Daily Exploration

"Kee-ee-ee!"

"Eeya-kaka!"

Sharp, piercing shrieks echoed through the dim space.

Imp-like monsters clamored with bizarre noises, charging toward the pair of a boy and a girl.

Their bodies were pitch black, and their disproportionately large heads featured a single, sharp horn that looked like a jagged piece of stone from a distance.

The abrupt horn and oversized head made their entire upper bodies look unbalanced compared to their thin, spindly frames.

Despite their odd appearance, their movements were swift and agile, possessing a liveliness that defied their looks.

Slender tails were vaguely visible behind them, the tips hooked and curving upward, swaying in rhythm with their advance.

Facing the five monsters leaping and bounding toward them, the boy gripped the bare hilt that had suddenly appeared in his hand and gave it a light horizontal swipe.

Before the monsters nearby, ripples began to form silently in the air. A straight metal blade flashed through the void, a cold glint cutting across the space.

As the monsters ran, their strange heads were severed silently from their awkward bodies. After taking a few more steps, they collapsed forward, blood seeping from the exposed necks.

Their bodies twitched, and their fallen heads opened and closed their mouths, unable to emit a sound. As the light faded from their eyes, the monsters began to decay.

Seeing their two companions struck down, the other members leaped onto the nearby walls, kicking off them several times to vault over the corpses of their kin.

The monster in the lead appeared more robust than those behind it.

It lunged at the boy standing closest, baring a mouth full of fangs and swinging its sharp right claw.

Too slow.

The boy calmly judged the lunging monster.

He held the hilt with one hand, flipped his wrist, and pulled back horizontally. As if growing in reverse, a full blade emerged from the bare hilt in mid-air.

He held the longsword horizontally to block the sharp claw, but the monster bit down hard on the blade, while its other claw gripped the tip firmly.

Its tail swayed slightly, then whipped toward the boy's waist with a whistling sound.

Seeing the cold, hooked tail strike toward him, he didn't change his expression and released his grip on the hilt.

Instead of falling, the monster remained suspended in the air, sliding backward at high speed.

The increased distance rendered the monster's attack futile, leaving only a faint breeze in front of the boy.

The retreating monster crashed directly into its companion, halting its advance.

The sent-flying monster felt the pain and released the clamped longsword, watching as it fell toward the rippling ground before it.

Without making a sound, the longsword sank into the ground as if being lowered into water, leaving no trace behind.

The remaining monster, seeing the person before it had lost his weapon, accelerated to attack the boy's legs.

The boy kicked the Imp-like monster, sending it flying, then reached into the air and pulled out the vanished longsword.

He lunged forward, swinging the longsword to unleash a blinding silver flash.

"Kee—!"

Lower body, torso, head.

The monster, severed into three pieces, scattered across the ground in a pool of blood.

The boy raised his arm, the longsword hovering in his palm, and began to spin it slightly.

Staring at the two monsters struggling to rise, he took a step forward and thrust his palm out. The spinning blade shot forward with a gust of wind.

The strike pierced through both monsters instantly.

"Kee-woo!"

The overlapping screams were their final cries.

As the flying longsword slowly vanished, the Magic Stone of the monsters scattered on the ground and sank beneath the surface.

Looking toward the shifting shadows in the depths of the mist, the boy spoke to the girl behind him.

"Lefiya, let's continue."

"Understood, Liber."

The two stepped forward into the depths of the mist.

On the tenth floor of the Dungeon, The ground was overgrown with weeds, unlike the previous levels.

With many vast halls and wide, interconnected passages, it was the most expansive floor Liber had explored to date.

White mist, originating from an unknown source, permeated the surroundings, clinging to the pair and hindering their observation.

Liber was currently dealing with a group of Imp. These were the same strange monsters he had fought earlier.

Starting from the tenth floor, the encounter rate for these small monsters would increase significantly.

Using swarming tactics to launch continuous attacks, they were a type of monster that gave adventurers a headache.

The Imp is larger than a Goblin, though their heights are similar. They are significantly more intelligent than Goblins and possess much higher physical capabilities.

The Imp's slender, sharp tail makes their combat tactics far more flexible.

They never act alone, always fighting in groups with a clear division of labor.

From an adventurer's perspective, their squads have distinct roles and seamless coordination, unlike other monsters that merely gather randomly to fight on their own. They are more efficient and well-organized than some adventurer parties.

Because of this, adventurers have left specific comments in the Guild's strategy guides.

'On the fog-shrouded tenth floor, the physically strong Orc is less troublesome than a group of Imps acting in unison.'

Thinking of the comments in the guide, Liber dodged another attack launched by an Imp from the depths of the fog.

Just as he was about to counterattack, the Imp darted back into the mist, its hazy silhouette causing him a surge of irritation.

This was the tenth Imp attack he had seen in a short amount of time.

""Wuu-ji-""

Listening to the strange cries coming from all directions, a group of Imps hidden in the thick fog gradually surrounded the pair.

Liber shielded Lefiya as they moved forward slowly. After dodging another sneak attack, he stopped in his tracks.

Several black shadows flickered within the surrounding fog.

The sounds of footsteps on the ground and grass rustling echoed all around, punctuated occasionally by the sound of tails striking against stones.

If he were alone, he would likely be preparing to break through.

However, he had no intention of retreating yet, relying on the light gradually brightening behind him—

"[Arc Ray]."

The light was faster than sound, piercing through the surrounding fog to illuminate the monsters nearby.

The moment he saw the monsters clearly, Liber slashed through the nearest Imps in quick succession, and then it was time for Lefiya's magic to take the stage.

Light arrows tore through the sea of fog, and the dark monsters began to vanish the instant they emerged from the mist.

In the blink of an eye, all the monsters were annihilated.

Before things could settle down completely, a rumbling sound echoed from the passage nearby.

Liber hurriedly gathered the dropped items and led Lefiya toward another passage.

As the two ran, the sounds in the distance gradually faded.

They stopped running and slowed their pace.

Lefiya steadied her breathing and looked at Liber in front of her. Thinking of what happened a few days ago, she tugged on his sleeve.

Feeling his sleeve being pulled, he turned to look at Lefiya. He saw her speak with a hint of shyness.

"Thank you for what happened the other day."

"What are you referring to?"

Liber was confused by her sudden expression of gratitude.

"It's about what happened after we all returned from Babel together!"

Seeing his bewildered expression, Lefiya said with puffed-out cheeks.

"Ah! As long as you don't blame me for scaring you, there's no need to be so serious about thanking me."

Hearing this and remembering the incident where he had startled her, Liber said with some embarrassment.

"I wouldn't!"

Lefiya shook her head, but before she could continue the conversation with Liber, several oval-shaped objects fell from the ceiling of the cave ahead, their figures expanding rapidly in mid-air as they lunged toward them.