"So, it really does use magic-like attacks."
With a casual swat, she shattered the incoming fireball. Watching the Hellhound standing on a distant building, a flicker of genuine interest appeared on Sushang's face.
Though it was called a "Hellhound," it certainly couldn't compare to the ones from true legends. Despite its nickname—the "Arsonist"—it was essentially just a monster slightly larger than a gray wolf that could spit fire.
Still, one couldn't afford to underestimate it. When they gathered in numbers, their destructive potential was immense; they were the primary cause of many parties being wiped out.
Using the Edge of Taixuan to effortlessly reduce the distant hound to wisps of black smoke, Sushang flicked her wrist, gathering the surrounding magic stones into her storage space.
Just as Focalors and that waitress named Ryuu from the Hostess of Fertility had warned, starting from the middle floors, the waves and numbers of monsters experienced a qualitative leap. Every encounter involved several times as many monsters as the upper levels.
It was no wonder everyone unanimously recommended team expeditions when venturing into the middle floors.
Though, for Sushang, that simply wasn't necessary.
Strolling through the floor as if on a leisurely walk, Sushang observed her surroundings.
Compared to the distinct, claustrophobic "dungeon" feel of the upper levels, the thirteenth floor still felt subterranean, but the ceiling was far higher and wider, making it feel less oppressive—more like the interior of a massive cavern than a man-made dungeon.
Visually speaking, there was a sense of verticality now. It was no longer a flat, linear path forward, but a landscape with real depth, featuring both ascents and descents.
Because Sushang deliberately avoided unnecessary combat, she didn't linger too long on the thirteenth floor; she merely made sure to familiarize herself with the local monsters.
The Hellhound aside, the monster that piqued her interest most was a creature resembling a rabbit-man.
The Almiraj—a bipedal, rabbit-like creature. Think of it as a powerful, rabbit-formed goblin, covered in white and yellow fur, sporting a single horn on its forehead.
They wielded small hand axes and frequently used them as thrown projectiles.
If one ignored the inherent danger, they were actually quite cute. Unfortunately, being monsters, they harbored an instinctive hostility toward humans, making communication or domestication impossible.
Cutting through them like a hot knife through butter, Sushang arrived at the sixteenth floor.
Each level of the dungeon was broader than the last, and the further down one went, the less likely one was to run into other adventurers—though that didn't mean the probability was zero.
At the very least, Sushang's figure had been spotted by more than a few adventurers. Those who reached this depth were typically high-ranking, although there were some low-ranking adventurers brought along to broaden their horizons or serve as supporters; regardless, their numbers were few.
And as a low-ranking adventurer, it would have been impossible not to have heard the rumors about Sushang and Focalors.
Their appearances alone were enough to attract attention, not to mention that one of them looked exactly like a deity.
Yes, even if Focalors had intended to conceal her identity, it would have been exposed eventually; furthermore, she hadn't made any deliberate effort to hide her tracks or appearance.
For over ten days now, the mystery of the resemblance between Focalors and Furina had long ceased to be news in Orario.
The main reason deities were identified while walking among mortals was the "divine aura" they possessed—something that did not belong to the mortal realm.
As long as one felt that "divine aura," mortals naturally understood the other party's status as a god.
It was incredibly difficult to completely conceal this aura. According to Hestia, she had never seen a deity capable of hiding it entirely. While Focalors was able to do so, she hadn't explicitly mentioned it.
She had assumed hiding one's aura was a simple task, but now it seemed likely that it was a special characteristic of her current puppet body.
But that is a digression.
In any case, the fact that Sushang—a notoriously powerful Level 1—had appeared in the middle floors all by herself, and appeared completely composed, undoubtedly left many bewildered and astonished.
Orario did have "stench bags" that could drive away monsters and keep them at bay, but there wasn't a hint of foul odor around Sushang. In other words, was she really operating in the middle floors entirely on her own?
This news eventually reached the ears of Tiona, who was currently on an expedition.
"Sushang? She appeared in the middle floors... alone?"
While resting on the seventeenth floor, the Amazonian girl frowned in confusion after overhearing the discussion among passing members.
She had only met Sushang once, though she had crossed paths with Furina twice.
Still, she held an initial fondness for the girl, with whom she had managed to strike up a decent conversation.
"An acquaintance of yours?"
A tall, silver-haired werewolf youth in a white leather jacket sitting nearby yawned and raised an eyebrow. "Just a Level 1 coming to a place like this... she really lacks any self-awareness."
"Still, she's lucky she hasn't lost her life yet."
"I do know her, though I wouldn't call us 'friends'." Hearing this, Tiona rolled her eyes, her expression saying, Here you go again. "Besides, being able to make it from the thirteenth floor all the way to the fifteenth—even for a Level 1—that isn't just a matter of luck."
"A Level 1 is just a Level 1, regardless. With no companions at her side... if you can't recognize the limits of your own strength, you aren't fit to be an adventurer."
Bete, the werewolf, kept his gaze low, firm in his assessment.
Knowing she couldn't convince someone with his temperament, Tiona couldn't be bothered to waste more breath.
Silently offering a blessing for the girl she'd only met once, she put the matter out of her mind.
While she couldn't stand some of Bete's rhetoric, at least one thing he said was true: adventurers must take responsibility for their own judgment. If they couldn't recognize their own limits, death was merely a matter of time.
They were finished with their rest. It was time to go beat up the floor boss and move on to the eighteenth floor.
Meanwhile, Sushang had found the staircase leading down to the seventeenth floor.
In truth, she had seen several of the vertical shafts Lili had mentioned along the way.
Beyond the regular routes, the dungeon contained vertical pits that acted as shortcuts to lower levels. Sometimes, a single shaft could allow one to bypass two or more floors at once.
However, since she was here to scout, she didn't bother trying such "speedrun exploits."
Staring at the downward-sloping stairs before her, she didn't even hesitate. Sushang walked straight in.
Knowing that most of this area was no different from the previous floors—no new monsters or tricks—Sushang didn't stop for a single moment until she arrived before a massive rock wall.
Stepping inside, she moved through a dim corridor for a short distance before seeing a white room in the distance, seemingly shrouded in iridescent bubbles. The unknown light source allowed Sushang to clearly see the uneven, jagged rocks on the walls.
With a curious heart, Sushang walked into the room blocked off by the "bubbles."
She had no intention of killing the boss just yet. After all, if she killed it, she would have to wait two weeks for it to respawn.
For this creature, which might very well become one of Furina's great feats, Sushang naturally had to spare its life.
Without killing it, she would just play with it a little to satisfy her curiosity, then call it a day.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL