The Fukaros Familia, starting from DanMachi.

Chapter 188 The Great Tree Maze

Daphne is right.

Within this isolated underground labyrinth, resupplying drinking water, food, and various consumables is extremely difficult.

Rivera's merchants do business precisely because they know that adventurers can't carry too many items with them.

This is similar to the value of water in the desert.

Even items that can be obtained at very low prices or even for free on the ground will have their value drastically changed once they are transferred to the specific location of Rivera.

Here, adventurers face only two choices: either spend a fortune to buy life-saving items, or be unwilling to spend money and then lose their lives during the subsequent exploration.

The merchants of Rivera are smiling as they present adventurers with this cruel multiple-choice question.

Everything sold here, including the most basic magic stone lamp, is outrageously expensive.

What's even more interesting is that under the eaves where pedestrians pass by, you won't see a single shop assistant coming out to solicit customers.

Instead, they wore faint, cold smiles as they swaggered into the shop and leisurely polished their weapons.

They were also adventurers, and their fierce yet shrewd demeanor contrasted sharply with the beautiful streetscape around them.

Here, customers aren't gods; sellers are the bosses.

"Thank goodness—thank goodness I didn't plan to stay here."

Fen Yu couldn't help but feel somewhat fortunate.

Fortunately, I listened to Eina's advice before setting off and brought enough dry food, supplies, and several tents.

Otherwise, just staying here for one night would probably make their already impoverished family even worse off.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose in the distance.

Fenyu and the others looked over curiously and saw a group of adventurers, led by Bos, fully armed and hurrying out of the town.

"Xin Yan, you're here too. Perfect timing! A large number of firebirds have appeared on the nineteenth floor. We need manpower to clear them out. This is an urgent task. Do you accept?"

Bos spotted Fenyu and the others in the crowd at a glance, his eyes lit up, and he strode over.

"An adventurer's commission? No problem."

Fen Yu agreed almost without hesitation.

Besides earning money through magic stones and items dropped by monsters, adventurers also rely heavily on guild or private commissions for income, sometimes even as the main source of income.

Upon seeing that he agreed, Pers immediately began to explain concisely.

It turns out that the dungeon experiences "abnormal situations" from time to time, where the number of certain monsters suddenly increases.

The "Firebird" confirmed this time is a rare bird-shaped monster that only appears from the 19th floor. As its name suggests, they are good at fire attacks.

It is said that the number of these troublesome monsters has recently surged, and they have repeatedly turned the "Great Tree Maze" area below the 19th floor into a sea of ​​fire.

Worse still, some of them flew into the 18th floor, which should have been a safe floor, and set fires all over the sky, even damaging the lakeside town of Rivera.

The high-level adventurers who run inns and shops in the labyrinth are unwilling to stand by and watch their shops burn to ashes. Therefore, they spontaneously organized themselves and issued an emergency quest, hoping that every high-level adventurer passing through the 18th floor would lend a hand to jointly defeat these "arsonists".

Although the main force of Loki's Familia had already entered the deeper levels, Finn, being shrewd, was not about to be kind enough to clear out such troublesome but ultimately insignificant monsters for the sake of a black-hearted town.

As long as they weren't blocking their way, these firebirds were dispensable to them, so they were left to their own devices; after all, monsters were an endless supply.

The organizers in Rivera Town clearly understood this, and therefore prepared a large number of fire-resistant Fire Essence Robes as advance payment to each participant who accepted the commission.

"Wow, even though it's just a basic model, the workmanship is pretty good."

Feng Jin draped the soft, dark red robe over her body, enjoying its natural coolness.

"Who wouldn't like to get something for free?"

Fen Yu shrugged, but despite saying that, he showed no intention of putting it on.

Robin, Tifa, Daphne, and the others put on robes one after another. The large robes covered their figures, leaving only their wary eyes visible, adding to their mystery.

"Guild leader, aren't you going to wear it? This is free fire resistance gear."

The robin looked at him with amusement.

"It's related to my major, so I don't need it."

Fen Yu patted his chest, looking confident. "I'm someone who plays with fire, why would I be afraid of fire? If word got out, wouldn't people laugh at me?"

Upon hearing this, the others stopped trying to persuade him.

Following the large group of adventurers including Perth, they soon arrived at the entrance to the nineteenth floor.

Upon entering, the view suddenly opens up, completely different from the previous caves or rock formations.

This place feels like the interior of a giant tree that can support the sky.

The walls, floors, and ceilings—everything in sight—are made up of massive, intertwined wooden structures, exuding an ancient and damp atmosphere.

Instead of phosphorescent stones, the ground was covered with vast expanses of moss that emitted a ghostly blue light, making the enormous space resemble a deep-sea dragon palace—dreamy and eerie.

Countless enormous roots and branches intertwine to form an incredibly complex natural labyrinth, with some areas creating wide passages and others so narrow that only one person can pass sideways.

The adventurers quickly split into different teams according to their own habits, chasing after the firebirds that streaked across the sky, scattering and disappearing into the depths of the labyrinth.

"Let's go too, stay close and watch your step."

After giving a word of advice, Fenyu led Robin and the others in the direction the firebird had flown, chasing after it as they ventured deeper into the great tree maze.

Not long after, a muffled flapping sound of wings came from above a side road.

A large, bright red bird appeared, accompanied by a piercing cry. It was over two meters long with an astonishing wingspan. A pair of bloodshot eyes burned with a violent flame, and its huge beak suddenly opened.

Deep within the bird's beak, blazing orange-red flames were rapidly gathering, distorting the surrounding air with intense heat and emitting a burnt smell.

Just as the flames were about to erupt, Fen Yu moved.

His figure flashed quickly, his toes lightly touching the thick tree roots, and he used this force to soar into the sky.

In mid-air, the longsword, gleaming with a cold light, drew a graceful arc. With a muffled "thud" as the blade sliced ​​into flesh, the firebird didn't even have time to let out a cry before it was cleanly and neatly cleaved in two from head to tail. Hot blood and entrails mixed with the embers of the flames spilled onto the ground.

At the same time, another firebird attacked from the side.

Without even glancing at it, Fen Yu stretched out his left hand and uttered two words indifferently: "Gospel."

The invisible sonic projectile instantly traversed space and struck the firebird precisely in the chest and abdomen.

The firebird's flight abruptly froze, then it seemed as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, its entire body caved inward, and its internal organs were instantly pulverized into a bloody pulp by the terrifying force.

It let out a short, mournful cry and fell helplessly from the sky. Before it even hit the ground, it had already lost all its life force, leaving behind a scorching magic stone and a beautiful red feather on the ground.

"Well done!"

Daphne sighed in admiration, but her whip did not stop moving at all.

The long whip, like a nimble snake, precisely wrapped around the neck of another swooping firebird and pulled it downwards with a sudden jerk.

The firebird let out a sharp cry and was forcibly pulled down from the sky by tremendous force.

Before it could struggle, Daphne had already pounced on it, her rapier transforming into a streak of silver light, instantly piercing its neck.

The firebird twitched, its body turning into black ash and dissipating, returning to the embrace of the dungeon, leaving only a magic stone behind.