"Rivira (334)"

Leo, of course, had no way of knowing Tione's thoughts at this moment.

All he knew was that he was playing very comfortably.

Professor Ais's swordsmanship and Professor Finn's combat philosophy and concepts were gradually being applied by him in actual combat, and even slowly merging together to form his own unique fighting style. This made Leo feel as if his whole body had come alive, and he became more and more excited and fluid in the fight.

He no longer adhered to any particular move or routine, but fought however he wanted, using whichever move he pleased. At first, it seemed a bit chaotic, but as the fight progressed, his body adapted to this fighting style at an astonishing speed, allowing his style to become completely stable.

As the fight progressed, Leo felt he no longer needed to think; his body would react naturally to the enemy's attacks, either blocking, dodging, or simply counterattacking, striking and killing the enemy before their attacks could even touch him—it was incredibly fluid.

His every movement seemed to become more and more natural.

His every move seemed increasingly agile.

One action after another, one move after another, until there were no pauses in between. Once an action or move was performed, it would immediately follow the next one, fully unleashing the body's strength and endurance without leaving any gaps.

"This is the real battle."

Leo became increasingly immersed in the physical activity and the rhythm of the battle.

By the time he stopped, all the Minotaur had been destroyed, leaving only Magic Stone and dropped items scattered on the ground.

Around him, a group of girls had gathered, all looking at him with strange eyes, making him quite uncomfortable.

Why are you all staring at me like that?

Leo couldn't help but ask.

The girls didn't speak, but simply exchanged glances.

"You seem different from before, Leo."

Tiona couldn't remain silent any longer and spoke first.

What's different?

Leo's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't say anything. He simply asked this question in return.

"Haven't you noticed?" Tione said, inexplicably displeased. "Your skills are completely different from before."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Tiona nodded repeatedly, saying, "It's not that my stats have gotten stronger, but something more fundamental has changed."

Tiona didn't know how to describe it, so she simply voiced her thoughts.

Ais was silently watching him, summed it up in one sentence.

"Besides level, everything else has become stronger."

As for what kind of place it is, that's a matter of opinion.

It's definitely not just about technique; it encompasses all aspects, including mental state, mood, and thoughts. Otherwise, Leo wouldn't have had those feelings just now.

Leo did not deny this.

"It's definitely different now." Leo looked at his hand gripping the Dragon Fang Sword, slowly tightening its hold, and said with a smile, "It feels like I've broken free from a cage. I finally understand what strength and combat truly mean."

This is the greatest transformation that Finn's teachings brought him—not simply growth in skills, but progress in his thinking.

The girls looked at Leo's undisguised joyful smile, each with their own thoughts.

Tiona and Tione felt that this person was truly terrifying, growing faster and faster, becoming increasingly formidable.

Ais simply felt melancholy and envious, as if she were seeing her own child gradually becoming independent and no longer needing to rely on her.

As for Lefiya Viridis ----

"----How cunning."

Yes, she just felt that this man was too cunning, always able to change things when she wasn't paying attention. Whenever she mustered up the courage to catch up, she would be left behind without warning, and cruelly realize how big the gap between them was.

This made Lefiya Viridis feel very uncomfortable.

"This problem is solved; let's move on."

Leo ignored the women's complicated thoughts, called out to them, and continued walking forward.

Seeing this, everyone suppressed their emotions and followed.

After traversing the wide cavern and defeating numerous monsters, the group of five gradually reached the deepest part of the 17th Floor, where they saw the familiar hall space.

That's the end of the 17th Floor, the passageway leading to the 18th Floor, and also the room of Goliath, the floor's master.

Leo was able to approach this place with a calmer attitude now that he was here again.

Although he had once fought a fierce battle with the floor master, known as the "Solitary King of the Labyrinth," he was only Lv.2 at that time. Now he is Lv.4, and he had also been here during the expedition. Therefore, when Leo came here again, he would not have any special feelings.

The main reason was that this time, he didn't see the huge figure blocking the adventurers' path. Instead, many monsters that were active on the 17th Floor were wandering aimlessly here.

"There's no floor master here." Tiona looked at the scene and whispered, "Has he been defeated?"

Goliath, the floor master of the 17th Floor, has the shortest production interval of all floor masters, only two weeks.

It had been almost a month since Leo single-handedly defeated Goliath.

In other words, Goliath could be resurrected at least twice during this period, so it wouldn't be surprising if they encountered each other here.

But whether it's fortunate or unfortunate, Goliath's figure didn't appear in the end space of the 17th Floor. Instead, it was occupied by a group of wandering monsters, which means that the floor master has been defeated and has entered a cooldown period for production.

"Well, unlike the others below, Goliath's floor is too far forward. Any Lv.2 would come to this floor and want to go down. Since that's the case, it's really too much of an eyesore to be blocking the way here."

Tione, not particularly interested in these words, told everyone that Goliath's death usually had only one cause: causing a traffic jam.

Adventurers who want to go down need to defeat it, and adventurers who want to go up also need to defeat it. Even the unscrupulous merchants who do business in the town of Rivira on the 18th Floor worry that its presence here might scare away their customers and hinder their profits. Therefore, adventurers from that town will regularly form teams to come and defeat this floor master, making it much easier for adventurers who come here.

In other words, it's perfectly normal not to have encountered this particular floor owner.

Leo was somewhat disappointed.

I'd like to practice with it some more.

Leo is now qualified to say such things.

"----You really deserve a beating."

A certain elven girl started chirping softly, clearly feeling indignant.

Are you using the floor owner as practice?

You're really something!

Lefiya Viridis was envious, but Lefiya Viridis didn't say anything.

Anyway, given her current strength, she definitely couldn't say something like that.

Ais drew her sword without a word and charged straight into the empty hall, hacking at the monsters who hadn't even had time to react.

Leo and Tiona quickly joined the battle, while Tione remained in place on guard, acting as a support alongside Lefiya Viridis, picking up the fallen Magic Stone and items and putting them into their backpacks.

Before long, the battle ended smoothly, and the group entered the deepest part of the large space, went into the empty cave in the wall, and went down to the next level.

"Great! We've reached the 18th Floor!"

Upon reaching the safe floor where monsters wouldn't spawn, Tiona immediately cheered as if she were abandoning all her complicated thoughts.

The others gradually relaxed as well.

The warm sunlight streaming down from above shone on the group. Although it didn't bring them the same warmth as the sunlight on the ground, the gentle light and fresh air still brought a sense of tranquility, making them unconsciously relax and let go of their tension.

What should we do next?

The beautiful scenery finally brought Lefiya Viridis back to her senses, who had been muttering to herself. A youthful yet beautiful smile appeared on her face, and her voice carried a hint of joy.

"Yeah, should we go straight to the 19th floor?"

Tiona also looked at Leo.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, this team was likely under Leo's command, just like when they went to the 51st Floor last time.

Who told him to be the one who initially initiated this operation?

These women had joined Leo's team, so naturally they had to follow his instructions.

"What are your thoughts?" Leo didn't make a decision immediately, but instead asked for everyone's opinions, saying, "Do we need to take a break?"

If he were alone, he would naturally prefer to go directly to the 19th floor.

Having made it all the way from the ground to the 18th Floor, although it wasn't entirely without exertion, he wasn't so exhausted that he couldn't walk anymore. In addition, only half a day had passed, and it was probably still midday on the ground, with plenty of time before dark. So, Leo naturally wanted to continue down.

Unfortunately, he is no longer alone; he also has to consider the thoughts of others.

"Let's deal with the loot first." Tione frowned, looking at the backpacks on her and Lefiya Viridis's backs, and said, "We've collected quite a few Magic Stone and dropped items along the way. We need to sell these loot first, otherwise our luggage will be overflowing even when we get to the lower floors."

Upon hearing this, Tiona's face immediately fell.

"Am I going to get ripped off by those shady shops again? How annoying!"

The little angel's resistance was practically written all over his face.

"Stop complaining, I don't want to either, but I have to go, otherwise how am I supposed to plan the next part?"

Tione also looked displeased, which showed how unpopular the shady shops and unscrupulous merchants in Rivira Town were.

Seeing Leo's curious expression, Ais whispered something.

"You haven't been to that town yet, have you?"

Upon hearing this, Leo nodded.

"I've been to the Under Resort three times before, this is my fourth time."

The first time was more than a year ago when he first came into this world. At that time, he just followed Ais uphill and didn't go towards the town.

The second time was during the last expedition's forced march. At that time, I was so busy going to the forest with Ais to reminisce about the past that I didn't have a chance to go to the town. After returning, I went to the 19th floor with the expeditionary force.

The third time was the return journey after the expedition ended. We only rested briefly here before continuing our journey home.

So this was indeed Leo's fourth time on the 18th Floor, but he had never had the chance to go to Rivira Town.

Let's go take a look together.

Ais knew Leo hadn't been there, and seeing his curiosity, she said so.

"Good."

Leo smiled and replied to Ais.

Lefiya Viridis naturally had no objections and continued to follow Ais closely, like a well-behaved little follower.

After confirming their destination, the group left the southern forest and headed west.

There, on the shore of a deep blue lake, floated a large island. After crossing a makeshift bridge made of large logs across the lake, Leo and his group arrived at the island and then headed towards the top.

Rivira Town is located near the top of the island, on the eastern side of the island facing the lake. It sits atop a cliff at least two hundred meters high, surrounded by walls made of crystal and rock. You can vaguely see thick, tall rocks scattered everywhere, clearly intended to defend against monster attacks.

The town as a whole is not particularly outstanding. Instead, it is visibly dilapidated and old. Almost all the buildings are made of wood. The entrance is also an archway made of wooden pillars and flags with the words "Rivira Town (334)" written on it, which makes Leo and his party stop in their tracks.

The number "334"----

Lefiya Viridis showed a somewhat subtle expression.

"That's the number of times Rivira Town has been rebuilt from its initial construction to the present."

Tione replied with a pursed lip.

Although this is a safe floor where monsters are not expected to spawn, as mentioned before, it's not entirely free of monsters. Some monsters come up from the lower floors or come down from the upper floors. Coupled with unpredictable anomalies, this unique town built on this floor is inevitably vulnerable to attacks.

The merchants here are also very shrewd. Every time they sense a crisis, they immediately abandon the town and run away. They then return to rebuild the town and continue doing business after everything is over, and nothing happens to them.

After all, it was just a simple town built of wood, and no civilians lived here. Even if it was destroyed, it could be easily rebuilt with virtually no loss. So these shrewd merchants naturally wouldn't guard it closely, which led to the town being Power of Destruction 333 times. The one that has been rebuilt now is the 334th generation Rivira town.

After passing through the archway, the group saw numerous tents, small shops, and stalls, all built on the steep cliffside. These shops and stalls were low-cost establishments designed for town reconstruction, with almost no buildings that could be considered proper structures. Calling this a town would be an understatement; Leo preferred to call it a primitive tribe in the wild. Only the surrounding white and blue crystals added a touch of splendor, and the nearby azure lake and beautiful buildings prevented it from being an eyesore.

Naturally, the arrival of Leo and his companions attracted considerable attention.

"Isn't that the Loki Familia?"

Many people then turned their attention to it.