The road to the Middle Floors was familiar.
Having gone up and down the Upper Floors over the past few days, I’d already memorized every route, so I reached the 12th Floor in no time.
The boost in physical ability from leveling up had dramatically shortened my travel time in the Upper Floors.
A path that used to take nearly half a day could now be covered in just a few hours.
That caused an unexpected problem.
Before I’d even reached the 12th Floor, my backpack had already been stuffed full of Magic Stones.
The Upper Floor monsters were no longer a match for me, and even brushing past them made dozens of Magic Stones spill out.
“Well, this is a problem.”
I kicked at the Magic Stones that no longer fit in my backpack.
I could just leave them behind, but there were cases where monsters in the Dungeon ate Magic Stones and became enhanced species.
I didn’t like leaving behind an uncertain variable like that.
In the end, I moved forward while smashing every Magic Stone I couldn’t pick up.
I couldn’t let an enhanced species spawn or anything. That would be a pain for everyone.
After breaking through the 12th Floor, I finally stood before the massive entrance leading down to the 13th.
It was incomparably larger than the passages of the previous floors, and a cool, damp air was rising from below.
Air that was clearly different from the Upper Floors, carrying an unknown danger.
I took a deep breath and descended the stairs.
13th Floor.
The Cavern Labyrinth.
The scenery from before was gone without a trace.
In its place was a cave made entirely of dark, rugged rock stretching out before me.
The number of light sources had dropped sharply, leaving the whole area dim and gloomy, and the passages connecting room to room extended so far that their ends couldn’t be seen.
My footsteps echoed unpleasantly, and somewhere in the distance, I could hear water dripping.
I checked the feel of my newly bought light armor, rested one hand on the Magic Sword at my waist, and kept my guard up as I slowly moved along the dark passage.
Now and then, I caught sight of other experienced adventurer parties.
They were moving carefully, lighting their surroundings with torches or Magic Stone lamps.
When they spotted my small figure, they looked briefly puzzled, but soon returned their attention to their hunt.
Even though I’d become LV2, the perception of Pallum in this other world was apparently so messed up that people still looked surprised a lot.
Like, “How is a Pallum here in the Middle Floors alone?” That kind of reaction, probably.
Still, since they were adventurers exploring the Middle Floors, they didn’t seem to think I was weak just because I’d come this far.
Their eyes held a mix of caution and curiosity.
At least they weren’t looking at me like I was some weakling.
That kind of stare just feels disgusting.
While I was searching for a while, I suddenly heard the clash of metal and a rough shout from the far end of a long passage.
Clang—! Clang—!
“Damn it, the corridor’s too long! We can’t fall back!”
“Where’s the mage? Hurry up and finish the chant! There’s another Minotaur now!”
“We’re getting pushed back! The front line’s going to collapse!”
Battle sounds.
I carefully approached the direction the voices were coming from.
Hiding myself against the rock wall, I checked the situation.
In the middle of the long passage, one party was being surrounded by a pack of monsters.
Minotaurs.
Massive beastmen with bull heads.
Their upper bodies were covered in thick muscle, and rough breaths steamed from their nostrils.
In their hands were huge battle axes.
Six Minotaurs were pinning down a four-person party in the narrow corridor and applying relentless pressure.
The two front-line tanks were barely blocking the attacks with their shields, but the shields were already ragged and looked ready to break at any moment.
I released the three Magic Swords at my waist into the air.
[Fire], [Frost], [Lightning]
The swords, each carrying a different attribute, began to dance at my will.
The sight of the faintly glowing blades circling around me was quite a spectacle.
I quietly stepped out of the darkness.
The eyes of both the party members and the Minotaurs turned toward my small figure at once.
I couldn’t exactly let people die in front of me, so I figured I’d help.
“Kid! It’s dangerous, run!”
The man who seemed to be the party leader—a swordsman covered in wounds all over his body—shouted desperately.
Still, he seemed like a good person.
There are plenty of people who would just throw someone to the wolves here, so the fact that he was trying to solve it himself was pretty impressive by this world’s standards.
I gave a light nod at his warning, then gestured toward the Minotaurs.
“Moooo!”
The closest Minotaur apparently decided I was easy prey and charged at me, swinging its massive battle axe.
I calmly gave my orders to the three swords.
The sword exuding cold flew down to the monster’s feet, freezing the ground and slowing its movement.
Its heavy body slipped, losing balance for an instant.
At that moment, the sword carrying flames flashed in front of it, blinding its vision.
And the sword wrapped in lightning shot in from the blind spot behind it, aiming for its heart.
“Ghk?!”
The Minotaur collapsed without even realizing what had pierced its body, then turned to black ash and vanished.
“W-what...?”
The male swordsman muttered in a dazed voice.
The remaining five Minotaurs roared in fury at the sudden death of their comrade and charged at me all at once.
The narrow passage rang with their cries.
I moved the swords with ease.
The Frost sword froze the floor once more, disrupting their charge, and the Fire sword spewed flames, turning the narrow corridor into a sea of fire.
“Graaah!”
The monsters flailed helplessly, tangled up in the scorching flames and the slick floor.
Then the Lightning sword traced complex arcs through the air, piercing their throats and hearts one after another.
Even the tough hide of a Minotaur couldn’t stand against the power of Sharpness 4 in the Middle Floors.
The blade that struck like lightning split their thick hides as easily as paper.
In less than a minute, the pack of Minotaurs that had driven the party to the brink of annihilation was wiped out.
Silence fell.
Only the Magic Stones rolling on the floor and the four adventurers staring at me in stunned disbelief remained.
Retrieving the Magic Swords floating in the air, I walked toward them.
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