After gradually adapting to his post-ascension physical strength, Ron did not choose to continue resting in Orario. Instead, he quickly set out to explore the Dungeon.
Although real combat training could bring increases to ability values, compared with the oppressive pressure brought by Souls-type monsters, its effect was ultimately limited. More importantly, after killing Souls-type monsters, precious Soul Shards would drop.
Venturing to deeper floors meant that the environment and monster tactics would become more complex.
Therefore, his Soul Shard accumulation plan had to be fully launched. To exchange for a brand-new Character Save Slot, he was still short of fewer than 150 Soul Shards.
'Monster Feast…'
'According to what Miss Eina said, this kind of occurrence is extremely rare.'
After stepping into the area of the 10th Floor, Ron looked at the extraordinarily vast floor space before him. Just arriving here, he already felt a sense of foreboding in his heart.
It was as if the Dungeon itself were welcoming his arrival.
This heavy frost-mist mechanism reduced visibility to an outrageous degree. The air, saturated with moisture, was filled with a bone-chilling cold.
If it were only like this, Ron would feel that this was the Dungeon rewarding him. As long as it did not produce some absurd situation like a surging sea of filth, he could accept it.
And within this area, entirely new monsters would appear.
Simply put, they were enhanced versions of goblins. Imps possessed higher intelligence than goblins, and they almost always operated in groups.
There was also a bat-type monster that used echo waves to interfere with concentration.
'Better to be cautious first…'
Souls-type monsters such as the "Elite Goblin" and the "Goblin Knight" had, during the newcomer stage, given Ron several consecutive first-encounter kills.
With another round of Dungeon enhancement, to what extent could those imps—already possessing a bit of intelligence—develop?
That was really hard to guess!
Ron did not rashly begin exploring. He chose to wait in a safe area for the frost-mist mechanism to dissipate. But as time continued to pass, he discovered that—
The floor mechanism showed no signs of disappearing at all.
On the contrary, the frost mist was visibly stacking up at a rate discernible to the naked eye, to the point that ice crystals formed on the tips of his hair. And the chain reaction caused by the cold was—
Hypothermia.
As adventurers whose physical qualities far surpassed those of ordinary people, this level of problem could naturally be ignored. However, the price of resisting the cold was inevitably increased stamina consumption.
'Waiting here all the time doesn't seem like a solution…'
Thinking of this, Ron raised the brass heavy shield in front of him. After a brief moment of consideration, he decided to first explore the outer area to prevent himself from completely losing his sense of direction.
He removed the bandage tied to the greatsword's scabbard, tore it open, and twisted it into a long, thin rope.
'At least I need to test the situation.'
'There's no reason that after breaking through a level, I'd still get stuck here, right?'
However—
Just as he stepped into the frost-mist mechanism, the originally extremely low-visibility environment began to disperse at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it had received some kind of guidance.
Directly toward the depths of the current Floor.
"…"
What good intentions could the Dungeon possibly have?
Ron naturally understood. But this was an open move laid out in plain sight. There was no way to bypass it. If he wanted to head deeper, he would have to completely clear the current Floor.
Following the guidance, he continued forward.
Immediately after—
What came into Ron's view was a monster tribe of considerable scale!
...
Dungeon.
If Ron were here, he would certainly recognize their identities. They were Ouka, Mikoto, Chigusa, and six other members from the Takemikazuchi Familia.
As long as it was an exploration-type Familia, once the overall evaluation reached Rank D, the Guild would issue an expedition mission. The specific Floors assigned were determined according to the Familia's overall strength.
The objective was also simple—
To curb the continuous proliferation of Dungeon monsters.
This time, the Takemikazuchi Familia's expedition goal was to reach the safe Floor on the 18th Floor. Beyond that, there was no requirement to subjugate the Floor Boss.
As for the process—
It went so smoothly that even Kashima Ouka was somewhat surprised. First of all, as the only Level 2 adventurer in the Familia, Mikoto's combat style was clearly much sharper than before.
Most importantly—
She was extremely steady.
Even Chigusa's personality had undergone some transformation. Although she served as a supporter, she was still able to provide considerable assistance to the team during battles.
As the captain, Ouka was absolutely the most gratified.
On the way back to Orario, he encouraged his Familia companions: "Once we return to Orario this time, we must take a proper rest. When we celebrate—"
"At that time, we have to invite Mr. Ron as well."
Although he was not a member of their Familia, during their Dungeon exploration, they had followed Ron's "Shield Thrust" tactic. Just as he had said, there were no complicated techniques involved.
Only after using it could one truly know how efficient it was!
The drawbacks were also obvious.
It relied heavily on the shield's defensive performance, and when holding the shield in one hand for too long, the arm would grow sore. Ouka was already considering purchasing a shield…
"You can decide that."
Mikoto had no objections.
And after completing this Familia expedition, she finally realized just how well she had been "fed" during the time she had teamed up with Ron, compared to a normal exploration!
Even upon reaching the Middle Floors, when encountering powerful monsters such as the "Minotaur" and the "Hellhound," she had not felt particularly strong safety pressure during battle.
What about in the Upper Floors?
The "Goblin Knight Corps," which possessed coordinated combat ability, and the "Goblin Guard," comparable to a Floor Boss—the latter was not something even she felt confident in defeating quickly.
They were about to return to Orario.
Especially when Captain Ouka mentioned Ron, the girl's mind conjured Ron's familiar face. With the strength and methods he possessed, Mikoto was not worried about his safety.
It was just that she could not help but feel curious—how far had Ron, exploring alone and matched with the Dungeon's nightmare-level difficulty, already grown?
She suddenly asked, "After this expedition ends, we should be able to rest for a few days, right?"
"Of course."
"Mainly because the gains were quite good. They should be enough to support the orphanage's operations for a while." The high-pressure environment of a Familia expedition indeed left people exhausted.
Ouka answered without hesitation.
However, upon reaching the area of the 10th Floor and noticing the frost mist denser than usual, his cautious nature still made him stop their return.
"Let's wait for the mechanism to end before going back."
"I don't know if it's just my imagination… but this frost-mist mechanism feels even denser than before, to prevent a Monster Feast from occurring."
"Let's wait a bit."
"…"
Already accustomed to the captain's exploration style, Mikoto simply looked at the dense frost-mist mechanism before her. Yet she could not help but feel a… strangely familiar sensation.
However, that thought was quickly dismissed by her.
It hadn't been that long…
It was unlikely that she would run into Ron again in a place like this, right?
Immediately after—
She saw a familiar figure she would never forget, no matter what, crashing straight through the frost-mist mechanism and running rapidly toward her.
And—
The numerous monsters following behind the boy.
"Uh…"
"Does this count as the monsters being delivered straight to us?"
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