Is It Wrong To Skitter In A Dungeon? Chapter 58: The Hunting Party (Patreon)

Chapter 58: The Hunting Party

“Now that’s a big eel,” Taylor commented under her breath, observing the Loki Familia as they fought the Amphisbaena. Well, calling it an eel wasn’t quite right. It was more like a massive, two-headed snake with crystals poking out of its scales…

Actually, it sort of resembled an Eastern Dragon from Earth Bet. Taylor would know, she’d seen enough of them graffitied and tattooed all over Brockton. But that was mostly idle thoughts. She was currently preoccupied with watching the executives fight through the eyes of a few other monsters.

Right now, only the Level 4s and higher from both Familias were fighting the Monster Rex. Ryuu, Tammuz, and Aisha were helping out as well, and Taylor observed everything, getting good experience for when the rest of the Hestia Familia would eventually challenge this foe.

‘And we will, someday,’ Taylor vowed, clenching her fists.

Bell and her would reach Level 4 soon. She could feel it. And when they did… the Hestia Familia would challenge the Floor Boss themselves. Just to prove they could.

It was, after all, a mark of status and power in Orario. Right now, only a dozen or so exploration Familias could take on the Amphisbaena and win with minimal casualties. This was to be the Hestia Familia’s next goal! And thus, she watched, observing everything through multiples eyes.

She watched as several whale-like monsters shot out of the water, but were slain by Ais and Bete before they could reach the others. She watched as Gareth’s axe bit deep into the red neck, severing scales and drawing forth a welter of blood. She watched as Finn coordinate his Familia, ordering them to where they needed to be in order to take down the monster or dodge attacks.

And she watched the head covered in blue crystals exhale, unleashing a torrent of azure flames that gushed forth and incinerated chunks of the Dungeon. The Loki Familia dodged the attack, losing nobody to its insane heat, but it still reshaped chunks of the Floor all the same, forcing them to abandon portions of the shoreline as it was obliterated and consumed.

‘Some sort of blue-hued magical napalm?’ Taylor wondered, watching as water and stone burned with lingering sparks. Not even Salamander Wool would protect from a direct strike from something like that!

Leaping over the charred ground, Ryuu sent blasts of green stardust courtesy of her Luminous Wind into the side of the Amphisbaena, causing it to shriek in pain as its body was peppered with explosions. Interestingly, the magical wind created by the Spell seemed to be able to extinguish the blue flames that continued to burn in some places.

“Any time now, Greenie!” Bete shouted, dodging a slam attack from the Monster Rex. It was beginning to thrash about in a desperate attempt to crush everyone nearby.

“Let her work, puppy!” Tiona shouted back, punching the giant red head on the snout, knocking its jaws away from chomping down on her sister.

Over with the elf in question, she had been glowing for a while as she chanted the words of a spell. Taylor could feel the air crackle with barely suppressed power as the vice-captain prepared a powerful blow against the Amphisbaena.

“…Freeze all that exists! Wynn Fimbulvetr!” Riveria finally intoned, and a massive magic circle formed in front of her. Immediately the air turning bitterly cold as a blizzard erupted around the Monster Rex, trapping its body in the lake which had a portion of it transmuted into a miniature glacier while also coating its massive form in hoarfrost and hacking at its scaly hide with razor-sharp wind.

Yet even that was not enough to stop it, as the Amphisbaena began to shatter the ice around it thanks to its bulk and raw physical might. Not to mention the head coated in red crystals began to spew forth a crimson mist that neutralized the magic in the air. The blizzard Riveria had created began to die down, its power dispersed.

The Amphisbaena then took the opportunity to flee, diving into the water. Or at least, it tried to. The Amazon Twins leapt in after it, their Diving Development Abilities aiding them in swimming after it.

Taylor had only a few eyes in the water, courtesy of some monstrous crabs and urchins, but it was enough to watch with awe as the twin Level 5s grabbed the two-headed creature’s tail and dragged it back up to the surface.

They were assisted by Finn a moment later, who chucked a large harpoon into the flank of the monster as soon as it was closer to the surface. The Level 7 grabbed the large chain attached to the end of the harpoon he’d thrown, and heaved, muscles straining.

To Taylor’s shock, the Braver managed to drag the Amphisbaena out of the water entirely, forcing it out onto the banks of the lake. It was then set upon by the rest of the Familia, who brutally tore into its flesh, carving out chunks.

The killing blow was delivered by Ais, who decapitated both heads with an Ariel assisted blade, a massive shockwave of cutting wind leaving only stumps behind. Then, as the body collapsed into dust, it left behind its loot: A massive Magic Stone as big as Tione was, and a giant, pulsating white organ.

‘According to Naaza, the Amphisbaena’s Dragon Liver can be combined with Cadmus Spring Water to create the highest grade of Elixir currently available,’ Taylor thought to herself, recalling the information her alchemist friend had mentioned one time.

“Damn, I hardly managed to do anything,” Aisha sighed as she watched the Loki Familia clean up.

“When we have such able companions, it can be difficult to stand out,” Tammuz said philosophically, but Taylor could see that he was also a bit disappointed from the way he clenched his sword.

“Mmm,” Ryuu agreed with a hum, before glancing over at an Arachne I’d been using to observe the fight from. “Taylor, we’ll be heading back now.”

“Alright,” Taylor said, using the Arachne’s own vocal chords to allow her words to come through despite the distance. If Ranye the Xenos could speak Koine, then so could a random monster, at least if it had the parts to do so. And Arachne definitely did.

The others flinched a little as the parahuman spoke through the monster, still unused to the trick. They’d get used to it. Eventually.

‘Especially since I’m bringing one back to use for silk production,’ Taylor thought to herself. Even if the Hestia Familia brought back nothing else from the expedition, the Arachne alone would be more than worth the expenses.

Sure, the silk the monster made dissolved in hours, but Taylor had a plan to remedy this issue. Magic. Arachne dropped bundles of raw silk when killed, and Drop Items were just pieces of a monster that had absorbed excess magical energy, allowing their ephemeral nature to essentially solidify. So, feed the spider-like monster some Magic Stones and its silk would stick around permanently.

‘Plus, the longer it lives, the more its body will stabilize and become less dependent on the Magic Stone alone for survival, allowing any silk it produces to become ‘real’ as well,’ Taylor mused.

Just like how Chris’s crystals could be harvested every so often after he’d been alive on the surface for a week, so too would the Arachne eventually become capable of sustaining itself and the silk it made.

‘This must be how the monsters managed to reproduce on the surface after escaping the Dungeon. Because they certainly don’t have reproductive organs when they spawn from the walls. They must have grown them after surviving long enough,’ the parahuman guessed as she ordered her swarm to return to the base camp on the 28th Floor with the three members of her Familia.

“Are you okay?” Bell asked, looking the trio over as they returned. “Where’s Ais?”

“Ais is fine, she finished off the Amphisbaena,” Aisha assured the rabbit-boy. “And we’re safe as well.”

“That’s good,” Bell sighed out in relief, before pouting. “I wanted to watch the fight but Taylor wouldn’t let me.”

“Good. A fight like that is not a place for bystanders,” Ryuu replied curtly.

“She’s right,” Taylor spoke up, this time with her real voice as she walked over to join the group. “It isn’t safe to be too close to the action if you’re not capable of helping.”

She then ruffled Bell’s hair, much to his annoyance. “Soon, though. We’ll be strong enough to face the Amphisbaena ourselves one day, and then you can gawk at it all you want.”

Her brother perked up at that, pleased by the idea of fighting a powerful monster someday, though Tammuz looked skeptical of the claim. The poor fool. He’d learn soon just how ridiculous the half-siblings could be when they had something they wanted to do.

“The rest of you did good work out there,” Taylor said, turning to the others. “Ryuu, your Noah Heal helped even the field. None of the Loki Familia had to use any potions with your help. And of course your Luminous Wind was able to score some impressive hits, and revealed a weakness of the Amphisbaena’s flame attack.”

The elf subtly perked up at the praise, and Taylor shot her a tiny smile before moving on. “Aisha, your footwork was quite good. You’re ability to run across the ice in order to close in was a surprise, and something we’ll experiment some more with later. And Tammuz? Your ranged capabilities have improved. Your wind blade attacks can fly further without losing any power. Well done.”

The three of them stood up a little straighter at the encouraging words from their captain, and Taylor gave a pleased nod.

“Take a break everyone. Get some rest for the trip to the 36th Floor tomorrow. Oh, and Ais is coming back. She’ll be here soon,” Taylor informed Bell a moment later as she herself began to walk away. Several days into the expedition, and she still didn’t want to spend time with the Sword Princess.

Taylor did snort a little as her swarm saw Bell scurry forward to greet Ais when she returned with the rest of the Loki Familia. He handed over a potion bottle and a Jagamarukun – Taylor had no idea where he’d kept that thing, or how it’d stayed fresh this whole time – and was rewarded with a smile and head pat from the stoic blonde.

She did hide a smirk as Bete fumed in impotent rage at the Sword Princess fawning over the Lucky Rabbit. It was amusing to watch. He was able to turn some very interesting shades of red.

‘At least he’s smart enough to know not to try and mess with Bell,’ she thought to herself.

For now, though, it was time to take her own advice and relax. The trip to the bottom of the Dense Forest Ravine was not going to be an easy one, even with all of the Hestia Familia at her side.

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The 36th Floor was quite the sight from the air, Taylor idly thought as she flew over the treetops. The flora of the Dense Forest Ravine grew tall, but the ceiling of the cavern it lay within was taller. This allowed the flying monsters to make use of the space, and for the Laser Necks to send beams of death towards any adventurers.

Right now, though, she was ripping apart a flock of Dread Wings that had tried to accost her while observing the area from above.

One of them tried to pierce her through with it’s spear-like beak, another attempted to use the oddly sharp wings to rend her in half. She dodged both, breaking the neck of the pterodactyl that tried to impale her with a stomping kick, and then blew apart the other monster with a blast of lightning from her false arm.

Those weren’t the only threats. More Dread Wings came rushing at Taylor with shrieks, affronted at an adventurer intruding on their domain. Two died from a barrage of spikes from the four Gun Libellula she had left, another two were struck down by a duo of Deadly Hornets, pierced clean through by the wasp-like monsters, and the final ones were felled by her allies on the ground.

The projectile from Lili’s massive Manticore arbalest went clean through a Dread Wing’s chest, and when it fell, Oriana chucked a javelin through its head as soon it was closer to the ground.

Taylor spared a moment to give her friends a wave, before she had to dodge a red energy beam fired from a Laser Neck. She twisted out of the way, glaring at the brontosaurus-like monster. Its head poked through the tightly packed trees, and it glared back. Its throat then began to bulge and glow, traces of red visible through the green skin as it prepared a second attack.

Down below, three Arachne she’d taken control of began to chant a spell, and a moment later a hole opened up underneath the front legs of the Laser Neck, causing it to lose its footing and topple forward before it could fire again. Chris then leapt into action, his blades severing the monster’s neck, killing it.

As it disintegrated into ash, Taylor couldn’t help but spare a look at the trio of spider-women she’d been controlling.

Being able to cast spells through the Arachne was a lot easier than using the smaller insects of her swarm. The Arachne could even weave magic circles out of their silk! Sure, these silken dream catchers were used up after a single use, the strands overloaded by the energy coursing through them, but silk wasn’t exactly in short supply with them around. Out of all the monsters she’d come across in the Dungeon so far, these ones were quickly becoming the most useful from a pure utility standpoint.

‘It is a little unsettling to have them look so human, though,’ Taylor thought, hiding a grimace. As long as she didn’t have to see them up close she could ignore just how human they were, appearance-wise.

It didn’t help that every Arachne’s face was different. It was something that the other near-human monsters all had, Taylor had noted. Just like the Harpies, Lamias, and the rest who had distinctly human body parts, they always had slight differences to their facial features, if not outright alterations like different skin and hair color.

Her mind drifted to the last time she had taken control of something that had looked like a human, and her brain dredged up memories she’d tried to suppress.

‘No… this is nothing like Gold Morning!’ she told herself. ‘They’re just monsters! I can tell that they have no thoughts or a sapient mind!’

Yet the niggling thoughts persisted, forcing her to distract herself with good, old-fashioned bloodshed. Luckily, some Laser Necks had just spawned that she could vent her frustrations onto.

She blew the head off of one of them before it could fire a laser, vaporizing it with a blast of lightning. The second and third Laser Necks got off a pair of shots, but they were easily dodged, although one of her Gun Libellula wasn’t fast enough and fell, scorched to ash.

The second Laser Neck died quickly for its sin, cut to pieces by Chris, and Taylor dove down towards the third brontosaurus. She had a new trick she wanted to try out, and it had volunteered.

Her golden wrist began to spin, and the hand on the end of her artificial arm transformed into a makeshift drill. She thrust the drill-limb into the side of the Laser Neck’s body, and it pierced through easily, blood spraying wildly.

“Effective… but a bit too messy,” Taylor commented as she wiped the droplets of gore off of her glasses while the Laser Neck roared in pain. The attack was able to grind through flesh, muscles, and bone without much issue, but it wasn’t viable due to the fact it took a lot of concentration to actually cause the spinning effect.

‘The strain on the joints and material isn’t something to ignore, either,’ Taylor mused, knowing she had a check-up with Welf in the future.

She stopped spinning her limb and instead held it out in a knife-hand style, and a faint hum rang out as her hand began to vibrate slightly. Taylor swung her arm, and the rapidly vibrating limb passed through the scaled hide of the Laser Neck with contemptuous ease.

The effect was created by casting a new spell she’d learned, Scream, on her hand, but also intensifying the ultrasonic vibrations and spreading them out into a flat, disc-like form centered on the appendage. It made her hand into a functional vibro-blade, like from Star Wars. Taylor would deny that she giggled madly when she had first used it. And nobody could prove she had done so!

‘It cuts nicely, but it’s shallow,’ she mused as she tested the artificial vibro-blade some more on the monster.

Against something with a relatively human-sized body it would be fine, as the blade could sever limbs and appendages without a problem. Even something like a Goliath could be felled if the throat was cut. But the larger the foe, and the less human-shaped, the harder it would be to use it to slice parts off.

‘I think I shall call this new technique Screaming Fist,’ Taylor thought to herself as she finished off the Laser Neck, putting it out of its misery by thrusting her hand through its skull and brain.

“You need a bath,” Bell commented when Taylor flew back over to their group.

“How did you get so dirty?” Mikoto wondered.

“Monster have a lot of blood inside of them, and it doesn’t always evaporate after their death,” Taylor replied to the samurai-themed adventurer. Then to Bell, “And I’ll clean up when we get back to the camp.”

Then, just to mess with him, she patted her brother on the head with her golden hand, smearing blood all over his white hair which had him spluttering in dismay.

“Is everyone doing alright?” Taylor asked, turning to the rest of her companions.

“We’re okay,” Welf assured her, although he looked tired. Lili bobbed her head, while Oriana stood up straighter despite her own weariness.

“It is certainly a change of pace… but we are getting stronger!” the knight declared.

“True. But these floors are insane,” Marius breathed out, exhausted. He’d thought he’d had a good idea of what the Dungeon could throw at him, but then he’d descended into the Dense Forest Ravine.

The Level 2s had been doing well in Water City, taking down the monsters that dwelled on those floors. Welf could crack apart the shells of Blue Crabs, Crystal Turtles, and Light Quartz with his anvil-hammer, and Lili handled the ranged fighting, taking out flying monsters with ease. Oriana, Marius, and Mikoto were also more than skilled enough to deal with pretty much anything else they encountered, and had gotten a little cocky.

All that changed in the floors beyond the safe zone of the 28th Floor. The average monster was Level 3, with some as strong as Level 4! And no matter how strong a Level 2 adventurer was, they had to have luck, high-quality gear, and multiple allies on their side to take down something like a Bloodsaurus.

“It seems like you all understand just how powerful the monsters are down here. And how dangerous the Dungeon can be,” Ryuu said, glad that the others had begun to see this as well.

She then looked around. “It has been a long time since I’ve been down here on the 36th Floor… and I’ve never managed to go any further since…”

“Is this really the furthest you’ve gone?” Bell asked, surprised that the strongest adventurer in the Familia hadn’t gone any deeper, and she nodded.

“Before… before the Juggernaut was summoned on the 30th Floor, the Astraea Familia was planning to make a short trip to the Colosseum. It wouldn't have been the first time for any of us… but it never happened,” Ryuu said softly.

For a little bit, nobody spoke. Then, a sickening crunch rang out as a monster began to spawn nearby, ruining the moment. Taylor dispatched it swiftly, but the damage was done.

“The Ishtar Familia went down to the Colosseum a couple times,” Aisha commented, breaking the awkward silence that had settled on the group. “Though since the only members who were able to make it without issue were Tammuz here and Phryne, we rarely bothered.”

“An expedition was planned to gather resources from the 37th Floor in order to prepare for the fight against Lady Freya, but it never amounted to anything,” the former vice-captain of the Ishtar Familia commented.

“The information you have on the region will be helpful when we eventually go there,” Taylor said. “Write up a report on what you remember from there.”

“Of course, Lady Taylor,” Tammuz said with a bow, and she held back a sigh at his dedication.

“What next?” Bell asked.

“We return to the camp,” she decided after a moment. Everyone sagged a little in relief at that.

Getting down to the 36th Floor had been hard, and though they had not made it very far, they’d accomplished their goal of actually reaching the floor. It was a milestone for the Familia, one they were all proud of. Still, the temptation of rest and relaxation after a hard day of hunting was definitely appreciated.

It took a few hours, but they made it back to the safe zone. Then, after dismissing her Familia, Taylor went to the spot where the shared spoils of the expedition were being kept. The loot was being guarded by several of her monsters, including a Bloody Hive they’d obtained on the 24th Floor, as well as a couple members of the Loki Familia.

She ordered the Arachne with her to deposit the Hestia Familia’s cut of the Magic Stones and Drop Items they’d obtained during their mini-expedition to the 36th Floor, and several sacks woven from silk that were stuffed full of Dungeon resources were added to growing pile.

Once that was done, she commanded the monsters to rest, and then made her way to a spot up in the canopy where her fellow captain was waiting.

“Did you have a productive day?” Finn asked, looking up from the maps as Taylor walked into the bungalow he’d commandeered.

“Yes, thank you,” Taylor replied. “We deposited the portion of our loot already.”

“Good,” the Braver nodded. “Now, I need to tell you that the Loki Familia will be moving on tomorrow.”

“Moving deeper, then?” Taylor guessed.

“The plan is to make it to the 39th Floor, the other safe spot, and then spend the rest of our allotted time hunting in the Colosseum before making our way back to the surface,” Finn said.

“Do you have enough supplies to be able to do so?” Taylor inquired.

“While our Mind potion stocks are lower than I’d like, the healing potions have barely been touched thanks to our spells,” Finn revealed. “Food wise, we’ll be fine. We’ll grab edible fruits and vegetables before leaving the Dense Forest Ravine.”

He tilted his head to the side. “What of the Hestia Familia?”

“Well finish up our time here and wait for you to return from the 39th Floor,” Taylor said. “We can get back to Orario together.”

Finn nodded. Both captains knew that this was a monetary thing. The Hestia Familia would make more money sticking around and waiting for the Loki Familia to bring back loot from the Colosseum, since they still had to hand over ten percent of their gains. If they left, the Hestia Familia forfeited that portion of the share.

The Magic Stones and Drop Items from the Colosseum were worth significantly more than anything found on the floors above it. After all, Orichalcum and Mythril could be obtained from this area in abundance.

“In that case, do your best to stay safe while we’re gone,” Finn said. “We should be back in three days. Four at most.”

“We can wait that long,” Taylor assured him.

“I have no doubt of that,” the pallum drawled.

After all, he’d seen the Tamed monsters guarding the Hestia Familia’s corner of the 28th Floor. Razor-pedes, Arachne, and Poison Vermis would be more than enough to ensure nobody – monster or adventurer – would dare try anything.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you to the 37th Floor,” Taylor spoke up. “Just to observe things. I won’t stick around for long.”

“You’re welcome to do so,” Finn said. Left unsaid was that she was responsible for her own safety and making her way back to the 28th Floor afterwards.

Taylor just nodded, before bidding the shorter adventurer a good evening. She walked out of the tent a moment later to get some rest.

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“Are you ready?” Finn asked Taylor the next morning, the pale glow of the mushrooms casting shadows over his face.

Taylor nodded, and at her side Ryuu simply inclined her head. After some thought, Ryuu would join the Hestia Familia’s captain on the descent to the 37th Floor. Even with monsters on her side, it would still be dangerous for a single Level 3 to attempt such a thing.

Sure, the Loki Familia would be there, too, but trusting another Familia for safety was a foolish thing in the Dungeon.

‘Not to mention, Ryuu wants to see the Colosseum as much as I do. Maybe even more,’ Taylor thought to herself, glancing at the elf who stood stoically beside her.

“We’ll be moving fast,” Finn declared, turning to address his Familia. “No stopping to hunt. And anyone who is hurt will have to be carried.”

“Yes, captain!” dozens of his Familia members shouted.

“Onwards! To the 39th Floor!” Finn shouted, and they rushed down into the depths of the Dungeon, leaving the safe zone behind. Taylor and Ryuu joined them, keeping pace with the other adventurers easily enough, though they hung back to the rear.

To increase the speed at which they’d move, Taylor decided to only bring a few of her monsters with her. In the end, it was just Chris and the three Arachne that would accompany the parahuman, as they were the swiftest.

Trees whipped past they, and the expedition forces bulldozed through the Dungeon. At the front were the Amazon Twins, Bete, and Gareth. They simply used their strength to smash apart any obstacles in their path, toppling trees and pulverizing monsters.

Using the brute force method, they soon reached the 29th Floor. Then the 30th. All the way down to the 36th. It took the Loki Familia a quarter of the time the Hestia Familia had taken to descend to the bottom of the Dense Forest Ravine.

“Impressive,” Taylor murmured.

“Not something we can easily replicate, though,” Ryuu commented. Some monsters could probably mimic the destruction, but there would need to be a lot of them.

Taylor nodded, conceding the point. Then, she perked up as the exit to the 37th Floor loomed ahead of them. They soon departed the cave tunnel, emerging into the next level of the Dungeon.

The pale blue glow of bioluminescent fungi and flowers gave way to a dull grey white light emanating from the walls themselves that bathed everything in a monochrome hue. Great, craggy cliffs of white and grey stone filled the area. And five massive rings dominated everything, separating the floor into several distinct biomes.

‘From what I recall from the notes the Guild has, there are five sections within the 37th Floor known as Rooms divided by the giant walls,’ Taylor thought to herself. ‘Each one has a path to reach them from the 36th Floor. Depending on which one is taken an adventurer can appear in one of these regions. They also lead further into the White Palace, forming a labyrinth that draws intruders deeper towards the center.’

The whole floor was known as the White Palace, but it was the presence of the Colosseum that was the floor’s most well-known feature. It was what they were currently looking at: a crude fortress that looked to be hewn from the raw stone with parodies of doors, seats, and windows littering the structure.

However, according to the records in the Guild, the Colosseum itself was a new addition to the Dungeon. It had appeared a little over three decades ago within the Warrior’s Room, the second and penultimate area, and the Monster Rex Udaeus had migrated from the 38th Floor, its previous home, to the center of the Throne Room, which was now the central portion of the Colosseum.

Furthermore, all other ways down were sealed, meaning the only method to descend further was through a single passageway that lay within the Throne Room. Meaning the Udaeus had to be defeated in order to progress, alongside the legions of monsters that constantly spawned in the Colosseum.

That was another oddity, for the monsters constantly spawned inside the Colosseum also fought each other. On other Floors, the monsters would only appear to fight adventurers. Rarely did they turn on their own kind. Yet here, the monsters were constantly being born just for the sake of fighting each other. It was madness, and yet Taylor couldn’t help but feel that there was a reason for it. A purpose she couldn’t understand because key facts were missing.

“We’re here,” Ryuu whispered, staring at her surroundings, and Taylor glanced at her companion, who’d stopped running and was now staring at the Colosseum in the distance.

Some of the Loki Familia had stopped as well when they noticed the members from the Hestia Familia were no longer following, but Taylor waved them off. After a moment they continued on, heading deeper while leaving the other two adventurers behind.

For a few minutes Taylor and Ryuu just stood there, staring out at the White Palace. Meanwhile, the parahuman ordered the bugs she’d secretly attached to the Loki Familia to fall off and begin investigating the area.

As she did so, Taylor came to a realization: the 37th Floor was staggeringly huge in size.

‘You can fit the entirety of Orario within the entire floor!’ Taylor thought to herself as she probed the area with her swarm.

That meant that the Colosseum itself – and by extension the Knight’s Room – could fit anywhere between a fifth and a quarter of the city within its walls.

Admittedly, this was smaller than the many of the Floors of the Water City and Dense Forest Ravine, but since it was out in the open without anything to obscure it, the sheer size was on full display when an adventurer gazed out upon it, making it same even bigger.

‘It would take us the same amount of time to cross the 37th Floor that it would take to descend from the First Floor down to the 18th,’ Taylor realized grimly. And the Dungeon would only get bigger the deeper they went. Soon, it might take days to travel through a single floor!

“I cannot believe I finally made it here,” Ryuu muttered. “This place… it was our goal... before…”

Taylor remained silent as she directed her swarm, but she did place a hand on Ryuu’s shoulder. The elf flinched, but gave her captain a tiny nod.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

A couple of black lizard-wolf things with porcupine-like spines burst out of the ground in front of them, ruining the moment, and Taylor and Ryuu shared a look before charging at them.

“These are Peluda,” Ryuu said as she cut them down. “The spines can be fired, and contain a vicious poison. It’s not as potent as a Poison Vermis’, but it comes in greater quantities. Peluda can also…”

Before she could finish, one of them opened its mouth and a gout of flames rushed out at them, forcing the duo to dodge.

“…breath fire,” Ryuu finished lamely.

“They’ve got a whole bunch of tricks,” Taylor muttered as Chris cut one in half and the Arachne webbed up another before pulling it apart. “They also seem to be around Level 3 in strength.”

“They will only get stronger the close we get to the Colosseum,” Ryuu warned.

“Should we see how close we can get?” Taylor wondered.

“Yes, let’s,” the elf said, her grin a lot more vicious than was usual for the part-time waitress.

They continued forward, taking down the various monsters that appeared before them. Skull Sheep, Loup Garou, Lizardmen Elites, Barbarians, and of course, the star of the show, so to speak, the Spartoi.

The living skeletons were the strongest regularly spawning monsters on average, coming fully equipped with bone-forged weapons and armor, as well as possessing the power of a Level 4. Sure, Barbarians and Lizardmen Elite could also reach that level of strength, but not always, which meant that on average, the Spartoi were the most dangerous.

However, the Spartoi were also the most valuable monsters, as their Drop Items were incredibly valuable. The most common item was a piece of bone. It was harder than steel and could be rendered down for Adamantite or ground up to make a potion that healed broken bones in seconds, or mixed into a fertilizer more potent than Goblin ears.

That wasn’t all, though. Sometimes, Spartoi would drop golden teeth or tiny silver shards: Orichalcum and Mythril. These were much rarer, as while regular bones had a one in ten chance to appear, Orichalcum and Mythril had a one in one hundred chance. But they were the most reliable source of the mystical metals short of trying to hunt Jack Birds or mine deeper sections of the Dungeon.

‘At least they break with a well-placed Earthquake Fist,’ Taylor mused as she thrust her palm through the skull of a Spartoi, shattering it and the Magic Stone hidden within.

“We may need to consider leaving soon,” Ryuu spoke up as she dispatched a Sheep Skull.

They had reached the wall that divided the Warrior’s Room from the Knight’s Room and could see the Colosseum from across the bridge. And while the concentration of monsters had fallen a bit, there were still too many around to be safe for the small party.

“Agreed,” Taylor said, feeling a bit fatigued. She winced as one of the Arachne lost a leg to a Barbarian, and Chris received a strike that cracked his carapace.

They started to move back towards the stairs to the 36th Floor, but Taylor paused as something odd caught her attention when her swarm swept through the area.

“There’s a safe zone underneath the Colosseum,” Taylor announced, brow furrowed in confusion. Her expression was soon mimicked by Ryuu.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes. I can detect it with my bugs. Not a single monster has spawned within it this whole time. And from what you’ve told me, that should be impossible, at least for this area,” Taylor informed the elf.

“Is there a way inside?” Ryuu asked, and Taylor glanced at her, suppressing a smirk.

“What about returning to the 36th Floor?” she asked, and the green-haired elf pouted.

“It would be a shame to just leave after hearing about something like that!” she protested, and this time Taylor didn’t hide her grin.

In the end, Ryuu Lion was still an adventurer, and possessed a sense of curiosity. Not to mention, exploring the Dungeon was their duty. And who didn’t want to have an adventure?

“It’s deep below the ground,” Taylor informed her. “There seems to be an entrance hidden in the Colosseum itself, but there’s also a tunnel… and it’s rather long. It seems to extend all the way out towards the 4th Wall and the divide between the Soldier’s Room and the Beast Room.”

“That’s back the way we came,” Ryuu noted, before nodding. “Let’s go and see where it leads.”

They followed the swarm, Taylor leading them through the White Palace back to the 4th Wall to the point where the safe zone – which was just a very long tunnel – came to an end.

“A dead end?” Ryuu uttered, disappointed. Indeed, it was just a blank wall, just another dead end within the maze-like structure of the floor.

“Yeah, it looks like it,” Taylor mused. “Almost like the Dungeon never finished building the tunnel…”

She pressed a hand against the surface of the wall with a frown. “Or perhaps this was intentional. The wall seems to be thin… relatively speaking. It’s just a few inches thick. A Level 4 or determined Level 3 could probably break through it to reach the other side.”

“Odd,” Ryuu noted.

“The Dungeon wanted something to happen in the Colosseum,” Taylor muttered, mind racing as she began to put together the facts. “The entrance to the safe zone is within that arena… no, not an arena. A crucible. It’s making the monsters fight for a reason, and the safe zone must be related to it.”

“And somebody who made it to the safe zone would be able to escape through this dead end if they knew they could just break through it,” Ryuu finished, eyes widening in realization.

“I think… I think the Dungeon was trying to make Xenos,” Taylor finally said, and Ryuu looked at her sharply.

“What?” she hissed.

“Think about it. What purpose would there be to having a safe zone underneath a place where monsters constantly spawn and fight? This isn’t normal, we both know this! But having a place for a monster who possessed more intelligence than average… they might be able to find this area to hide and escape,” Taylor mused.

She then looked at the elf. “And the Colosseum is new. Only around thirty years old…”

“…and the Xenos are also recent additions!” Ryuu gasped.

“The oldest Xenos we know of is Gryuu, and he doesn’t know his own age. He only knows that he’s older than sixteen,” Taylor said. “And that’s because sixteen years ago… is when he first met my father.”

Trying to keep track of time in the Dungeon was difficult. Even with a day-night cycle on some floors it would be difficult to be aware of how much time would pass. Weeks and months would blend together. Gryuu had no idea how old he was because of this. But he did know that he was at least sixteen years old.

“But… but that would mean… the Dungeon is aware!” Ryuu said fearfully, but also with a hint of fury.

“Yes, it would,” Taylor conceded. “But it also tells us that it’s not exactly that bright, either. Think about it! It made the Colosseum to try and replicate whatever it is that creates the Xenos and thought to make a safe zone for them, but doesn’t understand that just constantly spawning monsters and having them fight won’t work. The Dungeon is like an animal… no, even animals can learn from repeated interactions and reactions. It’s a buggy computer program. A… a damaged magic tool constantly trying to work despite being damaged in some way.”

‘In fact, it reminds me a lot of the Shards,’ Taylor thought to herself. Queen Administrator was silent, but the lack of response was honestly just as telling.

Curiosity piqued, she punched the wall, cracking it. A few more blows shattered the dead end, allowing the party to enter the secret safe zone.

Cautiously stepping through, Taylor and Ryuu found themselves at the top of a staircase that descended downwards into a tunnel. There was a flowing stream of fresh water that ran through the entire safe zone, and glowing blue crystal illuminated the area while a strange white ore covered the walls around the former dead end.

“What is this stuff?” Taylor wondered, looking at the white ore with interest. It didn’t look like anything she’d encountered so far in the Dungeon. After a moment she decided to break some off for Welf to examine.

Seeing her start punching the wall to excavate some of it, Ryuu rolled her eyes but helped out as well, grabbing some samples and tucking them into her backpack.

“I think that’s enough,” Taylor said once there was no more room in their packs.

Their investigations finished, they headed out of the safe zone and made their way back to the 36th Floor.

“That tunnel changes… a lot of things,” Taylor said as they started the long trek back to the 28th Floor.

Ryuu nodded solemnly. The hardest part of progressing further in the Deep Floors was getting past the Colosseum. But this tunnel-like safe zone provided what was essentially a back door. Using it, adventurers could bypass most of the dangers of the White Palace entirely and then make a break for the stairs down to the 38th Floor without having to face as many monsters as normal.

“Let me try something,” Ryuu requested after a moment, and Taylor simply tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

“Luminous Wind!” the elf chanted, and green and gold motes surrounded the party. However, instead of becoming dangerous, Taylor felt her body grow lighter! Meanwhile, tiny green wing-like appendages formed on Ryuu’s back, and on the bodies of the Tamed monsters.

“I came up with the idea after observing your own wings. The wind shall make us faster, now,” Ryuu informed her, and the captain grinned.

They made it back to the 28th Floor in record time thanks to Ryuu’s spell wrapping around them and propelling them forward, their speed drastically enhanced by a brilliant modification of Ryuu’s oldest spell.

Oh yes, this would also change a lot of things for the Hestia Familia!