The powerful strike from the shikigami "Gashadokuro," summoned by Tsukasa Kisaragi, caused a tremor so intense that the other explorers standing on the same floor could barely stay on their feet.


    Even though this was the 21st floor of the dungeon, Asakawa Nanami, who had been watching the battle from a distance, found herself contemting in a form of denial whether the tremor might have reached the surface.


    : Isn''t this way too insane?


    : Is this really just one person''s power?


    Asagao''s dungeon stream had not been cut. It wasn''t intentional; she had simply missed the opportunity to stop it. Faced with the overwhelming monster that suddenly descended from the upper floors, everyone except Tsukasa, the EX-rank explorer, was paralyzed by their instincts, which told them that any wrong move could mean death. Their bodies understood this truth even before their minds did.


    "...Tsukasa-kun."


    All Nanami could do was whisper his name like a prayer as she watched the battle between two monsters for the first time. The skeletal knight, a terrifying monster, emerged from the dust cloud at a speed that only emphasized how powerless Nanami truly was.


    "Tch!"


    Realizing in an instant that Gashadokuro''s attack speed wouldn''t be fast enough, Tsukasa dispelled the shikigami, wrapped his body in magical energy, and began to move. The skeleton knight moved at a speed that was impossible for Nanami or the other rescued explorers to track with their eyes.


    Yet Tsukasa deflected the massive sword with the back of his hand and delivered a kick to the exposed torso of the skeleton knight.


    "Gyuuki."


    As the skeleton knight was mmed into the dungeon floor, a monstrous being resembling an ogre with bull horns was summoned above it. Unlike Gozu, who wielded a weapon, Gyuuki grabbed the fleeing skeleton knight''s head and smashed it back into the ground.


    With a sound like grinding bones, the skeleton knight''s body sank into the earth, and Gyuuki followed up with a powerful punch, while Tsukasa shattered its arm with a well-ced kick.


    Nanami could only watch in stunned silence. Everything she had done as an explorer in the middle floors now seemed like child''s ypared to the reality unfolding before her eyes.


    : Infinite firepower, seriously?


    : Isn''t it unfair that he''s also personally strong?


    : Asagao-chan, shouldn''t you just run?


    : This is getting intense.


    : The viewer count is skyrocketing, lol.


    : This is turning into a legendary stream, lol.


    : Apparently, UNKNOWN is the one resolving the Shibuya Dungeon''s crisis.


    A randomment caught Nanami''s eye, making her realize that Tsukasa Kisaragi''s identity as UNKNOWN had been exposed. Panicking, she hurriedly cut the stream and immediately regretted it. Although Tsukasa had said he didn''t mind if people knew, Nanami understood that once unknown information became known, it could causeplications.


    While Nanami worried about this, Tsukasa raised his palm towards the skeleton knight that had started to flee again. With a surge of magical energy that made the air tremble, a beam of light shot from Tsukasa''s hand, piercing the skeleton knight''s torso in the blink of an eye.


    "Ah."


    With a copsing sound, the skeleton knight fell to its knees, only to be grabbed by Gyuuki and thrown into the air.


    "Kama-itachi."


    As a weasel-like creature appeared on Tsukasa''s shoulder andshed its tail, the airborne skeleton knight was sliced into pieces. Tsukasa then mercilessly crushed the skull that rolled to his feet. As the skull shattered, the scattered bones of the skeleton knight turned to ash and vanished, leaving behind only arge magic stone at Tsukasa''s feet.


    "Phew."


    Gyuuki, Kama-itachi, and Hashihime disappeared, leaving only Gozu and Mezu standing guard over Nanami and the others. Despite the intense battle and the repeated summoning of shikigami, Tsukasa showed no signs of exhaustion. Watching this, Nanami felt a chill of fear run through her.


    To Nanami, Tsukasa Kisaragi was a lifesaver and a new explorer friend she had made at school. But now, she was forced to recognize that the person standing before her was none other than the EX-rank "UNKNOWN," one of Japan''s highestbat assets.


    "Are you hurt?"


    "...N-No."


    Nanami wasn''t the only one frozen in fear; the other rescued explorers were also paralyzed, their eyes filled with iprehension as they stared at the overwhelming power they had just witnessed. Tsukasa, the one who should have been the focus of their gazes, showed no signs of being affected by their reactions.


    Just this behavior alone made Nanami understand why Tsukasa kept his distance from others.


    "Th-Thank you, Tsukasa-kun!"


    "...You''re wee?"


    When Tsukasa heard his name and the words of gratitude, he appeared momentarily puzzled before giving a small, wry smile and tilting his head.


    Nanami could sense the void left in Tsukasa by the loneliness he carried as an explorer and a person. That was why she silently vowed to herself that, no matter what, she would remain his friend.


    "Well, let''s head back. The upper and top floors are safe now."


    "But the stairs are broken, right?"


    "I''ll figure something out."


    Tsukasa smiled as he took out his phone and, with practiced ease, started a call.


    "Hello, I''ve finished here... No, it wasn''t that fast. By the way, the stairs connecting the 21st and 20th floors have copsed. How long will it take to repair them?"


    Repairing a copsed dungeon isn''t something humans can do. The dungeons, whose origins and existence remain a mystery, function as if they were alive, creating monsters and automatically repairing themselves. However, since a total copse of the stairs is rare, even Tsukasa couldn''t estimate how long the repair might take.


    "You don''t know? Then I''ll just make my own path."


    Watching Tsukasa''s back as he talked on the phone, Nanami steeled herself with a newfound resolve. If she wanted to ensure that Tsukasa Kisaragi was never alone, she needed to be stronger.


    Nanami was a smart person. She understood that wishing for what she couldn''t have was pointless, and she realized that she wouldn''t be able to manipte shikigami like Tsukasa. So what should she aim for? In her mind, the image of Tsukasa casting an overwhelming spell during the battle with the skeleton knight was burned into her memory.


    That was the level she needed to reach, she thought to herself with a nod.


    "Hey, Tsukasa-kun...?"


    "Hmm?"


    While Nanami was deep in thought, Tsukasa had finished his call and was now cing his hand on the ground, creating a massive magic circle. When he noticed Nanami calling his name, he turned around, revealing the sight of the ground rising and forming a series of rock stairs. Nanami was at a loss for words.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "...The road ahead is long."


    Seeing the difference between herself and an EX-rank yet again, Nanami could only let out a deep sigh.