Not only that.
"There's still one more, oh~"
A Goblin that had been lurking in the shadows of a rock crevice, clutching a sharpened leg bone pried from some unknown corpse, its small bean-like eyes flashing with cruel light, stared intently at Onigawara Rin's unguarded back.
It saw an opportunity.
It clearly intended to sneak an attack.
It grinned its mouth full of yellow teeth and was just about to exert force and pounce.
However.
It failed to notice.
The breath of death was already spraying onto the back of its neck.
Until—
"Shua."
A gray arc of light silently swept across its body.
Fast.
Too fast.
The Goblin was still holding the posture ready to attack, its toes barely lifting off the ground.
But its vision suddenly became misaligned.
The scene seen by the left eye flew upward, and the scene seen by the right eye fell downward.
The world disintegrated in its eyes.
"Puchi—"
A line of blood extended from the exact center of its head down to its crotch.
Immediately after.
The entire Goblin was accurately sliced in half.
"Peng."
It didn't even have time to scream.
The two halves of its body turned into black ash in mid-air, leaving behind only a thumb-sized Demon Stone.
It clattered onto the ground.
Behind that pile of black ash.
Nemume Satori stood gracefully.
In her hand, she held the dull, lusterless tachi, [Gray Serpent], her beryl-green long hair gently swaying in the Dungeon's cold wind, her face still bearing that harmless, sweet smile.
"Oh my~ This sword is really easy to use, isn't it~"
Nemume Satori smiled, flicked the blood off the blade, and then lightly sheathed her sword.
"Click."
As smooth as silk.
"This...!"
Onigawara Rin, hearing the movement behind her, whipped her head around. Seeing the Demon Stone on the ground, a cold sweat broke out along her spine.
"Don't be so surprised, okay~"
"We're companions, mutual cover is what we should do, right?"
Nemume Satori tilted her head, seemingly completely unaware of how terrifying her previous action was.
"Hmph, don't celebrate too soon."
"There are still more."
Hanazake Warabi looked at the last few Goblins and snorted disdainfully.
"Fierce Person! Clear the area!"
"Awoo—!"
The giant Black Bear let out a roar and charged out like a heavy tank.
Its thick armor emitted a dull metallic clang during the impact.
Facing such a behemoth, the Goblins' fragile little bodies were like paper.
"Peng!"
One Goblin was slapped against the wall by the bear's paw, instantly becoming a mural.
"Pajii!"
Another was sat upon, not even having time to raise any dust.
"Well done, Fierce Person!"
Hanazake Warabi stood on her tiptoes and patted the Black Bear's thick rear end proudly.
...
"..."
Watching these scenes.
Tsubaki, who had been observing from the rear the entire time, straightened up, clapped her hands, and drew everyone's attention back.
"For newcomers, you all did quite well this time."
Although she was outwardly suppressing the newcomers' sharpness.
Tsubaki's heart.
Had completely dropped its contempt.
After all,
The strength of this group of girls was indeed not bad.
Their movements were agile, there was no redundant chatter, and more importantly, none of them showed the discomfort typical of newbies seeing blood for the first time.
Furthermore,
Whether it was Amaha Zanzan's near-beastly physical strength,
Or Onigawara Rin's solid foundation in swordsmanship,
Or even Kakuokujo Marie's precise and lethal techniques, and Nemume Satori's unpredictable assassination methods—
Even the little girl who looked the weakest possessed impressive combat prowess.
Every one of them had the potential to hold their own.
Consequently,
Since this bunch was so capable of fighting,
The original plan would definitely have to be scrapped.
After all,
With this kind of strength, bullying weaklings in the first five floors was a complete waste of time.
And so,
For the next part of the journey,
Tsubaki led everyone downward, continuing their push.
Floor 2.
Floor 3.
Floor 4.
As they went deeper into the floors,
The surrounding environment began to undergo subtle changes.
The color of the walls gradually deepened, and the humidity in the air increased, carrying a faint scent of mildew.
The monster spawn rate became visibly higher.
In addition to groups of Goblins, agile Ugly Demons began to appear, as well as Underground Lizards that loved to hide perfectly on cave walls for sneak attacks.
However,
This did not hinder the girls' progress in the slightest.
Along the way,
Whether it was groups of Goblins, Ugly Demons, or Underground Lizards,
In front of Amaha Zanzan, Onigawara Rin, and the others,
It couldn't even be called a challenge.
Wherever they passed, not a blade of grass was left standing.
Basically, as soon as a monster showed its head, it would instantly be greeted by several weapons simultaneously.
Especially towards the end,
A faint scent of competitive gunpowder even developed among the girls as they vied for kills.
"That one's mine!"
"Finders keepers!"
"Ah! Marie, you're cheating! Little Satori saw that one first!"
"..."
They broke through like a hot knife through butter.
Soon,
Without realizing it,
The surrounding environment began to change.
Everyone had arrived near the entrance to Floor 6.
The light here was dimmer than above; the glowing moss on the walls became sparse, and large patches of shadow dominated their vision.
"Take a break."
Tsubaki raised her hand to signal the team to stop.
After fighting all this way, although the monsters weren't strong, the high-intensity march had still consumed a fair amount of stamina.
The girls each found a place to sit and rest.
Tsubaki took a sip from her water bottle, her gaze involuntarily falling on the figure sitting upright on a rock.
It was the blind girl with long white hair.
—Inaba Tsukiyo.
Tsubaki noticed,
Ever since entering the Dungeon,
This blind girl had not drawn the long tachi named white egret even once.
She had been quietly following in the very center of the team,
Like a bystander.
Whenever a monster tried to ambush her,
Before the monster could even get close,
The other girls, or that Black Bear, would immediately rush over to take care of it.
It was as if there was a silent understanding.
Everyone was protecting her, whether intentionally or not.
If one didn't consider that stunning display of echolocation back at the Guild,
Judging by her appearance alone,
She did indeed look like someone who needed constant protection.
But that wasn't right.
As a Level 5 First Class Adventurer,
Instinct told Tsubaki—
This blade, hidden within its white scabbard, might actually be the sharpest one in this team.
After all,
For a blind person,
This girl's performance during the march
Was far too steady.
Walking all this way, the Dungeon floor was uneven, littered with rocks, and full of unpredictable pits.
Even a normal person would stumble over a stone from time to time.
Her body's center of gravity hadn't wavered even once.
Furthermore,
Several times,
Just as those Underground Lizards lurking in the rock crevices revealed a hint of killing intent—before they even fully showed themselves—
-------------------------------
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