The Gate to Hell

The battle in the underground waterways lasted from Leo until Ais, only just ending.

When the two finished fighting, the water in the entire underground sewer had turned into bloody water that smelled strongly of blood. There were also signs of damage all around the sewer, and the body parts scattered all over the ground gave it a feel of a horror movie.

Is it over?

The Starlight in Leo's hand still shone with a sharp luster, without the slightest sign of dimming or wear, and the blade was spotless.

"----Yes, there aren't any left."

Ais, also holding a sword, stood in the underground waterway, closed her eyes, sensed for a moment, and then gave this answer.

"Wow, there are so many." Leo kicked at the pieces of corpse beside him, looking at the Man-Eating Flower carcasses scattered on the ground, and said, "People in the city probably don't know that there are so many dangerous monsters right under their feet, do they?"

Ais was silent for a moment, then looked at Leo.

"What's next?"

The girl was asking what to do next.

"Continue exploring."

As Leo sheathed his sword, he opened and closed his hands to check his physical condition.

After that intense battle, he has basically finished adjusting both physically and mentally.

He has now fully adapted to and mastered the upgraded, immense power.

Having confirmed this, Leo smiled slightly and turned to Ais.

"We finally caught the enemy by the tail; we can't let them get away."

Hearing this, Ais nodded and continued walking forward with Leo.

In fact, they had long since strayed from their original positions.

The Man-Eating Flower monsters kept attacking, and the two of them kept fighting their way forward.

"As long as we venture into areas infested with monsters, we're bound to find the mastermind who's being so tightly protected by them."

With this belief in mind, Leo and Ais continued forward and arrived at their current location.

Along the way, the two killed countless Man-Eating Flower monsters, but did not encounter a single worm-like monster.

"They probably didn't deploy worm-type structures here because they were worried the worms' dissolving fluid would damage the underground sewers and cause unnecessary trouble, right?"

Leo immediately understood the reason.

Of course, it doesn't matter whether there are worm-like monsters or not.

After all, both Leo and Ais are the type who are not afraid of worm-type monsters.

So the two of them made their way towards the place where the Man-Eating Flower monsters were, killing off all the Man-Eating Flower monsters along the way, thus clearing the path for their companions who would arrive later.

Fighting their way along, the two soon arrived at a dead-end alleyway that was off the waterway.

"There."

Ais, with her sharp eyes, noticed a spot on the floor where there was an opening in the steps.

A stone slab covered the top of the steps, and there were still traces of it sliding to the side.

"This should be the place, right?"

Leo stared at the spot for a moment, then walked forward and slowly pulled out the Starlight.

With a flash of sword light, the stone slab covering the top of the steps was neatly sliced open and destroyed.

Just as Leo was about to go down, Ais grabbed his hand.

Seeing the worry in Ais's eyes, Leo patted the back of her hand.

"It's alright, I'll go down and take a look."

Leo said softly.

"----Together."

Ais was silent for a moment before speaking.

"OK."

Leo knew there was no immediate danger ahead, so he didn't refuse and simply nodded.

The two immediately descended the steps and entered a stone passage with a structure distinctly different from the underground waterways outside—"There's a monster smell here."

Ais whispered these words, and Leo nodded silently.

He knew that the Man-Eating Flower monster they had just encountered outside had most likely emerged from here.

In other words, the Man-Eating Flower plant's stronghold is just ahead.

Finally, after continuing to venture deeper, Leo and Ais reached the end of the passage.

There was a metal door there.

The door easily exceeded three meters in height, was enormous and glossy, and had a pristine silver sheen. It was also inlaid with a crimson pearl that emitted a faint glow.

Staring at the enormous door, they were all speechless.

The two looked at each other, both falling into a state of silence.

"---- Orichalcum?"

Finally, Ais broke the silence, uttering a single word.

Orichalcum, also known as legendary Orichalcum, is the world's hardest metal and an essential material for crafting weapons with indestructible properties.

It is even more valuable than Adamantite, which is known as the super-hard metal. Together with Mithril, which has a high Demonic Power compatibility, they are known as the three great dream metals in the Lower World.

Even a small piece of such precious metal, no bigger than the palm of your hand, is worth tens of millions of Valis. If it is of good quality, it is normal for it to be worth hundreds of millions of Valis.

But now, before Leo and Ais stood a massive door, over three meters tall, radiating the same brilliance as the metal itself.

This is why the two stared at each other in silence for so long.

Even though it is one of the most precious and hardest materials in the world, someone is now using it to make a door.

This made Leo, who already knew the situation, think of only one thing the moment he saw the door.

"What a spendthrift!"

That evening, guided by Lefiya Viridis and Lefiya, the Loki Familia members, who had been investigating and searching for clues throughout Daedalus Street, gathered in the underground sewers and arrived at the Orichalcum gate.

Everyone stared at the Orichalcum gate, falling into an unspoken silence.

After a long while, Tiona was the first to speak.

"Those bastards, are they really that rich?"

The Amazonian girl said she was indeed a little angry.

It wasn't just her; almost everyone present felt the same way.

They were all adventurers, and adventurers active on the front lines at that. Their requirements for weapon quality were the highest in the entire city and even the entire Lower World. They were also very clear about how much a piece of equipment made of precious metals could help them.

It's fair to say that any adventurer would crave powerful weapons or equipment.

Orichalcum is undoubtedly the highest-grade material for forging such weapons and equipment.

This is a rare metal of the highest grade even in the world. If any other adventurer had a piece of it, they would probably be so happy that they couldn't sleep all night. Even a first-level adventurer would be happy to have acquired such a precious material.

But now, some people are using the highest-grade materials they've always dreamed of to build doors—

Isn't this just pure provocation?

"Hey, Commander, can I take this door down?" Tione couldn't hold back any longer. He turned to the Prum leader standing at the front and asked, as if sharpening his knives, "Taking it out and selling it should replenish the clan's coffers, right?"

The Loki Familia successfully completed this expedition, reaching uncharted territory and leveling up many members, reaping a rich harvest. However, their loot was not particularly abundant.

This expedition was conducted in cooperation with the Hephaestus Familia, and the only condition for hiring them was that all items dropped in the Deep Realm be unconditionally transferred to them.

Therefore, the Loki Familia did not acquire as much spoils as expected during this expedition. Even if they disposed of it all, the money recovered would not be enough to cover the enormous expenses incurred in this expedition.

To deal with those worm-like monsters, Finn and his crew not only equipped almost all of their main members with extremely expensive, indestructible weapons, but also prepared dozens of equally expensive magic swords. In addition, they also had to provide shields, arrows, and other essential equipment, making the expenses enormous.

Under such circumstances, Loki Familia had to hand over most of their precious spoils. This expedition was indeed a major financial loss for them, and the gains were far from enough to make up for the previous losses.

While the Loki Familia isn't exactly facing financial problems yet, their food supplies are certainly running low.

One can imagine how thrilling it must have been for everyone to discover a door made of the hardest metal in such a hidden corner of the underground sewers.

Not to mention Tione, even Bete Loga, Riveria Ljos Alf, Gareth, Raul, Anakitty, Alicia and others felt a strong urge to take the door away and sell it for a large sum of money.

This enormous Orichalcum Gate alone could fetch at least several hundred million, or even a billion, Valis currencies.

"Don't joke around."

Finn spoke with a hint of helplessness.

"If this is really all Orichalcum, how do you plan to dismantle it?"

As an essential material for crafting special weapons with indestructible properties, Orichalcum boasts the world's highest hardness.

Objects made from the hardest metals are virtually indestructible.

Dismantle?

If it can't be broken, then how do you dismantle it?

Should we open it?

Riveria Ljos Alf, wand in hand, stood beside Finn, gazing at the Orichalcum Gate before her as she asked a question.

"Is there a way to open this door without damaging it?"

The moment Riveria Ljos Alf raised the question, the Orichalcum Gate in front of them suddenly moved.

"Boom!"

Like an ancient gate sealed for a long time in some underground ruins being opened, the Orichalcum Gate in front of us slowly opened with a heavy rumble.

Yes, it opened by itself.

!"

Everyone present immediately took a step back, their expressions changing instantly.

They watched helplessly as the gate, made of the hardest metal, rose up, like a giant beast opening its jaws, revealing a dark, spreading passage.

The Magic Stone lamp, emitting a blue phosphorescent glow, flickered and extended inwards like an eerie will-o'-the-wisp.

"----Is this a trap?"

Bete Loga whispered, grinning.

And the answer is beyond doubt.

Otherwise, why would the enemy's headquarters open its doors wide for you?

Isn't that just a ploy to lure you in?

Leo stared intently at the entrance before him, his eyes flickering.

Finn was also looking at the entrance, and after a while he said something.

"Get ready, we're going in."