The next day, they resud their exploration of the Dungeon floors.
The upcoming floors were no longer as simple as the lower levels—they had entered the Deep Floors.
The Deep Floors were not a stage accessible to Level 1 adventurers, but a place for Level 2 and Level 3 adventurers to train and grow.
After a night of rest, the Level 2 and Level 3 adventurers were all in serious form.
The Deep Floors were no joke. Even Level 1 adventurers could easily et their end here.
Monsters appeared far more frequently in the Deep Floors, and each one was leagues stronger than those on the lower levels.
While "Monster Feasts" might have been a rare occurrence on the lower levels, in the Deep Floors, they happened with terrifying regularity.
Once an adventurer showed even the slightest sign of faltering, the Dungeon seed to sense it in advance, sending out hordes of monsters to surround and annihilate them.
Then ca the first maze of the Deep Floors—the "White Palace."
This place was nothing like the gentle lower levels.
It resembled a pit like those on the upper floors, but this one rose dozens of ters high, its walls covered entirely in white rock. That’s how it got its na—"White Palace."
Any adventurer who had delved into the Deep Floors shared the sa opinion of this place:
"Terrifying!"
"It’s like a white hell. The rocks look like eyes, always watching ."
Almost no one liked the White Palace.
Yet, as the gateway into the Deep Floors, the White Palace was the first trial every adventurer had to face.
After regrouping on the 28th floor, the Loki Familia chose not to split into first and second teams.
From the 28th floor onward, they were in the Deep Floors.
And here, there was no such thing as sweeping through the monsters and casually following up later.
The spawn rate of monsters in the Deep Floors was intense. While it might take 30 minutes for new monsters to appear in the lower levels, here it could take less than 10.
The deeper you went, the shorter the intervals beca. Without strong enough overall power, you couldn’t even hope to challenge the later floors.
"This is the White Palace..."
The blacksmiths from the Hephaestus Familia were staring at the surrounding walls.
Of course, they knew this place in theory, but as craftsn, they’d never actually been to the Deep Floors. Their work kept them far from the Dungeon. Forging and refining their craft was their true calling.
"It really is... hard to describe."
Cold. Oppressive.
It felt like soone was blowing on the back of their necks. A chilling breeze filled the air, making their scalps tingle just by standing still.
"Doesn’t it feel like there are a bunch of eyes watching us?"
"Yeah, exactly! That’s the feeling."
The blacksmiths suddenly rembered the sa eerie sensation they’d get when clients watched them work on weapon repairs.
Even though being a blacksmith required ntal toughness and patience, they still couldn’t withstand the intense, piercing stares of adventurers. No matter how composed they were, it always made their backs tingle.
But the feeling on this floor was even stronger.
That icy breeze crawling up their necks was especially intense.
"...So this is the Deep Floors."
Welf stared blankly at the surrounding walls.
Compared to this, the lower floors had been relatively peaceful. As a blacksmith in the second team, he was rarely in danger. All he had to do was carry his equipnt and move forward.
He’d seen monsters before, but none required the blacksmiths to fight.
Their captain, on the other hand, never sat still. Back on the lower floors, the mont she saw ore, she’d charge in without hesitation, even if there were monsters around.
Of course, those monsters were no match for the captain. She’d crush them effortlessly.
Watching her, Welf finally understood how crucial strength was.
’Too bad... I’m just a blacksmith.’
Welf knew his own limits. Maybe he had a talent for magic, but his true passion was crafting weapons and gear. He wasn’t all that interested in fighting.
He’d only beco an adventurer to gain a Developnt Ability.
And once he obtained the "Blacksmith" Developnt Ability, he rarely returned to the Dungeon. Most of his ti was spent in the workshop.
Dreaming of becoming soone like the captain, casually dispatching terrifying monsters, was sothing that only happened in his sleep.
...
"But this place really is creepy."
After entering this floor, Welf clearly felt a heavy, oppressive atmosphere—completely unlike anything above the 28th floor.
"Of course it is. Only adventurers above Level 5 dare co here."
Welf froze for a mont, then saw the captain walking over with gear on her back.
He studied her closely. She felt different today.
Normally, she was always grinning, but today her usual smile was gone.
"...Huan... Captain, you seem different today."
Tsubaki’s face stiffened. She hadn’t expected Welf to notice sothing was off.
But she didn’t ntion what Bell had told her—or what she herself already knew.
So things were better left unsaid.
They were on an expedition, and if word got out about the possible existence of "Spirits" on an unknown floor, the entire expedition team could fall apart.
"You think just because I’m usually all smiles, I can’t be serious once in a while?"
"It’s not that..."
Seeing her serious face, Welf was startled and started stamring.
But watching her act so firm and composed, Welf couldn’t shake the strange feeling inside.
Sothing felt... off. He just couldn’t put it into words.
Realizing she couldn’t keep up the act much longer, Tsubaki coughed a couple of tis and gave Welf so reminders.
"Welf, you need to understand—the Deep Floors are dangerous enough to claim the lives of even Level 5 adventurers. So be careful."
Gulp.
That warning hit Welf’s danger sense hard.
Before joining the expedition, he had asked his colleagues about the Deep Floors. From them, he’d picked up a good amount of intel.
After all, they were all blacksmiths, and many had close ties with adventurers. Conversations about Dungeon exploration were common, and the Deep Floors were always a hot topic.
Even if this was his first ti here, he already knew how deadly it could be.
Even the top-tier adventurers had to team up to venture this deep. That alone spoke volus about the risks.
Now that the captain had said it herself, Welf couldn’t focus on anything else.
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