The Loki Familia's middle squad was currently positioned around the logistics team, guarding their perimeter as they worked to extract Magic Stones from the monster corpses scattered across the path.
"Raul, don't you think the number of monsters we've run into lately is way higher than usual?"
"Yeah, I can see that."
Raul glanced around at the ground littered with remains. It was obvious—there were far more monsters than normal.
"Every floor's been the same. The number's gone up across the board. It's still not quite on the level of a Monster Rex, but it's definitely unusual. The captain and the others haven't stopped moving, so they must think it's still manageable."
"Alicia, has there been any recent Guild report about a monster increase in the Dungeon?"
"There has."
Alicia remembered clearly that before the expedition began, she'd gone through every recent Dungeon report. Gathering intel before a major dive was part of her job as a core member of the second squad.
"Reports of increased monster spawns aren't rare—especially lately. But the Guild categorized it as intermittent fluctuations, not a full-blown trend. From what I found, the increase has been irregular, not constant."
"So today's one of those fluctuation spikes, huh?"
Raul scanned the nearly cleared tunnel. The monsters' bodies, stripped of their Magic Stones, had already dissolved into heaps of pale ash. Scattered among them were a few Drop Items glinting faintly under the torchlight. Only the blood splattered across the tunnel walls testified to how brutally the monsters had been wiped out.
"The captain's leading the charge up front, so he's definitely aware of what's happening. This is a clear 'abnormality.'"
"Yeah, I think so too," Alicia said, nodding. "He and Lady Riveria must already know about the increase. The fact that they haven't stopped moving probably means they don't see it as a threat—or they've already made plans for it."
"Whatever the case, it's out of our hands. We just have to follow their lead."
Raul knew this situation was definitely an anomaly, but in a live expedition, everything depended on the captain's decisions.
"I'm sure the captain's got a plan. Still… if only someone actually knew what he was thinking right now."
"Yeah. If only…" Alicia echoed softly.
Then she turned her head slightly—and caught sight of Ais standing guard at the edge of the formation. If the captain hadn't told the second squad anything, then maybe someone from the first squad had been briefed.
"Raul."
She pointed ahead toward Ais. Raul understood instantly, nodded, and made his way over.
"Miss Ais."
Ais turned around at the sound of her name, tilting her head slightly when she saw Raul and Alicia approaching.
"What is it?"
Her porcelain face and calm, expressionless tone made her look like a living doll. Alicia had the sudden urge to hug her, but she restrained herself—now wasn't the time.
"It's about the increase in monster numbers," Raul said. "Does Captain Finn know about it?"
"Yes. He knows."
Ais wasn't one to overthink, and she gave a direct answer without hesitation.
Raul and Alicia exchanged a look. Just as they suspected—Finn definitely knew. If that was the case, then there was nothing more to question. If the captain had already factored it in and still pushed forward with the expedition, it meant he had a plan.
"Miss Ais, did the captain give any additional instructions?"
"Instructions?" Ais blinked. Finn hadn't mentioned anything that sounded like an order recently. She thought hard, going over the last few conversations she'd had with him.
"…No. But I know Finn, Gareth, and Riveria changed the supply list. They said the details would be explained once we reached Rivira."
"They changed the supply list?" Raul and Alicia both froze.
Changing supplies mid-expedition wasn't something done lightly—especially not by those three. That kind of adjustment could only mean one thing: the leadership was already preparing for the Dungeon's "abnormal" state.
Both Raul and Alicia, as core second-squad members, instantly understood the implication. Now wasn't the time to stay behind scavenging corpses.
"Everyone, pick up the pace!" Raul barked. "Forget about harvesting Magic Stones and Drop Items—move out! Catch up to the captain's team!"
Following their orders, the logistics crew abandoned the ongoing corpse processing, pushing their loaded carts forward at full speed.
The twelfth floor opened up into a wider space. Once the monsters were cleared, it would take half a day—or even a full day—before new ones spawned. That meant the logistics team could move safely and quickly through.
After a half-hour of nonstop marching, they finally caught up to the front-line assault group.
The sixteenth floor had just been swept clean. Tiona, Tione, and Bete—the main combat trio—were already showing signs of fatigue.
"The closer we get to the middle floors, the more monsters there are," Tione muttered, frowning. "Still not at Monster Rex levels, but the numbers keep climbing. That's not a good sign."
Finn flexed his right hand slightly. His thumb was starting to ache—a subtle but familiar warning. Every time that sensation hit him in the past, something big was coming.
He looked ahead. The sixteenth floor was clear, but next came the seventeenth—where the floor boss awaited. And yet… something in his gut told him to stop.
"Tsuna. What do you think?"
"I'm feeling the same thing as you."
Tsuna emerged silently from a nearby shadow, his expression serious. Every sense in his body was screaming in alarm. The threat wasn't behind them—it was ahead.
"My instincts are telling me the same thing: we can't move forward right now. If we do, something huge is going to happen. The Dungeon's 'abnormality' is escalating, and if my analysis is right, even the floor boss might have changed. I'm worried it'll bring an entire horde with it."