By the time they arrived, the place was already empty.
Thanks to Jeanne's Revelation, her wide-range detection and uncanny intuition, she and Lucas had slipped away well before the Astraea Familia's all-female squad got there.
What greeted the newcomers was a massacre—an entire chamber littered with monster corpses, the air thick with the stench of burnt flesh and decay.
"This many… all Killer Ants?"
The woman in the crimson kimono—black hair flowing to her waist, her beauty sharp and dignified—spoke in a grim tone, narrowing her eyes at the horrific sight before her.
"Not just that," said a petite prum with pale pink hair crouched beside a charred body. "Something on this scale isn't your everyday Monster Rex, Miss Gojouno Kaguya."
Lyra—nicknamed the Thrail—pressed her gloved hand against a half-melted carapace, frowning in thought.
"Wait, Killer Ants? Lyra, you mean—" Kaguya's eyes widened as the realization hit her.
"Exactly," Lyra said, standing with a knowing smile. "Don't forget the ants' habits. When threatened, they call for reinforcements. Combine that with the Dungeon's malice manifesting as a Monster Rex, and this number starts to make sense."
She paused, glancing around. "And considering where we are… I think you all know what that means."
Behind her, the red-haired swordswoman—their captain, Alise Lovell—gasped.
"Whoa, hold on! You're saying a Monster Rex happened here? On the seventh floor? That's insane! The Adventurer's Manual clearly says those only happen below the tenth! You two better not be joking, Kaguya, Lyra!"
Lyra smiled sweetly, voice dripping with mischief. "Dearest captain, how many times have I told you? Don't get hung up on dogma. The Dungeon's full of surprises. They're called Irregulars for a reason."
The playful tone made the others uneasy.
"If the investigation confirms what we're seeing," Kaguya said darkly, "then a Monster Rex spawning on the seventh floor is going to cause serious problems."
"Ryuu, what are you looking at?" Alise asked suddenly, noticing the blonde elf standing near the passage, her green cloak brushing her boots.
"Look at the bodies," Ryuu said, voice calm and focused. "Most were taken down in one strike—clean, efficient. Judging from the wounds, the horde was intercepted right at the corridor entrance."
She pointed toward the scorched remains. "And those burned corpses—fire-element magic. Whoever did this was a skilled mage."
Alise blinked, realization dawning. "Wait—two people did all this? That's insane!"
Kaguya chuckled behind her sleeve. "Given the path they took wasn't on the official route, their Levels must be low. No one above Level 2 would waste time on the seventh floor."
"So you're saying they're both Level 1?" Alise laughed, waving a hand. "Come on, that's impossible! A couple of newbies wiping out this many Killer Ants? That's—" She trailed off, her voice fading as the absurdity sank in.
The others fell silent, disbelief heavy in the air.
"…Impressive," Ryuu murmured, her expression solemn.
They exchanged glances—equal parts awe and unease.
Kaguya smirked. "Looks like someone's luckier than us. If they came down here just to earn some cash for their Familia and happened to bag a prize like this…"
If they put themselves in those mysterious adventurers' shoes—still Level 1, facing a swarm like this—the answer was obvious.
Run. Just run.
While Astraea's apostles of justice speculated over the carnage, more adventurers trickled in, curious about the commotion. But when they spotted the familiar figures in the chamber—Alise, Kaguya, Lyra, and Ryuu—they quickly turned around, whispering among themselves as they left.
"Isn't that the Astraea Familia?"
"I thought something big had happened! That fight sounded terrifying! Turns out it's just Astraea's girls blowing up monsters on the seventh floor."
"Oh, them? Never mind then."
"Guess the Evilus activity's been stressing them out. Maybe they came up here to fish for some XP and blow off steam. Can't blame 'em."
"Yeah, the city's been tense lately. Even the Astraea Familia looks wound tight."
"Can't blame them. You've seen those maniacs from Evilus—they bite at anything that moves."
Everyone nodded grimly. No sane adventurer liked those lunatics.
Meanwhile, Lucas and Jeanne—long gone—had no idea what kind of misunderstanding they'd caused.
Because both he and Alise used fire-element magic, and because so many adventurers saw Astraea's members at the scene, the whole event was soon reported as:
"Astraea Familia's Stress-Relief Monster Massacre."
If Lucas had known, he would've been mortified. What was meant to be a low-key "welcome to Orario" ended up as a disaster someone else had to take the blame for.
The main path leading from the seventh to the eighth floor.
Lucas tightened the leather strap around his staff, covering the large magic crystal at its tip, and slung it back onto his pack. He and Jeanne moved quietly, one leading and one following, cloaked and hooded to avoid attention.
"Don't be fooled by the guild patrols on the surface," Lucas said quietly. "Down here, it's a different world."
"The rule of the Dungeon is simple: the strong take, the weak die, and violence decides everything."
"This place is a jungle—pure survival of the fittest. Our enemies aren't just the monsters or Evilus psychos. Sometimes, it's the adventurers right next to you."
"The visible hostility isn't the dangerous kind," He continued. "It's the unseen malice that kills you. One careless step, one wrong call—and you'll never even know who stabbed you in the back."
Jeanne frowned. "Even helping someone in trouble… is off-limits?"
Lucas snorted. "Every rule's written in blood. You help someone, kill the monsters for them, and then they turn around and accuse you of stealing their loot. What do you do then? Pay them off?"
"…"
"Exactly. That's human nature."
"The simplest way to deal with it? Make sure your fist is bigger than theirs."
"Here we are," Lucas said, nodding ahead.
They exchanged a look and stepped down the naturally formed stone staircase.
Dungeon, Eighth Floor.
It wasn't much different from the sixth or seventh—still part of the Cave Labyrinth. The tunnels were a bit wider, though, and the monsters a bit tougher.
One new threat lurked here: Purple Moths, small flying monsters that scattered poisonous powder—a slow-acting toxin. Each hit might seem harmless, but the buildup could cripple an adventurer before they realized it.
That's why the Development Ability Abnormal Resistance was so popular—it kept people alive against things like this.
Luckily for them, Lucas and Jeanne hadn't run into any Purple Moths yet.
Instead, less than an hour into their exploration—
"Holy crap, jackpot!" Lucas blurted out.
"?" Jeanne tilted her head.
"It's a rare spawn—Blue Papilio!"