The Journey Begins in DanMachi

Even in terms of strength, Noah had no problem dealing with Goliath.

But it must be emphasized again! This is the Dungeon! The most dangerous thing is the unknown!

It was possible for the floor boss to be born early, or for an unexpectedly strengthened Goliath to appear.

Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, if an accident occurred now, Riveria, whose only means of attack was long-range magic, would be unable to rescue him in time.

Therefore, she would not allow it!

Her stern reprimand echoed through the cave, lingering for a long time.

Even just being brushed by the edge of the impact, Ais trembled all over.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like for Noah, who was directly bearing Riveria's wrath.

However, Ais quietly turned her head and her eyes immediately widened when she saw Noah.

Compared to the furious Riveria, Noah appeared exceptionally calm, and even the killing intent that had accumulated on him from charging through had seemingly vanished.

"Riveria, I think I can win!"

His azure eyes were like a clear pool under the moonlight, calm and waveless, yet shining with a light that contained a strong will.

Not only that, but Ais also saw a smile on Noah's face.

Yes, a smile.

It was an expression that had never appeared on Noah's face in the half-month she had known him.

Although the smile that appeared on Noah's handsome and delicate face was charming, it sent a cold current through Ais's entire body.

As if she were in a biting winter wind, Ais couldn't help but shiver.

Because Ais understood, and perhaps only she could understand, the meaning of this smile.

It was a smile of excitement born from encountering a powerful enemy and anticipating a fierce battle.

To others, Noah, like herself, was a battle maniac.

Ais knew this clearly, without anyone needing to say it.

But as some painters said, horses are the hardest to draw, while ghosts are the easiest.

This was because people rarely saw real ghosts, but always saw horses, so they could perceive the difference between a horse's portrait and a real horse.

For Ais, the gap between herself and Noah was like the difference between a horse's portrait and a real horse.

Although they looked very similar, there was an essential, absolutely unignorable difference.

At this moment, the smile that appeared on Noah's face was the most powerful evidence--

Unlike her own battles, which were driven by hatred, forcibly suppressing her fear of monsters and pain.

Noah was enjoying the battle, enjoying the slaughter, immersing his body, mind, and soul in it.

He yearned and longed for battle so much that he had never smiled in the more than ten days he had been unable to fight...

Why?

Why could you be so happy because of battle?

Battles involved facing terrifying monsters, suffering painful injuries, and possibly dying forever, didn't they?

Why would you come to love battle?!

Sharply realizing the gap between them, the weakness that Ais had always hidden within herself was uncontrollably exposed.

The swordsman's mask she had built over the past year shattered, and she once again realized that she was just a weak and helpless little girl.

The impact made her dizzy, her consciousness and body feeling as if they were separating.

To counter this suffocating anxiety, Ais had to bite her lips tightly, causing a sweet, metallic taste to spread in her mouth.

It wasn't just Ais who was stunned by Noah's smile; Riveria was too.

"Noah, you..."

Even though she couldn't grasp the fleeting sense of dread in her heart, Riveria knew that she probably couldn't stop Noah from moving forward.

"Riveria, if I don't fight this one, I'll probably have insomnia even when we get back... I'll definitely win!"

This guy, as expected, was completely different from Ais; he always knew what he needed.

This person's will and decisions probably wouldn't waver because of anyone.

Treating him as a junior to look after was probably the biggest mistake of her life.

"...Really, you always cause me trouble!"

Taking off her backpack and tossing it aside, Riveria gripped her staff, moved her shoulders, and glared angrily at Noah.

"It's decided. Whether you win or lose, I'm doubling your study content when we get back! If you dare to complain, I'll beat you to death! Do you understand?"

Looking at the green-haired elf, who put on a cold face but had decided to support him, Noah smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Taking out the potion Riveria had given him earlier, Noah frowned and drank it down in one gulp.

Unaware of Ais's strange gaze, he turned and stepped into the hall of the seventeenth floor.

Although Noah had moved from a narrow cave into a vast, spacious hall, he felt the air suddenly stagnate.

A strong sense of dissonance welled up within him, as if he were an uninvited guest trespassing on forbidden ground.

Noah had experienced this feeling once before—during a subjugation mission targeting a monster lurking in a deep lake.

Compared to the surging, vibrant currents of the open ocean, entering a silent lake always brought a chilling sensation of being watched by countless unseen creatures.

Thus, more than the battle that followed, the suffocating pressure that flooded his heart the moment he entered that deathly silent lake remained his most indelible memory.

Fortunately, this time, the 'host' did not keep Noah waiting long.

A sound like a sighing "crack" echoed through the long hall, and lightning-like fissures appeared across the massive white crystal wall.

The cracking sound accelerated, growing as rapid and thunderous as the roar of an approaching storm, eventually evolving into an earth-shattering tremor that made his eardrums wail in agony.

"ROOOOAR!!!"

Accompanied by a massive roar, a giant of immense stature looked down at Noah with scarlet eyes.

"...So noisy."

Though a faint smile remained on his face, Noah's azure eyes became as clear as a winter sky.

All personal emotions, whether excitement or fear, vanished from them entirely.

Only a crystalline killing intent remained, so pure that it seemed almost sacred.

"--So, I am going to kill you!"

Accompanied by a clear, piercing sword chime that cut through all the clamor, a brilliant, cold light manifested in the long hall.

Meanwhile, in the long cavern leading from the 18th floor to the 17th, a party of eleven girls was slowly making their way upward.

The golden-haired, masked elf leading the group was engaged in a heated argument with her companion.

41 The Useless Elf and the Sharp-Tongued Swordsman

"Stupid elf! Useless elf! Foolish elf! Are you even good for anything? Honestly, a random passerby could do a better job than you!"

As they climbed the long, steep slope, a black-haired, kimono-clad girl with a refined appearance used a tone of voice as crude as her demeanor was elegant, relentlessly insulting and verbally abusing her companion.

The golden-haired elf being attacked initially kept her head down, silently enduring it.

But seeing that Mikoto Yamato's verbal assault showed no signs of stopping and was instead intensifying, Ryu could no longer hold back.

She raised her eyebrows, her sky-blue eyes radiating a brilliant light that symbolized her strong will.

"Mikoto Yamato! That's enough! What do you mean a random passerby could do better than me? Why don't you say that any random passerby could defeat a Floor Boss?!"

Stung by the counterattack, Mikoto Yamato fell silent, glancing at Ryu from the corner of her eye and slowly revealing a smile that would make any man's heart wander.

Yet, this was not a gentle or conciliatory smile; it was a dangerous, predatory preparation, like a viper flicking its tongue.

"Oh my, I would rather believe that a passerby will come along to defeat the Floor Boss than believe that a useless elf like you could get anything done. Guess who is to blame for us being unable to rest for a day in Rivira after the expedition, forcing us to return while exhausted like this? And having to compensate others with the precious materials we found in the deep levels?"

The kimono-clad beauty from the Far East, Mikoto Yamato, was known throughout Orario for her exquisite swordsmanship, earning her the title of Yamato Gentian from the gods.

But only those close to her knew that Mikoto Yamato's tongue was as sharp and accurate as her blade.

Even Ryu, who was also a Level 3 adventurer, could barely withstand a few sentences of her verbal assault.

Her previous momentum vanished completely, and Ryu lowered her head, her expression stiff.

Although her mask obscured her face, one could easily imagine her pouting, her face flushed with shame.

"Who... who told them to try and touch my hand..."

"Yes, yes, the noble elf lady's hand is truly precious. You almost touched them, and you ended up beating five or six adventurers until they were covered in blood! You almost caused us to go to war with the adventurer groups in Rivira!"

Even though the golden-haired elf's sky-blue eyes were on the verge of welling up with tears, Mikoto Yamato showed no intention of stopping her verbal barrage.

"My noble elf lady, I wonder if you could lower yourself to provide a paid hand-holding service? The assets of the Astraea Familia would surely surpass the Hephaestus Familia in no time! Then we wouldn't have to work so hard!"

Seeing the two main vanguards of the party engaged in such one-sided bullying, the other members at the back of the group finally couldn't help but intervene.

"Um, Mikoto Yamato, please don't blame Ryu. It's all my fault for accidentally getting hit by a Venom Maggot, which required us to buy an expensive antidote in Rivira, giving them a chance to extort us."

The speaker was an elf mage wearing glasses and holding a magic staff, possessing a delicate face even more youthful than Ryu's.

With her short green hair and neutral shirt, it was easy for someone to mistake her for a handsome young boy at first glance.

The thick bandages wrapped around her right arm explained the reason for her pale complexion.

Venom Maggot is one of the most dangerous species among all monsters that use poison as a weapon.

The potent toxins secreted from their mouths or skin can easily bypass the abnormal resistance of high-level adventurers.

Although the individual combat ability of a Venom Maggot is poor, their tendency to appear in swarms of hundreds makes any adventurer group pale at the sight of them.

More importantly, the poison of a Venom Maggot can only be fully cured by a special medicine made from their own drops.

To date, there has been no report of any healer whose magic can completely purge it; it can generally only be alleviated.

On their way back from the lower levels, the Astraea Familia was attacked by Venom Maggots, and Celty, the Familia's mage who had not yet fully recovered from mental fatigue, was unfortunately struck.

In Rivira, the adventurer town on the 18th floor, such antidotes were naturally available, but the price was predictably exorbitant, forcing them to sign high-value IOUs.

Furthermore, when they tried to sell some materials to afford a night's rest at a Rivira inn, they were besieged and coveted by a swarm of unscrupulous merchants who smelled blood like flies.

Rivera Town's Black Market Group, which even the Guild ignored, dared to extort members of the Loki Familia and Freya Familia. Why would they fear being resented by the Astraea Familia?

If anything, they were often arrested and punished by the Astraea Familia, the city's enforcers, when they were above ground. They naturally wouldn't pass up an opportunity to assert their superiority.

When several lustful members, emboldened by their perceived advantage, reached out greedily for Ryu, everything was sealed.

"Enough! No one is to blame for this! It's those scummy merchants' fault, so why are you all rushing to attack your teammates or admit fault?"

The Pink-haired Dwarf with a delicate and cute face spoke up, halting the Familia's internal strife.

"Also, Celty, don't talk about who's wrong. If it weren't for your and Lyra's magic, we wouldn't know when we'd complete this expedition. Your mental fatigue is for everyone, understand?"

Although Lyra appeared young, she often cut to the heart of the matter when discussing problems.

For the Astraea Familia, whose leader often acted rashly, she frequently shouldered the role of commander.

Scolded by Lyra, the team fell into silence.

The silence was broken by a red-haired girl, as bright and enthusiastic as the sun.

As if nothing had happened, she let out a hearty laugh that echoed through the Long Slope Cave, even dispelling the pervasive sense of ominous danger in the Dungeon.

"Exactly, Kaguya! You can't always attack people with words when you want to care for them. When will you learn to speak frankly? If you want Ryu to learn to get along with people, you have to speak properly yourself first!"

As if struck by a surprise attack from the leader's fire magic, the Eastern Female Swordsman's face changed drastically.

"Hah? Who wants to care about that Trash Elf?!"