"Everyone, ten minutes rest where you stand! Loot the field and get your stamina back."
Kaguya issued the order in Alise's place, knowing full well that letting their overly energetic captain open her mouth right now would be a disaster.
At her command, Adventurers set their packs down and dropped to the ground for a brief rest.
"The Astraea Familia really is something else."
A squad member sat drinking water, talking low with his companions.
"Obviously. Level 3 elites in the mid-floors? That's like cutting through butter. Lady Gojouno and her people are on a completely different level from us."
A black-haired Adventurer in Far Eastern garb spoke with unmistakable pride, as if some of that glory rubbed off on him by association.
"Hey, you're from the Far East too, right? You know Yamato Rindou personally?"
A bear-man who'd caught the scent of gossip threw an arm around the swordsman's neck, grinning.
"Tch, don't get familiar. Do you have any idea who Lady Gojouno is? You? A mere Level 2? You don't get to ask."
The swordsman's voice dripped with contempt.
The bear-man flushed red with anger. "What did you just say? You bastard!"
The argument was seconds from turning physical when the dwarf captain, sick of the noise, barked them both into silence.
"Shut it, both of you! Can you not sit still for five minutes?! Save your energy for when it matters. If you two choke at the critical moment, I'm the one who looks bad!"
"Uh... yes, Captain!"
Rest periods with large groups always devolved into this kind of bickering.
Compared to the other squads, most of whom relied on melee combat and looked thoroughly roughed up, Leon's group stood out. They barely showed signs of having fought at all. The only damage was on Rose and Jeanne: singed cloak edges and a few minor burns on their arms, courtesy of Leon's oversight with the Salamander Wool. Meanwhile Aura and Laurier, shielded perfectly behind the front line, didn't have a speck of dust on them.
"I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry. This one's entirely on me."
His shoulders dropped. He wasn't joking around for once.
The burns were nothing to Jeanne and Rose, but a gap that serious in pre-battle prep couldn't be brushed off. They'd been lucky this time, moving with a large expedition. If their squad had been exploring alone? That kind of mistake could turn fatal.
"Don't beat yourself up over it. This was our first time in the mid-floors. Inexperience leads to oversights. We'll know better next time."
Jeanne's voice was gentle.
Rose smiled and added, "Nobody's perfect. Everyone slips up. We're fine, Leon. Look at us, not a scratch that matters."
They didn't blame him, but Leon carved the lesson into memory all the same. One mistake, one lesson learned. The Dungeon didn't give second chances for free, and he understood that a little better now.
...
Ten minutes later, the expedition moved out.
"GRAAH..."
A handful of Hellhounds popped out of nowhere, and Alise's blade flashed once. Heads rolled before the creatures finished emerging.
"Ah... now this feels more like it."
"Right? This is the pace I expect. Half the Dungeon with zero monsters was giving me the creeps."
"Seriously. If it had stayed that dead-quiet much longer, I was going to suggest we turn back."
Watching the stragglers get mopped up with ease, relief spread through the ranks.
After that carefully laid ambush, the journey finally settled into a normal rhythm. Scattered monsters appeared here and there, dispatched without effort, and the suffocating tension from before evaporated. Alertness remained, but the mood had shifted entirely.
There was even, dare anyone say it, a hint of fun in the air.
Leon and his team blended into the formation and quietly exhaled. Unlike the other squads, they were genuinely all Level 1. Saying they felt zero pressure would have been a lie. Fortunately, the rest of the trek went smooth.
...
Floor 16.
Crack, crack...
A familiar scene played out again. Rabbit-like monsters broke through the walls and dropped to the ground one after another.
They twitched their long ears, yellow-and-white fur fluffy and full, fuzzy tails swaying. A single sharp horn jutted from each forehead. They stood upright on their hind legs, roughly the size of a Pallum.
"Weird little things," Leon said, lip curling slightly. "They look harmless, but they're rated at Level 2 potential." In his experience, most Dungeon monsters looked the part. Ugly, mean, obviously dangerous.
These Al-Miraj were the exception.
Cute on the outside, vicious and aggressive underneath. They'd been showing up since Floor 13. Worse, they knew how to use natural weapons.
Right on cue, and right in front of Leon's squad, the horned rabbits swung their claws and smashed a nearby boulder with a sharp crack, pulling freshly broken stone axes from the rubble.
Fully armed, they fixed their beady red eyes on the Adventurer party, not a shred of fear in those tiny faces.
Leon's squad exchanged a single glance and opened fire without hesitation, exploiting the range advantage of magic and archery to hit first. Waiting around in a defensive stance for the monsters to close the gap? That was for idiots. These things specialized in Agility and Dexterity, and those stone axes doubled as throwing hatchets.
"Fireball!"
The explosions chained across the chamber.
...
Up ahead, Kaguya and the others paused mid-step at the noise erupting from the rear and turned to look.
Lyra watched the rising glow of fire and heat shimmer and couldn't resist a comment. "Them again? I'm pretty sure the captain of that squad is named Leon. Human mage. Makes a scene like this every single fight."
Kaguya's hand settled on her katana, her eyes narrowing to slits, a faint smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "Interesting. Beyond the mage, those two front-liners are quite skilled as well."
"Ooh? Let me see, let me see! Wow, fire magic just like mine! And the casting speed... that's fast!"
Alise bounced over to Kaguya's side, peering back at the fight with bright curiosity. Leon's rapid-fire casting and the carpet-bombing style of his offense made even the Scarlet Harnel sit up and take notice.
"Ryu, what do you think?"
Kaguya glanced at the cool-faced elf beside her and smiled.
Ryu watched Leon's squad clean up the Al-Miraj in seconds and answered without thinking. "They're strong. And that mage is very proficient at Concurrent Chanting."
"That's not all!" Alise lit up like she'd discovered a new continent. "Besides those two amazing front-liners and the mage, his two elven teammates have impressive archery too! And have you noticed..." She dropped her voice with conspiratorial excitement. "Other than the mage, the rest of them are all gorgeous girls!"
"Mm..." Ryu pressed her lips together, a flicker of thought crossing her blue eyes. "Those two elves look about my age, but I don't recognize them from Orario. For elves of their caliber, there should have been word of them..."
"Hmm..." Kaguya studied Leon's group for another moment, then nodded slowly, something turning behind her eyes.
...
"I think we're drawing a little too much attention."
Leon crouched low, collecting Magic Stones with practiced hands while his peripheral vision tracked the other squads around them.
"That's because your magic is ridiculous. Every fight turns into a fireworks show."
Laurier helped gather stones beside him, her criticism delivered without mercy.
Leon's mouth twitched. He felt the probing gaze from the Astraea Familia finally slide off him, stole a quick glance in their direction, and shot back, "How is that my fault? Fire magic just works that way. What, you want me to use Scorch instead?"
Laurier rolled her eyes. "Scorch? This is the mid-floors. It doesn't even scratch an Al-Miraj's defenses, okay? Hehe."
Leon said nothing.