Chapter 76: "Udaeus"

The 18th floor of the dungeon is a special place.

It is similar to the 50th floor, both being safe floors where no monsters spawn, and it is the first safe floor in the dungeon.

However, unlike the 50th floor, which resembles a gray wasteland, the 18th floor is known as the "Labyrinth Paradise," a rare wonder in the dungeon, much like the "Great Tree Labyrinth" and the "Water City."

Here, there is an endless expanse of grassland, like a natural landscape.

There are vast lakes and forests surrounding them.

There is also a small island in the center of the large lake, and in the middle of the vast grassland stands a towering tree. The tree's hollow is the entrance to the 19th floor, the "Great Tree Labyrinth." All of this is a spectacle that can only be seen in this paradise.

Of course, the most noteworthy feature here is the blue crystals that can be found everywhere.

On the 18th floor, blue crystals grow everywhere. Some are large, some are small, some stand like pillars, and some are scattered like grass along the roads. Even the ceiling of the entire floor is covered with jagged crystals.

These crystals emit light, the intensity of which changes with time, causing the 18th floor to sometimes be as bright as daylight and sometimes as dark as night, just like the surface, with a clear distinction between day and night.

It is said that there is a simple town on the island in the center of the lake. This town was built by adventurers as a transit point and resting place during their journeys.

Therefore, the 18th floor is inhabited, with inns and shops, but the prices are extremely high. If someone wants to sell their loot from their exploration, they will be subjected to extreme price suppression, resulting in very little money.

Thanks to this, the town on the 18th floor is considered a notorious black market in the industry, where most of the merchants are rude and violent criminals. A single misstep could result in a significant loss, making many adventurers hate it.

Rig had some interest in that town, but at this moment, it was completely absent from his mind, and he had no intention of going there to do anything.

"Ais must be heading down."

Given the girl's current mood, she would certainly not stay in the town.

Therefore, Rig had no intention of staying there either. He went directly to the giant tree in the center of the vast grassland and entered the 19th floor through the tree's hollow.

From this floor onward, monsters are no longer indiscriminately killed.

The dungeon's terrain becomes wider the deeper you go. Starting from the 19th floor, the "Great Tree Labyrinth" has a vast area, and the path to the 20th floor's entrance is not the only one. Indiscriminately killing all the monsters here would be difficult and time-consuming.

Ais clearly understood this and finally stopped the indiscriminate slaughter. The number of monsters from the 19th floor onward has increased sharply, causing some obstacles for Rig as he traveled.

Additionally, with the larger terrain and wider area, finding someone here would be extremely difficult.

It's possible that Ais is staying in some corner of this floor, fighting monsters.

If Rig skipped the search on this floor and continued downward, he might miss Ais.

But—

"Given her personality, she would certainly continue downward at this time."

Rig was certain of this without a doubt.

He could roughly guess what Ais intended to do.

The night before last, after leaving Loki's divine room, Ais, feeling dissatisfied and disheartened about her growth, had already stated her next goal.

That goal was to level up.

Ais was preparing to advance to the next level.

This was her original plan, but the setback during her training with Rig had accelerated it.

With this in mind, Ais's destination was easier to guess.

"To achieve the great feat required for leveling up, Ais needs an extremely difficult opponent."

This opponent must be stronger than Ais at her current stage.

Ais's level is the highest of 5, and the only monsters stronger than this are classified as level 6.

Such monsters are rare, even in the 50th floor, and in the 51st floor, there is only one strong dragon.

However, reaching the 51st floor would take a long time, at least five to six days.

This is the time required for an expedition, and for a solo journey, it would take even longer.

Ais could not wait that long.

Given this, Ais's chosen opponent could only be one of two types.

Either a reinforced or rare monster with significantly higher abilities than the other monsters on the same floor.

Or—

"Floor Boss!"

The 27th floor has a level 5 floor boss, Amphisbaena.

However, this super-large dragon-type monster has the same classification level as Ais. While it might be a threat to other level 5s, for Ais, who can use [Wind Spirit Dash] to challenge higher levels, it is just a more troublesome opponent.

The two-headed dragon does not meet Ais's needs, so Ais would not choose to challenge it to complete the required feat.

Therefore, Ais's chosen opponent is a floor boss one level stronger than Amphisbaena.

"The floor boss of the 37th floor, Udaeus."

This level 6 floor boss is the strong enemy Ais seeks.

Thus, Ais's destination is clear.

"The 37th floor!"

At this thought, Rig was in a dilemma.

He did not have much time left in this world.

On the day of his return from the expedition, Rig had already spent 97 days in this world, with only three days left.

The next day, which was yesterday, Rig spent the whole day handling clan affairs and attended a celebration banquet hosted by the Lady of Abundance in the evening.

And today.

In other words, it had been about two days since his return from the expedition.

By the time tomorrow passes, Rig would leave this world and return to his original world.

This is an irreversible process.

The duration of dimensional travel is one day in the original world, as clearly stated in the "Dimensional Cube User Manual."

Once the time limit is reached, Rig's consciousness in this world would dissolve and be returned to the original world by the Dimensional Cube.

In other words, if Rig does not find Ais within the next day, he might not even have the chance to say goodbye to everyone and would return to the original world directly.

The image of the emotionless blonde girl appeared in Rig's mind.

"Awaken (Tempest)."

With a soft incantation, a storm enveloped Rig.

Yes.

Rig could no longer afford to hesitate.

He only wanted to find Ais quickly to prevent any accidents.

As for the strain on his body, it was no longer important to Rig.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The nearby monsters naturally sensed the commotion and began to roar, charging towards him.

These bear-like, massive creatures are the large-type monsters, Berg Bears, which appear from the 19th floor onward.

Their classification level is 2, making them a challenging opponent for level 2 adventurers.

Unfortunately, they had provoked the wrong person.

"Slash!" "Slash!" "Slash!"

As the storm swept through, the Berg Bears that charged towards him were instantly cut into countless pieces.

The flesh turned to ashes, leaving only the magic stones on the ground.

Rig ignored this and rushed towards the entrance to the 20th floor.

The 37th floor of the dungeon.

This floor is known as the "White Palace."

In this floor, all the walls are a milky white, and the entire floor is like a castle, consisting of five concentric walls. The stairs to the 38th floor are located at the center of the floor.

To reach the 38th floor, one must go to the center of this floor.

To reach the center of this floor, one must pass through the open passages between the concentric walls and navigate the uneven terrain.

This floor is extremely vast, almost comparable to a city, and its terrain is a massive labyrinth. If one wanders around randomly, getting lost is very easy, and there is a risk of being trapped here forever.

To reach this floor, it usually takes two to three days.

However, with the speed boost from [Wind Spirit Dash], Rig managed to reach this floor in about a day.

"Ugh."

The pain from his body almost made Rig stumble and fall to the ground.

Rig ignored the pain, gritted his teeth, and continued to run forward.

The ceiling above seemed impossibly high, giving a sense of boundlessness.

The space was filled with dim darkness, and only the phosphorescent lights on the milky white walls provided enough light to navigate.

Rig, supporting his extremely sore body, rushed towards the large chamber in his memory.

However, before he could reach it, he heard a sound.

It was a ferocious roar that shook the entire floor and the walls of the labyrinth.

"——!?"

Rig's heart tightened, and he pushed his already exhausted body to the limit, finally reaching the large chamber.

The next moment, Rig finally saw it.

He saw the girl standing with her back to the entrance of the chamber, her back to him, drawing her sword and standing in the wind.

"Ais!"

Rig called out instinctively.

His voice was drowned out.

By a roar so loud it shook the entire space.

"Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr