The Demon's Floor

This floor was strange from the very beginning.

First, it didn't feel like a labyrinth at all.

The ceiling above was vast, probably around twenty meters high. White, faintly glowing rock columns supported the softly luminous ceiling. They stood here and there, while the floor was a rocky wasteland.

It was an enormous space. Everything was visible as far as the eye could see, and the walls also emitted a dull white glow.

Between the pillars were nest-like structures where monsters could be seen. More monsters prowled along the walls as well.

"There are hellhounds here…"

Carlos muttered with annoyance. Though Ria had treated one like a dog, the boss of the second floor now existed here as common fodder.

One came rushing toward them with vigor, but when Ria glared at it, it stopped dead in its tracks and showed its belly in a pose of surrender.

"Just how feared are you, Nee-chan…?"

"I do like dogs though. I generally like animals, whether keeping them or eating them."

"We could make it a familiar with contract magic, but there's no way to take it out of here."

"Too bad."

Next to approach them was a horse that was completely black with two horns on its forehead.

"That's a bicorn. Unlike regular horses, they're ferocious."

Two of them charged, so she left one to Carlos and Gig while Ria faced the other.

"Hmm, not cute."

What kind of standard was that? She cut it down in a single stroke.

After the other one was also defeated without trouble, Ria began butchering the bicorn.

"Horse meat～ Horse meat～"

"N-Nee-chan, I thought you liked horses?"

To Serge, who was clearly put off, Ria directed a cheerful smile.

"Of course I like them. But this one wasn't cute."

To begin with, unlike unicorns, bicorn horns contain poison. They are clearly classified as monsters.

In conclusion, the bicorn was delicious.

They made camp for the day at the exit of the third room.

Ria dug into the ground again and made a makeshift bath.

"Even so, Nee-chan, you're really good at earth magic."

"Serge, that's not quite right. Ria only learned magic specifically for making baths."

"… Well, to each their own, I guess."

Fundamentally, Ria excelled at enchantment and enhancement magic. Beyond that, she had offensive magic for taking out enemies at range.

Though she tended to be seen as a muscle-brain who relied on her katana, she had actually learned various things.

That day too, the mentally exhausted mages were given plenty of rest while Ria and Maal, both having keen senses, split the watch duty.

While resting Maal's head on her lap and stroking her hair, Ria's senses remained sharp.

(Hmm…)

Something was watching them. No, probing them.

She could sense presences. More than one.

One was clearly hostile. The reason it hadn't escalated to killing intent was probably because of the distance.

And another was curiosity. A presence of pure interest directed at them.

This was something she had been sensing since around the end of the first floor.

(One of them… I can't let my guard down…)

Hostility usually carries a sense of pressure. This one wasn't much to worry about.

But the other presence, the curious one, gave no sense of its depth.

It had probably been watching Ria all along. And yet, it made no attempt to make contact.

(Well now, what to do about this…)

For now, she could only wait and see.

The next day, they reached the center of the fifth floor, and Ria learned the identity of one of those presences.

"Explorer, you have done well to come this far…"

That thing spoke in the human tongue.

At first glance, it looked like a beastkin. But upon closer inspection, one could tell it wasn't composed of a single creature.

Eagle's feet, a bear's torso, a wolf's head, sheep's horns, and bat wings.

"Nee-chan, that's a demon. Level 75, and it uses magic, so be careful. Also, it breathes fire."

Serge warned her in a low voice. Of course, Ria had already realized this opponent was different from anything they'd faced before.

A demon is a different existence from the demon race.

It is the general term for highly intelligent beings summoned from another world through some means.

"You've been watching us since yesterday."

"Hmm, my master has taken an interest in you. Explorers who put up a real fight have been rare lately. Those who would challenge me are few and far between."

Still, nearly ten percent of explorers should have made it to the fifth floor.

"Well then, shall we begin? Don't disappoint me."

The demon created multiple fire arrows around its body.

"Lulu! Defensive magic! Carlos, protect those three! Gig and I will charge!"

She broke into a run. Ria caught the fire arrows coming at her with her palm.

Heat resistance. Flames of this level were only slightly hot to her.

The fire arrows aimed at Gig vanished mid-flight. Judging from the flow of magic, it was probably Serge's magic working on space itself.

And as expected, Carlos protected the three with weak defenses using his armor and shield.

The demon had no time to cast another spell.

Ria had closed the distance rapidly, and it attacked her with its claws. But that was completely futile.

"Shaah!"

Those claws could probably shred Ria's leather armor, but she never let them touch her.

Her katana, drawn in a quick draw, sliced through the demon's claws and cut halfway into its arm.

"OOOOOH!"

It must have felt pain. That's when Gig's warhammer came swinging down.

The demon retreated and flew up to regain its stance. But there, Ria's katana flashed once more.

One leg was severed. The demon's bestial expression twisted in agony.

"Damn you…"

In the middle of its words, the fireball Ria had launched exploded.

The demon emerged from the smoke without appearing to have taken much damage. Physical attacks were more effective after all.

That's what she thought—in that very moment.

She felt a surge of magic unlike anything before, and Ria instinctively turned around.

There was Serge, his hand held up toward the sky as if it were a sword.

"Ex-ca-li-BURRRRR!"

And he swung down.

With almost no gap, space itself was severed.

The demon had been slightly off-balance, so it wasn't cut cleanly in two from the front, but one wing and one arm were severed.

And Ria was already running toward where it would fall.

The demon opened its mouth and spewed flames.

Ria had clad her blade in cold air.

She cut through the flames and severed the demon's head.

The demon didn't leave its body behind, turning into black ash and disappearing.

What remained was an enormous magic stone unlike any before—no, it had already crystallized into a high-purity magic crystal.

"Ahh, I'm beat. Didn't expect my trump card to get dodged."

Serge came over, rotating his arms. Everyone except Ria was staring at the boy with astonished eyes.

"I thought you had another trick up your sleeve, but I didn't expect it to have such power."

"Mm, well, I can't use it in close combat, and it needs some charge time, so it's hard to call it a trump card."

The demon had been focused entirely on Ria, so it worked out, Serge said, puffing out his chest.

"But be careful. If that hit me, even I might die."

Ria lightly bonked Serge on the head.

Though it was spacetime magic that severed space itself, since it was constructed from magic power, its effectiveness would be reduced against enemies with powerful magic resistance. Still, Serge's current magic possessed tremendous power.

"Well then. Next is the sixth floor, I suppose."

"Um, Ojou, could we return for now?"

Carlos timidly voiced his opinion.

His beloved sword had broken, and his shield had taken considerable damage. He wanted to get a spare shield—that was his reason.

"I agree too. The enemies on the floors ahead should be even stronger, so we should gather information."

Maal spoke even more timidly than Carlos.

"Ah, in that case, I'd like a staff too. I want to minimize magic consumption going forward."

"I'd also like to stock up on more recovery potions."

The two mages said as well.

Only Gig didn't object, but he didn't particularly agree either—he seemed to have a style of leaving everything to the boss.

Ria herself still had plenty of reserves, but there was no compelling reason to push forward here.

"Well, 'I can still go on' often means 'it's already dangerous.' Alright, let's head back."

And so, the explorers' first adventure came to an end.

After returning, another commotion would occur, but that's a story for later.