--It is the first time that the White Wolf Knights have an unaccustomed role in King's Landing, an adventurer's search for the Ark of the Elements in the suburbs of Green Hollow Town is about to produce great results.

　The site is the first level of the Ark of the Elements, an underground space of desolate rocky mountains and wilderness that used to be officially known as the Demon King's Castle Realm, and continues to be referred to as the "Demon King's Castle Realm" even after the name has been updated.

　While most adventurers head to the second level by way of the Demon King's Castle under the control of the Golden Fang Knights from the road above ground, some go to the opposite rocky mountain.

　The site of the exploration that is about to progress is further back in the vast rocky mountainous region - a huge vertical hole that opens up in between the rocks.

　From this huge hole, which could swallow up an entire town, dragons soar irregularly into the sky on the first level, and make their new home in the vast underground wilderness.

　And as if escaping the dragon's attention, a number of adventurers were following the walls of the great hole, heading underground.

　However, they didn't cling to the rock face and aim downward.

　The path of travel is a large man-made passageway, also known as a spiral staircase, that spirals downward along the wall surface, a half-tunneled passage ...... half buried in the rock face.

　The basic structure is a gentle tunnel in the shape of a spiral, but there is a horizontal hole in the wall just as high as a window, and from the center of the great hole it can be perceived as a spiral groove running from the top end to the bottom end.

　As the dragon flies off to the first level, it does not miss the creature that tries to crawl down the wall intact.

　There is no other way to safely and reliably get to the bottom of the big hole than through this passage.

But it's fortunate that you found this passage after all this time. I don't know if it's a demon race or a human race, but the ancient people who created this thing are all over the place.

　In the group of adventurers descending the spiral passage towards the bottom, there was a beautiful, aristocratic-looking figure with an air of nobility.

　An A-ranked adventurer, Theodore Beaufort.

　He is the son of an aristocratic frontier county family with a second name, the Dragon Slayer, but he is an eccentric who became an adventurer because he wants to enjoy hunting dragons.

　In the Ark of the Elements, he is the exception to the rule, as he is only interested in matters involving dragons and not the second level, where many adventurers rush in.

　While enjoying hunting dragons on the first level, Theodore wondered why the dragon population was not decreasing no matter how hard he hunted, and he wondered if the dragons had migrated from another level.

　As a result of my search, I discovered a large hole that I thought was the place where the dragon appeared - and on this day, I had arrived at a step before an even more significant discovery.

''If it was just me, I could have gone down to the bottom as much as I wanted, but considering the long-term search, we can't do it without bringing in people and supplies,''
'Not at all. But still, if there was such a solid passage, could this big hole be man-made too?

　The other adventurers who were accompanying him expressed their agreement and doubts with interest.

'No, it's possible that the big hole itself wasn't man-made and that they dug a path for convenience later on. If only we had enough time, we could have built something similar on our own. It would have been much easier if they were capable of mass-producing golems.

　This spiral passage was not built by Theodore and his friends.
　They were carved out of the rock face long ago.

　Over the years, Theodore and his men had discovered this passage buried in dirt and sand, and they had mobilized many adventurers to try and remove it.

But it was completely buried in the dirt, so it was a challenge just to dig it up. "But it was completely buried under the dirt, so it was a challenge just to dig it up," he said, "but we had to dig it up. We were digging up dormant golems and magical traps and making a big deal out of it, and it was a day I never want to experience again.

　Yet another adventurer blurted out, to which Theodore replied with a laugh that didn't seem to bother him much.

'No, no, it was a good experience. Working under the watchful eye of the dragons and getting through an encounter with a golem in a narrow passage. It's a hard stimulus for the young guys to get, isn't it?
Even you pay attention to the younger generation. I thought that kind of thing was Black Swordsman's (Travis') specialty.
Don't be rude, my dear. You're not a demon hunter, Dustin, and you think about that from time to time.
After all, you do it once in a while.

　With such a joking conversation, the group descends down a hole so deep that they don't know how far it will go.

'--well, so much for the easy road.

　The spiral passage had come to an abrupt end.

　At the end of the open space, as if it were a dance floor, the passage was cut off with a plop, and merged with a large hole as if it were a diving board or something.

　A little bit before this, another space that you can't help but feel is carved out towards the inside of the rock wall, where a lot of adventurers have set up a base (camp) for them to stay.

The excavation process was temporarily suspended when we found this place. Our last expedition was planned to build a base (camp) in this place and it was a success. After two failed attempts, the time has come to move on to the next phase.

　From the edge where the passage was cut off, Theodore looked down happily at the bottom of the Great Hole.

　A dimly visible red light could be seen at the bottom of the great hole, and the heat of the air was blowing up like a summer wind in the southern region.

'I'll go check it out on my own first. If it looks OK, you can attempt a rope descent.
Then here's the rope.
No need. They'll be back before their magic wears off.
What ......?

　Theodore said this and stepped out into the void as if it were natural.

'Whoa!

　The young adventurer cried out, but nothing happened as he imagined it would.

　Because Theodore was walking through the air quite naturally, with a gait that seemed to be stomping on an invisible foothold.

'This is the kind of skill I have,' he said. 'Well, I can't run down from the top of a big hole to the bottom because my mileage isn't very good,' he said. I don't have a lot of training either.

　Theodore walked down in the air along the wall of the Great Hole as if he were taking a walk with a good-humored expression on his face.

　But gradually the smile faded, and eventually it was replaced by a smile that seemed to disguise the tension and astonishment.

　--The great hole also broke off in the middle.

　It's just the equivalent of the ceiling of a hierarchy somewhere, where a large hole is drilled into it, leading to the first level.

　It's not the same as the first or second level, the ceiling of this level has no light in it, but the vast underground space is filled with red and orange light everywhere.

　The source of the light is a flame, a large rock that holds heat and light, and hot molten lava that splatters.

''...... I guess this guy finally needs the help of our Knight Commander Lord.

　Theodore stood on the ceiling in the air and described the scene before him in simple terms.

The apparent hierarchy of fire - it seems that we've reached the fourth level of the hierarchy, the third level.