Mid-Level Conquest Difficulty
Dungeon, Level 13.
Like the cave chamber through which this floor is located, this floor is filled with gray rocks that have rolled down everywhere.
It's like a natural cave deep in the mountains, with all the walls, floors, and ceilings made of bedrock.
A slight dampness hung in the air, and the light was even dimmer than on the 12th Floor, which was shrouded in thick fog. After descending the slope from the 12th Floor, adventurers were met with a monotonous, single rocky path that stretched deep into the depths, seemingly leading to a cavern as well. Although the path was straight, no view could be seen ahead.
"Is this the middle level?"
As Leo stepped into the rocky passage, he immediately began to survey his surroundings, confirming the terrain. He unconsciously murmured to himself, which brought a smile to Lefiya's face as she followed him.
"Yes, this is the starting point of the middle layer of the Dungeon, where levels 13-24 are located—the 'Cave Labyrinth'."
The Cave Labyrinth is the collective name for the five floors of the Dungeon, from the 13th to the 17th Floor.
As the name suggests, these five floors are a labyrinth formed by cave terrain, characterized by the ubiquitous gray rocks and the well-like vertical caves located in the corners of the walls.
"This must be the trapdoor that leads to the lower floors, right?"
Leo walked to the side of the vertical caves and looked down, only to find that he could see the floors below.
This is a scene you would never see in the upper levels.
The different floors of the Dungeon are connected by clearly defined passageways. To go up or down, you generally have to use these passageways, at least on the upper floors.
However, once you reach the middle level, this rule will gradually be broken.
"Some of these vertical caves lead to the 14th floor, while others span two or three floors, allowing access to even lower levels. Once you step into one, it could be a trap from which you may never return."
Lefiya whispered a scientific explanation to Leo, which made Leo nod almost imperceptibly.
It's easy to imagine that if you accidentally step into these vertical caves and enter a floor that's beyond your reach, the outcome won't be good.
Especially for adventurer teams that have just reached the middle level, they may not have even fully conquered the 13th floor yet. If they accidentally fall into a lower floor, the mortality rate will likely increase significantly.
The middle level was already known as the highest death zone in the Dungeon, with a mortality rate far exceeding that of the upper level. If the mortality rate were to rise further, it's safe to assume that survival would be virtually impossible.
The protagonist's team in the original story almost lost their lives because they unfortunately fell into this vertical cave and went straight from the 13th to the 15th floor. If it weren't for the fact that a certain Prum girl was brave and wise enough to suggest going to the 18th Floor for refuge and giving up on going up, the protagonist group might not have been able to return.
"Of course, highly skilled, high-level adventurers can also use these vertical caves to shorten the time needed to reach the lower levels."
Lefiya told Leo this.
"Our clan's second-tier adventurers often do this. As long as they have a sufficiently detailed map, even if they don't follow the regular routes, they can still easily determine their location and find the way up or down."
Clearly, Loki Familia possessed sufficiently detailed maps.
After all, they are the strongest scroll clan that has already conquered the realms below the 50th Floor; they've probably already mastered the mid-level realms long ago.
"The phosphorescence here isn't very bright, and the passageways connecting the chambers are quite long. For safer combat, the first thing to do upon entering is to quickly reach the first chamber."
Lefiya continued explaining, and Leo was listening attentively.
Although the maze passages on the 13th floor are wider than those on the upper floors, they are still limited in size and filled with vertical caves. Fighting monsters in such passages is not a good idea, especially since the number of monsters on the middle floors is far greater than on the upper floors. Fighting here will inevitably lead to a predicament sooner or later: being overwhelmed by countless monsters.
Moreover, once you reach the middle level, adventurers are rarely alone. Teamwork is a fundamental condition for adventures here. Fighting together with teammates in such narrow passages will inevitably be limited, making it easier to be surrounded by swarms of monsters. At that point, adventurers will face a passage filled with monsters, and the battle will become a stalemate with no way to retreat.
Therefore, the key to fighting in the Cave Labyrinth is to utilize the relatively spacious cave chambers so that all team members can move freely, each taking down monsters individually, and making good use of numerical advantages and teamwork.
This also applies to Leo. After all, if he were surrounded by monsters filling the passage, it would be even more difficult for him to escape, and it might even lead to the death of Lefiya, who is an unprotected supporter and healer.
"Let's go to the cave ahead first."
Leo stopped observing the terrain and headed towards the cave under Lefiya's guidance.
As a professional support staff member capable of hand-drawing maps, Lefiya had already thoroughly explored the terrain of the middle level. She knew how to get around without even looking at a map, so Leo didn't need to rack his brains to figure it out.
So, just like before, Leo here only has one task.
That is, to fight to your heart's content.
"Chirp!"
Soon, as Leo and Lefiya advanced, the cries of monsters began to echo from ahead in the rocky passage.
Before Leo and his companion could stop, several monsters hopped and skipped out from the depths of the road ahead.
It was a monster that looked exactly like a rabbit.
It has long, swaying ears, yellow and white fur, a sharp horn on its forehead, and stands on two legs. It is about the size of a human child and walks on two legs.
"It's Unicorn Rabbit!"
Lefiya immediately recognized the monster.
The Unicorn Rabbit looks very docile and doesn't seem much different from the Needle Rabbit that appear on the upper levels. In reality, it is a monster that only appears for the first time on the 13th level.
The Unicorn Rabbit may appear docile, but it is actually very aggressive, cunning like Imp, and enjoys fighting in groups. Its abilities are frighteningly strong, which is why this rabbit monster is classified as Lv.2 in the guild's threat rating.
That's right, it's actually stronger than the large-scale monsters, orcs, and Silverback Ape that appear in the upper levels.
At the very least, they pose a greater threat than the orcs and Silverback Ape.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Upon seeing Leo and Lefiya, the Unicorn Rabbit with bloodshot eyes let out a sharp cry, and then smashed the large rock beside it with its tiny fists, retrieving a small stone axe from it.
That is a brand new natural weapon that can only be born in the 13th layer.
Many rocks in the Cave Labyrinth serve as its Labyrinth's Armory, containing various natural weapons usable by the monsters of the mid-level levels, thus adding even greater threats to these already terrifying creatures.
"Chirp chirp chirp! Ee!"
The Unicorn Rabbit, each wielding a small stone axe, let out a piercing cry and charged toward Leo.
"The monster is coming, Mr. Leo!"
As Lefiya issued the warning, she quickly retreated, clearing the battlefield.
"Click!"
Leo equipped himself with a small straight sword the instant the Unicorn Rabbit charged at him and raised it.
"Grumble!"
Seeing this, one of the Unicorn Rabbit, while maintaining its speed, pounced on Leo along with its companion, and suddenly hurled its stone axe at Leo, sending it spinning wildly as it cleaved down at an astonishing speed.
"Clang!"
Almost instinctively, Leo swung his small straight sword, deftly deflecting the flying small stone axe with minimal movement, sending it flying into the air and landing on the ceiling.
That movement was exactly the same as the way Ais usually deflected Leo's slashes with her scabbard.
Clearly, this is a parrying technique that Leo learned from Ais.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
"Eee!"
Seeing this, the remaining Unicorn Rabbit also threw out their small stone axes, which spun and slashed at Leo. However, Leo remained standing in place, just as before, and with a few small swings of his small straight sword, he deflected the incoming stone axes one by one.
After deflecting all the throwing axes, Leo suddenly lowered his body, pushed off with his feet, and darted away.
The speed was so fast that the Unicorn Rabbit rushing towards them had no time to react.
"Pfft!"
As the sword flashed, a Unicorn Rabbit charging at the forefront was cleaved in two, its blood splattering across the sky.
Leo moved with lightning speed, and in the instant he brushed past the Unicorn Rabbit, he unleashed a swift and deadly sword strike, killing the Unicorn Rabbit while charging towards the other Unicorn Rabbit at the same time.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!"
As two more Unicorn Rabbit were swiftly and decisively killed by Leo, the remaining Unicorn Rabbit finally reacted, letting out sharp cries and angrily attacking the charging Leo.
Some of them swung fists powerful enough to shatter rocks at Leo, while others raised their horns and charged at him, their menacing appearance making them look nothing like harmless rabbits.
"Bang!"
Leo's figure remained as fast as the wind, his footwork swift and agile as he dodged the attacks of several Unicorn Rabbit that were throwing punches. Facing the Unicorn Rabbit that charged with its vertical horn, he sidestepped and kicked it in the side, sending it flying with a heavy thud.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"
Immediately afterward, Leo turned around and, before the Unicorn Rabbit could regain their footing, slashed out with his small straight sword, cutting them in half one by one.
"Chirp!"
In an instant, the dying screams and furious howls of the Unicorn Rabbit rang out one after another, echoing through the rocky cave passage along with the sounds of the battle.
Leo fought fiercely against a large group of Unicorn Rabbit, sometimes dodging their attacks, sometimes slashing at the rabbit monsters with his sword, creating a constant stream of sword light and rabbits leaping back and forth.
In less than a minute, Leo had slaughtered more than ten Unicorn Rabbit.
This already exceeds the initial number of Unicorn Rabbit.
"Watch out, Mr. Leo! There are Unicorn Rabbit rushing towards us!"
Lefiya, who was behind him, reminded him of this more than once, explaining why Leo had slaughtered so many Unicorn Rabbit.
Whether they were drawn by the commotion of the battle or there were already so many Unicorn Rabbit lying in ambush all around, as the battle progressed, the number of Unicorn Rabbit around Leo not only did not decrease, but actually increased, so that countless white shadows almost overwhelmed him and the entire cave passage.
Gradually, Leo began to feel the strain.
The increasing number of Unicorn Rabbit was one of the reasons he was struggling, but the bigger reason was that the growing number of monsters around him was occupying a large portion of the passageways, which restricted his movement. He could not use his speed and agility at all, and the range of his activities was getting smaller and smaller, to the point that he was surrounded and even forced into a passive defensive situation.
"This pressure—is this the level of difficulty required to conquer the mid-levels?"
Leo hadn't felt this strained in a long time, which showed that the difficulty of conquering the 13th floor was indeed as expected, a qualitative leap compared to the previous floors.
This is why, even though anyone at level 2 could easily clear floor 13, the guild still recommended forming a three-person team.
The monsters here are not only much stronger, but their numbers are also far greater than those in the upper levels. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself in a situation even more troublesome than being besieged by an army of Killer Ant. If you don't kill the monsters quickly enough, they will only multiply, and eventually you'll find yourself surrounded by monsters, unable to kill them all no matter how hard you try.
"No! We can't fight in the tunnel!"
Lefiya immediately made a judgment, her face showing anxiety, and then she actually ran directly in Leo's direction.
"Chirp chirp!"
"Chirp chirp!"
"Eee!"
Only then did the Unicorn Rabbit seem to realize there was another enemy present, and they all let out sharp cries and began to pounce towards Lefiya.
"Lefiya!"
Leo killed the two Unicorn Rabbit that were attacking him with a single sword stroke, and only then did he see this scene, exclaiming in astonishment.
Lefiya seemed not to hear, and ran off without looking up, which actually lured away some of the monsters.
"Mr. Leo! Go to the front chamber!"
Lefiya ran and shouted, letting Leo know her intention.
But----
"No!"
Leo didn't not want to go to the cave ahead; rather, he had already discovered that monsters lurked there.
"Look ahead!"
Reminded by Leo, Lefiya then noticed that several monsters were crouching guarding the entrance to the cave ahead.
Their bodies have uneven, black skin, bright red eyes, and a somewhat robust build. They have ferocious faces unlike wolves, and are baring their teeth and growling at us.
It was none other than the Hellhound, the monster most to be wary of and feared on the 13th floor.
"Garururururururu---!"
The howls of the Hellhound shook the air, their ferocious fangs bared, and red light flashed from their mouths.
The next second, scorching flames were spewed out by them, illuminating the cave passage and also Lefiya's delicate and pretty face.