Bonus (3/3)
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Chapter 98: Floor 50; The Safety Zone, Divine Flame Empire!
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Cang Feiyun looked at them with pure admiration before reaching into the folds of his traditional robes and producing a shimmering orb.
"Take this. As long as you carry this bead, you will be able to bypass the restrictions and head straight to Floor 51."
Seito stood up, took the orb, and returned to the sofa to inspect its properties.
[Concealment Orb (Gold Grade): Hides the user's presence, allowing them to bypass Labyrinth Bosses and access corresponding floors.]
"A literal cheat item!" Seito and the others thought simultaneously. This was the ultimate "smuggling" tool for God's Domain.
After stashing the orb, Seito looked back at Cang Feiyun. "City Lord, are there any precautions we should know about?"
"Precautions?" Cang Feiyun mused for a moment. "Actually, there is one."
The group leaned in, their interest piqued.
"Above the 50th floor, there are lingering traces of the Fallen Gods. This miasma has corrupted countless creatures, and as a result... there are no Safety Zones. You must be extremely careful."
Seito nodded. That was vital intelligence. He stood up and gave a polite nod. "Our levels are still a bit low, so we don't plan on heading up immediately. We'll grind for a while first."
"Understandable," Cang Feiyun agreed. It was only logical to power up before facing the unknown chaos of the higher floors.
"Then we'll take our leave. We'll keep you posted."
After leaving the mansion, Seito led Sora, Shiro, and Haruno to a private room in a high-end tavern. They ordered a spread of local delicacies, and the food arrived quickly.
"Seito, what do you think Floor 51 actually looks like?" Sora asked, popping a peanut into his mouth. The idea of a floor without a single safe haven was both daunting and exciting.
"No clue. But we'll find out soon enough,"
Seito replied casually. His earlier comment to Cang Feiyun had been a calculated lie. They were heading up today; they just weren't planning to report the quest completion yet.
"Anyway, let's eat. Even if it's a game, the flavor profiles here are incredible."
Haruno smiled and naturally sat beside Seito, picking out the best cuts of meat for his bowl.
"Muu~" Shiro puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She stood up and squeezed into the small space on Seito's other side.
"Ara? Does the little sister like Seito-kun that much?" Haruno asked with a playful, knowing smile.
"Hmph!" Shiro huffed, her tiny mouth in a pout. "Seito-nii belongs to me!"
"But... I'm already engaged to him, you know?" Haruno teased.
Sora: "???"
Shiro: "!!!"
Unlike Shiro's pure shock, Sora looked at Seito with genuine surprise. "Wait, you're actually engaged?"
"Yeah, we made it official at the Yukinoshita estate recently," Seito confirmed.
Sora looked at his stunned sister, then grinned mischievously at Seito. "Well, you wouldn't mind one more, right? What do you think of my sister? She's a catch."
[T/N:Yoooo ;)]
Sora was a realist. As long as it involved people he trusted—like Shiro and Seito—he couldn't care less about traditional social norms. In this era, powerful men often had multiple partners, and he knew Seito had been the one looking after them since their parents passed away. To Sora, Seito was already family.
"Works for me," Seito chuckled, reaching out to give Shiro a comforting head pat. Shiro's eyes narrowed happily at the touch, her pout vanishing. Even Haruno couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was; she didn't mind the idea of Shiro being around—it felt like a natural fit.
After finishing their meal, the four of them used the teleportation gate to reach Floor 50.
God's Domain, Floor 50.
As they stepped out, they were met with a sight that took their breath away.
"Is this... an entire Empire?" Sora muttered.
The style was a radical departure from the previous floors. Seito pulled up the map and froze. It was gargantuan—the landmass felt significantly larger than the entirety of Earth. They were currently standing in the capital city of a massive civilization.
"Ancient Eastern Imperial style," Sora noted, looking at the sweeping tiled roofs and grand pagodas.
"Exactly," Haruno added, pointing to a massive flag snapping in the wind near the main gate. "It's called the Divine Flame Empire. And look at the NPCs..."
She pointed toward a patrolling guard. Even a common soldier was Level 100. The sheer military might of this floor was staggering.
"Let's move. I'll use Spatial Movement to get us to the Labyrinth," Seito said, checking the coordinates. "It's far. Roughly the size of two whole provinces. Walking would take days."
The group gathered around him. Seito picked Shiro up, while Sora and Haruno each placed a hand on his shoulders.
Whoosh!
They vanished. Ten minutes of rapid-fire teleportation later, they stood before the entrance of the Floor 50 Labyrinth. They craned their necks back to look at the massive stone doors, which towered over a hundred meters high.
While Bosses on Floors 21-49 roamed the open world, Floor 50 was a milestone floor. This Labyrinth held the guardian that stood between them and the corrupted lands above.
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Thank you for reading.
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That's it for today folks, Good night.