[40] 18th Floor!

Yamato joined Loki Familia, but it was just a small episode.

For Loki Familia, it was just a minor fluctuation.

However, during the process of Yamato's conversion, Loki discovered that she possessed a magic skill, specifically gravity magic.

This made her understand why August brought her back.

Having magic at level 1, especially gravity magic, made Yamato an astonishing potential.

Under Finn's arrangement, Yamato became Tiona's junior after joining.

She was indeed a seed of potential with value.

As for August, he resumed his daily routine of exploring the dungeon.

The only difference was that Aki, who used to team up with August, was replaced by Ais.

Yes, the catgirl, Aki, lost her chance even before August could make a move, all thanks to Ais's persistence.

Why? It was because of Ais's determination.

As the princess of the familia and an absolute favorite, despite Loki's strong opposition, in the end, she successfully achieved her goal.

On this day, on the sixteenth floor of the dungeon.

August wielded Elucidator, battling and slaying minotaurs one after another.

Splash~

The dark sword gleamed continuously as August, like a nighttime assassin, reaped the lives of minotaurs.

In the distance, Ais was also hunting minotaurs.

Bam~

With the last minotaur defeated, August exhaled a breath. This battle had temporarily come to an end.

Ais, however, was still in the midst of battle.

Yet, August didn't go to support her. After all, she was level 5. What could he, a level 2, do to help?

Soon, Ais's battle also concluded.

With one final slash, she beheaded the last minotaur, then looked towards August.

August was busy cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the scattered magic stones. Although he could store them in the treasury, it required him to put them in one by one.

"You've gotten stronger again."

Ais sheathed the Desperate, gazing at August as she spoke slowly.

"A bit."

August didn't directly respond. He noticed that Ais had set her sights on him. Until she achieved her goal, she wouldn't let him go. Therefore, anything he did wouldn't make a difference.

Ais's intense obsession with strength was deeply ingrained.

Among level 2 monsters, minotaurs were considered powerful. Ordinary level 2 adventurers might not be their match.

Strength, speed, defense, and reflexes—Ais excelled in every aspect.

Not to mention, breaking through the minotaur's tough hide with an ordinary weapon was difficult.

Having cleaned up all the magic stones, August proceeded to the next floor.

Now, there were two tasks left: defeating the floor boss, Goliath, on the seventeenth floor, and reaching the safety floor on the eighteenth floor.

These two tasks meant two advanced draws. August thought that, with a bit of luck, he might be able to complete them all today.

However, despite the good intentions, after arriving on the seventeenth floor, there were crystal walls on both sides. Goliath hadn't appeared yet, indicating that it hadn't respawned.

"What are you looking for?"

Ais asked August, who was glancing around.

"I'm checking the surroundings. This is the boss's room. In case the boss respawns, it could be troublesome."

"No need to worry. Last time I explored the dungeon, I killed Goliath. The quickest respawn takes at least half a month. So, relax."

Thank you so much.

August's mentality instantly collapsed. Well, it would take at least half a month, meaning he would have to wait for half a month.

Moreover, even if it respawned after half a month, he might not be able to catch up with it.

For a moment, August felt that this world was filled with malice towards him.

However, walking on the seventeenth floor, looking at the sparkling crystal walls on both sides, August couldn't help but sigh. The dungeon was indeed a marvel, creating such a place.

Natural crystals were everywhere, and if one were to bring back even a small piece, it would be worth tens of thousands in the modern world.

But in Orario, this crystal was practically worthless, except for a few collectors who liked decorations.

Ais strolled casually down the passage. She had been back and forth here countless times.

On the other hand, August, with a curious expression, looked around.

After all, these crystal walls were found in every tier of this area. It was his first time, and he found it fascinating.

This tier was Goliath's room, where ordinary monsters wouldn't generate.

Not only that, ordinary monsters wouldn't dare to approach.

In the original story, the protagonist, Bell, suffered severe injuries from the monster, forcing him to enter this tier. The reason was that no monsters were here, and none would be born.

Easily crossing this tier, traversing through another passage, they arrived at an incredibly beautiful place.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host. Novice Explorer: Arrive at the safety tier of Dungeon 18th floor, complete initial exploration, and obtain: Advanced Draw once!]

The moment they entered, the system's prompt sounded.

Task completed! August finished the initial exploration of the dungeon, gaining an advanced draw.

Looking at the scene before him, unlike the dim atmosphere of the lower dungeon floors, the top of this floor had a giant crystal. It emitted a glow, illuminating the entire eighteenth floor.

Not only that, there were mountains, waters, and forests. It could be described as a hidden paradise.

"First time here?"

"Yeah, it's truly amazing. To think there could be a place like this in the dungeon."

"You'll get used to it."

"Well, I suppose so."

Following Ais, August moved forward.

On the eighteenth floor, there was a small adventurer town.

In this place, even the cheapest black rye bread in Orario could be sold at exorbitant prices.

All kinds of supplies and goods were worth a fortune, each item was valuable.

After all, this was the dungeon, not Orario.

In this town, there was a group of people engaged in this kind of arbitrage business. They made more money going back and forth than most adventurers did.

However, opportunities and crises coexisted.

Although this was a safety tier, it wasn't absolute.

At times, it would still be attacked by monsters.

This adventurer town had been destroyed time and time again over the years.

Yet, because this was one of the few safety tiers, even though it wasn't entirely safe, most of the time it was secure. Therefore, the town was rebuilt time and time again.

---

If you're interested in reading more, feel free to visit my patreon which already contains 20+ chapters:

https://www.patreon.com/XElenea