Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Friendly Greeting from the Dungeon～

Between the eighth and ninth floors, the scenery and terrain of the Dungeon change dramatically.

First, the number of Caverns increases, and they become wider.

The roads connecting the Caverns are all very short, and the ceiling height, which was originally at most three to four meters, has increased to nearly ten meters.

The wooden walls are covered with moss, and the ground has turned into a grassy meadow.

The phosphorescence descending from above resembles sunlight, making one easily fall into the illusion of walking across an open wilderness.

The Monsters appearing here could be called a hodgepodge of everything encountered so far.

There won’t be any new types of Monsters, but instead, smaller ones like Goblins and Earth Spirits will appear in stronger states.

However, their methods of attack remain largely the same, so dealing with them as before should suffice.

After all, just because weak Monsters like Goblins and Earth Spirits have grown stronger, it doesn’t mean Izay has grown weaker.

Thus, Izay didn’t spend much effort navigating these two floors that resemble a wilderness, passing through them with ease.

Then, he arrived at the relatively special tenth floor.

It is called special because… there’s fog on this floor.

Like a primeval forest rarely visited by humans in the morning, white mist drifts everywhere.

The density of the fog isn’t thick enough to obscure everything to the point of blindness, but it’s sufficient to hinder vision.

This unscatterable thin mist envelops the entire tenth floor of the Dungeon.

The structure of the tenth floor directly follows the form of the eighth and ninth floors.

Only, the light source on the ceiling no longer shines brilliantly like the sun; its brightness now evokes the image of morning mist.

After passing through the corridor linking the ninth and tenth floors, the view opens up slightly.

In sight is a spacious Cavern filled with endless meadows.

Visibility within the fog remains roughly within a ten-meter radius around him, and scattered across this meadow stand many leafless and branchless dead trees.

“An armory for the labyrinth, huh…”

Izay slightly raises his eyebrows, not entirely unfamiliar with the tenth floor. The eerie standing dead trees amidst the mist give him pause.

These dead trees, standing one or two meters tall, aren’t really dead trees at all.

Their hardness nearly rivals some lower-grade Adventurer weapons.

This is one of the tricky characteristics of the Dungeon.

This living Dungeon deliberately provides these dead trees as natural weapons for the Monsters wandering within the maze.

The terrain effect starting from the tenth floor specifically enhances the abilities of the Monsters.

Monsters that could be defeated bare-handed transform, with this Dungeon support, into special enemies not to be underestimated.

“Buuuugruuuhhh……”

Without giving Izay extra time to think, accompanied by a low growl, a massive shadow gradually emerges from the white mist, along with a pair of crimson eyes.

A Large Monster, the “Orc,” has appeared.

Brown skin paired with a pig’s head. Its old, tattered hide covering the waist looks like a ragged skirt draped over its body.

Its height probably exceeds three meters—truly a large monster.

“Burrrr, oohooohooooooh……”

The Orc stares intently at Izay with its crimson eyes, revealing a fierce gaze akin to a predator spotting prey.

It then stomps loudly on the ground, extending a giant arm toward a nearby dead tree.

“Not a chance!”

Realizing the intent of this fat pig, Izay instantly gathers magic power in his raised arm.

“Wall Rising to Immense Heights!”

Before the Orc can grasp the dead tree, a black-golden rock pillar erupts from the ground.

Judging by its cross-sectional size, the rock pillar appears to be only about one-fifth the size of this Orc.

But even this relatively slender pillar effortlessly lifts the Orc off the ground, hurling it into the air with a howl of pain.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to control its flight, Izay, already surrounded by a protective shield, propels himself toward the Orc.

Until it lands and recovers, the Orc will be riddled with openings.

Tightly gripping the silver-gray Spear in his hand, Izay aims for where the Orc will land and dashes in that direction.

At the instant the Orc is about to hit the ground, Izay swings the Spear with both hands, sending it flying again. The spear tip slashes across the Orc’s body, creating a deep wound almost splitting it in half.

Since he’s currently in combat mode, some of Izay’s Ability Values have significantly increased, making it no difficult task to send this Orc flying.

Skill:

‘Heart of the Earth’

· Upon entering combat mode, Strength and Durability receive a significant boost

……

……

This combat mode is judged subconsciously by Izay.

If Izay feels that this moment belongs to combat, then his Strength and Durability can be enhanced.

With a thunderous crash upon hitting the ground, green blood spurts out from the torn wound, and the Orc screams in agony.

Struggling to rise, it proves powerless to do so.

Izay’s previous attack had torn apart one of its stubby legs, and without a leg, the Orc naturally cannot stand again.

Having lost its ability to move, it takes Izay mere moments to finish it off.

Soon, the Orc’s over three-meter-tall muscular body turns into a pile of black ash scattered on the ground, leaving behind a Magic Stone glowing with a bluish-purple light.

“First battle against such a large monster. Though I did use the convenience of Magic, but since Magic is also part of my strength, right? Hmm… piece of cake～”

Bending down to pick up the Orc’s Magic Stone, Izay inadvertently reveals a part of his cheeky nature when no one is around.

In the Dungeon, after the first battle on each floor, it means more and more Monsters will notice your presence.

Which means—uninterrupted battles.

To avoid being constantly consumed by such situations, there is only one method.

Return or advance.

Only by reaching the areas connecting the floors will the constant harassment from Monsters cease.

However, Izay isn’t afraid of such harassment, enjoying himself while killing Monsters and collecting drops.

Just when he was worried about running out of money, these Monsters coming in waves are no different from generous benefactors, except for the effort required to kill them and clean up the battlefield.

But when Izay continues deeper into the eleventh floor, perhaps this living Dungeon sensed his thoughts and specially prepared a grand gift for him as a welcome.

The eleventh floor continues the structure of the tenth floor, with obstructive white mist still present.

The meadow stretching endlessly, submerging shoes halfway, is dotted with coarse dry trees—”the armory of the labyrinth”—growing around.

From a certain moment onward, shadows begin to encircle Izay, some towering, some diminutive, all flashing crimson eyes brimming with undisguised malice, accompanied by hoarse cries.

“Are you kidding me? To encounter a ‘Monster Banquet’ during the second exploration of the Dungeon???”

Somewhat aware of his current predicament, Izay momentarily finds himself dumbfounded.