"What if an enemy appeared that even they couldn't react to in time and went straight for your throat?"
"At that moment."
"What would you do?"
"If an uninvited guest like that really appeared..."
"Then the sword in my hands would naturally do its humble part."
"After all..."
"Though I have no wish to claim the credit."
"I don't want to become a burden that holds everyone back, either."
"Oh?"
Hearing those words, Tsubaki raised an eyebrow, a gleam flashing through her lone eye.
That attitude.
Was quite to her liking.
However.
Before Tsubaki could say a few words to casually steer the conversation elsewhere.
Suddenly.
Something unexpected happened.
"Sss..."
On the ground behind Tsukuyo Inaba.
There had originally been nothing but an ordinary shadow cast by a rock.
But in an instant.
That ordinary shadow seemed to come alive.
The motionless blackness churned and twisted as though it had a life of its own.
Then.
"Gloop."
That puddle of black liquid shot upward.
In the blink of an eye.
The dark blot finally solidified into a humanoid silhouette.
The monster stood roughly 1.6 meters tall.
Its appearance could be summed up as a pure black shadow, with long, slender limbs and three sharp, coldly gleaming hooked claws at each wrist.
This was a monster that generally only began appearing from the sixth floor onward.
-A War Shadow.
With agility far beyond that of Goblins and Kobolds, it often delivered a fatal blow when rookie parties let their guard down.
For that reason, Orario's adventurers had dubbed it the "Newbie Killer."
And now.
This War Shadow had chosen an exceptionally good moment to appear.
It was precisely the lull when everyone had relaxed their guard and was chatting.
Moreover.
Once its featureless black face emerged, its target was fixed squarely on the person closest to it-the blind girl sitting upright on a rock with her eyes closed!
Then.
"Hiss-!"
The War Shadow let out a strange hiss without any vibration of vocal cords.
Its claws tore through the air with a fierce rush of wind, hurtling straight toward Tsukuyo Inaba's slender neck.
The distance was less than half a meter.
Fast.
It was certainly fast.
Compared with the sluggish Goblins they had encountered earlier, this War Shadow's speed was on an entirely different level.
With an ambush at this range, an ordinary rookie would have lost their head before even thinking to turn around.
"!"
Tsubaki's pupil contracted slightly at the sight.
As a Lv. 5 Level 1 Adventurer, she could naturally react in time.
Almost the instant the War Shadow sprang out, her hand had already reached the hilt of the weapon on her back.
As the party leader.
She naturally had to be their safety net.
She absolutely could not let a rookie come to harm right under her nose.
No matter how much potential these rookies had, an ambush designed to kill newcomers was still far too dangerous.
However.
Before Tsubaki could draw her blade even half an inch.
Her movement stopped.
Because.
Someone was faster than the War Shadow!
Then came.
"Shing-"
An exquisitely clear ring suddenly burst forth!
It was not the clatter of colliding metal, but a clear, crane-like cry produced by a blade scraping against the inside of its sheath at tremendous speed!
Fast!
Too fast!
A streak of white light flashed through the Dungeon!
Tsukuyo Inaba pushed the sword guard forward with her left hand!
Her right hand drew the blade as fast as lightning!
The white blade suddenly traced a perfect semicircle! Its fleeting outline was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye!
Like a sudden flash of moonlight!
-Iai: Cloud Gleam.
"Swish!"
The sound lagged behind the light.
By the time that faint slicing sound reached everyone's ears, the battle had already been decided.
The War Shadow's black claws, just about to touch the back of the girl's neck, came to an abrupt halt in midair.
Less than three centimeters separated them from that snow-white neck.
But those three centimeters were an absolute gulf between life and death.
Stillness.
The entire scene seemed to have been paused.
The next second.
"Sss..."
A thin white line appeared across the waist of the War Shadow's black humanoid form.
Then.
"Squelch-"
The War Shadow's entire body was severed into two halves at the waist!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror.
"Thump."
It did not even have time to let out a dying scream.
The two halves of its black remains.
Along with the claw strike that had seemed certain to kill, turned into a dense cloud of black ash beneath that single slash and dispersed into the air.
All that remained.
Was a fingernail-sized magic stone and a broken, sharp hooked claw that fell to the ground.
"Whew..."
The girl softly breathed out.
Then.
With a flick of her right wrist, she spun her blade in an elegant flourish.
And returned it to its sheath.
"Click."
With the crisp sound of the sword guard meeting the mouth of the sheath, the chilling killing intent that had erupted for that instant vanished as well.
As though that breathtaking flash of steel had been nothing but an illusion.
Only then.
Tsukuyo Inaba tilted her head slightly, her unfocused red eyes turning precisely toward Tsubaki, her expression still gentle and serene.
"Miss Tsubaki."
"That is my answer."
"..."
Watching this scene.
Even Tsubaki, a widely experienced Lv. 5, could not help feeling a faint sense of disbelief.
After all, that drawing speed just now...
That explosive power, unleashed in an instant to shift perfectly from stillness to blinding speed, had been far too breathtaking!
Moreover.
The most crucial part was her judgment.
Not the slightest hesitation, not a moment of uncertainty.
It was as though the instant she sensed that trace of killing intent directed at her, her body had already made the perfect response before her mind could act.
Lord Haimo really has found a treasure.
At that thought, Tsubaki could not help marveling inwardly.
After all.
Though a War Shadow was merely one of the slightly trickier monsters in the upper floors.
Still.
They must not forget.