The next day. After finishing their morning bath and breakfast, Inari and Shion stood before Gunma Dungeon No. 1. Since their arrival had been pre-registered, the staff greeted them with dazzling smiles.
“Miss Kogami, Miss Suzuno! Please take care!”
“““Take care!”””
“O-oh… thank thee kindly.”
“Thanks.”
Whether it was rehearsed or simply protocol, the full-force cheering followed them until they stepped through the dungeon gate. Exhaling softly, Inari muttered:
“Haa… I never do get used to such things.”
“I’m a little used to it.”
“Mm… I suppose I must grow accustomed as well.”
Turning their eyes forward, they took in the sight before them.
Gunma Dungeon No. 1—classified as a Volcanic Zone Type. Cracked earth stretched into the distance, countless active volcanoes dotted the landscape, and rivers of magma wound through the terrain.
Above, ash clouds hung thick like storm-darkened skies. No volcano seemed in mid-eruption, yet oppressive heat swelled through the air, hot enough to scald the lungs.
“Ugh… it’s so hot…”
“Hm. I had heard it would be hot, but this is beyond expectation.”
“My Ice-Cooler isn’t working at all…”
Shion glanced at the bracelet around her wrist. A man-made artifact meant solely to keep the body cool—prepared ahead of time for this very dungeon. Takeru himself used the same kind. And yet…
“Mm. Use mine as well.”
“But then you’ll—”
“This much is nothing to me.”
“…Really?”
Even without the Ice-Cooler, Inari showed not a single bead of sweat. She could feel the heat, but her body knew neither fatigue nor imbalance from environmental change. Perspiration was something she could produce for effect, not out of necessity. For her, the artifact had been little more than a courtesy gesture.
“Here. How is it?”
“…Better. It’s working.”
“Good. Then let us move on.”
“Mm.”
The moment they started walking—
A nearby volcano erupted violently, spewing firebombs and rocks as a pyroclastic flow surged outward.
“Whoa!”
“Quite sudden, this.”
Inari caught Shion in one arm, rose gently into the air, and raised her free hand. A shimmering barrier bloomed forth, deflecting incoming rocks and molten fireballs alike. But within that rain of fire, several creatures revealed themselves.
“Kihihihihi!”
“Hiiii-hihihihi!”
Small monsters, each the size of an adult head, bodies wreathed in flames like living fireballs—Flareballs. They attacked with fiery charges and searing blasts.
“Spear.”
『Trident Lancer!』
“Fire.”
『Harpoon Strike!』
A trident materialized in Shion’s hands, its spearhead launching forth with a rattling of chains. It skewered a Flareball mid-charge before snapping back into her grasp.
“Finish them all—boom.”
『Torpedo Launcher!』
From thin air, a swarm of torpedo-like constructs swam through the air, exploding in bursts that annihilated every Flareball within sight.
“Impressive, Shion.”
“V.”
Shion made a peace sign, her expression flat but unmistakably smug. Truly, there was reason she ranked 4th in Japan.
The pyroclastic flow below continued to roll across the ground, but only within fixed bounds. Clearly, this was no natural eruption—it was a dungeon’s hazard mechanism. Inari and Shion both grasped this at once.
“Mm. Just as Takeru described.”
“Yeah. Avoid it or go over it. That’s all you need.”
Easier said than done for most, but with Inari’s ability to fly, there was no problem. Still, the dungeon wasn’t meant to be cheated so easily. Records showed that drones sent over had been swarmed and destroyed by swathes of fiery butterflies.
“Up we go.”
“If only you could fly forever… too bad.”
“Well, it cannot be helped. The dungeon would simply spawn infinite foes otherwise.”
Besides, with Shion alongside her, Inari had no intention of needlessly escalating the challenge.
They continued forward, the molten rivers drawing Inari’s gaze.
“Rivers of lava… This is like Yomi, or some hell-realm. Not that I’ve seen such myself.”
“Normally, yeah.”
“Mm.”
“…Still. Hearing you could fly is one thing. Experiencing it is another.”
“I am not particularly skilled at it, mind.”
Yet even so, it was extraordinary. Humans could only gain flight through rare Jobs or special skills—like the New Generation Awakener, or the Black Witch. For Inari, concealing such power at the cost of her friend’s safety would be unthinkable.