Shirou and his companions continued north, encountering a relentless stream of monsters. The constant attacks seed to confirm their chosen path, strengthening their resolve to press forward. After slaying yet another monster, Shirou wiped sweat from his brow, looking at the magic stones scattered everywhere. They had encountered so many monsters, as if the entire floor's population had converged on them. As they advanced, the Hers Familia, who had initially been collecting magic stones, began to ignore them, their bags already overflowing.
"How's the adjustnt going, Ais?" Shirou asked the golden-haired girl beside him during a pause. Ais gently clenched her small hand and replied,
"I'm almost back to normal."
"You're only almost back to normal after fighting so many monsters? How much of a monster are you?!" Having fought alongside her, Asfi was now aware of Ais reaching LV.6, a fact that both shocked and greatly reassured her. She knew that while LV.5 adventurers weren't rare in Orario, LV.6 adventurers were few and far between, almost exclusively found in the Loki Familia and Freya Familia, which was why these two Familias dominated Orario. With the Sword Princess now at LV.6, a peak rank in Orario, the risk of their current mission had significantly decreased.
"I see the food storage!" Hearing the shouts of other adventurers, Shirou, Ais, and Asfi moved closer. From a distance, they could see the distinct geological features that sharply contrasted with the surrounding environnt. The 24th floor was known as the Great Tree Labyrinth, and its interior was generally covered in unique tree-like environnts, with even the passages being covered in bark-like vines. But here, the surroundings had reverted to a rock structure, and the walls gradually turned a light red.
This was because, deep within the food storage, there was a massive quartz pillar—the main body of the food storage—containing countless nutrients. The changes in the surrounding environnt were to accommodate the quartz pillar's living conditions. Seeing the food storage in sight, everyone regrouped slightly and began to delve deeper. Soon, an unusual event appeared before them.
A green, plant-like flesh wall blocked the path to the food storage. Where this flesh wall t the surrounding walls, it had almost been assimilated into the sa structure.
"It's disgusting!"
"Indeed, these 'plants' don't look like plants at all."
"They look more like at!"
Looking at the obstructed path, Asfi took out her map and frowned.
"According to the map, this should be the way to the food storage. A few of you scout the surroundings to see if there are other paths."
"Yes!"
After the Hers Familia scouts departed, Ais suddenly reached out and touched the flesh wall.
"This thing... it's alive!" Ais confird, feeling a real temperature and a faint, heart-like pulsation from her palm. Hearing Ais's confirmation, both Shirou and Asfi beca vigilant.
"Asfi, we're back."
"How was it?"
Through the reports of the returning Hers Familia mbers, everyone learned that all surrounding paths leading to the food storage were blocked by this substance.
"So, it seems those monsters weren't rapidly born from the Dungeon after all."
"That's right!"
Having reached another consensus, Shirou and Asfi exchanged glances and smiled together.
"When the monsters on this entire floor are hungry, they will head to the food storage for food. But since the northern food storage is sealed, they are forced to go to the southern food storage."
"This makes their paths converge, leading to a great monster migration."
"This monster migration route spans north to south, and it's bound to intersect with the regular routes adventurers frequently use, occupying them. That's why they mistakenly thought there was a rapid birth of monsters."
Hearing their explanation, the others nodded in understanding.
"So, the culprit behind all this is the one who blocked the food storage?"
"Exactly!"
With the conclusion drawn, everyone looked at the flesh wall.
"Then let's continue!"
"Should I cut it?" Hearing Shirou's words, Ais imdiately drew her sword, but was stopped by Asfi.
"Wait a mont, I want to gather so information, so let's use magic!"
"li!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Asfi's command, the Pallum mage, li, stepped out of the group and began chanting a spell. Then, a massive fireball appeared, burning a large portion of the flesh wall.
"It seems fire is quite effective against this thing."
"Then isn't this my main stage?" Thinking of his various explosions, Shirou couldn't help but get excited.
"No, I've heard about the Magic Sword Archer's destructive power. This is clearly labyrinthine terrain; too strong an explosion would engulf all of us." Asfi pushed up her glasses, saying nervously, having seen the internal structure through the burnt hole.
"Alright!"
Right, my Super Broken Phantasm is sealed again. After so discussion, everyone cautiously proceeded past the flesh wall. Once they had all entered, the flesh wall behind them suddenly healed, trapping them inside.
"Oh no, the wall regenerated!"
"Don't yell so casually, Lulune! It's just a flesh wall; we'll blast it open on the way back.
"Yes!"
Feeling Asfi's stern gaze, Lulune imdiately shut her mouth. Seeing Lulune quiet down, Asfi re-examined the surroundings. In such an enclosed environnt, any words that shook morale could be the final straw that broke the team. Although there was nothing unusual right now, they had just entered, and the Sword Princess was present. Later, when they were trapped alone in similar areas, such words would beco dangerous.
The surrounding walls had now all turned into green flesh walls, looking at first glance as if they had entered the body of a living creature. Ais, holding her Desperate Sword, easily cut through the wall, revealing the rock structure behind the flesh.
"Sothing is covering the Dungeon." Shirou said seriously, touching the opening. After exchanging glances with Ais and Asfi, Shirou stated firmly,
"Let's keep going!"
"We have no choice!"
As the group continued to advance, they suddenly encountered a fork in the path, making them stop again.
"Another fork!"
"Asfi, which way should we go now?"
Just as Lulune was asking Asfi, nurous man-eating plants suddenly surged out from both diverging paths.
"A pincer attack?!"
"Watch out, they're coming from behind too!"
"Oh no!"
The surrounded group imdiately tensed up.
"Sword Princess, could you take one path?" Asfi calmly instructed, facing the surging monsters.
"I understand!"
"In that case, I'll take one path too!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Magic Sword Archer!" Shirou projected a greatsword and nodded slightly.
Unlike the sudden ambush earlier, where the monsters dropped from the ceiling, causing chaos, now, in this terrain, even though they were surrounded, these monsters wouldn't gain an advantage against the fully prepared Hers Familia. And in this situation, he could finally engage in his favorite close-quarters combat. Although Shirou was an archer, it didn't stop him from loving close combat.
Close combat, his favorite!
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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