Dungeon, 18th Floor.
As the very first safe floor that adventurers encountered in the Dungeon, the 18th floor was entirely different from the floors above it, and even from those that lay far below.
This floor also bore another name—"Under Resort."
True to its name, it was a paradise hidden within the subterranean maze. Not only did monsters fail to spawn here, but the surrounding environment was exceptionally beautiful, making it feel utterly unlike the depths of the underground.
When adventurers arrived on this floor, the first thing that greeted their eyes was a vast forest.
The entrance to the 18th floor was located in a cavernous tunnel to the south, right in front of this forest. If one crossed the woods and headed north, a sprawling grassland dotted with shimmering crystals would come into view.
This lush green wilderness unfurling across the central region of the floor was a truly magnificent sight. At its center stood a colossal tree known as the Central Tree, and nestled within its massive roots was a hollow that served as the entrance to the 19th floor.
To the north of the plains lay a grand wetland. From the south all the way to the east, the floor was blanketed by the verdant forest, while the west featured a brilliant blue lake with a massive island floating upon its waters. Rocky cliffs completely encircled the floor, making its circular layout apparent at a glance and giving it the appearance of a gigantic, landscaped garden.
The source of the light that transformed all of this into such beautiful scenery, dispelling the pitch-black darkness of the underworld to turn the floor into a true paradise, was the light itself.
Yes, there was light here, and it was incredibly bright—as bright as open day.
This light emanated from the crystals scattered across the entire floor. The ceiling, in particular, was densely packed with countless crystals, forming an upside-down crystal forest.
When these clusters of white crystal gathered together, they acted like a subterranean sun, casting a brilliant glow that illuminated the entire floor. They shone radiantly, creating a daylight effect and ensuring that even though the 18th floor was deep underground, it possessed a "sky" uniquely its own.
The brightness of this "underground sky" even shifted with the passage of time, creating distinct periods such as morning, noon, and night. Although it deviated from the surface time, and this time difference fluctuated constantly, such a mysterious dungeon phenomenon never failed to captivate the hearts of many adventurers. In fact, some wealthy individuals would specifically hire adventurers to escort them here just to catch a glimpse of this splendid scenery—a masterpiece of nature woven from dreamlike crystals and a mysterious vault.
Thanks to this, the 18th floor was not only the first safe floor in the Dungeon but also a wonder that truly lived up to its utopian reputation. The luminescent crystals were the defining feature of this place, growing in every corner of the floor. Even the forest was bathed in an indigo hue, lit by the blue crystals sprouting from fissures in the ground, making it incomparably beautiful.
Even Leon, when he had first descended into this world and arrived here, had been unable to stop himself from marveling at this wondrous sight, despite his initial daze and helplessness.
Now, he had finally returned to this floor—the very place where he had first arrived.
"How nostalgic..."
Emerging from the forest, Leon looked up at the vaulted rocky ceiling and the crystal forest, standing frozen in place for a long while.
Beside him, members of the Loki Familia pushed carts laden with large supply crates, passing him one by one. They laughed and chatted with each other as they walked along, creating a lively atmosphere that felt less like an perilous dungeon expedition and more like a merchant caravan traveling through a foreign town.
"Mr. Leon, this is where you first met Miss Ais, right?"
Line had naturally heard rumors about Leon's past. Seeing him standing there lost in thought, she asked out of curiosity.
Beside her, Lefiya didn't say a word, but her pointed ears subtly perked up.
"Yes." Leon had never hidden this fact, and he answered calmly, "If I hadn't run into Ais here, I might never have made it back to the surface."
Or rather, if he hadn't dropped straight into this specific floor when he first crossed over, and had landed somewhere else instead, he would have been dead long ago.
"But how did you end up down here in the first place, Mr. Leon?"
Line, unaware of his inner thoughts, only found it strange.
According to what Leon had said, he was completely alone at the time and hadn't even received a Falna. Back then, he could be described as entirely defenseless. Let alone leaving the 18th floor, just trying to get from the 1st floor back to the surface would have been an insurmountable task.
Given that, how could he have appeared here on the 18th floor?
He certainly wouldn't have had the strength to reach this floor on his own back then. So who exactly brought him here and abandoned him?
Line found it puzzling and couldn't help but brainstorm wild theories in her head.
This was actually something many people in the Familia wondered about. Some chose to tacitly ignore it, while others asked but never received a straight answer from Leon.
This time was no exception.
"Who knows?" Leon's tone was so detached it sounded as if he were talking about someone else. He spoke nonchalantly, "Maybe some foreign noble hired adventurers to escort his family down here for a vacation, and then left a disappointing, useless son who he absolutely couldn't stand to fend for himself?"
Leon was completely talking nonsense.
However, both Line and Lefiya's expressions changed slightly, and they fell into silence.
They felt that this might actually be the truth.
Otherwise, how could one explain why Leon had appeared here all by himself, unable to return to the surface, and why he absolutely refused to talk about his past after Ais brought him back to the Familia?
Lefiya and Line came to the conclusion that what Leon said just now might be real. He was someone who had been abandoned by his family here, which was why he hated bringing up the past and was so intent on joining the Familia and working hard to grow stronger.
Perhaps he wanted to prove to them that he was by no means a useless piece of trash, or perhaps he wanted to completely sever ties with his past, living out the rest of his days in Orario solely as a member of the Loki Familia, never to return.
At this thought, the way Lefiya and Line looked at Leon softened with a hint of sympathy.
Unfortunately, Leon had no idea that his casual nonsense had triggered such a dramatic misunderstanding in the minds of the two girls, otherwise he would have found it both hilarious and absurd.
"Hey, you three, what are you still standing around there for?"
Up ahead, Gareth, holding his battle axe as he led the way, looked back and shouted in his booming voice at Leon and the two girls lingering by the forest entrance.
"Hurry up and get over here! We're about to meet up with Finn and the others!"
Hearing this, Leon averted his gaze from the crystal canopy, and Lefiya and Line stopped their daydreaming.
"Let's go. We should regroup with Ais and the others first."
Leon took the first step, walking toward the main force, and Lefiya and Line hurriedly followed.
The group's destination was the Central Tree located at the heart of the floor. Not far from it was the prearranged rendezvous point for the Loki Familia's two separate forces.
Before long, Leon and the rest of the second unit spotted the advance team resting ahead.
"We've arrived, Finn."
Gareth's loud voice was once again the first to ring out, drawing the attention of the advance team members who were scattered about, resting and chatting.
"Lefiya! Line! Over here!"
Tiona, who had been bickering with Bete, immediately waved her hand in greeting the moment she saw the two girls walking up with Leon.
Tione, meanwhile, was hovering around Finn, trying to curry favor, entirely ignoring the arriving reinforcements.
Raul and the other core figures of the second unit quickly hurried over to help push the supply carts.
"You didn't run into any trouble along the way, did you?"
Riveria asked as a matter of course.
"Of course not. It's just a trip down to the 18th floor, what could possibly happen?"
Gareth replied lightheartedly.
Although the main combat forces were concentrated in the first unit, and he was the only level 6 adventurer in the second unit, their capabilities were more than enough to navigate the upper and middle floors with ease—they could even handle the lower floors without much trouble.
The members permitted to join the expedition forces each had their own specialties. They were either first-class and second-class adventurers above Level 3, or supporters and healers like Line. Even Line was a Level 2. So even if the second unit's combat strength wasn't as overwhelming as the first, they could still traverse the middle floors effortlessly without even counting Gareth, making it virtually impossible to encounter any real danger.
Along the way, the number of monsters they encountered was also incredibly low. After all, they were following the exact path the advance team had cleared. Any monsters blocking the road had mostly been taken care of, and even if a few spawned later, they were easily dealt with by a few spells thrown their way.
Gareth hadn't even needed to lift a finger the entire time. The fighting was entirely handled by the Level 2 and Level 3 members. Even Line had taken the opportunity to smash quite a few monsters to death with her staff, let alone Leon.
Back when he was Level 2, he could already slaughter his way back and forth through the floors above the 18th. Now that he had reached Level 3, he didn't even need to use his magic. Drawing his Dragon Fang Sword, a few casual charges were enough to butcher an untold number of monsters.
Even creatures like Minotaurs, famous for their raw strength and widely regarded as the strongest monsters above the 18th floor aside from the Floor Boss, were no longer a match for Leon. A single casual swing of his sword was enough to instantly slay them.
Consequently, the journey had been completely stress-free for the second unit. The only issue was their inability to use the vertical shafts to drop quickly to the lower floors, which dragged out their travel time a bit.
But what else could they do when they were pushing supply carts?
They couldn't exactly jump down a pit while pushing heavy cargo.
"It's good that nothing happened," Finn said, gently nudging away the overly attentive Tione before addressing the second unit. "Take a break here first and double-check the supplies. Once we confirm nothing is missing, we'll set off."
"The Captain is right," Tione chimed in unconditionally from the side, though she couldn't help but complain, "We don't want a repeat of last time, where we suddenly realized a batch of supplies had been left back at the manor and had to go to that town to buy replacements."
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the Familia became somewhat strained.
Especially those who had lived through that incident; they all started venting one after another.
"I really don't want to go back there either, the prices are highway robbery."
"We got absolutely fleeced that time."
"It's all Raul's fault for not checking properly, making us lose a fortune."
"H-How can you blame me for that?!"
Everyone chimed in, tossing complaints back and forth.
"That town..."
Leon turned his gaze toward the west, looking at the brilliant blue lake.
From their position, they could clearly see a massive island rising sharply out of the center of the lake, looking as though a chunk of the mainland had been sliced off and placed there.
That was the island in the lake, and upon it sat a town.
It was Rivira, a dungeon inn town operated by high-ranking adventurers who had reached the middle floors.
The town's origins dated back to a past project by the Guild, which had planned to establish a massive halfway base in the Dungeon to more effectively map out unexplored floors. However, due to intermittent monster invasions from other floors, combined with the staggering expenses for manpower and defense, the plan eventually fell through and the site was abandoned.
Sometime later, a group of adventurers took over the area without authorization and built it up, founding a small settlement called "Rivira." Aside from weapon and item shops catering to adventurers, the town also featured an exchange point where magic stones and drop items could be traded for coin.
Because it was a safe zone where monsters did not spawn, and the only town within the subterranean maze, most adventurers exploring the 19th floor and below used it as a base. If they planned to stay in the Dungeon for an extended period, they would need to restock supplies here and dispose of their accumulated loot to free up space for further conquest.
To be honest, having a place where one could manage loot and restock supplies without having to return to the surface was undoubtedly incredibly convenient for adventurers.
Unfortunately, because it was so convenient, the group of rogue adventurers who had illegally taken over and built the place grew utterly brazen.
Exploiting their advantage as the sole midway station and supply depot in the Dungeon, they jacked up the prices in Rivira to an astronomical degree. A single ration pack or a secondhand backup weapon could easily command a price of over five figures, and the cost of other supplies was routinely several times higher than on the surface. It wasn't just a rip-off; it was outright extortion.
But there was no helping it. The inability of adventurers to easily resupply in the Dungeon was a fatal weakness. As long as they had long-term plans to conquer the 19th floor and below, being fleeced was practically unavoidable. Moreover, if an unexpected emergency arose and they desperately needed certain supplies to save a life, they would have to cough up the money no matter how much it pained them.
In the past, the Loki Familia had been on an expedition here when they discovered a batch of supplies was missing. Realizing they couldn't successfully reach the unexplored floors without replenishing them, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and shop in Rivira, getting thoroughly ripped off in the process.
Just bringing up the matter made the members of the Loki Familia both furious and helpless. Raul and the other personnel who had been directly responsible for buying the supplies at the time wore expressions of sheer agony, as if the pain of that day was still fresh in their minds.
"Hurry up and count the inventory, let's not make any more mistakes," Finn concluded, dispersing the members to check the supplies.
Seeing his chance, Leon walked up to Finn.
"Captain, can I excuse myself for a moment?" Leon asked quietly. "I'd like to go take a look around somewhere else."
As if reading Leon's mind, Finn glanced toward the crowd at a certain girl who hadn't said a word but kept her eyes fixed in their direction, and offered a knowing smile.
"Alright, I'll grant an exception this time," Finn said with a grin. "Only this once, though. You can't be doing this next time."
Leon nodded and gave his word.
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