Alice was a bit surprised to hear Lefiya's worried words, then gave a soft smile.
"So you already heard. I didn't expect rumors to spread so quickly in Orario."
She had only gotten into a fight, and the whole thing had taken less than an hour from start to finish. Yet here was Lefiya, who had been waiting for her, already knowing what had happened on the way.
"It's alright," Alice said, genuinely touched by Lefiya's concern. "The other guy was indeed strong, really fast—kind of a bad match for me. But I know my own weaknesses perfectly well. Did you really think I wouldn't have a way to handle it?"
"So, I'm completely unharmed. Don't worry."
A light smile played on Alice's lips.
"Still, I'm sorry for making you wait so long."
That Hyakinthos had delayed her a good fifteen minutes. Otherwise, she would have been here a quarter of an hour ago.
Right then and there, Alice's dislike for the Apollo Familia climbed another notch.
"Let's go, we're heading to the Dungeon." With that, Alice took the lead, walking toward the Dungeon's entrance.
Watching Alice move ahead, Ais simply blinked, showing no particular reaction, while Lefiya seemed to deflate a little.
"Honestly... But it really is a relief you're not hurt."
There were plenty of adventurers.
But the Dungeon was vast.
With so many floors, it was generally rare for one party to run into another inside the labyrinth.
Unless, of course, the floor wasn't a maze but an open plain like the 10th Floor.
Even then, since the 10th Floor was relatively deep for Level 1 adventurers, very few could make it that far.
Those capable of reaching the 10th Floor usually had the strength to go several floors deeper, so there was little reason for them to linger.
And those who couldn't reach it... well, that went without saying.
So, even on the 10th Floor, adventurers were a rare sight.
For Alice's party of three, however, the 10th Floor was an excellent choice.
The open terrain, teeming with tough, thick-skinned Orcs, provided perfect targets for magic practice.
If only Lefiya could get over her nerves.
This was only the 10th Floor, after all. For a Level 3 like Lefiya, it posed absolutely no threat.
Yet, faced with a pack of Orcs, Lefiya would still get so tense she couldn't speak—though she did dodge their attacks quite nimbly.
"Lefiya!! Don't panic!! Just focus! You only need to say a few words!" Alice shouted to her.
Hearing Alice's voice, Lefiya felt like crying.
Four Orcs were chasing her, brandishing large stone clubs. If not for her Level 3 stats being far superior to the monsters', any ordinary Level 1 or even Level 2 adventurer would have been wounded, or worse.
Don't underestimate weak, low-level monsters.
If you had ten million, or even a hundred million of them—even just Goblins—without area-of-effect magic, someone like Finn would eventually exhaust his stamina and fall.
After all, humans are mortal. If you kill them, they die.
Of course, as mentioned, it would take tens of millions of Goblins to take down Finn, and that's only if he didn't run away.
But Lefiya was different.
Lefiya was only Level 3. What's more, because she specialized in magic, her physical combat ability was much weaker than the average Level 3 adventurer's—perhaps only on par with a Level 2 melee fighter.
And she was facing Orcs from the 10th Floor.
She wouldn't need tens of millions. Even a thousand Orcs could kill her if she couldn't complete her chant.
However.
When she glanced toward Alice, she saw Ais watching her with a look of concern. That sight steeled her resolve.
She had to overcome her timid nature.
These were Orcs that Level 2 or even Level 1 adventurers could challenge and defeat. For her, a Level 3, to be running away from them... if anyone saw and word got out, it would be utterly humiliating.
'Huh? Could it be... Alice-chan chose the plains of the 10th Floor for training precisely for this reason?'
Lefiya felt she had glimpsed Alice's ulterior motive.
"Alice-chan is scary.." Lefiya glanced back slightly and saw the number of Orcs chasing her had grown from four to ten. If she didn't do something soon, even more would probably join in.
"No! I absolutely can't let Miss Ais down!"
Gritting her teeth, Lefiya put on a burst of speed.
Although she was running faster, seemingly in full flight—and she really was running—there was a purpose to her movements now, a sense of calculation that hadn't been there before.
Seeing Lefiya like this, not only did a strange light sparkle in Ais's eyes, but Alice also felt a stir of anticipation.
As for Lefiya, using her Level 3 physique to put a significant distance between herself and the Orcs, she turned around and tightened her grip on her staff.
Watching the Orcs still charging toward her, she took a deep breath. Her heart was still pounding, but she had calmed down somewhat.
It wasn't that Lefiya had never been able to calm down before. She could usually recite the chant clearly. But the pressure of monsters closing in would make her tense up and panic.
Now, even though the approaching monsters still made her nervous and afraid, potentially disrupting her chant, there was a difference.
The incantation was shorter.
She could finish the chant before the monsters got too close.
She could release the magic and destroy the monsters before her fear took over.
And so, Lefiya began her chant.
[Archers of the company! The approaching enemy is before you! Take up your bows, nock arrows, and ignite the flames!]
[Fire arrows of the spirits, fall like a sudden shower, and burn the barbarians!]
[Firebolt Swarm!]
The chant was still fairly long, but it was nearly half the length of her previous one. As a result, her recitation speed was noticeably faster.
And the magic was successfully unleashed.
Behind Lefiya, crimson magic circles materialized. Fiery arrows shot forth from the circles, raining down upon the pack of Orcs.
Wave after wave of fire arrows reduced the dozen or so Orcs to ashes.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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