"Whenever we went into the Dungeon before, we basically swept through a dozen or so floors, filled up on loot, and headed straight back to the surface."
"Today, we only came this far because everyone had advanced to Level 2, and with you newcomers joining us, our party had grown."
"That was why we charged all the way down here in one go."
"But don't overthink it."
"Let's go."
Hanabishi Warabi patted the thickly furred neck of the Black Bear, Fierce Man.
"Whatever happens, the blades in our hands aren't just for show."
"As for the rest, we'll know once we see it for ourselves."
With that.
The group crossed the open ground before the Wall of Sorrows, followed the rough, descending passage, and stepped onto the stairs leading to the eighteenth floor.
As they went deeper.
The light around them began to change dramatically.
The cold, dim bedrock walls gradually fell away, replaced by a soft, bright, pale-blue glow.
They passed through the final stone archway.
Their view, which had felt somewhat oppressive with the narrow rock walls blocking it, suddenly opened wide.
Exceptionally fresh air, fragrant with vegetation and soil, washed over them, completely dispelling the lingering stench of blood from the floor above.
It was a vast underground space beyond description.
It stretched so far that they could barely see its edges, fully half the size of Orario.
Across the dizzyingly high ceiling.
Countless enormous crystals lay scattered in a staggered arrangement.
At the center was an enormous crystal emitting white light, surrounded by clusters of crystals glowing pale blue.
This unusual light source illuminated the entire vast underground space as brightly as day, even mimicking the color of the sky.
Ahead.
Vast, dense forests stretched south and east along the horizon, lush with greenery.
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