In this chaotic world, it all started when they found an elf girl

　Bang!

　The skeletal sheep's body turned to ashes, and fragments of magic stone, along with a piece of gray leather, fell to the ground.

　Roy breathed a sigh of relief. The deep-level monsters possessed extraordinary latent abilities, but they hadn't yet shed their monster identity; they lacked reason. They only fought according to instinct, hunting adventurers who ventured into the dungeon. Cunning adventurers could easily deceive them with a single feint. Roy picked up the skeletal sheepskin from the ground and stored it in his spatial ring. Good luck.

　The mission involves drawing a map, acquiring five "Skeleton Sheep" masks or leather, ten "Obsidian Soldier" core stones, and collecting dust from the third circular wall.

　Rumble!

　With a tremor of the earth, a large number of figures appeared in the passage ahead.

　Even though its body was distorted and emitted a jet-black luster like a gemstone, the head area, resembling a single eye, contained an eerie purple light.

　Potential ability at LV.3, Obsidian Soldier!

　Rock-type monsters with obsidian bodies. Their movements are slower and heavier than warrior-type monsters, with only their defense being relatively good. Among the monsters on the 37th floor, their combat ability is relatively low. They are characterized by appearing in groups, and their bodies weaken magic power; in short, they have high magic resistance.

　Obsidian, with its ability to absorb magical damage, is a valuable material for armor.

　Roy said, "Tiona! You and Miss Ryu switch places. Miss Ryu and Tione deal with the monsters behind you. Cassandra, prepare healing magic. Daphne, protect Cassandra and Lily!"

　Unbeknownst to them, a large swarm of obsidian soldiers appeared behind them as they walked through the passage, numbering in the hundreds. They were now completely surrounded by monsters.

　"Yes!"

　The crowd responded without hesitation, acting on Roy's instructions. You could say they gave up thinking, but at this moment they had to trust Roy wholeheartedly.

　With Ryu and Tiona switching positions, each of the forwards and defenders will have a high-level adventurer, so the pressure won't be too great.

　Tiona's twin blades unleash their terrifying power in group battles.

　"drink!"

　Tiona roared, her small hands gripping the large double blades and spinning them rapidly, crushing the obsidian soldiers before her like a meat grinder, unstoppable. "Tiona, don't get carried away, don't stray from the group!" Roy, while clearing monsters, was also keeping an eye on his teammates. Seeing Tiona had already run forty or fifty meters away, he called out to warn her.

　Tiona then realized she had almost gotten separated from the group and quickly returned. In the deeper realm, not only time, but even spatial perception became blurred. The battle raged fiercely.

　But the monsters keep coming in waves, they just won't stop, and they appear far more frequently than in the lower and middle levels, giving you no chance to catch your breath or drink water. So a healer is a must in the party.

　Potions can also have a healing effect, but monsters will not give adventurers the opportunity to drink them.

　"O light of heaven, once rejected; merciful arm, saving my shallow self; in the name of my powerless words, save the pitiful. O sunlight, listen to the fading and shattering of prayers, light of Thor!"

　A magic circle appeared beneath Cassandra's feet. Thanks to her developed "magic" abilities, the minor wounds on everyone's bodies healed as soon as she finished speaking. The crowd expressed their gratitude to Cassandra with their eyes, and Roy also cast an approving glance.

Chapter 244 Exploring the White Palace

　The thirty-seventh floor, the white palace.

　A vast army of obsidian soldiers, along with countless skeletal sheep lurking in the darkness, surrounded Roy and his companions, filling the passageway. The obsidian soldiers possessed high magic resistance, so Roy didn't use the elven holy sword's special effect, "Heavenly Blaze," but instead killed these monsters one by one. Roy's skills, honed under the tutelage of the goddess Astraea, were on full display.

　Surrounded by a horde of monsters, countless attacks came from all directions, bringing with it a palpable sense of impending doom that sent shivers down one's spine. Roy's expression remained unchanged.

　Intuitive!

　In the darkness, Roy's perception reached a terrifying level, allowing him to observe the entire world from all angles. Even with his eyes closed, the surrounding environment and situation would automatically appear in his mind.

　Amidst the relentless attack, Roy found the optimal solution. His movements were incredibly subtle, each step perfectly avoiding all the attacks. The powerful attacks from the obsidian soldiers and skeletal sheep grazed past his clothes and armor.

　Bang!

　Faced with an attack that was impossible to dodge, Roy lightly swung his elven holy sword. The cold sword light tore through everything, slaying monsters along with the attack. The elven holy sword was sharp and indestructible, shattering the obsidian soldiers with incredibly smooth cuts. Countless monsters were reduced to ashes, dropping magic stone fragments and materials.

　The divine skills taught by the goddess Astraea, aided by intuition, were brought to their full potential, and Roy displayed them perfectly. His prowess was no less than that of Ryu at LV.5.

　Ryu, Tione, Tiona, and the others couldn't help but be drawn to him. Their beautiful pupils narrowed slightly. The boy's figure was simply an art of skill, and every movement exuded a subtle charm.

　"We can't fall behind!"

　"Follow the leader and crush them!!"

　Roy's battle greatly inspired everyone, overwhelming the deeper monsters in terms of morale.

　Ryu's skills are on par with Roy's.

　Tione and Tiona, on the other hand, rely on pure brute force, which is characteristic of Amazons. It's impossible for them to learn the refined techniques of Roy and Ryu; they prefer the visceral feeling of punches landing.

　The giant orc was smashed to pieces by Tione's punch, and Tiona's massive twin blades swept across, each attack delivered with full force and immense energy consumption. While slaying monsters, Roy continuously used the elven holy sword to slice open the stone walls, ensuring the dungeon prioritized wall repair over monster spawning—a rule that also applied in the Deeper Realms.

　But the deeper layers are still the deeper layers.

　The level of danger is not the same as that of the middle and lower classes.

　The fact that no monsters will spawn in this area does not mean that monsters from afar will not come to you. Doing this in the deep realm can only slow down the encounter with monsters, but it cannot provide a lot of rest time.

　The damaged walls gradually calmed down.

　A dozen minutes later, Roy and his group had cleared out the surrounding monsters, and no new monsters had arrived yet. The magic stone fragments had piled up into a small mountain. They had already completed the five "Skeleton Sheep" masks or leathers and the ten "Obsidian Soldier" core stones for the expedition, and even had more than enough. The group got a short rest.

　Roy asked, "How are you feeling?"

　"No injuries!"

　"My mental strength is about 80%, and my physical strength is about 60%!"

　"Sixty percent mental strength, fifty percent physical strength!"

　Ryu, Tione, Tiona, Daphne, Cassandra, and Lily answered in turn.

　Aside from Ryu, the others weren't in good shape. Even Tione and Tiona, both at LV.4, were drenched in sweat and panting heavily. The monsters in the deeper layers lacked reason, but their numbers were vast, and their individual stats were generally superior to theirs. If it weren't for their skills and powerful weapons, five or six monsters could easily put them in a difficult situation.

　Daphne, Cassandra, and Lily were breathing rapidly, their little faces showing signs of exhaustion.

　Roy forged several high-quality magic swords and gave them to Lily. When monsters suddenly jumped out of the wall and the others couldn't come to the rescue in time, Lily also had to use the magic swords to kill the monsters.

　Cassandra continuously cast healing spells. Although the two were in the center of the group and experienced relatively fewer dangers, they weren't entirely without them. Roy glanced around and knew what to expect. "Tione, Tiona, Cassandra, and Lily, rest for ten minutes. Daphne and Ryu will be on guard!"

　"Hu! Hu! Hu!"

　The four girls lay on the ground, closed their eyes, and fell asleep instantly, their breathing becoming even—a skill Ryu had spent considerable time training them to develop. Daphne, after activating her skills, magic, and developing her abilities, had higher endurance than Tione and Tiona, and was in relatively better condition. Roy leaned against the wall, resting with his eyes closed. He possessed intuition; this passive skill activated 24/7, meaning that even in deep sleep, he would instantly sense if someone tried to ambush him.

　Reliable, safe, and efficient – ​​that's the right way to explore dungeons.

　The kind of individualism that's all about showing off and being tough isn't unheard of in heroic tales, like the "fierce" Otto, who goes on solo expeditions, can reach over fifty floors, fight the floor master one-on-one, and then return to the surface. But that's an exception; most people can't do that.

　Clang!

　Before ten minutes had passed, the monster reappeared, and the sounds of weapons clashing violently rang out again, waking Tiony and the others, who continued fighting.

　At Roy's command, the team advanced; they couldn't afford to be worn down by the monsters here.

　While Liu was killing monsters, she was also drawing a map. Starting from when they entered the thirty-seventh floor, a route leading to the third circular wall appeared on the paper.

　Walking straight along the wall, squeezing through any gaps, and passing through the fifth and fourth circular walls, a large, flawless white circular wall appeared before them. Each of the large circular walls in the "White Palace" was slightly different in color, except for the third circular wall, which was located in the middle and was pure white and spotless.

　This was also the location of Roy and his team's last mission on their expedition: collecting dust from the Third Round Wall.

　This white dust has significant research value and is also an important raw material for making bleach, dyes, and other products; the guild buys it at high prices. Roy swung his elven holy sword, scraping a piece of stone from the wall and storing it in his spatial ring. He could grind as much dust as he wanted later. Only Roy could do something like this.

　This circular wall is extremely hard; it's difficult to pry the stone off with ordinary tools. Adventurers are reluctant to use their equipment, as they would lose more dust than they could earn back if they damaged it. It's not worth it, and losing your armor in the depths is a death sentence.

　This material is in such an awkward situation.

　Therefore, the guild's requirement is to collect as much dust as possible by scraping.

　Roy's elven holy sword was completely immune to damage.

　With that, the guild's expedition material collection was completed, and the group breathed a sigh of relief.

　"Captain, shall we continue exploring?" Tiona asked with a bright smile and a relaxed expression.

　All eyes turned to Roy.

　Seeing the girls' eager expressions, Roy smiled and went along with their suggestion, "Going back the way we came is pointless. Let's take a different route back to the entrance of the 36th floor and draw another map while we're at it."

　"very nice!"

　A cheer erupted from the crowd.

　If it were any other clan, they would definitely leave as quickly as possible after completing the expedition.

　There are many ways to make money in dungeons, and valuable materials are everywhere. For example, in the Labyrinth of Water, many materials are worth millions or even tens of millions of Fali. There is no need to stay in the deepest levels and risk your life. The strength of the monsters and the unexpected situations here are incomparable to those in the middle and lower levels.

　Roy and his group were different; they were focused on improving their abilities and leveling up. Roy never forgot his goal: to conquer the dungeon! How could they talk about conquering the entire dungeon if they couldn't even clear the thirty-seventh floor? Of course, Roy also had to consider the others in the team; exploration wasn't suicide. The group continued on their journey.

　Along the wall, kill the monsters, pass through the narrow gaps, and return safely to the outside of the fifth circular wall.

　The entrance to the thirty-sixth floor appeared ahead.

　No one was injured, and their overall condition remained above 50%. With a Level 5 and a pseudo-Level 5 leader, the team was complete, possessing strong combat power and excellent command. It had all the advantages of a powerful team, so this result was expected.

　Rather, with their lineup, without encountering the floor master or entering particularly dangerous areas, if they were to experience a near-death experience, the people of Orario would be laughing their heads off.

　Traveling back and forth along the third circular wall on the thirty-seventh floor, I conservatively estimate that I killed no fewer than a thousand monsters, all of them LV.3 and LV.4. As a training exercise, that's more than enough.

　Go back and update the stats. Everyone will gain at least two to three hundred more attributes, with lower levels receiving more.

　Everyone wore varying degrees of joy on their faces, and the sunny and cheerful Tiona chatted with the others.

　The closer they got to the entrance, the more monsters there were, but Roy and the others had gotten used to it.

　Easily deal with these peripheral monsters.

　At that moment, in the passageway leading back to the thirty-sixth floor, a figure draped in a wide black robe appeared, half-hidden around a corner, secretly spying. "All personnel on alert!"

　When that person's gaze swept over, Roy, who possessed the Intuition skill, noticed the abnormality earlier than Ryu, who was at LV.5. He stopped in his tracks, turned his head sharply, and stared at that person with a sharp gaze like lightning.

　As soon as Roy's deep voice rang out, the girls' casual chatter vanished instantly. Their faces turned serious, and they returned to their seats, back to back, their expressions wary.

　During their deep exploration, unexpected events occurred frequently. This was already the umpteenth time they had encountered such an event, and they had long since developed a stress response, switching freely between playful and combat states while remaining vigilant about their surroundings.

　Following Roy's gaze, the girls also noticed the dark figure at the entrance to the 36th floor.

　The man seemed surprised by Roy's keen senses and was startled. He darted away like a mouse, disappearing from sight in no time. "Captain, I'll go and bring him back!" Theone rubbed his hands together, volunteering.

　Roy immediately stopped Tiony, "Don't go. It might be a diversionary tactic to separate us. There's something strange about it." Roy frowned and his nose twitched.

　Ryu also sensed something.

　Unfortunately, none of the orcs in the group had a keen sense of smell, so they couldn't immediately determine what the faint scent was coming from. Roy, however, felt a sense of familiarity; he was certain he had come into contact with something similar somewhere before.

　When Roy's gaze swept over Tiona's large twin blades, his pupils dilated, and he shouted, "It's Fire Stone! Everyone get to the corners and take cover..." It took Roy three seconds to finally understand the source of the smell; he had been in contact with it all this time.

　Firestone! It's an excellent fuel for forging equipment. With a little modification, it can be turned into a powerful explosive, but the taste will also change, so Roy didn't react immediately.

　boom! !

　Before Roy could finish speaking, a violent explosion occurred above the circular wall, followed by a dazzling burst of light and a deafening roar. The circular wall shattered, and huge stones rained down like rain, blotting out the sky and crashing down heavily.

　At Roy's prompting, everyone reacted swiftly, scrambling into the corner of the circular wall, similar to hiding in a corner of a building during an earthquake. Ryu's figure flashed like a golden phantom, carrying Cassandra and Lily, the weakest members of the group, to a concealed corner, one in each hand. Boom! Boom! Boom!

　Unlike the third circular wall, the fifth circular wall could be blasted open with explosives. The continuous roar and the resulting ruins of stone fragments buried Roy and the others. After a long while, everything returned to calm.

　Roy and the others climbed out one after another, pushing aside the several tons of rocks pressing down on them with incredible force, comparable to a heavy excavator. The adventurers were truly humanoid monsters.

　Roy asked, "Is everything alright?"

　"fine."

　Liu replied, while Cassandra and Lily behind him were wrapped tightly in Goliath cloths.

　"Think you can solve us with a landslide? You're even more naive than Tiona!" Daphne dusted herself off and activated her skill "Laurel Reincarnation." When she was near death or her stamina was depleted, her durability would be greatly increased, and her skin would gleam like the surface of a laurel tree, harder than steel.

　The hard rocks hit her, but instead of breaking, the landslide only caused her some abrasions.

　Tiona pouted. She wasn't naive; she just didn't like thinking about complicated problems.

　"Damn it, it must be that guy from earlier, I'm going to kill him!" Tiony roared in fury.

　The others also looked furious, including Liu, whose expression was usually calm and collected. Her sky-blue eyes turned icy. Being ambushed in the dungeon was a fatal enmity!

　Let alone deliberately using the firestone to create an explosion, even just attracting a single monster would be enough to enrage everyone. Since it concerns everyone's lives, Liu doesn't care about herself, but she also has to worry about her teammates.

　Roy's eyes were cold, but his expression was calm. "Cassandra, how many more times can you use the magic?"

　Cassandra assessed her condition and answered softly, "My mental strength is around 40%, which should allow me to use healing magic about three times and dispelling magic about once." Roy nodded. Cassandra's magic was a group effect, which consumed a lot of mental strength. It was quite good that she could still use it so many times. It was unrealistic to expect everyone to be like her, with their attributes breaking through the limits.

　“Use a healing spell first to heal everyone’s wounds,” Roy said.

　"Yes, leader!"

　Cassandra raised her staff and began to chant, "One Light of Thor!"

　As the voice faded, a vibrant green light, brimming with life, appeared on everyone's bodies, completely healing the wounds inflicted by the falling rocks. Ryu's gaze was approving; since Cassandra joined the team, she had rarely used Noah's Healing.