Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Once again, staring at the junk that Ais had spent 2500 million francs to buy, Ciel was genuinely worried for the girl.

Will this kid get a beating when he gets home?

Oh, I'm so excited!

Ciel, with a wicked grin, thought: I'll use Ais to get to the trial location I need to reach, and maybe even trick Chanis along the way...

Loki's beloved treasure suddenly disappeared, throwing the front lines into chaos. Following the clues, they traced it back to the Soma Familia!

Could he, in a fit of anger, simply play music and sing to send Somo away?

If that's the case, I won't need to consider using Erebus to achieve my goal... and I can also find new divine protection...

For example, the magnanimous Demeter... or the wealthy Hephaestus, whose conquest is effortless...

……

The next day.

Snapped--

The magic stone lamps on the ceiling had not yet fully illuminated the floor. While still in a dream, Xia Er felt something pressing down on him, followed by a burning pain on his face.

He struggled to open his eyes, and what he saw was a frowning, silent face reflected in the golden tips of his hair, illuminated by beams of morning light.

Charles touched the slap mark on his face: "A...life negotiation?"

"No! We should get going!"

"You can wake me up in a different way. You almost knocked my head off!"

Ais really wanted to say... I stared at you for an hour, poked your face for fifteen minutes, pulled off the blanket and glared at you for another five minutes, but in the end, slapping you was the most efficient way.

"It was called, but it failed."

Ais waved her hand, not wanting to discuss the topic, and urged, raising her head and pointing outside: "Today is the beginning of a legend!"

"Yes, yes. Miss, let's go now."

Exhausted, Charles rolled out of bed, picked up his prepared luggage, and felt as if his spine was about to be bent under the weight.

Tsk, I slept so soundly yesterday, it must be from exhaustion. I wonder if my stamina will increase...

After leaving the inn, the two bought enough maps to reach the Water City from other adventurers at a high price. They crossed the dense forest and found the entrance to the 19th floor under a huge tree root.

……

Floors 19 through 24 of the underground city belong to the area of ​​the Great Tree Maze.

As the name suggests, this is a world surrounded by plants and vines. Clusters of flowers, mushrooms, giant trees, vines, insects, moss, and no monsters—this pristine ecosystem alone is enough to overwhelm most ordinary adventurers.

Conversely, this is a sanctuary for pharmacists. The plant life in the forest is incredibly diverse, and every blade of grass seems to possess considerable medicinal value. Even the glowing moss on the ground can be taken back and sold for money.

It is also the main production area for many specialty fruits of the underground city.

Charles also discovered many medicinal herbs rarely used in this world... such as star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan pepper, fennel, ginger, and so on...

In the world's understanding and research, most of the medicinal materials that can be directly taken to restore one's condition are recorded, but few people pay attention to these traditional Chinese medicine preparations.

The two walked on a path woven from giant tree roots. Because the passage was narrow, they could avoid attacks from many monsters.

Charles casually stepped on some of the spice reserves, which displeased Ais.

As he watched Ais deal with the battlefield boars one by one, he talked about topics that interested her:

"Speaking of ways to quickly increase stats, our clan has also done some research. According to our research, once a human reaches a certain stat stage, the stats gained from killing the same monster will decrease significantly, until there is a certain stage where they can no longer grow."

"It is generally believed that this is due to the limitations of the individual adventurer's aptitude. Most adventurers in Orario remain at this stage."

"However, if you want to go further in the future, you need to accumulate experience starting from level 1."

Ais slashed aside a firebird that tried to ambush her, then turned her head: "How can I break through this bottleneck?"

Clearly, Ais has also reached a bottleneck period. After all her attributes reached B-level, her growth rate has slowed down significantly.

As Charles happily harvested the familiar plants by the roadside, he explained:

"Challenging high-level monsters. This kind of advanced experience, known as 'great achievements,' can break through the so-called 'aptitude.' However, doing so carries a very high risk. Especially when on floors far beyond one's own level, usually only death awaits the adventurer."

"The inability to adapt to dangerous environments and battles, and the inability to break through so-called constraints, is what adventurers are currently referred to as having innate talent."

"Because of the so-called 'qualification,' many adventurers are content with the status quo, admit their incompetence, and begin the repetitive 'miner' life, day after day."

"Only by truly unafraid of death and using monsters far beyond oneself as stepping stones can one reach the true summit."

Ais cleanly severed Berg Bear's lower limbs, and the massive body slammed to the ground. The wind pressure then exploded, destroying Berg Bear's magic stone and turning it into ashes.

"What should I do? The monsters here are still too weak!"

"Want to learn? I'll teach you!"

Chapter 31 Want to get stronger? I'll teach you!

Charles stood with his hands behind his back, like a wise man in the outdoors.

If it weren't for the large bundle on his back and the five or six long swords hanging on his body, he would really look like a peerless sword immortal.

As for Ais...

How terrifying is Ais when she has activated both [Wind Spirit Swiftness] and [Revenge Princess] throughout the entire journey?

According to the guild's strategy level...

To explore the tree maze area on floors 19-24, you need to be at level 2 with near-maximum stats and have a full party.

Ais accomplished by herself what other small teams could only do.

“Your way of growing up is wrong… well, no, it’s inefficient.”

Ciel tossed the backpack to Ais.

"?" Ais gave her a suspicious look.

Charles ignored him, looking at the map: "Come with me. I'll show you."

This map, drawn by a seasoned expert, records some dangerous areas on the 19th floor. Xia Er pointed to the location marked with a scarlet honeycomb pattern and said:

"Let's go, to this place! The Bloody Beehive..."

“That place is dangerous,” Ais questioned.

Over the past year, Rivera had also given Ais a crash course in dungeon-related knowledge. Among them was the so-called "hidden killer"—the "Killer Ant."

And then there's the first stage of level 2, the infamous monster lair—the Bloody Beehive, which naturally ranks high on the list.

The former is an old friend of everyone's.

The latter is naturally one of the monsters that every time traveler must check off their list!

"Watch me learn first, then try it yourself and keep up with my pace." Charles taught in a serious tone.

After passing through three tree holes and descending two levels, the two followed a secluded tunnel towards the wall. During this time, Sharl used [Reversal Veil] to dodge the monsters they encountered.

until……

The two looked up and saw 'that' thing.

It was a huge 'beehive' buried in a tree hole in the high wall. It looked like a black pine cone, with a diameter of seven meters. Its skin was ugly and looked a bit like a Devil Fruit.

As long as these trap monsters exist, those giant bees that resemble red bees will hide in tree holes of suitable size nearby. Once an adventurer passes by, they will tear open the bark and swarm out.

This monster, which should only appear in the 22nd floor area, appeared on the edge of the 19th floor labyrinth, and was thus recorded by the surviving adventurers, who are now waiting for the guild to issue a quest to subdue it.

Through Ais, Charles learned that the so-called "infinite hatching" skill of the Blood Hive did not exist.

The giant bees simply gather around the hive and settle there, resulting in a massive monster population. Furthermore, the dungeon's direct connection to the hive causes a significant difference in monster hatching speed compared to other locations.

With other monsters surging in from the surrounding passages, it created a monster carnival far exceeding a monster feast. The sheer number of monsters—over a hundred—was far beyond the capabilities of a level 2 team, and as time dragged on, the disaster would only continue.

Under the reversed veil.

Charles stared intently at the giant bee.

Its entire body is encased in a shell that gleams with an armor-like sheen, its sharp edges sending chills down your spine. It is the size of an adult human, and most notably, at the tip of its body are 'poisonous needles' that extend like spears.

"Bees! Wow, such big bees!" Ais exclaimed, her eyes wide. "So many!"

It was the first time she had ever seen such a large insect.

Charles murmured, "I wonder if these bees produce honey? Do they have any special magical effects?"

"..."

"Would a normal person think like this?" Ais thought to herself. "This is probably the mindset of a strong person. I'll remember this."

follow closely.

"We've arrived. Now please watch me carefully."

Charles took a deep breath, drew his longsword, and stepped out of the protective range of the Reversal Veil, exposing himself to the Hive's firing range. He raised his hand and shouted:

"Mundo thinks you're a sissy!"

Ais frowned and stared at Ciel, anticipating his so-called method of becoming stronger.

then……

puff--

A large clump of white slime was sprayed out from the beehive's mouthparts. Before Charles could dodge, he was pinned to the ground and unable to move.

"..."

"..."

Ais stared in disbelief, three black lines quickly slid across her forehead: "..."

Immediately following, a buzzing sound, like countless high-frequency flapping of cicada wings, arose as a swarm of black bees poured out of the giant fruit.

Ais stopped in her tracks as she rushed to the rescue.

The Giant Bee is also known as the Superior Killer, meaning that even level 2 adventurers are unlikely to escape its clutches, let alone the dense swarm of at least 50 of them before us.

Ais didn't have much time to hesitate.

Although they didn't spend much time together, Ais did learn a lot from Ciel. This knowledge might not be very serious, and its authenticity remains to be verified, but Ais still felt obligated to bring Ciel back alive.