Arrived at the castle located deepest within.

The fact that there was a castle meant that the first layer must have been a castle town, right? Although the only residents were bones and illegal immigrants.

It took only about twenty minutes to reach the castle. Since we spent almost no time fighting monsters, it was almost entirely travel time.

"So far, everyone just ran away. Even undead creatures."

Jeanne frowned, having only hunted monsters that fled instead of engaging in combat, despite her desire to fight.

"Isn't it because Jeanne is just too strong?"

"That can't be. She's only been here for a little over a month."

"Well, that's true, I guess."

Just by having received gifts from the gods, we already have a more privileged advantage in abilities compared to the people of this world, so we're undoubtedly relatively strong. But maybe the "strong" that Jeanne talks about doesn't mean that.

In fact, it's true that both I and Jeanne rely heavily on our divine gifts in battle.

The castle has a simple design, with two prominent towers, and the building itself seems to be about three stories high.

The entrance has no door, just an open gap welcoming intruders with open arms.

Still, there aren't any novice explorers with clubs or mourners from the town around here.

As soon as we entered, we encountered a monster.

"Is that a Bone Knight?"

"That's right! They say they're even more troublesome than ogres, so be careful!"

The Bone Knight standing in the hall just inside the castle has four arms, each wielding a sword, a short spear, an axe, and a shield.

Unlike the Skeleton Soldier, it is equipped with armor and a helmet, making it look extremely formidable.

It is also quite large—probably around two meters tall.

According to the guild's beginner guide, it's a monster that solo beginners shouldn't attempt to fight, but somehow, I have a feeling I'd lose even if I tried.

"It's perfect! I've been waiting for an opponent like this!"

Jeanne says, grinning eagerly as she fixes her gaze on the enemy, raising her weapons and advancing.

"The Bone Knight appears alone, you know. They say it can be defeated easily if we all attack together, but what should we do, huh?"

"No need to interfere! Just watch!"

It's unclear what determines whether a monster flees or stays when facing an outcast, but the Bone Knight did not run from Jeanne.

Perhaps stronger monsters don't flee at all. Or maybe, like in a game, there's a certain level difference threshold that forces them to retreat.

The Bone Knight, clanking as metal armor and bones scraped against each other, assumed a combat stance.

With a pale blue light flickering in its empty eye sockets, it charged at Jeanne, shield raised.

Its speed was unnatural for something made of bone.

Moving with a smooth grace, as if invisible muscles were at work, it swung its sword and thrust its spear.

Jeanne deflected each attack with her shield, waiting for the right moment to strike back.

(Jeanne's defense is solid. She fights without any risky moves.)

My usual style was all about surprise attacks—Refleya was always pushing forward, overwhelming the enemy with relentless offense until they had no chance to counter.

In that sense, Jeanne's method of breaking through by creating and exploiting openings in both offense and defense felt both traditional and refreshingly new to me.

With no spirit magic to rely on, it's truly a battle of pure strength.

After perhaps the fiftieth clash of blades, Jeanne's broadsword finally caught her opponent's neckbone. The Bone Knight transformed into a black spirit stone.

Jeanne remained unharmed. A complete shutout through direct, head-on strength.

"Phew. Managed to pull through."

"You looked calm about it."

"Not really. And besides, we can't afford to fight like this casually, can we? Not if we're serious about conquering the labyrinth."

Indeed, the faster the battle in the labyrinth, the better.

The chance of losing increases dramatically if you encounter another monster during combat.

And losing means death.

"So, how was it?"

"Yeah. Strong. But, you know, a fairly conventional kind of strength."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly as expected—power, speed, all as anticipated. It just has a lot of attacks, nothing more. But that's precisely why it's useful for training. The skeleton soldiers we fought earlier were too weak, but this one isn't bad."

"It doesn't run away either."

I don't know about monsters on the second floor and beyond, but goblins and orcs probably wouldn't just flee like normal. Those two are weak, and their strength isn't much different from that of skeleton soldiers.

If that's the case, then with two layers, the next opponent would be an ogre or a mantis.

"It's helpful that these practice monsters appear one at a time in such a wide area. I wonder why such a good spot is so empty."

"Probably because everyone's a职业 explorer—they wouldn't waste time in places that don't pay."

Actually, they're not really practice monsters at all, are they?

"Improving player skill is the most stable way to contribute... Well, whatever. Today, I'll spend the whole day training in combat against this one, building up my combat instincts. I don't have much combat experience to begin with."

"Got it."

After that, I went around the castle, defeating the bone knights that patrolled at regular intervals.

Jeanne's fighting style was solid and cautious—she protected herself with her shield, disrupted her opponent's stance with shield bashes, then struck with a single blow.

Compared to Refrea, whose attacks were flashy and aggressive, this approach felt unassuming, yet undeniably correct for an explorer.

Still, Jeanne's sheer strength made each attack heavy.

"Shield," "Spear," "Axe," "Sword"

With every strike, Jeanne's blade severed Bone Knight's arm, peeling off its gear.

Once its head was cut off, it would be over.

"Feels too easy, doesn't it? Should we head to the second floor?"

"No, not yet. Before descending to the lower levels, I want to be able to take this one down in a single blow."

"Ah, I see."

Humanoid monsters appeared fairly regularly.

The second floor was almost entirely populated by humanoid foes, and they also showed up on the third and fourth floors.

Jeanne probably wanted to test her combat feel against humanoids, having properly prepared at the guild.

Fighting continuously without much rest.

"……Alright. I've got a good grasp of this now. Cro, I'll be doing this repeatedly today. You can take a different route today, if you like? Just watching me must be boring. As long as Grefful-chan is on reconnaissance, we'll be fine."

"Then I'll head back to the second layer to regain my senses for a bit."

Watching Jeanne's relentless determination, I felt I had to push myself harder—or else I'd be holding her back.

She's got the barrier stone and Flue with her, so she should be safe.

I'll set a time for when I go out, then head to the second layer.

Without spreading the Darkness Fog, I ran, and sure enough, I could feel the monsters coming toward me. When I was with Jeanne, the monsters never approached, so the difference was clear.

"Darkness Fog"

Darting through the darkness, racing toward the stairs to the second layer.

(It's been ages.)

Now that I think about it, I've mostly been lurking alongside Reffrea, so fighting monsters on the second layer alone is quite a rare occurrence.

I'm not boasting, but if I were to die recklessly down here all alone, it wouldn't even make a good story.

Better proceed with caution.