A group of girls from the second year of transferees also requested to live in Ren's neighborhood, the "women-only residential area." This was apparently because the scandal involving the peeping of the male transferees from the same year had heightened their caution.
Since the victims of the peeping were none other than Ren and her companions, the girls would be vulnerable to the same method—psychic peeping. However, the boys who had their transgression of using a skill for erotic purposes exposed to everyone in the city (or the whole world) would probably never try it again. (If they were caught re-offending, it would be equivalent to declaring, "I will accept any punishment." They would have no grounds to complain even if they were beaten up by all the girls and suffered life-threatening injuries as a result.)
The population had been steadily increasing, and it reportedly surpassed 1,200 by June. Thirty-two years had passed since the first summoning. Marriages and births among the native generation were starting to increase. From here on, the population growth rate looked set to improve significantly. This would require many houses and land to build them on. The demand for World Fragments might rise again.
"We have to work hard on the dungeon conquest for the Fragments," Ren noted.
Ren and the others had been conquering the "Ogre Mountain" of the 36th to 39th Floors using a flying strategy. Even while flying, they had to be careful of the Ogres' throwing attacks, and if they reached the summit without sufficient annihilation power, they could be ganged up on by the climbing Ogres. Although the conquest turned out to be surprisingly thrilling, the number of cleared floors increased smoothly.
And now:
"Next up is finally the 40th Floor."
They held their usual strategy meeting after clearing the 39th Floor. Everyone had reviewed the information beforehand. Amidst the discussion, Meteora, who was still practicing Japanese and couldn't read the strategy guide, asked a question while sipping a bit of wine.
"There will be a fierce battle, similar to the 35th Floor, right? ...But this floor is a bit different, isn't it?"
"Yes. This time, floors 36 through 39 were outdoors, but the 40th Floor is a dungeon," Ren explained.
Its layout was apparently a large cave located within the mountain. The passages were wide enough for two Ogres to walk abreast, making them quite spacious for humans. However, it was almost impossible to sneak past enemies or fly above them.
"That's troublesome. You'll be attacked by weapons with different reaches in a confined space, right? And you have little room to maneuver if you try to put distance between you and the enemy."
"Even Maria-san would find it troublesome—or rather, anyone who isn't a type like Maria-san would be in serious trouble," Ren said.
Mariabelle, with her excellent agility, would have been relatively better off. But for Mei, the tank type, it would be very difficult.
"The number of enemies is also high. It's helpful that we can defeat them individually, but that means we will be forced into severe battles again and again. Mental fatigue will be more of an issue than physical exhaustion," Shion stated.
In response to Shion's comment, Iris spoke up. "Then, still…"
"We have no choice but to go with that strategy, do we?"
"Yeah. I think that's probably the best option," Ren agreed.
That strategy, which they had used before, seemed like it would be effective on this floor.
-----------------
"Tunnel."
The starting point of the 40th Floor was the entrance to the cave. Since the staircase opened right where the outside should have been connected, they couldn't actually step outside.
However, there was a high probability that an "outside" area was prepared for the stage. Based on that conjecture, Ren and the others opened a hole in the passage. They extended the hole upwards to connect to the outside of the cave, the surface of the mountain.
We made it outside, Meteora whispered telepathically, letting out a deep breath as if she had been holding it in. She looked relaxed.
But there are Ogres out here too, Fūri noted.
The area they emerged into was a desolate mountain, just like the previous stages. Ogres were similarly wandering around. This was natural, as the cave was connected to the outside, but Ren felt like complaining that it didn't need to be so thoroughly realized.
First, they all jumped high to avoid being attacked.
As expected, the summit is our target, Iris said.
There's no boss there this time, though, Ren reminded her.
Precisely because there was no boss, the summit should be the easiest place to settle down. As expected, there were no Ogres stationed there. Confident in this, Ren and the others landed and went full throttle with their magic, intercepting the Ogres who pursued them.
After a while, when the area became quiet, they took a break while observing their surroundings.
It doesn't look like reinforcements are coming from outside, Ren noted.
Is it connected but also not connected? Mei wondered.
It wouldn't be fair if only the enemies could come and go. I think this is fine, Meteora stated.
If the enemy wouldn't come to them, they would go to the enemy. Relying on the strategy guide's map, they determined the likely area and dug a hole directly into the boss room. After failing twice, they finally succeeded.
When they dropped to the floor near the entrance of the innermost room, nearly twenty Ogres roared in anger at the intruders. The loud noise echoed throughout the entire cave.
Isn't that too many, even by their standards? Ren thought.
Iris-chan, Mii-chan. Can you dig pit traps so that reinforcements can't come from other places? Fūri asked.
I'll try! Iris replied.
Fine, but you'll have to handle those guys in the meantime, Meteora said.
Okay. Shion and I will manage somehow, Ren assured her.
Ren and the others moved while exchanging quick telepathic messages.
"Magic Arrow!"
"Fox-Fire!"
The number of light arrows, which grew with Ren's growth, had finally reached its maximum, totaling 200 when fully boosted. Combined with Shion's nine shots times five bursts of Fox-Fire, it was more than enough for a diversion. It also succeeded in inflicting severe pain on the Ogres at the front.
Meanwhile, Fūri used Etherealization to increase her resistance to physical attacks, and Mei used her arm-mounted iron-sphere cannon instead of her mace for sniping.
Ogres were fundamentally close-combat fighters. From the basic Ogres to the stronger High Ogres, the battle-hardened Ogre Warriors, the even more powerful Great Ogres, and the strongest boss-level Ogre Champion—all relied on their powerful physiques. In the cave, where no throwable rocks were scattered, they wouldn't easily throw their handheld weapons.
Ren and the others repeatedly fired their max-power magic as a deterrent, trying to eliminate as many enemies as possible before they closed the distance.
"They're fast!?" Ren cried out.
She had underestimated the length of the enemies' legs. The Ogres closed the distance much faster than expected. Ren, letting out a scream-like sound, fired another Magic Arrow and hastily took flight. Fūri and Mei moved, buying time while distracting the enemies.
No good. It's better to retreat to the passage, Ren decided.
Huh? I just finished digging a huge pit trap, though, Fūri said.
That's even better. The enemies can't cross it easily, Ren reasoned.
They carried the non-flying Mei and launched a barrage of magic from the air above the passage, which was now a pit trap zone.
They managed to eliminate four or five enemies, but a frustrated Ogre swung its weapon.
Danger!
Ren and Fūri barely managed to block it by hitting the weapon with Fūri's wind magic and Ren's earth-attribute conversion magic.
Ren, shouldn't we retreat completely!? Fūri urged.
Yeah. Let's go outside again through the tunnel! Ren agreed.
They rushed back to the summit in a panic and all sighed in relief.
...That was tough. Their HP is ridiculously high, so the numbers barely decrease, and one hit means massive damage for us, Ren lamented.
It's fortunate that the enemies can't follow us here. How difficult would it have been if we had fought fairly… Mariabelle commented.
It seemed this floor wouldn't be cleared easily.
I wonder if the enemies' HP recovers while we rest here? Fūri asked.
Unless they have healing magic or regeneration ability, they shouldn't recover so easily. Of course, they might recover some fatigue, Ren said.
Ren and the others had the advantage since they could recover with Heal.
I think the best way is for Shion and me to chip away at them and then retreat, Ren suggested.
With me carrying Ren-sama, right? That way, the possibility of taking damage would be low, Shion offered.
Are you sure? I still think it's quite dangerous, Fūri worried.
Fūri and the others must have used up a lot of MP, so rest for a while. I'll ask for your help again if we need another method, Ren instructed.
Since the hole dug into the boss room was nearly vertical, they could dive straight down in a free-fall motion. Ren, riding Shion, made eye contact with the Ogre Champion upon entry. The enemies had apparently expected Ren and the others to return. Several began to ready their weapons to throw.
"It's a good thing they didn't target us the moment we emerged from the hole…!" Ren noted.
"If we do the same thing again, they might aim for us…!" Shion warned.
Ren and Shion scattered magic attacks while riding through the air, then retreated again. When fleeing, it was faster for Ren to hold the shrunken Shion and fly.
Welcome back. How did it go? Fūri asked.
Hmm... We took down about five enemies, I think. That should be about half the total now, Ren reported.
It's fortunate that the enemies haven't increased. The pit traps you made seem to be working, Mariabelle observed.
Moreover, they could only attempt one more dive. They might have no choice but to go all in and crush them with full power. Accepting the expenditure, they had Fūri and the others drink MP potions and, once fully recovered, prepared for the final assault.
"Tunnel."
As a precaution, they added a little more ingenuity. They dug two more holes, confusing the enemies as to which one they would emerge from, and then rushed in. This seemed to work, as nothing was thrown at them the moment they emerged from the hole.
"Magic Arrow!"
"Fox-Fire!"
"Wind Slash!"
The reduced number of Ogres could not withstand the full-party magic attack. The last one remaining, the Champion, was dealt with by having Mei engage it while the other members surrounded it from a distance, bombarding it with random attacks to confuse and overwhelm it.
After the boss vanished with a resentful look, they let out a sigh of relief. Then, they heard a loud noise from outside the room. Looking out, they saw Ogres on the other side of the pit traps—the ones who should have been fighting them in the passage—starting engineering work to fill the pit traps.
Crap. Ren, let's get out of here quickly! Fūri urged.
Yeah. Just gather the drop items—
You need the inscription on the stone monument, don't you? I'll look at it and memorize it! You can write it down later! Meteora said.
Thank you, Meteora-san! Ren replied.
They frantically finished the post-battle procedure and returned to the Shrine via the newly appeared descending staircase. The moment they realized they had returned, they all collapsed onto the floor.
"That was seriously tough this time…" Ren gasped.
They all genuinely felt that they should not go to a new floor for a while.
-----------------
"...So? Tell me what rewards you obtained this time."
"Old man, you're getting used to this," Ren noted.
The next day, when they went to report to the Sage, he greeted them as if he had been waiting for them.
Although Ren said he was getting used to it, his eyes were still gleaming intensely, and the room was cleaner than usual, as if to ward off any attempt to start a room cleaning. He was like a grade schooler the day before a field trip. In short, what he had gotten used to was the pattern that "something new happens every five floors," but his excitement and anticipation for it were entirely unchanged.
Despite that, Ren told him.
"Finally, Iris and Mei gained new class levels. Now both of them are almost at full power."
"As I expected…!"
The middle-aged Sage clenched his fist in delight. He got up from his chair with a clatter and began to pace around, unable to contain his excitement.
Ren understood he was happy, but he should have anticipated this pattern.
"Don't you think you're a little too happy?" Ren asked.
"Nonsense. This means the outlook for completely reinforcing our fighting power has been established! Once we reach the 40th Floor, the native generation will also possess fighting power equivalent to ours!"
"That's true, but conquering the 40th Floor was too difficult," Ren argued.
That floor was not a place that could be cleared with mediocre skill. Even with veterans leading them, fighting honestly would be tough, and the strategy Ren's group used required almost all members to fly.
"Besides, only reaching our level after getting to the 40th Floor—isn't that too harsh for the children?" Ren pointed out.
"No. That cannot be helped. The strength of a party composed of different races is evident from your success. Until now, Reincarnation Items have been limited, and many people were hesitant to give up being human, even to enhance their power. However, if blessings can be received, there are other ways to increase the number of non-humans."
"Are you talking about…?"
Recalling the Sage's words and actions from before, Ren's face showed dismay.
"Yes, children of mixed races. They will be a powerful fighting force. If they know they can become stronger by clearing the dungeon, more people may take on the challenge. ...This might be the time to consider aid to support child-rearing."
It seemed like a plan to offer money for having children with non-human blood. If both parents were non-human, like Ren and her companions, would they get double the money? Wait, that's not the point.
"Didn't you say before that you wouldn't force Iris's sisters to do anything?" Ren asked.
"I won't force it. But circumstances have changed. It is well worth begging them to consider it."
"You always have an answer for everything, don't you?" Ren sighed.
"It cannot be helped. You yourselves must have tasted the terror of escalating difficulty. If we cannot clear the dungeon immediately, we must devise the next best plan."
"...That's true, I suppose."
After the battle on the 40th Floor, Ren had to drastically revise the conquest plan in her head. She even thought that instead of continuing to fight all the way to the presumed 100th Floor, it might be better to start raising children first.
Two years. It seemed long, yet short, but if they were to look ahead another decade, it might be time for a decision.
============
🚀 Want Early Access & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my P4tr3on!
✨ Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
✨ No waiting for daily updates
✨ Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
🔗 Check my profile for the Link!!
Free readers - don't worry, I'll still be posting daily updates here. But Pa4r3on members get the VIP treatment!
Your support helps me create more wild stories like this. See you on the dark side! 😈"