The Expedition Begins

The Middle Floors range from Floors 13-24.

Their layout is more complex, and monsters appear faster in the Middle Floors compared to the Upper Floors, making it very difficult for Level 2 adventurers to solo in the Middle Floors. It is recommended that Level 2 adventurers with most of their basic abilities ranked at I and H explore the Middle Floors.

The light on Floor 16 is dimmer, and the air feels damp. The walls, ground, and ceiling are made of bedrock. In one of the tunnels, the clashing sound of metal can be heard, and sparks are visible.

*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*

A sword and an axe collided as Charlie, wielding a one-handed sword, faced off against a humanoid monster with a bull's head, better known as a Minotaur.

The Minotaur's muscular and powerful body granted it immense physical strength, and just one swing of its axe could split a person in two. Nevertheless, Charlie handled each of its attacks effortlessly.

*WHOOSH*

*Pu-chi*

Dodging the axe by a hair's breadth, Charlie leaped forward and beheaded the Minotaur.

"Done."

Sheathing the Sword of Damocles, the headless Minotaur's body wobbled before collapsing, then vanishing, leaving only a magic stone on the ground.

"Are you tired, Aishia?"

"Not tired, this monster was weak."

"Minotaurs are physically-based monsters, so it's no surprise they were defeated by you, who uses Spirit Art."

"Why didn't you use Spirit Art too, Charlie?"

"No special reason, I just wanted to hone my swordsmanship, that's all."

Charlie waved his hand, and a gust of wind lifted the magic stone and dropped it into his bag. With Wind Spirit Art, he didn't need to pick it up himself, saving a lot of time.

In battle, he preferred fighting with a sword, while Aishia used her Spirit Art.

Afterward, the two of them continued walking down the long tunnel.

"ROAR---"

Ahead, five tiger-like monsters called Ligerfangs appeared.

"Let me handle this."

Before Charlie could draw his sword, Aishia took the initiative to act.

*WHOOSH*

The ground beneath her cracked as she dashed toward the pack of Ligerfangs. Her white and slender hand clenched into a fist, and without hesitation, she punched the nearest Ligerfang.

*BANG*

The sound of the punch echoed, and the Ligerfang that was hit slammed into the Dungeon wall. The punch completely drained its vitality, turning it into black mist, leaving only a magic stone.

"ROAR!!!"

Seeing one of their kind killed, the remaining four Ligerfangs attacked simultaneously.

Without changing her expression, Aishia moved minimally to dodge the slashes and bites aimed to tear her apart. While evading their attacks, she didn't forget to strike back.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

The four Ligerfangs crashed hard against the walls, a single punch killing them instantly. Their bodies vanished, leaving behind only magic stones.

"Great job, Aishia. You looked stunning."

Storing the Ligerfang's magic stones into his Space-Time Cache, Charlie patted her head.

"I want to be useful to Charlie." Aishia said innocently.

"Let's continue." Charlie smiled slightly.

After that, no matter how many Minotaurs or Ligerfangs appeared, they easily defeated them.

If the numbers were too high, Charlie would use large-scale attacks with Spirit Art.

After nearly an hour of walking, they both entered an empty Floor 17. Goliath had not respawned yet, so there were no monsters on this floor.

As they entered the tunnel toward Floor 18, Charlie and Aishia crossed paths with other adventurers.

"..."

The adventurers consisted of five men, a mix of three humans, one Pallum, and one Demi-Human. When they saw Aishia, their eyes lit up with desire, suddenly ignited by lust.

"I don't like the way they're looking at me." Aishia bluntly remarked.

"Hey, isn't that a bit rude? We're just looking, not like we're doing anything bad to you."

One of the men was annoyed upon hearing this, but his eyes couldn't turn away from Aishia.

"Apologies for our rudeness. We'll be on our way."

Before any of the others could cause trouble, a man who appeared to be their leader smiled apologetically and led his comrades away.

Unlike his companions, who were blinded by lust, he could sense the hidden killing intent from the young man beside the girl.

Even though they had the numbers, his intuition warned him of the danger the youth posed. Not wanting to get into conflict because woman, he quickly led his group away.

"A smart man."

Once their figures were out of sight, Charlie let go of the hilt of his sword.

"I'm glad you got angry for me, Charlie."

"Of course, Aishia is very precious to me. I won't allow anyone to harass you."

Even after saying such embarrassing words, Charlie didn't see any change in Aishia's expression.

No longer dwelling on minor matters, they both walked side by side without encountering any more monsters.

Ten minutes later, light appeared at the end of the corridor.

"So this is a safe zone. A beautiful place. What do you think, Aishia?" Charlie asked casually.

"Yes, it's very beautiful." Aishia nodded.

The environment of Floor 18 consisted of a vast forest and lake. Within the forest, there were blue crystals of various sizes that reflected the light from above, filling the forest with a pale blue glow.

The high ceiling was filled with dazzling crystals that shone in two colors: white crystals in the center that resembled the sun, and blue crystals around them that resembled the sky.

Charlie and Aishia walked on the tree bridge, which was devoid of leaves and branches.

The bridge was far from flat, and there were no railings at all, so travelers had to focus on staying upright. The bridge connected to a town built on an island.

This town was run by adventurers. There were no rules or regulations here, so anyone could do business as they pleased.

"If I remember correctly, its name is..."

"Rivira Town."

Aishia answered Charlie's doubt.

"That's right. This town was named after the great female adventurer Rivira Santilini, who helped establish the first adventurers. Many adventurers use this town as a base camp for repeated journeys below Floor 18. Rest, venture into the Dungeon, return, and rest again... It's not uncommon for people to follow that cycle until they're physically unable to continue."

"Are we going to rest? I'm not tired."

"Originally, I wanted to rest, but the monsters on Floors 13-17 weren't very strong, so I'm still full of energy. Let's explore Rivira for a bit, maybe we'll find something interesting."

"Alright, whatever Charlie decide, I don't mind."

Aishia never opposed Charlie. In her eyes, no other man mattered. She ignored the other male adventurers around her, who were stunned when they saw her.