Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Chapter 279

In the world of DanMachi, the power of Magic was often closely tied to the length of its chant.

Generally speaking, long-chant Magic was considerably more powerful than short-chant or ultra-short-chant Magic.

Riveria, the elf known as the Nine Hell, possessed a unique chanting technique that allowed her to link ultra-short, short, and long chants together, transforming the original incantation into an ultra-long chant that altered the spell’s effects and dramatically increased its power.

Every spell Kiriya possessed, without exception, was chantless Magic.

In theory, that should have meant their effects were comparatively weaker, but with the support of his sage body, both Forest of All Things and Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality had displayed effects far beyond what anyone would normally expect.

Only Blade Storm had been different.

Its original function was simply to increase the speed at which Kiriya could swing his sword.

Early on, that had provided a useful advantage in battle, but as his Level continued to rise and his arsenal became increasingly varied, the spell had gradually begun to feel somewhat redundant.

Now, however, Kiriya had changed the way he thought about it.

By combining the spell directly with his own swordsmanship, both its practicality and destructive potential had skyrocketed.

A narrow path that had once seemed barely worth keeping had suddenly transformed into a broad road capable of leading all the way to the peak.

How could he not be delighted?

Kiriya immediately became like a child who had just received an interesting new toy, testing his new idea on every Fomor he could find.

"Blade Storm."

"Hundred Slashes in an Instant."

Shhk-shhk-shhk-shhk!

Sword light crisscrossed the battlefield.

Kiriya was only using around twenty or thirty percent of his normal physical strength, yet the Fomor’s thick defenses tore open as easily as paper, blood spraying into the air.

And it was not only the monster directly in front of him.

Several Fomors standing behind it were also sliced apart as though an invisible scythe had swept through them, collapsing in a row like wheat before a harvest.

By overlapping the effects of Magic and swordsmanship, Kiriya had effectively developed something resembling a flying sword slash.

During this period, there were naturally fast-moving monsters that attempted to ambush him, such as the Grey Rock Snakes.

Their scales blended almost perfectly with the surrounding terrain, and they could move without making a sound. Their fangs were also coated in deadly poison, making them natural-born assassins.

When they attacked, their explosive speed was like lightning.

But to Kiriya, who possessed energy sensing and was currently operating under Blade Storm, they were hardly worth mentioning.

With a casual sweep of his sword, he cut one cleanly in half at its vital point before it could even complete its strike.

"This really is... astonishing."

Jeanne watched Kiriya move through the battlefield with effortless composure, dissecting monsters with the ease of a master butcher, and could not help voicing her admiration.

A trace of surprise also appeared in Ryuu’s clear sapphire eyes.

’Magic and swordsmanship... can actually be combined like that?’

She watched Kiriya for another moment.

’He really does come up with unusual ideas.’

And so, the three continued advancing while using the monsters of Floor 49 to temper their combat skills.

They did not focus on clearing the floor as quickly as possible.

Instead, they deliberately tried to cover as much of Floor 49 as they could, killing more monsters and accumulating more excelia along the way.

Even with their pace intentionally slowed, however, after more than two days of constant fighting they had explored most of the floor.

Each of them had received more than enough training and had grown considerably from the experience.

With the support of his sage body, Kiriya felt as though he could keep fighting for another three days and three nights without much trouble.

Ryuu, however, was beginning to show visible fatigue.

Seeing that, Kiriya stretched his arms above his head.

"Let’s head to Floor 50 and rest for a while. Once we’ve recovered properly, we can continue downward."

He looked at the two women.

"How about it? Still confident?"

"Of course."

Ryuu had been thoroughly stimulated by Kiriya and Jeanne throughout the expedition, and her competitive spirit had been burning hotter with every battle.

If reason were not telling her that she needed to stop and recover, she would have preferred to continue fighting.

"I’m fine as well."

Jeanne remained as gentle and composed as ever, but her answer carried the same quiet determination.

"Then let’s go."

With that, the three headed toward the entrance to Floor 50.

...

Floor 50 was one of the relatively rare safe floors within the Deep Floors, meaning monsters did not normally spawn there in large numbers.

Of course, nothing in the Dungeon was ever absolute.

Even so-called safe zones could become dangerous under exceptional circumstances.

In the original story, Floor 18—normally considered a safe floor—had still produced the Black Goliath after Hestia and Hermes entered the Dungeon without permission.

Likewise, the Loki Familia had once encountered strange worms on Floor 50 whose corrosive fluid was powerful enough to dissolve even first-class weapons.

So although the area was comparatively peaceful, completely lowering their guard would still have been foolish.

Standing at the entrance and looking outward, the three saw a vast gray forest spreading across the floor.

The trees appeared as though they had been covered in a layer of ash, filling the surrounding space all the way to the distant walls that marked the edge of the floor.

Rivers wound between the trees like veins through a leaf, their clear blue water flowing continuously into the distance.

Floor 50 did not possess the paradise-like beauty of Floor 18.

Only a single enormous crystal was embedded in the ceiling, casting dim light over the landscape and giving the entire area a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

None of the three cared much.

Inside a Dungeon where monsters could appear at any moment and take a bite out of you, having a relatively quiet place to rest was already more than enough.

Complaining about the scenery would have been asking for too much.

Following the information Kiriya had obtained from Eina, they continued for a while before stopping on elevated ground near a water source.

Kiriya formed a hand seal.

Then he used what was arguably one of the most practical applications of Wood Release.

"Wood Release: Three Bedrooms and a Living Room Jutsu."

Rumble—!

A wooden house rose straight from the ground in front of them.

It contained three bedrooms and a living room, with enough space that each of them could roll around freely inside their own room without hitting a wall.

"This is..."

Jeanne and Ryuu both stared with their mouths slightly open.

It was not as though they had never seen Kiriya use Wood Release before.

The image of his enormous Wood Golem rampaging across a battlefield was still vividly engraved in their memories.

But a wooden house?

Using such a powerful ability in such an ordinary, practical way felt strangely down-to-earth.

If Kiriya could do this whenever they traveled, then they would never have to sleep exposed to wind and rain again.

The house had no furniture, but simply having solid walls and a roof overhead already made resting far more reassuring.

As usual, Kiriya established Barrier: Canopy Method Formation around the area as an early-warning system.

Then he handed the cooking duties over to a Shadow Clone before heading off with the two women to wash up and relax.

Of course, there was no misunderstanding involved.

The three chose two separate bathing locations.

Even though the shy elf had already accepted her feelings for Kiriya, Ryuu was nowhere near ready for anything that stimulating.

Kiriya was not in a hurry either.

There was plenty of time.

After bathing, the three returned clean and refreshed to the front of the wooden house.

They sat around a campfire, drinking steaming meat stew while eating toasted bread, vegetables, and fruit.

The atmosphere could hardly have been more comfortable.

Ryuu slowly chewed her food while watching the firelight flicker across the faces of her two companions, and an unexpected sense of peace gradually settled over her.

Trees, grass, clear water, and a warm meal around a campfire...

If not for the dim crystal hanging overhead, Ryuu might almost have believed they were out on a leisurely camping trip rather than resting fifty floors beneath the surface of the Dungeon.

’He really does have a way of making serious situations feel strangely easy.’

That was Ryuu’s conclusion.

"Jeanne, what do you think of the Dungeon so far?"

Kiriya asked casually between bites.

"It’s fascinating."

Jeanne’s eyes softened with nostalgia.

"There are so many different monsters, so many strange and constantly changing environments, and this kind of intense fighting..."

A distant look entered her gaze.

"It reminds me of the days when I fought alongside my comrades on the battlefield."