So apparently it's normal to chant when casting your magic. The more complex the spell is, the more complex the chant would be as well.

I did ask Katsuki why Mary didn't need to chant when she casted her shapeshifting spell back at the mansion.

My Inugami maid just blinked at me and explained that the Head Maid had been quietly chanting while leading us to the gate and the spell was already activated when she stopped,

That was when I remembered that the Head Maid was tier three in assassination too.

I decided that I'll go back and ask Mother about it later.

Since Mary and Sebastian were keeping their distance from us, only Katsuki knew about my lack of chants for now so I asked her to keep it a secret for me, something she swore her life on immediately.

Before this, Katsuki was already looking at me with eyes full of respect. But now, the way her eyes were sparkling when she looked at me really reminds me of a puppy looking up at their owner. She's just sooo cute!

"Mistress, there's a group of three monsters up ahead. They should be those giant rats again."

"Can I leave the vanguard to you?" I asked.

She nodded quickly, "I will protect Mistress with my life!"

Well, no need to go that far but she's so cute so I just patted her head in response.

We moved down the corridor a bit more and sure enough, there were three Dungeon Rats up ahead.

I nodded at Katsuki and she took up position in front of me.

Pointing my hand at the Dungeon Rat closest to us, I fired off my [Laser] and burned through the skull of the rat I aimed at, killing it instantly.

That got the attention of the last two and they immediately dashed towards us.

"Take the one on the left!" I ordered, shifting my hand to point at the other one.

Katsuki gave a nod of acknowledgement before rushing forward, pulling out a dagger from under her skirt.

I focused my attention on the last rat and fired off the [Laser], also killing it just as fast as I had the first one.

The other rat leapt at Katsuki, attempting to main her with its claws but my Inugami maid merely sidestepped the attack and slashed her blade across its side, cutting open its stomach and allowing the dying rat to crash onto the ground.

She quickly turned around and stabbed her blade into its neck, finishing it off.

With practised efficiency, she cut out the Mana Crystals from the monsters and presented them to me, allowing me to store it with the rest.

"I don't suppose you can sniff out where the stairs to the next floor is?"

Katsuki hesitated, "I apologise, Mistress, but I do not have that capability."

I chuckled, "I was joking, Katsuki. Anyway, let's just continue exploring for now, maybe we'll get lucky."

Checking behind, I found Mary and Sebastian still following a short distance behind me, their expressions inscrutable. I'm not even sure if they had any opinions about our progress so far.

"Mistress, two Dungeon Rats on the left, one straight ahead, and the right path seems to be empty…" Katsuki reported when we arrived at another junction.

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She then turned to me, awaiting my decision for which path we should take.

I took a moment to consider our choices.

Obviously the monsters aren't a problem so the number of monsters on each path mattered not to us. The main deal is trying to find the stairs that would lead us to the next floor.

I most definitely did not want to spend the night here if I could help it and releasing my summons to help scout the dungeon would also impede me from getting dungeon experience with Katsuki.

With that in mind… I suppose we should stick to the 'right' path by going right!

I voiced out my decision to her and Katsuki nodded, leading the way down the path that was empty of monsters without questioning my choice.

A few more steps forward however, there was a sudden 'click' sound as her foot stepped on what seems to be a pressure plate.

Oh shit, I completely forgot about traps!

Holes started to open up along the walls, hinting that it was an arrow trap.

I quickly grabbed Katsuki and unfurled my wings from my back, flapping them and throwing us back the way we came right as projectiles started shooting out from the holes.

I expected to land on my back but two pairs of hands caught me before I did, revealing themselves to be Mary and Sebastian.

"Is Mistress alright?" The Trasif asked, her face full of concern.

"I'm fine, thank you both for catching us."

Sebastian shook his head, "No, it was impressive of Mistress to react so quickly like that. I suppose you now know that you need to be careful of traps in the Dungeons."

Katsuki looked up at me where her face was stuffed in between my breasts, "Mistress… My apologies for setting off that trap…"

Oh no, her ears are drooping! That means she's really sad!

I quickly patted her head and assured her, "It's not your fault, Katsuki, we are here to learn after all. That's why we just need to do better next time!"

"Tha… Thank you, Mistress…"

I then turned to Sebastian, "Didn't you say this dungeon is supposed to be low ranked? That trap seemed like it could kill any Dungeoneer diving in for the first time."

Sebastian chuckled and went ahead of us, intentionally triggering the trap himself.

The holes opened up again and I realised the arrows were being shot from one hole to another on the opposite side, leaving no traces of them behind unless they hit someone in the middle.

The Wrunch butler then leapt back and caught one of the arrows mid flight, turning around to show me the arrowhead.

Oh, instead of a sharp arrowhead at the tip, it was a blunt wooden tip that would at most cause bruises if it hit you but won't kill you. Thus, it wasn't really a fatal trap.

That brings about another question…

"Just asking, how much do the Mana Crystals of the Dungeon Rats sell for?"

Sebastian bowed his head, "The Guild buys them for one Decrea, Mistress."

I understand now… This is basically a kiddy dungeon.

The traps aren't that dangerous, the monsters are weak and the loot isn't even that good either. No wonder there's no one else diving in this dungeon.

Oh well, we're only here for the test anyway and we wouldn't be coming back after this. Let's just move on and get this done and over with.

We made sure to avoid the pressure plate this time and right as we turned the corner, we spotted the stairs that would lead us down to the deeper levels of the dungeon.

Perfect.

We descended down the stairs and we were greeted with another labyrinth that we had to manoeuvre through.

Curious, I turned around to ask, "Are the layout of dungeons fixed?"

Mary nodded, "Most dungeons are, Mistress, although there are a few known dungeons out there that change their layouts frequently, this isn't one of them."

Sebastian also nodded, "For most dungeons, you would be able to find places that sell maps made by Adventurers who accompany Dungeoneers to map them out. Or you could also hire guides who would be able to lead you through the dungeons as well. Although do be careful with those guides as are swindlers who might lead you to a trap too. You could also party up with a Dungeoneer who has explored the dungeon before and they will be able to skip to the floors they have already explored."

I widened my eyes at the last part, "You can skip levels?"

The Wrunch butler grinned, "When you are at the entrance of the dungeon or at any of the stairs, simply place your hand on the nearby wall and think about a specific floor you want to go to. The space will warp and when you ascend or descend the stairs you will end up there."

I immediately put my hand on the wall and a translucent screen popped up in front of me with a choice of ascending to the floor above or back to the dungeon entrance.

Oh… Is this how it looks like for everyone or is it just because of my [Screened] boon?

"You should see words popping up in your head, Mistress, just make your choice with a mental command," Sebastian explained.

So the screen really is from my boon, cool.

This would definitely come in handy when facing all those bigger dungeons that have dozens or even hundreds of floors.

I guess Mother never told me this function during my training for the sake of making me stronger by making me fight my way up and down the levels each time.

I lifted my hand from the wall and nodded, "Thank you for the guidance."

"It is our honour to be of help to you, Mistress," Both Sebastian and Mary bowed.

Katsuki also bowed, "I am grateful to serve Mistress too!"

So cute~

Well, guess we should continue exploring the dungeon, hopefully we can clear it quickly before dinnertime!