"Ah, sorry about my kid. Look, Refreia, apologize too."

"I won't. You insulted Hikaru... I can't forgive that."

"I'm not really insulting him, it's just how things are."

If I had to confront every person who provokes me, it'd never end. And especially not someone wielding weapons—what a mad dog.

Sure, explorers live in a world like gangsters. Maybe they see it as 'if you're not respected, you're finished.' Maybe Refreia's just acting according to that mindset...

"Refreia, it's fine if you snap when you're mocked yourself. But don't act like that over me. I don't care about it, and as I've said before, being bronze and being a beginner really are true."

"If Hikaru says so, then I guess it's fine..."

"Wait, are you two actually dating!?"

The tough guy displays an expression of utter shock.

Seeing our interaction, even his friends start gathering around.

"Eh, eh~? So it really looks like that, huh? It does, doesn't it?"

"Well, you're all over each other like that—of course it looks like it! But still... I heard Refrea-chan didn't even have interest in guys... So now she's into some scrawny kid like Hikaru?"

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. Not at all like that. I'm just having Refrea-chan assist me with exploration on a temporary basis."

"Misunderstanding... Hikaru, you're really harsh sometimes."

Refrea, wrapping her arm around my arm.

Well, she did say she liked me, and even if it's just a passing whim, that feeling seems genuine.

He's using her, knowing full well. Me.

"But look, Refreia-chan. I get wanting to explore with your boyfriend, but isn't the third floor kinda dangerous? One wrong move and you're dead."

She still can't shake the misunderstanding that I brought her here.

Well, it's fine if she keeps misunderstanding, but it's getting annoying.

"Actually, it's a misunderstanding. I asked her to bring me along. Of course, I'm prepared for the risk of dying."

"Even so. If you're Silver-ranked, you should be setting an example for the lower-tier monsters. Regardless of circumstances, a Bronze-tier like you shouldn't be brought to the third floor."

Surprisingly, despite his tough appearance, he says something incredibly reasonable.

Sure, it's only natural that someone like me, a rookie, tagging along behind a princess would make anyone want to say something.

"Ugh, it's annoying. Why don't you show him a little, Hikaru? Just a glimpse? To this clueless kid here."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean he's far stronger than me. If he were just a burden, I wouldn't be able to reach the third floor alone, would I?"

"That's just a joke, right? Only a handful of explorers ever reach Silver rank. To claim that some rookie like this kid is stronger than Refreia-chan, who achieved it in just one year? That's not even funny—it's downright offensive."

Even as I listened to that exchange, another thought nagged at me.

We were already deep within the third floor of the labyrinth. Not a safe zone, not anything special.

And yet, despite shouting so loudly in such a place, not a single monster had come near.

Although the labyrinth isn't teeming with monsters, there are still enough to guarantee an encounter within a minute of walking.

Moreover, there are two parties' worth of humans here.

— They're coming,

— It's dangerous,

The spirits are murmuring anxiously.

I could distinctly hear a faint voice urging caution.

"Reflia! Something's off. Stay alert! Flue, come to my side—hurry!"

The Mist-Enshrouded Great Garden, as its name suggests, is enveloped in thick fog throughout the entire layer, limiting visibility to at most around 100 meters.

It's easy to overlook a monster's approach if you're not careful.

And today, the fog is even denser than usual.

The visible range is less than half of normal—no, perhaps even less than that...

I hid the Grapeflue behind my back and stayed close to the wall, keeping a watchful eye.

"Hey! Don't lower your guard! Something's approaching!"

"What?! What's this rookie talking about all of a sudden? We're veterans here! Nothing but ghouls come out of this entrance!"

...Well, that's good then.

"……Hikaru? What's wrong? According to that guy, there shouldn't be any strong monsters around here."

"The spirits are agitated. Maybe we should head back to the second floor."

"……Huh? Wait, wait... I can hear footsteps."

The Grapeflue behind me twitched its ears and murmured.

Then it widened its eyes.

"Garden Panther! It's getting close!"

Grapeflew shouted, in the very next instant.

From within the white mist, a sudden, enormous pure white figure burst forth and lunged at one of the tough-looking members of the party, who had barely raised any guard.

"You idiot! Reflair, let's go!"

"Huh, yes!"

The Garden Panther was a massive feline predator, larger than any lion or tiger I'd ever seen at a zoo. It was probably around four meters long.

Its color was completely spotless white, emitting a faint, white mist-like vapor from its back.

It must be hiding its form in that mist.

While its body was elegant and beautiful, its face was凶悪 (ferocious), with a mouth wide enough to swallow a human whole, revealing sharp, menacing fangs.

The tough party member, caught off guard, was swiftly dragged away while still clutching onto his upper body. The garden panther vanished into the fog, leaving no trace of its whereabouts.

"Dark Sense! It's over there!"

Fortunately, Dark Sense still worked within the fog.

The garden panther had already moved to the very edge of Dark Sense's effective range, just barely avoiding detection. Based on the range of Dark Sense and the actual thickness of the fog, visibility today in the third layer was only about 40 meters. Whether this dense fog was caused by the garden panther or simply because it happened to be a foggy day remains unknown, but once it escapes, it will be impossible to find again.

Unfortunately, the explorer who was first attacked died in a single strike, but I have no intention of letting the monster that showed itself escape.

I run forward, accompanied by Refreia.

The Garden Panther seems to have noticed us. I can tell it's gathering strength, lowering its body as if preparing to leap.

"Phantom Warrior!"

"Summon Knight Bug!"

The phantom warrior approaches the Garden Panther, striking its shield repeatedly with its sword.

The night insects swarm in, their wings buzzing.

Surprised by the sudden increase in enemies, the panther grows more alert.

After confirming it has shifted its attention away from me, I hide in the shadows and approach from another direction.

That's right—no matter how strong the enemy, the strategy remains unchanged.

"Refreia, let's go as usual!"