"Under Resort"

Dungeon, 18th Floor.

As the first safe floor adventurers visit in the Dungeon, the 18th Floor is completely different from the floors before and even the floors below.

This floor also has another name – "Under Resort".

As the name suggests, it is a paradise in an underground labyrinth. Not only are there no monsters, but the environment is also extremely beautiful, making it feel completely unlike an underground place.

If adventurers arrive at this level, the first thing they will see is a forest.

The entrance to the 18th Floor is located in the southern passageway cave. In front of the cave is this forest. If you cross this forest and head north, you will see a large grassland scattered with crystals.

This lush green field that stretches out in the center of the building is spectacular. At its center stands a giant tree, known as the Central Tree. There is a hollow at the base of the tree, which is the entrance to the 19th floor.

To the north of the grassland lies a magnificent wetland area, stretching from south to east with lush forests. To the west are azure lakes and large islands floating on the lake. Rocky cliffs surround the entire building, making it immediately apparent that the building is circular, giving it the feel of a giant landscaped garden.

The source of all this beauty is the light that dispels the darkness of the entire underworld, transforming this place into a paradise.

Yes, there is light here, and it is very bright, as bright as day.

All this light comes from the crystals scattered throughout the entire floor, especially on the ceiling, which is covered with countless crystals, forming a crystal forest.

These white crystal blocks, gathered together, resembled an underground sun, emitting light that illuminated the entire floor, creating daylight and making the 18th Floor, despite being underground, possess its own unique "sky."

The brightness of this "underground sky" changes with the passage of time, thus forming periods such as "morning," "daytime," and "night." Although it deviates from the time on the surface, and this "time difference" is sometimes large and sometimes small and can change at any time, such mysterious phenomena of the Dungeon always attract the hearts of many adventurers. Some wealthy people even specially entrust adventurers to escort them to this place for sightseeing, just to see this bright scenery and the natural world composed of dreamlike crystals and mysterious domes.

Thanks to this, the 18th Floor is not only the first safe floor in the Dungeon, but also a wonder worthy of the name "paradise". The beautiful, glowing crystals are the specialty here. These crystals grow in every corner of the entire floor, and even the forest is dyed indigo blue under the light of the blue crystals that grow from the cracks in the ground, making it indescribably beautiful.

Even Leo, who had just arrived in this world, couldn't help but marvel at this amazing sight after his initial confusion and bewilderment.

Now, he has finally returned to this floor, to this place where he first arrived.

"I really miss those days----"

Leo, who had emerged from the forest, looked up at the rocky dome and the crystal jungle, standing there in a daze for a long time.

Beside him, members of the Loki Familia, pushing carts laden with large cargo boxes, passed by one by one, chatting and laughing as they walked. The atmosphere was so lively that it didn't feel like an adventure in Dungeon, but rather like doing business in a foreign town.

"Mr. Leo, isn't this where you first met Miss Ais?"

Lefiya, of course, couldn't have been unaware of Leo's story. Seeing Leo standing there in a daze, she asked him curiously.

Beside her, Lefiya Viridis didn't say anything, but she quietly pricked up her pointed ears.

"Yes." Leo had never hidden this fact, and said calmly, "If I hadn't met Ais here, I might not have been able to return to the surface."

Or rather, if he hadn't landed directly on this floor when he transmigrated, but somewhere else, he would probably be dead by now.

How did Mr. Leo get here?

Lefiya had no idea what Leo was thinking; she just found it strange.

According to Leo, he was completely alone when he arrived there, and he was still in a state of being without Falna. At that time, he was practically powerless. Let alone leaving the 18th Floor, he probably wouldn't even be able to get back to the ground from the 1st floor.

That's clearly how it is, so why is he on the 18th Floor?

He certainly wouldn't have been able to get to this floor alone back then, so who brought him here and then abandoned him?

Lefiya felt puzzled, but at the same time, she couldn't help but brainstorm.

This was something that many members of the clan found strange, but some tacitly chose not to inquire, while others did ask but did not receive a direct answer from Leo.

Just like this time, Leo is doing the same thing.

"Who knows?" Leo's tone was so indifferent, as if he weren't talking about his own affairs. He said casually, "Maybe some nobleman from out of town hired adventurers to send his whole family here for a family trip, and then abandoned his good-for-nothing son, whom he found utterly displeasing and thought to be hopeless, to fend for himself here."

Leo was talking complete nonsense.

However, both Lefiya and Lefiya Viridis's expressions changed slightly, and they fell silent.

They felt that this might be the truth.

Otherwise, how do you explain Leo's presence here alone, his inability to return to the surface, and his refusal to discuss his past after being brought back to the Familia by Ais?

Lefiya Viridis and Lefiya then realized that what Leo was saying might be true; he was someone abandoned by his family, which was why he didn't want to talk about the past and was determined to join the Familia and become stronger.

Perhaps he wanted to prove himself, that he was not some good-for-nothing, or perhaps he wanted to completely abandon the past and live in Orario as a member of the Loki Familia, never to return.

Thinking of this, Lefiya Viridis and Lefiya's gazes towards Leo changed slightly.

Unfortunately, Leo had no idea that his casual ramblings had led the two girls to such a fatal overthinking; otherwise, he would have found it both laughable and absurd.

"Hey, you three, what are you still doing here?"

Ahead, Gareth, who was leading the group and carrying a battle axe, turned around and looked at Leo and his two companions talking at the entrance of the forest, and shouted loudly.

"Hurry up! We need to meet up with Finn and the others!"

Upon hearing this, Leo withdrew his gaze from the crystal dome, and Lefiya Viridis and Lefiya also stopped fantasizing.

"Let's go, let's meet up with Ais and the others first."

Leo took the lead and headed towards the main group, with Lefiya Viridis and Lefiya quickly following behind.

The group's destination was the central tree located in the center of the building, not far from which was the pre-arranged rendezvous point for the two Loki Familia.

Soon, Leo and the other members of the second unit met the advance team that was resting there.

"We're here, Finn."

Gareth's loud voice was the first to ring out, drawing the attention of the scattered advance team members who were resting and chatting.

"Lefiya Viridis! Lefiya! Over here!"

Tiona, who had been arguing with Bete Loga, immediately raised her hand to greet the two girls walking with Leo.

Tione, meanwhile, fawned over Finn, completely ignoring the others who had come to join them.

Raul and other key figures in the Second Army rushed over to help push the cart.

"Did nothing happen?"

Riveria asked this question, albeit tentatively.

"Of course, we're just coming up to the 18th floor. What could possibly happen?"

Gareth responded dismissively.

Although the main fighting force is concentrated in the first unit, and he is the only first-level adventurer in the second unit, with their abilities, they can move with ease not only in the upper and middle levels, but also in the lower levels.

The members who could join the expeditionary force each had their own strengths. They were either first-level or second-level adventurers of level 3 or above, or healers like Lefiya. Even Lefiya was level 2. Even if the combat strength of the second unit was not as strong as that of the first unit, she could move freely in the middle level without Gareth and was unlikely to encounter any danger.

The group encountered very few monsters, as they were following the route taken by the advance team. Most of the monsters blocking their path were eliminated by the advance team, and even if some appeared later, they could be dealt with easily with a few spells.

Gareth didn't even lift a finger; it was all the Lv.2 and Lv.3 members who did the work. Even Lefiya took the opportunity to kill quite a few monsters with her wand, not to mention Leo.

Even at Lv.2, he could fight his way in and out of the floors before the 18th Floor. Now that he's reached Lv.3, he doesn't even need to use magic. He just draws his Dragon Fang Sword, charges around a few times, and kills countless monsters.

Even the Minotaur, renowned for its strength and considered the strongest monster on the floors before the 18th Floor, is no match for Leo now. A single sword strike from it would instantly kill it.

Therefore, the second team made no trouble along the way, except that they couldn't quickly reach the lower floors through the vertical caves, which slowed down their journey a bit.

Why were they still pushing around supply trucks?

You can't exactly jump off a building while pushing a cart of goods, can you?

"It's good that you're alright." Finn pushed aside the fawning Tione and said to the Second Division, "Let's rest here for a bit, then check our supplies again to make sure nothing is missing before we set off."

"The commander is right," Tione echoed unconditionally, but also added, "Let's not end up like last time, suddenly discovering we left a batch of supplies at home and having to go to town to get them."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the clan became subtle.

Those who had experienced that incident, in particular, couldn't help but speak up.

"I don't want to go there again, it's too dark."

95

"We got ripped off really badly that time."

"It's all Raul's fault. He didn't take a proper inventory, and we lost a lot of money."

"N-How can you blame me for this?!"

Everyone started complaining, one after another.

"Towns and towns----"

Leo turned his gaze westward, looking at the vast blue lake.

From here, you can clearly see that in the center of that lake, there is a towering, enormous island that looks as if a corner of the continent has been cut off.

That's an island in the middle of the lake, and there's a town on it.

That was the Dungeon inn town operated by the advanced adventurers who had reached the middle level.

The town originated as a large-scale relay point set up by the guild in the Dungeon plan to more effectively explore unreached floors. However, the plan was eventually abandoned due to intermittent invasions by monsters from other floors, as well as the huge expenses required for personnel and defense.

After that, a group of adventurers took over and developed the area without permission, establishing a town called "Rivira". In addition to weapon shops and item shops for adventurers, there was also a purchasing station where people could exchange items such as Magic Stone for money.

Because this is a safe zone where no monsters will spawn, and it is also the only town in the underground labyrinth, most adventurers exploring floors below the 19th floor will use this place as their base. If they plan to stay in the Dungeon for a long time, they will need to replenish their supplies here and dispose of the loot they are carrying to make room for further exploration.

To be honest, having a place where you can dispose of your loot and replenish your supplies without having to go back to the surface is undoubtedly very convenient for adventurers.

Unfortunately, it was precisely because it was so convenient that the group of adventurers without official backing who took over and developed the area became unscrupulous.

Taking advantage of the Dungeon's status as the only relay and supply station, they drove up prices in Rivira to an outrageously high level. A set of personal rations or a second-hand spare weapon could cost five figures or more, and other supplies were priced at least several times higher than on the surface. It wasn't just ripping people off; it was cannibalism.

However, there's no way around it; the inability to easily replenish supplies in Dungeon is a major drawback for adventurers. If you plan to conquer floors below the 19th floor in the long term, you're bound to be ripped off. Not to mention, if an accident occurs and you urgently need certain supplies to save your life, you'll have to pay even if it hurts.

In the past, the Loki Familia once marched to this place and found that they were short of supplies. Without resupply, they would not be able to reach the floors they had not yet reached. So they had no choice but to go to Rivira to shop, where they were ripped off.

The mention of this incident filled the Loki Familia with both anger and helplessness. Raul and the others who were directly responsible for the acquisition all wore pained expressions, as if the events of that time were still vivid in their minds.

"Hurry up and take inventory, don't make any more mistakes."

Finn ended the conversation and dismissed everyone to take stock of the supplies.

Leo seized the opportunity and approached Finn.

"Captain, can I leave for a moment?" Leo said softly, "I want to go look around somewhere else."

Finn, as if reading Leo's mind, glanced at the girl who remained silent in the crowd but kept looking over here, and smiled knowingly.

"Alright, I'll grant permission this time," Finn said with a smile. "Just this once; you can't do it again next time."

Leo nodded in agreement.