Passing through the long streets, Roy's group of four arrived at the vast plaza before Babel Tower.
Even early in the morning, many adventurers were already entering the Dungeon one after another. This was their daily routine.
The appearance of Roy's party drew quite a bit of attention. Lower-level adventurers revealed looks of envy in their eyes—that was a team heading out on an expedition.
Only Familias recognized by the Guild as sufficiently powerful were permitted to undertake expedition missions. In Orario, there were very few with such qualifications, and they were all renowned large Familias.
An expedition also meant bringing back unknown information about the Dungeon—an undertaking that benefited everyone.
The equipment on Roy's group was extremely luxurious, bearing the emblem of the Hephaestus Familia.
For example, Cassandra's Sacred Crystal Staff greatly enhanced a mage's or healer's Magic. It was worth 1,200,000 valis.
As for Roy, he was armed to the teeth—wearing Gale Boots, a Steel Armguard on his left hand, and the Demon King's Armor on his chest. All his equipment had been maintained by a smith or by Asfi before departure.
Even with the miraculous Spatial Ring, Roy did not relax in the slightest. He still had Daphne carry a massive supporter-style backpack, heavy and stuffed with supplies.
After entering the Dungeon, Roy stored the huge backpack away, and the party shifted into rapid movement mode.
The four of them broke through to the twelfth floor at high speed, clearing every monster along the way. The upper floors posed no difficulty for them.
Even monsters known as "rookie killers," such as War Shadows and Killer Ant swarms, were easily swept aside.
"How is it? Still getting used to it?" Roy asked Daphne and Cassandra.
The two had previously followed the Apollo Familia down to the seventeenth floor, but as newcomers, they had few opportunities to fight and were completely protected the entire time.
"No problem at all!" Daphne replied lightly.
Cassandra nodded as well.
With their ability values trained to the limit, confidence shone on their faces—though in Ryuu's eyes, they were still full of openings, prompting her to offer occasional guidance.
Ryuu took the vanguard. Roy stood in the middle guard. Daphne remained at the rear to protect Cassandra, the healer. Most of the monsters were handled by Roy and Ryuu.
The party passed through the long rocky labyrinth corridors and arrived at the seventeenth floor of the Dungeon. The Floor Boss Goliath had already been defeated, but the area was far from peaceful.
Suddenly—
As if sensing their arrival, cracks split open in the walls. Dense numbers of Minotaurs emerged, each about two meters tall, with robust muscles.
Minotaurs—monsters that only appeared below the fifteenth floor—each possessed strength equivalent to Lv. 2!
But the situation Roy's party encountered was even more troublesome.
A Monster Feast.
In an instant, dozens of Minotaurs leapt out, their blood-red eyes locking onto them.
Roy frowned slightly, then smiled. "Seems our luck isn't so good."
Daphne and Cassandra had never witnessed such a terrifying scene. Their small faces turned pale. These were nothing like the weak zombies they had slain before.
The three girls' gazes fell upon Roy.
"If we encounter unexpected situations, you take command."
Those were the words Ryuu had told Roy before the expedition.
In truth, Roy had wanted to be in the vanguard—slaying monsters to train his abilities and gain combat experience. But with two inexperienced newcomers in the party, they were incapable of commanding. And the taciturn Miss Ryuu seemed to be straying further and further down the path of being a pure "fighter."
Facing Roy's pitiful little look, Ryuu had forcibly handed him command authority.
"Miss Ryuu, handle the monsters ahead—but don't stray too far! I'll take the rear. Daphne, be ready to rotate positions. Cassandra, prepare your magic. We advance toward the passage to the eighteenth floor—don't let them drag us down here!"
Roy spoke rapidly, issuing clear and precise orders in under two seconds.
Ryuu, Daphne, and Cassandra moved immediately.
Once inside the Dungeon, there could only be one voice in a party. No questioning was allowed—even if the one questioning was a higher-level adventurer.
If two voices appeared within a team, confusion would easily follow, leading to total annihilation.
This also meant the commander had to earn everyone's trust. Ryuu knew that, in the hearts of the two newcomers, her authority did not surpass Roy's.
Of course, the main reason was that she wanted to train Roy's command ability. Even if he failed, it didn't matter—she was confident she could turn the situation around in the middle floors.
That was called providing room for error.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Roy dashed toward the rear of the formation. Golden lightning surged from his hands, condensing into two gigantic axes that fell into his grasp. He swung them rapidly—the blades instantly cleaving approaching Minotaurs in half at the waist.
Their muscles and bones offered no resistance, slicing apart like paper.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight Minotaurs were slain, turning to ash as magic stone fragments scattered across the ground.
Though both were Lv. 2, monsters were far easier to deal with than adventurers—like reckless brutes with no tactics.
Roy did not use the Elven Holy Sword. That legendary weapon was far too excessive—like using a cannon to swat a mosquito. It offered no training value.
The number of monsters ahead continued to increase—Minotaurs, Needle Rabbits—but they could not stop the party. The team steadily advanced toward the eighteenth floor.
Ryuu was unstoppable, but occasionally Roy had to fall back and let Daphne hold the line for two or three seconds.
"O light of the heavens once rejected, merciful arm that saves this shallow body, speak in place of my powerless words and rescue the pitiful. O sunlight, hear this prayer and dispel destruction—Thor's Light!"
Cassandra activated her magic—a wide-area recovery spell. The abrasions and minor wounds on Roy, Ryuu, and Daphne healed instantly.
Roy looked at her with a trace of approval. Having a healer truly was convenient.
Although his Health Potions and Panacea could restore his condition, when surrounded by dozens of monsters with different attack patterns, who had time to drink a potion?
The Guild's recommendation that Dungeon exploration be done in parties of at least three was not without reason.
Previously, when he and Ryuu had entered the Dungeon and defeated Goliath, they had relied purely on overwhelming strength, with no coordination whatsoever.
That might work on the upper floors. But in the middle and lower floors, continuing like that would be suicide.
The Dungeon's monsters were endless. Two fists could not fend off four hands. Fighting alone meant eventual exhaustion and death. A party needed support—sometimes even buying Roy a brief moment to drink a potion was crucial.
After slaying an unknown number of monsters, magic stone fragments littered the ground—but they had no time to collect them.
More than an hour passed before Roy's party finally saw the passage to the eighteenth floor.
Roy shouted, "Miss Ryuu, use Wind of Light! We break through in one push!"
"—Wind of Light!"
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