With Noel, who possessed navigation and trap detection abilities, and me, the monster detector, dungeon exploration was a simple cycle of movement, combat, and rest.
There was no need for tedious mapping, nor did we have to be anxious about traps popping up at any moment.
Moreover, after entering the third level, even combat was significantly reduced, thanks to the fact that most of the monsters appearing were gargoyles and golems, famous for being slow.
The monsters we had encountered until now persistently chased us when we ran away, which came with various risks, but gargoyles and golems were very thankful blockheads who would lose us after just a few turns.
Of course, it wasn't possible to avoid all battles.
Rarely, two or more would appear together in groups, and the gargoyles and golems themselves were so massive that dealing with them inevitably consumed a lot of stamina and magic power.
As a result, we naturally took more frequent breaks than we did on the second level. Of course, resting itself was fine. Conditioning was essential to prepare for facing the third level boss.
Instead…
"Hng, ungh, euuh…!!♡"
Splat, splat♡
The slight problem was that I had to consistently shoot at least three loads into Noel every time we rested.
I didn't know if she mistook my words about taking a break for going to a motel, but she kept settling on my lap and rubbing her butt against me, so I couldn't ignore it.
Of course, it wasn't difficult or anything for me, but the real problem was Noel.
"I'm coming…!"
"Inside, please fill me up inside…!!♡ Haaa, euuuugh…?!♡"
Gurgle, gurgle-
While I shoot once, Noel orgasms more than five times, including light climaxes. If she suddenly lost strength in her legs while fighting, it would definitely be an irreversible disaster.
In the end, the fact that we had to take separate breaks while having sex for a little over an hour became a stumbling block.
But my self-control wasn't enough to refuse Noel's advances. Who knew a beastkin's pussy could be this tight?
'…Three loads are enough to relieve stress.'
We were constantly fighting monsters inside a dungeon with no sunlight, so wouldn't it be okay to consider this much stress relief?
Being left with no choice but to rationalize myself, I continued to let Noel clean up my mess.
"Slurp, slurp, slurp…♡"
I couldn't shake the feeling that I had acquired a sex slave rather than a summoned beast, but it was too late to return her now.
It was too late to blame anyone, as I was enjoying it too.
I took a deep sigh internally and shot my last load inside Noel's mouth.
***
The third level exploration was smooth as I said earlier.
Was it because we now had the option to run away when monsters appeared?
As the danger naturally decreased, I ended up lowering my guard. Of course, that in itself didn't cause any problems, but trouble came directly to our carefree selves.
"Master! Stone Golems, two of them, at six o'clock!"
While fighting two gargoyles, two golems appeared behind us.
Forced to make a choice in a situation where we were surrounded in an instant.
Either break through one side or deal with all of them.
Of course, neither was easy to choose.
If we broke through the gargoyle group, I would be worried about the magic they would cast from behind, and if we ran towards the golems, their ridiculously wide attack range would be a concern.
But we couldn't deal with all of them either.
According to the original plan, we were supposed to go about 30 minutes further, set up a base camp, and rest.
It wouldn't be easy to fight as usual in a situation where we had already lost a lot of stamina. Even if that were possible, it would be impossible to deal with four monsters without taking any damage.
"Eek?!"
"Noel!"
Thump!!
Noel, who was keeping the golems in check, was knocked back by the force of trying to block a huge spearhead. She wouldn't have been pushed back by an attack of that level under normal circumstances, which was proof that she was very tired.
I approached Noel to check her condition.
"Are you okay?"
"Ugh… I, I'm okay."
She didn't look okay no matter how I looked at it, but I couldn't let Noel rest.
"Can you distract the golems for a moment? Never fight them head-on."
"…Yes!"
Noel, who stood up again with a determined look, ran towards the golems.
There was no more time to hesitate.
As I created the lightning element from the mana circle, it immediately started racing along the magic circuit.
My body trembled from the pain as if being electrocuted, but I bit my lip and forcibly supported my legs.
While Noel distracted the golems, I kept the gargoyles in check and pulled up magic power.
Crackle-
The single principle that magic power governs the elements was the foundation of elementalists' magic.
I forcibly suppressed the lightning that was raging without even recognizing its master with an overwhelming amount of magic power. Thanks to that, the lightning that seemed like it was about to burn the magic circuit temporarily calmed down.
If I had three circles, I wouldn't have to do such a reckless thing. With two circles, there was a limit to the output I could produce no matter how much magic power I invested.
Lightning and magic power traveled through the circuit from the heart to the shoulder, from the shoulder to the arm, and from the arm to the hand.
[Ball Lightning]
A small, ball-shaped thundercloud rose above my head.
"This way!"
At the short signal, Noel, who had been attracting the golems' attention, quickly broke away from the front line and ran to my side.
As soon as I hugged Noel and deployed a barrier, a savage lightning bolt burst out in all directions from the unstable-looking thundercloud.
It was a storm of discharging lightning that threatened to destroy the dungeon ceiling, floor, and even the walls with murals engraved on them. It was impossible for the gargoyles and golems nearby to escape the aftermath.
Watching in real time as the lightning blew off the gargoyles' heads and shattered the golems' limbs, I had no choice but to pray that the barrier would hold.
Basically, mages have a strong resistance to magic they deploy with their own magic power. In the same way, the 'Ball Lightning' created with my magic power wouldn't tear apart the barrier created using the same magic power, right?
…Probably.
The lightning storm, which felt like an eternity but was as fleeting as a moment, subsided, and beyond it, all that could be seen were gargoyles that had turned into stone fragments and golems that were barely moving.
In fact, it was hard to even say they were moving, as not only had their limbs been blown off one by one, but even the core of their center was clearly exposed.
In human terms, it was the same as being critically injured to the point where death could occur at any moment.
We couldn't help but be bewildered by such a sight. No matter how strong lightning boasts the strongest firepower among the elements, golems are also famous monsters with strong magic resistance.
How could a mere 2-circle mage inflict such damage on a golem with a single spell, so it was only natural that we would react this way.
However.
"Ugh?!"
"M, Master?"
Without realizing it, my legs gave way and I collapsed to the floor.
With a single spell, my magic circuit felt like it was burning, my vision was spinning, and my head was dizzy.
Only then did I realize that the power that surpassed my level wasn't given for free.
"Master!!"
My limbs weren't moving properly.
The rebound was the price for forcibly suppressing the elements with magic power.
But if I hadn't done that, it would have been impossible to unleash lightning magic of that level of power.
"No, Noel…"
I looked towards the golem with difficulty. Noel seemed to understand my intentions with just that, and immediately ran towards the golem, destroying their cores and finishing them off.
But that was the end of it.
If I had known this would happen, I should have given Noel a few potions. It would have been useful when I didn't even have the strength to take something out of the inventory like now.
The regret was late, and the price came early.
And the price always came back more than we could imagine.
Thump-
Vibrations could be felt from the ground. But it wasn't just one or two. At least five could be felt now.
Probably, all the monsters around were gathering here because of the aftermath of the battle just now.
"Hold on tight, Master!"
"…I can't put strength into my hands right now."
As a beastkin with more sensitive senses than me, Noel immediately hugged me and ran towards the place where the vibrations were the slightest.
Before long, a bear golem appeared.
'I have a strong dislike for bears…'
Of course, there was no room for battle. Noel desperately avoided the bear golem's attacks and attempted a forced breakthrough.
In the process, Noel's arm was injured.
The number of monsters chasing us had already reached five, but Noel didn't stop despite that.
It was a strange thing no matter how I looked at it.
All the golem and gargoyle type monsters that had appeared so far were stone-headed creatures that would easily lose us just by taking a few corners.
But those weren't like that.
Even if they were classified under names like Bear Golem and Poison Gargoyle, they ultimately fell under the golem theme.
There was no way the difference in intelligence would be so dramatic.
Besides, even those golems that appeared aiming for our backs earlier were strange.
In order to avoid facing the same situation again, I had been constantly running magic power detection during the battle. But those golems didn't get caught in that detection and appeared from our backs like invisible people.
"You can put me down now."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better than before."
Noel put me down without the slightest hesitation and ran again. I diligently ran after her as well.
I couldn't put much strength into my legs, but I made up for that with magic power.
Thanks to that, the magic circuit ached again, but I could endure that much. No, even if it was hard to endure, I had to forcibly endure it.
"To the right."
I ran magic power detection to guide the direction in order to shake off the monsters that were chasing us. Of course, the detection range was reduced by nearly half of its usual range because the magic circuit wasn't normal.
But it was much better than nothing.
After traversing the inside of the dungeon for quite a while, we were able to shake off the monsters.
I squeezed out the last of my magic power to run a magic power detection.
Intense pain accompanied it, but I barely managed to increase the detection to its usual maximum range. Only after realizing that there were no monsters around could we rest.
Just in case, we took turns keeping watch and took naps. We didn't have the leisure to eat slowly, so we had to gulp it down.
'…My stomach feels a bit bad after drinking potions instead of water.'
Noel seemed to feel the same way, as her expression didn't look good.
Anyway, after taking breaks for five hours each with many twists and turns and recovering from exhaustion even a little bit, a huge vibration reverberated throughout the dungeon once again.
Thump!!
It was a vibration so great that it couldn't even be compared to the golem-type monsters we had met earlier. As soon as I ran magic power detection, something was detected not far away.
And that something was rapidly approaching us.
"Noel!"
It was too late to run away now. At that speed, we would surely be caught up even if we ran.
Then it would be much better to meet them now when we were prepared to fight. Noel ignited her fighting spirit with her giant hammer, and I ignited mine, drawing Guillennium.
Roar!!
Then, the vibration grew louder and closer.
Instinctively, my legs trembled little by little, but I stopped the trembling by hitting my thighs with my fist.
Smash!!
What popped out from the corner right in front of us wasn't a golem or a gargoyle, but its bulk was comparable to them.
Tough-looking, sharp horns, skin with protruding blood vessels, and nostrils spewing hot steam.
The axe it was holding was so huge that it made the hammer Noel was using look like a baby's toy.
"M, Master… that can't be…"
The one above its head is the head of a cow, and the one below its head is the body of a monster.
The absolute ruler of the labyrinth that roams the labyrinth.
The top predator that inhabits the dungeon.
A-grade monster, the Minotaur, made its appearance.