After going deeper into the labyrinth, Rei and the man, now known as Shane, began encountering stronger and more ferocious monsters. The air grew heavier with each descending step, the walls of the stone tunnels glowing faintly with moss and crystal formations. Rei's grip on his sword tightened as he drew his crossbow with precision, picking off enemies before they got too close, while Shane wielded his longsword with practiced ease, cleaving through the beasts with fluid, deadly arcs.
But even with their combined strength, Rei noticed the growing issue: his supply of arrows was rapidly depleting. After a skirmish with a particularly persistent group of stone-scaled creatures, he turned to Shane and said, "We should return now. My arrows are running out."
Shane nodded, wiping his blade clean on the edge of his coat. "Sure. Let's go back."
Once they returned to the surface, Rei made his way to a local weapons shop. He examined different types of bolts—barbed, explosive, piercing—finally purchasing a large stock of piercing arrows optimized for penetrating monster hides. He didn't want to be caught unprepared again.
The next morning, Rei met up with Shane once more, and together they delved deeper into the labyrinth than ever before. By now, Rei's mastery with the crossbow had reached impressive heights. His accuracy was so sharp that he could bring down mid-level monsters with a single shot. He had also developed a new technique: a rapid-fire burst using multiple arrows, reloading swiftly with a practiced rhythm that turned his ranged strikes into a deadly hail.
As the days passed, the duo attacked the labyrinth again and again. Each trip into its twisting depths revealed new enemies and new dangers. Rei didn't let familiarity dull his caution. Though Shane had proven himself capable in battle, Rei never stopped researching him. Everyone in town knew him as Shane, but beyond that, the man was a mystery. No one could tell Rei where he came from, who trained him, or why he frequented the labyrinth alone before teaming up with Rei.
Rei kept his suspicions quiet. He wasn't about to let his guard down. He and Shane had now become an effective team—Rei's crossbow strikes from range and Shane's long sword in close quarters created a deadly synergy—but trust, Rei believed, had to be earned, not borrowed.
On one particularly long expedition, they pushed far into a lighter, eerily wind-filled region of the labyrinth. The terrain changed subtly, stone giving way to smooth white marble and vents that pushed sharp breezes along narrow corridors. It was there they stumbled upon a magically enhanced flame monster, as large as an elephant and shaped like a massive rhinoceros. Its eyes glowed molten red, and its hide flickered with embers.
Rei's eyes widened in recognition. "A Magnatar? That's going to be tough. Its shell is incredibly strong. My arrows alone won't cut it now."
The Magnatar growled and slammed its hoof into the ground. Massive earth spikes surged up from the floor, streaking toward them with deadly intent. Both Rei and Shane darted away with agile movements honed from their many battles.
"Wait," Rei muttered. "A Magnatar only has fire power. It's not supposed to control earth."
Shane narrowed his eyes. "Look at its left front leg—it's the only one causing the terrain to change. The others aren't. That leg must have a Krystallite embedded in it."
"An Earth Krystallite?" Rei nodded slowly. "That explains it."
Rei aimed his crossbow and fired. The bolt bounced off the Magnatar's hardened shell. He gritted his teeth. He didn't want to reveal his hidden daggers or Chaos Scepter unless absolutely necessary. But keeping Shane behind him was too risky—he couldn't afford a backstab, literally or figuratively.
He unsheathed his sword. "Shane, after you."
Shane gave a curt nod. "Sure."
Together, they charged. Flames burst from the Magnatar's mouth, but they dodged swiftly, darting around its bulk like wolves hunting a larger prey. Shane veered left, slashing at the Krystallite-infused leg, while Rei jumped high, landing on the monster's back. With a mighty thrust, he drove his sword into the creature's skull.
The Magnatar roared, shaking its head in rage and pain. Tenko, who had been perched on Rei's shoulder, leapt off and soared through the air. His claws gleamed as he struck, piercing one of the Magnatar's massive eyes.
The beast shrieked.
Rei seized the opportunity, ripping his sword free and following up with two crossbow bolts, each striking the same spot in rapid succession. Shane hacked at the leg until the Krystallite cracked and shattered.
With a final growl, the Magnatar fell to the ground, its body shuddering before finally going still.
Rei stood atop the beast, breathing hard but steady. Tenko landed beside him, wagging his tail with pride. Shane stepped back, his sword dripping molten blood.
Rei looked over at his companion. "We're getting deeper than ever. It won't be long before we reach the real secrets of this place."
Shane smiled faintly. "Let's hope we're ready."
But Rei remained silent, still watching, still calculating.
Rei and Shane went deeper and found some more monsters. The monsters now had camouflage ability and looked like lizards with the size of wolves. Rei thought, "What's with the diverse fauna inside of labyrinth? There must be an explanation for it, everything has an explanation," Rei said. "Let's end it here for now," Shane agreed, and they went down again. Rei did not explore any further because he did not have any measure for invisible opponents and Rei did not like the risk that came with rewards
After coming back up, Rei went straight to Midgard and thought of a way to defeat invisible reptilian monsters. Rei saw some magic gems and smiled and muttered "Yeah this might work" Tenko barked as if saying that if any he would be notified if any monsters came. Rei started grinding the magic gems until they magic gems were completely turned to powder. Rei named it magic powder and put it in a bag. Rei muttered, "With this, I can now detect any invisible monsters that come from the labyrinth."