By the time the expedition team realizes what’s happening, they find themselves standing in the middle of a grassy plain. Thankfully, nobody is hurt—but they have no clue where they are, and Clive and his research team are nowhere to be seen.
Elsewhere in the fields, Clive wastes no time ordering his team to start collecting data. If his hypothesis is right, then the gate really did teleport them to a new location. Translation: they’ve just been “isekai’d” without consent. That also means there’s a very real risk of being attacked, so everyone needs to stay on guard.
Still, Clive can’t help but feel a little thrilled. This accident could prove his theory that monsters from tidal bores actually originate from the 38th floor. And since he’s the one who discovered the teleportation gate, he’s already imagining the promotion—head of the department, prestige, maybe even a bigger office with a window. Of course, that only matters if he and his team actually make it out alive… and considering the local wildlife, survival isn’t guaranteed.
Back on the surface, Natalie and the other researchers are frantically trying to figure out what happened to the missing adventurers when the locator suddenly flickers back to life. It only transmits a signal for a split second—not enough to communicate—but it reveals something baffling. Somehow, the expedition team has ended up on the 40th floor. That makes no sense at all; they were just on the 10th floor!
Just then, a man named Christopher walks into the tent, introducing himself as a researcher from the College of Magic. Technically, his group and Natalie’s are rivals, but he sets that aside for now. He needs to know if anything unusual has happened in the dungeon, and he politely asks for information.
The researchers hesitate—this is sensitive information, after all. But Christopher presses on, explaining that just a short while ago, he entered the dungeon with the adventurers assigned to the second research expedition. Right as they were crossing the threshold, everyone in front of him vanished. That’s why he’s so desperate for answers.
His account confirms the terrifying truth: the adventurers really were teleported, which explains how they ended up on the 40th floor. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make the situation any less dire. At this point in history, no adventurer has made it past the 38th floor. From there onward, even elite parties struggle to survive, let alone the C- and D-rank adventurers dragged into this mess.
Thankfully, Abel’s party is among those caught in the first expedition. At least for now, they should be able to hold things together and protect the others. Still… unless a rescue plan comes together soon, things are going to get very bad, very fast.
Things are about to get very bad, very fast unless someone figures out a way to rescue the expedition team. When Natalie learns that Abel and his entire party are trapped in the dungeon, she remembers his parting words to her. Without wasting a moment, she rushes off to the library in search of Ryou (Rio)—because if anyone can help, it’s him.
Meanwhile, at the guild, Nina bursts into Hugh’s office with grim news. The investigation team that entered the dungeon has suddenly vanished, and all contact with them has been lost. To make matters worse, Dean Christopher is requesting Hugh’s immediate presence to sort out the situation.
Hugh, who had been enjoying the peace of his desk work (read: probably napping with paperwork as a pillow), jolts upright and announces he’s heading out right away. Before leaving, he orders Nina to keep the details strictly secret; if the remaining adventurers hear about this, panic could spread faster than ale at a tavern happy hour.
At the same time, Ryou is wandering the library in his usual scholarly struggle. He’s desperately trying to research eclipses and tidal bores, but has no idea where the right books are. Honestly, at this point, he’d be thrilled if the books found him instead. Luckily, his wish is granted in a different form: Sera happens to be standing in the next aisle.
Overjoyed, Ryou rushes to her and explains his plight. Sera, being the walking encyclopedia she is, immediately offers to help. She even shares her personal theory: eclipses and tidal bores are connected. She’s noticed that historically, tidal bores occur within days of an eclipse, a pattern that repeats time and again. Of course, she had to dig through mountains of old records to piece that together—so naturally, she’s curious why Ryou suddenly cares about this subject.
Ryou, who cannot exactly admit “Oh, I fought a demon during the last eclipse, no big deal,” skillfully changes the subject. He asks instead why magic stones change color. Sera can tell he’s hiding something, but she lets it slide for now. She explains that the color of a magic stone reflects the monster’s age: the longer it lived, the deeper the hue.
That catches Ryou’s attention. According to reports, every magic stone from tidal bore monsters has been perfectly clear. That suggests those monsters had only just spawned in—not migrated up from lower levels as most people believe. Even more surprising, Sera reveals this phenomenon is recorded in all past tidal bore incidents.
Ryou is shocked; he didn’t think such detailed records existed here. Sera explains that technically, they barely do—the records are ancient, written on fragile parchment, and even the librarians don’t know about them. Fortunately, she knows exactly where they’re kept and offers to guide him.
Meanwhile, back with the investigation team, morale isn’t looking great. They still have no idea where they are—or even if they’re still inside the dungeon. Being randomly teleported without a map, compass, or Google Earth is not exactly a confidence booster.
Arthur asks the researchers if any of their tools are back online, and he’s told that the transmitter is working again. In theory, that means the surface team should be able to locate them now. The others cheer up at the thought of rescue, but Arthur isn’t convinced.
When Abel asks what’s bothering him, Arthur explains that the air here feels… off. If he had to put it into words, it’s similar to standing inside a Sanctuary Square spell—the ultimate defensive magic that blocks both physical and magical attacks. If that’s the case, then they’re probably stuck inside some kind of barrier designed to cut them off completely from the outside world.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Abel asks Lihya to cast her probing spell. She complies, sending out her winged magic, which detects a group of about one hundred humans roughly five hundred meters away. However, among them are around a dozen life forms she doesn’t recognize. Suspicious? Absolutely. But with no better leads, they decide to head toward the group.
Meanwhile, back on the surface, Hugh is informed that the investigation team has somehow been teleported all the way down to the 40th floor. He can’t believe their luck—or rather, their terrible luck. Even if he gathered every adventurer in town, they’d never make it that deep. To make matters worse, they don’t even know what caused the teleportation in the first place. Christopher insists it would be far too risky to send in another expedition now. All they can do is wait and hope the team somehow survives.
Unfortunately, the team is anything but safe.
Hellfire rains down on Clive’s research unit. Some mages manage to throw up shields just in time, but many aren’t so fortunate. Clive, scrambling to process the chaos, realizes with dread that their attackers resemble the very demons he once read about in dusty records. And if those records are true, then the polite way of putting it is: they’re doomed.
A few brave adventurers charge ahead to catch the demons off guard—but within seconds they’re torn apart, and the survivors are burned to ash. Abel’s group arrives just in time to witness this bloodbath, their horror plain as day.
Nina takes one look at the monsters and recognizes them immediately: demons. She warns everyone that, according to ancient records, demons are enemies of gods and angels themselves—far stronger than any normal human. Defeating one is a legendary feat. Facing multiple? That’s a recipe for early retirement… in the grave.
There are plenty of questions about why demons would be here at all, but Arthur cuts through the panic. “Questions later, saving lives now,” he barks, ordering the mages to prepare for a pincer attack.
Just as Clive and his battered team are about to be overwhelmed, a barrage of magical javelins tears through the three demons bearing down on them. The mages unleash every spell they know—raining down fire, ice, lightning, and probably a few spells they just made up on the spot. The sheer volume of magic finally cracks through the demons’ defenses.
The battlefield is chaos. There are still plenty of demons left, so Arthur shouts for everyone to prepare another barrage. The demons hurl fireballs in retaliation, but the mages already have shields up, blocking the flames like pros who actually did their homework for once.
For a moment, Arthur dares to hope they can win if they keep up this pace. But there’s a catch—mana doesn’t grow on trees. Once the mages run dry, the frontline fighters will have to step in. That means it’s Abel’s turn to shine… or get roasted.
He unsheathes his sword and scans the battlefield, spotting one demon that looks extra terrifying—as if it came straight out of a “Do Not Fight This Thing” manual. Rallying his team, he orders them to line up behind Lewin, who shields them from waves of fire as they charge. Once close enough, Abel cuts down demons left and right while Lihya and Rin fire spells to pierce through their defenses.
The plan works… until Lihya collapses from mana exhaustion, and Rin is nearly tapped out as well. That leaves Abel swinging steel solo. Six demons remain, but Rin warns him that the biggest, scariest one is no ordinary foe—it’s a Demon Prince. And if the records are right, only a hero has ever beaten one. That’s the kind of fun fact you’d rather not hear right before fighting.
Still, Abel doesn’t hesitate. Sure, the Demon Prince is terrifying, but hey—at least it’s not as bad as fighting that Griffin last time. He dives in, managing to slice down two demons in one go. Unfortunately, this gets the Demon Prince’s full attention.
The monster instantly blasts an energy beam toward Rin and Lihya, forcing Lewin to shield them—only to be thrown back along with both mages. Now it’s just Abel and the Demon Prince, one-on-one. For half a second, Abel convinces himself he might have a chance. Then the Demon Prince flash-steps right in front of him, smacks his sword aside, and casually reminds him: Nope. You don’t.
Keeping calm on the outside but panicking on the inside, Abel braces himself. Clive tries to help from afar with a powerful spell, but it barely scratches the Demon Prince. Worse, the remaining demons immediately turn their attention to his group, shattering their shields and leaving them wide open to the flames.
Realizing things are spiraling fast, Abel decides to gamble everything. As the Demon Prince charges, he activates his Zero Turn skill. With lightning precision, he deflects the prince’s blade and pivots to strike at its neck.
…Except the Demon Prince sees it coming, dodges effortlessly, and backhands Abel across the battlefield like he’s nothing more than an annoying fly.
Abel can barely stand, his body giving out as the demon prince steps forward, raising his blade for the finishing blow. At the very last second, Abel hears the faint sound of a single drop of water. In that instant, Rio comes crashing through the ceiling.
Rio is relieved he managed to find Abel in time, but Abel can hardly believe his eyes. Convinced he’s hallucinating, he never would have expected Rio to show up at such a critical moment.
Rio tells him that many people are worried about him and the others, so they should return as soon as possible—he’ll deal with the monsters here in the meantime. Avil tries to warn Rio that their opponent is a demon prince, but Rio dismisses it with a smile. He’s fought a full-fledged demon before, and compared to her, this one doesn’t seem nearly as threatening. Still, since it’s essentially a “baby demon lord,” its weakness makes sense.
The demon minions unleash volleys of fire at Rio, but he casually counters with a barrage of icicle lances, freezing and decapitating them before they even realize what’s happening. Their severed heads hit the ground, and the demon prince instantly understands that Rio isn’t like the others—it won’t be easy to take him down.
The prince tightens his grip on his sword and readies for battle. Rio, eager for a little fun, draws his own blade to see just what this so-called demon prince is capable of.
