Tap, tap.
The sound of the two of them descending into the Dungeon was quiet, almost oppressive.
Only the occasional bang! bang! broke the silence between them.
The man casually dispatched the monsters, while the girl, her heart heavy with malice, harvested magic stones from their corpses.
At a glance, it seemed like a perfectly ordinary scene.
He tricked me.
In reality, Lili was currently in a state of extreme fury.
She was so angry that her mind and chest had gone strangely cold, leaving her unnervingly calm.
He was playing with me from the very beginning. He looked down on me as some worthless Supporter. He treated me like a useless piece of baggage, just a toy to amuse himself!
It was a desperate misunderstanding.
However, one couldn't say her judgment was entirely wrong.
She... no, not just her, but any resident of this world would have reached the same conclusion.
After all, in this world, the only mages capable of using magic were adventurers who had received Falna from the gods.
This meant the man, who had introduced himself as a non-adventurer, could only have been lying.
He can fight perfectly well! He's way stronger than someone like Lili! Luckier! More composed!
Lili felt her teeth grind together.
Contrary to her cold inner thoughts, tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.
Even though she kept her head bowed to hide her expression, the mixture of resentment, shame, and anger did not fade.
Just how much did he laugh at me? What did he think while watching Lili, someone so much weaker than him, try to act like she was in charge!
Lili continued to curse the man in her mind.
But the outburst didn't last long.
Soon, she regained her composure and began refining her plan for the future.
That's right. Nothing has really changed. From the start, Lili was planning to trick that damned human anyway, wasn't she? Exactly. Nothing has changed. All I have to do is smash that rude bastard in the back of the head, just as I originally planned!
A cold, cruel smile played across her lips, hidden beneath her bowed head.
As far as the plan was concerned, the objective remained the same.
The only differences were that the target was stronger than expected, and that she now had a personal grudge to settle for his deception.
At first, I was only going to secretly skim a bit of the payment, but now that's not enough! I'll strip him of every single thing he owns and make him suffer! Well, with combat skills that good, he probably won't die so easily on the upper floors.
To achieve this, she needed one thing first.
It seemed true that he lacked Dungeon experience.
The way he walked around with wide-eyed curiosity and zero caution was the textbook definition of an inexperienced novice.
And in this place, there were monsters perfectly suited for such a man.
Kii! Kiiiii!
"Ah! Adventurer, it's a Killer Ant! You can't kill those in one shot! You have to leave at least one of them in a near-death state!"
"Oh, really? Maybe because they're based on ants. Do they use pheromones to warn their comrades that the area is dangerous? How strange."
It was exactly the opposite.
Killer Ants release pheromones to call for reinforcements when they are on the verge of death; therefore, they must be finished off instantly.
One mistake could lead to being surrounded by a swarm.
Because of this, they—along with the War Shadow—were known as the primary killers of novice adventurers.
Yet, despite his confusion at Lili's advice, the man followed it without suspicion.
He had no idea he was walking straight into a trap.
Kii! Kiiiii!
"Now then, please rest for a moment. Once enough time passes, their comrades will move away from this area, and then we can set off again at our leisure."
Lili wore a dark smile as she watched the Killer Ant, all six of its legs blown off by the man's bullets, flailing helplessly on the ground.
His skill seemed incredibly efficient; even after firing so many shots, he showed no sign of fatigue.
But nothing in this world was infinite.
Currently, his only weapon was that mysterious blue bullet.
Once the swarm of Killer Ants arrived, he would be forced to use his skill repeatedly. As an inexperienced novice, his pace would inevitably collapse.
And once he finally suffered an unexpected mind-down...
That's when Lili steps in. I'll ransack the unconscious adventurer's pockets and take everything. Then I'll flee alone. Since all the magic stones and drop items are already in my bag, it won't take long. There's nothing to worry about.
The only thing that gave her pause was the man's survival.
If she left him unconscious and disappeared, the swarming Killer Ants would certainly not leave him alone.
He would almost certainly die.
It's his own fault. Lili... Lili hasn't done anything wrong!
Lili deliberately ignored the thought and hardened her resolve.
Normally, she wouldn't have gone this far.
Unlike the true scum of the world, she hadn't yet crossed that final line.
But this time was different.
She was that angry.
She hated him so much that she couldn't forgive him.
She wanted him to writhe in pain just as much as he had toyed with her.
Well, at the very least, I'll tell other adventurers about him as I run away. I don't know if they'll actually help, but if he's still alive by then, he might survive somehow.
Though he'd likely lose a limb or two.
As she prepared to make her secret escape—
Kiiiii!
They're here!
The monsters swarmed in.
"Wah! K-Killer Ants, adventurer!"
"I told you, I'm not an adventurer. But this is different from what I heard. What happened?"
"U-um, sorry. I think Lili got confused and made a mistake."
"Really? Well, things like that happen. Don't worry about it."
Lili hurriedly offered a flimsy excuse, fearing he might suspect her.
It was a sloppy lie that anyone with basic knowledge of the Dungeon would have seen through instantly, but the man brushed it off without a second thought.
His easygoing attitude baffled her.
How could he be so relaxed in such a dire situation?
Was his confidence in his skill truly that excessive?
Or could it be...?!
Just as she began to wonder—
"There really are a lot of them. Then... [Fire]."
Whoosh!
With a low murmur, red flames flickered in the man's hands.
As he crossed his arms, the two flames merged into one.
"[Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The red cross that drinks blood.]"
The combined flames formed a massive cross and shot forward.
The blazing cross lived up to its name, incinerating every Killer Ant in its path with ferocious intensity, leaving behind nothing but black ash and magic stones.
Dozens of monsters vanished in a single instant.
A beginner adventurer, my foot. He was lying! With two different spells, he has to be at least Level 2! But his reactions earlier were definitely those of a novice. Is he an adventurer from outside Orario?
Lili, watching from behind, was utterly shocked.
An efficient, chantless, single-shot bullet spell.
And a powerful area-of-effect spell capable of wiping out a horde.
It was a blessed talent.
Most people would be lucky to possess even one of those abilities.
The gap between the pitifully insignificant Lili and this man was a chasm; they lived in entirely different worlds.
"All right, cleanup's done. Shall we keep going?"
"...Yes."
Their exploration continued.
Past the 6th floor, the 7th, the 8th... through the orcs and imps of the 10th, and even the Silverbacks of the 11th.
None of the upper-floor monsters were any match for him.
A single bang! or a single whoosh! was all it took.
Though they didn't encounter the Infant Dragon, the strongest of the upper floors, it was clear the man's level was far beyond this area.
Despite using magic relentlessly against countless monsters, he showed no signs of a mind-down.
He would likely need to reach the middle floors before anyone could actually challenge him.
Sigh. I should just give up.
If someone as weak as Lili tried anything now, she would likely be the one to die.
In fact, she'd probably end up clinging to his pant leg for dear life.
Ultimately, Lili suppressed her bitterness and decided to part ways with him,
convincing herself that it was simply a day cursed by bad luck.
"Adventurer, I think this is enough for today. We need to consider the time. Why don't we head back before it gets too late?"
"You think so? All right, let's do that. Please guide me back."
"Yes, leave it to me."
The two turned around.
Naturally, there was no conversation on the way back.
The man walked casually, while Lili kept her head bowed, drowning in gloom.
The world is so unfair. Why only Lili... why me...
As she lamented the bitterness of existence, they finally returned to the 3rd floor.
"We're almost there."
"...Yes, we are."
"And you're still not going to say anything?"
"Huh? Say what?"
"An apology."
"Eh?"
"Killer Ants, Purple Moss, Orcs, Imps, Hard Armored, Silverbacks."
Lili lifted her head and met his gaze.
His face remained the same—sharp eyes and a languid expression.
"Every single piece of information you gave me was wrong."
A strange, teasing smile played on his lips.
"Th-that was just Lili making a mistake..."
"Ah, a mistake. Right. A mistake. Of course. Things like that happen in life. I have no intention of making a fuss over it."
His indifferent words, delivered in a flat, languid tone, were easy on the ears.
But for some reason...
Why did those words feel so...
"But even the most patient person has a limit. Forgiving you any more than that would make me look like a complete pushover, wouldn't it?"
"Hii, hiiik!"
Why did that sound so terrifying?