The monster that appeared on the eleventh basement floor was said to be a giant that was over 5 meters long.

　Even Oga's gourd palm was three meters long, so five meters was a pretty big deal. It had protruding red-black muscles, six arms, and two faces. It reeked of decay, and each of its arms held a large sword. A fearsome majesty that overwhelmed the beholder. Even though he had become accustomed to fighting to a certain extent, and had grown accustomed to his own appearance, it didn't take long for his classmates, who were originally just high school students, to fall into a panic.
　Even Koganei (High Elf) was the same. It was Goubayashi and Kenzaki (Durahan) and, barely, Sakuma (Succubus) and Ryuzaki (Dragonoid) who tried to bravely stand up to it. The monster was as capable as its fearsome appearance. A swing of the sword runs cracks in the floor and walls, and the shockwave blows Kenzaki and Sakuma out of their bodies.

　The panicked students rushed to the stairs that led to the tenth basement floor. Nevertheless, the tenth basement floor is also a dangerous zone that is infested with powerful monsters. It's not a place where classmates who have lost their sense of solidarity and reason can break through.
　In addition, the enemy monsters were also cunning. Rather than the four of them trying to fight in unison, they thought that the multitude trying to escape would be easier to eradicate as prey than the four of them trying to fight in unison, or perhaps they tried to chase after the other students, ignoring the gauvayas and the others. The first person to stop them was Kenzaki. It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

　There are only a limited number of students who have the strength to blackmail their classmates who have fallen into that depression and get them to their base safely. Ryuzaki and Goubayashi. Those two are needed to lead the way. Goubayashi seemed unusually hesitant, but in the end, he followed her words. Because he understood that it was the right thing to do.

　Sakuma and Kenzaki stalled the monster together, while Ryuzaki and Goubayashi joined their escaped classmates.

''I can't leave my classmates behind.''

　Ryuzaki showed strong opposition to leaving the two of them behind, but in the end, Goubayashi forcefully pulled his arm away. He didn't have time to listen to his sweet selfishness or admonish him for it. Take the big one or take the small one. The situation had become that urgent.

　Goubayash managed to get Koganei to regain his composure first, and then ran up the stairs of the labyrinth, prioritizing the return to the base. As a result, none of his panicked classmates were missing and they were able to return safely.

　However, Sakuma and Kenzaki still hadn't returned from the lower level of the labyrinth.

　Ryuzaki was shocked and completely nervous, and Koganei was taking his anger out on him. This is the situation right now.
　It was Ryuzaki's decision to continue the labyrinthine search, which should have been stopped by the 10th floor underground, because of the atmosphere. However, it's difficult to place the blame on him alone. I'm not going to be the only one.

　But it was also true that his decision had put many of his classmates in danger and left Sakuma and Kenzaki still in the basement.

''You know what I mean, Ryuzaki!　You're too weak to talk and you're too lazy to do anything about it, so Sachi-san...
That's enough, Koganei.

　Goubayashi, who couldn't bear to look on, finally tried to stop Koganei.

'What the hell, Goubayasi!　You're holding Ryuzaki's shoulders again!
I told you to stop right there. Koganei.
Ugh....

　Glared at clearly, Koganei finally shut up. Compared to that little skinny Koganei who was inconspicuous in the corner of the class, he had become much stronger and more assertive than he was, but he was still feeble in these places.

''Well, if you listen to the story,''

　That's when Queen Benii, a vampire (vampire) reincarnated, opens her mouth. She's the only one sitting at a desk in the cafeteria, fiddling with her own nails.

'It's not just Ryuzaki's fault, is it? Koganei, Goubayashi, and Sachi are all at fault. It wouldn't have happened if one of them had stuck to their guns.

　They all realized after a few beats that "Sachi," was a reference to Sakuma Shoko.

　Queen Benii's words were painful. It could be said to be a calm, penetrating comment that could be said because she was a third party. Koganei turned a resentful gaze at Benii, who delivered a targeted but irresponsible line while fiddling with her nails. Benii was not at all intimidated, and returned her slit eyes to Koganei, looking slightly annoyed.

''What?　Do you have a problem with that?
No, Beni is right.

　Goubayashi uttered that before the two of them collided. Even Kaoruko, who had been silent until then, agreed with him.

''Right. It's not the fault of any one of us. Let's think about going to help the two of them first.''
The question is, who's going to help you?

　Goubayashi crossed his arms and looked around the cafeteria.

　From what I've heard, the monster in question is quite powerful. If you're half-skilled, you'll be slowed down by your weak abilities. In addition, the question of whether Sakuma and Kenzaki, who were left behind in the presence of such a monster, would be able to stay safe and sound, has become a depressing resignation that pervades the cafeteria.

''For now, I'll go. Ryuzaki, what are you going to do?

　Goubayashi declared and looked down at Ryuzaki. He looked up and was about to say something, but his words were interrupted by Benai.

'You shouldn't. I don't want you to die.'

　It was a clear, but cruel thing to say. And then he went on to say this too

I'm coming with you. It's all right.
Beni?
What's wrong?

　Although it was an unexpected offer, Beni's ability was already known to many of his classmates. It was a safe choice. All eyes turned to Koganei, the last remaining competitor in the class. Since he had dared Ryuzaki so much, I thought he would volunteer immediately, but there was a hesitation in his expression.

''Yes, then you don't have to come.''

　Beni said as she breathed on her own nails. She spat out cold words, always eager for her own make-believe, and didn't even look at Koganei.

''For all your pompous talk, you don't have much nerve, do you? Oh well, of course. He may be a handsome man, but he's still that Koganei inside.
That's too much. Asuka.
Yeah?　I'm sorry, Kaoru.

　Kaoruko reprimanded her, and Benii apologized surprisingly honestly, but it wasn't Koganei that she was talking to. Koganei glared at Benii, trying to say something back, but no words seemed to come out. Goubayashi sighed heavily and then looked at Ryuzaki, who was holding his knees at his feet. He, too, kept his gaze down and didn't try to say anything.

''It's getting to be a big deal, isn't it?

　Sugiura (Scylla), who had been watching the scene, muttered to himself among the onlookers.

''Hey, Utsurogiku........Huh?''

　When I turned around, I saw that Soraki Kyousuke, who should be there, was not.

''Hino-kun?　Suri?　Oh, where did it go....

　Neither Ei Hino nor Rin Himemizu was there. Sugiura only made a strange face and nodded his head.





''Danger, Kyousuke!''

　Leaving the base and going down the stairs, Kyosuke is chased by Ei.

　No, it wasn't just Kyousuke, Rin was with him. With slime muscles affixed to his skeleton body, so to speak, in a combined state, he made his way through the passageway of the second basement floor without getting lost.

'Sakuma's down there, right? We don't have time to dawdle, do we?
'You need to chill out!　You didn't know if this was a match for the Gobayashis, but it was!　Do you think you guys can handle it?!
I can at least bring you home!
Himesui, do you agree with me?

　So, Kyousuke stopped dead in his tracks.

　Kyousuke also knows what Rin is thinking. That's why he decided to head with her. But he should let that come directly from Rin's mouth (there was no such thing). For that reason, Kyousuke stopped in his tracks.

'Umm, I'm not, hey...'

　Rin said.

'I was thinking during the ship fight earlier, I think me and Utsurogi-kun can do some pretty dexterous things.

　By using Kyousuke's body as a support, Rin is able to transform relatively freely. In addition to volume, she can also change her mass and hardness by manipulating her density. In addition, she was even able to recombine Kyousuke's bones, which would normally fall apart, to create a different joint structure.

　This dexterity is a strength that cannot be measured by simple combat skills, Rin continued.

I'm in the same boat as Utsurogi, that's why I'm in the same boat as you. I'm sure that we can do things that Goubayashi and his friends can't,
That's what I mean. If we're going to beat them, Goubayashi and the others will do it. But if we're going to save Sakuma and Kenzaki, we have to hurry.

　Ei didn't answer right away. Since he was a mere fireball, he didn't know what to feel. However, after a slight tongue lashing, he reluctantly agreed with me.

''Totally. That's why I don't like people like you guys.''

　The swearing every time comes as a bonus.

We're not human anymore, though.
'Yesterday you were talking about being desirable and homoerotic...'
Shut up. Let's get out of here!

　As Ei's body flew away as he said that, it was burning with vigor. The subtleties of emotion were apparently reflected in the strength of the flame. When you think about it, the monster known as the Wisp seems to be a perfect match for the cool-looking, but actually passionate personality of Hikino Ei.

Speaking of which, Utsurogi-kun, I'd like to ask you something. I want to ask you something, okay?
Hmm?

　Rin's words echoed in my head as I proceeded to chase after Ei.

'Which name did you run after, Sacha or Tsurugin?'
What's that?
When Aya told you that you two were left in the lower levels, you started running out of the blue, didn't you?

　It was in the dining room earlier. Sugiura's statement that Sakuma and Kenzaki were left behind. There is no doubt that that was the trigger for action. However, the way Rin listened was a bit mean and disgusting.

'I guess it's Sattan. You've become beautiful all of a sudden, haven't you?
'Don't be so silly. It's a relatively serious situation.
Uh, I'm sorry...

　I don't know why she asked this out of the blue, but it's not something I would talk about in a situation where their lives are at stake. When I flirted with it while running, Rin honestly apologized.

'If we're going to talk about Sakuma, it doesn't matter if he's beautiful or not. That guy and I were library buddies.
The library?　Oh, you were on the library committee, weren't you?
Do you mind?
Hey, it's just that...

　Sakuma Shoko from her human days and I were good friends in the library, discussing our favorite books on several occasions. To say that's all there is to our relationship is an understatement. Although she was lumped together with Koganei and Ei in the same otaku group, it can't be said that their tastes matched, and Sakuma was the only one who could talk to his heart's content about the things he liked.

　Kyousuke liked novels. Web novels had been recommended to him by Koganei, and he read a lot of light novels. However, his favorite books were the children's books. It was Kyousuke who ordered a large number of hardcover children's books, the kind you don't often find in high school libraries.
　Sakuma, on the other hand, was the kind of literary girl who would read any book, so she was able to fit in well with Kyousuke's stories.

'Children's books!'

　Rin exclaimed in surprise.

'Utsurogi-kun, you read unexpected things. You are so calm and mature. Oh, is that why?　Tell me something funny.
I'll see you later!

　Since moving to another world, he couldn't even talk about his favorite books anymore. Talking about books would only be vain, and Sakuma herself was too busy being pulled aside. But the fact that he wanted to help her had nothing to do with it. It should be.

'What about Tsurugin?　Do you have any memories?
"Kenzaki..... That guy was a member of the public morals committee. When I was about to be late, that guy with the bamboo sword chased me around.......
Oh, I've got that too!　I got away with it, but I think they're going to catch Utsurogi-kun.
Yeah. That hurt like a b*tc*.

　She is, after all, a kendo girl. The fact that she was reincarnated as a Dullahan was, well, just as I imagined. If it was bad, it wasn't strange that she was reincarnated into the Living Sword itself.

''Well why is it that I'm a skeleton and Himemizu is a slime?
'Hmm?　That's because I'm so fluffy, isn't it?

　So that's how it works. It certainly makes sense, since the fierce Ei has become a fireball.

　Come to think of it, I think Hakuba (the unicorn), one half of the quadrupedal duo, said something like 'Women are only allowed to be virgins' when he was human. Is that what he meant by that? If that's the case, then my skeletonized self, or rather Sakuma, who became a succubus...

This story is not good!
"?　Yeah, right?

　I let my mind go blank and think only of saving Sakuma and Kenzaki. He and Rin and Ei move into the lower levels.

　It's a labyrinth riddled with monsters. We wanted to reach it without incident, but the wholesaler wouldn't let us do so.

"Ah, Utsurogi-kun!　Your friends!

　At the same time as Rin's voice, the monsters appeared in front of her. Warriors in raggedy quilted clothes and carrying swords. But all of them were after the flesh in their bodies had rotted off. They were skeletal swordsmen, the kind you often see in fantasy games.
　However, it was not as if they were friendly to Kyousuke, who was also a skeleton. They were about to raise their swords and slowly approach us.

''I don't have a lot of friends...''
'Such a naturally sad confession...'

　Glancing ahead, I saw that Ei, who was in too much of a hurry, was about to come back. If we worked with him, would we be able to break through this predicament?

　The skeletons were slower than us in their movements, but their coordination was skillful. They were more accustomed to fighting than the goblins in the heavy cruiser. They immediately surround us and come to attack us all at once. Kyousuke clenched his right fist tightly. Rin manipulates the density of the fist as Kyousuke moves.

''Teeeeeee!''

　The skeletons in front of me fluttered around the regular fist thrusts that Kyousuke threw out. The skeletons stabbed their swords through the gaps in this one's movement as it stiffened.

''Hi!''

　Rin's scream (?) goes up. Although the sword was thrust into Rin's body with a pushy thrust, it was a slime, so it did no damage. Rather, she stiffened the density around the blade and fixed it so that the sword would not come loose. Nice follow-up.
　As long as there was no damage on Kyousuke's side as a supportive pillar, Rin would be able to fight with no problem. However, the enemy skeletons didn't seem to notice it, and they thrust their swords at Rin with even more pushyness. Eventually, Kyousuke becomes like a hedgehog.

''Wait, wait, Utsurogi-kun!

　She made such a call when the blade was spiked by Rin, who was clinging to her arm.

''What's the matter, Himemizu!''
Well, maybe...maybe...but...

　Rin untangled the rigidity in her body and dropped her sword to the floor. What, Kyousuke thought, but the skeletons, with their swords in their hands, began to thrust their swords at Rin again. The blade did not hit Kyousuke's body at all. Rin muttered, 'I knew it,' and fell to the floor with a chuckle as she uncoalesced.

　Then the skeletons stood to protect Kyousuke and started attacking Rin who fell to the floor as it was.

''These skeletons were trying to save Utsurogi-kun.
Do you want me to...
'Yeah. Because from the outside, I'm sure it would have looked like a slime preying on a skeleton... oh, ouch!　No, no!　There.

　The skeletons stabbed their swords into Rin with a somewhat sluggish movement and pushy sword.

　In other words, were they 'friends' as Rin said?　Is it possible that the goblins on the heavy cruiser could have been quieted down if they had taken the quintuplets with them?
　Even Ei, who had flown in, was floating around, wobbling in some kind of mystery.

　As he was absentmindedly thinking, Rin screamed.

''Utsurogi-kun!　Don't just stand there, help me!

　Oops, that was it. The skeletons are getting together and putting long, hard things in and out of their class idols. It's very bad to let this go.

　But how can I make the skeletons understand? Sincerity?

Uh, you know what, folks?

　Kyousuke tapped the shoulder of the skeletons that stood sheltering him, and they turned to look at him in unison. A hollowed out eye socket is pointed at Kyousuke. I'm scared. I'm scared, but I can't say the same about others because I have the same look on my face. I'm not a person, though.

'That slime is my friend......... I'm glad you feel that way, but could you please not attack me?''

　The skeletons are clattering and shaking their mouths, discussing something. Kyousuke doesn't know what they're talking about, but....

　No.

　For some reason, the nuances come through. Kyousuke's words are being passed on to the other skeletons. As the information propagated, the hand attacking Rin stopped.

''Oh dear, that was terrible.......''

　Rin crawls slyly across the floor and comes back to Kyousuke's feet.

''I'm surprised.... Can the skeletons reconcile with each other?

　The skeletons reveal their wariness to Ei, who wobbles and flies over, but Kyousuke explains to them that he is a friend too. Kyousuke also crossed his arms and nodded his head.

''You mean you can have a heart-to-heart with a kindred monster?　But what about it? You haven't reported anything like that before, have you?
That's what I think it is.

　Rin says while popping her head in the air.

'All the kids who have been hiding in the labyrinth so far are the ones who became strong monsters, right?　So, you only get weak monsters around here, right?　That's right, I don't see any of my people.
'Yeah, I see...'

　It's no wonder that Kyousuke, who was reincarnated as a skeleton, is weak. They are the kind of species that would be easily defeated by Goubayashi and Koganei if they formed a clique. However, this is very gratifying in this situation. If we can communicate with the monsters living in the labyrinth, then we can get some information about the monsters that attacked Sakuma and the others.

''But, good for you. It's a skeleton.

　Rin said something like that.

''Hmm?''
'Skeletons don't have any parts to eat, so they won't be attacked for food, and if you talk them through properly in the future, it might make it easier to explore the labyrinth.
''Oh......... That's true too.........

　As Kyousuke was impressed, the skeletons clattered their jaws and spoke something to him. When he turned his attention to them, he still understood to some extent what they were trying to say.

　Where are Kyousuke and the others going to go from here?　What are you going to do with the slime and the wisp, and what are you going to do with it?　It wasn't so much a suspicion as it was a genuine question of their own kind. Their thoughts, it seemed, were terribly simple and pure in comparison to humans.

'I'm just about to help a friend.

　Kyousuke explained. The Skeletons nodded their heads.

'It's Succubus and Dullahan. They are stranded on the eleventh basement floor. Do you have any information on them?　It's about five meters long, with six arms and two faces...

　And as I said that much, the skeletons screamed out in unison. No, they didn't actually scream, but all at once, the bones of their bodies hit the ground.

''Hiyah!''
Are you frightened...?

　Rin sounded surprised, and Ei quizzically mused.

　Kyousuke made an effort to soothe the clattering bones of the skeletons and listen to them. Their fright is not unusual. That's how frightening the monsters they talked about are. That's why I had to extract as much information as possible.

　The monster is called the King of the Dead (Wight King).
　From what I heard, this labyrinth was a catacombs, just as some students had initially expected. Over time, magic power stagnates and the dead rise as monsters. It is said that nearly half of the monsters living in the labyrinth are such undead.
　The King of the Dead is an individual with exceptional power among such undead monsters. Is it the difference in his elemental body or the difference in the magic power involved in his revival? It was impossible to know, but he was resuscitated as a powerful individual anyway. Undead monsters don't eat, but they need to regularly consume magic power to preserve their lives. It seems that the King of the Dead Spirit kills the monsters that live in the labyrinth and feeds on their magical power.

''Don't they have any weaknesses or anything?

　The skeletons shake their heads. Well, it's not such an easy thing to figure out, is it?

''Even as a habit, the only thing I can figure out is that they go after monsters with magical powers...''
Our priority is to rescue them. If you're going to go after a magical monster, Sakuma is even more dangerous.

　Kyousuke turns back to the skeletons.

Thank you. There may be other people of mine coming through after this, so just be careful not to get attacked.

　He thanked them and turned to leave. To Kyousuke, one of the skeletons held out a sword to him.

''Hmm?''
.........

　A skeleton clattering its teeth. With that alone, Kyousuke understood what he was trying to say and received the sword.

''........You'll give it to me? Thanks.''

　When he gripped the hilt firmly, it had a solid feel that came back to his bony fingertips. Maybe it was a sword optimized for the monster race of skeletons. There was a frayed sword barrel, and it wasn't a gain that could be called karma, but it was reassuring to know that the weapon was there.

''Utsurogi-kun, I, I and Utsurogi-kun are both fine weapons!
'I know. You can count on Himemizu too....yeah. I'm relying on Ei too, so don't glare at me.
I'm not staring at you.

　Rin clings to him from his feet and joins with Kyousuke again. He grips the hilt of his sword again with his slime flesh-covered hand. The firmness still sucked into his hand and didn't change.

''Alright, let's go!''
Yeah!
Okay.

　Ei floated alongside Kyousuke as he started to run. The skeletons watched the three quirky monsters, clattering and shaking as they headed for the lower levels of the labyrinth.