Volume 3 Chapter 46
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It almost went without saying, but we reached the twenty-sixth floor without running into a single problem.
From here on, we were officially entering the middle levels of Phase Six.
The dungeon’s difficulty spiked dramatically every twenty-five floors. Internally, we divided it into sections: the first twenty-five floors were the Upper Levels, up to the fiftieth floor was the Middle, up to the seventy-fifth was the Lower Levels, and everything beyond that, all the way to the hundredth floor, was considered the Deepest Layer.
So what changed once you entered the more dangerous middle levels?
”Well then, we can speed things up from here!” Minami said.
”Right,” I replied. “The dungeon layout stops changing from this point onward. We already know where the monsters spawn, how to deal with them, and most importantly, exactly where the stairs are.”
Back in the Upper Levels, where every floor could have a different layout, it was not unusual to waste time searching for the staircase. The Middle Levels were different. Even though the monsters were stronger, the terrain and enemy placements stayed the same. For us, that actually made things easier.
”Got it! Then on the next floor—the brain-dead Goblin floor—the vanguard can just smash through everything!”
”You got it! Leave it to me!” Maria declared.
”Minami will do her best too!”
”We’re charging straight in!”
”I suppose I’ll stay back and provide support.”
”I’ll help a little, I guess,” Haruka muttered.
That was more or less the plan.
The enemies on the next floor were Ultimate Muscle Goblins—grotesque creatures packed with absurd amounts of muscle. Their appearance was not just for show. Their attack power, defense, and stamina were all exceptionally high, and to make matters worse, they had mastered numerous weapons and martial arts. They also possessed a troublesome ability that completely nullified long-range skill attacks, forcing challengers into close-quarters combat.
The rule of that floor was simple.
If you were stronger than the Ultimate Muscle Goblins in melee combat, you won.
If you were not, you lost.
Naturally, our close-range fighters were stronger.
Sakurako-san sliced through their prized muscles with ease. Minami-chan’s twin blades moved so quickly they were nearly impossible to follow, carving the goblins apart in moments. Maria-san’s greatsword strikes carried enough force to send them flying, and whenever she used a Skill, those hulking bodies split apart with a single swing.
Even Haruka-san, despite looking completely unmotivated, crushed them into pulp with her massive mace.
As for Mana, she simply overwhelmed them with pure hand-to-hand combat.
Watching a beautiful, serious-looking woman casually beat a muscle-bound goblin senseless was a surreal experience.
…And me?
At this point, I could probably reduce one to pieces with a flick of my finger. Still, everyone had agreed that I should stay out of things until we reached the deepest levels, so I mostly limited myself to giving advice from the sidelines.
”Looks like we’re going to breeze through the Middle Levels without me doing much of anything.”
With that, we continued conquering floor after floor without slowing down.
”All right! Time for the mid-boss!” Minami cheered.
Before long, we arrived at the fiftieth floor of Phase Six.
A single monster waited there.
The floor’s designated mid-boss.
As bosses went, it was certainly powerful, but for me, Mana, or Sakurako-san, it was not an opponent worth worrying about. Any one of us could defeat it alone.
But—
”Kanade-sama, please allow us to handle this one.”
”Yeah, just like Maria said, Hirosawa-kun,” Mana added. “It’s still too early for the three of us to step in. Especially if we’re planning to clear all of Phase Six. We should conserve our strength while we can.”
”Exactly! Leave this one to Minami-cchi, Maria-cchi, and Haruka-cchi!”
The three of them would not budge.
They knew perfectly well that we could defeat the mid-boss ourselves without breaking a sweat, but that was not the point.
There was a real advantage to letting them handle it.
Defeating a mid-boss on their own would dramatically increase their Dungeon Energy.
In game terms, they would level up.
To be honest, the odds of Maria-san, Haruka-san, and Minami-chan reaching the deepest floor as they were now were not very high.
It had nothing to do with effort or talent.
Their Jobs simply operated under different limits.
The three of them possessed Common Jobs such as [Light Warrior], [Heavy Warrior], and [Priest]. They were powerful, but their growth remained within the boundaries of common sense.
Mana, meanwhile, was a [Sage] capable of freely manipulating Dungeon Energy through Mastery. Sakurako-san combined the overwhelming buffs of her [Samurai of Solitude] Job with extraordinary combat instincts and a vast arsenal of powerful Skills. As for me, the return effect of [Vital Point Practitioner] had boosted my abilities to ridiculous levels.
The three of us were exceptions.
Maria-san, Haruka-san, and Minami-chan were simply the strongest explorers in Japan.
Even so, they probably could not reach the bottom of Phase Six yet.
And if there was any way to make it happen, I wanted all six of us standing together when we claimed victory.
So—
”Understood. I’ll leave the fiftieth-floor mid-boss to you three.”
If they were going to reach the bottom with us, this was the wall they needed to break through.
”Thank you, Kanade-sama!”
”Yeah! Minami and the others will do their best!”
”Just sit back and watch, Hirosawa-kun.”
With those three leading the way, we stepped onto the fiftieth floor and headed toward the trial waiting for us.
—
Summary:
The party successfully navigates to the 26th floor and enters the middle level of the “Phase Six” dungeon. Kanade observes as the vanguard team prepares to utilize their experience with the static dungeon layout to expedite progress. They reach the 50th-floor mid-boss, where Kanade decides to let the trio of Maria, Haruka, and Minami face the challenge alone to facilitate their growth.
—
Trivia:
The dungeon difficulty spikes every twenty-five floors.
Static dungeon layouts occur in middle levels, unlike the random upper floors.
The protagonist’s party is significantly more powerful than the average top-tier explorers.
Dungeon Energy boosts are a form of leveling up for the characters.
Notes:
• Minami – Blue-haired, twintail academy idol and petite “Young Princess” of the Four Heavenly Kings, this cute, sadomasochistic Light Warrior is a dual-blade vanguard melee combatant. Utilizing wind magic, high-speed movement, and Sky-Run for aerial hit-and-run tactics, she is a skilled dungeon scout. Devoted to Kanade, she cherishes Mana, Haruka, and Sakurako, and playfully calls Maria “Maria-chi.”
• Maria – Maria is a beautiful, voluptuous, sun-kissed blonde Dark Gyaru with one arm and a Transcendent greatsword warrior. As New Tokyo’s elite guardian and Resonant Melody’s primary tank, this close-combat specialist uses defensive skills to block and parry. Playful yet leading, she shares a guild home, is Kanade’s intimate infiltration partner, devoted to the narrator, and craves pampering.
• Haruka – Haruka, “The Prince,” is a beautiful, voluptuous, short-haired Holy Priest and vanguard member of Resonant Melody. Androgynous yet sophisticated with hidden burn scars, this masochistic adventurer wields a massive mace beside Maria, utilizing holy buffs and musical performances with divine grace or extreme fervor. She manages security, obsesses over Hirosawa, and allies with Mana’s rescue party.
• Sakurako-san – A powerful, voluptuous S-Rank “Samurai of Solitude” explorer with sharp eyes and black hair in a princess cut. Wears an off-the-shoulder kimono, wields a katana, and commands 100+ clones. She is a reliable Resonant Melody member who mentors Kanade’s party—deeply loving him daily—and is the only group member who wasn’t his academy classmate.
• Minami-chan – Blue-haired, twintail academy idol and petite “Young Princess” of the Four Heavenly Kings, this cute, sadomasochistic Light Warrior uses wind magic and twin swords. Innocent yet reliable, she is a skilled scout inside the dungeon. Devoted to Kanade, she cherishes Mana, Haruka, and Sakurako, and playfully calls Maria “Maria-chi.”
• Maria-san – Blonde, tanned “Dark Gyaru” Maria Higuchi, nicknamed “Boob Gal,” is a busty, high-durability tank explorer wielding a greatsword for the “Headlong into Gyaru” team. Missing her lower left arm, she wears tiger-skin hot-pants and a bikini top. A member of the Four Heavenly Kings, she is deeply devoted to her partner Haruka and was the first to fall in love with her teammate Kanade.
• Sakurako – A powerful, voluptuous S-Rank “Samurai of Solitude” explorer with sharp eyes and a black princess-cut hairstyle. Clad in an off-the-shoulder kimono, this skilled blade-wielder commands 100+ clones. As the only Resonant Melody member who wasn’t Kanade’s classmate, she mentors his party, deeply loves him daily, and offers optimistic battle encouragement while managing dungeon drops via the Black Ball.
• Haruka-san – An androgynous, handsome beauty with a large bust and severe burn scars, Izumi Haruka (Haruka-san) is “The Prince” of the Four Heavenly Kings. A dungeon explorer with physical enhancement skills, this 3rd-floor Priest uses “boku” and is a hospitalized, stalked masochist. Loyal to her partner, she is Mana’s trusted friend, has a fixation on Kanade who healed her, and suffers Hirosawa’s skills.
• Mana – A serious, alluring A-Rank explorer with a black ponytail, sweet scent, and titles of Class President, Sage, and Heavenly King. As a calm, powerful Resonant Melody sub-leader and strategist, she manipulates Dungeon Energy and uses a Cloak for close-quarters mastery. She is an emotionally perceptive mentor to Aina and a devoted partner who provides strategic combat reassurances.
• Kanade – Kanade Hirosawa is a composed, silver-haired A-Rank Explorer with amber eyes and a sleek suit. As Resonant Melody’s protagonist, assault leader, and guide, this weary young man uses high-level perception and a cheat pressure-point skill to alter drop rates and combat from the rear. He serves as a protective sexual anchor, observer, and boyfriend to his party of five powerful women.
• Hirosawa – Kanade Hirosawa is a quiet, cute teen protagonist, Dungeon Explorer, and commander of Resonant Melody, mastering his family name’s lineage. As Haruka’s partner and anchor, he dominantly controls her intense impulses using a Goblin Sword, Pressure-Point Eye, and a scent-triggered bond. Highly responsive to companions, he also awakened Aina’s ability, occupying her thoughts.
• Dungeon – An artificially‑created, androgynous‑beautied woman, once an S‑Class Dungeon Explorer, now serves as the Guild Master of the Dungeon Explorer Guild. She administers a hyper‑advanced dungeon, leading and guiding its members, and is known as the Dungeon Master, wielding authority that shifts with each dungeon phase, her beaming smile a constant hallmark.
• Master – An artificially created, androgynous-beautied woman and former S-Class Dungeon Explorer who now holds the title of guild leader and Master of a hyper-advanced dungeon. Originating from a world destroyed by a deity, she administers the dungeon for locals, oversees strategic planning for the city’s future, and manages the utilization of unique dungeon materials.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply