stjorthotic Chapter 366 The Scenery at the Front Line
Chapter 366 The Scenery at the Front Line
Chapter 366 The Scenery at the Front Line
In the fifty floors, there is neither morning nor night. Unlike the eighteen-floor maze amusement park, the deep, safe floors do not have the light and dark changes of crystals. The only light is the scattered phosphorescence on the dome ceiling.
Moreover, the area of a fifty-story building is even smaller!
Normally, the deeper the dungeon, the larger its area. By the fortieth floor, its area is equivalent to the entire Orario. From there, the area continues to increase with each floor below, becoming vast and boundless.
The 50th floor is an exception, with a significantly smaller area, even smaller than the 18th floor maze amusement park.
It is quite noticeable that the closer you get to the deepest level, the less "goodwill" the dungeon has.
Because of the limited area, the Loki Familia and Freya Familia's strongholds are separated by only one mountain peak. Two flags are planted on the peak, with the images of Loki's clown and Freya's goddess of beauty, respectively. As long as the flags of the two families have not fallen, the members of the two families will continue to fight, regarding it as a kind of faith.
The arrival of Roy and his group also attracted the attention of the two major clans. Many eyes were cast over them, revealing different emotions such as goodwill, resentment, and fighting spirit. There are many complex entanglements between the three clans.
"But it had to be at this time—the Astrea Familia." Hedin adjusted his glasses, a cryptic glint in his eyes.
Beside Hedin were Hegny, Allen, and the burly man hailed as "the mighty one" by the gods, Otto, whose body was as large and strong as a small mountain!
It almost brought together the main force of Freya's Familia!
Only the four Flame Gold Warriors were on the surface to protect Freya. They weren't afraid that anyone would hurt their goddess; with the allure of that goddess, no one could get close to her. Their main concern was that Freya might cause trouble.
That goddess is a bit neurotic in private, constantly saying she wants to find a partner and then run away from home, making the entire Freya Familia live in fear.
Therefore, someone must keep an eye on her!
"Big brother!" Anya's amber eyes lit up, and she nimbly pounced on him.
Since that conflict, the magical incantation revealed Allen's inner thoughts, and the two siblings reconciled.
"Don't come near me, you stupid cat!"
Upon seeing Anya, Allen bristled and tried to dodge even faster, but both of them were LV.6, and he could no longer shake off his sister.
The cat-man's face showed extreme disgust, but upon closer inspection, there wasn't much coldness in his vertical pupils.
The cat-man understood. It proved what that bastard Hedin had said true: he was weak. Because he was afraid of his sister dying, he kept her away from the dungeon and away from battle. Wasn't that also a way of escaping reality?
Roy chose a different, correct path: helping Anya grow stronger and defeat powerful enemies to survive in this cruel world!
Roy watched the cat-like siblings chasing after him, a smile appearing on his face. That was his brother-in-law!
Ignoring the fierce, battle-ready aura emanating from Ota, Roy took out various supplies from his spatial ring and tossed them to his girls, letting them rest for a while. He then headed towards the Loki Familia's encampment, where the relationship was relatively better.
The three leaders had already left their camp.
Seeing the horrific state of Loki's Familia, Roy asked curiously, "Finn, what happened?"
The Loki Familia members all bore injuries of varying degrees, including the three leaders.
Riveria's forehead was wrapped in white bandages, and a few strands of her noble emerald green hair fell messily over the edges of the bandages, which made her exquisite figure look even more sickly and fragile. Only her emerald green eyes were calm and composed.
Grace's abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages, which stained the oozing blood a dirty dark red.
Looking around, the other group members were doing the same.
Bert, Anachiti, Alicia, Raul, and others had damaged armor, bloodstained clothes, and bandages and bruises from the battle all over their bodies.
The only one in relatively good condition was that expressionless, naturally naive girl. Her delicate body seemed weightless as she lightly landed on the tree, taking up a good vantage point to keep watch over the surroundings.
"Just encountered a strange monster." Finn shrugged. Encountering accidents in the dungeon is common; as long as no one dies, that's good.
Roy followed the three leaders into the tent.
With explanations from Finn, Rivera, and Grace, Roy roughly understood what had happened to them.
Fallen Immortal Spirit Clone!
Loki's Familia still encountered the enemy when they entered the 59th floor. Although they were missing several high-level combatants compared to the original timeline, Ais's skills made her the noble "Princess of Vengeance." As long as Finn and the others delivered her to the enemy, they could kill them instantly!
It's happening earlier than expected! Roy's heart sank. The Loki Familia encountered the Fallen Fairy's clone two years later, so it was probably Dionysus's doing.
"And what about them?"
Roy gestured to Freya's Familia, where Hedin, Hegny, and even Ota also had wounds, though their injuries were less severe than those of Loki's Familia.
Finn shook his head. "I don't know. It seems that Ota and the others also encountered an accident on the sixtieth floor."
Due to the butterfly effect caused by Roy, the two major clans are progressing faster in conquering the dungeon than in the original timeline, with the Loki clan arriving at the 59th floor two years ahead of schedule.
The Freya Familia is even more exaggerated.
Since the battle on Daedalus Street, the guild has been continuously issuing expedition missions to Freya's Familia. They have already conquered the sixty-fourth floor, but on the way back, they encountered an accident on the sixtieth floor.
"Sixty-fourth floor—" Roy's brows furrowed more and more. What about the sixtieth floor of the Demon Realm and the Fallen Fairy Essence's true form?
Finn asked, "And what is your expedition?"
Roy didn't hide anything and said, "We'll conquer floors 52 to 58, and if conditions permit, we'll also go down to floors 59 and 60."
"Um!"
Finn nodded. Because of the existence of Valgon Dragon, floors 52 to 58 of the "Dragon Pot" must be conquered in one go, otherwise, one should not go in.
When Finn heard that Roy and the others were going down to the sixtieth floor, he frowned, but he didn't say anything. It's a big no-no for outsiders to interfere.
Moreover, while the Astrea Familia is outnumbered, its high-end combat strength is the strongest!
Rivera cautioned, "Be very careful."
Roy nodded emphatically.
Having received information from the Loki Familia, Roy returned to his girl's side, preparing to continue exploring. The group marched in a large procession towards the lower entrance.
Anya approached Roy, "Captain, my brother and the others are on the sixtieth floor. Like the Loki Familia, they encountered those monsters that can unleash magic (fallen fairy clones), and there are many of them!"
Roy patted Anya's head and smiled, "I understand, well done!"
Despite his complaints about his younger sister, Allen immediately told Anya everything he knew when he heard that she was going to enter the sixtieth floor, fearing that something might happen to her.
They encountered three fallen immortal spirit clones!
Faced with the relentless bombardment of magical artillery, even the weakened Freya Familia had to retreat.
"Hehe, even a cat can gather intelligence!" Anya enjoyed Roy's petting.
The members of the Loki Familia and Freya Familia watched Roy and the others walk deeper into the dungeon, a hint of respect appearing in their eyes. No matter what conflicts or grudges they had on the surface, in the dungeon, they shared a common identity: adventurers!
Upon entering the fifty-first floor, Roy continued to use "Superior Transfer," leading the girls to jump to the entrance of the fifty-second floor, which was a dark, abyss-like opening.
"Cheer up, everyone, hell is about to begin!" Roy said to his girls.
"Um!
'
The girls' expressions turned serious and focused.
Starting from the 52nd floor, the situation changes. Not only is the environment more dangerous and the monsters more powerful, but speedrun methods are also disabled.
To accurately navigate to the entrance to the next floor, Roy must be very familiar with the floor's layout.
When using a top-level transfer method on a completely unfamiliar floor, it's easy to stray from the proper route. Once lost, you'll just wander around aimlessly like a headless fly.
The correct way to explore is to follow the established routes based on the information provided by the guild, familiarize yourself with them, and then slowly explore other areas.
After passing through the dimly lit staircase, Roy and his group officially entered the fifty-second floor. The smooth ceiling and walls were made of black lead-colored square stones, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic luster, as if they were made of steel.
The wide passageway, devoid of any landmarks, is intricate and complex, making it easy to lose one's way.
Compared to the previous floors, the fifty-second floor was incredibly dark. Even with the extraordinary eyesight of advanced adventurers, they could not see the end of it. Countless monsters lurked in the dark corners, ready to jump out and ambush at any moment.
"Charge through it in one go!"
Roy said in a deep voice, "We have to be quick. The moment we entered this floor, we were locked on."
As soon as he finished speaking, Roy took the lead and rushed forward, with Tiony, Tiona and the others following closely behind. They moved quickly, covering more than a hundred meters in a short time. Suddenly, a loud noise came from behind them.
The girls turned around and their pupils dilated in shock.
boom!!
The ground first burst into intense flames, turning bright red, and then a violent pillar of flame erupted, piercing through the ground. The scorching heat rushed out, leaving a crater with a radius of more than seven or eight meters.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the pit was over a thousand meters deep, with fifty-eight layers at its bottom.
On that red earth, countless crimson dragons opened their blood-red maws, their faces upturned to the sky, and billowing flames rose from the depths of their throats. The terrifying bombardment could penetrate seven floors and reach them on the fifty-second floor!
If hit by artillery fire, even a LV.5 adventurer would be seriously injured or even killed on the spot!
A respected first-class adventurer on the surface is nothing on this floor, which is why the guild dares not reveal in-depth information.
Think for a second.
After spending decades honing their skills, overcoming countless difficulties, and achieving great feats, they finally become LV.5 adventurers, only to be killed instantly by a single cannon shot here!
It's important to understand that here, it's not just about dodging one shell; you have to play this "dodge game" on the seven floors starting from the 52nd floor.
You can dodge countless times, but if you get hit just once, you'll most likely die in the dungeon!
If someone wanted to use the opening created by the shelling to jump down to the fifty-eighth floor, Valgon would be even happier. Unable to gain leverage or dodge in mid-air, and with someone acting as a sitting duck! Wasn't that just asking for death?!
The lower-ranking Chun Ji and Lefia were breathing rapidly. If they were hit by the cannon fire, they would be instantly reduced to ashes, leaving not even bones behind.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
In the wide passage, the ground continuously emitted red light and became scorching hot. Terrifying pillars of flame pierced the ground, forcing Roy and his group to flee in all directions.
Roy glanced at the deep crater and used the defensive magic "Life-Bound Dream" to take the girls straight to the fifty-eighth floor. It wasn't impossible; Rivera, at LV.6, could use this magic to block the Valgon Dragon's cannon fire, and he, at LV.7, would have no problem at all.
But he had to follow the proper route.
Otherwise, when you come up, you can't determine your location, making it difficult to use "upper position transfer" to escape quickly.
Roy also had a way to deal with the Valgon Dragon's bombardment: he used "Intuition" to anticipate it.
Roy transforms into a top-tier commander!
"Tione, Lefia, in three seconds, there will be artillery fire beneath your feet. Move to the left!"
"There's a monster on their right, a venomous scorpion, about to shoot silk. Tiona, take them down!"
"Anya, Daphne, block the monster ahead!"
"Full speed ahead!"
Roy pushed his "Intuition" skill to its limit, his eyes remaining calm and still, issuing clear commands continuously, even multitasking by using uncastable magic to unleash lightning strikes that swept away the surrounding monsters.
The black rhinoceroses "Lynos," "Venom Scorpion," and "Thunder Serpent," monsters with potential ability LV.5, were struck by Roy's magic, causing their massive bodies to explode.
"As expected of the commander!"
The girls looked at each other with utter admiration.
Under Roy's command, the team perfectly avoided all artillery fire, killed monsters, and quickly advanced, passing through the fifty-second floor and entering the fifty-third floor.
Monsters appear more frequently and have higher stats on deeper floors.
But they're no match for three LV.7s!
Tiony and Tiona moved with lightning speed, their silver curved blades and large double blades sweeping across the scene with overwhelming force, shattering the bodies of numerous monsters.
Daphne and Anya, both at level 6, can easily handle those monsters. Under Ryu's guidance, Lefia is developing towards becoming a magic swordsman and has learned the skill of "parallel chanting," which allows her to move and chant at the same time.
"Fire a volley of flaming javelins!"
LV.3 unleashed a LV.5 magic attack, a rain of magical firearms shooting out and crashing into the dense horde of monsters ahead, blasting a path through them for everyone to pass.
A hint of approval flashed in Roy's eyes. In the following floors, it was dark and the visibility was poor. He was responsible for both commanding and keeping an eye out for the monsters that were trying to ambush him. It was naturally a good thing to have a mage share the pressure from the front.
Despite the threat of Valgon's bombardment, the group didn't stop and ran at almost full speed, greatly increasing their speed through the floors, completing one floor per hour.
Those shelling attacks weren't all bad.
The monsters couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and hundreds of them blocked Roy and his companions' path. However, artillery fire came and blasted the monsters to pieces.
Seven hours later, Roy and his group entered the final stage of the "Dragon's Pot," the fifty-eighth floor.
Roy glanced at the magic stone pocket watch. This speed was slightly slower than that of the Loki Familia and Freya Familia, but considering it was their first time conquering the "Dragon Pot," it was not bad. They would be able to use the superior transfer next time.
The end of the Dragon's Pot, the fifty-eighth floor!
The vast red earth stretches as far as the eye can see, with the red rock walls of the ceiling radiating astonishing heat and light. Occasionally, there are some inconspicuous little hills, serving as temporary resting places for adventurers, but they may also be monsters deliberately disguised.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground shattered, and monsters emerged from underground.
There are two types of monsters on this floor: the "Cannon Dragon" Valgon Dragon, and a flying dragon soaring in mid-air! Both are super-large monsters, starting at ten meters in size.
"You bastards, we've finally caught you!"
The moment the girls saw those "cannon dragons," a sinister smile appeared on their faces. Forced to jump up and down the seven floors by these bastards' bombardment, they had been holding back their anger for a long time.
They were determined to get their revenge, no matter how badly they had been humiliated by the shelling!
"Charge!"
Tiony, Tiona, Daphne, Cassandra, Anya, and Lily swarmed forward, crushing the Valgon Dragons to the ground. With this team's strength, dealing with the monsters on this floor should be relatively safe as long as they were careful.
Roy smiled as he looked at the girls venting their anger, and said, "I'll give them half an hour."
The girls spent half an hour killing monsters with great gusto, almost clearing out the entire area, and their faces beamed with satisfaction.
After clearing all eight floors of the "Dragon's Pot" and returning to the surface, Astraea's stats will be updated, resulting in a significant boost.
The group arrived at the entrance to the fifty-ninth floor, a huge hill with a downward passage inside.
Roy took out food and water from his spatial ring, and the group replenished their energy. After a short rest, they continued towards the fifty-ninth floor, since it was not a safe floor and staying there would mean being surrounded by a large number of monsters.
According to information obtained from Eina, the 59th to 65th floors are known as the "Glacier Domain," a frigid and permafrost region.
The Loki Familia and Freya Familia had just encountered the Fallen Fairy clones on the two floors below, but with the divine spear Gungnir and the LV.9 trial card as their ultimate trump cards, Roy had no idea what fear was.
The group donned fire-element protective cloths, which provided warmth and were essential items for conquering the "Glacier Realm".
As the group entered the fifty-ninth floor, they were greeted by an eerie green landscape, resembling a forest on the thirtieth floor, but with a thick fog obscuring their view.
"Lord Roy, something's strange, there are no monsters!" Lily's gaze swept across the area ahead.
The girls also looked puzzled. There wasn't a single monster in sight. It was very strange. On other floors, the dungeon would spawn hundreds of monsters every second, slowly wearing down the adventurers.
"prey----"
Roy knew the reason, of course. The Fallen Fairy clone and the special alien monster, the Man-eating Flower, fed on magic stones and almost wiped out all the monsters on the floor. The Fallen Fairy clone was then defeated by Loki's Familia, and no new monsters had been born on the floor yet.