Jack of All Trades, Party of None

"Plains, huh."

Stepping into the farm, an endless expanse of fields stretched out before me as far as the eye could see.

There were no prominent obstacles, and the horizon was clearly visible.

"This dungeon was created by gathering the pinnacle of the cult's technology cultivated over hundreds of years. Every environment exists on this floor. Don't be fooled by just visual information."

Titania responded to my muttering with a warning.

"Yeah, I get it."

I was surprised by the view that made me feel as if the plains truly went on forever, but since Titania had already explained what kind of place this was, I understood.

As she said earlier, here, environments like plains, wetlands, deserts, or even underwater areas exist simultaneously, separated by invisible walls.

But those walls are conceptual; humans and demonic beasts can easily cross them.

So even if the plain seems to continue visually, the next moment you might step into a lava field.

...Yeah, without Titania leading, getting lost is guaranteed, and this dungeon would seriously affect one's condition.

"Still, I’ve heard about it before, but seeing demonic beasts killing each other out here really surprises me."

Yes. On the plains spreading before us, demonic beasts are engaged in fierce fights.

Normally, demonic beasts have a habit of going after magic stones, but they aren't programmed to attack other demonic beasts.

That's because demonic beasts were originally created as biological weapons.

If they killed each other off before being deployed as weapons, their numbers would dwindle, so naturally they don't attack their own kind.

"I'm not too familiar with the details, but apparently, they reference ancient eastern sorcery."

"I heard about it from Fuuka a long time ago, but I don’t remember much either. I think it was called insect venom."

That conversation happened over five years ago, before Fuuka and the others set out for Tsutolairu.

Heh, those were nostalgic times.

—Wait, I can’t lose focus now.

"Alright then, please guide us to the next floor. Take the shortest possible route with minimal environmental changes. —【Levitation】!"

"Understood."

Then, flying through the air and following Titania’s lead, I began moving past the fighting demonic beasts.

Of course, some beasts switched their target to me as I passed close, but I mercilessly annihilated them with magic.

Though this dungeon is infested with quite a number of demonic beasts, it’s a relief that not all of them charge at me.

I can handle all these beasts if I had to, but it’s simply troublesome, and I don’t want to waste time on that.

The real challenge awaits on the next floor — the second floor.

By the way, 【Levitation】 is a magic developed by Orun’s uncle.

It allows movement at the speed of a horse running through the air.

However, since it requires constant technique construction and mana flow while active, it demands considerable concentration and causes fatigue.

Even with my strong confidence in magic, I need to allocate about 30% of my capacity during its use, so it has pros and cons.

"The demonic beasts here should be equivalent to those living in the lower layers of the Great Labyrinth, yet you’re defeating them so easily. I heard humans don’t enter the lower layers alone, but if this is the case, my assistance might not be necessary."

Titania murmured as I eliminated beasts that switched their target to me from above with magic.

"Demonic beasts have simple movements, so they’re no threat to me. Besides, my role is wide-area annihilation — sweeping away feeble enemies and clearing the path for the king. I can’t afford to fail at that."

Their movements are instinctive, making them easy to predict and counter because they lack intelligence.

Floor bosses of the Great Labyrinth have some intelligence, but it’s still far from human level.

◇

"We’ve arrived. This is the entrance to the second floor."

We reached the entrance leading to the next floor after passing through various environments.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before moving on.