"Anya was already a Level 4 Adventurer when she left the Familia at 13, nya." Anya said.
She reached up and grabbed her hair, then said, "I haven't been active as an Adventurer for a few years, so even now, I'm still Level 4, nya."
"...?!"
After getting the accurate answer, Zephyr's expression became somewhat strange.
He was more concerned about the first half of the sentence: she reached Level 4 at the age of 13, and after letting it slide for a few years, she still maintained that level.
Whether it was speed, strength, or combat experience, any one of those things, if singled out, was something that he, as a Level 2, could absolutely not compete with... hmm, not even come close to.
So, even though his cheat hadn't been turned off during this time, his progress was still not enough.
Especially when witnessing the stat domination brought by a high-level Adventurer, Zephyr felt a sense of urgency.
The growth rhythm of a Gourmet Hunter was based on a completely different logic than that of a normal Adventurer—relying on consuming monster meat to gain stat increases and relying on the special talents brought by Gourmet Cells. Even if he were to double his efforts, it would still take a very long time for him to catch up to Anya.
Zephyr gathered his thoughts and wrapped the cut Hellhound meat in oil paper and stuffed it into the pack Lili handed him.
At the very least, for today's Dungeon exploration, with this kitty in tow, pushing to the 18th Floor and beyond should be no problem, provided the process goes smoothly.
It wasn't just Zephyr who was surprised, even Lefiya and Lili had subtle expressions when they heard this.
Until just now, the girls had never thought that Anya, who was maxed out on the idiot attribute, the waitress working at the Hostess of Fertility, was actually a Level 4 Adventurer.
The look in Lefiya's eyes grew complex. She knew very well that she was currently two levels behind Anya and this was her strength back when she chose to retire.
Most importantly, the way Anya usually looked while carrying trays at the Hostess of Fertility didn't fit the image of a Level 4 Adventurer at all.
—
After ending this unexpected interlude, the exploration continued as usual.
With Anya unleashing her nature, the team's speed significantly increased. She walked at the very front of the party, and she didn't show any hesitation the moment she saw a monster.
Even though Zephyr had said that there were spare weapons, Anya still rejected it. She continued to implement her simple and brutal combat style, overcoming monsters with close combat techniques.
Zephyr could only say that inviting Anya to join the exploration party was definitely the most correct decision. At this rate, they would reach a new area very soon.
"It's been so long since it was like this, nya."
After Anya casually took care of a Minotaur, she said.
However, after continuously killing so many monsters recorded by the Guild, she finally realized that she hadn't encountered the special monsters Zephyr had described.
Her goal for skipping work to explore the Dungeon this time was quite clear: to find those monsters that made her curious, the ones that didn't exist in the records.
Anya turned back to look at Zephyr, tilting her head. "Why hasn't Anya encountered those special monsters you mentioned, the ones I haven't seen before, nya?"
Zephyr knew very well that Anya was referring to Gourmet Creatures. But the appearance of this thing was not something he could actively control. Sometimes he encountered them consecutively, and sometimes there was no activity for several days. At the very least, in the exploration over the last two days, he hadn't encountered such monsters in the Dungeon.
After thinking it over, he shrugged his shoulders and chose to answer truthfully, "If you want to encounter special monsters, it depends on luck."
"So that's how it is, nya?"
Anya didn't doubt him. She trusted Zephyr and there was no reason for him to lie to her, but when she heard the answer "depends on luck," her eyes were a bit forlorn.
"Anya's luck has always been very bad."
After all, she had tried her best to follow him into the Dungeon and ended up joining the party, yet she only encountered normal monsters during the exploration, so it was inevitable that she would feel disappointed.
However, thinking that today was about skipping work to come to the Dungeon to relax, her mood suddenly improved.
She reached out and rubbed her cheeks, casting the previous disappointment to the back of her mind. Being able to explore the Dungeon with Zephyr was much more fun than trying to find ways to slack off at the Hostess of Fertility.
As for the special monster? We can just come again next time, nya.
...
Then, the exploration party arrived at the 16th Floor. Before them lay the staircase passage leading to the 17th Floor area.
As the Supporter, Lili checked the exploration record manual she was carrying—it was densely recorded with the terrain of each floor, monster distribution, and the respawn cycle of the Monster Rex.
She flipped to the corresponding page and reminded them, "The Monster Rex Goliath on the 17th Floor should be respawning during this period. It's just that I don't know... at this stage, are there any Adventurers currently clearing it?"
Of course, Zephyr knew about this thing. It was equivalent to the most powerful thing in this Dungeon area, with strength rated as Level 4 by the Guild. It was definitely a boss of the middle floor area.
Was it really very strong?
Since he had never actually encountered it, he didn't know.
But then again, with Anya in the party, perhaps it is possible to attempt a clear. He didn't mind being carried.
Zephyr calculated the possibilities in his mind. Thanks to the Gluttony skill, he didn't have to worry about the issue of toxins at all.
'If we could encounter the Goliath, even if we couldn't kill it, scraping off some meat to take away and eating it would provide a decent boost, right?'
Thinking of this, Zephyr's heart was filled with anticipation.
He followed in Anya's footsteps, walking onto the stairs that descended deeper into the Dungeon.
The stairs were not particularly narrow, relying on fluorescent ore to provide dim lighting. However, the passageway seemed endless, echoing with the footsteps of Zephyr, Anya, and the others as they pressed forward.
It wasn't just Zephyr. Lefiya, having had experience exploring Gourmet Paradise, also sensed that something was amiss. It was a very familiar feeling.
She vaguely sensed that something was wrong. The length of this flight of stairs had already far exceeded the distance of the floors they had explored previously.
"Hmm?"
Noticing the confusion on her face, even though she hadn't spoken, Zephyr understood what Lefiya wanted to convey.
He nodded slightly and said, "There is indeed something wrong."
As for Anya, who hadn't explored the Dungeon for many years and was completely oblivious to the situation, she walked at the very front. She hummed a lighthearted tune, her tail swaying to the melody, her steps filled with irrepressible joy.
Suddenly, the view ahead opened up. Just as Anya took the final step, the dull gray tones of the rock walls in her field of vision were completely replaced by a vibrant green.
"Nya?!" She froze in place.
She widened her eyes in disbelief, even reaching up to rub them to ensure she wasn't hallucinating, but the reality remained unchanged.
A lush forest spread out from beneath her feet. Each tree stood over a dozen meters tall, their thick trunks wrapped in vines, while their leaves intertwined overhead to form a continuous canopy, completely blocking out the view from the outside.
Sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the leaves. Tiny dust particles danced in the beams of light, and the warmth felt pleasant on their skin.
The sound of a babbling stream came from not far away. The air was filled with the fresh scent of flowers and grass, a completely different world from the damp, musty smell of the Dungeon they had just left.
"What's going on, nya?"
If she remembered correctly, the party had just reached the 16th Floor, yet the scene before her now was identical to the 18th Floor.
"This is..."
Anya turned her head in confusion. "Did we take a wrong turn and end up in the 18th Floor, nya?"
Zephyr did not answer the question immediately. He scanned the surrounding forest environment. Wherever his gaze fell, the system kept popping up notifications.
So, this must mean that the [Outsider] skill was finally exerting its power again.
Recalling Anya's question just now, Zephyr shook his head with a smile and corrected her, "Actually, I think your luck is quite good, Anya."