***
A grand underground corridor which lead to an unknown spiral constructed by a great empire that was long gone.
What treasures awaited deep in the palace, and what monsters lurked in the shadow...
Surrounded by mysteries, the inverse tower was now known as Spiral Abyss.
Even if they didn't know its origin or its purpose—the fact that it had been created by "someone" who once dwelled here was enough for them to be cautious of the place.
Though currently, there weren't any treasures nor monsters lurking around them. Just endless stairs leading to nowhere.
The group advanced into the surface of the staircase, but their pace never increased. The stairs were spiraling above endlessly without end. At this rate, it would take ages before they reached their objective.
"Is this the great training area you told us about? So far all I see is a stair simulator."
Yomite's comments made Lisa frown.
But he was right.
From her perspective, she also couldn't think of anything more boring than climbing stairs endlessly. She could imagine how the others felt too, but this wasn't her fault.
Rosaria was the one who hurriedly cut down enemies and finished all of the challenges in their path.
But that would come to an end once they arrived to the fifth floor.
Starting at Floor five, the Spiral Abyss would diverge into two paths.
To dive deeper, they must arrange two teams of up to three to four people to challenge each half a chamber.
This meant that every member must do their best to clear the chambers on their end.
Failure to complete these tasks would result in being stuck in the Spiral Abyss until cleared.
"Puppy, we're almost there. No stopping now " Lisa who was still resting on Hu Tao's back said encouragingly.
Although Hu Tao was starting to look tired, she did her best to keep moving forward even when she felt like her legs were going numb.
"I'm not a puppy!"
"Yes, you indeed are, cutie." She shook her head with no intention to stop teasing her.
"...You're so mean…"
Hu Tao pouted. She knew it was useless to argue with her, and so she gave up.
It was already infuriating to her that the person on top of her had ginormous breasts—they seemed like they would crush her at any given moment.
"Puppy, I have a question."
"What is it?" Hu Tao responded while trying to focus on keeping her posture straight.
"Could I touch your chest? I've never seen an adult woman with a chest that small, it intrigues me." As Lisa spoke, she tried to touch the girl's breast, but Hu Tao pulled away quickly with an annoyed expression.
"No! No touching!!" Ignoring the fact she insulted her petite chest size, Hu Tao quickly shook her head.
"Aw~ Why not? You're so cold." Despite the girl being angry, Lisa continued to reach for the bosoms, making Hu Tao want to bite her hand off even more and smacked her on the arm repeatedly.
Finally, Lisa retracted her hand in defeat and asked, "Do you want your breasts to get bigger? I can help~"
"Nope!! They're perfect as they are!!" But even Hu Tao looked doubtful after saying that, "Assistant! Your wife is being assaulted by another woman! Save me!"
"As much as I'd love some woman on woman stuff, if it's without me in it, then don't even think about it."
"I could make a potion to get your chest bigger, what do you say?" Lisa proposed in earnest, "I'm a master alchemist."
There was something about Hu Tao that made her feel drawn to her.
There was something so fragile about her, yet she carried herself proudly.
Like a warrior who was willing to fight tooth and nail to achieve her goals, and it made her fascinating to be around.
"...A potion? How does that work?" Hu Tao blinked her eyes in curiosity, her voice quieting down to make sure no one other than Lisa heard.
"Well…I'd need ingredients from somewhere special, and then I'd brew a new potion that'll increase the size of the bosom," Lisa answered vaguely.
"Really? Are yours also brewed with a potion?" Her interest seemed to be piqued even more, and she stared at Lisa expectantly.
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, little one." Lisa grinned evilly, "They're completely natural, no magic involved at all. Want to touch them yourself, sweetheart?" Her tone got more seductive as her gaze lingered over the girl, "We could try out my potions, but if they didn't work, I can work on some massage techniques to make them larger~"
"B-Bah! Who needs your potions! Assistant said mine are adorable! I don't think he would like them getting any bigger! So you just leave them alone!! You hear me!" Hu Tao huffed, clearly displeased.
But that only served to amuse Lisa even more, "It's just a suggestion. Don't worry, sweetie, I won't take any action unless you personally beg me to break you~"
"Urghhhhhhhh!!! Assistant! Can I throw her off! Please let me throw her!"
"Denied. What would happen to my studies if she died? We can kill her after we get stronger. I also have some unfinished business with her, don't worry."
"Tch!"
"Puppy, your hair is so long. Let's tie it in a ponytail~"
"Ughh!"
"Your hair almost seems like a handle. I just want to run my fingers through it~ It will be so easy to pull~"
"Don't do that!!"
"Come on, we're both women. This much skinship is a minimum to get to know each other better. It's just a hairstyle, nothing indecent~"
"I said no touch!"
The two girls bickered for a while before finally reaching the fifth level, leaving their argument behind.
Lisa hopped off Hu Tao's back and walked to the front. She raised her index finger and pointed at something. "Just as I suspected, Rosaria dear is stuck here."
With her statement, the rest of the party turned their heads to the left and noticed Rosaria sitting on the ground near the floating key.
"You...where have you all been...?" Rosaria's voice sounded strained. She seemed to be struggling with a mountain of fatigue.
"Sister Rosaria! You're safe!" Barbara rushed to her side and hugged her tightly.
"Barbara..." Rosaria whispered in return, rather relieved, although she would never admit it.
