"Where the hell is this place?"
Isagi and Ryuu stood up together from the ground. What filled their vision was a castle of red and white walls. Towers were connected by corridors, layering upward and paving the way forward.
It presented a blinding color scheme, looking as if fresh crimson blood had been splashed over it. From top to bottom, that deep red hue flowed all the way to the distant end.
Visible above were countless towers and castles stacked together like a spiraling tower reaching for the heavens. And standing atop it all was a massive gate—a gate composed of countless monster corpses.
They were entangled, layer upon layer, stacked like bricks to form an incredibly colossal arch. The fresh blood flowing from within spilled down, submerging the castles and towers below. As for what lay behind the gate, that was unknown, for it was simply too far away from himself and Ryuu-senpai.
"..."
"..."
Undoubtedly, this was the Dungeon.
Recalling everything that happened before, could it be that the two of them had been brought from the Artificial Labyrinth to a deeper floor? So where was this? The Lower Floors? The Deep Floors? Or...
He had already realized something was wrong. The Boss battle just now hadn't ended; in fact, it hadn't even started! So it couldn't be—
Sure enough, Isagi saw exposed green chunks of flesh within the gaps of the distant towers. They pulsed and spread like towering trees. Between the patches of green, thick, flesh-colored tentacles resembling blood vessels connected to one another, turning into a dense, entangled spiderweb.
In the center were several twisted, iridescent humanoid shapes that seemed about to merge together.
There could be no mistake. That was the [God of Death and Wine]. Was that guy brought down here too?
In the current situation, with just himself and Ryuu-senpai, could they resolve this? No, no, no, now was not the time to consider that. They had to figure out the surrounding situation first.
If this really was the Lower Floors or even the Deep Floors, then even ordinary Monsters might have Levels exceeding Lv.6 or even higher. That would be troublesome.
"Let's look around first."
They couldn't just stay in place.
As Isagi spoke, he and Ryuu-senpai checked the equipment and items on their persons. The more troublesome issue right now was that because this was a combat operation against the Artificial Labyrinth and not a Dungeon adventure, neither of them carried much food or water.
If this truly was the Deep Floors, returning would not only be fraught with difficulties, but most importantly, the passage of time would make resupply difficult.
He just didn't know if things to eat and drink would appear in this Dungeon that had changed due to his skill. Reasonably speaking, ordinary Dungeons had them.
Hmm...
Regardless, it was better to start moving first.
At this moment, the place where the two stood was a rampart passage connecting a castle and a tower. However, there wasn't just a single straight line. On the contrary, when Isagi and Ryuu actually began to explore, they discovered that this place was truly like a "maze."
The corridors on the ramparts went up and down, possessing countless branch paths. Every tower and small castle had multiple floors while simultaneously connecting to countless passages leading to other towers and castles in all directions.
Sometimes they walked to the end, only to find it was a broken dead end, or that it led straight to a pale wall splashed with blood. Yet sometimes, below a broken path lay another path, meaning one could actually jump down to continue forward.
Countless corridors, towers, and castles constituted the incredibly three-dimensional scene before them. Those messy, yarn-like "corridors"—one simply didn't know where they led, or where exactly they were right now.
Because everywhere looked the same.
Whether it was the towers, the corridors between ramparts, or the interiors of the castles, they were almost all carved from the same mold. It was as if the assets had been continuously copy-pasted; there was absolutely no difference, let alone any "recognizability."
And because the towers and castles themselves were massive and towering, every few steps and every turn around a corner revealed a scene completely different from before.
The good news was that they could no longer see that cluster of deep green flesh. The bad news was that even an old driver like Isagi had gotten lost.
This map is too disgusting, isn't it?!
The only thing that could be considered a directional guide was the flesh-and-blood gate located at the highest point of the entire space, which could always be seen in the distance. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed to be deliberately "seducing" him to go there.
Isagi wouldn't fall for that. In such an obviously distinct place, there was clearly something "big" waiting for him.
Fortunately, after so long, the two hadn't encountered any Monsters yet. However, Isagi felt this wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was very likely that because he had only just arrived, the Dungeon was still "brewing."
Just like the calm before the storm.
In short, Isagi didn't believe that just because the Dungeon's Favorability had increased again, it would become completely devoid of "danger," right?! Compared to that, Isagi felt it was more likely that this guy would "love him fiercely."
Ahead.
The sudden appearance of several adventurers' corpses caught them somewhat off guard. They lay there in a messy state between a ring of platforms on the outer side of a tower, having completely turned into white bones. It looked like they had been dead for a long time.
Isagi was somewhat puzzled, as this was a situation that hadn't occurred before. After approaching, Ryuu quickly and skillfully went to their side to examine them carefully. The scene before her felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
"This is an adventurer party that ran out of ammunition and food..."
There were three corpses in total. Clearly, judging by the equipment scattered beside them, one could determine they were a vanguard wielding a shield, a ranger using a longsword, and a Mage.
Aside from this, their carry-on bags were empty; there was nothing inside. Potions, items, food, drinking water—all had been consumed. Fortunately, they found a Guild map in their hands, as well as their own hand-drawn map. Using these, they could determine that this was indeed the Deep Floors.
The original 37th Floor of the Dungeon, the [White Palace].
Starting from the [Great Fall] known as the Lower Floors, crossing the [Jungle Valley] of floors 29 to 32, followed by the [Golden Desert] of floors 33 to 36, one would finally arrive here.
"It is both the doorway to the Deep Floors and the dividing line..."
At the very least, one had to be a Lv.4 adventurer to be qualified to set foot in and explore this place. Because even a First-Class Adventurer could lose their life in the Deep Floors if they weren't careful.
Once here, adventure could no longer be considered "daily routine." Even high-level adventurers would not easily head to the Deep Floors unless it was a Familia expedition or a mandatory exploration quest from the Guild.
In short, it was extremely dangerous. And now, having undergone enhancement by his skill, that meant...
"The map is completely useless."
The original [White Palace] was also a very complex floor. Generally speaking, it could be viewed as a giant maze surrounded by five walls. In the innermost part was the [Throne Room] of the 38th Floor, where the Monster Rex [Udaeus], which respawned only once every three months, was located.
From inside to outside, the areas could be viewed as the [Knight's Hall], [Warrior's Hall], [Soldier's Dormitory], and the outermost [Beast Stables]. If one wanted to leave, they would naturally head toward the outer perimeter. And the further inward one went, the more powerful the Monsters would become.
But now?
Looking at the towering blood-colored gate in the distance, the layered towers and castles, and the intricate corridors crisscrossing like a web up, down, left, and right... This was far too complex compared to the original [White Palace].
What made them feel even more uneasy was that both Isagi and Ryuu clearly realized the adventurers' corpses before them didn't have any "special" function. That is to say, they were completely different from the NPCs or plot items encountered before. They seemed to have appeared here abruptly, out of thin air.
Thus, both judged that it was very likely they had originally existed in the ordinary Dungeon, and because of Isagi's arrival, the entire floor had changed, causing them to appear in this place.
If that were the case, it was even more troublesome.
"Has the entire floor been specialized?"
Isagi couldn't help but shake his head. The Dungeon really loved him too much. Before, it only changed a certain area of a floor, but now it had poured out everything, all just to "serve" him alone, right?
It had become exclusive?!
Tsk, why can't I feel happy about it?
The worry on Ryuu-senpai's face beside him was visible to the naked eye. The Deep Floors were originally incomparably dangerous, just like this adventurer party that had been dead for a long time before them. Their situation was very common; a single error in judgment or experiencing some unexpected situations was all it took.
In the vast Deep Floors, countless Monsters could easily drive adventurers into desperate straits, and the path back was extremely long. Not everyone could successfully return to the safe floors above. Not to mention, it was now...
"Incredible~"
Why are you getting even more excited?!
At this moment, Ryuu saw the young boy beside her with a face full of eagerness, giving the illusion that he was looking forward to what the upcoming Monsters would look like.
"Be optimistic, Ryuu-senpai."
"Huh?"
You can still laugh at a time like this?!
"Because being unhappy is useless, so we might as well be optimistic. Don't worry, we will go back."
"..."
"Because we are going to become the city's strongest in the future... Ah, watch out."
The Monster that suddenly appeared before them made both Isagi and Ryuu freeze for a moment.
When?
Completely wrapped in gray-black tattered cloth, revealing only a sheep-skull head, the Monster had arrived before the two of them silently, abruptly, in an instant. It was completely within arm's reach.
Pitch-black beast armor wrapped around his body. In the instant he pushed the Elf girl away, Isagi had already drawn the long blade, [Blade of Ten Thousand Skeletons], from his cloak.
Immediately following that came a pain like needles all over his body, forcibly twisting his original slashing motion and bending his body into a posture completely impossible for humans.
[It hurts!]
Barely, just barely, he dodged the originally fatal blow because of it. A bone-piercing chill grazed past his neck.
The Monster before him clearly hadn't made any movement, yet behind him, a deep hole appeared within the pure white wall of the tower.
"..."
Silence. Stillness.
The Monster remained motionless. Isagi quickly leaped back, deciding to open up some distance first. But in the next instant, the opponent appeared before his eyes again, as if closely adhering to his line of sight, inseparable.
And then—
Pop.
A round, empty hole was blasted through his right hand which held the blade. The pitch-black armor stretched into thin lines, frantically trying to repair the destruction caused.
Isagi merely remained silent. His left hand had already taken out the Thunder Hammer from his cloak, making it bloom with deep purple light!
The Monster's head, entirely made of bone, was forcibly pulled, deviating by an extremely tiny distance. But it was enough.
The heavy hammer smashed ruthlessly onto its skull, cracking it. At the same time, a starlight-wrapped estoc pierced through its forehead from behind.
With a crisp crack, the Monster's sheep-skull head split open. As it crashed to the ground, the black cloak originally standing in mid-air also fell to the ground.
"It's a Skull Sheep, a Monster of the [White Palace]. It can attack from a range and..."
Ryuu had clearly recognized what the Monster before them was based on. Only—
Just as Isagi was drinking the [Monkey Brew] to treat the wound on his right hand, suddenly, the sheep-skull mask that had fallen to the ground and shattered grew small, incomparably dazzling iridescent tentacles. Then, stitching itself together, it stood up once again...
____
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