Upon arriving at the guild, they informed receptionist Layla of their intention to measure magic. She brought out a device with a large crystal orb embedded in it.

When touched, the crystal emitted light based on the person's magical power. The intensity and color of the light indicated the strength of the magic.

Betty: "It's an old-fashioned model. It's not very precise, but it'll do."

Betty touched the crystal as a test. It glowed purple.

Layla: "My, that's amazing! It seems you have the magical power of a high-level A-Rank! That's incredible!"

Betty: "Well, it's nothing special. Now, Ryujiin, you try."

Ryu touched the crystal. He had tested it many times in the past. As before, the crystal didn't emit any light.

Betty: "Isn't it broken?"

But it worked perfectly when anyone else touched it. The conclusion was inescapable: Ryu had no magic.

Betty: "But then how can a human with no magic use magic?"

Ryu: "I don't know... Maybe mine isn't magic. I've never chanted spells or anything."

Betty: "You mean skills? But even skills require magic to use."

Ryu: "Maybe there are skills that don't need magic."

Ryu's magic and abilities were powered by "divine power," not magic. Divine power was the fundamental force that created this world. It was the origin of all matter, energy, and even the principles of this world. Even magic was created through divine power.

However, this world was yet to understand divine power. Only magic was known, and magic-measuring devices could not measure divine power.

Unbeknownst to Ryu, his ability to warp the laws of this world with space-time magic was achieved by directly using divine power.

Betty: "That's impossible. Fine, I'll measure you with the device at the Royal Academy of Magic sometime. They might know something at the Royal Academy of Magic."

Ryu: "Sure, if I have the chance. I doubt I'll go though."

Alice: "Commoners aren't allowed in the palace..."

Betty: "Oh..."

Sophie: "It'll be fine if we have permission. I'll invite you."

Ryu: "Let's not talk about the palace now. Tomorrow's our first dungeon experience. Get some good sleep tonight."

Sophie and the others returned to the mansion.

However, there were people waiting for Sophie and Ryu to separate. Aiga and the others, who had been ordered to kill Ryu.

Aiga and the others were hiding outside, waiting for Ryu to emerge from the guild.

They assumed he would follow Sophie and the others out of the guild, but he never appeared, no matter how long they waited.

They had no choice but to enter the guild.

As long as it wasn't in front of Sophie, they wouldn't face any major consequences for killing an adventurer under the prince's order, citing disrespect as their justification. Doing it publicly would be somewhat embarrassing, but they couldn't afford to worry about such things anymore.

Aiga and the others had no options left. They couldn't afford to be picky about their means. Even if they caused a commotion with the adventurers, they had to carry out the prince's orders or they would be the ones killed.

But even after entering the guild, Ryu was nowhere to be found. They asked the receptionist, who said Ryu had already left. But Mashu, who had been guarding the back entrance, hadn't seen Ryu leave either.

In reality, Ryu had teleported directly to his apartment after parting ways with Sophie and the others.

Since Ryu was gone, they had no choice. They couldn't attack Ryu's home without knowing its location.

Aiga asked the receptionist for Ryu's address, but she questioned his motives. He couldn't tell her that they were going to execute Ryu for disrespect... Aiga decided to give up and went to the tavern next to the guild, where he began to drink.

Galteo: "Aren't you going to attack Ryu's house?"

Aiga: "We'll look for another chance to take care of Ryu tomorrow."

Mashu: "Are you sure about that?"

Aiga: "Fortunately, the prince didn't set a deadline. If we delay, the prince will be angry, but we'll be forgiven if we complete the mission."

If they could complete it. But...

If Ryu's abilities were real and not illusions, they would be the ones killed if they fought him. But if they couldn't kill Ryu, they would be executed by the prince. Thinking about the fact that they might be destined to die either way, Aiga didn't feel like actively looking for Ryu.

Perhaps he could escape and save his life. But then his family would be destroyed. At least if they died in battle, the prince wouldn't punish their families.

In the end, there was no choice but to do it. Or maybe, no choice but to die.

Aiga poured himself another drink.

Aiga: "This might be my last drink in this world..."

Galteo: "Don't be so negative. You just have to win."

Aiga: "You really think it was an illusion...?"

Galteo: "Well... It's true that some unbelievable things happened."

Mashu: "What if it wasn't an illusion...?"

Thinking about it, the three of them drank even more. They ended up drowning their sorrows in alcohol, and all three men passed out.

(Scene Change)

(The next morning, Ryu arrived at the city gate early. Sophie and the others were already waiting, fully prepared.)

Marie: "We haven't prepared a carriage or horses. Are you going to walk to the dungeon?"

The dungeon was about 10 hours away by foot or carriage. Even if they left early in the morning, they wouldn't arrive until evening.

Since there was no sun inside the dungeon, it was fine to enter at night, but if they travelled for a long time, they might have to search for a place to set up camp immediately after entering the dungeon. Or perhaps they would camp outside for a night before entering the dungeon...

Ryu: "No, it's a waste of time, let's teleport."

As Ryu said that, a magic circle appeared under everyone's feet.

There was a momentary sensation of dizziness, and then they were no longer in the city. They were in front of the dungeon entrance.

Sophie: "Wow... This is amazing."

Betty: "Teleporting all of us at once? Over such a long distance in an instant? I don't know much about teleportation magic, but is that something that's normally possible?"

Marie: (Could this Ryujiin be an incredibly dangerous person...)

Alice: "............"

Ryu: "What's wrong? Let's go?"

Prompted by Ryu, Sophie and the others entered the dungeon.

Sophie and the others easily defeated the goblins, kobolds, and orcs on the first, second, and third floors. Ryu watched without interfering, as usual. Sophie and the others knew his capabilities, so they didn't complain.

Marie, Betty, and Alice were maids, but they possessed exceptional combat skills. The princess had also received a rigorous education in both academics and combat skills as royalty since childhood, and her swordsmanship was comparable to that of the Royal Knights.

Their dungeon attack progressed smoothly thanks to their abilities.

On the fourth floor, they encountered inorganic monsters like golems and puppet men. They were tough and highly defensive, but Sophie and the others defeated them easily.

The fifth to eighth floors had a dramatic change in scenery, with grasslands, swamps, forests, and even landscapes like the Grand Canyon. Of course, these landscapes were inspired by the memories of Earth's landscapes in Ryu's mind.

Sophie was surprised and thrilled, having thought that it would be just a continuous series of caves.

These floors allowed them to experience different types of monsters, including poisonous, reptilian, avian, and plant-based monsters.

They decided to take a break at this point.

They set up tents and slept in shifts for a few hours. Then (since there was no day or night distinction in the dungeon, it was unclear what time it was), they continued their journey after their break.

And finally, they reached the boss battle on the eighth floor.

The first eight floors were an introductory level for beginners. The difficulty increased significantly from the ninth floor onward.

The eighth floor boss was a collection of the higher-level, boss-class versions of the monsters they had encountered so far.

There was a goblin king, kobold king, orc king, as well as a king lizardman, king poison toad, iron golem, and others. It was a diverse mix, but there was no real coordination between them.

To be honest, it was quite difficult for novice adventurers, but if they could clear it, they would be able to perform reasonably well in other dungeons.

Sophie, Marie, Betty, and Alice managed to defeat them, working together. Ryu was standing by, ready to help if things got dangerous, but he didn't need to intervene.

Having successfully cleared the eighth floor, they could consider their novice training complete, with more than passing marks. Ryu was about to leave, but Sophie said she wanted to continue.

They still had some energy left... With the understanding that they would retreat if things got too dangerous, they decided to take a peek at the ninth floor.

However, Sophie and the others faced a difficult battle and were forced to retreat.

(Scene Change)

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(Text: Retreat from the Dungeon - The Prince Again? Don't miss it!)