The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"It's too tough, I can't break through it."

What does it feel like to be helpless against a bandit-armored thief and lose? Vena now understands a little bit about it.

"Then give me a ride!"

"No, what do you want to do?"

Even faster than an explanation was Felix's action.

He held his sword in one hand, and his figure flashed like a ghost above Vina's head.

Without exchanging a single word, Venere understood perfectly, extending her hands, pressing her palms together, and placing them on the soles of Felix's feet, then forcefully lifting them upwards.

Felix's body instantly transformed into a shooting star and shot into the sky.

The two-headed banshee, believing she had eliminated the greatest threat, was about to press her advantage and dive after Venus in the direction she had fallen when a flash of silver light suddenly appeared before her.

This time, it wasn't facing a tin can, but a sky full of blades gleaming from a dull cleaver.

"Zero-Flash Formation - Ten Machines!"

Felix's right hand, which was resting on the hilt of his sword, trembled slightly as if by lightning.

No one could see exactly how many times he moved; they could only sense the flashes of the blade growing faster and faster.

The distance between the human and the demon was three to five meters. Even though the human never touched the long sword itself until the very end, it only caused a burst of blood when it collided with the light of the sword.

Its massive body was eventually torn apart by countless blades, ultimately turning into beautiful, tragic clouds of blood mist.

Without the Thief's Blade Armor, Felix might not be able to withstand the harpies from all sides like Venus, relying on his tortoise-shell-like defense to charge in and out of the enemy seven times.

However, if he could secure a one-on-one opportunity, even against a two-headed banshee whose power had increased dramatically after merging, he would never lose.

But there is a more pressing problem right now.

How can Felix land safely without the protection of the Thief's Armor?

Chapter 124 Nest on a Lonely Peak

Fortunately, after slaying the two-headed banshee, Felix's upward momentum did not diminish.

This gives him more time to think.

If the remaining harpies were to launch a counterattack during this time, Felix, who had no leverage, would not be able to escape unscathed.

Fortunately, the remaining harpies had already retreated far away while Venus was fighting the two-headed harpy. Now that the two-headed harpy had been beheaded, they scattered like birds and beasts, and dared not even think of revenge.

Soon, Felix's ascent stopped, and he began to fall rapidly from the sky.

The extra few seconds didn't allow Felix to come up with a solution to the current situation; they only gave him time to sheath his knife and take out an escape stone from his bag.

Felix looked down, estimated the time it would take to hit the ground, and planned to crush the escape stone before the final moment arrived.

But then another figure, reflecting the light, rose from the ground.

It's Wiener.

With Lisette's help, he pulled himself out of the ground.

Verna controlled the force of his leap, aiming to catch the falling Felix.

"I knew Vena wouldn't let me down!"

A warm feeling welled up in Felix's heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The escape stone in their hands quietly returned to its place, and the two figures rushed towards each other in the air.

"Ok?"

Wiener reached out to catch him, but Felix bent his knees, using Wiener as a stepping stone, and gently placed his feet on Wiener's shoulders.

This seemingly light kick carried an immense downward force.

Wiener plummeted at a speed several times faster than it had risen, and soon crashed to the ground.

Felix used this momentum to neutralize the acceleration in the first half of the race and completed a beautiful mid-air spin.

Even without any protection, Felix could land safely for the remaining distance.

"Safe landing!"

Felix announced, his arms outstretched, without even the slightest sway of his body.

If this set of movements could be scored, it would be a very high score of 9.9 out of 10.

How dare you say that?

Wiener, who served as a stepping stone, was not so lucky.

He almost prostrated himself, making intimate contact with the earth.

Although it wasn't damaged by the Thief's Armor, it was incredibly ugly.

"Well, it's your own fault for taking so long to arrive. You almost got Ridley injured!"

Felix preemptively filed a false accusation.

"Uh, actually I'm fine."

That being said, Felix, who had deliberately caused trouble, had kept Listy, a defender, in the safest position until Vena arrived.

Not to mention injuries, not even a single hair was lost.

"...Fine, it's my fault."

Unaware of this, Wiener was both angry and frustrated, but considering that he would have to rely on this guy later, he could only silently swallow his anger.

The second level of the dungeon is not as good as the first level.

If a third-tier emblem user can still dominate the first level with their own strength, they must abandon such a mindset when they reach the second level of the dungeon.

After all, the goal of Vina and the others was to explore the path to the third level of the dungeon, not to go all out to defeat a group of monsters, collect resources, and then retreat. Every bit of strength had to be carefully calculated.

For a team aiming to explore new areas, a three-person team configuration is already the most basic.

Normally, an ideal, complete squad should have a front-line tank, a back-line spellcaster who provides spell support and healing, a scout responsible for pathfinding and providing some ranged control, and a damage dealer with offensive capabilities.

Only through proper combination can we cope with various emergencies as much as possible.

For example, in this encounter, if there had been an archer in Vina's team, the outcome of the battle would have been completely different.

If flying monsters have an inherent advantage over ground units that lack ranged capabilities, then a specialized archer is the trump card that can completely reverse this disadvantage.

In other words, the three of them were far stronger and better equipped than ordinary Tier 3 Emblem users, which is why they were able to defeat this group of harpies in such an almost reckless way despite numerous unfavorable factors.

Otherwise, the two-headed banshee alone, who had broken through to the fourth rank after merging and already possessed the rudiments of a magic barrier, would have been enough to leave them helpless.

The contents of the book cannot be entirely trusted. Although Jessica's notes are detailed, they differ from the current situation.

Although Vena hadn't entered the dungeon these past few days, she had subtly inquired with others and concluded that the strength of monsters of the same level within the dungeon had significantly increased compared to before.

The Black Eagles Class organized an elite expedition to investigate the origins of this phenomenon.

Moreover, I heard that the Blue Lions and Golden Deer also shared some of the tasks.

This is an event that requires the cooperation of three academic leaders, and its nature is self-evident.

If it weren't for forging the Thief's Blade Armor, which made up for the team's weakness in the vanguard, Viner wouldn't have rashly proposed the plan to explore the second level of the dungeon.

"You know that much." Felix was extremely pleased with himself for getting the better of Vena verbally.

"By the way, let's quickly see if there are any worthwhile materials on this guy—"

Ordinary harpies are one thing, but the final harpy leader has reached the level of a fourth-tier demon, which is a fundamental difference.

"Eh?"

Before Felix could even make a move, the two-headed banshee, which had been torn apart in mid-air, vanished into black smoke, leaving not a single hair behind.

"Stop making such a fuss. If you want the loot, you have to go to their lair." Viner patted Felix on the back of the head, her tone tinged with helplessness.

A wandering monster with no fixed abode, it can feed itself without worrying about its entire family; its most valuable possession is its own body.

Monsters like harpies, which have formed colonies and possess a sense of territory and nests, tend to leave the best items in their nests.

“Let’s go, this way,” Venere said, leading the way.

During his previous ascensions, Venus had vaguely located the harpy's location.

-----------------

The three of them climbed up the tree roots to the top, where their view suddenly opened up.

A lone peak stood before them, and on the peak was a cave, which was the lair of the harpies.

The nest is perched on a steep cliff, and its treacherous terrain naturally forms an insurmountable defensive line.

Without wings, even if you manage to climb to the top of the tree with great difficulty, you will still have to face this bottomless rift valley.

The width of thirty meters is rather ambiguous.

With a bottomless abyss beneath your feet, even if you have the ability to leap across, you still need enough courage.

If the three hadn't killed the harpies and forced them to flee their nest, there would probably have been even more obstacles.

If one can exert force with firm footing, such a distance is nothing more than a leap by Vina after she puts on the Thief's Armor.

But now, although the tree trunk beneath their feet is thick, it may not be able to support the pressure when Wiener jumps with all his might.

"Should we take a detour?" Lisette asked.

"This is the shortest route."

Wiener's attitude was obvious.

Chapter 125 Cliff Crossing

In dungeons where the terrain changes regularly, maps are affected by timeliness and are therefore of little use.

The only reliable reference is the coordinate system.

Coordinates also have similar issues.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but what if there is no path?

Therefore, scouts are indispensable in a complete squad.

Scouts are responsible for exploring ahead, helping the team avoid detours, and providing early warnings to avoid dangerous areas.

However, Wiener chose a different approach.

No road? The places I can walk are roads.

Wiener fiddled with the weapon case, and with a whirring sound of a mechanism turning, the top of the case slowly opened.

Immediately afterwards, a grappling hook, gleaming with cold light, shot out at lightning speed and hooked precisely onto the rocks on the opposite bank.

The rope, originally intended for climbing, was pulled taut. Venere tugged on the rope to make sure it was secure before looking at Felix.

"Is it me again?"

Felix looked around to make sure no one was behind him before pointing to himself.

"What else can we do? Let's hurry up."

“Okay,” Felix agreed.

Venere then took out another rope and tied it around Felix's waist.

In case of any unexpected event, it can serve as a form of insurance.

Even with a bottomless abyss beneath his feet, Felix remained remarkably composed. He moved with the agility of a swallow, using the rope to lightly cross to the other side with just a few light taps.

Upon reaching the other side, Felix untied the ropes binding him and tied them to a solid rock.

This gives you two ropes, making it more stable.

"You can come over now!"

Felix waved towards the opposite bank.

Lisette closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking a while to mentally prepare herself before walking to the grappling hook.

"I'm ready."