"Well that was something." Blake said rather dryly as she visibly relaxed after the Silence had left us alone.
"That is to say the least." I seconded before I took a breath and continued. "Let's get going. There is still plenty for us to do."
We then made our way down the large stairs to the Large Tree Labryinth which was the major change in the dungeon's layout and design from the 19th to the 24th floors.
The ground and the walls of the now singular fucking massive cavern was seemingly made out of some form of calcified wood and life in flora was everywhere in sight.
"It's so odd that there aren't any central lights in here... The ground, walls, and the ceiling itself has this glowing moss that makes it as bright as day but not blinding to look at somehow?" Kali muttered as she kneeled to inspect the glowing moss beneath our feet.
I nodded in agreement before I added. "Alot of the flora around here is used for making healing elixers and a bunch of other things. So once we get all the way, out of the way. I will be summoning my tamed creatures to help us begin collecting resources."
Because I just coudn't put my hand on a tree here in the dungeon and throw it into my fusion space... 'Everything' inside of the dungeon was considered part of it until I severed it's direct connection to the dungeon.
So in the case of the very valuable, and highly magic attuned tree's down on these floors. I needed to chop/cut them down before I could take them into my inventory.
Still it didn't take long for us to come across the first monsters of the Tree Labryinth in the massive two meter tall Battle Boars that would weave between the large tree's that filled the floor and try to trample us.
Frankly I didn't bother to tame the Battle Boar's either as I didn't see any value in an oversized boar who didn't have any special abilities besides it's ability to ram it's tusks into some poor bastard.
There were much better monsters for me to spend my time, resources, and space in my fusion taming space obviously.
"Ooh is that a Firebird?!" Tamamo excitedly pointed out in the distance.
I took in the large flying bird that was almost relaxedly flying over the nearby jungle and I said. "Yup, that it is. It's scanning for adventurers right now."
And while we were under the cover of a particularly thick tree as we were resting after killing a pack of those Battle Boars for a minute. I knew the little bastard would be able to see us despite the large distance between us.
It truly was a good amount of distance as by the 19th floor in which we were on, the floor itself was already a bit less than half the size of Orario. With Orario being a fifty mile wide city that housed millions of people.
Tina, ever the optimist spoke out as the Firebird cried out and banked to the side. "It saw us."
"That it did... Alright, ladies come help me. We are going to catch it with the net ballista's." I said with a grin.
As I didn't come into the dungeon unprepared at all! After waving my hand, a half dozen large ballista's left my fusion space with the girls having practised using the oversized crossbows on the ship before getting behind them and ready.
And soon enough that Firebird shot through the foliage above our heads. With a mighty screech it flared it's huge wings and from it's mouth it shot several soccer ball sized bolts of compressed flames that shot towards us!
But then with a comical fucking screech a half dozen metal chains slammed into it in the air and thus slammed it's dumbass into the ground.
"Alrighty! Time to bully another bird into my tamed monster... Let's try to skip torturing it with overly spicy shit though." I muttered at the end as I went to get to work taming the firebird.
After taming the firebird and feeding it some elixers to heal from the taming process we continued our work. Killing the monsters, and striping the land for all it's resources.
"So when do you think we will make it to the Water City, Jake?" Tina asked thoughtfully as I stuff a giant tree into my fusion space.
I hummed at the question before I looked to Blake and Kali before I said. "Well. That really depends on Blake as she is still a level one. Kali is a level three so she can handle herself for the most part."
Well Kali was 'barely' a level three as she leveled up at reaching C ranks at most in her stats at level 1 through 2. So even as a peak level one... I was able to manhandle her to an extent.
Now with myself at level three and having leveled up at max stats each time, and my skills? I could fight beyond on even grounds with level fives from the 'normal' familias.
"Tina, can you and Tamamo go afield and collect some herbs while Blake, Kali and I continue to kill monsters?" I asked.
The two nodded while I popped my neck and muttered. "Fuck it. Time for Parthanax to come say hello to the world again."
And then a large void opened up with Parthanax climbing out of my fusion space with his very deep voice ringing out. "Jake, you still haven't replaced your arm I see."
My lips twitched at his sarcastic words as I was keeping my prosthetic arm as both a weapon and a reminder to myself to not mess around with my enemies like I did with Lansseax.
I mean I most certainly didn't hold back against the female dragon, but in our battle for dominance. I let myself get too sucked into the battle when I should have summoned Parthanax as well to help me like when I killed the other Elden Ring dragon and Magma Wyrm.
"It's a reminder for me to not play into the rules of someone else in a battle to the death or submission." I said calmly before I said bluntly. "If any Adventurer's attack you, deal with them as you will. I need your help mostly in creating a killing field as I plan to piss off the dungeon."
The massive dragon huffed before he said bluntly as his head snaked downards. "My arrival back into the dungeon is already an insult to it Master. It is already marshalling it's energy to send a wave of monsters to break upon our fangs and claws."
"Then prepare yourself for such a wave." I said with finality as I leaned against the stump of a tree I cut down to regain any lost stamina and magic.