The next day after diving alone, we meet up in the morning and continue with today's dungeon exploration.

"Refrina, what do you think about the fourth floor? Do you think we can handle it?"

I ask as we travel.

I could manage the entrance area of the fourth floor even by myself.

Even on the third floor, I've been able to hunt without much danger.

"Eh, the fourth floor? Well, we could go, I suppose... But why the rush? Hikaru mentioned there were circumstances, and it's true that your spirit magic is strong, but overconfidence in the dungeon is dangerous."

"I haven't been to the fourth floor myself, so I'm not much help, nyaa."

Both of them are hesitant about descending to the fourth floor, but this is unavoidable.

Wanting to go deeper is my own reason.

Viewers won't keep watching the same repetitive hunting routine at the same level, so I need to offer something fresh—

I know full well that this is dangerous.

But if I keep going like this, I'll never reach the number one spot in overall viewership.

I have to make up for falling behind in the first half.

Only six days remain. We've already passed the halfway point.

Currently ranked fourth.

Considering how much we initially drove viewers away, this is a fairly strong showing, but to reach our goal of first place, we'll need something far more overwhelming.

Being optimistic and ending up as "Sorry, second place" won't cut it. I want to secure the top position comfortably, ideally by about three days before the end.

"Well, if Hikaru wants to go to the fourth floor, I'll go along with it, you know."

"I'd welcome a trip down to the fourth layer, if you're taking me along. ...I might not be much help, but if I memorize the terrain, I could even serve as a scout."

Both of them were just halfheartedly agreeing. Still, descending to the fourth layer is definitely risky.

Even with Dark Sense, you won't be defeated by slimes, but crabs and lizardmen are certainly formidable foes. Going deeper means we'll have to fight even stronger enemies.

If we had another warrior as strong as Refrea, we could fight much more safely—but with this group, it's still probably reckless.

My individual combat power would be higher than going alone, but the risks would be different.

And those risks might not just be something like "getting injured"—they could be paid for in a way that's permanent, lost forever.

If it were just me taking the risk, that'd be one thing, but there's no way we could pull off something reckless with this team.

"……No, you're right. Let's save the fourth floor for another time. We haven't even fully explored the third floor yet."

We haven't even encountered the Garden Panther yet.

I want to come in first, but I can't possibly risk both our lives.

…No, actually, we've already staked our lives on it—right from the third floor.

We're just not realizing it because things have been going smoothly. One wrong move, and we could be wiped out completely.

Honestly, I should be able to fight better myself. Even if training doesn't bring in more viewers.

"So, we'll stick to the third floor today. Reffraya can practice spirit magic while we're at it."

"Huh?"

"Hm? What's wrong? I just said we'd skip the fourth floor."

Did you not hear me?

"Aah, no, um... I think I'll take a break from spirit magic practice for a while... something like that,"

Refrea said, scratching her cheek.

She'd only just started practicing for a few days.

"...You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Not really, but um... right! I'm just tired! Using magic over and over is really exhausting! So today, let's skip my practice and focus on exploring, okay?"

Saying that, she tugged hard on my arm.

A terrible lie.

The day before yesterday, she'd said she was going to check on the Great Spirit whether a new spell had grown. She claimed she'd also verify if her rank had increased.

If that were the case, then it had clearly done nothing at all.

Still, I thought if I told him straight up, he might get hurt... that was probably it.

Still, there were a few days left. The effects would only start showing from now on... but if he was lying through his teeth just to quit, there was no point forcing him to keep going.

I wasn't entirely sure if my suggestion had been more of a burden than a help, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Then, no more spirit magic practice. I’d like to fight the Garden Panther at least once soon. Hopefully, Shadow Bind will work."

"It’s not supposed to be that strong of a monster, so we should be fine, right? It can even immobilize trolls."

"Hmm..."

As we spoke, we arrived at the third layer, the 'Mist-Enshrouded Great Garden.'

This floor has a fountain producing drinkable water, where explorers rest, giving it a more relaxed atmosphere than the second floor.

Though it may still be tough for beginners, it's definitely much easier than the fourth floor.

This sharp drop in difficulty is probably what sets the game apart.

The first floor is almost entirely free of enemies—easy, in short—but the second and third floors are genuinely challenging.

Then, at the fourth floor, enemies immediately attack with deadly intent. That’s the balance.

Especially the second floor, being dark, isn’t ideal for exploration, so mid-level explorers all aim for the third floor.

Which leads to—this kind of situation.

"Oh wow, isn’t that Refreia-chan! I heard your party disbanded recently, but you’ve been diving into the dungeon all along!"

"Yeah. We picked up a new party member." The burly adventurer

who’d approached me casually earlier—same one who’d tried to strike up conversation at the guild—spoke up. It looked like he was part of a six-person group currently exploring

the third floor. His level was unclear, but he was well-equipped, giving off a solid, unremarkable vibe. He carried a battle axe, which seemed perfectly suited to his lumberjack-like appearance, and looked like

a good match for a treant. Honestly, I thought this was going to be a pain, but trying to hide with Darkness Fog now would only make it

obvious. "Hey! Wait a second! Isn't that your brother with you?! You can't seriously be taking him into the third floor—what, are you

using him as a porter or something!?"

But this was an opportunity. With viewership stagnating, any kind of trouble was welcome. Nothing life-threatening, surely—and even if he got punched once or twice—

I was calculating it all like that, when Refreia took an unexpected action.

With blinding speed, she drew her greatsword and pressed it firmly against the strong-faced explorer's neck.

"Whoa, hey! Refreia, what's the joke?"

"Disrespect will not be tolerated. Didn't I warn you earlier?"

"What do you mean 'disrespect'? He's my brother, after all. And he's still Bronze-ranked. It's too early for the third layer. Where's my mistake?"

"He is not my brother. Besides, we've already defeated all the monsters in the third layer—except for the panther."

"Well, that's because of your strength, Refreia."

"No, it's mostly his—"

"Wait, stop it. Refrea, put your sword down," Refrea counters flatly, her face deathly pale, but clearly anything but calm.

Maybe she's more prone to losing her temper than she appears.

Though, she didn't seem that way during all the time I've known her.