Chapter 53: Cadmus Spring

The 50th floor is a safe floor where no monsters spawn.

There are quite a few such safe floors in the dungeon. Although they cannot guarantee that no monsters will appear, the number of monsters that cross from other floors is minimal. Therefore, staying on a safe floor reduces the risk of sudden accidents and attacks, making these floors the preferred resting areas for adventurers.

The Loki Familia occupied a cliff on the 50th floor, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack, using it as their camp.

By now, the camp had been mostly set up, and the members, having finished their busy work, gathered around the campfire to eat.

A large pot was boiling over the fire at the center of the camp, and the members sat around it, resting and chatting while eating.

Rig sat in a corner, holding a bowl of soup. After taking a few sips, a look of helplessness appeared on his face.

"Hmph, now where will you run?"

Tiona sat to Rig's left, a smug expression on her face as if she had caught him.

"Really, you got me in trouble with the captain."

Tione, who was a bit annoyed, sat next to Tiona, taking large bites of the wild fruit she had picked to satisfy her hunger.

"..."

Ais, sitting to the right, neither held a bowl of soup nor a wild fruit. Instead, she ate the rations she carried, which looked rather unnutritious.

As for Raphi, she had already shut down.

"Ah! Sitting between Mr. Rig and Miss Ais!"

The elf girl, sandwiched between Rig and Ais, had a blissful blush on her face.

In this situation, Rig glanced around.

Sure enough, many people were looking at him with envy and jealousy. Even Bert was glaring, seemingly eager to punish Rig for being surrounded by such gentle company.

"Forget it, ignore them."

Rig had no choice but to focus on drinking his soup, pretending not to notice.

When everyone had finished eating, Fen, as the leader of the Familia, spoke up.

"Let me say a few words."

Fen's voice drew everyone's attention.

"First, thank you all for your hard work." Fen smiled, a rare sight since entering the dungeon. "We have safely reached the 50th floor again without any casualties or losses. This alone is cause for celebration."

"However, the real test lies ahead."

Fen's smile faded slightly.

"Our goal has never been to reach this safe floor on the 50th level, but to explore the uncharted territory—the 59th floor."

This was a floor the Loki Familia had yet to reach.

The highest floor the Loki Familia had reached was the 58th, so exploring the 59th floor became the Familia's primary goal.

"Undoubtedly, the floor we are about to reach is a region that many Familias in Orario have never explored, including the Freya Familia, which has not entered the 59th floor."

Fen's words made everyone hold their breath.

"If the Loki Familia can successfully reach the 59th floor and explore the uncharted territory, regardless of the rewards, the fame alone will ensure that we are renowned throughout Orario and recorded in history."

For a major faction like the Loki Familia, exploring the dungeon was no longer just about gaining wealth and power; reputation was also essential.

With sufficient fame, the Loki Familia could continue to grow, attracting more adventurers, and gain more benefits and conveniences from the guild and the city, solidifying their position in Orario.

At the level of the Loki Familia, what was needed was no longer the operational funds required by smaller Familias, but reputation and glory.

For the sake of reputation and glory, even certain benefits could be sacrificed.

Therefore, reaching the 59th floor was the primary goal of the Loki Familia.

"However, before we head to the 59th floor, we need to complete a quest."

Fen changed the subject.

"I need to send a few elite members to the 51st floor to collect a specified amount of spring water from the Cadmus Spring."

At this, many members' faces changed.

"Are you serious? We have to deal with that troublesome Cadmus Spring?"

Tiona, sitting next to Rig, groaned.

Ais also looked up at Fen.

Rig recalled the information about the Cadmus Spring.

This was an extremely rare spring found on the 51st floor.

The water collected from this spring could be used to make very precious elixirs.

Many Familias in the pharmaceutical industry had a demand for this water.

Especially the famous large pharmaceutical Familias, which required this water, which could only be collected in the deepest levels, and had repeatedly commissioned exploration Familias like the Loki Familia to collect the specified amount of water.

Such quests were often called adventurer quests.

Familias that lacked the strength to reach the specified floor and collect the necessary materials would often issue such adventurer quests to powerful Familias, paying a certain reward in return.

This time, the Loki Familia had received such a quest.

However, it was not easy to complete.

"The Cadmus Spring has a guardian."

Fen spoke seriously.

"Cadmus, known as the 'Strong Dragon,' is a dragon-type monster. The water from the spring is essentially the monster's property, and most of it is swallowed each time it emerges."

In other words, to obtain the water from the Cadmus Spring, one must face this strong dragon.

The classification level of this strong dragon is—6.

It is a rare species specialized in strength, and even the floor boss of the 37th floor, Udeus, is no match for it in terms of strength alone.

This is why most members were intimidated, even Tiona groaned, and Ais became serious.

Of course, if that were the only issue, the quest would not be too troublesome.

If Udeus could be defeated, why would the Loki Familia fear a strong dragon?

The problem was that Fen only planned to send a few elite members.

"A single Cadmus Spring can only provide a limited amount of water. To reach the specified amount, we need to visit two springs."

"We have already been in the dungeon for two weeks, and our food and supplies are running low. Considering that we need to head to the 59th floor after completing the adventurer quest, and the return trip will take at least five to six days, we cannot spend too much time on the quest to avoid depleting our supplies."

"Therefore, we need to split into two groups and visit the two springs simultaneously to improve efficiency and reduce time. The location of the springs also limits the number of people who can pass through, so fewer people are better for mobility."

Fen outlined these considerations and said:

"For this adventurer quest, we will send a few elite members, primarily Level 1 adventurers, while the rest will stay at the camp."

With that, Fen began selecting members.

First, the leaders and officers.

Since the mission was primarily for Level 1 adventurers, they were all included.

"Fen, Gris, and Bert will form one group, and we'll find four more to support us."

"Ais, Tiona, and Tione, you three will form another group, and you'll also need a reliable supporter."

"Levielia will stay at the camp to defend the base."

As Fen made these arrangements, the Level 1 adventurers nodded in agreement.

Only Bert frowned and spoke up.

"Hey, is it okay for the second group to have no Level 6 members?"

The opponent was a dragon-type monster stronger than the floor boss of the 37th floor, with a classification level of 6.

Facing such a monster, the second group having no Level 6 members was indeed concerning.

However, Fen had clearly thought it through.

"Is it a problem, Ais?"

Fen turned to Ais, not responding to Bert, but calmly asking the girl.

"No problem."

Ais replied expressionlessly, leaving Bert speechless.

Everyone knew why Fen specifically asked Ais.

Because Ais's strength was not far from that of a Level 6.

With the highest ability values of a Level 5 and a groundbreaking wind magic, Ais could definitely match the strength of a Level 6.

With Ais in the second group, facing the strong dragon would not be a significant issue.

Rig, however, noticed something more.

"Captain, this grouping is also to train the Familia officers, right?"

The Level 5 officers would be the future pillars of the Familia.

However, whether it was Ais, Tiona, and Tione, they were all young, not even 18 years old.

At that age, in his previous life, they would not have even finished high school.

To give these young future pillars as much training as possible and develop their independent action skills, Fen deliberately arranged for the three young girls to form a group.

As for Bert, the 22-year-old werewolf, who had more experience than others, did not need as much concern.

The only issue was that, despite their strength, the three young girls' decision-making and handling of emergencies were still a bit worrying.

After all, none of them were the type to calmly handle emergencies and make proper arrangements. Letting them act alone could lead to some unexpected situations.

"Let's do this."

Fen turned to Rig.

"Rig, you go with them."

At this, everyone's attention once again focused on Rig.

"Me?"

Rig was taken aback.

"Exactly." Fen said with a half-smile. "In a situation where Level 1 adventurers are needed, do you think you can avoid it with your strength?"

Everyone understood the meaning of these words.

Fen's implication was simple.

Like Ais, he believed that Rig had the strength of a Level 5.

Not only Fen, but after discussions, the Familia leaders like Levielia and Gris also believed that Rig now had the strength of a Level 5.

So, this time, Fen wanted to train not only Ais and the others but also Rig.

New book, seeking support! Recommendations! Collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)