"You're amazing, Tooru-sama! You've killed the ants in one attack!"

Lili exclaimed without hiding her excitement at Tooru's feats. In response, he smiled wryly and waved the spear to dismiss the ant's slimy blood.

About an hour had passed since they entered the dungeon.

During that time, Tooru quickly eliminated the monsters from floors 1 to 6th.

Lili also did her job effectively, collecting the <Magic Stones> and <Drop Item>, leaving the dirty part to Tooru, who didn't need to worry about anything but the blood of his enemies.

Consequently, the <Magic Stones> they obtained increased steadily; in just a few hours, it was already half of Tooru's previous earnings!

The <War Shadow>'s combat skills were among the best on the sixth floor, but they were not even a match for him.

But as much as Tooru wanted to keep advancing, he couldn't simply ignore Lili's condition. Even though her figure was hidden, he was almost sure that beneath her hooded clothing was a wound she was unwilling to show.

She could not turn a blind eye to her teammate.

However, when he suggested they return to the surface, Lili interrupted him.

She saw Tooru's abilities without being able to hide her surprise.

That handsome boy who yesterday did not look so strong was now able to maneuver the spear so naturally that the monsters could not cope with him.

She could tell that if Tooru were to face yesterday's adventurers again, he probably wouldn't have so much trouble.

Therefore, she proposed that they go down to the next floor.

To the 7th floor.

A completely different floor from the previous ones. On this floor, the dreaded ants, known for their brutality towards adventurers, were beginning to appear.

<Killer ants>, also known as <Rookie killer>.

However, to Lili's surprise and disbelief, the exoskeletons the ants were so proud of were penetrated like tofu by the black spear held by the boy's slender fingers.

—Thumb—

The last <Killer Ant> fell to the ground, shaking steadily with greenish blood spitting out of the hole in its exoskeleton.

Tooru's abnormal strength was probably related to the black spear, and after coming to that thought, Lili's eyes glowed softly.

"It's too big, hard to hide."

Muttering under her breath, her words were not heard by anyone.

On the other side, Tooru looked at the floating screen.

<<You have absorbed the <Excelia>of a Killer Ant>>

<+1 Strength>

<+1 Dexterity>

Wasn't this too slow? I've already killed more than ten <War Shadow>. But I didn't get any points!

At least I got a <Soul Sphere> from those evil monsters. I don't know its contents as I dare not reveal this ability to Lili.

It wasn't until the third and fell, actually two points fell.

There is only one reason for this to happen.

I have become stronger, and therefore, these floors are weak to my current self.

I looked at Lili's back, who was wielding a knife to dismember the monster's body skillfully. When she put away the purple stone, she stood up and, without looking at me, said:

"Tooru-sama, you've done a great job. Isn't it time to rest for a while? After all, rest is also important."

In response to her, I nodded.

"Good, let's take a few minutes of quiet time."

I didn't really need to rest; my body was at its boiling point.

The more I struggled, the more I felt my body fill with energy. Lili, however, was different. She was not only injured but tired as well.

We sat down with our backs against the wall. Lili seemed much more open with me, so silence was absent between us.

After about fifteen minutes, we continued our expedition.

.

.

.

Quickly dodging the attack of those pincers, I took a step forward.

With all the weight I mustered, I thrust the spear. The red exoskeleton emitted a screeching sound, and the metal tip of the spear found a difficult obstacle to pass through.

<<You have absorbed the <Excelia> of an Ant Killer>>

Oh? This is...

My eyes widened, and a sphere jumped out of the ant's body, whose body was half my height. While Lili did her thing to pull out the magic stones, I picked up the <soul sphere> and put it in my bag.

Today I harvested more than I would generally get. However, it was many hours before sunset. Until that time, I had no intention of leaving the dungeon.

"Hey, Lili, I've been wondering, but this floor is unusually rough, don't you think?"

I had received instructions from the adorable and cool Rose, which only included a few parts crucial to my survival. Things like the detailed structure of the dungeon were omitted.

I, who approached Lili —the most experienced in the dungeon— couldn't help but want to satiate my curiosity.

"Indeed, like said Tooru-sama. Although floors 5 to 7 are classified as such, their structures and difficulties are a world apart."

Lili finished her work, and when the purple stone made a tinkling sound in her bag, she continued:

"From the seventh floor on, the real challenge begins. The monsters, although there are more varieties, also spawn in the shortest possible time, so the space required is colossal. Lili would dare say that even a group of adventurers who have their basic skills in <G> could not come out unscathed after being cornered by the <Killer Ants>."

As Lili followed closely behind me, our footsteps continued to echo in the rocky corridor.

Adventurers with basic <G>ranked skills, huh? G is between 300-399 in an adventurer's normal state.

However, I was a completely different case.

Considering the strength of the adventurers I killed and my system points equaling ten standard points, my strength should probably be above that rating.

Come to think of it, in just a few days; I had reached a height that even Ais, the level record holder, wouldn't dare to imagine.

"I see."

"By the way, are you really a novice adventurer, Tooru-sama? You can defeat so many monsters without anyone's help."

Lili, who was following me closely in excitement, smiled wryly.

"You may not believe it, but actually, it's only been a few days since I first entered the dungeon."

"W-what? Is there such a thing?!"

Lili groaned aloud; however, her eyes, in addition to the disbelief there, the doubts were greater.

"Well..."

"Watch out, Tooru-sama!".

I, who was about to joke with Lili, immediately stopped, and the alarm sounded in my mind. The danger was approaching; I was immersed in my thoughts, so my senses were dulled.

I looked to the side, and from a hole, two enormous eyes reflected my figure. The antennae on its red skull, its two arms outstretched as its four legs left the safety of the wall.

A <Killer Ant> had emerged from its hiding place, pouncing on me.

At that moment, Lili moved to my side, and, raising her arm, a metallic object shone under the light of the ceiling glass. Underneath the sleeve of her clothing, surprisingly, was a mini crossbow-like armament she wore on her wrist.

—Swosh—

With a blur, a centimeter-long arrow was ejected from the crossbow. My eye followed the trajectory, and with impeccable aim, the arrow buried itself deep in the ant's eye.

—Criiik!—

Followed by a high-pitched shriek that gave me goosebumps, the ant twisted as it fell to the ground.

At that moment, I realized one thing.

Before long, this place would be crawling with ants.