"Eat? Of course I'll eat it!" Ren Isana wasn't the type to be put off by durian. He actually quite liked it. After all, it was one of those things—you either loved it or you absolutely hated it.
Taking the durian Sora offered, Ren sat down and began to savor the delicacies the girls had brought. Aside from the fruit, a steady stream of other food was passed around. The students had simply brought way too much stuff.
After finishing lunch, the group set out once more. This time, they headed straight for the deeper floors, planning to reach the 27th floor before nightfall and take down the Floor Boss.
Upon entering the 19th floor, Ren and the others decided to head straight for the monster room to see if there was a shortcut. If they could find one, it would save them a massive amount of time.
However, the moment they stepped into the monster room, monsters began spawning at a frantic pace. Seeing the horde, the group didn't need Ren to say a word—they immediately launched their attacks.
A slaughter ensued. Ren and Megumi Kato held back, allowing Bell Cranel and Haruhime Sanjouno to join the fray. Bell charged at a Horned Rabbit, but the creature was far stronger than he anticipated.
Just as he rushed forward, the Horned Rabbit slammed into him at a speed Bell couldn't even react to. Right before the impact, a Magic Circle suddenly lit up in front of him. Sparks of electricity flashed, and the rabbit instantly froze in place.
Seizing the opportunity, Bell acted decisively, swiftly dispatching the Horned Rabbit with his dagger. Having taken down a monster, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The next moment, he felt several spells light up across his body in quick succession, enveloping him in a layer of radiant light. Bell froze in surprise, but then Ren's voice rang out. "Go on. I've buffed you. You won't get hurt easily now."
Hearing this, Bell immediately let loose and threw himself into the battle. Without any lingering worries, he began continuously brawling with the monsters. Although he struggled to keep up and still took a few hits here and there...
...the shield around him provided an overwhelming sense of security. Completely freed from his fears, he fought with everything he had. Similarly, Ren cast a few support spells on Haruhime.
On the other side, Asuna directly unleashed a large-scale spell within the room—[Recovery Domain]. The spell instantly enveloped the entire area.
Everyone's speed was boosted in an instant, and they could feel their stamina slowly regenerating.
The effect was especially obvious for the two newbies, Bell and Haruhime. They felt as though they had an endless supply of energy, making them even stronger in combat.
After about ten minutes of fighting, Bell had only managed to take down four monsters. Haruhime had played a purely supportive role the entire time and hadn't scored a single kill.
Though Bell had only killed four, he had given it his all. Once the battle ended, he collapsed onto the ground, completely disregarding his image.
"Phew! That was close!" If it hadn't been for Ren's shield, Bell didn't even want to think about how many times he would have died. The monsters on this floor were still a bit too much for him to handle.
"Good job, Bell. For a Lv.1, taking down that many monsters is pretty impressive." The male students from the class walked over, pulled Bell to his feet, and couldn't help but shower him with praise.
Hearing the praise from his seniors, Bell rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Hehe... It's all thanks to Ren's magic. Otherwise, there's no way I could have killed those monsters so easily."
He was very self-aware of his own capabilities and didn't try to take all the credit. After all, without Ren, he probably would have been slaughtered by the monsters on this floor.
While they were chatting, a deafening boom echoed through the room. Ais Wallenstein had launched an attack at the location of the shortcut. With a single punch, a tunnel caved in and revealed itself. Seeing the opening, Ais's face lit up with joy.
"It really is here. Everyone, it's time to move." Having found the shortcut, Ais called out to the group and took the lead, stepping inside. Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit.
"Let's go. Once we're inside, slow your pace, and remember to drink a Red Potion," Ren said as he walked past Bell toward the tunnel. Hearing this, Bell immediately scrambled to his feet and hurried after him.
As he walked, Bell pulled out a Red Potion and downed it. Keeping Ren's advice firmly in mind, he followed cautiously behind him, trailed by a few of the other male students.
Bringing up the rear were Haruhime, Megumi Kato, and the other female students. The group navigated the tunnel with extreme caution, keeping their [Perception Magic] active at all times. They were terrified that one wrong step would send them tumbling down, turning the whole group into human bowling pins.
The descent was smooth and without incident. Following a loud crash from ahead, Ais smashed right through the Dungeon wall, revealing the exit to the tunnel. The group stepped out onto the plains of the 23rd floor.
As they emerged, they were greeted by the starkly different landscape of the 23rd floor. It was far more desolate, with several monsters already roaming about—clearly creatures that the Dungeon had spawned a while ago.
The moment Ren and the others appeared, the monsters locked onto them. A wolf's howl pierced the air, and the creatures of the floor immediately swarmed toward the group.
Seeing this, Ais couldn't help but pause in surprise. She hadn't expected there to be so many monsters on this floor. However, her reaction was anything but slow; she drew her sword and charged right in.
The other students grew excited as well. Back in the other world, they had long grown accustomed to the feeling of being besieged by monsters, so they weren't the least bit afraid. Instead, they eagerly joined the massive brawl.
This was Bell's first time witnessing such a chaotic scene. He swallowed hard and stuck closely to Ren's side. Haruhime was even more terrified, hiding behind Megumi Kato.
"Haruhime!" Just as she was trembling with nerves, Ren suddenly called her name, making her jump in fright.
"Ren-sama, I'm here!" Haruhime immediately tensed up, unsure of what Ren wanted her to do, her heart pounding with anxiety.
"Cast your spell on Bell! Then, Bell, you're up!" Ren shouted, instructing her to use [Uchide no Kozuchi・Magic Mallet] on Bell.
Hearing this, Haruhime blinked in surprise before nodding frantically. "Y-Yes, Ren-sama! I'll cast it on Bell right away."
With that, she raised her Kagura Suzu and began to chant. Under Bell's expectant gaze, the spell descended upon him.
Bell knew exactly what Haruhime's magic did. As the spell took effect, his aura began to surge with power, and the Magic Power within him expanded significantly.
The Tier 1 adventurer was instantly boosted to Tier 2. At the same time, Ren made his move, casting several support spells on Bell to further enhance his stats.
Having done all this, Ren continued, "You only have fifteen minutes. Go, Bell! Kill as many monsters as you can. That's the only way you'll get stronger once we head back!"
Hearing Ren's words, Bell nodded with a face full of excitement. "Got it, Ren! I'm going in!"
With that, Bell cast [Lightness Technique] and charged into the fray. Fifteen minutes might not seem like much, but it was more than enough. Right now, he felt like he could actually take on these monsters.
Having finished casting [Uchide no Kozuchi・Magic Mallet], Haruhime hurriedly asked, "And what about me, Ren-sama? Is there anything I need to do?"
Ren shook his head, keeping his eyes on Bell. "Just throw some magic support his way every now and then. Make sure you aim carefully, though—don't hit Bell by mistake."
Haruhime nodded quickly and sprang into action. Once she ran off to catch up, Ren glanced at Megumi Kato. Understanding his intent, Megumi nodded, sank directly into the shadows, and followed Haruhime, eventually merging into the fox girl's shadow.
With Megumi keeping an eye on her, Ren didn't have to worry about anything going wrong. Sensing the monsters charging toward them, Ren finally made his move. His staff appeared in his hand. The next moment, he raised it high, and an ice-blue Magic Circle materialized in the air above the group.
A bone-chilling cold instantly permeated the battlefield. The others glanced up at the Magic Circle Ren had conjured and paused for a brief second, but they didn't stop their attacks. After a quick look, they turned their attention back to the monsters in front of them.
Only Yukino Yukinoshita felt a twinge of confusion. *Is he planning to summon a blizzard?* Just as the thought crossed her mind, a relentless barrage of ice spikes suddenly erupted from the Magic Circle, raining down and slaughtering the monsters below.
The ice spikes plummeted from the sky, skewering the charging monsters. A frenzied massacre unfolded. With just a single spell, Ren had turned into the grim reaper of the battlefield.
Bell, who was currently fighting a monster, caught a glimpse of the distant carnage and was thoroughly spooked. It was terrifying—every single ice spike that fell claimed the life of a monster.
*Thank goodness Dungeon monsters don't bleed,* Bell thought. *Otherwise, this place would be a river of blood by now.* *Is this Ren's true power?* Bell couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe and admiration.
If only he had power like that. With that thought in mind, Bell's resolve to grow stronger solidified. He needed to work hard, kill more monsters, and strive to catch up to everyone else's footsteps as soon as possible.
Every roaming monster on the floor charged at Ren's group, but before they could even get close, they were pinned to the ground by the relentless ice spikes, dissolving into ash and leaving behind only Magic Stones.
Ren, Ais, and Lefiya Viridis transformed into literal killing machines, frantically reaping the lives of the monsters. In just fifteen short minutes—right at the exact moment the [Uchide no Kozuchi・Magic Mallet] buff faded from Bell—the battle came to an end.
There simply weren't any monsters left to kill. The ground was littered with piles of Magic Stones, the only proof that the horde had ever existed. As Asuna finished off the very last monster, Ren's voice rang out. "Spread out and collect the loot. Finders keepers. After that, we keep moving."
Hearing this, everyone immediately sprang into action. These Magic Stones were basically free money. Even though they were small, everyone now had Spatial Backpacks that could hold a massive amount. Quantity had a quality all its own—every little bit added up.
Even though the slaughter had only lasted fifteen minutes, the sheer number of Magic Stones they collected was staggering. The main reason was simply that Ren and Ais killed too fast—a single large-scale spell wiped out entire swaths of enemies at once.
"Is your Magic Power endless?" As the group finished clearing the battlefield and resumed their trek to the lower floors, Yukino walked up to Ren, looking at him as if he were a monster himself.
Did anyone realize how long Ren's spell had lasted? Fifteen minutes. A full fifteen minutes without a single interruption. The magic had been continuously firing, bombarding the area non-stop. To sustain a spell for that long meant his Magic Power output hadn't ceased for even a second.
"You actually noticed. That's right, my Magic Power is endless!" Hearing Yukino's words, Ren turned his head to look at her.
At this moment, Yukino was staring at him like he was some kind of freak of nature. She had been genuinely startled by the spell he had just unleashed.
"Tch, how enviable. To have that much Magic Power!" She didn't actually believe his Magic Power was infinite; she just figured he had an absurdly large reserve. After all, she had never heard of anyone having a truly bottomless pool of mana.
"I was born with it. You can't be jealous of natural talent!" Ren looked at Yukino, amused by her envious tone. In reality, this was all thanks to the regenerative ability he had copied from Goliath.
Perhaps he could become even stronger soon. After all, there was an entity with an even more powerful regenerative ability waiting for him on the 37th floor, ready to be copied. Ren hadn't forgotten about that Floor Boss's abilities.
As long as it wasn't killed instantly, it could rapidly regenerate. That was an ability Ren desperately wanted. No matter the situation, something like that would always come in handy, wouldn't it?
"I'm jealous too. I just wonder if there's any way to increase my own Magic Power capacity?" Asuna walked over, having overheard their conversation.
Her Magic Power reserves were also lacking, which was why she primarily relied on True Qi in combat. If the opportunity arose, she really hoped to find a way to expand her capacity. Otherwise, it simply wasn't enough for prolonged fights.
"I don't know. Maybe we'll find a way once we get to university. We don't have access to that kind of stuff right now. Everything regarding Intermediate Magic, Advanced Magic, and above is completely restricted. You guys should know that," Ren said, throwing his hands up.
Without sufficient strength, they couldn't touch that knowledge. It was entirely locked down. After all, the higher-ups were afraid of people causing chaos. Restrictions were necessary. Basic Magic and even some Intermediate Magic could be spread however people pleased...
...but knowledge related to Advanced Magic was strictly classified. It was highly likely that someone had learned a bloody lesson in the past, forcing the authorities to implement such measures. After all, humanity possessed a natural talent for courting death.
"Perhaps. If there really is a way, I'm definitely going to increase my Magic Power capacity!" This had become Asuna's next goal. It was the only way to ensure she had enough magic for her spells.
The group chatted for a bit longer before hitting the road, heading toward the deeper floors. Ren walked over to Bell, who was currently grimacing in pain. At this moment, Bell felt like his entire body was aching.
Forcibly raising his level to Lv.2 had felt amazing, but his body couldn't handle the strain. Once the spell ended, he had immediately cramped up, his thighs burning with agonizing pain.
Seeing his state, Ren couldn't help but chuckle. "Looks like you still have a lot to learn, Bell. You need to improve your physical constitution. You know, when we were your age, we were constantly tempering our bodies."
As he spoke, Ren began to heal him. Hearing Ren's words, Bell nodded vigorously. "I'll definitely train hard from now on! Otherwise, I won't even be able to withstand a support spell."
Thinking about it made him feel incredibly helpless. Who would have thought that instead of getting hurt by monsters, he'd end up injuring himself from a buff spell? It was just too embarrassing.
"I'll teach you a breathing technique. From now on, I want you to maintain this state at all times," Ren said, beginning his instruction after finishing Bell's healing.
Hearing this, Bell nodded eagerly. He listened intently to Ren's explanation and quickly adjusted his breathing rhythm to match the instructions.
Once Bell had gotten the hang of it, Ren nodded in satisfaction. "Keep this up constantly. It's best if you even maintain it while you sleep. This is something we learned back in middle school. You too, Haruhime."
After addressing Bell, Ren also gave Haruhime a reminder. The breathing technique he taught was something the rest of them rarely paid attention to anymore. They were so used to it that it had become entirely subconscious.
But Bell and Haruhime had never learned it, so they had to be taught from scratch. Ren even briefly considered whether he should just toss Bell and Haruhime into the middle school division so they could learn everything from the ground up.
On second thought, he abandoned the idea. It would take too long. It was better to just compile the essential knowledge and teach it to them directly. There was no need for them to go through the entire systematic curriculum from the beginning.
Hearing Ren's words, Haruhime quickly nodded to show she understood and rapidly adjusted her breathing. Megumi Kato had actually taught her this while they were running over earlier.
However, once they entered the Dungeon, her nerves had gotten the better of her, and she had completely forgotten to maintain it. This sort of thing relied heavily on habit. After three to five days, they probably wouldn't forget it anymore and would gradually get used to it.
Having finished speaking with the two, Ren walked toward the tunnel entrance, leading the way into the 24th floor of the Dungeon. They had to reach the 27th floor before nightfall; otherwise, the monsters would truly go berserk. The Dungeon's spawn rate skyrocketed at night. Seeing the monsters on the 23rd floor had made Ren a bit suspicious. When they reached the 27th floor, would they end up encountering *that* special Floor Boss?
The Juggernaut—a weapon created by the Dungeon specifically to annihilate adventurers. If it really was that thing, things were going to get interesting. At the same time, he felt a bit of regret. Ryuu Lion hadn't crossed over to this world. If she had, Ren could have helped her untangle the knots in her heart and recruited her into the Hestia Familia.