Afterward, Leon's party of five resumed their journey, encountering quite a few more battles along the way.
It had to be said that after arriving in the ultra-deep territory of the 51st floor, the frequency of monster spawns was incredibly high. Furthermore, they appeared in packs every single time without a single straggler, forcing every adventurer who entered this floor to confront multiple monsters at once.
A single person battling several monsters was merely the norm here; battling dozens of monsters was also common, and occasionally, one even had to face over a hundred monsters alone. A single misstep could lead to being swarmed to death, so even Level 5 first-tier adventurers dared not let their guard down or underestimate the enemy in such a place.
Yet, despite this astounding monster spawn rate, Tiona actually offered a rather bored assessment.
"It's pretty quiet today, huh? It's way easier than when we came here before."
According to this little Amazon angel, the difficulty of the 51st floor today was actually considered vastly reduced. Back when they used to come here, they basically had no rest time at all; if they didn't battle the endless army of monsters for the better part of a day, there was absolutely no prospect of seeing the monster numbers diminish.
Unlike today, where they could leisurely cover some ground after finishing a fight. Compared to their previous combat frequency, this was practically akin to a vacation.
Of course, this by no means implied that the 51st floor today could be easily conquered; it was simply much lighter compared to the past. If Ais, Tiona, and Tione hadn't been holding the front line, the Black Rhinos that suddenly charged out from time to time would have been more than enough to give Leon and the others a rough time.
The three girls, who were the same age as Leon, were truly formidable. Not only did their strength already surpass that of ordinary Level 5 first-tier adventurers, but each was more extraordinary than the last.
Tiona repeatedly achieved battlefield exploits relying on her unparalleled monstrous strength and wide, sweeping combat style. Even the thick-skinned Black Rhinos couldn't last a single round against the large double-bladed Urga in her hands. That massive double blade, dancing like a wind wheel, was completely a meat grinder; wherever it passed, absolutely no monster could escape unscathed. Escaping with a missing limb was already considered lucky, as the vast majority were directly slaughtered on the spot, leaving no room for luck.
Tione, on the other hand, was far more composed than Tiona. Most of the time, she displayed deft skill rather than brute force. A pair of kukri knives seemed to dance in her hands, flipping at her whim as she leaped up and down, sharply executing one monster after another. She wasn't savage like Tiona at all, though occasionally she would click her tongue impatiently, her aura suddenly turning much rougher, which made people feel quite apprehensive.
Compared to this pair of Amazon twins, Ais maintained a taciturn demeanor throughout, battling without uttering a single word. Yet, the scenes of slaughter she forged were not a single bit inferior to the former two, and were perhaps even more shocking to behold.
Every time the silver saber in her hand slashed across, it would claim a monster's life. Furthermore, she either cut them straight in half at the waist, sliced them from head to toe, or cleaved them in two from the shoulder to the opposite ribs. She sliced monsters into two halves nearly every single time; her swordsmanship was so incredibly sharp that it made Leon feel a bit chilled just watching.
It was also upon witnessing such a spectacle that Leon realized just how much Ais had held back during her usual sparring sessions with him.
If he were to go up against an Ais like this, then even now, having already advanced to Level 3, he probably wouldn't survive three exchanges, right?
And that was the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario would be just like those monsters—unable to react in time before being cleaved into two segments with a single strike.
In any case, Leon was unable to keep up with Ais's speed most of the time here. Forget capturing the trajectory of her slashes, even when she occasionally dashed forward, it would take a moment before he noticed the afterimage she left in place and heard the whistling sound of the wind.
From this, it was evident just how powerful these three mere sixteen-year-old girls truly were.
"The three of them shouldn't be too far from Level 6, right?"
Leon was absolutely certain of this.
Even without relying on the original plot knowledge, he could discern this from the performance of the three.
Ais in particular; it had already been over three years since she advanced to Level 5, and her current attributes at the Level 5 stage had almost reached their absolute limit. Once she acquired sufficient grand feats, she could instantly advance to Level 6.
When that time came, Ais would also become the youngest Level 6 in all of Orario.
Tiona and Tione were much the same, both being in a state where they only lacked a few grand feats to level up. Thus, all three currently existed at the absolute peak of Level 5, only a single step away from Level 6.
Precisely because of this, they were able to slaughter the monsters on the 51st floor like cutting melons and slicing vegetables, which was truly marvelous.
At the very least, an ordinary Level 5 certainly did not possess this kind of capability.
Of course, Leon, who was harboring these thoughts, did not know that in the eyes of Ais and the other two, he was likewise a rather absurd existence.
While they could slaughter the monsters on the 51st floor like cutting melons and vegetables, Leon could similarly put on a magnificent show with his meteor magic to dominate the entire field. As long as he struck a monster, he could kill it on the spot, and he could even play tricks on the monsters in various ways.
Ais and the others had witnessed two monsters being enticed by the meteors unleashed by Leon, chasing after the meteors across the entire field. Under Leon's manipulation, they actually collided with one another, even directing the attacks they originally intended for the meteors onto each other, resulting in both parties killing one another in mutual destruction.
"Magic can actually be played with like that?"
Tiona couldn't help but say so at the time, which further demoralized the despondent Lefiya.
Compared to Leon and Ais's trio, Lefiya's performance was indeed far inferior. Even though her magic could also harm the monsters of this floor, and like Leon, she possessed the ability to subjugate the creatures here, she would always freeze up mid-combat, completely unable to chant her incantations.
It was fine when she was being protected by Leon and the others without monsters rushing her face; Lefiya could barely manage to regain her composure and successfully chant her magic. But once she was targeted by a monster and had one rush right in front of her, she was basically at a loss, completely unable to execute a smooth chant.
"You're only a Level 3 after all, take your time, there's no need to be so anxious."
Tione continued to comfort her, but while it might be fine under normal circumstances, with such a stark contrast right beside her at this moment, how could Lefiya possibly feel comforted?
"Leon is also a Level 3, though—"
Lefiya pointed at Leon, who was like a fish in water amidst the horde of monsters, looking utterly perplexed.
"This—"
Ais, Tiona, and Tione looked at that scene and were likewise rendered speechless.
If Lefiya would have monsters rush her face, Leon naturally would too.
Yet every time a monster rushed him, he could calmly unleash his magic to blast the incoming foe away. He could even, just like at this very moment, dodge and weave under the monster's pursuit like a nimble gust of wind; while evading the monster's attacks, he simultaneously unleashed magical counterattacks with total ease.
That proficient concurrent chanting technique caused the girls to exchange glances in collective astonishment.
"Don't compare yourself to him."
Thus, Tiona and Tione could only speak in this manner.
"He just is not a normal person."
Hearing these words, Leon only felt that he had been insulted.
It was merely concurrent chanting; was he being stripped of his human status just for this?
In his view, concurrent chanting was actually not difficult. As long as one could maintain a good state of mind and preserve absolute composure at all times during combat, it wasn't hard to master.
Particularly in a situation like his, where the magic he unleashed required only ultra-short chants and was incredibly easy to control, and where he could even directly discard the chant to unleash magic in emergencies. Being in such a condition, mastering concurrent chanting was destined to be far easier than for an ordinary mage.
Conversely, looking at Lefiya, almost none of the magic she unleashed was of the ultra-short chant type; the shortest were short chants, and she could even unleash wide-area annihilation magic that required long and ultra-long chants. To manifest such powerful magic, the degree of focus required was vastly greater than Leon's; attempting to execute it under concurrent chanting conditions would be at least ten times more difficult than for him.
Coupled with the fact that Lefiya's mindset wasn't up to par yet, as she was prone to nervousness, lacked experience dealing with powerful foes, and possessed poor adaptability to unexpected situations, it would be a miracle if she could manifest concurrent chanting under such terms.
"You should still get accustomed to it first."
Ultimately, Leon offered this piece of advice.
"Once you can look at the monsters here as if they were mere radishes, you should be able to avenge your previous slights."
In this manner, the party of five proceeded smoothly through the 51st floor.
The further forward they went, the quieter the Dungeon became. Monsters no longer appeared frequently, causing a quiet, eerie sensation to begin spreading.
The five traversed uneven tunnels of varying heights, passed through paths that split into multiple forks, and also crossed intricate terrains. They heightened their vigilance while navigating toward their destination using the map in their hands.
They veered away from the regular route leading to the 52nd floor, continuously advancing deeper into the recesses of the 51st floor.
"—Isn't it a bit too quiet?"
Even Tiona, who was walking at the very front, couldn't help but mutter this.
Ais and Tione also exchanged glances, finally sensing that something was amiss.
"Today is indeed a bit strange," Tione said in a heavy voice. "Although we are drawing closer to Cadmus's Spring, it shouldn't be quiet to this extent."
"—There are no monsters." Ais, who was inherently extremely sensitive to the presence of monsters, scanned the surroundings before speaking, "I can't sense any auras."
"Co-Could it be that a Cadmus Dragon has emerged?" Lefiya said somewhat nervously. "The nearby monsters have all been eliminated by the Cadmus Dragon?"
Leon did not participate in the conversation, silently continuing his stride.
The party of five passed through the final single-file path and arrived at an open space.
This area was the main hall of a cavern chamber.
Leon and the others halted their steps one after another before this chamber.
"We've arrived."
Tiona pointed toward the interior of the chamber, making a statement.
"Cadmus's Spring should be inside this chamber, right?"
Hearing this, neither Ais nor Tione spoke.
The two frowned deeply, particularly Ais, whose eyes vibrated as she gazed into the interior of the chamber.
Leon likewise peered into the chamber, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He had detected some unusual commotion.
"Did you all hear that?"
Tione spoke up with a solemn expression.
"What?"
Tiona and Lefiya were both somewhat bewildered.
In the next second, they heard Ais's voice.
"Something is fighting inside."
Saying this, Ais paused for a moment before continuing to speak.
"They are fighting very fiercely."
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