The plaza was located right at the Dungeon's entrance. It was currently packed with people—some looking travel-worn, while others were full of energy, carrying bags of all sizes as they prepared to set out.
Aside from adventurers, the most prominent group was the Dwarves, who constantly approached people to ask if they needed a Supporter.
In other words, these people were the Dungeon's porters, helping adventurers who delved deep into the Dungeon carry their luggage and materials.
However, many people didn't trust them because they had a reputation for sticky fingers. Besides, the large Familias usually raised their own Supporters.
Ren Isana's group didn't need any Supporters. Since they had Spatial Backpacks, the group walked straight into the Dungeon.
A few Supporters instinctively wanted to approach when they saw Ren's group, but seeing them march straight into the Dungeon without looking back, they could only drop the idea.
The group entered the Dungeon. Just like the one in their world, the first floor was a massive cave. Ren and the others had a map in hand, and there were well-trodden paths left behind by frequent adventurers.
They could easily rely on these paths to head straight to the second floor. Because of this, even if the early floors weren't fully mapped out, they could accurately find the way down.
Most importantly, they encountered almost no monsters here. Walking all the way down to the fifth floor, they didn't run into a single one, which completely astonished everyone.
"It doesn't even compare to our side. Even on our first floor, there are tons of monsters," Asuna couldn't help but sigh. Exploring the Dungeon in this world meant they didn't have to waste time fighting while traveling.
Without monsters, their advance was incredibly fast. They just needed to keep their heads down and walk. Plus, with the map, they didn't need to waste time exploring.
Looking at the map in his hand, Ren couldn't help but say, "This map is really useful. When we head back, remember to bring it along. It's just like the maps we drew before."
Having walked through the first five floors, Ren confirmed that these maps were no different from the ones they had drawn—in fact, this world's maps were even more advanced.
Since hidden rooms on certain floors were also marked, this map was incredibly valuable and could definitely be taken back as a reference.
Hearing Ren's words, everyone nodded. Even if he hadn't reminded them, they would have done so anyway. Since they were already here, how could they not bring some souvenirs back?
The group of 42 continued their descent. It wasn't until they reached the seventh floor that monsters finally began to spawn, and the surrounding environment underwent a complete transformation.
The forest biome had started on the fifth floor, but here on the seventh, patches of moss glowed faintly in the dark, and giant mushrooms dotted the landscape.
As they headed toward the eighth floor, monsters spawned—Purple Moths and Centipedes. Seeing them, Ren immediately warned, "Careful, these guys are poisonous. If you inhale their scales, remember to drink an Antidote Potion immediately."
Ren had purchased the Antidote Potions specifically to prepare for this floor. Hearing his warning, everyone nodded and sprang into action. Since these were venomous monsters, they obviously weren't going to foolishly rush in for close combat.
With perfect tacit understanding, everyone used ranged magic to dispatch the monsters. However, even so, hitting the Purple Moths with magic still caused their scales to scatter.
The moment the [Magic Bullets] struck the Purple Moths, a purple mist erupted from their bodies, instantly enveloping the tunnel where they had spawned.
These things were like dust-covered furballs—just a light whip would scatter their dust everywhere. This was exactly why everyone needed to carry Antidote Potions on the seventh floor.
One careless breath of those scales and you'd be poisoned. Compared to the Purple Moths, the other monsters were much more straightforward; they only spat venom, so as long as you killed them, they wouldn't cause much trouble.
The first wave of spawned monsters was instantly cleared out. To be safe, Ren looked at the tunnel ahead, which was now shrouded in purple mist.
He quickly said, "Everyone, drink an Antidote Potion. What a pain. The air on this floor is probably saturated with scales."
Just attacking them caused their scales to drift everywhere. No one knew exactly how much of the powder was lingering in the air, so the best course of action was to just drink the potion.
Hearing Ren's instruction, everyone pulled out their Antidote Potions and downed a bottle. Poisoned or not, it was better to drink it first.
After downing the potions, the group continued on their way. Ren used a wind-element spell to blow away the purple mist ahead, then held his breath and walked forward.
They gathered the Magic Stones from the ground and pressed on. The monster spawn rate in this otherworld Dungeon wasn't nearly as fast as the one in their own world.
They only encountered one wave of monsters on the seventh floor, and nothing else spawned by the time they reached the entrance to the eighth floor. This spawn interval was ridiculously slow.
No wonder people in the anime could easily run down to the lower floors—the monster spawn rate was just too sluggish. The group easily entered the eighth floor.
Then the ninth, the tenth, and finally the eleventh floor. They hadn't encountered many monsters along the way, but as they reached the final stretch of the upper floors, the spawn rate noticeably increased.
This was the final transition zone leading to the middle floors. Both the density and strength of the monsters had clearly spiked, and creatures like Orcs and Horned Rabbits gradually began to appear.
"According to the guide, this is where the bottleneck for rookies begins. It's said that many newcomers can't get past this floor," Asuna explained to the group, looking at the map in her hand.
"That doesn't really concern us, does it? Let's go. We should aim to reach the 18th-floor Safe Floor before noon," Ren said, picking up the pace as he headed toward the deeper floors.
Hearing Ren's words, everyone quickly followed. They slaughtered any monsters that spawned along the way. Leading the charge, Ren swung his Tang Dao, effortlessly one-shotting any monster that dared to show its face.
The others then moved in to collect the Magic Stones. Working together seamlessly, they quickly gathered the dropped loot and advanced at a rapid pace.
Ren and the vanguard cleared the monsters, while the non-combatants handled the materials. Pushing forward rapidly, they soon passed through the so-called rookie bottleneck and entered the 13th floor.
From the 13th to the 15th floor, the area was a sprawling maze of jagged rocks. One wrong step could lead to getting completely lost. There were also vertical tunnels, making the layout far more complex than the upper floors.
At the same time, the monsters here had started using weapons. Unlike the ones in the upper floors, these creatures were much more formidable in combat, even though they were still Tier 3.
Upon entering the middle floors, the group's advance noticeably slowed down. However, it wasn't a big issue. With so many people in Ren's group, there weren't even enough spawned monsters to go around.
They proceeded at their own pace, soon passing through the 15th floor and entering the 16th floor.
In the middle floors, the environment drastically changed every two floors. By the time they reached the 16th floor, Ren and the others had to slow down because the surroundings were pitch black. If they didn't have a map, they probably would have gotten lost ages ago.
"The 17th floor is the Floor Boss area, and the 18th is the Safe Floor. But the 16th floor spawns a special type of monster. These monsters drop materials used for forging weapons, and the drop rate isn't low," Ren explained, slowing his pace.
Everyone was slightly taken aback by Ren's sudden explanation. Asuna looked at him in confusion. "You mean... we're going to operate on this floor?"
Dropping forging materials? Was Ren planning to farm materials? This immediately piqued the interest of many, though they still wanted to hear his full plan.
"Right. We'll gather more materials so we can forge our own weapons later. Then, when evening comes, we'll push straight through the 17th floor and enter the Safe Floor for the night," Ren said, laying out his thoughts.
The metal dropped by these monsters was a common forging material in this world. Combined with some auxiliary materials, it could be used to forge excellent weapons—even Magic Swords!
That was exactly why Ren decided to stop on this floor. If he wanted to forge weapons, how could he do it without materials? Buying them with money was out of the question; it was better to have his own team farm them.
They could split into ten teams, just like they did when exploring their own Dungeon. With 42 people, that meant eight teams of four and two teams of five.
Ten teams exploring this floor would be more than enough. The time spent here would allow everyone to gather plenty of materials, and by dusk, they could head straight to the Safe Floor to rest.
Passing through the 17th floor would also give them a chance to see if the Floor Boss had spawned. All in all, this floor was a great place to stop.
"Class Rep, if we gather the materials, will you forge weapons for us?" Sora looked at Ren with sparkling eyes. She desperately wanted a better weapon.
Ren had learned the forging techniques of the God of Blacksmiths, so he should be able to forge much better weapons, right? The thought made Sora incredibly excited, and the others' eyes lit up with the same anticipation.
"Gathering these materials is specifically so I can reforge your weapons," Ren said, rolling his eyes. *Why else did you think we were stopping on this floor?*
"Yay! Let's go, let's go! We'll farm on this floor then. But Class Rep, where should we meet up later?" Sora grew even more excited at the confirmation that Ren would reforge their weapons.
She didn't forget to ask about the rendezvous point, either. If they got separated in this maze, regrouping would be a nightmare.
Hearing this, Ren pulled out the map guide. After locating their current floor, he motioned for everyone to gather around.
"Take a picture of this, then set an alarm on your phones. At 5 PM, everyone meets at the entrance to the 17th floor. If anything happens, communicate through the magic marks," Ren quickly laid out the plan.
Everyone nodded and hurriedly pulled out their phones to snap pictures of the map and set their alarms.
At this stage, their phones still had battery life, though who knew how long that would last in a few days. Even with power banks, they wouldn't hold out forever.
Ren looked up at his classmates recording the map and continued, "Let's leave it at that for now. We'll split up here and see you all in the afternoon. Whoever gathers the most materials gets their weapon reforged first. You guys figure out the details yourselves."
With that said, Ren gave Asuna and the others a look, then turned and walked in a certain direction. The four of them soon disappeared into the dim cave.
This floor was filled with rocky walls, resembling a giant labyrinth. Ren's group already knew where the entrance to the 17th floor was, so all they had to do now was roam around and hunt monsters.
The class split up and began exploring the floor. Ren led Asuna and the others carefully through the dim environment. The ground here was incredibly slippery; one wrong step and you could end up eating dirt.
As the four pressed on, they gradually heard the sounds of combat. There were other people farming monsters on this floor too. It seemed gold farmers existed in every world.
After all, the materials produced here were highly sought after, and the drop rate wasn't low. For those unable to reach the deeper floors, farming here was a very lucrative option.
"Use your [Lightness Technique]. We're heading over there," Ren said after sensing their surroundings, taking the lead.
Asuna, Megumi Kato, and Yukino Yukinoshita quickly followed suit. Under Ren's lead, they arrived at a relatively flat area. Just as they got there, several white rabbits with single horns on their heads and standing on two legs spawned from the ground.
These rabbits were half the height of a human and even wielded weapons. The moment they appeared, their eyes glowed crimson as they locked onto Ren's group and launched an attack.
Seeing the newly spawned monsters, Ren didn't hesitate. He drew his Tang Dao and charged right at them, with Asuna and the others close behind.
The four of them began farming materials. Their target was the horns of these Horned Rabbits. The horns were as sturdy as metal, but to get them to drop, they had to kill the creatures first.
If he could just snap their horns off directly, Ren would have captured them all, bled them dry, and plucked their horns one by one.
Ren swung his blade rapidly, dealing with the charging rabbits. He took them down one by one, and the three girls behind him did the same. These monsters posed no real threat to them.
Although the rabbits were fast, Ren and Asuna were faster. The charging rabbits were sliced in half by Ren before they could even launch their attacks.
Asuna was even more precise, reaping the monsters' lives with every strike. It was almost as if they were throwing themselves onto her blade.
Megumi wasn't swarmed by the rabbits at all. She simply attacked in silence, killing the rabbits one by one like an invisible assassin.
As for Yukino, she relied on her talents to attack the rabbits charging at her, every strike carrying immense, heavy force.
She channeled all her strength into her hands. Watching this made Ren's eyelids twitch. *Good lord, Yukino should be wielding a spiked club, not a short sword!*
They quickly dispatched the wave of monsters, leaving behind several Magic Stones and Horned Rabbit horns on the ground. Ren swiftly moved to collect them.
Just as he finished packing them away, the walls squirmed again, and new monsters continuously spawned. Seeing this, Ren's eyes lit up. *Perfect timing!* This was exactly what he needed.
"Go, go, go! Back to work!" Ren shouted, quickly springing into action. This time, a wider variety of monsters spawned, including Hellhounds and some incredibly fat rats!
However, girls tended to be somewhat afraid of creatures like rats. The moment they saw these monsters, the three girls' hair stood on end, and they instinctively shrank closer to Ren.
This left Ren with a face full of question marks. *You're even afraid of otherworldly rats? Can't you just pretend they're Jerry? It's not like they're giant twin-tailed roaches, what the hell are you so scared of?!*