Chapter 57: I'm Sorry, You're the Prey!
Even though the 19th and 20th floors of the dungeon were only one level apart, the difficulty of conquering this single floor far surpassed that of the previous eighteen combined.
Just finding the correct path on the 19th floor took Shirou's party almost an entire day.
Upon reaching the 19th floor, the dungeon transformed into a tropical rainforest-like environment—towering trees and dense jungle covered everything. The maze-like forest made it extremely easy to lose direction, which severely slowed their progress.
"Haah... haah..."
As the team's main combat power, Lefiya had been on edge the entire time, using her Level 3 magic to support the group throughout.
During their battles, Shirou noticed something odd: Lefiya was using far more than three types of magic.
For adventurers in this world, that was highly unusual.
It was known that adventurers could only unlock three spells total, and once those slots were filled, they couldn't learn any new ones.
No matter how much of a prodigy Lefiya was in the Loki Familia, that rule shouldn't be breakable.
Curious, Shirou eventually asked her, "Why can you use so many spells? Is it because you're an elf?"
"So you finally noticed," Lefiya said, clearly having been waiting to brag. She straightened her back proudly.
"This isn't something any elf can do—it's a special ability I have. It's a type of summoning magic called Elf Ring. It allows me to summon the spirits of elven ancestors and kin to fight alongside me. I can also use the magic those elf knew.
So as long as I have enough mana, I can theoretically use every spell in this world."
"Didn't expect such value from you, you little squirt," Shirou remarked.
"Who're you calling a squirt?!"
"You."
"Y-you! And here I thought you'd show me respect for my magic! I must be an idiot! You're the worst!" Lefiya turned away angrily.
Shirou just laughed.
He had clearly provoked her on purpose. Whether it was because people find joy in others' frustration, or simply because Lefiya's angry face was so cute, he couldn't help teasing her.
While Shirou and Lefiya talked, the rest of the party took the time to rest. Ever since entering the 19th floor, the pressure had steadily increased.
Even the usually obnoxious Apollo Familia adventurers quieted down and focused on battle.
However, their nature didn't change.
Rather than contributing more to lighten the team's load, they started pressuring Lefiya—the team leader—through passive-aggressive comments.
"Can't you do better as the leader?! That scythe almost slashed my beautiful face just now! How are you going to compensate me if I'm scarred?!"
The blond man from Apollo Familia lashed out, blaming Lefiya entirely for the danger he faced, without reflecting on his own inadequacy.
"I really... did my best," Lefiya replied, wrongfully blaming herself.
In truth, everyone could see she had done outstandingly. Not only did she attack and eliminate monsters, but she also boosted the team with support magic.
No other Level 3 support-type adventurer could have done better.
But the Apollo Familia members were still unsatisfied. After their complaints, they made an outrageous demand: they wanted Lefiya to maintain a magical shield at all times to protect them.
This wasn't just unreasonable—it was absurd. No matter how much mana one had, no adventurer could constantly maintain a shield indefinitely.
Not even a Level 6 could do that.
Besides, Lefiya also had to act as the team's main offense.
If she stopped casting attack magic, the others' combat burden would increase dramatically.
Even the adventurers from the Ganesha and Freya Familias couldn't accept this ridiculous demand and voiced their objections.
Still, the Apollo Familia adventurers remained smug. They compromised by saying if she couldn't hold a shield constantly, she should at least cast a healing barrier every now and then—as long as their safety was ensured.
Anyone sane would've rejected this, maybe even cursed at them. But Lefiya didn't.
She blamed herself and began wondering if she wasn't doing enough.
Why? Because this joint mission was a test from the Loki Familia. She had sworn not to fail.
So, even under such unfair pressure, she agreed to their demands.
From then on, during their journey, Lefiya had to both attack and heal the entire team. This greatly reduced the party's stress—but drained her stamina and mana at alarming rates.
After less than half a day, her face was ghostly pale—clearly nearing her limit.
Yet the Apollo Familia members still didn't show her any kindness.
Instead, they intensified their criticism.
Yes, some of her mistakes were real—but under such enormous pressure, anyone could slip up. Complaining at that point was utterly unreasonable.
Even the Ganesha Familia women and the Freya Familia adventurers frowned in disapproval, clearly upset by Apollo Familia's behavior.
But with the group still in the dangerous dungeon, no one dared to start an internal conflict.
Lefiya didn't complain either. She believed this joint expedition was a personal trial and was determined to succeed at all costs.
Shirou, watching silently, took it all in. But being just a tag-along supporter, he said nothing.
"Haah... haah..."
After a grueling fight, the team finally cleared the last monsters and discovered a large pit and staircase leading downward.
"That's the 20th floor..."
Lefiya wiped the sweat from her brow. She was close to collapse, but through sheer willpower, she endured.
All they had to do was reach the 20th floor, collect monster materials as proof, and return to the surface.
Joy filled everyone's faces. Shirou wasn't exactly excited, but at least the ordeal seemed nearly over.
Then he noticed the Apollo Familia members whispering among themselves.
Though he couldn't hear what they said, he had been suspicious of them from the beginning, and this only deepened his doubt.
As they descended, Shirou felt a rare sense of unease creep up on him—something he hadn't experienced even when fighting a floor boss earlier.
"What's down there...?"
Slowing his pace, he fell to the rear of the group. He was certain the Apollo Familia members were involved in whatever awaited them.
Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed down the staircase to the 20th floor.
Everyone moved forward eagerly, expecting to finish the mission soon and return.
But just as they neared the floor, a sound like something collapsing—accompanied by screams and monstrous roars—suddenly rang out from below.
The group froze, then instinctively rushed down to see what had happened.
What they saw was unbelievable.
The entire floor was overtaken by an enormous plant. A massive green organism sprawled through the dungeon, its roots extending wildly and consuming everything—adventurers, monsters, everything.
At the root tips were giant, man-eating flower heads.
These plants hadn't just devoured the dungeon's monsters—they'd turned the entire ecosystem into their own nourishment.
"W-what is that?!"
The adventurers were in complete shock.
They had never expected something like this on the 20th floor—a monstrosity radiating an overwhelming, terrifying aura.
"Run... we need to retreat!"
The Freya Familia adventurers were the first to react. They immediately understood that their party couldn't possibly handle such a creature. They needed high-level reinforcements.
But as they turned to flee, the monstrous plant seemed to detect them—and its roots shot toward the party at blinding speed, blocking the path back.
"Go! Run!" Lefiya, regaining composure, gave the command to retreat.
But as everyone tried to move, they noticed something odd:
The Apollo Familia members weren't moving.
They just stood there calmly, watching the chaos unfold.
"So this is what Lord Apollo meant... It really is a sight to behold."
"Think it'll really leave us alone?"
"Lord Apollo promised nothing would go wrong. Our job ends here."
The three of them spoke casually among themselves.
Everyone else finally realized: something was wrong—very wrong.
"What are you talking about?!" Lefiya shouted. "We need to escape before that thing chases us!"
"Heh. We don't need to run." The blond Apollo adventurer smirked. "We finally led you prey here. Now we get to watch as you're turned into test subjects."
"Test subjects? What are you saying?!"
"Still don't get it? It's simple—this whole operation was a trap. You've been set up."
The revelation made all the adventurers grimace.
Lefiya, already exhausted, turned even paler.
"You purposely made me burn through my mana...?"
Even she realized the Apollo adventurers' strange behavior had been intentional.
"Not as dumb as I thought," the man sneered. "But it's too late. We've been conserving energy. You, on the other hand, are running on empty. The outcome's already decided."
The Apollo members drew their weapons—not to fight, but to stall until the plant monster's roots could block all exits.
Lefiya and the Ganesha adventurers were horrified—there had been traitors in their party all along.
But Shirou and the beastmen from the Freya Familia looked calm.
"What do you mean by test subjects? Is this plant part of some Apollo experiment?" Shirou asked, fishing for information.
"We don't know. Lord Apollo just ordered us to lure you all to this floor and keep you here."
Confident in their victory, they revealed this freely.
Shirou didn't care. Turning around, he said, "Let's go. These guys are worthless. Let's return to the surface."
"W-what are you talking about?!"
Even Lefiya was stunned at his relaxed demeanor.
Shirou explained, "Actually, I suspected them back on the 19th floor. So I worked with the Freya Familia to drug them. Should be kicking in about now."
"D-drugged them?!"
"That was a gift from Lady Freya," one of her adventurers added. "The drug paralyzes and attracts monsters. We slipped it into their water while they rested. It's set to activate after two hours... which is now. You said we were the prey? I'm sorry—you're Freya-sama's prey."
—Tch.
At this point, it was clear: everything had been part of a divine scheme.
What looked like an ordinary joint expedition... was actually a trap orchestrated by the gods themselves.
And now the pieces were all falling into place.