After eating and drinking her fill, Iris's mindset shifted—she started wondering whether there was even any need to keep probing Leon.
Thanks to the White Unicorn's intermediate spell, their subsequent journey was smooth.
After half an hour, they looped out of the main Water Ruins area and reached the opposite side of the 25th floor entrance.
There were many broken ancient castles here as well, but compared to the central fortress—constantly battered and eroded by the underground waterfall—the ruins in the side-branch area were actually better preserved.
According to the information currently mapped, the 25th floor had twelve branch routes—like a clock face—radiating outward from the central waterfall of the Water Ruins.
The branch Leon wanted to enter was the one at the "12 o'clock" direction from the 25th floor entrance.
This branch region was called the Element Trap Prison.
Because of the Elemental Magic Ring's presence, magic-using monsters were constantly drawn here to nest. The area became filled with lingering spell residue—like a dense prison packed with traps—hence the name.
Of course, the name "Element Trap Prison" wouldn't become widely known among adventurers until Part Two, when powerful teams would arrive to fight over the Elemental Magic Ring.
For now, to most adventurers, it was simply a relatively dangerous side area.
Which made this the perfect time to strike.
Standing at the entrance, the two paused briefly and each used detection magic.
Iris's light-element detection could sense changes in light and shadow within, while Leon's wind detection could probe physical conditions where airflow moved.
Combined, they could quickly grasp the situation.
They hadn't done this in prior actions.
But this time, leaving the familiar main route, both carried more caution and tension.
Especially Iris. Feeling the abundant four-element mana ahead, she gained a more concrete sense that this could truly be the place where her father died.
For long-lived pure-blood elves, it wasn't strange for a burial site to gradually become a place rich in elemental mana.
Especially since her father had been a sixth-tier quasi-legend.
"I don't see any monsters wandering in the passage."
"Neither do I."
"Then they're probably deeper in. Let's go, Iris."
"Do you know exactly where the thing you're looking for is?"
"Roughly," Leon replied. "But we still have to search. Based on what I gathered beforehand, there are at least three powerful monsters in this area—possibly already third-tier, or still second-tier. Of course, the danger isn't only monsters. The hazardous terrain created by multiple lingering spell residues is something we also have to watch for."
"You've got a plan. That's enough."
Iris took a deep breath, smoothing away some of her tension.
Together, they stepped into the passage.
On the very first step, a wave of dense elemental mana hit them.
It was incredibly balanced—earth, water, wind, and fire blended in perfect harmony.
Leon took one breath and felt his mind snap awake, as if he'd just washed off the "office stink" from his previous life the moment he changed jobs.
So this really was the Elemental Magic Ring's domain. Its four-element balance had turned the place into a kind of paradise.
Of course, in a dungeon, even paradise became a monster nest—highly dangerous.
"Iris," Leon said, "don't stray from me. Stay close. If something happens, I can carry you out immediately, and you can cast your light barrier right away."
"Okay."
Iris blushed faintly as she moved closer to Leon.
Light-element defensive barriers were the strongest among beginner defensive spells.
And because of light's properties, the barrier was transparent—it didn't block the caster's vision, making it excellent for battle.
By contrast, earth, water, and fire defensive spells tended to feel obstructive and could interfere with casting and combat.
They advanced carefully for two kilometers. Finally, the passage opened into a dark Gothic-style castle.
Underfoot was an open area like a front-gate plaza. Ahead was a small fortress formed by three spire-topped structures connected together.
The walls were pitted and broken everywhere, their color dark and sooty.
Thick vines crawled over the ramparts.
Looking up, they saw a purple spherical flower at least twenty meters wide, blooming at the castle's highest flagpole spot. Its petals were dense like shark teeth, swaying in the wind.
It seemed to have sensed Leon and Iris approaching.
The purple flower drooped slightly—then its thick, club-like stamen abruptly opened more than a dozen eyes, staring down at the two of them like tiny ants.
"A fourth-tier man-eating flower? The 25th floor can produce a fourth-tier monster?"
Iris couldn't hide her shock.
A man-eating flower was normally a common monster—honestly not much stronger than a slime.
But any "weak monster" became a different beast at high tier.
And this was fourth tier—able to cast intermediate spells at low cost with tier amplification.
And judging by its size and the mana spilling from it, it definitely wasn't newly fourth-tier.
To reach fourth tier alone took at least a decade or more—and this one looked dangerously close to fifth tier.
The plant attacked without warning.
More than a dozen vines snapped up from around the castle, whipping forward with a sharp shriek.
The speed was terrifying—so fast that even with agility above 40, both of them felt briefly unable to react.
At the critical moment, Leon—who had been on full alert—yanked Iris close.
Third-tier technique: Flashshadow Step!
Mana -2, Stamina -2.
Whoosh!!
In the next instant, Leon—still dragging Iris—shifted her into a princess carry and used Flashshadow Step again.
The moment he blinked away, several vines struck the ground where he'd been, shattering floor tiles and throwing up dust.
Whip! Whip! Whip!
In barely ten seconds, Leon maintained the carry and triggered Flashshadow Step three times.
Each time, the vines still tracked him precisely and shot in at insane speed.
The reaction speed and attack speed were nothing like ordinary plant monsters.
During this, Iris also recovered and tried casting light barriers several times.
But each time, the vines smashed straight through them.
So she stopped casting defensive spells and let Leon retreat along their original route, conserving mana.
Even while retreating, the vines' pursuit range was horrifying.
They could chase across a hundred meters in a single stretch.
That forced Leon to use Flashshadow Step four more times before they finally escaped the castle's vine-filled zone and reached the perimeter.
Huff… huff…
Leon set Iris down and slowly caught his breath.
Then he quickly pulled out White Unicorn and Minotaur jerky and began chewing fast.
In barely one minute, he'd used Flashshadow Step seven times. The mana and stamina he'd just fully restored were instantly wiped down to half again—and the strain on his body was intense.
Even the last Flashshadow Step had cost an extra point of stamina.
It showed that when repeated technique activations overloaded the muscles past a threshold, even "stable" costs would rise.
"Sorry," Iris said, supporting Leon with worry. Her eyes held guilt and self-blame. "I dragged you down."
"It's fine," Leon said. "That's what teammates are for. In that situation, running immediately was the right call."
"If it weren't for you, I would've been seriously injured on the spot."
She lowered her head, feeling like she'd failed as a teammate—especially after constantly suspecting Leon of lying and having ulterior motives.
"You can't think like that," Leon said. "If you weren't here, I couldn't have gotten this close to my goal. And besides… this place was where I chose to come."
He reached out and patted Iris's small head, smiling.
"Silly. We lost to a lack of intelligence, that's all. I still need you for the counterattack next. Don't let wild thoughts ruin your combat state. And besides—I don't want a self-blaming you. I want the reliable teammate you."
A reliable teammate… me?
Iris's face reddened. He really knew how to comfort people. She had performed badly just now—next time she needed better reactions.
But being patted on the head… she didn't feel much resistance?
Was it because he'd saved her at the critical moment?
[Iris Affection +2. Current Affection: 74%]
Ugh. I must be cursed. I keep thinking weird things.
That was what she told herself.