Ren opened the alarm app on his phone and set several consecutive reminders. Then, he spoke up, "You guys should set yours too. Have an alarm go off every four hours. Otherwise, we'll completely lose track of time."
Hearing Ren's suggestion, the girls nodded. They hurriedly took out their phones and set their own alarms to ring every four hours, ensuring they wouldn't lose their sense of time.
Once that was sorted, Ren found a spot to sit down. "Let's eat something first, then we'll keep moving."
As he spoke, Ren pulled out some dry rations and a red potion, digging in. Red potions didn't just restore True Qi; they also replenished stamina. However, the average person couldn't afford to be as extravagant as Ren.
Bread washed down with a red potion? Are you treating it like a beverage? Watching this scene unfold, Asuna and the others didn't even know where to begin roasting him. But they quickly realized the truth.
The reason Ren could do this was because his red potions were strawberry-flavored. This guy really *was* drinking it like fruit juice! The potions in their hands, however, were a different story. After all, standard red potions tasted awful.
The three girls sat together and brought out their own prepared rations. They only had ordinary mineral water to drink, unlike Ren, who was now casually chugging a blue potion like it was a sports drink.
At most, they would drink a red potion for recovery after finishing their dry rations. Right now, they were practically green with envy. No matter what, they had to order some fruit-flavored red and blue potions from Ren in the future!
After eating and drinking their fill, the group rested for a bit longer before setting off again. They didn't encounter any respawning monsters during this break; in fact, it was quite peaceful.
The party continued searching for the passage to the next floor. Any monsters they encountered along the way were easily dispatched, so there was no need to dwell on the details.
It took them over an hour to finally locate the entrance to the fifth floor. This time, it seemed Ren's group was the first to arrive.
There were no other footprints on the ground. Ren expanded his senses and confirmed that none of their classmates had made it this far yet. He also noticed that the nearest groups were still resting, clearly showing no intention of moving out just yet.
Ren didn't pay it much mind. He led Asuna and the others straight into the fifth floor. The moment they stepped inside, the group was stunned. The environment of the fifth floor was completely different from what they had imagined.
There was actually a forest here? Moreover, a massive light source hung overhead, illuminating the entire area. Ren was momentarily surprised by the sight, but he quickly calmed down.
There was no need to be surprised by any environment they encountered in the Dungeon. This was perfectly normal, so there was no point making a fuss over it.
Besides, the environment here was much better. To find the passage to the next floor, all they had to do was jump up and scout the layout. Plus, this place was absolutely perfect for setting up camp and resting!
Looking at the floor before him, Ren's eyes lit up. He immediately turned to the three girls and said, "Let's camp here for the night. I'll check if there's a water source nearby!"
With that said, Ren cast [Lightness Technique] and leaped high into the air. Bounding over a dozen meters up, the layout of the entire forest gradually came into view.
Because his sensory abilities were active, he knew there was no water within a one-kilometer radius. He could only spot it by gaining a vantage point. Suspended in mid-air, Ren quickly found exactly what he was looking for.
Landing steadily back on the ground, Ren pointed in a specific direction. "Let's head that way. There's a lake over there. How interesting... to think a place like this actually has a water source."
The entire fifth floor was essentially a miniature ecosystem. It had a forest and a water source, making it an incredibly ideal spot to set up camp.
Hearing this, the eyes of Asuna and the others lit up. There was actually water? That was fantastic! Asuna immediately said, "Then let's hurry over!"
Having walked all day, Asuna was eager to rest as soon as possible. Yukino and Megumi shared the exact same sentiment. Naturally, Ren had no objections.
The four of them set off toward the lake Ren had discovered. However, after taking just a few steps, Ren stopped in his tracks, looking slightly surprised. "There are quite a few herbs here, aren't there? And they're growing in clusters!"
Hearing this, the three girls turned to look. They immediately spotted an herb they were incredibly familiar with—Evening Primrose, the very material Ren used to brew his red potions.
Asuna's eyes sparkled at the sight. She couldn't help but ask Ren, "Should we gather some? That way, you won't have to buy them anymore. If we can collect enough materials on this floor, could you brew some right away?"
*I can use this chance to replace all the red and blue potions we have on hand with fruit-flavored ones,* Asuna thought to herself. She didn't want a single drop of the bitter junk she had bought previously.
"Let's gather them. I didn't bring my tools, but since I can project my True Qi externally now, I can extract the essence barehanded. As long as we have something to store it in, it'll work," Ren said after a moment of thought.
Hearing this, Asuna didn't say another word. She immediately ran over and started uprooting the Evening Primrose, gathering them all up. Megumi and Yukino quickly rushed over to help as well.
The three of them were completely on the same page. They wanted to swap out their current stock for those delicious, fruit-flavored red and blue potions. Seeing their enthusiastic movements, Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"You guys keep gathering. I'll make a signpost so the classmates coming behind us can find their way over." The real reason Ren was doing this was because he planned to have those classmates gather herbs for him later.
Since there was Evening Primrose on this floor, there were bound to be other herbs as well. Once the Dungeon was opened to the public in the future, these herbs would definitely be harvested by others. Since that was the case, he might as well reap the benefits himself.
And his classmates were the perfect free labor. He could just have them collect the herbs, and in return, he would brew some red and blue potions for them. He was confident they wouldn't refuse.
"Alright, go do your thing," Asuna replied without even lifting her head, continuing to harvest the Evening Primrose alongside Megumi and Yukino. Seeing this, Ren didn't say anything more.
He walked up to a tree. With a flash of his Tang Dao, the entire trunk was instantly sliced in half. Moments later, Ren began tinkering away, crafting a few T-shaped wooden boards with arrows on them.
Once he finished making them, Ren used his Tang Dao to carve a few words into the wood: *Head this way. There is a lake here. —Ren Isana.* After completing his handiwork, Ren walked over to the main path leading from the entrance, chopped down another tree, and used his blade to carve a hole directly into the stump. He then wedged the wooden sign into it, pointing the way.
Looking at the signpost he had created, Ren nodded in satisfaction. He then went over to regroup with Asuna and the others. By this time, they had pretty much finished their harvesting, and Asuna was busy stuffing the gathered herbs into her spatial backpack.
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