Chapter 80: Shocking Change! Murder on the Eighteenth Floor!
At noon, the echoing bells signaled Arthur and his companions to step forward, heading towards the deep Dungeon.
The Kobolds and Goblins of the upper and middle levels were nothing more than chickens and dogs before top-tier adventurers, easily defeated.
If not for their concern about the negative impact of 'monster-stealing', these monsters would have been reduced to magic stones and dropped materials scattered everywhere.
Casually dealing with some ignorant monsters along the way, Arthur and the others smoothly passed through the upper levels and arrived at the 17th floor of the middle levels.
To familiarize herself with her new weapon, Tiona took the lead, acting as the vanguard.
Her brand new double-edged sword was unstoppable, splitting a saber-toothed tiger's skull with a single 'crack'!
The bone-chilling sound of cracking bone made it hard to tell if the monster died from the blade's sharpness or was crushed to death by its astonishing weight.
Liya and Lefiya, who was also serving as a supporter, immediately stepped forward, deftly collecting the spoils of war.
Finn and the others, who had been on standby at the rear, looked relaxed and at ease.
Arthur's gaze fell on a spacious cave not far ahead, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
"Goliath isn't here? By my calculations, it should be its respawn day."
Tiona twirled her sword with one hand, her double-edged sword whistling in her grip, and she laughed triumphantly.
"It seems it was collectively pushed over by the merchants in Rivira Town. They said the Floor Boss was hindering their business and passage."
Arthur's eyes crinkled in a smile: "That reason truly fits the style of the 18th floor."
Chatting and laughing, the group quickly passed through the cave where the Floor Boss once resided, arriving at the safe floor, the 18th floor.
Giant white crystals overhead cast a soft light, interweaving with the surrounding blue crystals to create a sky scene so real it was almost deceiving.
Under the light, sparse trees dotted the landscape with greenery, and from the depths of the forest, the faint sound of flowing water could be heard.
Riveria raised a hand to shield her forehead, squinting slightly as she looked towards the outline of a simple street in the distance.
"Let's go to Rivira Town first. We need to process the dropped materials collected along the way so they don't take up time for our next gold-farming session."
The others had no objections to this.
The party followed a rugged path through the southern forest, passing under an archway crudely constructed from wooden stakes and banners, and entered Rivira Town.
...
Stepping into Rivira Town, the most common sights were various types of tents and some rickety-looking wooden shacks.
The entire town had hardly a single place that could be called a 'building'.
Liya, visiting for the first time, was full of confusion. She took small, quick steps to Arthur's side, looked up, and asked softly.
"Lord arthur, isn't this an adventurer's gathering place? Why does it look so..."
"Looks dilapidated, right?"
Arthur finished her unspoken words, raising a hand to point at the wooden archway they had just passed through.
"Do you see the number carved on that wooden gate? That's how many times Rivira Town has been destroyed and rebuilt so far."
Liya followed his gaze, and when she saw the deeply carved words "Three Hundred Thirty-Four" on the wooden gate, her eyes instantly went wide.
"...Three hundred thirty-four times? This..."
Arthur waved his hand dismissively and continued to explain.
"The 18th floor itself doesn't respawn monsters, but that doesn't mean monsters from other floors won't wander down here."
"Once an abnormal situation like a monster invasion occurs, the merchants stationed here immediately pack up their belongings and evacuate, returning to rebuild once the danger passes."
"Under such precarious conditions, constantly facing the possibility of annihilation, who would bother to build a proper town?"
Liya shook her head repeatedly, no longer surprised by the surrounding dilapidated scenery.
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she spoke urgently.
"In that case, how will we rest tonight? Liya and Lord Lefiya didn't bring any camping equipment!"
Arthur reached out and ruffled Liya's short hair, then nudged his chin towards Finn, who was currently entangled by Tione at the very front of the group.
"So, you should thank Finn with me."
"All our hotel expenses this time will be paid by the Lord Commander!"
Finn, caught in a romantic entanglement, turned his head with difficulty, a helpless smile on his face.
"Hey, Arthur, I can hear you."
Arthur immediately put on an innocent and harmless smile, spreading his hands.
"It doesn't matter, I wasn't saying anything bad about you anyway."
Just then, Riveria, who had been silently walking at the very back of the group, suddenly frowned and stopped.
"Arthur, Finn, do you two feel... the atmosphere on the street is a bit off?"
Hearing this, both immediately dropped their relaxed, playful attitudes, their gazes vigilantly sweeping their surroundings.
The street was indeed much quieter than usual, and the figures of adventurers were noticeably sparse.
"It's definitely too quiet compared to normal."
"Something happened in town?"
As the only street stronghold in the Dungeon, Rivira Town was always bustling with high-level adventurers coming to process their spoils.
But Arthur and his group had walked all the way to the square and encountered only a handful of adventurers.
Even when they passed through the wooden archway earlier, it hadn't caused any of the usual commotion.
Arthur's eyes darkened slightly. He quickly oriented himself and led the group quickly towards a familiar shop.
In front of a crude shop made from a medium-sized tent, a thin old man was dozing in a wooden rocking chair.
It was Old Bill, the shop owner Arthur knew well.
He took a few steps forward and patted the rickety old sign, shaking down layers of wood dust.
"Wake up, Old Bill! What's going on in town?"
..."Hmm? Ha~~~"
Old Bill sat up, yawning sleepily. After his cloudy old eyes recognized the newcomers, he suddenly jolted awake.
"Lord arthur!? And Lord Hero and Lord Nine Demon Princess!?"
Old Bill immediately bowed, rubbing his wrinkled hands, his old face creased into a chrysanthemum-like smile, and repeatedly greeted them.
"Good day, Lords! From the sound of it, you've just arrived in town?"
Arthur casually took a Minotaur magic stone from his pouch, flicked it with his fingertip, and the magic stone landed on Old Bill's shiny, greasy counter with a 'ding'.
"Tell us what you know quickly, don't dawdle."
Hearing the sound of the magic stone, Old Bill didn't even lift an eyelid. He lowered his voice and quickly replied.
"Someone died! In that Billy fellow's inn, someone was killed!"
At this, Arthur and the others all frowned deeply.
Finn habitually licked his thumb, feeling a slight prickling sensation on his fingertip.
"Are you sure they were killed by someone?"
Old Bill looked embarrassed and stammered out a supplement.
"Well... I only heard it from people on the street. I didn't dare to go watch the commotion myself, so for more details..."
"An inn, huh..."
Arthur and Finn exchanged glances. The latter immediately turned to Riveria and the others, arranging in a low voice.
"Riveria, please take Ais and the others to process the spoils here. Arthur and I will go check out the situation."
"Yes, leave it to me."
Riveria nodded gently, calling the curious young girls behind her to take out the spoils.
Before her words had even finished, Arthur and Finn had already turned and walked side by side.
The two hurried up the simple stone steps carved into the cliffside, heading straight for the inn where the incident occurred.