In Syr's eyes, the soul named Fron was nothing special, ordinary, the kind you couldn't even pick out from a crowd. He didn't even measure up to the red-haired youth beside him.
How strange indeed.
----------------------------------
"Hey, you never told me that the elf waitress at that tavern was the [Gale] on the blacklist!"
Walking on the road, Welf, sweating nervously, approached Fron, grumbling.
"Ah, you never asked. Besides, why do you think that place is always packed? It's because it's safe."
"Jeez, who would dare cause trouble at the 'Hostess of Fertility'? Are they tired of living?"
"Judging by your tone, that place is terrifying??? But the people eating and drinking there are all adventurers."
Fron's mouth curved up, his face smug.
"Without some skill, who would dare open a tavern there? Why don't you use your brain a little."
"..."
Speaking of which, the "Hostess of Fertility" is located directly on West Main Street, and the building itself towers above the rest, it clearly looks like a high-end place.
Then consider this: a certain goddess's authorities are "Fertility," "Birth," "Love"… it's terrifying when you think about it.
"Well, forget it. Some things are better left unexplored."
As they talked, the two had already followed the crowd into the dungeon.
"Same as always, you take the front, I'll be rear guard and support."
"Ah, let's move out!"
Welf, full of energy, carried his great sword and charged into the darkness.
For the two of them, the monsters in the upper floors practically posed no threat anymore.
Leveling up is like a huge leap, like a mountain standing between two stages.
Not to mention, Fron's current stats aren't just what you'd expect of someone who just entered Lv.2. Even by average adventurer standards, he was top tier in Lv.2.
In these "Upper Floors," you could call him: invincible!
"Poof!"
The blade of Dagger No. 3 pierced the enemy's skull easily, it felt just like slicing through tofu.
"My power's overflowing, though it doesn't feel abrupt, I've clearly become much stronger."
Before, when not using magic, monsters in the "Upper Floors" would still give them a bit of trouble.
Especially large types and rare species, killing them in one strike was out of the question; they always needed to struggle a bit first. During that struggle, more monsters would often rush in and create real danger.
But now, whether strength, endurance, dexterity, or agility, all of their stats overwhelmingly crushed the current monsters, even large and rare types.
With improved kill efficiency, things naturally got easier.
After taking down a few monsters, Fron dug magic stones from their corpses one by one, calmly handling the aftermath.
"So strong, you bastard, don't tell me you leveled up?"
Welf looked disbelieving, his eyebrows twitching comically.
"Shh, don't make a fuss."
"Hey, you're hiding intel???"
"Don't say it out loud, this is a secret."
"...Come on, with this many adventurers on the 'Upper Floors,' even if everyone keeps their distance to avoid trouble, quite a few people saw that battle just now."
"I'm wearing a cloak. They don't recognize me. Relax."
"Your personality really sucks."
'Hiding your level, secretly enjoying yourself, isn't that kind of fun?'
"Let's go."
"Okay."
On the "Upper Floors," both the spawn rate and the number of monsters were just too low.
With their current one-hit kill power, even after 10 minutes of walking they might not encounter a single monster.
Looping around, following the official paths drawn on the map, they headed straight to the 12th floor.
"Whew, finally reached the area."
The 12th floor's visibility was still a headache, but, thanks to Fron's drastically improved power, he no longer felt tense like before.
Standing side by side on the slope of the cave leading to the next floor, they stared into the darkness ahead, full of caution.
"The 'Middle Floors' and the 'Upper Floors' are two different things, monster strength, spawn number, and respawn rate all increase significantly."
"From the 13th floor onward, you'll encounter monsters like Almiraj, Hellhounds, Crystal Mantis, Ligerfang, and Minotaurs."
"Almiraj may appear in the Middle Floors, but their potential is only around Lv.1. However, they're fundamentally different from Upper Floor monsters."
"They already possess a bit of intelligence. For example, they'll act in groups to ambush adventurers, and even throw stone axes from a distance. Once they form numbers, they're quite scary."
"As for Hellhounds, their potential reaches Lv.2. They have magic-like abilities, firing high-temperature fireballs from their mouths to attack from range."
"Best not to underestimate their range. Also, their claws and fangs are weapons too. Add in agility that far surpasses Upper Floor monsters, "
"Most adventurers entering the 'Middle Floors' for the first time die under Hellhound attacks."
"Crystal Mantis? They're similar to pangolins, the hardness of their shells is extreme, excellent for making shields. When they attack, they curl into a ball and roll at high speed to smash targets."
"If you encounter one, you must dodge. Otherwise, you're in big trouble."
"As for Ligerfangs, they normally don't appear on 13th and 14th Floor. If they do, we're just unlucky, because they only show up when a cave-in happens in the 'Cave Labyrinth.'"
"Finally, there's the Minotaur that appears on the 17th floor. Potential strength: upper Lv.2. It's the strongest enemy before the safe zone on the 18th floor! But we won't run into one for now."
After thoroughly explaining the key points to Welf, the two adjusted their posture and proceeded into the passage.
The "Cave Labyrinth," entered through the opening between the 12th and 13th floors, revealed a huge ceiling to the eye.
...
Everything in front of them, the walls, the floor beneath their feet, and the towering ceiling, was made entirely of bedrock.
Everywhere you looked, gray rocks were scattered about, instantly reminding you of the word "cavern."
Sniffing lightly, the air had a heavy, oppressive, sealed feeling.
"This setting really does match the image of a 'Cave Labyrinth.'"
"Ah, it's just a bit exaggerated."
The passage exit was surprisingly located in a natural cave, about halfway up a mountain-like area.
The 13th floor also had another name, "The First Line."
The massive spike in difficulty caused countless adventurers to fall here, defeated by monsters.
"Well, visibility's much better, but the light here is noticeably dimmer than above."
Fron cautiously observed the surroundings, chatting casually with Welf.
This was a common technique among party members, using conversation to relieve the pressure from the dungeon's unique environment.
"I read in the Familia's library that the terrain on the 13th floor is characterized by extremely long passageways connecting each cavern room. You know what I mean, right?"
"Like the main street or something?"
"Yeah, anyway, it's not good for fighting. If you're careless for even a second and fall into one of the vertical shafts on the side of the road, you're done!"
"So, our current goal is to find a wide open fighting space, a cavern room."
"Fastest speed possible, right?"
"GoGoGo!"
"What's that mean?"
"Just treat it like a charge, "
"You bastard, again with this!"