Three of the women were pulled into the depths by the time they realized something was happening. However, realizing what was happening did spare them from the mermaid’s wrath. A normal 5th level would have a miniboss, but it’d also be filled with various mobs too. Even after everything, I didn’t have the mana to afford anything else, so every selection I used for the dungeon I made the count.


    Eventually, the leader thought to create a protective circle with the girls and face the mermaid head-on. The battle was brutal, but eventually, they were able to get a good hit on the mermaid, and it had no choice but to escape. There were only three of the original group surviving. Just as they decided to continue their way on, a new group approached the water level. At this point, a total of four groups had entered. It was a hundred women, each progressively stronger than the last. The most recent group included several of the lionesses, although I didn’t know if they were numbered, and I didn’t see First or Second.


    I was just about to send someone up with a potion to restore the mermaid and try to repeat the slaughter with the next group. I had ordered it not to fight to the death, but to do as much damage as it could. In that respect, it had done a particularly good job. At least, that was my plan until the woman who seemed to be leading this group let out a dismissive snort. She threw something into the water.


    “I think some of ours were in that water.” One of the women told the leader.


    She snorted. “Then they should have saved themselves. Our lord has no room for failures. If you wish to rise in his favor, you also must be ruthless.”


    The other girls nodded as if such a thing was obvious. As for the boss room where the lot of us waited, there was only silence.