flashed before it.
Subconsciously, it swung its fist.
But all that greeted the Minotaur was the afterimage of a red sword light, which effortlessly sliced its upper body in half.
Blood continuously gushed out.
After its complete demise,
it turned into black ash and returned to the embrace of the Dungeon, leaving only a fist-sized Magic Stone, which hit the ground with a crisp sound.
"This... it's already dealt with!"
Lili usually interacted with and supported ordinary Adventurers, so this was her first encounter with a Minotaur monster.
It was so powerful that it made her tremble.
The result... Lili looked at Shiraishi Kawa in the distance ahead, utterly incredulous; the fleeting battle left her at a loss for words to describe her feelings.
Very strong... at least an Lv3 expert, especially the speed with which he decisively ended the battle, it was no different from facing a massive horde of Goblins.
There was absolutely no difference!
Such a powerful Adventurer was a stranger in Orario; could he have come from somewhere else? Lili couldn't figure it out.
Following Shiraishi Kawa,
she would definitely earn a lot of ferrari from him!
Lili proactively walked over and picked up the Magic Stone dropped by the slain Minotaur, her smile filled with admiration: "Shiraishi-kun's strength... is truly amazing!"
"He can easily deal with such powerful monsters."
"It's just good luck."
The good luck Shiraishi Kawa referred to was, of course, joining the Dimensional Chat Group. If he hadn't brought a supporter and went alone,
relying on his basic physical stats and Holy Sword,
he could go back and forth to the 40th floor without issue. As for deeper monsters, like Floor Bosses, he would still need Mana Release skills.
If he could use Explosion Magic without restraint... solving them would definitely not be troublesome.
If there was anything truly difficult to handle, it would probably be the Black Dragon, the last of the three major quests, residing in the 59th floor of the underground labyrinth, which had not been dealt with.
A monster that even the Zeus and Hera Familia couldn't handle.
It might be a bit challenging.
As for speedrunning the Dungeon, he temporarily had no such idea. The deeper the floors, the more complex the environment, not to mention the chain reactions caused by subjugating the Black Dragon.
The Dungeon
could be said to be the training ground for the Hedonistic Chosen. What's the point of just rushing through it?
Lili quickly shook her head, her tone quite serious: "I don't think Shiraishi-kun's strength is... just pure good luck."
"You must have put in a lot of effort!"
She eagerly wanted to get closer to him.
To establish a short-term partnership and then earn more ferrari from him. Just by looking at Lili, Shiraishi Kawa could read her thoughts.
He gently shook his head, not paying it any mind.
A brief sound of footsteps came from the darkness ahead, revealing a figure with long golden hair, wearing armor made of an unknown material.
It perfectly accentuated her figure.
She carried a rapier.
With the faint light of the fluorescent fruit, one could see her appearance, which was no less beautiful than a goddess, and her aura was like that of a fairy from heroic tales.
Ais Wallenstein.
An executive of the Loki Familia, an Lv5 expert known as the Sword Princess of the Labyrinth City Orario. Through the light,
one could see the girl's serene face.
Her gaze swept over the remnants of the battlefield where the fight had just occurred, confirming that the Minotaur she was pursuing had not escaped through other tunnels.
That confirmed it... the monster from the 15th floor had already been dealt with by Shiraishi Kawa, with not many signs of a prolonged battle.
Possessing rich combat experience,
she instantly realized the key point: the opponent had ended the battle in an instant.
Most importantly, Shiraishi Kawa's face was unfamiliar, and the weapon he held emitted an aura that even she found powerful.
"A weapon forged by a god himself?"
Ais did not directly ask; she herself was not good at communication. Letting the monster escape was her responsibility.
Her calm face showed no ripples.
She said in a clear, cold voice: "I apologize, this was a monster we failed to deal with when returning from our expedition. I've caused you trouble."
"It's fine."
Her personality gradually matched Shiraishi Kawa's impression; however, Ais-tan's seemingly cold exterior was purely due to her being a bit of a natural airhead.
He was lucky to encounter the plot development.
This didn't mean he had to go over and try to get close. He walked past Ais, accompanied by his supporter Lili, brushing shoulders with her.
"What is the name of your weapon..."
Finally, unable to suppress her inner curiosity,
even when asking, Ais Wallenstein still showed little emotion, asking blankly, "It... it's very special."