Chapter 135: Two Girls in Dungeon

What Emiya and the others had collected was this kind of special fruit. It looked like a persimmon, tasted like a persimmon, but its sweetness resembled that of high-grade grapes.

On the surface, this fruit was an extremely expensive luxury item.

He handed the fruits out to everyone. Anya excitedly received hers, took a bite, and sweet juice immediately filled her mouth. Her eyes instantly narrowed into slits.

"Mmm~ so happy, this fruit is really so tasty nya!"

Anya said intoxicatedly, "No wonder so many adventurers like to explore the Large Tree Labyrinth, the forest here is indeed a treasure. By comparison, caves with only monsters are really too barren nya~"

"Speaking of which, Shirou," Lunoire spoke casually while eating bread and smoked meat, "How have things been going lately with that useless elf?"

As soon as she said that, everyone's gaze instantly focused on Emiya, especially Haruhime who was sitting next to him, her tail was practically wrapping around the boy's wrist.

Emiya thought seriously and answered in a particularly calm tone, "Actually, it's not that different from before."

After that day, the relationship between Emiya and Ryuu had made a little progress.

In fact, this kind of trend had already existed long ago. Emiya wasn't completely insensitive to feelings, he had always been well aware of the elven girl's intentions.

It was just that on one hand, he was still young. Even though, under the grace of the gods, his height had already surpassed 175 centimeters, he was ultimately still not yet fifteen years old.

On the other hand, Emiya also realized that his bonds with others were not limited to just Ryuu alone, which made his heart inevitably a bit confused.

But now, with the help of the goddess Hephaestus, he had finally gained "resolve."

However, his daily interactions with Ryuu hadn't changed much. It was just that after that day, Ryuu blushed noticeably more often, and her expression when facing Emiya also became more shy and bashful.

Lunoire leaned in beside Lefiya and whispered, "Nowadays, when Ryuu sees Shirou getting up early and leaving, she secretly gives him a goodbye kiss, then immediately runs back to her room with a red face and buries herself in the blanket, all shy and flustered."

"Yah~", Hearing Lunoire's description, Lefiya's face instantly turned red. She covered her face, showing a look of both embarrassment and excitement.

However, after a moment, Lefiya's expression became a bit complicated. She softly asked, "Um, Mr. Emiya, what about Alicia-senpai…"

Facing Lefiya's concerns, Emiya's expression didn't change, "I will take responsibility."

''''Scumbag…''''

The girls thought silently in their hearts.

They could only say, fortunately Emiya was their creditor, which made it hard for them to criticize him directly.

Among them, the one who accepted it most calmly was instead Haruhime, who had always aspired to become a "concubine."

She tilted her head, her tail lightly tapping the ground, then muttered softly, "Two wives… wouldn't that be… double the happiness? Mmm…"

Looking at the little fox smiling foolishly, even though they didn't know what she was thinking, it was definitely something improper. The girls sighed helplessly, 'Lewd fox is beyond saving.'

Emiya asked the only other newcomer in the party besides Haruhime, "Mikoto, how's your condition? How are your stats?"

Though these were rather private adventurer details, Mikoto answered seriously at once, "Yes, thanks to everyone's help recently, my stats have improved rapidly. Especially Dexterity, under Lord Emiya and Lord Takemikazuchi's guidance, it has finally reached B-rank!"

Mikoto had become an adventurer around the same time as Emiya, but she received Falna even earlier, about eight or nine months ago. Now, her stats were: Strength D, Endurance C, Dexterity B, Agility D, Magic I0.

She had made such progress mainly because of the last expedition and the subsequent training with the Lv.4s like Lunoire.

These experiences allowed Mikoto's stats to grow quickly. Within a week, her abilities had increased by dozens of points across the board.

Lunoire: "That's an amazing growth rate. At this pace, Mikoto might even surpass [Sword Princess]'s record."

Emiya had jumped from Lv.1 to Lv.3 in just six months, but his case was very special.

By comparison, though Mikoto's growth wasn't as astonishing as Emiya's, it still far surpassed the majority of adventurers, she could be called a peerless genius.

Lunoire looked at Mikoto, "If Mikoto adventures with us more in this area, and participates in enough battles, she'll probably gather enough feats very soon."

Even if not a main force, as a Lv.1 participating in at least Lv.3-level adventures, gaining feats was only a matter of time.

Especially since Mikoto had mastered some unique techniques, such as her shuriken throwing skills, which allowed her to play a key role even in high-level battles.

Emiya nodded: "Once your feats meet the threshold, I can help you with special training, at the very least, boost your Endurance and Dexterity to A-rank."

Endurance and Dexterity were the easiest to improve during fights against high-level adventurers.

Hearing this, Mikoto gratefully pressed her hands together and bowed respectfully, "Thank you so much, Lord Emiya! I will give it my all!"

Emiya: "No need to be so formal, Mikoto. We're a team, it's natural to help each other. Your skills have helped us a lot, too."

Mikoto immediately felt that letting her join Emiya's party was the best decision the Takemikazuchi Familia had ever made.

Emiya then looked at everyone and said, "Alright, after finishing the meal, drink some water and rest for a bit. Then we'll set off right away. Let's try to return to the 18th floor before the end of today."

Just then, Mikoto suddenly spoke up in warning, "There's a monster approaching nearby, it's a flying type. Possibly a 'Deadly Hornet'!"

Upon hearing this, Emiya immediately turned to Chloe, "Chloe, I'll leave it to you."

"Understood. I'll track it until I find the hive," Chloe nimbly slipped out of the tree hollow. As a former assassin, her movements were swift and silent. In the blink of an eye, she had disappeared from everyone's sight.

Shortly after, she returned with the hive's exact location.

The Bloody Hive was a rare trap-type monster that coexisted with the Deadly Hornets. It was seven meters long, shaped like a pinecone, and colored black-purple.

They usually resided in caves where the Deadly Hornets could move freely. But when adventurers passed by, these monsters would suddenly leap out from the walls and use their red-yellow fluid to immobilize enemies, then rapidly release large numbers of Deadly Hornets to launch a full attack.

The Guild regarded it as one of the most troublesome monsters in the area, some even compared it to a floor boss.

However, the Bloody Hive had a clear weakness: its danger mainly lay in its stealth attacks, making it extremely vulnerable to detection magic and skills.

Moreover, both the Bloody Hive and Deadly Hornets had an overwhelming natural enemy, the Firebird.

In game terms, the fire-flying attribute completely countered poisonous insects.

Emiya gripped [Purple Iris], a sword forged from materials dropped by the recently defeated Flame Firebird.

The Flame Firebird's strength was at high-tier Lv.4, almost approaching Lv.5 enhanced species. Its dropped feathers were used to create [Purple Iris], which was wreathed in purple flames, glowing like a real bird reborn in fire.

Lefiya stood beside Emiya and activated her weapon magic [Wind's Protection]. The power of wind surged through the air, channeling the fire's might into the hive.

Deadly Hornets were naturally weak to fire, while the Bloody Hive had some fire resistance.

Under normal circumstances, the Deadly Hornets could hide inside the hive to resist the flames, but now, against purple flames enhanced by Firebird feathers, their refuge meant nothing.

The fire quickly spread inside the hive. The purple flames seemed alive, riding the wind, leaping wildly, burning, turning the whole cave into a scorching furnace.

The Deadly Hornets let out intense buzzing, trying to escape the hive, but as soon as they lifted off, they were devoured by blazing fire, their bodies twisting into charcoal.

The hive itself was quickly ignited, its black-purple surface burning under high heat, beginning to collapse inward.

Lunoire softly sighed: "Hey, stupid cat, do you still remember how the Guild encyclopedia described this monster, the Bloody Hive?"

Chloe: "Of course I remember meow. Though its level isn't high, it's a super annoying monster… Hey! I'm not a stupid cat!"

Lunoire: "But seeing it get taken down so easily, it's kind of disillusioning."

The dungeon wasn't a video game. There was no fixed rule that Lv.4 monsters were always tougher than Lv.3s.

Most of the time, the most important things when dealing with monsters weren't raw stats, but intel, compatibility, and proper preparation.

Like with the Firebird, even a Lv.1 warrior would find it tricky from afar, but a Lv.2 archer could deal a fatal blow.

"That's why Shirou's power is too absurd, the more you understand it, the scarier it feels."

Lunoire sighed.

On the other side, Emiya turned to Lefiya, "This [Purple Iris] is a piece of equipment similar in nature to [Wind's Protection], but it's tier-one gear, so the price isn't too high, only about 180 million valis."

He asked: "Should I set one aside for you?"

Lefiya's eyes widened, her mouth opened, but in the end, she couldn't say a word.

The girl already seemed to glimpse her future as an "equipment slave."

After collecting the Deadly Hornets' magic stones and drops, as well as the most important honey from the Bloody Hive, Emiya and the others set out to return to the 18th floor.

And in the safe zone of Rivira, just as they were preparing to find an inn to rest, they unexpectedly ran into some familiar faces.

"Filvis-senpai? And Aura-senpai?", Lefiya cried out in surprise.

They were two elf women, one had black hair and red eyes, a cold expression, and was a magic swordswoman.

Leader of the Dionysus Familia, [White Witch] Filvis Challia.

Standing opposite her was the vice-captain of the Dionysus Familia, [Grape Chalice] Aura Moliel.

Aura's appearance was even more exquisite than Filvis's. Her snow-white hair flowed behind her, and her deep violet eyes shone with mysterious light under the sun.

Lefiya had originally wanted to greet her fellow elven seniors, but as she approached, she realized, they were arguing.

Many adventurers stood watching nearby, but not a single one dared come close.

"I really, really don't understand… why the god would choose to trust you. Clearly they… all because of you…", Tears slid down Aura's cheeks.

Faced with such accusations, Filvis remained silent. Her eyes showed no emotional fluctuation, like a deep lake, only rippling slightly.

Aura bit her lip. In the end, she couldn't bear it anymore and ran off.

Filvis reached out her hand, wanting to stop Aura, but halfway there, she hesitated and stopped. Finally, she slowly lowered her hand, watching Aura's retreating back, a trace of loneliness flashing in her eyes.

Emiya stood to the side watching it all, sighed lightly, and then followed after her.

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