"Why are you guys diving in dungeons without learning the way!　Normally, if a dungeon has a map, you should learn some of the way or have a map for each person!"



"Shut up. I could have gotten by even if I couldn't read a map.



I usually let Locke lead the way.



I'm not going to be able to buy clothes this evening, am I?　I can't go shopping for clothes this evening, can I?



　The Kid's yelling echoes through the fifth level of the dungeon of fire and brimstone.

　The four members of the S-class party Graela, who had left Locke behind, had managed to get from the ninth level to the fifth level by force, but they had encountered more than twice as many demons as they had on the way there and were having a hard time.



　The party members, who had never faced such a hardship before, grew closer and closer as the situation became more and more urgent.



　Especially the brave Kid's frustration was reaching its peak.



"You guys really are a bunch of idiots. Are you sure you're S class?　Even C ranks can walk in the dungeon a little better. And you guys are clearly not moving well."



"Oh?　If we're C rank, then you're a fake hero. Don't pretend to be brave if you can't even manage a weapon! I'd say you're not moving well, but you're getting tired, so there's nothing we can do about it.



It's not just you. The power of that woman's magic is going down too!



　They had barely made it down to the 5th level from the 10th level where they had left Locke, but Emmy could certainly sense that they were feeling more tired than usual.



　The power of her magic was lower than usual, and it took longer to activate.

　Above all, she felt heavier and unable to move.



　It was not only Emmy.

　Isaac and Kara were clearly not moving well either.



　When we were heading for the boss, Locke was defeating the demons along the way fairly easily.

　So we thought we had enough time.

　But the situation is so inexplicable that it can't be explained unless the demons have suddenly become stronger.



　And the number of demons was also unusual.

　Double the number of demons?　Maybe even more.

　I was so absorbed in the hunt that I could no longer remember the exact number.



　Usually, demons become weaker as the level gets lower.

　This dungeon was no exception.



　But this time, the demons did not weaken at all even though we had come from the ninth to the fifth level.

　In fact, it seemed as if the demons were getting stronger as our fatigue increased.



"Let's take a break.



"Oh, there's nothing we can do. If we get past this point, we'll be at the fourth level. The demons will weaken at once once we reach that point. We've just got one more step to go.



Kid, is your sword still good?



Shut up. Your sword is the same one you've been using for ...... years.



　Kid looks at Isaac's sword in amazement.

"What? It's a pretty good sword. It doesn't rust at all, and the blade doesn't spill.



　Isaac's sword was just a sword from the armorer's shop.

　He said it was an iron sword, but the blood glue was sharp and the blade didn't spill, and he had to buy a new one every once in a while when he got to King's Landing, but they weren't that expensive.



"You ...... better show me her staff."



　Emmy and Kara hand the cane to the Kid.



"Oh my god. I can't believe I came all this way to hang out with these idiots. That means ......."



　Now Kid goes through Isaac's armor.



"You guys really don't know, do you?"



"So what?



"You guys were given blessings by that servant to improve your basic abilities. That's why you were able to become an S-class party in such a short time as three years.



"What basket?　We've come this far on our own merits.



　Isaacs cuts in to the Kid.



　Rock has always helped the three of them find and strengthen their weaknesses since they were little.

　In the past, Emmy's magic suddenly became more powerful after Locke did something to her wand that she had been having trouble with. Could that be .......



"Don't you guys know about blessings?　Are you really stupid?　Sword stupid, magic stupid, recovery stupid. I get it. This party has been going on with that servant supporting idiots like you..."



"What?　I don't know.



I don't know.　Didn't Isaac lose his temper when Locke told Isaac about the basket?



What?　That's because he was saying something about making a cage for a sacred beast that he hasn't even caught yet, so I yelled at him to go get one of the demons to join him. That idiot is really useless. It would have been a little better if he hadn't died so quickly.



　Emmy and Cara both gasp at Isaac's words.




　We are the ones who left Locke to die, and it was Kidd who started it.



"You guys are really stupid. That's not a cage, it's a blessing. That means that you were protected by the magic of the servants who improved your basic strength. You've never taken care of your weapons and armor yourselves."



"That's because Locke did it all for me."

　Emmy already knew what the Kid was going to say.



"I'm sure you're right. Your gear has all the stain resistance, shock resistance, magic resistance, and all sorts of ability boosts I've seen ...... that I can't even begin to explain. Your gear is the gear of a middle class adventurer if you look at it closely. You'd think they'd be well cared for and usability would be a priority, but it's not the case. They were given blessings to boost the power of your weapons and armor, and even your basic abilities. In other words, without those servants, you are C-level adventurers. And that servant even disguised it so that you wouldn't recognize it.



　The equipment was equipped with basic grant magic, which improves the grantor's resistance to certain things and slightly increases basic strength, which was a major part of the equipment. However, the members of Graela were equipped with a higher level of blessings.



　Unlike grants, blessings can be more powerful than grants by expending the magic power of the grantor of the blessing. The duration of the effect is shorter than that of a grant, which is permanent, but the effect lasts almost forever if the grantee stays with the person who gave the blessing.



　Locke tried to improve the power of those around him with his own magical power in order to fulfill everyone's wishes, and he gave them his blessing because he thought they would always be with him.

　He had given them his blessings because he thought they would always be with him.



"Shut up! Who's class C?



　Isaac had already become a distraction to Locke.

　He was always compared to Locke in the village and thought he would never be able to beat him.

　But that day when he heard about his profession, he knew that everything had changed.



　I had always wished that I had never found the Holy Beast.

　Then he would be just an ordinary man with no talent or anything.



　I kept him out of the battle as much as possible and forced him to do all the troublesome things such as maintenance of equipment and negotiations with the outside world.

　This was to hide Isaac's inferiority complex.



　Deep down, he may have been aware of Locke's superiority. But he did not have the courage to face it.



　Locke's position in the party was rapidly declining.

　Emmy was the only one who was against it until the end, but Cara seemed to lose interest and did nothing to help Locke.



　Just when everything seemed to be going Isaac's way, another obstacle appeared.

　Why can't things be as they should be?

　Finally, the eyesore is out of my sight.



　All we had to do was climb up the ladder as an S-class party.

　I was doing my best.

　Isaac thinks and hits the ground in frustration.

　While Isaac is thinking about what happened, Kid is sorting through the situation.



"Hey saint, how many more times can you heal?

"I'm guessing once or twice for everyone."



"What about the wizard?"

"I'm good if I save my energy."



I see. I'm not sure.



I can do without him. I'll never admit it.

Yeah, that's all well and good, but there's a bunch of orange-antes out there.



　There were about five Orange Ants in the Kid's line of sight.

　They must have reacted to Isaac's voice, because they had not been there a moment ago.



　The stairs to the fourth level were only a few steps away.

　Even if we took a detour, there was a good chance that another group would find us.



"Saint. Get everyone back up. Isaac will take the lead, then the wizard, then the saint, and I'll be the leader. Then we'll go through in a single bound. Once we get through this floor, the rest will be a lot easier.



　At Kid's suggestion, Kala restores everyone's health.

　Now Kala's magic is almost gone.

　She won't be able to use her restoration magic many more times.



"Let's go!"

　Kid shouts, and they run through in turn. The Orange Ant will notice us on the way, but at this distance we should all be able to escape. Just when everyone thinks that, Kara's robe turns red.



"I guess I'll have to sacrifice the people who are slowing me down. I can't die here. And from here on out, I don't need a recovery or anything.



"Oh, ......"



　Kid runs past Kara, who falls face first to the ground.

　Isaac hears Kara's voice, looks behind him, and runs past him.



　Only Emmy hesitated for a moment and tried to reach out to him, but he squeezed her hand and ran on, never looking back.



"Oh my God, you guys, you're all lying. Please help me, don't leave me."



　No one responded to her voice.



　Kara crawled desperately to sit up against the wall, but the orange ant swallowed her up with a gruesome squealing sound.