Chapter 95

After entering the Jūfuku Dungeon, it had been about 10 minutes.

Hana and the others had made their way to the third floor.

This meant they had come even deeper than the first floor where they had defeated the slime last time.

Here, unlike the slimes, monsters that required some combat ability would appear.

Sure enough, a bone-shaped monster appeared in front of Hana and the others.

Katagiri shouted,

"This monster is called a Skeleton, and it's the kind of monster that anyone who has obtained stats can defeat! In this dungeon training exercise, I want each of you to defeat this monster on your own!"

It seemed that assistance from companions was prohibited.

Of course, this didn't matter to Hana, who didn't have a companion.

"Alright, let's do our best!"

Hana gripped the sword she had borrowed in advance and declared her determination.

Perhaps due to the influence of obtaining stats, she could wield the sword, which would normally be too heavy to even hold, with ease.

Hana did not possess any magic skills.

She could use them with Skill Imitation, but after discussing it with Rin, they had decided to keep it hidden from others.

So, she decided to use her physical enhancement skills and wield the sword as her weapon.

Under Katagiri's supervision, Hana and the others took turns fighting the Skeleton.

As Katagiri had said, the Skeleton was very weak, and even Hana and the others, who were not used to combat, could easily defeat it.

Katagiri nodded in satisfaction at the sight.

"Everyone, you're doing great. It seems there are no problems with your combat skills. Next, while we move a bit, we'll learn about the principles of being an adventurer—"

However, Katagiri's words were cut short.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

A scream echoed throughout the dungeon.

The one who screamed was a girl standing right next to Hana.

She pointed in a certain direction and trembled violently.

Hana, who was a bit late, also turned her gaze in that direction.

And her eyes widened in shock.

"What is that...?"

The being there had a form that exceeded Hana's understanding.

If she had to describe it in one word, it was a humanoid tree over three meters tall.

This humanoid tree, which was probably a monster, was slowly walking towards them.

Even Hana, who had only entered the dungeon a few times, could tell intuitively that this was a powerful monster, completely different from slimes and skeletons.

"A Treant!? How can a monster with at least 5000 levels be in this dungeon!?"

Katagiri, who was on the opposite side of the group, exclaimed in shock.

This made Hana realize that this was an unexpected situation, not a drill or a prank.

"——!"

In the next instant, the Treant's hand stretched out at an incredible speed and attacked Hana and the others at the front of the group.

Everyone was so taken aback by the sudden event that they were frozen in confusion, unable to move.

"Watch out!"

Yanagi, who had slipped between the Treant and Hana, blocked the attack with the short sword in his hand.

Thanks to this, Hana and the others managed to survive.

Immediately after, Katagiri's loud voice shook their eardrums.

"Fire Spear!"

A massive spear of flame, boasting incredible heat, tore through the air and struck the Treant directly.

However—

"Impossible! It barely took any damage even after taking a direct hit from its weakness, fire magic!?"

As Katagiri had said, the spot that was hit was only slightly burned, and it was clear that it hadn't taken much damage.

This unexpected result seemed to cause a lot of frustration in Katagiri's voice.

"What's happening?"

"A monster that even the guild can't defeat has appeared!"

"What! Then what will happen to us!?"

Confusion, frustration, and fear.

These emotions spread rapidly among the people present.

For the first time in their lives, they felt the imminent threat of death, and their bodies wouldn't move as they wished.

In the midst of this, Yanagi was the first to speak up.

"Katagiri-san! Please lead everyone to escape to the surface first! I'll hold it off here!"

"What! That's reckless! At the very least, you and I should stay, and let the companions take care of their escape!"

"No, there might be other powerful monsters in the dungeon! Please take care of them, Katagiri-san! Besides—"

In the next instant, Yanagi disappeared from the spot.

He reappeared right in front of the Treant and attacked with his short sword.

The Treant swung its branch-like arms in retaliation, but Yanagi skillfully dodged.

"I'm a speed type! If I focus on evasion, I should be able to hold my own against this enemy!"

"Understood! It shouldn't take more than five minutes to escape! If you can buy us that much time, come back to the surface too! ——Everyone, follow me! We're escaping the dungeon, so please follow me! This is an emergency, but we will protect all of you!"

Following Katagiri's words, everyone started to follow him one after another.

(I have to hurry and catch up!)

Because she was on the opposite side of Katagiri, she unintentionally ended up at the back, but there was no choice.

Just as Hana was about to follow them, something unexpected happened.

"Huh!?"

She felt as if someone had grabbed her, and she fell to the ground.