Abnormalities

Dungeon, 9th Floor.

On this floor, close to the 10th Floor, were numerous chambers and short pathways. The ceiling, nearly ten meters high, let in a luminous glow resembling sunlight, dispelling the darkness.

The wood-colored walls were covered in moss, and the ground was carpeted with short grass, creating a small meadow. Bathed in the luminous glow from above, it gave the illusion of walking in a wilderness rather than an underground labyrinth.

Different from the previous eight floors in terms of terrain and environment, this floor presented a chaotic mix of monsters that had appeared on the earlier floors, all enhanced and ready to hinder adventurers aiming for the 10th Floor.

No new species of monsters appeared here; instead, creatures like Kobold, Goblin, and War Shadow from previous floors showed up in stronger forms.

At this moment, groups of red-colored monsters appeared on the meadow, launching attacks against adventurers who intruded into their territory.

These creatures resembled ants but with a distinctive feature—their entire bodies were a vivid red, and they were much larger than ordinary ants.

Killer Ant, appearing from the 7th Floor onward, was considered a rookie assassin along with the War Shadow from the 6th Floor.

With sturdy shells and developed claws, Killer Ant excelled in both attack and defense. In times of crisis, it could emit pheromones imperceptible to the naked eye, summoning its companions.

It was a powerful monster, even more threatening than War Shadow. Adventurers rarely dared to confront a Killer Ant directly, let alone face a group of them.

However, facing this group of Killer Ants that would terrify low-class adventurers, Riezel fearlessly blocked their path.

In the background, a bright and melodious voice soon echoed.

"Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow."

This was a chant, the chant to awaken magic.

"Shoot, sniper of the fairies."

Lefiya held her staff with her eyes closed, and shortly after, a deep golden magic circle appeared on the ground beneath her, slowly revolving.

"Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy."

On her raised staff, a dazzling magical energy condensed into light.

"Arcs Ray!"

The next second, the gathered light on the staff was released.

*Whoosh—*

A colossal magic beam, resembling a curved arrow of light, plowed through the meadow and surged towards the approaching swarm of Killer Ants.

*Squeak!*

The Killer Ants, sensing danger, hastily halted their charge, but they were struck head-on by the incoming beam.

Riezel witnessed Lefiya's released beam curving in midair, continuously hitting many Killer Ants.

The affected Killer Ants either evaporated within the overflowing light or lost a significant portion of their bodies. Even attempting to dodge was futile as the curving beam quickly caught up to them.

Her magic relentlessly eradicated the monsters, reducing their numbers without mercy.

*Squeak!*

Three Killer Ants, closer to the two than the rest, leaped with ear-piercing shrieks toward Riezel recklessly while ignoring the magic beam.

Riezel's eyes flickered, and his figure finally moved.

Bursting with astonishing speed, he advanced instead of retreating, swiftly reaching them before they could attack.

*Pu-chi!*

A silver flash of an agile sword severed the head of one Killer Ant.

Upon closer inspection, the sword's edge didn't strike directly on the ant's hard shell but sliced through a vulnerable spot around its neck before severing its head.

*Squeak!*

*Squeak!*

The remaining two Killer Ants angrily cried out, raising their aggressively clawed limbs. Without hesitation, they flicked Riezel's sword.

As his sword got flicked, Riezel remained unfazed. Not only did he keep his composure, but he drew his secondary weapon, a short sword.

With a swift sidestep, he avoided their claw strikes.

The short sword in his hand moved rapidly, carrying a chilly gleam as it stabbed into one of the Killer Ants' mouths.

*Kiiik!*

The Killer Ant attempted to let out a scream of agony, but its mouth was pierced by the short sword, causing only an inaudible whimper.

Ignoring the monster's dying wail, Riezel twisted his hand holding the sword and mercilessly crushed the head of the Killer Ant, causing a spray of blood.

*Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!*

The last surviving Killer Ant, sensing the danger, straightened its upper body and emitted rhythmic cries.

This was its special skill—calling for reinforcements.

Unfortunately, there were no other Killer Ants nearby.

*Pu-chi!*

With a decisive slash, Riezel cleanly severed the upper body of the last Killer Ant. His sword cut through its body at the joints, leaving it split in two.

The meadow finally returned to calm.

"Is it over?" Lefiya, positioned in the rear, released the staff she had been nervously gripping.

"It's over..." Riezel observed the surroundings and nodded. "There shouldn't be any more monsters in the vicinity."

"Thank goodness..." Lefiya patted her chest in relief, placing the magic potion she had been holding back into her backpack.

"How was it? Are you okay?" Riezel asked as he saw her condition. "You used magic quite a few times, can your mind handle it?"

"I'm fine..." Lefiya forced a somewhat strained smile. "The pressure from the upper floors isn't too much, and I don't need to infuse too much mind to use magic. So, I'm okay."

In this world, the fuel for magic wasn't stored in the 'Gate' like in his main world; it was the so-called 'Mind'.

Magic consumption depleted the mind, and the stronger the magic, the greater the mind consumption.

To maintain a sufficient supply of mind at all times for using magic, Lefiya constantly held a magic potion.

Whenever she felt her mind depleting, she would immediately take a magic potion, using its effects to restore her mind.

"Don't you have development abilities like 'Spirit Healing' that can automatically restore the mind?" Riezel asked.

"No." Lefiya shook her head quickly. "That's not an easy-to-obtain ability. I heard you need to regularly use magic and consume your mind to a significant extent. Among the people I know, only Lady Riveria possesses that development ability. I still have a long way to go..."

She had a low opinion of herself, even a hint of an inferiority complex, which caused him to frown.

"In my opinion, your abilities are excellent." Riezel said with an earnest expression. "Like the magic you just used, that 'Arcs Ray', it's supposed to be a short chant magic with not much power. However, when you used it, a magic that should have been just a 'ray' turned into a 'light beam', a rare level of power for Level 3, right?"

The magic Lefiya had just used—'Arcs Ray', was one of the three magic she possessed. It was an arrow-type magic that emphasized speed and had a short chant.

Although it had an automatic tracking feature that made Riezel raise an eyebrow, it was supposed to be a low-power single-target magic. Yet, due to her powerful 'MAG' basic ability and skill assistance, what should have been a relatively weak single-target attack had turned into a beam-like group attack.

This level of capability was something no ordinary Level 3 could achieve. Only those truly top-tier first-class mages could manage it.

Riezel had personally experienced Lefiya's magic firepower that could rival a Level 5. It was indeed exaggerated, said with no trace of politeness.

The only problem was...

"Your chanting speed seems a bit slow. Is it because you're nervous?" Riezel pointed out.

"Uhh..." Lefiya immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.

"I think I understand why Loki said you need to train..." Riezel chuckled. "Even though your magic is excellent, your temperament is a bit fragile. Your mind and emotions are all over the place, which is dangerous when using magic that requires a calm mind at all times."

Without a strong heart, how could you calmly chant magic and cast it when threats approach?

Lefiya's problem lay here, despite her natural talent being excellent, there were indeed some immature aspects.

"Sorry..." Lefiya felt a bit discouraged and her pointed ears drooped.

"Don't mind it. Just overcome your shortcomings, it's not a big deal." Riezel comforted her. "Okay, let's call it a day. Tomorrow, think about how to solve your issue."

"Okay!" Lefiya naturally had no objections and repeatedly nodded.

The two began to pack up their things, picking up the magic stones and drop items from every Killer Ant's corpse, and preparing to return.

Now it was getting late, and it was probably dark outside. Adventurers who had been exploring the dungeon one after another were heading back. This allowed Riezel and Lefiya to avoid encountering monsters on the way and walk smoothly on the clearly marked paths used by adventurers, making their way up without hindrance.

In this way, the two quickly returned to the 7th Floor and stepped onto the 6th Floor.

"Hmm?" Riezel suddenly raised his head.

"Kya!" Lefiya, who was following behind him, let out a surprised cry as she bumped directly into his back.

However, he paid no attention to this and instead frowned while looking ahead.

For some reason, he felt something was wrong.

The airflow was abnormal.

The atmosphere was abnormal.

This was due to the perception of his wind element magic, Ariel.

As a wind enchant-type magic, even when not in use, the user's sensitivity to the wind would relatively increase based on the special nature of this magic.

After learning Ariel, Riezel discovered this and sensed some abnormalities because of it.

"Wha—What happened?" Lefiya asked puzzled while holding her forehead where she bumped.

However, the moment she finished speaking, Riezel's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Get down!"

Without hesitation, he immediately pushed down the surprised Lefiya.

*BOOM!*

At the same time, a dark shadow flew over their heads and collided with the dungeon wall, creating a resounding crash.