Hey, Tiera. You dont look too well, is everything alright?

Im fine, I just had some trouble sleeping.

The next morning, Shin and Tiera bumped into each other as they left their respective rooms, and Shin inquired about Tiera, who looked less lively than usual.

Her answer also felt less energetic than normal.

Shin thought she might have been sick, but Kagerou, ever present at Tieras feet, did not seem to be worried.

Analyze would not display small changes in ones condition, but, if Tiera had been pushing herself, Kagerou would have reacted in some way, so Shin chose not to pursue the matter any further.

Tiera headed to the bathroom before breakfast. When she came back, she looked the same as always.

Andyoure here in the morning too.

Pii!

Shins eyes were pointed at the fluffy, red ball of feathers, baby Kagutsuchi, as he spoke. Roasted fish just out of the oven lay on the plate before the bird.

As Shin and the others started eating, baby Kagutsuchi started pecking away at the fish too.

The fish was much more than baby Kagutsuchis size seemed to allow, but baby Kagutsuchi ate until the fishbones had been picked clean.

Baby Kagutsuchi gave a small cry while patting its stomach, which had become rounder than before.

Truly a delicacy, he says.

Mitsuyo translated Kagutsuchis cry while she was eating in a slower, more polite manner.

Kuu, ball of feathers, acting so high and mighty.

PYO!?

Maybe because she didnt appreciate Kagutsuchis attitude, fox-mode Yuzuha tried to push down its head with her paws.

Surprised, Kagutsuchi dodged the sudden attack at the last second and raised its small wings to intimidate the opponent.

Pii!

Kuu!

A bizarre battle had broken out in the middle of the table.

What are those two doing?

Who knows? Playing with each other as entities related to the Ley lines?

Watching the fight out of the corner of their eyes, the group continued eating their meal.

The bout between Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha was concluded with a lightning bolt from Schnee.

By the way, Mitsuyo, are you Kagutsuchis caretaker?

Id love to say no, but yes, I pretty much am. In theory, its a task that rotates between Munechika, Tsunetsugu, and me. But rather than that, thats a rather familiar way of addressing me, without honorifics or anything. It is true that we requested for your help, but its quite irritating to be treated as inferior.

AhIm sorry. A long time ago, when I was discussing battle strategies with my comrades, we called you without honorifics, so

Having been programmed with the movements of martial arts masters, the Five Supreme Blades were not opponents beginners or players with just some experience could hope to handle. But as they were ultimately programs, even their refined movements contained patterns.

At the time, Shin studied these movements and snatched victory by a hair. As they had met and fought many times, he ended up talking to her with familiarity.

You look younger than the other two, so maybe he felt closer to you?

Hey, Filma!

Shin reprimanded Filma because Mitsuyo seemed to be sensitive about her appearance. But Mitsuyo herself did not seem to care much.

..well, thats fine. I remembered you after all, so Ill let you call me as you like. Ill address you the same way though. Thats fine, right?

Yeah. call me what you want.

By the way, there was something I wanted to confirm, may I?

Hm? Whats that?

What you did to Munechika yesterday, can you do it to other Supreme Blades too?

Mitsuya probably referred to Shins reinforcing of the Mikazuki Munechikahe possessed.

I can do the reinforcement itself. But in regards to Juzumaru Tsunetsugu, I acquired it in a slightly different way, so I dont know if the consciousness transfer can be done.

I see. If you can, then its alright.

Mitsuyo did not add anything after that. Lend me your reinforced Oodenta Mitsuyo, or I will be coming with youShin was expecting a development like this, so he was a little taken aback.

After breakfast, Shin and his group headed to the shrine. At the entrance, Munechika and Tsunetsugu were already waiting.

Sorry, did we make you wait?

No, we just arrived as well. Then lets enter the dungeon immediately. I shall show you to the entrance. Follow me.

The group followed Munechika inside the shrine.

When they arrived in front of the crystallized Kagutsuchi, Munechika turned around.

We will be transported to the dungeon from here. Are you ready?

No problem. Anytime you want.

Shin nodded firmly to Munechikas final confirmation.

As they had little information about the dungeon, they could not prepare for specific situations. Shins item box, however, included enough supplies to handle any kind of situation.

Concerning recovery items, each members item box had been provided with a sufficient quantity.

Tiera couldnt use the item box, so she carried items in card form in a pouch at her waist.

Im counting on you.

Pii!!

Kagutsuchi wishes you fortune in battle too. Come back in one piece, you hear.

Munechika replied in a clear, powerful tone to Tsunetsugu and Mitsuyo, who would stay in the shrine to protect it, and baby Kagutsuchi, who couldnt fight for itself.

Leave it to me.

Her answer did not contain the slightest hint of worry.

Kuu.

Im sorry Yuzuha. Youre the only one that can help with Ley lines right now.

Because of Shins groups entrance into the dungeon, the miasma that had swallowed Dojigiri Yasutsuna could have had unfathomable effects on the Ley lines inside the dungeon.

Because of that Yuzuha, who, like Kagutsuchi was capable of influencing Ley lines, would stay outside.

Influencing Ley lines was also possible inside the dungeon, but rather than inside a warped dungeon, staying in Kagutsuchis shrine would allow them to influence the Ley lines from a safe location.

Shin promised the unhappy Yuzuha to brush her after coming back, then walked towards Munechika.

I shall start the transfer then.

As Munechikas spoke, the scenery before Shin and his group blurred.

Compared to teleportation using the crystal stone or the one at Bayreuth, the transfer was completed after a slight feeling of intoxication.

Its hot.

The instant after they transferred, a sauna-like heat attacked the party. Sweat would start trickling even without doing anything in particular.

For a dungeon located in a natural cave, its insides were extremely wide. 2 parties could be formed within it without problems.

Thanks to the wide space, it was not necessary to pay special care to the fumes of hot steam spouting from the walls, boulders, and ceiling.

Because of the white steam generated in the already humid cave, the temperature was very high. The steam could also come from the floor too, so they had to proceed with care.

Shin was protected by powerful gear, but he didnt feel like trying to see what would happen if he was hit.

Uuh, I feel sick

Different from Shin, who was disconcerted by the heat and humidity, Tiera was holding her hands over her mouth, unsteady on her feet.

Shin had just felt a slight disorientation from the transfer, but the effects appeared to have been greater on Tiera. The sweat on her forehead was not just from the heat.

Next to Tiera, Kagerou was crying out, worried.

Schnee cast Heal on the pale Tiera and gently rubbed her back.

I too felt a kind of intoxication. Lets take a small break, just in case. Tiera, are you alright?

Yes, I feel much better already.

Her complexion seemed to look a bit better, perhaps because of Schnees Heal.

After generating a barrier skill to guarantee their safety, all party members took a relaxed posture.

We didnt feel like that when we used the crystal stone. Munechika, do you know what the reason could be?

I dont know for sure, but it could be the miasma. Even a weapon like me felt a little uneasy. I imagine that human types like you are more heavily affected.

Everyone thought that the cause could be the miasma, but no one knew why Tiera was the only one to show such a strong negative response.

For 15 minutes they talked while waiting for Tiera to recover.

Tiera announced that she felt better, and Schnee also confirmed that she had recovered enough, so the group resumed the exploration of the dungeon.

Fujis secret dungeon was officially named Depths of Hellfire.

According to Munechika, as the name suggests many fire-elemental monsters dwell in it; without resistance to fire, just being inside the dungeon would gradually sap ones energy.

We could cut off the heat with a barrier, but moving will be troublesome.

Dungeons where simply walking makes your HP decrease are truly harsh.

As Shins experience told him, item usage increased and in some cases, MP management became more difficult too. There were possible countermeasures, but if one wasnt of high enough level struggling was inevitable.

We dont know what could happen, better be fully ready.

Shin took 7 cards out of the item box. They were all the same: when materialized, a bracelet adorned with red gems appeared. It was the Enra Bracelet, an accessory that nullified fire-elemental damage.

To think that it would affect even me.

Youre in human form, so I suppose the item identifies you as human too?

Shin answered to the surprised Munechika. It was possible to apply external options to weapons, so that might be the reason why this was possible.

Its fantastic that not only it stops damage, but blocks the heat too. If our hands slipped because of the sweat it would be a problem.

Filma spoke while lightly wielding her sword. In the game, sweat wouldnt weaken the weapons grip, but now that was a factor to think about.

But isnt it a bit of shame for you, Shin?

What is?

Filma seemed to have come up with something and whispered it into Shins ear.

If the heat continued, the sweat would have made Schnees clothes see-throughright?

Thats ridic.wait, they dont work like that, probably.

In the game, armor would not get ripped or broken even if drenched or attacked. But things were different now.

Schnee was now wearing Ancient-grade gear hand-made by Shin, the Moonlight Silver Maid Uniform. Whether it would become see-through or not was unknown, but it wouldnt be strange if it stuck to her skin and accentuated her curves.

Anyway, jokes at a time like this?

This much wouldnt shake you, would it Shin? Besides it helped you relax, right?

Even if I had been nervous, I dont think this would have helped.

Filma, dont trouble Shin too much.

Maybe tired of the exchange, Shibaid lightly rebuked Filma.

Even while joking, neither Shin nor Filma neglected to be wary of their surroundings.

Youre surprisingly relaxed even in this situation. No, I suppose its normal for Shins party to be like this.

Having a sense of tension is important, though. We just entered into the dungeon. If we were tense all the time, we wouldnt last until the end.

After the start of the Death Game, Shin explored dungeons alone most of the time.

Compared to that, having Schnee and the others with him made the current situation much easier to handle. At the very least, he felt relaxed enough to roll his eyes at Filmas jokes.

Okay then, looks like we have to welcome our first guest soon.

Shin detected an enemy presence and announced it to Munechika and the others. The simple map displayed 5 red markers.

Parts of the caves walls and ceiling were red hot, so illumination was guaranteed to a degree, but they could not at all say that there was enough visibility.

Shin used a magic skill for lighting and prepared to confront the enemy.

As expected, theyre fire-elemental.

Appearing before Shins party was a group of large monsters and smaller ones.

The first type were 2 roughly 4-mel tall golems which looked like they had been made with the caves boulders, named Sledge Heat. The second, 3 large spiders about 1-mel large, with hair like flames, were called Molten Spider.

The Sledge Heats were walking closer, shaking the ground with their steps. Above them, the Molten Spiders were looking down at Shins group while crawling on the ceiling.

The Sledge Heats levels were 434 and 422, the Molten Spiders 369, 366 and 361.

A small test to start with I guess. Lets do it!

Following Shins call, Shibaid, Filma, and Munechika stepped forward.

The all-rounders Shin and Schnee could have gone forward too, but the frontlines would have become too crowded, so this time they stayed with Tiera in the rear guard, which lacked numbers. Kagerou was Tieras exclusive protector.

Were going to suppress them first. Shibaid, everyone, take care of any monster that sneaks through!

After giving his commands, Shin used the water-type magic skill Ice Bullet.

The magic skill caused several ice shards the size of a fist to appear around Shin and Schnee.

Using the shards, floating thanks to their emissions of cold air, Shin aimed at the Heat Sledges, while Schnee sniped the Molten Spiders.

The shards, flying at a speed exceeding Tieras arrows, pelted the Heat Sledges and Molten Spiders like bullets from a machine gun.

Their offensive power was too high for the monsters: the Sledge Heats broke down in pieces, while the Molten Spiders retained little of their original form.

.listen, you two. If you dont hold back a little, we wont have anything to do here.

No wait, they were too frail, seriously. I thought that monsters in a secret dungeon would have a bit more backbone.

Well, I guess this is the obvious result though.

Masters and Shins magic power is so high that the monsters became nothing but shooting targets. Normally Ice Bullet doesnt have this kind of power either

Tiera put away the arrows she had prepared and commented while looking at the frozen and shattered monsters.

Once squeezed, the fragments broke down in small crystals. They were completely frozen and became brittle too.

Anyway, did it have the effect of freezing the opponent?

It should have, at least a little. High magic power can amplify added effects. Depending on the opponent, wouldnt it be the same even if Filma or I had shot them?

Shin and Schnees stats are high all around, after all. As we just saw very clearly.

Shibaid suggested an answer to Tieras doubts about the magics power.

In the end, that result had been caused by the difference in stats with the opponents. Golems like the Sledge Heats have low resistance to magic. The Molten Spiders were just completely inferior opponents for Shin and Schnee.

Inversely, it would have been absurd if a clean hit from Shin and Schnee didnt kill them on the spot.

How very reliable.

Witnessing the group proceeding while instantly sweeping away any monster they came across, Munechika laughed wryly.

Maybe because the rule of weaker monsters appear in the beginning of the dungeon remained, all monsters appearing were under level 500.

Monsters of that level would fall after one hit of Shin and Schnees magic.

Rarely, some monsters would escape their magic attacks, albeit never unscathed: they would then fall prey to Tieras arrows.

I dont even feel like Im fighting, but my level keeps going up

Theyre all low-level units for us after all. By the way, how are your stats?

Shin inquired to the surprised Tiera.

Schnee and Filma had already reached the upper limit and their levels wouldnt increase anymore.

But Tiera was different. Leveling up increased her stats further.

Her parameters values did not increase greatly, but she was undoubtedly growing stronger.

Hmm, when I absorbed that light I told you that each parameter grew by about 200, right? Since then, I grew 11 levels, my statusdecks? (DEX) andants? (INT) grew by about 40, the rest by about 20. I also learned some skills. But is it normal to learn them so easily?

In the mysterious place where Shins party reunited with Filma, Schnee and everyone else received a stat increase. On the other hand, only Tiera can level up.

Seriously? Your growth rate increased too. Your skills as well.

Apart from the boost granted by the resurrection bonus, level up boosts were not as big as players believed. The increases Tiera reported, however, were much larger than what Shin knew.

In addition, Tiera had received the largest among the boosts granted by the light all members had absorbed.

Thats true. I wonder if we have been influenced somehow as well.

Schnee and the others cant level up anymore after all. Its not a bad effect though, so isnt it fine like this? To become stronger at a faster rate than normal is a good thing, I think.

Shin did not absorb the light, but he felt that Tieras absorption of one of the lights, despite her not being one of his support characters, must have had some meaning.

The world was infested with powerful monsters. There was nothing to lose in becoming stronger.

Well, becoming stronger is a good thing, of course. Its just a little scary that we dont know what that was. I know it sounds ungrateful since Im enjoying the bonuses that light granted me.

Hmm, judging from your words, havent you simply received the Ley lines blessing?

Munechika, who had been silent until now, suddenly voiced her opinion.

The Ley lines blessing?

Yes. Their size may vary, but Ley lines are spread throughout most of the world. People, monsters, plants, animals, all sorts of creaturestheir magic power and things like fragments of their consciousness seep into those Ley lines. Maybe because of this, the so-called heroes or saviors of each species sometimes are granted boons by the Ley lines. We call that Blessing of the Ley lines.

Who knew something like that existedbut looking at Schnee and Shibaid, I can see that.

Shin was surprised to learn something completely new to him. But he could agree with part of the explanation.

I can see why too, related to master and the others, who are in a High Humans service. I dont understand why I would be blessed, though.

I do not know that either. As Kagutsuchi said, blessings are not given only following peoples will. Tiera, your species is Elf, thus animals and plants will might be related as well. It is not something bad. It is a precious blessing, it will not hurt you to accept it.

I understand. But in that case, Id think Shin would have been blessed too.

In my case, being someone from the distant past, maybe I was grouped together with the other players?

Shin knew that High Humans were partly treated as a myth, so the thought that he hadnt been treated as an individual, or was outside the circle eligible for blessings. The definition of blessing was ambiguous too, so he decided not to think too deeply about it.

OK, looks like we cant take it easy anymore.

Shin spoke looking forward, as to signal the end of the conversation. Tiera followed him, raised her head, then, dumbfounded, whispered.

What isthat?

Before Tieras eyes flowed a stream of lava. The cave was wider still, so a path was present, but an even fiercer heat awaited Tiera and the party.

If Shin hadnt given us those braceletsI get cold sweats just thinking about it.

Without fire resistance, just going closer to this would kill you.

Tiera swallowed her breath, and Shin agreed with her statement. In the game era HP would just decrease at fixed intervals, something that seemed an extremely small obstacle now.

Around Shin and the group the temperature was kept at the level that would make one sweat a bit after doing some exercise.

Though, that was all due to the Enra Bracelet. The temperature reached by hot steam was nothing compared to lava.

Shin knew well that they were proceeding at a distance that, in reality, would be prohibitive without heat-resisting clothing.

Once again, Shin felt how incredible items were.

By the way, what would happen if we fell into the lava?

The doubt suddenly surfaced in Shins mind. In the game, status permitting, it was possible to dive in poisonous swamps or lava pools, something absolutely impossible in reality.

If we equipped gear protecting the whole body, we could move freely until the endurance points last, I think.

Wait a second, dont tell me that someone tried it?

Shin had just mumbled his doubt, but Schnee heard and replied about what would happen. Hearing the answer, Shin couldnt help but being surprised at the recklessness of whoever provided this piece of information.

That person was wearing full-body Legend-grade armor. Maybe because of the magic power, no lava penetrated inside the armor, apparently. It started melting after 30 minutes or so though.

Was that person alright?

It was a Chosen One with high defensive power, if I recall correctly. In your case, Shin, youll be OK even if it touches your skin, I think. After all, you have higher defense than a dragon with its scales.

Even if I know that itd be OK, I definitely dont want to try it.

Shin shook his head firmly: touching lava with his bare hands was something he would never want to do.

At the same time, he thought that he was well beyond human limits. It wasnt just a matter of high defense.

Does that mean that Chosen Ones like us wouldnt be cut even if sliced by a blade?

Shin asked the question to Schnee as they were crossing the lava stream.

Ever since coming into that world, Shin hadnt received any real damage. Even when he faced Girard, an attack pierced his armor and caused damage, but he hadnt sustained any actual wounds.

It depends, but generally thats correct. Even if a blade is pressed against the skin, people of our level wouldnt be injured by a normal blade. It wouldnt even cut a little. If we did so with the intent of cutting, we would be able to, though.

Oh, so thats why the needle pierced when I made the guild card.

Shin remembered when he bled in order to create his guild card. If his high defensive power prevented him from being injured, a powerful weapon would be needed to make him spill blood.

Well, lets continue this conversation later. Looks like theres a monster inside the lava.

Shin detected a presence while walking over the lava and directed the partys attention to it.

Eh, are you serious?

Tieras question was born out of her difficulty of believing Shins words, as nothing but molten rocks floated before her.

Its probably protecting its body with magic power, or something similar. Monsters dont always fit the animal definition, after all.

Creatures that would never exist in reality or defy the laws of physics often appear in games. These monsters are born from the mysterious energy called magic.

Shin and Schnee are used to such beings, and did not show any particular surprise. The less knowledgeable and experienced Munechika and Tiera couldnt help being somewhat nervous.