The Fukaros Familia, starting from DanMachi.

Chapter 179 A Heart-to-Heart Talk with a Robin

In the silent forest, countless crystal aggregates irregularly reflected the dappled light falling from the sky, dyeing the entire forest a dreamlike pale blue.

Even the massive tree roots that split the ground were covered with thick moss and shimmering blue fragments.

"This—this is practically a CG-level scene!" Fen Yu couldn't help but exclaim inwardly. "If this were in my previous life, what kind of top-of-the-line graphics card would be needed to render it in real time?"

This mysterious and fantastical scenery compels one to marvel at the wonders of the Creator.

If you listen closely, you can faintly hear the sound of flowing water coming from not far away.

Soon, they emerged from the crystal forest. The trees ahead thinned out, revealing a semi-circular exit filled with dazzling white light.

As they crossed the boundary of the dark forest, everyone was immediately enveloped in an intensely dazzling light and reflexively closed their eyes.

Once your eyes have gradually adjusted to the light, when you open them again—

"That's amazing!"

Looking at the scene before her, even this usually composed and elegant songstress couldn't help but let out a heartfelt sigh.

Before me lay a magnificent natural landscape, so breathtaking that words could not describe it.

The first thing that catches the eye is the magnificent and vast grassland.

A vast expanse of lush green land, rarely seen even on the ground, occupies most of the field of vision.

Some small black dots moving in the distance seem to be monsters strolling leisurely.

Scattered throughout this landscape are many enormous crystals, like diamonds adorning the green carpet.

To the left is a swamp—no, it's so large it could be called a lake, just a wide expanse of water.

The lake water was dyed a vibrant deep blue, and a huge rocky island floated quietly in the center of the lake.

To the right is a continuous stretch of trees, clearly a vast and boundless forest.

Near the very center of the vast grassland in the distance, there stands a towering tree that reaches straight to the sky. Even from such a great distance, its enormous hollow trunk is clearly visible.

Everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn upwards by this large tree.

Looking up at the extremely high ceiling, you'll see—

Like a chrysanthemum in full bloom, countless crystals covered every corner of the ceiling.

The colors are clearly divided into two: a pure white in the middle, resembling the sun, and a deep blue around it, reminiscent of the sky.

There is no blue sky here.

Instead, it was the countless crystals that, through their own radiance, collectively created a remarkably realistic "blue sky."

"The light of the crystal will fade over time — so there will be night here too."

"7

Daphne introduced the robin, Tifa, Jeanne, and others who were visiting the eighteenth floor for the first time.

"This way," she pointed in a direction and led the group forward, "that's where we used to camp. Now that the Apollo Familia has disbanded, I doubt anyone would use it anymore."

Led by Daphne, they quickly found an excellent campsite with its back against a crystal rock wall, close to a water source, and with an extremely open view.

"Alright, everyone, let's get started!"

Fen Yu clapped his hands and announced the start of setting up camp.

Then, an awkward scene unfolded.

As the group leader, he intended to set an example by being the first to set up the tent, but he ended up tangled with the tent's support poles in a flurry of activity, and was eventually covered by the tent fabric that popped out of the tent.

"Pfft—"

"Commander—are you alright?"

Tifa suppressed a laugh, skillfully stepped forward and quickly rescued the trapped Fenyu, then deftly set up the tent steadily on the ground.

Fen Yu stared at the sky speechlessly. As the adventurer who leveled up the fastest in the city, he dared to draw his sword and slash at monsters of level Iv5, but he still failed when faced with a small tent and lost his dignity in front of his teammates.

Daphne and Cassandra also looked at each other strangely, never expecting that their seemingly calm and powerful leader would also have a useless side.

Not wanting to continue hindering the tent-setting process, Fenyu could only stand awkwardly to the side, watching Tifa, Jeanne, Feng Jin, and the experienced Daphne and Cassandra busy themselves with the task.

To cover up his "incompetence," he cleared his throat and pointed to the forest behind him, saying, "Um—I remember seeing fruit on the trees on the way here. I'll go pick some to have as dessert."

Eina did provide information about the eighteenth floor; most of the plants and fruits there are edible, a gift from the dungeon to adventurers.

"I don't think I can be of much help, so I'll go with the leader."

The robin, who also felt useless in terms of work, stepped forward with a smile and naturally followed Yu into the forest.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Cassandra, who was busy setting up the tent, couldn't help but whisper to Daphne beside her, "When it comes to camping, the captain and vice-captain—they both seem to be complete noobs."

"Pfft—" Daphne almost burst out laughing and quickly nodded in agreement.

The two walked side by side through the silent crystal forest, their feet treading on soft green grass, surrounded by clusters of crystals emitting a faint blue light, creating a tranquil and beautiful atmosphere.

Suddenly, Fenyu broke the silence, his voice tinged with uncertainty: "Robin, will you—blame me? For binding you to Orario? After all, you must have other things you'd like to do more than be trapped here as an adventurer."

Upon hearing this, the robin stopped and turned around. Its lake-green eyes, reflected in the crystal, seemed to be filled with starlight.

She just smiled and shook her head.

"There's no such thing as being bound by anything, Fenyu. I'm happy every day to be able to form a clan with everyone."

She paused, her tone becoming serious, "And also, I recently learned some things about the outside world from the guild's information."

She held up a finger and tapped it lightly in the air: "This is a feudal society similar to the Middle Ages, with kingdoms, nobles, and even slaves—but these are just different forms of social development. My philosophy is to help the weak with the strong," rather than to instigate any kind of change. What really makes me uneasy is that I've heard that the situation outside is very bad.

"7

"It's not because of internal strife, wars, or anything else among humans; those are unavoidable growing pains in the development of civilization. What truly plunges the outside world into chaos is monsters."

Robin's eyes became more solemn than ever before: "The monsters of Dragon Valley often manage to bypass the barriers established by the school district and wreak havoc in the lower realm, causing countless families to be destroyed and countless lives to perish."

She raised her head, looked at Fenyu, and a confident and determined smile returned to her face.

"So, what I need to do is very simple: strive to become stronger, and then use my singing to soothe the wounds of those who are hurt, and assist you—to save this world, Captain."

She winked playfully. "That sounds pretty romantic, doesn't it?"

"Save the world—"

Upon hearing this, Fen Yu smiled.

This word was both distant and familiar to him.

He hadn't really thought about such a grand goal.

At first, I wanted to become an adventurer simply because I wanted to gain extraordinary power, become stronger, and not be at the mercy of others.

Later, it was to prove to Alphia that he wasn't just a dispensable "noise," that he wanted to become the person she longed for.

The heroes who can stand by her side.

Then, with the arrival of Robin and Tifa, this longing turned into a heavy responsibility. Since he had brought them into this world without permission, he had to take full responsibility and protect them.

Therefore, his goals have been changing, but the core has never changed: to become stronger.

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