"Back here again!"
Looking up at the Babel that pierced the clouds, Elise pulled down her blindfold and stepped into the hall.
Although this was already her third time entering the Dungeon, this visit was completely different from the previous ones!
An expedition!
And a solo expedition at that!
Elise hadn't even informed the Guild about this. Only she, Est, and Astraea knew.
As for why she didn't tell the Guild...
She wasn't sure where she had heard it, but as long as the Guild knew, the entire city would soon know as well. That rumor definitely existed.
So this expedition would be carried out alone.
Well, Elise alone. Est didn't count as a person.
Since it was an expedition, Elise had set a few small goals for herself.
For example, the first one...
Any monster that entered her sensory range, regardless of species, would be killed!
Goblins? Kill!
War Shadows? Kill!
Orcs? Kill!
Goliath...
Alright, it hadn't respawned yet. Nothing to kill there...
But Elise could always time it properly and come back to kill it every time it revived, earning a huge amount of magic stones!
The next stop was the safe floor—the eighteenth floor.
Even after reaching Rivira, however, Elise did not stop. She continued descending to the lower floors.
These monsters were no longer useful to her. If she could eliminate them in a single strike, how much improvement could they possibly offer, no matter how much time she spent fighting them?
This wasn't Monster Feria! And she didn't have any rescue buffs right now, so the experience gains weren't nearly as outrageous as before.
"I have to go deeper and find the limit where I can properly unleash my strength!"
And so, by conventional means, Elise reached the twenty-fourth floor—the final level of the Great Tree Labyrinth.
During the journey, every monster that entered her perception was crushed into dust by her overwhelming Prana. Their magic stones and dropped materials were stored in her spatial bag.
If one had to describe her actions in a single phrase, it would be...
Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill!!!
Even when she encountered other adventurers along the way, before they could even react, the monsters around them would suddenly boom—self-destruct?
It frightened quite a few people into thinking something was wrong with the Dungeon, and they hurried back to the eighteenth floor.
But that had nothing to do with Elise.
On this floor, she had finally found opponents suitable for practice once again!
Bee-type monsters: Deadly Hornets!
Also known as killer bees.
"Killer Bee" worked just fine too. (laugh)
Just as Killer Ants were infamous as newbie killers in the upper floors, Deadly Hornets carried the title of high-rank slayers!
Adventurers had suffered greatly at the hands of these monsters.
Leaving aside their strength, their horrifying appearance and overwhelming numbers alone were enough to make many adventurers tremble in fear.
They also had a distinctive trait—they always appeared in swarms! It was practically impossible to see a single hornet acting alone here.
They were basically the upgraded version of Killer Ants!
As for monsters that brought reinforcements the moment one was attacked, Elise's response was...
She loved them!
She couldn't help recalling Astraea's words.
"Elise, balancing work and rest is very important!"
"Even if your body doesn't get tired, your mind is different. When I talk about rest, I don't mean just physical rest—mental relaxation is just as important."
"You don't need to keep your mind constantly tense. Letting yourself indulge a little once in a while is perfectly fine."
"No matter what kind of Elise you are, I love you all the same."
That final blessing from the goddess had been gratefully accepted.
A saintess could listen to others and correct her own shortcomings!
As expected of me!
So...
She would listen to Lady Astraea and indulge herself properly for once!
"I'm going to slaughter your entire hornet species today, hahaha... cough cough..."
Watching the hornets swarm toward her, Elise let out a rare maniacal laugh—then immediately cut herself off.
Pressing her palms together, she adopted a prayerful posture.
"That's not acceptable, Elise." (dignified)
"As the Saintess, even when indulging yourself, you must remain a little reserved... you can't scream like a fishwife." (elegant)
"At the very least, when killing, do it gracefully. Don't flail around like a female gorilla." (calm)
"And don't let monster blood splash onto you. It's very hard to wash out inside the Dungeon." (gentle)
"That should about cover it!" (smile)
This time, Elise removed her blindfold to fight. She looked at the monsters before her, her small lips parting as she uttered cold words.
"Die." (murderous glare)
A clear, melodious sword cry echoed across the entire twenty-fourth floor. Wherever the sound reached, nothing survived.
In that instant, this region of the twenty-fourth floor transformed into a complete slaughterhouse. Elise's battle with the hornets would likely last quite a while.
Yes, she would be killing hornets for a long time...
...
Astraea Familia residence.
"Hm hm~"
The gentle goddess hummed softly as she stirred a pan with a spatula, crushing the contents to just the right consistency for easy eating.
Before long, a dish that looked utterly exquisite was placed upon the table.
"Ahh~"
After tasting a spoonful, the superb flavor burst across her taste buds, and even the goddess revealed an expression of bliss.
"Even just reheating a half-finished product results in something this delicious? Your cooking skills are truly remarkable, Elise..."
Before leaving, Elise had prepared many semi-finished dishes and stored them in the cold room. Once taken out, they only needed a quick stir-fry and reheating to become a feast!
"If it's Elise... judging by the time, she should be training in the Dungeon right now, shouldn't she?"
"She's really... pushing herself a bit too hard. I wonder what realm she'll break through to after this expedition?"
"How exciting!"
Finishing the last bite on her plate, Astraea began washing the dishes like an ordinary housewife.
"With only me left in the Familia right now, it does feel a little lonely..."
"Relying solely on Elise and Est certainly won't be enough to support the entire Familia..."
As she dried the plate with a towel, she pondered the future development of the Familia. As the goddess of justice, Astraea clearly had much more to consider.
"Perhaps..."
"I should go out and look again?"
"There shouldn't be too few children in the lower world who possess hearts of justice, right?"
Some countryside.
A certain red-haired girl: "Achoo!"
"What's going on? Did I catch a cold?"
"No no no!"
"Someone must be thinking about me!"
"Of course a beautiful girl like me is popular!"
"Whoever you are..."
"Thanks for thinking of me!"
"On my way to Orario, everything will definitely go smoothly!"
The not-very-tall red-haired girl hoisted her luggage onto her back. The moment she left home, she knew that real life held far too many unique, special...
Ahem!
In short, the girl set off on her journey!