Could It Be Any More Desperate?

While Leo, Lefiya had already dealt with the spoils of war, gathering all the Magic Stone and dropped items and putting them into a backpack on her back that was bigger than herself.

After finishing with her spoils, the girl immediately ran towards Leo.

Then, Leo told her his thoughts.

"Go to the 13th floor?"

Lefiya exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes." Leo nodded and said, "The 12th Floor can no longer meet my current needs, so let's go to the 13th floor."

"But—" Lefiya said with some concern, "Is it really alright for just the two of us to go to the middle level like this?"

It wasn't that Lefiya was afraid. Although she was only Lv.2 and a non-combatant, as a rare healer, she had been to floors below the 50th Floor with the Familia's expeditionary force.

That place even surpasses the lower and deeper levels, so Lefiya, having been there before, naturally wouldn't be too afraid of a mere middle level.

However, it was precisely because she had seen the world along with the expeditionary force of the clan that Lefiya was able to better understand that the middle and upper levels were completely different realms.

Some of the monsters there are the same as those on the 12th Floor, such as the Hard-Armored Rat, which frequently appear on the 13th floor, only they are stronger than their counterparts on the 12th Floor.

Monsters like the Hard-Armored Rat, which are said to be invincible on the upper levels, are just one of the lowest-level monsters on the 13th level.

In the intermediate realms starting from the 13th floor, not only will monsters classified as Lv.2 appear, but their attack methods will also become more complex.

Monsters in the upper levels typically attack by rushing up to adventurers for melee combat, with a few more complex attacks like the Purple Moth that spray poisonous scales. However, from the 13th level onwards, the monsters in the middle levels will have distinct long-range attack capabilities.

For example, the Hellhound, known as the "Fire Demon," not only possesses power far exceeding that of higher-level monsters, but can also breathe fire.

This flame is extremely powerful, easily melting ordinary armor. Even upgraded adventurers can be burned to ashes by the flames spewed by this monster. A large portion of adventurer parties that are wiped out on the 13th floor die from the flames breathed by the Hellhound. Therefore, the Hellhound is considered to be the first magical creature that adventurers will encounter when entering the Dungeon, and the flames it breathes are the monster's magic, which is incredibly powerful.

Furthermore, starting from the middle level, the Dungeon environment becomes more complex. Natural armories are everywhere, and there are terrain features that are advantageous to monsters but significantly hinder adventurers. If an entire Lv.2 adventurer party enters the middle level without any preparation, they will perish here.

The middle level is like a watershed in the Dungeon, completely different from the upper level.

Therefore, the middle level is also known as the first death line of the Dungeon, and the number of adventurers who die here is simply not comparable to that of the upper level.

Generally speaking, there are only two types of adventurers who die on the upper levels: the absolute newbies and the absolute idiots.

The former goes without saying, being too bad is the original sin, but the guild has already provided the strategy guides for each floor, so as long as you follow the strategy guides and don't step into floors that you can't conquer, you generally won't die.

The latter refers to those who, despite not being strong enough, recklessly venture into Dungeon due to arrogance or underestimation of their dangers. It's a miracle these people are still alive; their ancestors in the Heaven must have been working themselves to the bone to keep them alive.

In other words, unless you're too incompetent or stupid, you generally won't die on the upper levels, unless you encounter an unusual situation like when Leo first entered the Dungeon, or something unfortunate like being double-crossed.

But from the middle level onwards, it's different.

Here, even if you have the required strength, the complete equipment, and have made foolproof preparations in all aspects, you may still end up in a place of no return due to a moment of carelessness or negligence.

Therefore, the number of adventurers who die in the middle levels is far greater than the number who die in the upper levels. If the upper levels are just a training ground for novice adventurers and a place to test qualified strongmen, then the middle levels and above are the real battlefields and the real hell.

The guild's suggested strategy for floor 13 is Lv.2, with basic stats set to IH. However, unlike the previous floors, starting from floor 13, the guild no longer recommends solo attempts by adventurers. Instead, it suggests forming a team of three.

The vanguard is responsible for defending against the attacking monsters at the forefront, the center guard is responsible for preventing the monsters' counterattacks and providing support to the front line at any time, and the rear guard is responsible for long-range support attacks or taking on the responsibility of healing when the two front guards are injured. With this kind of joint action system that combines attack, defense and support, three people are used to take on the task. This is the most basic setup for taking on the middle level. Otherwise, the difficulty of the task will be greatly increased.

On the 12th Floor, adventurers can still fight alone by relying on their own abilities that match the strategy indicators given by the guild. However, on the 13th floor, without three adventurers who have the same strategy indicators and can complement each other, entering rashly will only lead to certain death.

In other words, to enter the 13th floor, the most basic requirement is three Lv.2 senior adventurers, and there must be a midfielder, a center-back, and a defender.

However, there are only two of them, Leo and Lefiya, and the latter is not a combatant. It is too risky for such a small team to enter the 13th floor.

"How about we try to clear the 12th Floor today, and then find a teammate to team up with when we get home tonight?"

Lefiya offered sound advice.

In the past, it would have been very difficult for Leo, a Level 1, to find someone to team up with in his Familia. But now that Leo is Level 2 and about to enter the mid-tier, there are many more suitable teammates he can find.

There are still some Lv.2 members in Loki Familia. They may not be qualified to join the expedition and can only stay at the base camp to wait for their chance to shine. However, if it is just a matter of forming a team to conquer the middle level, their strength is more than enough.

In Lefiya's opinion, even if she could barely serve as a defender, Leo would be better off finding another teammate for safety. Ideally, he should find a dedicated midfielder and a defender Mage so that she could provide support.

However, Leo had a different opinion.

"Although there are only two of us, we have advantages that others don't even have, compared to a typical adventurer team."

Leo began to analyze this for Lefiya.

"The vanguard and center-back of other adventurer teams are basically warriors who don't know magic, but I am a magic swordsman who can use magic. I am a high-level center-back. I can not only be a vanguard, but also a center-back. If necessary, I can even be a defender myself. After all, I have also learned the development ability of 'Mage,' so it is not an exaggeration to say that I am a defender Mage."

"Although you are not a combatant, you are a healer, even rarer than Mage. If I get injured, you can fully restore me to health so I can continue fighting."

"So, even if it's just the two of us, it's not impossible for us to venture to the 13th floor."

This is not Leo overestimating himself, but a very reasonable consideration.

As a high-level mid-range position that other adventurer teams dream of, Leo, this magic swordsman, is already far more capable than the mid-range of a typical adventurer team. Even without a front-line mid-range tanking monsters, he can easily take on two roles, withstand the pressure, and defeat the monsters.

He also learned the development ability of "Mage". His "Demonic Power" before the upgrade reached SSS. His firepower has exceeded that of ordinary Lv.2 guard Mage. He can completely rival Lv.3 Mage. If he disregards the consumption and pays extra mental power to increase the power of magic, his firepower can definitely exceed 99% of Lv.3 Mage.

With this setup, clearing the 13th floor shouldn't be a problem at all. Although the risk is a bit higher, having Lefiya, a professional healer that other adventurer parties would be desperate for, will undoubtedly reduce the risk a lot.

Therefore, conquering the 13th floor is no longer something to hesitate about.

"This----"

After hearing what Leo said, Lefiya also hesitated.

The main point is that Leo is right. As a healer who can accompany the team to floors below the 50th Floor, Lefiya herself is definitely capable of going with Leo to explore the middle floors, and she would be of great use.

In the upper echelons, Lefiya was actually treated somewhat unfairly. After all, since Leo's strength increased, he was rarely injured. In fact, he hadn't even suffered a single injury that required Lefiya to use healing magic, leaving Lefiya, the healer, with no role to play. She could only act as a support person who picked up things, and was completely useless otherwise.

But it's different in the middle level. Lefiya, as a healer, should definitely be put to use. At least Leo can't say he can avoid getting injured even once in that kind of place.

Having witnessed Leo's strength, Lefiya can also guarantee that he absolutely meets the requirements for entering the middle level. Even if the team is not fully equipped, he can make up for it with his own abilities.

It possesses firepower comparable to a Lv.3, making it virtually invincible in the mid-levels. Aside from the floor master, no monster can withstand its power without sustaining damage.

Leo himself is a magic swordsman and has also learned the development ability of "Mage," so he can play any role, whether it is a midfielder, center-back, or defender.

Thinking about it this way—it seems like I could actually give it a try?

Let's go.

Seeing that Lefiya was wavering, Leo smiled and said something.

"The middle level is nothing. What's a den of dragons and tigers to others is hardly a dead end for the Loki Familia."

Hearing this, Lefiya felt certain.

Yes, we are adventurers from the Loki Familia, the faction in Orario that knows the Dungeon best.

Currently in Orario, the two clans that have cleared the most floors are the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, both of whom have already ventured into areas below 50th Floor. What's a mere floor 13?

At worst, they can retreat. Surely, with their abilities, they can't even run away?

I always stock up on supplies before entering the Dungeon, so with these, I can definitely conquer the 13th floor.

"Then—I'll listen to Mr. Leo."

Lefiya made her decision and told Leo.

"Alright." Leo said decisively, "Then let's head to the 13th floor now."

As they spoke, the two began heading towards the entrance leading to the 13th floor, following the map.

The journey was far from peaceful, with various monsters from the 12th Floor constantly appearing, including Needle Rabbit, Imp, Evil Bat, and Silverback Ape. But these monsters had been no match for Leo before, and they were even less of a threat now.

Even the Silverback Ape, a large monster even more troublesome than the orcs, was now dealt with by Leo with a single sword strike, and he couldn't stop their advance at all.

So, before long, Leo and Lefiya ran across the grassland where the grass was as tall as their calves and entered a cave.

This cave is quite peculiar; it is no longer a grassland, but a rocky area.

The dense fog that is ubiquitous on the 12th Floor only covers half of the space here, leaving the other half unobstructed and offering a wide-open view.

At the very depths of the cave, in the very center of a wall made of gray rock, lies a huge hollow.

In the deep, dark cavern, one can vaguely see the uneven rock surface stretching down the slope and extending downwards.

That's the entrance to the middle level.

"We've arrived, Mr. Leo," Lefiya said calmly. "Through there, we can enter the 13th..."

Layered.

Clearly, Lefiya was extremely familiar with this route, and could be described as someone who knew it like the back of her hand.

"Then let's go in."

Leo remained calm as well.

He knew that conquering the middle level was far more difficult than conquering the upper level, and he also knew that once he entered, there would be no longer such a safe combat environment. With his current strength, continuing to conquer the upper level would really be a waste of time.

Silverback Ape, orcs, Hard-Armored Rat —he can now kill these most dangerous monsters from the upper levels in an instant. What's the point of staying any longer?

Even the Young Dragon, known as the floor master of the upper level, was something Leo was confident he could easily handle. So, he really could only feel the pressure again, get trained again, grow again, and continue to become stronger at that inhuman speed by entering the middle level.

It's just dangerous. I've encountered it before. Back then, I dared to make it all the way to the 7th floor even with zero abilities. Now that my abilities are all over the top, if I don't even dare to go into the 13th floor and am too timid, I might as well stay in the base camp and continue practicing the Tender Love Sword with Ais.

At least, even if Ais, a level 5, lets him train, Leo will still get real training.

As long as Leo gets training, he can continue to gain experience points, allowing his abilities to grow.

However, the training Ais received from sparring was certainly not as much as the training she received from fighting to the death in dangerous situations.

In conclusion, I'm definitely going to the middle management position today.

"Let's go, Lefiya."

"Yes, Mr. Leo."

The boy and girl fearlessly stepped into the deep cave and went down the slope to the lower floors.