The jungle rustled ominously as a small squad moved swiftly through the swaying undergrowth.
"Be careful. Goliath has a wide field of vision. Don't let it spot us."
Using the bushes as cover, Daphne kept low and ran at full speed.
Their goal was the entrance to the nineteenth-floor passage. Without engaging in unnecessary combat, they needed to stall for time and wait for Bell's return.
"Minotaur ahead on the right!"
Daphne calmly assessed their route.
"Leave it to me, Lili-dono! Provide cover!"
Mikoto sprang forward, her figure flashing past the tree trunks.
Without hesitation, Lili raised her crossbow and fired straight at the Minotaur's eye.
The bolt shot out, and at the perfect instant, the katana came down in a clean arc.
The Minotaur had only just noticed them. Before it could even cry out, it collapsed into a lifeless heap.
Bell had taught them how to coordinate, how to ambush, how to maintain formation...
Mikoto, Lili, and the others held fast to his words as they raced through the jungle of the eighteenth floor.
Under Daphne's command, they quickly reached the area near the giant tree.
"That… what is that?!"
Shock flashed through Daphne's phoenix-like eyes.
Ahead of them, several enormous monsters stood shoulder to shoulder like a wall, completely sealing off the passage to the nineteenth floor.
"[Mammoth Fool]..."
Cassandra murmured the monsters' name.
"I'll blast them apart with my magic sword."
Welf reached for the magic sword on his back, but Daphne quietly stopped him.
"No."
She swept her gaze over their surroundings before explaining, "Those monsters were called here by Goliath. If we defeat them, the monsters on the nineteenth floor will pour over instead."
True to their name, the Mammoth Fools possessed pitifully low intelligence. Their massive bodies were jammed together, leaving them completely unable to move.
For Daphne and the others, the current situation was actually incredibly fortunate.
The Mammoth Fools had no ranged attacks. This natural wall of monsters could hold the line. Once Bell reached the entrance to the nineteenth floor, they could blast it open then.
"The only problem is Goliath… and the other monsters on the eighteenth floor…"
Daphne's voice grew quieter as the once-chaotic Floor Boss began to move.
"It's noticed us—and the adventurers trying to flee…"
Cassandra crouched in the grass, but Goliath's blood-red eyes still fixed on their position.
"OOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The roar shattered the air, and shards of blue crystal rained down like a storm.
Unable to find its original target, Goliath seemed to have fully transformed into a calamity of slaughter.
In the next instant, countless monsters surged toward them.
"Break through where there are fewer monsters!"
Daphne gave the order without hesitation.
The passage to the seventeenth floor had been sealed by falling rocks. The nineteenth floor was blocked by a wall of monsters.
What had once been a safe floor had turned into a sealed inferno. No matter where they ran, there was nowhere truly safe.
Beetles, bear-like beasts, raging bulls… monsters slashed with claws and snapped with fangs, attacking everyone in sight.
Seeing the change in Goliath, Bors—who had been rushing toward the seventeenth-floor passage—grimaced.
"Hey! Mages! Can you blast this open or not?!"
"No… This state seems linked to the Floor Boss. Unless Goliath is defeated, there's no way out!"
The mage trying to open the passage spat out the answer in frustration.
The Dungeon had no intention of letting them leave so easily.
"Damn it!"
Bors kicked the massive rock in fury, only to be met with pain and helplessness.
"Then let's fight Goliath!"
Mord shouted to the others.
"You… what kind of stupid nonsense are you talking about?" Bors sneered.
"There's no way out now! Haven't we taken payment to subjugate Goliath before? With this many people, we can definitely do it!"
Mord shot back loudly. "Besides, the Little Rookie squad isn't here. They've probably already gone to fight the Floor Boss!"
Adventurers from Rivira Town were fleeing one after another, yet there was no sign of Lili and the others among them.
"Maybe they're hiding. Without a reward, who would bother going after that big mon—?!"
Bors stopped mid-sentence. His coarse features twisted into shock.
What his single eye caught wasn't the monsters battling the outer adventurers, but a roar that seemed to distort the very air.
A shockwave burst from Goliath's mouth, tearing down trees and whipping up a violent gale.
All around it, adventurers scattered in panic, chased by monsters.
"It can attack at long range…? It missed? No… it's those idiots…"
Bors quickly realized Welf and the others had covered for the fleeing adventurers.
"It's the Little Rookie squad! They really didn't run!" Mord shouted.
Bors spat out a curse, then roared at the crowd:
"Damn it! You all saw that, right?! Who's the one buying us time?!"
"If this gets out, how are we supposed to show our faces?!"
"We'll be branded cowards for the rest of our lives! No one will ever do business with us again!"
"So grab your shields and weapons! We're going to take down that big bastard!"
Under Bors's command, the adventurers faced reality. Gritting their teeth, they made up their minds and charged together toward the Great Grass Plains.
...
"[Will-o-Wisp] didn't do anything…"
Welf's face tightened in frustration.
Goliath and the surrounding monsters had already locked onto them. There was no reason to hold back anymore.
Following Daphne's orders, Welf used his magic-dispelling spell on Goliath as it gathered magic power.
A blazing flare erupted, and black smoke billowed from the giant's mouth.
Though its trajectory shifted, the Roar still unleashed a violent shockwave.
"It doesn't look hurt at all…"
Lili stared at the place where the smoke had cleared. There wasn't even the faintest scorch mark.
"Either its defense is too high, or its regeneration is too strong. Whichever it is, this is going to be difficult…"
Daphne's mind raced.
Back when she was in the Apollo Familia, she had led the successful subjugation of a Goliath.
But she had never seen it unleash a long-range Roar like this.
Before they had even properly engaged, she already understood the truth.
This wasn't an opponent they could defeat on their own.
Was coming here the wrong choice…?
The flicker of doubt never reached her face.
No…
If they wanted to deal with this monster, they could only rely on the Level 6 [Sword Princess].
If they had stayed with the adventurers from Rivira Town earlier, they likely wouldn't have noticed the gathering magic power. They might already have been killed by the Roar's shockwave.
With their current strength… could they hold out until the Captain and the others returned?
"Daphne-sama! There are more monsters coming! Goliath is charging this way too?!"
Lili's shout snapped Daphne out of her thoughts.
Daphne looked toward the pitch-black giant and the surging horde of monsters. Her expression was steady, impossible to read.
"With the Roar in play, we can't turn our backs on that giant."
"We hold this position and fight it here."