Chapter 140: Notorious! Curiosity?
Inside the towering white chalk giant tower that pierced the clouds, the Adventurers' Guild hall was as boisterous as ever.
Adventurers in groups of three or five were not in a hurry to depart; instead, they frequently cast their gazes towards the notice board on one side of the hall.
A brand-new promotion announcement was posted there, its characters conspicuously eye-catching.
[Arthur pendragon, affiliated with the Loki Familia, successfully resolved the anomaly on the 24th floor and is confirmed to be promoted to LV5. Title undecided.]
"The Loki Familia has quietly produced another First-Class Adventurer… Their foundation is unfathomably deep."
"Quietly? My friend, you'd best go take a look at Northeast Avenue, which is still under reconstruction—that is this supernova's masterpiece!"
"No way!? A LV4 did that?"
"More than just Northeast Avenue! My friend on the 18th floor told me personally that Rivira Town was also destroyed like that! Not a blade of grass left!"
"Hiss—you're telling me that monster, capable of that scale of destruction, is only LV5 now?"
Gasps of cold air rose and fell among the crowd until a low shout rang out.
"Shh! Don't talk nonsense! Look at the entrance!"
The clamor of the Guild hall ceased abruptly.
Arthur and Lili entered one after another; his keen senses immediately detected the frozen atmosphere.
The adventurers who had just been freely discussing gossip were now like ducks with their throats squeezed, forcing out stiff, fawning smiles, putting arms around each other, and scattering in a hurry.
Arthur ignored the gazes around him, which were a mixture of apprehension and reverence, and walked straight to the notice board, beginning to search for requests.
Lili followed behind him, subconsciously pulling her hood lower; she was clearly unaccustomed to being the center of attention.
"Lord arthur, your notorious reputation… has spread throughout Orario."
"I didn't flip over the entire Orario, so what's there to make a fuss about?"
Arthur casually pursed his lips, his gaze moving quickly over the request forms.
"Foo?"
On his shoulder, the pure white young beast, still half-asleep, was shaken impatiently and raised its paw to protest at its owner.
Arthur extended a finger, skillfully parrying the wildly scratching paw pads of Fou, while teasing her.
"So spiritless, did you sneak out last night to fool around?"
Before Fou, her eyes full of annoyance, could launch a new round of attacks, his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward quickly, reaching out to pull down a request form.
"Found it."
Lili stood on her tiptoes, her small face close to the request, reading it out word by word.
"'The Song Echoing in the Labyrinth,' investigate the strange singing often heard in the Water Labyrinth area. The reward is… 300,000 Valis?"
Lili's small face instantly fell, her tone full of resentment.
"Alas, Lili knows, it must be Lord arthur's own interests at play again."
"This level of request doesn't meet the gold farming standards set by the Captain at all."
"Don't be so cold."
Arthur casually folded the request, his fingertips tracing over the notice board again.
"My reward for resolving the anomaly on the 24th floor was a billion Valis; the gold farming mission has already been overfulfilled. Now it's free activity time."
Lili sighed helplessly: "Lili can't argue with you."
Arthur's eyes were smiling, and he casually took down two more subjugation requests from the Water Labyrinth area, heading towards the counter first.
'A captivating sound echoing in the water… Could it be [Magrour]?'
Harboring such unrealistic expectations, the two completed their authentication at the counter and, without a moment's delay, headed straight for the Dungeon.
…
Dungeon, 25th floor.
In the Water Labyrinth, lakes and cliffs intersected horizontally and vertically.
As soon as Arthur set foot here, he received a warm welcome from "old friends."
Several Snake Fish, not knowing their place, suddenly broke through the water, their firm, muscular tails carrying immense force, tearing through the air and emitting piercing screeches!
Clang!
The sound of the sword being drawn was as brief as a clap of thunder, a fatal silver arc flashing and disappearing in an instant.
The sharpness of durandal had not even touched blood, and those fierce Snake Fish exploded in mid-air, turning into a sky full of flying ash!
Lili skillfully stepped forward, brushed the dust off the materials and magic stones, put them into her backpack, and a look of joy appeared on her face.
"A good start! The first batch of monsters dropped two snake galls. It really is easiest following Lord arthur!"
Arthur swung his longsword, the generated wind pressure making whistling sounds; he chuckled softly.
"Only two? Perhaps the Dungeon actually dislikes me."
Lili's small face was filled with confusion at his words.
Arthur did not explain, merely gazing at the undulating lakes of various sizes on the 25th floor, a flicker of thought in his eyes.
"The request states that the singing primarily occurs on the 26th floor. We'll go down first, and it won't be too late to hunt Snake Fish on the way back."
"Alright."
Lili nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered another request and asked.
"Um… the mission to subjugate the Moss Giant requires us to bring back its core. Lord arthur, where do we find it?"
"The Moss Giant is a rare 強化種 (enhanced species) in the Water Labyrinth, greedy and cunning."
Arthur raised a hand to tap his chin, recalling monster data for nearby floors.
"It preys on other monster species, so as long as we find a large monster nest, it's likely to be nearby."
Following this clue, the two quickly traversed the 25th floor and soon found a Blue Crab settlement beneath an open cliff.
The carapaces of these monsters were hard as iron, and despite being crabs, they could scuttle both forwards and backwards, which was quite incongruous.
Arthur and Lili concealed themselves on high ground, overlooking the Blue Crab swarm huddled together below, clashing their steel pincers.
Lili lowered her voice: "Lord arthur, what if the Moss Giant went to trouble the Demon Blood Mosquitoes?"
"No, Demon Blood Mosquitoes are too mobile. Moss Giants are slow, and they prefer this kind of clustered 'food'."
No sooner had Arthur finished speaking.
Thump… thump…
An unusually heavy thudding sound emanated from a cavern deep within the cliff, and the ground trembled slightly.
The Blue Crab swarm immediately stirred, raising their steel pincers and making threatening clashing sounds.
A colossal creature, several meters tall and covered entirely in dense dark green vegetation, emerged from the shadows.
It was like a mobile, living swamp, its fierce eyes hidden among the moss, locked onto the Blue Crab swarm below, full of greed for magic stones.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
In Arthur's silver eyes, the figure of the Moss Giant approaching the Blue Crab swarm was reflected.
The next instant, a gust of wind exploded beneath his feet, and he leaped from the cliff, dozens of meters high, like a cannonball!
The furious whistling made the Moss Giant suddenly look up, but what met its eyes was only a flash of crimson sword light tearing through heaven and earth!
The flame-wreathed blade, with destructive power, pierced through layers of rock armor and roots, directly stabbing into its chest!
Sizzle!
Viscous green liquid gushed from the wound, like boiling asphalt, emitting a nauseating burnt smell.
Arthur looked up, staring at the monster whose wails were even off-key, and sharply twisted his wrist!
Crimson flames erupted, and a violent gust of wind, centered on the blade, completely shredded the Moss Giant, even its ashes burning away in the fierce flames!
"Awooo—!"
The monster's dying roar, a desperate shriek, swept in all directions like a shockwave, echoing in every cliff cavern!
The enhanced species, a veritable floor boss, instantly met a tragic end, causing the Blue Crab swarm, which had been on high alert, to fall into utter madness, scurrying away in terror, clutching their heads!
And just as the echoes of that roar had not yet completely faded—
A distant, mournful, and utterly terrifying female scream suddenly pierced through from the direction of a deep cliff cave!
The sound was incredibly alluring, as if it was lingering right beside his ear!
Arthur's pupils suddenly contracted, and he quickly pinpointed the source of the sound.
"Is it over there?"
The wind howled, and his figure flickered, already returning to the high ground along the cliff face.
He grabbed Lili by the scruff of her neck and sped off in the direction of the scream!
"Magic stones! Lord arthur! We haven't taken the Moss Giant's magic stone yet!"
"We'll get it on the way back!"