Into The Midst Of The Stampede

As we left the city and headed toward the Ant Hell dungeon, we saw the Third Rank adventurer who had gone to scout hurrying back toward the guild.

“If he’s reacting like that, they’ll definitely believe a Stampede is happening.”

“Yeah. He looked really scared.”

“Well, that’s understandable if you enter that dungeon…”

It had an atmosphere that made you want to run away out of pure instinctive fear. And we were about to return to that dungeon now… I clenched my trembling hands tightly and took a deep breath.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

With few words between us, we moved forward and stepped back into the Ant Hell dungeon… and the deep rumbling sound that seemed to resonate from the bottom of our stomachs created the illusion that it was clinging to our entire bodies.

Maybe we would get used to it after a while, but it was overwhelming.

“It’s incredible after all.”

“If we head down, we’ll eventually run straight into that group of footsteps…”

“How are we going to move forward once that happens?”

“Basically, I’ll scatter the monsters with magic. Since I can use divine power, there’s almost no restriction on using magic, and theoretically, if I keep casting magic forever, we should be able to reach the depths without getting injured.”

But to do that, I couldn’t let my concentration break, and I knew it would be extremely difficult. When I got tired, I would have to rest in the Divine Domain, return to the dungeon, move forward again, and repeat that process.

“Luca, I’ll support you as much as I can too.”

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

“Lady Seremees, please guide us.”

“Understood.”

Following Lady Seremees’s guidance, we continued moving deeper and deeper into Ant Hell, where excited monsters attacked us every few minutes.

“Turn right there.”

“Yes.”

“Thunder Ball.”

“Using divine power is really amazing… being able to keep using magic with this much power.”

“It’s almost too convenient—honestly, from other people’s perspective, it’s practically cheating.”

Since we were progressing more smoothly than expected, we relaxed a little and talked with Rebecca while continuing to move.

“I don’t think it’s cheating, but it’s more like… I can’t believe what’s happening in front of me. It feels like you’re not even the same kind of person anymore.”

“…I see.”

That felt a little lonely. But it couldn’t be helped… if the old me saw who I was now, I probably would have thought I was far too strong, that the difference in ability was too great, and that I could never reach that level no matter how hard I tried.

“I-it’s not like I feel a wall between us or anything! How should I say it… maybe admiration? No, not that exactly, more like I’m moved by it…”

Seeing Rebecca frantically waving her hands while trying to explain, I realized she hadn’t meant anything bad, and the tension that had unconsciously built up in my body eased.

“I understand. Thanks.”

“Really? Then I’m glad.”

“Wind Cutter. …Even so, there are a lot of monsters.”

“And we haven’t even reached the main group yet.”

“Thunder Ball.”

“I’ve been wondering for a while now—how do you decide between using a Wind Cutter and Thunder Ball?”

Rebecca tilted her head while alternately looking at the monsters scattered around that had been defeated by Thunder Ball and Wind Cutter.

“Mostly distance. Lightning magic can defeat them with the least power, but if I use lightning magic nearby, the tingling sensation on my skin is annoying, so I don’t like it much.”

“Ah, I see. Most of the monsters defeated by Thunder Ball are the ones farther away.”

“Yeah. So when it comes to defeating a large group of monsters, I don’t think lightning magic will work… but wind magic is also a bit lacking for taking down large numbers.”

Wind magic worked very well against ant-type monsters, and using it nearby didn’t affect us, which was good, but once the attack hit something, its power dropped sharply. In other words, it was suitable for attacking a single strong enemy, but not good for attacking many weak monsters lined up together.

“Should you switch to another type of magic?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. Right now, ice magic seems like the best option.”

After trying various things at the beginning, I found that ice magic was quite effective against ant-type monsters, and more importantly, those monsters seemed weak to cold, so using ice magic slowed their movements.

“Ice magic, huh. Then I’ll have to be careful not to slip.”

“Yeah. I probably won’t freeze the ground nearby, but fragments from the Ice Ball I fire might fall around.”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

“Luca, if you turn left there, there’s a slope that leads to the fifth floor.”

“Understood. Thank you very much.”

Just as Lady Seremees said, there was a slope there, and when we went down it and entered the fifth floor… the deep rumbling that had been constant until now suddenly grew much louder. We might encounter the swarm soon.

“Luca, the swarm is on this floor. Let’s see… you’ll run into it in about twenty minutes.”

“…Understood. So it’s finally happening.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to be that tense. With the power of a divine servant, a swarm of ant-type monsters won’t pose a threat. Just make sure you don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Lady Seremees said it would be fine, but the fear still wouldn’t disappear, and while listening to my loudly pounding heart, I continued deeper with Rebecca.

Then beyond a corner in the passage… at the end of a straight path, we discovered a swarm of monsters.