Two figures raced through the 20th floor of the Dungeon.
Beyond this level, the terrain turned into a vast forest maze. Towering trees stretched skyward, some so massive they connected with the floors above or below.
Almost every creature here had mutated into a monster. They weren't just bigger—many had gained terrifying destructive abilities. Some could even spit fire or water.
"Bzzzz!"
A swarm of buzzing wings roared down like a dark cloud toward the two sprinting figures.
Anyone with sharp enough vision could see that the cloud was actually made up of countless bees.
But these weren't the fingertip-sized bees of the surface—they were each as large as a human head.
A normal bee sting might just hurt for a while, but getting stung by one of these? It might just carry you off entirely.
Their stingers were clearly evolved for combat. A weak shield wouldn't last more than a few hits.
And now, a whole swarm was after them. Not just dozens—at least several hundred. But the two figures ahead didn't slow down; in fact, they were deliberately controlling their pace to keep the swarm following.
One of them glanced back.
"Raul-senpai, did we attract too many?"
"Quiet. Eyes forward. One sting from those things and you're screwed."
The other didn't even look back.
He knew what it felt like. He'd been stung before—an entire arm pierced through. The pain had been so excruciating, it overwhelmed all thought. No amount of toughness could endure it.
"You've been stung before, Senpai?"
"Don't bring up my dark past!"
Raul took one glance at the oversized, crazed bees swarming behind them, and it was like he relived the trauma—his pace kicked up another level entirely.
No answer was needed. He'd clearly been stung.
The other person began to speed up too.
The bees stayed locked onto them, ignoring everything else, closing in fast to deliver a lethal blow.
...
About a kilometer ahead, a girl stood ready with her bow already drawn.
Flames danced along the length of the crimson bow, yet it remained unharmed, holding its shape perfectly.
She pulled out a wooden arrow from who-knows-where, took a deep breath, nocked it, and raised the bow high overhead, drawing the string back to its limit.
A breeze gathered at the arrow's tip, while the flames on the bow spread to the shaft, engulfing everything except the point.
A red marker flashed in her vision—her teammates.
She waited for the right moment—then released.
The flaming arrow tore through the air at a speed that didn't even seem real.
Just as the two fleeing figures entered range, the arrow streaked between their heads.
They instantly leapt to the sides.
"BOOM!!!"
A fiery explosion erupted behind them.
The blast ignited in a flash, instantly vaporizing the moisture in the air. Even behind cover, the two felt the heat slam into them. Their skin dried out and cracked in moments.
It took a full thirty seconds for the blaze to settle.
The buzzing was gone. Completely.
The two cautiously stepped out from behind the tree, peering past its edge as a scorching wind stung their eyes.
As they adjusted, the scene came into view—a scorched panorama of destruction.
The once-mighty trees had been incinerated to ash in a blink. The ground had melted, forming wide patches of bubbling, molten earth.
The devastation extended as far as they could see.
"...Holy shit."
Even Raul, no stranger to chaos, couldn't help but curse.
"This... this was just one arrow? It's not much different from Riveria's magic."
And that hadn't even been a spell—no incantation, no ritual. Just an arrow, enhanced with enchantments and magic synergy. Its power was terrifying.
Cassandra, the one who fired it, couldn't even stand. She'd dropped to the ground, staring at the aftermath in shock.
The only one still calm was Bell, and he wasn't surprised at all.
Fire fueled by wind, with the arrowhead concentrating compressed air—on impact, the flames burst outward in a violent explosion. A normally controllable fire had turned into a rampaging inferno, delivering destruction far beyond expectation.
He pulled out another notebook and added a note beneath "Fire-Wind Arrow": "Has ample destructive power but can only target fixed positions."
This kind of raw firepower could act as a deterrent in the Dungeon—but only if the shot actually landed.
The prep time was too long, and it required him to personally manipulate the runes to condense air at the arrow's tip. Without that, the resulting power wouldn't come close. If he relied solely on runes, the output would drop by around 40%. That gap was too significant.
Still, this test hadn't been about destruction alone—it was about whether he could execute that level of support.
And the result proved he could. Bell had shown that he could push support magic to the extreme, especially in terms of destructive assistance.
'For now, I can only manage single-target support.'
Bell reminded himself that this was just the beginning of his exploration into support roles. He didn't need to spread himself thin—focusing on one area was enough for now.
'I can use Rune Stones to enhance physical ability. But when it comes to awareness... maybe I should explore rune combinations that accelerate thought.'
'If I can speed up my thinking and combine that with physical speed boosts, I might be able to elevate my combat performance to a whole new level.'
'Right now, if I concentrate fully, I can only support one or two people at most. It's a bit like when I'm fighting multiple monsters on my own.'
'Maybe this kind of training really can sharpen my sense of battle.'
What started as a theory about improving his strength was now starting to feel real. This method might truly boost his capabilities beyond what was reflected on his Status.
Better clarity on the battlefield. Greater control of the situation. That was the kind of strength no panel could display.