Chapter 339: The Journey of Three (4k)
The entrance to the stairs leading from the first level to the second level of the dungeon appeared quite ordinarily at the end of a passage.
There was no giant door blocking monsters, nor was there a boss guarding the entrance.
The entrance to the stairs was even somewhat small, so much so that Professor Nina had to slightly bend down when entering.
But just as the walls of the dungeon could be broken, this staircase leading to the lower levels should also be able to be expanded.
The group entered the staircase one by one. After a long five-minute descent, they finally reached the area of the second-level entrance.
This area resembled a circular hall. The green liquid-spewing toad “fountain” in the center seemed to be the magic mark of the second level.
After Professor Nina stepped out of the staircase, she sniffed the air with her nostrils for a while before announcing, “Disperse and have lunch.”
“Yay!”
The students, who had been looking forward to this moment, shouted excitedly.
Then, boys and girls gathered in groups of three or five and soon scattered throughout the hall.
After a long journey, both their legs and stomachs were already complaining.
Sitting down, chatting, and eating was naturally very pleasant at this point.
Dark took out the “Mana Needle,” made a mana record near the toad fountain, then returned to Diana and Rose.
The trio formed a circle and began to eat like they were camping.
“Heave ho—”
Diana put down her large backpack, spilling out a heap of snacks.
Rose quickly stepped forward to set up the backpack again and started tidying up with a troubled look.
Dark waved at the Imp Beast, which then flew down and placed a multi-tiered food box on the ground.
On the other side, Deoxys obediently sat next to Dark.
“What did you bring?” Dark asked casually.
Rose pulled out a square box from the pile of snacks and whispered, “I made sandwiches with bread, sausages, and jam.”
As she lifted the lid, a sweet scent of jam wafted out.
Inside the box were not only homemade sandwiches but also cute little cakes.
These cakes were securely fixed in the box and hadn’t been damaged.
After Dark praised them, he opened his own food box and took out several layers.
The exquisite dishes and strong aroma immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Diana couldn’t help but cover her mouth and said, “That’s amazing!”
Dark smiled and said, “If you had gone to the cafeteria, you could have gotten these too.”
“Cafeteria?” Rose whispered, “Did you get them from the half-human chefs?”
Dark shrugged, “Exactly.”
Then he took out three sets of utensils from the inner layer of the meal box—three small plates, three forks, and three spoons.
He divided the utensils into three portions and handed one to Diana and Rose each.
Next, he took out three pairs of thin disposable gloves from his bag and passed them over.
Diana looked at her dirty paws, pouted, and accepted the gloves.
Of course, she still washed them to some extent with water first.
The three of them shared their food and drinks, enjoying their meals happily.
“Ahh—”
The Imp Beast stood by for a while, suddenly remembering something, and hurriedly approached Dark, opening its mouth.
Dark was momentarily stunned but then smiled bitterly, turning the fork away from his mouth and stuffing it with the sauce-covered duck meat.
“Gobble gobble.”
The Imp Beast happily chewed away.
Beside it, Deoxys couldn’t help but widen its eyes.
“Ahh—”
The same sound echoed again.
Deoxys, highly sensitive, turned its head abruptly and saw that the shameless girl named “Diana” was imitating the thick-skinned Imp Beast and opening her mouth.
Dark couldn’t help but freeze again.
Rose covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Dark sighed, picked up a large piece of meat, skewered it with a fork, dipped it in sweet sauce, leaned forward, and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Woah.”
Diana bit into the large piece of meat, looking proudly at the confused Imp Beast.
Imp Beast: Why are you humans and familiars fighting?
The picnic atmosphere gradually rose.
…
However, not everyone was as happy as Dark and his group.
Wit and Robert were still troubled. They bit into the dry biscuits, occasionally glancing at other students.
Their target was students with “Mana Needles.”
But apart from a few male students, those with “Mana Needles” were mostly careful girls.
It was relatively difficult for two males to find a female partner.
Even though one of them was the “Hero’s Child.”
But the girls had already formed their own circles.
After several failed attempts at approaching, Wit and Robert’s gaze eventually focused on Emma.
As more students formed teams, Emma seemed to be the only choice left.
Wit couldn’t help but say, “Robert, what do you think about Emma?”
Robert couldn’t help rolling his eyes, “She would be a good choice if she weren’t Emma.”
Wit: “Should we go talk to her?”
Robert was startled, “No, wait, Wit, did you understand me? I meant if she were not Emma…”
Wit: “It can only be Emma.”
With that, he walked straight toward Emma.
Emma Maltis, who possessed a “Mana Needle” and wasn’t yet part of a team, was the most suitable person.
At this moment, Emma Maltis had basically given up on the idea of “free activities.”
She didn’t want to force her desk mates, nor did she want to randomly form a team; she simply wanted to give up.
Following Professor Nina would also yield results.
Despite this,
When Wit approached her, she still felt a stir.
…
Near the toad fountain.
Professor Nina sat alone by the fountain, a huge paw submerged in the water, aimlessly stirring.
She did bring lunch, but she finished it in just a few bites.
Who could blame her when the food was so tiny it barely filled her teeth gaps?
Before long, she was hungry again.
If she hadn’t brought students, she might have already gone out to hunt.
But as a professor, she had to stay here to protect the students.
“Sip sip—”
Professor Nina quickly withdrew her gaze from Dark’s lunch box, sucking back the drool that almost fell.
If she hadn’t maintained her dignity as a professor, she would have pounced on it.
“It’s hard.”
…
Finally enduring until around one o’clock, Professor Nina noticed that most students had finished their lunch and promptly clapped her hands, “Students who wish for free activities can apply to me now. The restricted area is between the first and second levels, but try not to stray too far from me and return here before dark.”
The students who had been waiting eagerly immediately became excited.
Sarah Swati, along with Heidi and another student from the Mana Academy, came to Professor Nina first.
After showing their “Mana Needles” and completing the registration process, they received permission.
More people gradually left afterward.
The other students whispered among themselves, mostly speculating about what results these teams might achieve.
“It’s time to leave.”
Dark tapped the still engrossed Diana, starting to clean up the trash.
Diana finally raised her head, reluctantly looking at the unfinished snacks, but she still slapped her cheeks to snap out of it.
Dark couldn’t help but smile, packed up the garbage, and looked toward Professor Nina’s direction.
Wit and Robert happened to walk out of the crowd, with Emma following two meters behind them, expressionless.
“They’ve formed a team?”
Dark was slightly surprised but didn’t pay too much attention.
From his perspective, he was actually worried that the three might have a falling out.
But with the “Dungeon Escape Device,” nothing bad would happen.
…
After Wit’s group completed their registration, Dark led Diana and Rose over.
Professor Nina inadvertently glanced at the backpack on Diana’s back, then said, “Have your ‘Mana Needles’ recorded the mana properly?”
Dark laughed, “Of course.”
Professor Nina handed over a paperboard, “Sign in then.”
They signed in one by one and then set off.
…
“Which floor should we go to?” Rose asked after they had walked a distance.
Dark thought for a moment and said, “The first level is safer, but I want to go to the second level. What do you think?”
Diana raised her hand abruptly, “I don’t mind.”
“You don’t mind raising your hand so high?” Rose pressed her hand down and then said, “Let’s go to the second level. I’ll summon my familiar later to scout the path.”
Diana: “Me too…”
Rose: “Okay.”
So they summoned their familiars separately.
Diana’s familiar was a panda no bigger than a basketball, with a round head and short legs.
Since it had just been summoned, it hadn’t been forced to wear a small dress.
Rose’s familiar was a snow-white rabbit.
If you didn’t look closely, you might mistake it for an ordinary pet rabbit.
But actually, there was a small protrusion hidden under its long fur on its forehead.
It was a young unicorn.
For familiars, race and attribute weren’t important; size, strength, and speed were more crucial.
After all, familiars weren’t aggressive; their main function was to deliver messages daily.
Now being used for scouting, it could work.
The Imp Beast watched the two silly familiars with a grin.
Every time it saw someone else’s familiar, it felt a sense of pride.
Since the food in the lunch box was empty, Dark put it away in the backpack, leaving the Imp Beast free.
Dark: “Imp Beast, don’t forget your role.”
Imp Beast: My role isn’t to be a delivery man?
Dark glanced at it indifferently.
Imp Beast: Yes, sir! I am the vanguard!
…
As the three familiars went ahead to scout, the environment in the passage gradually quieted down.
Dark stopped chatting idly, and Diana and Rose also became more cautious.
From the first level to the second level, they encountered almost no monsters, but everyone knew it was because Professor Nina was leading them.
Now without Professor Nina’s natural “intimidation aura,” the danger level in the dungeon would instantly rise several notches.
Monsters were no longer the timid creatures that avoided humans; they would transform into fanged and clawed beasts in an instant!
In less than five minutes.
The scouts suddenly showed signs of movement.
The three exchanged looks.
Dark immediately quickened his pace, followed by Deoxys.
Diana forcibly suppressed her urge and walked cautiously with Rose.
In just a moment, Dark arrived at the scene.
He couldn’t help but smile.
He saw a monster resembling a vicious dog being humiliated by the three familiars…
Clearly known for its ferocity, it was no match for the three “non-aggressive” familiars.
Rose’s unicorn looked docile, biting the monster’s front paw firmly.
And Diana’s baby panda somehow managed to grab the monster’s neck, hanging from it like a pendant, completely immobilizing it.
The monster, with one front paw and head sealed, could only attack with its remaining front paw.
But the Imp Beast, utilizing its aerial advantage, struck swiftly each time, avoiding greedily, nearly tearing the monster’s scalp.
“Is this a common monster in the second level?”
Dark put away the mana card in his hand, taking out “Pride I” from his deck, usually summoned.
As the dark golden orb merged with his brow, the Imp Beast’s eyes changed instantly.
It suddenly spread its wings and roared.
Immediately, a syringe-like structure with a shark head formed in front of its wings and shot towards the monster.
“Puff!”
The needle tip of the “small dart” accurately pierced the monster’s forehead, and the thick needle quickly filled with blood.
The monster let out a mournful cry, losing all strength to struggle.
By the time Diana and Rose arrived, Dark had already begun collecting the monster’s materials.
All its mana gathered on a single canine tooth at the moment of death, emitting a faint white glow.
From the way it could be easily killed by the Imp Beast, this canine tooth wasn’t particularly valuable.
“What kind of monster is this?” Diana ran over and asked.
“It should be a small magi-dog.”
Dark responded, about to stand up, when Deoxys suddenly tugged at his sleeve and pointed ahead.
He couldn’t help but look up.
The passage ahead split into two directions, but there was nothing there at the moment.
But focusing intently, one could hear faint sounds.
“There’s a large group of monsters approaching!”
Diana’s voice suddenly sounded behind, her tone mixed with panic but mostly excitement.
