The panther lunges at the Phantom Warrior.

Muscles flexing with supple precision, a motion like an unleashed arrow severing the neck.

If not for its shadow-formed phantom nature, it would have been killed in a single strike—such is the terrifying speed and astonishing velocity.

Even if one knew it was coming from close range, there would be no way to dodge. Once it locks on, it's all over.

Not for nothing is it the strongest monster of the third layer.

If the second-layer strongest, the mantis, is equivalent to a fourth-layer monster, then this one might be a fifth-layer beast.

Just to be safe, I pulled out the lizardman's spirit stone from my Shadow Storage.

In the worst case, I might have to resort to undead summoning.

It's obvious that the Garden Panther is stronger than the Lizardman.

"Garrulululu!"

The panther growls, keeping its distance while watching the approaching Refrea and the Phantom Warrior, who endlessly repeats attack motions.

Unfortunately, the Night Bug seems to have little effect.

Perhaps attacks from such a small insect are ineffective against that massive body.

Still, the Phantom Warrior appears to be successfully distracting it—seemingly unaware of me sneaking closer within the shadows.

I close the distance in an instant, expanding the range of darkness.

In a flash, the surroundings are completely dominated by pitch-black shadow.

The panther, swallowed by darkness, twitched slightly, let out a low growl, quickly regained its composure, and heightened its vigilance around the surroundings.

— And then, it looked straight at me.

Its eyes glowed fiercely, fixed unblinkingly on me.

The fangs, even in the darkness, radiated a menacing gleam.

(Oh no!)

It definitely saw me.

So that's right—cats are nocturnal animals, huh? I'd completely forgotten that.

Or rather, does that mean felines in this world have the same traits as Earth's cats? Grapeflew, who's completely cat-human, is invisible in the Darkness Fog!

Still, the darkness of the Darkness Fog is deep—genuine, lightless blackness.

Even if it is a feline predator, I don't think it's fully visible.

But just by giving away its presence, our advantage would vanish like mist.

"Shadow Bind!"

I bind it with a hold before the panther lunges.

At the same time, I manipulate Darkness Fog, pulling the panther out from within the shadowy area.

"Reflare!"

It was a narrow escape, but luck was on our side—thanks to the panther's attention being focused on me, it worked.

"Hah!!"

Reflare, charging in, delivers a powerful blow from the side into the panther.

Even a massive beast can't withstand a 150-centimeter iron block swung with full body weight striking its weak point.

The panther staggers, knees buckling, and rolls away from Reflare.

Yet, baring its fangs, its fighting spirit remains unbroken.

"Guaaoo!"

"Can't even die from that?!"

"Sorry! I missed the weak point by a bit!"

Beasts were actually rare.

Most monsters that appeared in the labyrinth were "mixed types"—that is, humanoid monsters.

Beasts had different weak point sensitivities compared to humanoids, so it wasn't surprising they couldn't aim precisely.

"Gwaau!"

"Coming at you! Shade Shift! Darkness Fog!"

Thinking I was an easier target than the giant-weaponed Refirea, Garden Panther leapt away from Refirea, adjusting its position with a sudden spring.

Though I remained on guard, his gaze never left me. He intends to kill me first, then fight Refrea. The Panther lowered his body, preparing to pounce.

I made my decision.

　

On the brink of death, my mind raced at an incredible speed.

One mistake, and I would be dead. Facing an opponent far stronger than me, I should have no chance of victory.

But I’ve known that from the start. And this is precisely the situation I myself desired.

There’s no need to check my status board. This battle will surely capture the audience’s attention. They’ll realize just how dire my situation truly is—more so than the moment I feel death approaching.

The Garden Panther, coiled like a drawn bow.

I am on that straight line. If that is unleashed, I'll be nothing more than a silent stone mere fractions of a second later.

It's impossible to block the charge.

Even combining Darkness Fog and Shade Shift would only slightly increase my evasion rate.

But no matter how well I see in the dark, stepping from a bright area into darkness means I won't be able to see until my eyes adjust.

I briefly considered summoning a Lizardman Undead, but there's no time left.

"Shadow Bind! Phantom Warrior!"

I recite the spells in quick succession before the panther's attack hits. I feel a slight warmth spreading through my body.

Even with the favor of spirits, one can't use magic without limits. Especially high-tier techniques like Phantom Warrior or Dark Sense consume a great deal of spirit energy.

The Phantom Warrior just disappeared a moment ago, so I was able to summon a new one, but using it consecutively might drain my spirit energy.

The panther, distracted for just an instant by the noise the warrior caused, was quickly ensnared by a shadowy tendril.

The binding was neutralized in just a few seconds, but that brief window was crucial.

I keep moving forward, still cloaked in darkness, but the panther keeps its gaze locked onto me, never looking away.

Perhaps it has some kind of night vision, or maybe it's resistant to shadow spirit magic.

Logically, I should be wary of Reflair's strong attack power, yet the Garden Panther continues to target me without hesitation. Could it be some inherent trait of spirit mages to target those of higher rank?

The binding spell broke, and with a sudden burst of strength, the Garden Panther lunged forward.

I threw myself sideways with everything I had.

Perhaps because I'd slain dozens of monsters within the labyrinth, my body moved faster than I'd expected, allowing me to narrowly dodge the charge.

Several spirit spells that had slowed the opponent’s movements likely contributed as well.

But I doubt I could survive such a maneuver twice. If it charges at me again in succession, evasion would be impossible.

　

The Panther, having missed its prey, instantly reversed its body, searching for my presence.

Everything unfolds within the darkness.

The Garden Panther fights us, distracted by me, the Phantom Warrior, Bind, and Nightbug, all within the shadowy veil.

Naturally — Reflare's figure remains unseen outside the darkness —

I manipulate the range of the Darkness Fog and shouted,

"Reflare! Now!"

"Yes! Light!"

Seizing the moment he steadies himself and turns toward me, the Light technique strikes.

A well-practiced attack, this Light.

The sudden, violent burst of light causes the Panther to freeze mid-motion, unable to endure the glare.

Just moments ago, he had been straining in the Darkness Fog, his pupils fully dilated, desperately trying to see me. That must have been devastating.

"Now! This is the final blow!"

The great sword swings down with such force it nearly severs the panther's head.

Just as it was about to cut the neck in half, the garden panther transformed into a single massive spirit stone.

In that instant, the thick mist that had filled the air dissipated, and the view returned to its normal three-layered clarity.

"Huff... huff... I did it... This is the first time I've ever defeated a garden panther."

"T-they were tough... Bringing a feline predator into a place full of mutants? That's cheating..."

It was like that giant ape, really.

Mutants are dexterous and skilled with weapons, but since their base form is human, their combat style closely resembles human-to-human fighting. In other words, training against other humans proved directly useful.

But what about fighting beasts? Even with just a weapon, my short blade or Grapeflue's slender sword wouldn't have dealt any damage at all.

Reflair's sword, which felled that monster with just two strikes, is truly a demon-slaying blade.

"So, that sword—is it really meant for hunting monsters?"

I asked, somewhat hesitantly, as Reflair caught her breath and collected the spirit stone.

"Yes, it is. My master was an explorer, and she said that if you're going into a dungeon, you must be able to handle a weapon like this."

"Was your master quite high-ranked?"

"Yes, she was the illustrious Canopus. Formerly a Salamander-class explorer."

"Ah, right—Salamander-class, I remember hearing that before."

To me, a lowly Bronze-level explorer—the lowest rank, Spiritus-level—it's like being on a completely different plane.

"He's someone I shouldn't even be asking for teachings, but..."

"There's a situation."

"For some reason, my master works in the cafeteria of the Great Cathedral of Light. When I was training with my sword alone, he apparently couldn't bear to watch, and started teaching me during his break time. Oh, by the way, my family's home is right next to the cathedral."

He continued, "This greatsword was also made for me through my master's connections."

"That's probably why Reflair survived for a year in the labyrinth—because he followed his master's teachings."

"My master used to say all the time: when exploring a labyrinth, you must carefully select your party members. Especially, always bring someone who can handle multiple spirits. I felt a bit uneasy since I’m no good at spirit magic… but Hikaru is truly amazing. The record of defeating a panther hasn’t been seen around here for a few months now."

"……They don’t show up very often, it seems."

　

I get why having someone who can manage multiple spirits makes a difference.

Spirit magic isn’t an instant kill technique. At least, my magic can’t do much more than support in battle. It’s still humans who deliver the final blow.

That means we inevitably need someone who can summon multiple spirits.

If it were a guaranteed killing move, using it just a few times at the right moment would be enough. But spirit magic isn’t like that.

"That’s why, Hikaru… it’s already been almost two weeks, but—please keep going—"

"Hey! Refleia! Thank goodness! You're alive!"

"Wah, we've been looking everywhere!"

Refleia was about to say something, but her words were cut off by the voices of Grapeflour and the tough-looking ones who had come searching for us.

I think the place where we were first attacked and the spot where we fought were only a few hundred meters apart, but they couldn't find us. Maybe this fog has the ability to scatter sound.

"Wait, hey, what happened to the Garden Panther?"

"We took it down together, Hikaru and me."

"No way! You can't be serious—how could just two people take down a Panther like that?!"

"There's no way I'd lie about something like this."

Refleia showed the massive spirit stone to the tough-looking one.

Not a chaotic spirit stone, but a water spirit stone—quite large, though not as big as that great ape's. It's probably second only to that one.

"Seriously... I'm sorry I doubted you... I had no idea Refreia-chan was this strong..."

"I've told you countless times—It's not me, it's Hikaru who's strong."

"That's true... You've done well, kid."

"Thank you."

Being looked at with warm eyes, I guess I've at least been acknowledged.

Probably still half-believing, since they haven't actually seen me fight. Still, good that they didn't get to see my techniques.

"S-So! What about Ash? Where is he!?"

"I'm sorry... The stone is right there, where he fell."

"I see..."

Ash was the explorer who got attacked by the panther first.

The grim-faced individual slowly heads off to collect the spirit stone and identification tag (tag). Not a transparent stone, but one colored—fire spirit stone. He must have been a renowned explorer once.

"Reflia, Grapeflour. Let's go."

"Yes, indeed."

"Let's go."

It's regrettable that the explorer's life was lost, but this place was always like this.

And if we keep doing this, one day we too might end up like them. Seeing explorers turned into silent spirit stones makes it impossible not to imagine that future.

(Though, counting today, there are only six days left.)

The viewer count suddenly jumped by 100 million after the Garden Panther attack.

A battle against a massive, beautiful predator.

Lives lost to the assault.

For viewers who wished for my death, this must have been an equally gripping turn of events in another way.

They're undoubtedly disappointed that I survived.

(After bringing Nanami back to life, I could die in peace.)

For some reason, I could honestly believe that.

Maybe because I'd grown too accustomed to a labyrinth filled with death.

Death had become familiar to my body.

I even felt that dying might bring relief.

Six more days.

Indeed, if the viewers think I might die, the audience will grow.

I have to almost die without actually dying.

That’s all I can do.

"Refréa, Grapefleur. I know today was dangerous... but there are only six days left. Just stay with me for those six days."

Grapeflour replied to my words with, "Since you were hired in the first place, I'd actually like you to stay hired much longer, nya," while Reflair simply smiled vaguely.

That day, I actively joined the offensive and hunted down nearly a hundred monsters.