Published: January 22, 2026
We steadily progressed through the dungeon, descending a gentle spiral slope until we reached the seventh floor.
At the entrance of the floor stood a large crystal. I held up my Guild Card to it.
In every dungeon, a large crystal is always present at the entrance of each floor.
This crystal functions as a teleportation device, allowing instant travel from this crystal to the one at the dungeon’s main entrance.
In the past, it was a one-way trip from each floor back to the dungeon entrance, so re-entering the dungeon meant starting over from the first floor.
However, the situation changed dramatically when the guild developed the Guild Card several decades ago.
If the crystal is recorded in the Guild Card’s memory, it became possible to teleport instantly from the dungeon entrance.
Thanks to this, exploration speed increased significantly.
In the old days, explorers would stay overnight in the dungeon, but nowadays, same-day trips are the norm.
Moreover, the crystal also has a protective effect against demonic beasts. No demonic beasts can enter within a twenty-meter radius of the crystal, making it a resting spot and a makeshift refuge.
It truly is a convenient tool for explorers.
As the sun was beginning to set, I decided to call it a day around this area.
Just as I was about to hold up my Guild Card and teleport back to the dungeon entrance, a group of explorers, seemingly a party, rushed into the safe zone from deeper inside.
They appeared to be fleeing from demonic beasts, all looking pale. Judging by their equipment, they did not seem to be a powerful hero party.
"Damn it! How did it come to this!"
One of them shouted, venting their frustration.
It seemed they had suffered some failure. Well, as long as they were alive, they could try again. Failures like this would serve as lessons for the future. — What kind of attitude is that, coming from me…?
As I reprimanded myself inwardly, I overheard the voice of the person who shouted and the member with the best equipment in the group — seemingly the party leader.
"You can hate me all you want. But I can proudly say that my judgment was not wrong."
"Still, to abandon a girl who isn't even an adult yet…!"
"Accept it. The sudden appearance of so many demonic beasts was an unforeseen event! I care more about you, who have been with me all this time, than a girl I just met today!"
It seemed an unexpectedly large number of demonic beasts appeared, and they used one party member as bait to escape.
From what I heard, I could understand the leader’s reasoning. Prioritizing comrades who have shared hardships over a stranger is not abnormal.
From an outsider’s perspective, what they did was nothing short of despicable.
…But this is not a matter I should interfere in.
Normally, this story would end with the unfortunate girl being abandoned.
However, having been kicked out of my party just yesterday, I couldn’t treat it as someone else’s problem.
Being abandoned by your party members is painful.
Even if you try to move on, the faces of your former hero party members can suddenly flash in your mind.
Each time, it reminds you of your rejection.
Moreover, in the girl’s case, the place she was abandoned is teeming with demonic beasts.
It was a situation the entire party couldn’t overcome.
The girl left alone is almost certainly going to die.
Since she became an explorer, I assume she was prepared to face death.
But she surely never imagined dying after being abandoned by her party members.
Given the dungeon’s demonic beasts, even dozens at once shouldn’t be a problem to handle.
If I can make it in time — I want to help.
"Still, even so —"
"This is unbearable."
Seeing the explorer who was still shouting about to confront the leader, I couldn’t hold back and intervened.
"What’s your problem?"
The explorer, caught off guard by my sudden voice, showed a blank expression for a moment, then quickly shifted to an angry glare.
"I was listening to you, but you’re just a sulking child, huh? You don’t agree with the leader’s orders, but then why are you even here? You don’t try to save the girl, just complain after escaping to a safe place. People like you are the most annoying."