Is It Wrong to Explore the Dungeon Even Though I’m Overpowered? (Danmachi SI- WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 50: The Surface Dream

Following Day

After making our way up to the 18th floor and spending the night in the relative safety of its safe zone, a new day greeted us. It was a little special, our first time ever spending the night inside the Dungeon instead of returning home.

Aside from the slightly uncomfortable experience of sleeping on the ground in a tent (something I hadn’t done in what felt like forever), it had actually been a fun night. We stayed up later than usual, trading stories about anything that came to mind, especially tales of the Re:Zero world, since Lili and Naaza were still curious about our homeland.

We even managed to squeeze in a scary story session, which, in hindsight, was probably a bad idea considering we were in a monster-infested labyrinth. Still, the laughs had made it worth it, even if I did wake up the next morning buried in a pile of limbs and blankets, with all the girls clinging to some part of me like I was their personal body pillow.

Now, standing just outside our temporary camp after breakfast, I turned to Lili and Naaza, offering a smile.

“Alright, you two, we’ll be heading out now. If all goes well, we’ll be back before evening at the latest. Stay safe, yeah? Just because this is a safe zone doesn’t mean there aren’t still dangers lurking around.”

“We will. You be careful too, Reinhard-sama, Rem-sama, Ram-sama,” Lili said with a nod. There was worry in her eyes, but she kept it mostly in check.

“That’s right,” Naaza added, her tail giving a slow, anxious flick. “We’re not the ones heading off to face a Monster Rex, after all.”

“There’s no way some big dumb lizard’s strong enough to even scratch Reinhard-sama,” Ram said confidently, crossing her arms. “And you’re forgetting, this Ram and her precious little sister will be with him. Nothing will go wrong.”

“That’s right~” Rem chimed in, clenching her fists with a determined look. “Rem won’t let anything happen to Reinhard-kun. That’s a promise!”

“I’ll be there too,” Est added between bites of a cookie, looking up from her snack with crumbs on her cheeks and giving the girls a tiny thumbs-up. The sight made her look absurdly adorable.

Their words did the trick. I saw Lili and Naaza visibly relax, their tension easing just a little.

Then, without warning, I pulled them both into a warm hug, earning startled squeaks before they melted into my arms.

“Just breathe, you two,” I said gently near their ears. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

When I finally stepped back, they looked like they didn’t want to let go, but they nodded all the same.

Turning to the others with a smile, I gave the order.

“Let’s go.”

A second later, Est was sheathed at my waist. Rem and Ram took their places at my sides, and together, the four of us set off for the lower floors, toward our next challenge.

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Dungeon — 25th Floor

It took us almost half the time to reach the 25th floor this time around. Without needing to watch Naaza and Lili’s backs, and with Rem and Ram more than capable of handling any monster so far without any trouble whatsoever, our pace had noticeably improved.

On the way down, I used the time to bring Rem up to speed on what I’d discussed with Ram yesterday, my growing sense that something big was on the horizon, and my hopes that we might encounter someone else like Wiene.

So far, we hadn’t seen anyone unusual as we descended, but the day was still young.

Once we re-entered the familiar misty expanse of the 25th floor, I raised my hand, motioning for the group to pause. I opened my HUD and pulled up the Bounty Tracker app, on a hunch. I wanted to see if Monster Rexes registered as targets the system could detect.

A moment passed before I frowned.

“Nothing. I guess they don’t count,” I muttered, disappointed.

Still, I scanned the map out of habit… and blinked in surprise.

“...Wait.”

A ping had appeared, not a monster, but a person. Mostly.

The figure on the map looked mostly humanoid, but they had traits no surface-dwelling race should possess from my knowledge, long fins in place of ears, shimmering indigo-blue skin, and a tail shaped like a dorsal fin.

“What is it, Reinhard-sama?” Ram asked, glancing toward me while keeping one sharp eye on the surroundings.

“I think we’ve gotten lucky,” I said, shaking my head at myself. “Can’t believe I didn’t think to try this earlier. Since Wiene appeared on the system, it makes sense others like her would too.”

“You found someone like Wiene-san?” Rem asked, her flail in hand, and head tilted with curiosity.

“I believe so. But let’s deal with the Monster Rex first. I can already feel its presence nearby, and it seems pretty strong. It’s waiting for us just below.” I turned to the twins, both of whom nodded without hesitation.

“Time to kill a big dumb lizard, then?” Ram said with a small smirk.

“This should be fun~” Rem added, eyes sparkling.

“Alright. Hold on tight, we’ll be taking a shortcut. We’ll skip the winding paths and just jump the waterfall to get down to the next level. It’ll save us a lot of time.”

The girls didn’t need to be told twice. Rem latched onto my left side, Ram on my right, both smiling with anticipation.

Once I’d double-checked their grip, I stepped up to the edge of the cliff and looked over the roaring cascade of water. The ground was barely visible far below.

No problem. With my current abilities, it should be a simple matter of getting us down there without any issue.

With a grin, I stepped off the edge and leapt, the waterfall crashing beside us as we free-fell through the open shaft of the Dungeon.

“Weeeee~!” Rem squealed, voice full of pure joy.

“Beats walking, I guess,” Ram said, her expression matching her sister’s with a rare, genuine smile.

Moments later, I bent my knees to absorb the impact as we landed in a wide clearing near the base of the waterfall.

As soon as I set the twins down, a low, guttural growl rumbled from behind us. We turned as one, just in time to come face-to-face with the Monster Rex.

The Amphisbaena.

A towering, twin-headed dragon nearly 20 meters tall and half as wide, its serpentine necks twisted menacingly as it stared us down. One head glared with glowing red eyes, the other with icy blue. Its sleek white scales shimmered under the faint dungeon light, and its long tail lashed across the ground, scattering water and dust.

“That’s one big lizard,” Ram said with a low whistle, clearly impressed.

“I hate it already,” Rem muttered, her pout deepening as she glared up at the dragon. “It totally stole our color scheme!”

She pointed an accusing finger at the creature, specifically at the red-and-blue hues on each of its heads.

Ram narrowed her eyes, taking a second look. A frown pulled at her lips. “You’re right, sister. That’s unforgivable.” She raised her palm and let wind magic crackle in her hand. “Let’s kill it.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head in amusement at their priorities.

With a fluid motion, I unsheathed Est, just in time to bisect six Iguazu birds mid-charge, their speed no match for mine. The crimson swallows dropped to the ground in pieces without ever making a sound.

“Remember why we’re here,” I reminded calmly, my eyes still on the Monster Rex.

Right on cue, the left head of the Amphisbaena roared and unleashed a torrent of blue flames. Ram countered it with a simple wave of her hand, her wind magic dispersing the blaze before it could reach us.

“How about this?” I asked. “I’ll take the right head, it’s the one that can diffuse magic and make mist. You two take the left, since it’s all about fire-breathing.”

“Gladly~” Rem replied, a bloodthirsty smirk curving her lips, clearly some of her Oni blood rising to the surface.

“Let’s teach this overgrown gecko not to rip off our look,” Ram added, her glare sharp enough to cut steel.

Suppressing a nervous smile at their shared vendetta, I refocused on the dragon. For a brief second, I could’ve sworn it looked... uneasy. Maybe even afraid. I dismissed the thought, positive it had to be a trick of the light.

Tightening my grip on Est, I brought her up in front of me.

“Let’s do this, Est.”

A soft white glow enveloped her blade as her voice echoed in my mind, resonant and sure. Though I had no idea where the competitiveness came from.

“Reinhard and I are the strongest team.”

I smirked.

“Right.”

Feeling a little sorry for the poor beast, I gave it one final glance and offered a silent prayer for its soul.

Then we moved.

As if we’d been fighting together for years, the three of us moved in perfect sync.

Ram took point against the incoming flames, countering every breath of fire with effortless sweeps of wind magic. Rem guarded her sister’s back, swatting aside any stray monsters foolish enough to get too close with her flail. Meanwhile, I charged the other head, drawing its focus away to split its attention.

Once we closed the distance, we didn’t hold back.

Est tore through the creature’s thick scales like hot butter, and with one clean slash, I severed its head. No resistance, just steel and certainty.

On the other side, Rem let her horns out, a surge of power engulfing her as she entered a semi-controlled berserker state. Her flail smashed into the dragon's body with crushing force, tearing grotesque chunks of flesh and scale away as if it were made of clay.

Ram kept her distance, launching hundreds of razor-sharp blades of wind. Each one cut deeper than the last, easily bypassing the beast’s natural defenses and turning its hide into confetti.

Honestly, it wasn't a fight.

It was a massacre.

We turned the Monster Rex into a training dummy, and judging by the twins' expressions, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, especially given its offensive color scheme.

Within moments, the creature crumbled and began to dissolve, leaving behind a massive magic stone and a gleaming drop item, the Amphisbaena’s Dragon Liver.

“Haah~ That felt good,” Rem sighed contentedly, smiling with stars in her eyes, completely at odds with the fact that her blood-splattered maid uniform made her look more like a horror villain than the sweetheart she usually was. A very cute horror villain.

“Piece of cake,” Ram said with a smug smirk, her own uniform spotless as always, because of course it was.

“That was… easier than I expected,” I muttered, letting out a small sigh of disappointment as I lowered Est having anticipated a tougher fight.

And then, fast, excited clapping echoed from behind us, followed by a voice none of us recognized.

“You guys are amazing~! So strong!” a sweet, feminine voice rang out, filled with genuine cheer.

We turned as one, ready for anything.

What we weren’t ready for… was a mermaid.

Perched gracefully atop a rock in the middle of the water, she clapped her hands together in open admiration, a bright smile lighting up her face. Her long emerald-blue hair shimmered in the mist, and jade-colored eyes sparkled with curiosity. A delicate shell ornament nestled in her hair added a charming touch.

From the waist up, she had the form of a beautiful young woman—very beautiful, actually—and it was hard not to notice that aside from her hair covering her breasts, she was a movement away from flashing us.

‘That’s her,’ I realized instantly, recognizing her unique features from the Bounty Tracker app. She was the one I’d marked earlier.

There was no malice coming from her from what I could sense, only curiosity and excitement. I let my shoulders relax, and with a subtle hand signal, I gestured for the twins to lower their guard. I sheathed Est and took a slow step forward, raising a hand in a casual, friendly wave.

“Hello there,” I said gently, doing my best to sound as non-threatening as possible. “Nice to meet you. My name is Reinhard, and these are Rem and Ram,” I added, gesturing behind me.

To my relief, the mermaid—Marie, the name displayed under the Catalog—showed no signs of fear. If anything, she looked delighted. She tilted her head in that universally curious way, still smiling as she studied us.

“Nice to meet you too, Reinhard~!” she chirped back, clapping her hands again. The motion made certain parts of her anatomy bounce a bit, showing a hint of blue nipple, which almost made me look away out of reflex. Almost.

“I’m Marie! You smell like one of us… but without all the blood,” she said, sniffing the air slightly, her tone still friendly but suddenly thoughtful.

Then her eyes lit up. “Could you be the one who took one of us Xenos out of the Dungeon?”

Xenos? So that’s what they called themselves. The word hit me like a puzzle piece snapping into place. Still, it raised more questions than answers.

‘They know,’ I thought, my suspicions confirmed. ‘We were being watched after all.’

Before I could ask her anything else, Marie dove into the water with a splash, and for a second, I thought she’d fled.

That fear, was short-lived.

Because a heartbeat later, the lake erupted in a spray of water as Marie launched herself into the air and landed directly into my arms with a delighted squeal. Instinct kicked in and I caught her, ending up holding her bridal-style as she giggled, looking up at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“Hihihi, now that I’m this close, I can definitely smell one of my kind on you~,” Marie chirped, her eyes fluttering closed as she leaned in toward my neck and sniffed like an overenthusiastic puppy.

“Great. Another one,” Ram muttered behind me, and I could practically hear the pout in her voice. “And this one’s an airhead to boot.”

“Rem wants to be carried like that too,” Rem chimed in, equally pouty, arms crossed in a show of jealousy.

I ignored their grumbling for now, one crisis at a time, and focused on the curious mermaid still nestled in my arms. She opened her eyes again, smiling at me so innocently it was almost hard to believe she knew what she was doing.

But I figured she deserved the truth. Or at least part of it.

“That’s right,” I said with a small nod.

Marie’s eyes sparkled, and she let out a happy cheer as she hugged me tighter, like I’d just handed her the key to the surface world.

“A few days ago, we met a Vouivre, that I later named Wiene, she could talk, seemed scared and was alone. I couldn’t leave her like that, so... I took her out of the Dungeon. She’s living with us now,” I explained.

The joy on her face deepened, but something in her expression changed, like my words unlocked a dam of longing she’d been holding back. Her fingers fidgeted nervously against my chest, and her eyes lost focus for a second, as if she was trying to picture what I’d just described.

“She’s... not being hunted?” she asked softly, intensity creeping into her tone. “You’re protecting her?”

“No,” I said gently. “She’s not being hunted by anyone. I’ve got an ability that lets me disguise her completely, everyone sees her as human.”

Marie gasped. Her eyes grew wide in wonder, shimmering like she might cry. She shifted in my arms again, this time like she couldn’t quite contain the hope that was now bubbling to the surface.

“Then… if I were to ask you the same thing—” she swallowed hard, voice trembling “—would you let me live with you too?”

The question landed like a stone in my gut.

I stared at her, my face blank as my mind ran through every possible outcome. Saying yes could change everything. It would give us a direct line to the truth behind the Xenos… maybe even a better understanding of what the Dungeon really is. But it would also put our Familia under even more scrutiny. One Xenos living with us had been risky enough. Two? That might raise some eyebrows from those in the know.

One way or another, this decision was going to shift everything.

Whether I say yes or no… things won’t stay the same after this.