The next day, we left home early in the morning and headed toward the dungeon.

Just knowing that several transferees had arrived in this town made me feel uneasy.

But once we entered the dungeon, we'd be safe.

Those who had just arrived wouldn't be able to go below the third floor.

We stopped by the guild, hired Grapeflour as usual, and then entered the dungeon.

There was a chance that Origami-san or Ferdinand and the others might be on the first floor, but it seemed they hadn't arrived yet.

"Not here. The duo with the mask and the blonde hair is easy to spot—when we see them, we'll run."

Jeanne said as we walked.

We'd already drawn a picture to explain it, and it was indeed easy to recognize. Plus, transferees often had distinctive gear, making them even easier to identify.

"Even though Jeanne has never met those people, isn't it strange she'd run off so quickly?"

"Leah. You don't understand me at all. Do you really think I can talk to some elitist law student wannabe? I'd end up suffering from inferiority complex symptoms for two or three days after."

"No... I don't even know what exactly a Bengoshi is."

"Anyway, it's just an elitist. I'm just a girl who works part-time and plays games. I'm not good with elites. But that masked man... he's intriguing. I'd love to see what kind of mask he's wearing in person."

I'm not sure if it's something to be proud of—but I get it.

I don't have a strong aversion to elites, but I'm not exactly comfortable with them either. Ferdinand seemed like the kind who walks around radiating confidence—like his confidence is practically wearing clothes. I'm not good with that kind of person either.

Even while talking, we can easily get past the second layer.

We'll clear several battles to reach the third layer, then move on to the fourth.

"Alright. Starting today, we're tackling the Lamiya Belt. Everyone, bring your A-game."

"Nervous meow. Since this is my first time in the Lamiya Belt, I won't be much help, but I'll learn from you, meow."

"Yeah. I'll protect Flue, so don't worry, Crow."

"Got it."

In combat, I'll handle overall coordination.

Refrea will be the attacker, and Jeanne the tank. Both need to stay focused on the enemies right in front of them.

As the skirmisher, I'll have to make sure I don't leave Flue behind alone.

In that sense, our party is short on members.

If we can trust someone, we should probably consider strengthening the party. Six people is standard, and four is clearly too few.

"That's right. Once we've defeated Scylla, we plan to leave town and head to Gran Alismaris. We'd like you to come too, Flora-chan."

"Nyanyu!? Gran Alismaris!?"

Jeanne suddenly proposes to Grape Flora.

Although Grape Flora was effectively employed like a personal attendant, she was still officially just one of the Links scouts affiliated with the mutual aid society.

Jeanne had thought she should inform her before leaving town, but apparently she just intended to take her along normally.

Even if we had been teaming up for a party, our positions are fundamentally different—there's no way she could drag us into a journey across another continent. Yet Jeanne doesn't seem particularly considerate of such nuances.

Of course, it ultimately depends on her, but...

"S-so, so troublesome... I can't just leave the Mutual Aid Guild yet..."

"Why not?"

"The Mutual Aid Guild's Links is in a position where they help arrange work. To leave, I must earn enough money on my own to make a contract with the Great Spirit. Only after making that contract and becoming a fully independent member can I truly graduate."

"Then just make the contract!"

"I haven't saved enough yet."

I remember Links saying earlier that a gold coin is required to make a spirit contract, from what I heard from Flue.

A gold coin is a fortune. It's quite difficult for someone earning only a few silver coins per day to save up that much.

Still, we've been quietly giving out quite a bit. Even if we can't manage a full gold coin, it does seem like we've accumulated a decent amount already...

"Hmm. I'll cover the cost of one gold coin. Right, Cro? It's no big deal, is it?"

"Nyanyanya... Thank you very much, but taking money like that is strictly forbidden. If I accept it, I'll never be able to show my face at the mutual aid society again... nyaa..."

"This is getting complicated."

"The money used for spirit contracts can only be drawn from funds deposited with the mutual aid society... I did have some savings of my own, but I spent part of it treating junior members during the dungeon lockdown... nyaa..."

After the dungeon was sealed following the defeat of the demon lord, the Links seemed utterly drained.

Flue, who had earned more than usual, must have felt sorry for them... I even brought some fish as a gift, but I think the mutual aid society should contribute more during times like these.

To Links, it's undoubtedly a helpful organization—providing shelter and uniformly arranging jobs—but it also seems overly eager to keep people contained.

"How much longer until we can form a spirit contract?"

"I can't say for sure without checking, but probably another 25 silver coins or so..."

"Looks like it'll take a while longer..."

"Still, since Hikaru-shan and the others are hiring me, it's quite a bit faster. I'm even being taken to the fourth layer, and if things keep going like this, I might graduate in about half a year."

Going to the fourth layer with Links increases the cost dramatically compared to the third layer. Indeed, if I keep hiring Flue at the fourth layer like this, I could become free within half a year.

Normally, Links who stay only at the third layer can't save enough money to become free. Only those who become scouts below the fourth layer—and survive—can accumulate funds.

And she's already taking matters into her own hands.

"I appreciate the offer, but I can't go with Minya-san just yet."

Flue lowered her ears, looking apologetic, but in the end, she said it firmly.

Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that.

◇◆◆◆◇

Arriving at the fourth layer, we headed straight for the hall where the lamia was known to appear, taking the shortest route.

If the goal were simply to "earn money," we'd choose a path that made combat easier, but since our destination was set, that wasn't the case.

"The fourth layer really is a pain, isn't it... The flooring's unstable, the monsters are strong, and I've heard only a handful of adventurers have ever hunted lamias in the lamia plaza. Everyone just skips both the lamia and the scylla to head straight for the fifth layer."

"Huh. That's a common story in dungeons. But I prefer to fully experience everything before moving on. Of course, I'll defeat both the lamia and the scylla. If they're fun opponents, I might even keep them on repeat."

"You're really something, Jeanne-san..."

Reflair looked slightly stunned at Jeanne's unashamed declaration that combat itself was her goal.

But she's determined to conquer the labyrinth. It's certainly impossible without that. Strength is the top priority.

"There's a lizardman ahead, one of them."

"One? Then I'll take it. Fighting that creature will be good training."

"Understood. Be careful."

Jeanne occasionally engages in combat training against monsters from the fourth layer like this.

Though the lizardman is a monster powerful enough to surpass even a mantis, Jeanne can defeat it without a single scratch.

Still, few adventurers would eagerly seek out fights with lizardmen.

That's just her style—gaining combat experience and steadily becoming stronger through battle.

Both I and Refrea prefer combat styles that aim to decisively end fights with minimal attacks, so we haven't gained much experience in enduring enemy attacks.

Our approach has many advantages, especially "shortening battle duration" and "reducing the risk of injury." These two factors are absolutely essential for continuing as a profession, so it's natural we prioritize them. Still, the fact remains that we've only ever engaged in one-sided battles.

From the perspective of an explorer, Jeanne's method is, in a way, unconventional and overly focused on personal enjoyment—but, meaningfully, training to withstand direct attacks and win through sheer endurance is still necessary when building resilience as a tank.

Both I and Refrea are the type who immediately show weakness once the opponent takes control of the pace.

Perhaps it might seem like we're ignoring our weaknesses, knowing full well what they are.

"...We should probably train more on offense and defense. We need to get better at it."

"That's right. If we're going to move forward from here, we'll need to be able to handle all kinds of situations. I'm weak on defense, and I need to learn more ways to fight."

Whether we're leaving this town or not, we'll have to grow stronger if we're to survive.

We need to become stronger, both physically and mentally.

So we won't be swayed by the Second Wave.

"Ah, it's over."

Jeanne dodged the Lizardman's overhead slash and countered with a horizontal sweep, severing its head.

The Great Flame Steel Sword easily cut through the tough scales protecting the lizardman's skin. Though its weight made it nearly impossible to swing properly without precise body control, Jeanne had repeatedly adjusted her technique with each battle and now wielded it as skillfully as she did her original sword.

"There aren't many warriors in this town who can defeat a lizardman one-on-one without using spirit magic. I can't afford to fall behind..."

"Same here. I promised to accompany you through the labyrinth, so I definitely have to keep up."

"I feel the same. I'm following Hikaru no matter what."

We reaffirmed our resolve.

A party isn't effective just because one member is strong.

We all need to become stronger.

◇◆◆◆◇

The labyrinth of roaring waterfalls.

The ground is slippery, and the torchlight flickers and often goes out from the spray, making the illumination unstable.

Moving carefully through the fourth layer, avoiding sudden attacks from Sahagins and hiding from slimes lurking in the rocks, we finally reached the vicinity of the room known as the Lamia Belt.