Crossing! Expeditionary Forced March!
After spending half an hour by the pool, Leo and Ais ended their remembrance, which was meaningful only to the two of them, composed themselves, and returned to the expeditionary force.
When they returned to the expeditionary force, their rest period had just ended.
Next, the Loki Familia expeditionary force will face a forced march.
Just as Finn said, after meeting on the 18th Floor, they will head straight to the 50th Floor without stopping except for necessary rest and setting up camp.
The 50th Floor of the Dungeon is also a safe floor, and it is also the last safe floor before the 59th Floor, which is the target of Loki Familia.
Therefore, the expeditionary force will go directly there, establish outposts, and then begin planning to advance to the 59th Floor to launch the formal conquest of the unreached floors.
Thanks to this, Leo, who was marching rapidly with the expeditionary force, saw underground labyrinths he had never seen or reached before.
The first area he saw was the 19th to 24th levels – the "Great Tree Labyrinth".
If the Cave Labyrinth containing levels 13-17 is an enclosed realm formed by rocks and caves, then the Great Tree Labyrinth of levels 19-24 is an otherworldly realm formed by tree bark, moss, and plants.
The ceiling, walls, and floor here are all made of tree bark. The lush moss growing in the passageways emits blue or green light, creating a landscape that seems like a secret realm. Leaves of all shapes and sizes and mysterious flowers dripping with silvery water droplets are everywhere. Plants that cannot be seen on the ground are also found all over the place. In some ways, it is even more spectacular than the 18th Floor, which is known as the "Crystal Maze".
However, the danger lurking behind this spectacle is more terrifying than any of the previous floors.
The most common monsters here are insects and fungi. They are best at using poison attacks with a huge range of effects. Their poison is much more potent than that of the Purple Moth that appear in the upper realms. Even adventurers with the ability to develop "Abnormal Resistance" will find it difficult to resist this deadly poison if their development level is too low.
This area also harbors troublesome monsters such as the Berg Bear and the Firebird. The former is even more troublesome than the Minotaur, and the latter's fire-breathing attacks are more threatening than the Hellhound. Especially in this environment full of plants, even a small spark can ignite a sea of fire. Finn had to order all members to wear "Fire Spirit Cloth" that can withstand fire attacks, and to have members with high-level "Abnormal Resistance" abilities lead the way.
Those like Leo who hadn't learned the "Abnormal Resistance" development ability were placed directly in the rear by Finn and protected by the center guards. However, because the Giant Battle Suit cloak he was wearing had fireproof properties, Leo didn't need to wear Fire Spirit cloth; he only needed to cooperate with the front guards to release magic.
Once inside the Great Tree Labyrinth, the fully integrated expedition force had to operate strictly according to the pre-arranged plan. Leo, the Mage designated as the rearguard, could no longer rush out and draw his sword to attack as before. Instead, he and Lefiya Viridis, under Riveria's leadership, used magic to provide cover and support for the team. When necessary, they had to unleash their full firepower, directly unleashing firepower comparable to Lv.5, to clean up the battlefield.
It was from here that Leo and Lefiya Viridis's excessive firepower began to have a place. Their casual spells could sweep away a large number of monsters and scorch the battlefield, making countless people take notice.
Leo, in particular, possessed not only high firepower in his magic but also the ability to freely adjust the number of attacks. Sometimes he would fire a single meteor, evaporating all the monsters in its path. Other times, he could deploy a magic circle directly above the battlefield, unleashing countless meteors to bombard the enemy. He could even manipulate the meteors in creative ways, controlling their trajectory to make them fly across the battlefield, slaying monster after monster. The scenes, comparable to a large-scale magic show, left countless viewers in awe.
After being taught by Riveria, Leo's magical abilities have indeed improved significantly. He is no longer someone who can just use magic without thinking, and he seems like a completely different person.
"It seems this expedition will be a bit easier."
Gareth even made such a comment, which made many members of the Loki Familia look at this newly promoted Level 3 with new respect.
"What's so great about it?----"
Lefiya Viridis, however, became sullen and started arguing with Leo, clearly not to be outdone.
Clearly, she didn't want to lose to Leo, so she put in extra effort when chanting her spells, as if competing with Leo, unleashing one dazzling spell after another.
Lefia Billio's strength lies in the fact that her number of spells far exceeds that of others.
Leo ultimately only has one spell, but Lefiya Viridis is different. Not only are all three of her spell slots full, but she can also cast other types of spells through a special Third Magic.
The title "Thousand Elf" is well-deserved; in terms of the number of spells she can use, Lefiya Viridis has more than even Riveria, who is known as the "Nine Magic Princess."
Therefore, while Leo played his maneuvering game, Lefiya Viridis launched into a true magical feast, unleashing a dazzling array of countless spells that left many people dumbfounded.
Thanks to this, the expeditionary force's journey became easier, and they soon emerged from the Great Tree Labyrinth and entered the 25th level.
From this level onwards, the monsters appearing in the Dungeon become a whole level stronger, both in terms of strength and quantity.
Because from this level onwards, we are already in the lower levels of the Dungeon.
Currently, the Dungeon are divided into four difficulty levels.
Floors 1-12 are the upper levels that can be conquered by adventurers at level 1.
Floors 13-24 are mid-level floors that can be conquered by adventurers at level 2.
Floors 25-36 are the lower floors that adventurers at level 3 can conquer.
Floors below the 37th Floor are deeper levels that require adventurers to be at least Lv.4 to conquer.
Just as the danger level increases dramatically when moving from the upper to the middle level, the danger and difficulty of conquering the Dungeon also increase dramatically when moving from the middle to the lower level.
Therefore, this place is also known as the second death line in the Dungeon, and some even call it the new world.
This also proves that the views from the 25th floor onwards become even more unique than those on the floors above.
Levels 25-27 are connected by a magnificent waterfall – the "Water Capital".
There are no forests here, only valleys or cliffs formed by crystal peaks. A waterfall, about 400 meters wide and at least twice as high, reflects light, making the cascading water appear emerald blue. It is so beautiful that it makes people forget that this is a dangerous Dungeon. The waterfall, accompanied by misty splashes of water, is located here with a thunderous roar. It flows through a large hole to the floors below, connecting the three floors.
The half-human, half-bird Harpy and the songbird Siren soar through the air, their high-pitched cries resounding, presenting the vast water park to everyone, like a paradise on earth.
Full speed ahead!
Unfortunately, faced with such a paradise, the Prum leader only gave this brief instruction: to have everyone cross over as quickly as possible.
This is also to reduce the difficulty of this expedition.
"Before the floor master, Amphisbaena, reaches his rebirth period, let's hurry across the Water Capital and get to the 29th floor!"
Gareth shouted the same thing.
This expedition was relatively easy for Loki Familia.
The reason is simple: the four floor masters, who are the strongest gatekeepers specially arranged by the Dungeon for invaders and are jokingly called the Four Heavenly Kings by the gods, are currently all in a state where the production interval has not yet finished counting down.
The 17th Floor's master, the giant Goliath, was defeated by Leo a few days ago. His regeneration interval is two weeks, so when the Loki Familia's expedition reached the 17th Floor, Goliath had not yet completed his regeneration and could not hinder the Loki Familia's progress.
The lord of the 27th Floor, known as the two-headed dragon Amphisbaena, was confirmed to have been defeated about half a month ago. Its reproduction interval is one month, and it has not yet reproduced.
The 37th Floor's master, the skeletal monster Udaeus, has a regeneration interval of three months. Loki Familia, which went on an expedition there a little over a month ago, committed all its forces and defeated it. It is currently in the same period before it regenerates.
As for the floor master of the 49th Floor, the Cyclops Balor, his production interval was a full nine months. About three months ago, he was nearly killed by [Brave] Ottar, and later he was defeated by Freya Familia, which led to a collective internal conflict among the high-ranking members of the Familia. It was Balor who started the fight.
In other words, this strongest floor owner, whose classification level is as high as Lv.7, has not yet regenerated.
All four floor masters are in their regeneration cooldown period, and the Loki Familia will naturally not let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Thus, Loki Familia's expeditionary force swiftly traversed the 25th, 26th, and 27th Floor, clearing the Water Capital, and arrived at the 28th floor.
Layer -- "Labyrinth Garden"
This is the second safe floor where monsters will not spawn, following the "Under Resort" floor on the 18th Floor.
In this building, which is indeed a beautiful flower field in vibrant colors as its name suggests, the Loki Familia, who had been marching at full speed, finally stopped, set up camp, ate, rested, and took turns keeping watch, spending the first night of their expedition here.
The following day, Loki Familia left the Labyrinth Garden and entered the 29th floor.
Levels 29-32 are a vast jungle area, distinct from the Great Tree Labyrinth —the "Dense Forest Ravine."
This area will feature powerful dinosaur-type monsters, including the Blood Dragon, which can only be defeated by players who have reached level 3.
Of course, for the Loki Familia, this area is still easily traversed. Even the most powerful dinosaur-like monsters are no match for an ordinary member of the expeditionary force. Apart from Lv.2 healers like Lefiya, the rest can defeat them in single combat. Therefore, it's not even a close call; they can directly cross over and reach the 33rd floor.
Layers 33-36 form a new area – "Desert Labyrinth".
As the name suggests, this is a vast desert area without complex mazes. As long as you overcome the sand that sinks under your feet and makes it difficult to move forward, as well as the monsters that emerge one after another from the sandstorm, and the mirages that are beyond the comprehension of adventurers and can mislead your route, you can reach the 37th Floor.
Loki Familia had already prepared special equipment for this purpose, and with experienced adventurers like Finn leading the way, the final layer of this lower level was breached.
During their journey, the Loki Familia rested for a night in an oasis, and it wasn't until the morning of the third day of their expedition that they reached the 37th Floor, the true death zone in the Dungeon —the Deep.
Starting from this floor, adventurers below level 4 have absolutely no chance of conquering it, unless they come with an elite force like the Loki Familia expedition. Otherwise, level 2 or 3 adventurers will face certain death here.
Fortunately, the biggest challenge on the 37th Floor, namely that the floor master had not yet been reborn, allowed the expeditionary force to cross the floor known as the "White Palace" with great ease. They then successfully broke through the vast maze on the 38th floor and arrived at the 39th Floor, known as the "Labyrinth Grey Bridge".
This is also the third safe floor in the Dungeon.
The Loki Familia rested here for a while before entering the area beyond the 40th Floor and resuming their rapid march.
The area containing layers 40-43 is called the "Giant's Graveyard".
The 44th to 48th levels are located in the "Crimson Mountain Range" region.
The former is a hellish place where giants and large-scale monsters are everywhere, while the latter is a volcanic area inhabited by monsters with fierce explosive fire attacks, led by the Volcanic Rock. Even Loki Familia have to slow down and proceed with caution here, otherwise they may also fail.
It took Loki Familia two whole days to conquer these two levels before they reached the 49th Floor, which consisted of only one enormous cavern and was named "The Great Wilderness".
The monsters lurking here require even first-level adventurers to handle safely. Moreover, this wilderness is larger than the entire Orario region. Even without the floor master, Balor, Loki Familia was forced to go all out, spending an entire day conquering the area before finally reaching the passage to the 50th Floor.
The entire Loki Familia entered the passage and finally arrived at the final base designated before this expedition.
50th Floor the last safe floor where adventurers in Orario can reach without monsters spawning, and it is also the last stronghold that powerful familias active on the front lines of conquering Dungeon can use.
This is a vast gray forest. Everything in sight is a gray grove of trees, as if a layer of gray forest covers the entire space, all the way to the wall at the end. Only the river, flowing like the veins of a leaf, can escape the dark color and emit a blue glow, continuing its endless flow among the trees.
The ceiling glowed with phosphorescence, not dazzling, but close enough to be almost twilight, enough to keep one's vision clear.
The Loki Rollers set up camp on a large rocky platform ten meters high. Amidst the slight noise, tents began to be erected and cargo boxes were unloaded from carts. People ran around the camp, busy with various tasks, creating a lively scene of outdoor camping.
"Leo! Over here!"
"They're here!"
At someone's invitation, Leo, who was carrying a bunch of equipment, mingled among them and slowly walked into the camp.