Mice dominate the dungeon

"Hahahaha!!"

Upon hearing this, Karen, the warrior walking in front, burst into laughter:

"No wonder he's a newbie! He dares to brag about something so simple! He's really ignorant!"

"Why don't you say that the Puji from your hometown is as powerful as a dragon!"

Seeing Karen getting increasingly out of line, Elana, who was standing nearby, raised her hand and elbowed him to signal him to quiet down.

The adventurer, mocked by Karen, did not refute, but simply scratched his head sheepishly.

George, who was standing nearby, patted him on the shoulder and said comfortingly:

"That's just Karen's personality; she doesn't actually mean you any harm."

The unfortunate adventurer nodded and then took a step forward.

After the brief incident, the ridesharing team became much quieter. Everyone was either focused on getting there or, once they reached a safe area, they would let the others know and then leave the team.

When the ridesharing team arrived at the staircase connecting the eighth and ninth underground floors, only five people remained in the team.

The two members of the Gray Rat team did not immediately head to the ninth floor. Instead, they rested briefly at the bottom of the stairs and waited for their strength to recover before entering the underground level.

For adventurers in the Black Forest town, the ninth level of the Ash Dungeon is a watershed moment.

It is also the transition layer between the shallow and middle areas of the underground city.

Generally speaking, the Adventurers' Guild strongly discourages adventurers below the Gold rank from venturing into areas above the ninth floor.

Similarly, the hitchhiking team will only take lower-level adventurers to the ninth level of the dungeon, which is also the limit of the two Gray Rat team members' strength.

If Elana and her group want to go to the deeper areas, they will need a full squad of gray rats to set off together.

And at that time, they wouldn't bring along other low-level adventurers...

"Friends, we've reached the finish line." Elana led the team to a relatively safe place on the ninth floor.

Following the usual procedure, Elana looked at the adventurers behind her and gave them instructions:

"We will part ways here. You can do whatever you want, but you must all be back here by 3 p.m. and come back to the earth with me."

When Elana noticed a new face in the group, she said something extra.

"No exceptions after the expiration date; you are responsible for your own life and death."

George and the others had no objections to what Elana said.

After giving her instructions, Elana led Karen toward the center of the ninth floor.

For them, charging a small fee to guide them through the Ashes Dungeon is far from enough. They take the opportunity to complete guild quests or hunt less dangerous monsters in exchange for gold.

George first checked his equipment on the spot, placing the weapons in convenient positions.

Although his main purpose today was to mine, he was on the ninth floor, and no one knew if danger would suddenly strike, so he had to be vigilant at all times.

George gripped a longsword in his hand and then headed towards the mining area to the west of the ninth floor.

As he passed by the unfortunate adventurer, he found the man standing there blankly, seemingly lost.

"Hey! Want me to take you to a safe place to mine?" George paused and asked him.

"No need, thank you." The unfortunate adventurer, regaining his senses, smiled and said, "I'd like to familiarize myself with the ninth floor first."

"Then you'd better be careful. If you really encounter danger, remember to run in the direction Elana and the others left. Maybe they can save your life."

"it is good."

Seeing the unfortunate adventurer looking somewhat dazed, George, who was about to leave, hesitated for a moment before finally reaching into his pocket and taking out a folded piece of paper.

"This is the ninth floor map that I drew myself."

"I've already bought the map..." The unfortunate adventurer pulled out a brand new map.

"You bought this from the Adventurers' Guild, right?" George paused for a moment and explained, "The dungeon ecosystem changes rapidly, and the guild's map is only updated every now and then. The one you have is most likely from last month."

Upon hearing George's words, the unfortunate adventurer silently accepted the map, then solemnly thanked him:

"Thanks, buddy! When we get out of here, I'll definitely treat you to a night at the best pub!!"

George waved his hand, not taking the other person's words to heart. Clearly, this adventurer didn't know how many gold coins it cost to spend a night at [The Last Cup and Tomorrow's Debt]...

--------

The underground city's western mine.

George, familiar with the area, arrived at his usual mining spot and began his daily mining routine.

As he watched the pickaxe slowly chip away at the mine wall, George couldn't help but recall a time when he himself had been full of vigor and ambition.

During that time, George met many people he could never have imagined in his life, and experienced many unique flavors and excitements.

But life is unpredictable, and good times are always short-lived. After a series of changes, George had to leave the big city and come to a small town in the Black Forest on the border.

Like other adventurers, George, who had just arrived in the town, spent his money when he had it and would borrow money when he didn't, spending his days in taverns and brothels.

It wasn't until George met his current wife, Meryl, and had their son, Johnny, that he gradually changed his bad habits and learned to live a normal life.

He was also willing to become a mining adventurer...

If it costs three silver coins to hitch a ride with the Gray Rat Squad, then George would need to mine at least six silver coins worth of ore per day.

Only in this way could George maintain his daily expenses and still save some spare change to weather the coming winter.

And the prerequisite is that you have to find good quality ore!

Let quality replace quantity.

The main problem was that his physical strength and carrying capacity were limited, so even if he mined iron ore worth more than five silver coins, he couldn't carry it back to the ground to sell for money.

George chose to mine in the ninth layer, rather than in other shallower areas, because the mineral resources there were extremely abundant.

If he's lucky enough to find a rare ore, he can earn a gold coin in a day.

Just like when we dug up hematite before...

As George thought about this, a boy's voice came to mind.

"I wonder where Dardo is now?" George slowed down his mining pace and muttered to himself.

Ever since he obtained specific information about Dardo from the tavern owner Cavilion, he often fantasized about meeting Dardo again on the ninth underground floor and reconciling with him.

During this time, George, who was on the ninth floor, neither found any adventurers who matched Dardo's information nor heard that boyish voice.

Reason told George that as an Emerald-level adventurer, Dardo had already left the Ninth Floor and headed to the Deeper Layers.

Or perhaps he has already quietly left the Black Forest town.

Actually, this is quite good. As long as Dardo doesn't show up, George can continue to live a peaceful life.

George shook his head, gripped his chisel tightly, and continued mining.

And just then...

A long-lost, unfamiliar voice rang out in the mine.

Good morning, Mr. George!