It's here.
The Floor Boss.
Monster Rex Udaeus.
Riveria, I'm doing this alone.
I'll make it quick.
Monster Rex Udaeus.
A colossal enemy, capable of wiping out even large-scale parties...
...and she's facing it alone.
There's no way she can win this.
Tempest!
On top of that, she'll be the sole target of its attacks.
Impossible... Udaeus has a sword!
Ais, look out!
Oh no-
Ais!
I need to step in.
Don't!
Don't... help me!
Please, Riveria.
Ais...
Tempest!
Defeating an enemy far superior in strength, overcoming one's own limits...
To achieve a tremendous feat not even the gods can ignore...
The absolute condition one must meet to raise their ability score.
I refuse to be weak...
to stagnate...
...forever mediocre!
More. More. More...
I have to be stronger!
Wind!
She's dropped her defenses!
I will take it back!
Lil... Rafaga!
To rush in and attempt to subjugate a boss like that alone... Inconceivable.
I'm... sorry.
Ais, what happened?
I wanted to be stronger...
I'm well aware. But there's more to it than that, isn't there?
That woman...
The red-haired Tamer?
She called me... Aria.
I see.
So that's why she's been acting so strangely...
Ais.
Do you not trust me?
I... No.
Tiona, Lefiya... ALL of us think of you as part of our family.
You do...?
You're not alone anymore. Don't forget that.
Depend on your family more from now on.
I will... thank you.
Now let us return. And rejoin our comrades.
C'mon, Lefiya, let's go home already!
I'm sure Ais is totally fine!
But...
Miss "Storm of snow, three bitter winters! My name is Alf!" Riveria is with her too.
No need to worry!
You're right.
Exactly! Now let's go home and get ready to welcome them back.
Okay.
Let's get going!
Huh?
Lefiya, we're leaving you here!
C-coming!
Are you sure it was a good idea to leave it with him?
Yes. It's not like I can wield it.
Plus, the town could be attacked by monsters again, and having a strong weapon is reassuring.
It does seem valuable.
Well, I'm sure he'll turn it into a great weapon.
Although, it's the first time I've seen that dropped item.
You've never seen it before either?
No.
I've never known Udaeus to wield a sword in the first place.
Mind Down.
He must have used magic without thinking of the consequences.
That boy...
What? Do you know him, Ais?
We haven't spoken directly, but... he was the one with the Minotaur.
The one Bete berated in the tavern, huh...?
Riveria...
I want to make it up to him.
What do you think I should do?
Well, you could...
Will that be enough?
Yes, I'd say it's enough to make things up to him.
I'll start heading back.
Um...
This could be tough...
I never thought Ais would come to me for that sort of advice.
Let's see what happens...
Is this how you do it?
You've been... working hard.
Mother...?
Sorry, I'm not your mother.
Am I hallucinating?
It's not a hallucination.
That's right, I need to apologize...
Why does he always run away?
Ais, you're back.
So? Were you able to apologize?
...again.
What?
He ran away again.
Sorry, I just-
What happened to them in the Dungeon?
No clue...
I couldn't apologize.
It's all Riveria's fault. She's the one who told me to do that...
Is he afraid of me?
I need to have Loki update my Status...
Soma, Soma, booze from Soma!
Loki.
Hm?
Oh, Ais!
Looky, looky! Got some special Soma brew!
My Status, could you update it?
Oh yeah, we haven't done that yet, huh?
Aw man, I've got a visitor right now, though.
Then...
Then, it's fine.
Hold up.
You can wait inside.
Welp, that's about all I know about it.
Was it any help to you, Eina dear?
Yes, thank you very much.
C'mon, Ais! Quit lookin' so grim and let's go update your Status!
You went all out in the Dungeon, didn'cha?
Time to ravage that soft skin o' yours!
Try anything weird and I'll stab you.
For real?!
Ais, you're finally Lv.6!
Congrats, Aisy-poo!
We've got four Lv.6s in the Familia now: Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and now you!
Ain't that great?
Huh? Aren'cha happy?
It's the Rank-Up you've been waiting for, Ais!
I'm happy, but...
Well ain't that a sight to see?
Ais, worryin' about somethin' other than gettin' stronger.
What's wrong with me...?
So Ais has finally made it to Lv.6.
Think that's going to provoke the others?
As long as they don't go do anything foolish.
Well, having a boost of morale is a good thing.
Sure is! Guess you guys've gotta keep your wits about ya now, huh?
Indeed.
'Kay, let's get started then.
Let's go over what's been happenin' around here lately.
The Magic Stone Tione retrieved on the 50th Level and the one Loki and Bete picked up the other day...
are almost identical to one another.
So the new species, the incident at Monsterphilia,
as well as the murder and assault in Rivira are all somehow connected.
From the surface to the deeper levels...
By the scale of all this,
there may be some truth in Lord Dionysus's claim that the Guild is pulling the strings.
I agree. Although, I think that may be a bit too simple.
Loki, did you pick up on anything when you went in?
Nada. Couldn't really tell.
Somethin's definitely up, though. I think we should stay suspicious.
I mean, Dionysus is pretty fishy himself.
In other words, we shouldn't trust anyone.
Well, we basically got dragged into this and no one's gotten hurt so far.
If it's gonna get crazy, maybe we should just play it by ear for a while-
No, that won't do.
That red-haired Tamer that went after Ais...
Mmm, the one you said put up a fight against Finn?
Apparently... she called Ais "Aria" when they spoke.
You serious?
Yes. Ais told me about it.
I see. So that's what Ais was so worked up about.
She can control the new monster species, mutate them with a crystal orb,
plus she has knowledge of Ais' personal affairs?
On top of which, she is completely unknown in Orario despite having such skill.
Even if the Guild IS involved in all of this...
there's definitely a lot more to it than that.
In any case, we should discuss this with Ais.
What's that for?
You rang, Boss?
Could you call Ais in here for me?
Leave it to me!
That's convenient...
Well, you know.
Oh yeah! Let's discuss your next expedition before Ais gets here.
Me and Phai-Phai have been talkin', see.
If we're going to be accompanied by smiths from the Hephaistos Familia,
we can get by with the bare minimum of weapons and armor.
And instead, we can bring Magic Weapons to use against the new species.
Gareth, what have you found?
I've gathered up the finest goods from every weapon shop in Orario.
Everything's in order.
We'll have to decide how best to carry this out despite having a limited knowledge of our enemy.
If we go, we'll need to be prepared to do what's necessary.
Yes. In that sense, this concerns all of us, not just Ais.
Agreed. Let's prepare for the worst.
Boss, it's Tione!
Come in.
Huh? Where's Ais?
About that...
It seems she's gone off to the Dungeon. Alone.
I need to get my head back on straight.
The sun's so bright today.
Thank you for your hospitality the other day.
I'm Eina Tulle of the Guild.
I saved an adventurer under your supervision?
Yes, and I wanted to thank you.
You saved him a hairsbreadth away from being killed by a rampaging Minotaur on Level 5.
A Minotaur...
Yes. His name is Bell Cranel.
U-um, Miss Wallenstein...?
He isn't afraid of me, is he?
P-pardon? Not at all! Mr. Bell Cranel was very grateful that you saved him!
Really?
Really!
Thank goodness.
So, that white-haired kid's about to get scammed by Arde, too?
Yeah. You can read where this is goin'.
Don't screw this up, guys.
Gotcha, Pal.
Do they mean...
Is something wrong?
Miss Wallenstein, I beg your pardon, but could you please do me a favor?
I mean, come on...
Excuse me! Have you seen a boy with white hair pass through here?
Will you please rescue Mr. Bell Cranel, the adventurer under my charge?
It sounds like he's being dragged into something terrible.
"Something terrible"?
Please, lend him your strength.
I need to find him quickly.
There he is!
Tempes-
Firebolt!
That magic... he's not chanting.
When I met him on Level 5, he was only a beginner...
How could he have grown this much in such a short time?
Firebolt!
I don't believe it.
Outta my way!
Crap-!
Huh?
What the-?
Whoa...
I'm sorry! Thank you!
I didn't get to apologize again...
What's this?
You spotted me.
I underestimated you.
Who are you?
A humble spellcaster.
You might call me a mage.
Would it help if I told you that I was the one who contacted Lulune Louie before?
Ais Wallenstein...
I'd like you to carry out a quest for me.
"Requests and Divisions."