Even though Aiden had lost count of how many he had blasted to death with his magic, looking back, the volume of that black cloud didn't seem to have diminished at all.
They were chased relentlessly, scrambling down the stairs leading to the 20th Floor in a disheveled state.
Finally, just as the swarm was about to catch up to them again, they dove headfirst into a massive tree hollow nearby, temporarily shaking off their terrifying pursuers.
The Dungeon, 20th Floor.
After narrowly escaping the hornet swarm's pursuit, the entire team looked a bit battered.
Robin checked the map and recalculated their route.
The Large Tree Labyrinth, possessing the same structure as the 19th Floor, still attempted to confuse their sense of direction with its crisscrossing bark mazes and countless bizarre plants.
Dream-like luminescent moss covered the ceiling and walls, emitting a serene blue glow that made their profiles flicker in and out of the dimness.
"We'll follow the Guild's official route from here," Robin said, pointing to the parchment map she had received from Eina.
Although Aiden possessed the [Trailblazer] skill, and logically, exploring uncharted territories would yield greater rewards, they still didn't know enough about the 20th Floor. Plus, they had just barely survived a brutal battle. It was better to progress steadily and not act recklessly.
"I agree." Aiden nodded.
Having just experienced a "life-or-death sprint," he also felt there was no need to rush.
Safety first. After all, not everyone in the party had an S-Rank [Abnormal Resistance]. The monsters in the Large Tree Labyrinth all carried somewhat insidious attributes—if it wasn't poison, it was a curse.
The monster varieties on the 20th Floor weren't much different from the 19th. There were still Mad Beetles, Bugbears, Dark Fungus, Gunmeganes, and the "otherworldly specialties" spawned because of Aiden's skill.
However, aside from those, there were still other monster species.
For example, right now, charging toward them while brandishing swords and blades were Lizardmen.
Faced with a charge that looked like a small army of Lizardmen, Tifa and Daphne's bodies instantly sprang to the sides like coiled springs, dodging the foremost slashes.
This was a Lizardman that walked upright on two legs, covered in red scales.
They were about 1.7 meters tall and wielded weapons. If one overlooked their cold-blooded reptilian appearance, their combat postures were practically indistinguishable from those of adventurers.
Fighting them was like fighting a well-trained adventurer party.
The Lizardmen were equipped with the Dungeon's Armory—a type of weaponry naturally supplied by the Dungeon.
Their shields were plucked directly from massive, steel-colored flowers blooming on the bark walls. The stems served as the handles, and the giant blooms themselves acted as bucklers.
And the short swords in their hands were petals plucked from those same flowers. Gleaming with a metallic chill, they were known by adventurers as the Petal Steel Blade.
They knew tactical coordination.
One Lizardman thrust its steel blade at Tifa, while another accurately parried Daphne's thrust with its buckler.
These Lizardmen, capable of nimbly utilizing sword and shield, were indeed qualified warriors.
They were no longer mindless beasts.
Although they similarly lacked independent intellect, these combat skills seemed to be encoded and deeply branded into their instincts.
Making matters worse, there were a few Sniper Dragonflies hovering in the air providing suppressing fire, forcing Tifa and Daphne to divide their attention to defend. The Lizardmen seized this opportunity to launch a fierce assault.
Vertical slashes, horizontal chops, and thrusts—each strike delivered by these monsters with their powerful arm strength was not to be underestimated.
Even Jeanne, who had been leveled up by Robin's magic, was forced to take a half-step back to disperse the immense kinetic force after blocking a heavy cleave head-on.
"A monster's sword technique? Interesting, but still too crude."
Aiden's figure wove through the battlefield. He stepped sideways to dodge a Lizardman's slash. The longsword in his hand traced a dazzling arc through the air, striking later but landing first, cleaving the Lizardman's body and its steel buckler cleanly in half.
Seeing their companion slain, the eyes of the other Lizardmen glowed a brilliant red. They let out piercing hisses as their offensive became even more frenzied.
But Tifa and Daphne were no pushovers.
Tifa crouched low, slipping into her opponent's guard like an agile cat, evading its shield defense.
With a swift sweeping kick, she directly disarmed the Lizardman's buckler, launching it into the air. Immediately following up with an uppercut, her fist wrapped in the magical starlight of Meteor Plume forcibly smashed the opponent's Petal Steel Blade into fragments.
Before the Lizardman could react, Tifa's second punch struck its chest.
The fierce force of the punch pierced through the red scales, instantly pureeing its internal organs.
On the other side, Daphne flicked her wrist, lashing out with her silver long whip.
The whip wrapped around another Lizardman's arm like a spirit snake. With a sharp cry, Daphne pulled with all her might, actually hurling the entire Lizardman through the air.
"Catch, Jeanne!"
"Understood."
Jeanne caught on instantly, stepping forward in sync. She precisely thrust out her holy banner, skewering the mid-air, defenseless Lizardman clean through the heart.
. . .
The first ray of morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, transforming into a slender golden sword that silently pierced the dimness of the room.
A new day in Orario slowly unfolded to the melodious tolling of bells in the distance and the gradually rising clamor of the streets.
In a room within the Focalors Familia's temporary headquarters, Aiden slowly opened his eyes amidst waves of intoxicating fragrance and soft touches.
The sight that greeted him was enough to make any normal man's blood boil.
Robin was lying on her side next to him. Her silver-purple hair cascaded over the pillow like a waterfall, and she was wearing only a thin, silk nightgown.
The morning light perfectly outlined her graceful curves. That hazy, veiled beauty carried far more impact than outright exposure.
Gulp...
Aiden swallowed hard. Then, with an immense force of will, he began his mandatory morning routine—enduring the arduous task of taking a cold shower to calm himself down.
Ever since he confirmed his relationship with Robin, he slept in her room almost every single day.
After all, now that he had a girlfriend, who would want to sleep alone hugging a pillow? Falling asleep holding Robin's fragrant, soft body was simply too comfortable.
Although Robin initially had some minor complaints about this, she ultimately couldn't withstand Aiden's relentless pestering and silently accepted his daily habit of hugging her to sleep.
Since they had already defined their relationship, keeping things to this extent was already the result of Aiden's extreme self-restraint.
At the very least, he had held back and hadn't actually "eaten" her, even if it meant having to endure the arduous task of taking a cold shower to calm himself down every morning.
Almost ten days had passed since they had been chased by that deadly swarm of hornets, forcing them into a battered retreat to the 20th Floor.
Over these ten days, the Focalors Familia's exploration progressed steadily, and they had successfully reached the 22nd Floor of the Dungeon.
It was worth mentioning that last night, the group had undergone a Status update.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Robin successfully leveled up to Level 3.
Prior to her level up, her Magic attribute had, unsurprisingly, reached a shocking SSS rank.
Upon leveling up, she obtained a brand new development ability—[Harmony].
This was a completely unknown development ability that had never appeared in the Guild's records. Just like Bell Cranel's [Luck], it was an undiscovered "Rare Ability".
But just looking at the name, Aiden had a vague guess.
This ability was likely closely tied to the power Robin originally possessed.
After all, in her original world, she was a Pathstrider of the Harmony.
As for what exactly she could achieve with it in this world, that would depend on her own performance.
And the Familia's other rising star, Jeanne, had also successfully leveled up to Level 2 with monstrous attributes: Strength: S, Endurance: SSS, Magic: SSS. She officially stepped into the ranks of upper-tier adventurers.
At the same time, she also gained a new development ability—[Strong Body].
This was an ability that drastically enhanced physical hardness and physical defense, while reducing impact damage.
For a vanguard, this was practically a god-tier skill.
With [Strong Body], Jeanne's tankiness pierced straight through the heavens, turning her into a literal, walking Wall of Sighs.
Tifa and Hyacine's Statuses also saw individual growth. Although they were still a ways away from leveling up, their progress was remarkable.
As for Aiden himself, all of his basic abilities had been raised to S-rank. Reaching the next level was just a matter of time.
However, to jump from Level 3 to Level 4, he still needed to accumulate a bit more High-Quality Excelia.
Daphne and Cassandra were sincerely satisfied with their own rapid growth.
Normally, with their talent and growth rate, they would have had to grind bitterly in the Dungeon for at least another year or two before they could even touch the threshold of Level 3.
But now, with Robin's heaven-defying skill, [Tonal Resonance], amplifying them, they were very likely to successfully level up within the next few months.
Although they still couldn't compare to existences like Aiden and Robin, who were practically walking "cheats," when compared to the ordinary adventurers across all of Orario, their growth speed was already as fast as riding a rocket.
----
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