Starry Vault Flow

The scene shifts.

Near the entrance of the first floor of the Dungeon, in a secluded corner of a rocky cavern.

The damp, musty smell and the low growls of monsters in the distance serve as the eternal background noise.

"This will do." Thor stopped walking and, after confirming there were no other adventurers around, simply raised his hand.

Hum—

A low, strange humming sound, as if coming from the depths of the earth or the whispers of the Starry Heavens, instantly resonated within the minds of the three.

Immediately after, countless brilliant starlight flowed out from his body without warning, spreading like living things to quickly envelop them.

[Starry Vault Flow]!

The moment the starlight shrouded them—

Bell felt a tightening around his ankles, and a gentle yet irresistible force lifted him, his feet actually leaving the cold ground!

His exclamation caught in his throat; his body felt light, like a feather.

"I... I'm flying?"

His mind was a bit dazed.

Lefiya let out a soft "Waa," instinctively grabbing Ais's arm to steady herself.

The next second.

Thor's figure became hazy amidst the starlight.

"Let's go." His voice remained calm and rippleless.

Whoosh!

There was no sound of breaking air, no violent impact.

The four of them, along with the starlit dome enveloping them, sank like phantoms into water, passing through the thick rocky floor beneath their feet without the slightest resistance!

The three felt the scene before them instantly blur and distort, colors and lines churning wildly before settling into a strange, quiet tunnel sensation wrapped in starlight.

Only five seconds.

A solid sensation returned beneath their feet.

The starlight surrounding them receded like a tide, and the familiar breeze carrying the faint scent of blood and damp earth rushed back into their nostrils.

Before them, it was no longer the familiar dim rock wall of the entrance.

As the three looked at these strange yet familiar walls, they finally realized where they were.

The fifth floor of the Dungeon!

Five seconds? From the first floor to the fifth?

Lefiya whipped her head around to look at Thor, her mind buzzing.

"Lord Thor... what, what is this?"

A faint smile played on Thor's lips: "A little trick. An ability I often used when traveling through the universe and dimensions, called [Starry Vault Flow]. It can penetrate any obstacle, including, of course, dimensions and cosmic barriers."

Penetrating dimensions and cosmic barriers?

Lefiya's heart skipped a beat.

"However,"

Thor added, interrupting her thoughts.

"The distance of penetration and whether one can cross cosmic barriers or even dimensions depends on the amount of Stardust. Currently," he spread his hands, "it's only enough for us to jump from the first floor to the fifth. Plus, the cooldown is not short; it cannot be used again for six hours."

The eyes of Ais and Lefiya met briefly in the air.

Without words, they both read the turbulent waves in each other's eyes.

This was absolutely a god-tier skill for an [Expedition]!

When their Loki Familia ventured deep into the fiftieth floor for an expedition not long ago, the resources and manpower consumed were astronomical.

They even ended up burdened with massive debt due to the expedition's failure.

If... if their Familia had such a skill...

Lefiya looked up sharply, asking eagerly: "Lord Thor! This skill... can it take us directly to the safe floor on the 50th level of the Dungeon?"

"Of course it can." Thor answered as if it were a matter of course, "However, that would likely require 5,000 units of Stardust to accomplish."

5,000 units!

Lefiya gasped.

Although the number was despairingly large, the words "can accomplish" carried enough weight on their own.

As long as there was enough Stardust... reaching the deep safe floors instantly... the consumption of supplies would plummet!

Thor looked at the lingering shock in their eyes and chuckled softly.

"Reaching 100 Stardust unlocks far more than just these abilities. Today's goal is to break through to the 10th floor of the Dungeon."

Reaching 100.

Beyond the unlocking of the Starry Vault Flow skill, he was now able to use the complete version of the Mortal Hero Skill without any cost, which would bring a qualitative leap to his monster-grinding efficiency.

The next power node was at 500, followed by 1,000...

Once he reached 1,000, condensing a small meteor would no longer be a fantasy.

Just as the two were still stunned, the Dungeon noticed Thor venturing deeper and immediately spawned a massive number of monsters to stop him from advancing further.

The Celestial Body in Thor's hand transformed into the Storm Greatsword: "Today, I shall lead the charge."

The battle was on the verge of breaking out!

Meanwhile, in the Labyrinth City Orario, at the Guild headquarters.

The archives were filled with the stifling scent of old paper and dust, with only the faint sound of Eina flipping through files breaking the silence.

Under the dim light, her brows were tightly furrowed, her fingertips tracing over the [Expedition] report submitted by the Loki Familia repeatedly.

"Dungeon 51st floor... encountered unknown worm-type monsters... the projectile has strong metallic corrosiveness..."

This report, along with Thor's calm reminder from a few days ago, "The incident with the Minotaur breaking into the upper floors has nothing to do with me," intertwined and collided in her mind.

If he didn't cause it, then what did?

Eina's heart sank.

Those rampaging Minotaur on the 17th floor had escaped from the Loki Familia...

The anomalies on the 15th floor...

The brand-new corrosive monsters on the 51st floor...

These fragments pieced together in her mind, outlining a silhouette that sent a chill down her spine.

Is the Dungeon... undergoing some deeper, more dangerous mutation?

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suppress the growing sense of unease.

Lord Thor... should I try to persuade him again not to go into the Dungeon?

At least for the near future... he shouldn't go down there...

Eina's worried gaze could not pierce through the thick layers of the earth.

What she did not know was that Thor, inside the Dungeon, had already encountered a crisis.

Dungeon 10th floor.

The air was filled with a damp, decaying stench heavier than the upper floors, and frost that could hinder perception had appeared in the air.

Holding the Storm Greatsword, Thor broke through the cluster of Goblin blocking his path and stepped steadily into the core area of this floor.

The brief silence was shattered in an instant.

Without warning!

The ground exploded violently!

Both Thor and Lefiya sensed an extraordinary magical power.

"Be...!" The warning to be careful hadn't even left her lips.

A shockingly thick, cyan-green vine erupted from the ground like a giant python!

Its target was precise and lethal: it was Ais!

So fast!

Ais's pupils constricted.

Her body's instinct surpassed thought, and the Sword of Despair in her hand instantly swept upward to parry!

Clang—!

A deafening sound of metal clashing exploded in the cavern! A massive force surged along the blade and slammed into her!

!!

Ais only had time for a single thought of shock to flash through her mind.

Her body was completely out of control; her feet left the ground, and she was sent flying by the brutal impact!

Her vision spun, and the rock walls rapidly enlarged in her eyes.

She slammed heavily into the rock wall more than ten meters away, shaking loose a shower of stone and dust.

Sharp pain spread from her back, but what alarmed her even more was the level of power transmitted in that instant, which far exceeded her estimates.

Something is wrong!

Ais endured the pain, quickly flipped, and stood her ground, her eyes locked firmly onto the monster that had erupted from the earth.

It was a massive, twisted monster in the form of a man-eating plant, its greenish skin resembling snake scales, with a gargantuan bud split open to reveal layers upon layers of jagged teeth.

The sheer pressure radiating from it was enough to make the very air stagnate.

This power... this presence... this is a monster that should only appear in the Deep Floors!

Ais's heart sank to the bottom of her chest.

How could a monster like this appear on the tenth floor?!