In the middle of the 17th floor, many forked paths began to appear.
As they walked through the cave-like passage, the path beneath their feet suddenly merged with another, and the length and width of the passage increased significantly.
However, the openness of the terrain did not reduce the difficulty of combat; instead, it increased it substantially.
The closer they got to the depths of the 17th floor, the stronger and more numerous the monsters became. The Minotaurs that appeared here were much stronger than those encountered on the 15th floor, and they often appeared in groups of several.
As they continued to delve deeper, the passages gradually merged into one, and the width of the cave expanded significantly.
In the wide cavern, a chilling sense of oppression emanated from the path ahead, as if something terrifying was waiting at the end of the passage.
"Ahead is the chamber where the floor boss is born."
Line's expression grew increasingly serious, and she clearly showed some fear toward the end of the passage.
"I don't know if a new floor boss has been born in the chamber. If there is, there's no way our small team can get through..."
Eiji took out a map from his pouch. In the final section of the 17th floor's cavern, it was indeed marked with a warning of extreme danger.
Floor Boss.
Officially known as the "Lone King of the Labyrinth," it was a special and powerful monster that only appeared on certain specific floors of the dungeon. It could be simply understood as a boss-type character that appeared on specific floors.
And on the 17th floor, there happened to be the first floor boss they would encounter since entering the dungeon.
The strength of a floor boss was generally estimated to be two levels higher than the monsters on that floor. For example, since most monsters on the 17th floor were Level 2, the floor boss of the 17th floor would be Level 4.
A Level 4 floor boss was simply not something their small team could defeat.
"Can't we win even with Lefiya's magic?"
Eiji looked at the elven girl, who also wore a troubled expression.
"Well, if I can chant for five minutes—no, three minutes..."
Lefiya whimpered, clearly lacking confidence.
Five minutes.
In a battle with a floor boss, how could you possibly be given that much time to chant?
As the only vanguard in the team who could engage monsters in close combat, Eiji could confidently say that if the floor boss was determined to kill Lefiya, there was no way he could stop it.
"However, the floor boss of the 17th floor should only appear once every half month, right?"
"That's true, but we can't guarantee that there isn't a live floor boss in there right now."
After a floor boss was defeated, it would take a fixed period of time before the next one was born. In simple terms, there was a respawn timer for the monster.
For the floor boss of the 17th floor, the respawn time was half a month. After being killed, it would take half a month for the next one to appear.
After all, with so many adventurers entering the dungeon, there were bound to be those who found it a nuisance and defeated it. Generally speaking, the floor boss spent most of its time being born rather than alive.
"Alright, let's head back today."
Eiji was a bit reluctant. They were so close to reaching the end, but now they had to turn back. However, even if he was unwilling, he couldn't risk their lives.
After discussing it with Line and Lefiya, the group decided to head back.
They had already spent a day on the 17th floor, and it was almost evening. It was time to return.
"Are there fewer adventurers than usual?"
On the way back, Lefiya looked around with some confusion.
From the 17th floor back to the 16th floor, aside from them, they didn't see a single group of adventurers. The entire dungeon seemed to be empty, leaving only the eerie silence that made people uneasy.
"It's already late, and adventurers don't usually travel between the 17th and 16th floors."
Low-level adventurers wouldn't come to the middle floors, while high-level adventurers would camp on the deeper floors. Only Level 2 adventurers would wander around lower floors, and there weren't many of them.
Moreover, it would take over an hour to return to the surface from the 17th floor. Any adventurers planning to return would have already set off.
"What's wrong, Eiji?"
Line was answering Lefiya's question when she suddenly noticed Eiji, who was at the front, had stopped. Thinking that monsters might be approaching, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
"I have a bad feeling."
Eiji rubbed his chin, his gaze focused on the staircase leading to the 15th floor not far away.
"A bad feeling?"
"Are you hungry?"
"I'm not joking."
Eiji casually replied to Lefiya, then turned to the two of them after a moment of thought.
"Wait here for a bit. I'll go ahead to check the situation and be back soon."
Without waiting for their response, he wrapped himself in his black cloak and quickly stepped into the dark passage.
"What should we do?"
"Since he said so, let's wait for a while. With his strength, he shouldn't be in any danger."
***
15th Floor.
The terrain here was still cave-like, with narrow passages occasionally spawning monsters like Minotaurs.
His strong intuition vaguely sensed the presence of malice. Eiji hurried toward the passage leading to the 14th floor.
A few minutes later.
As the passage to the upper floor appeared, Eiji began to see figures ahead.
He stopped and didn't immediately approach. Instead, he hid in a corner of the passage. In the dim light of the dungeon, his black-cloaked figure was quite inconspicuous.
"...Damn that fat woman. It's so late, and she still won't let us go back to rest!"
"Keep your voice down. If she hears you, you're done for."
"But how could a newcomer who just became an adventurer possibly come this deep? Even we, who've been adventurers for several years and are Level 2, need a team to come down here!"
"I heard he's with the Thousand Elf and Lokolite. Maybe they're here to leech experience."
Only a few Level 2s.
They all wore hoods, making it impossible to see their faces. Only their body shapes and voices suggested they were women.
With this number, it should be manageable with a bit of effort.
Eiji silently assessed the situation in his mind.
Thud!
Thud!
Just as Eiji was about to summon his device, the rocky ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled, as if some massive monster was approaching.
"Hey, what are you all babbling about? Focus!"
A monster over two meters tall emerged from another passage and approached the Amazonesses, shouting at them in a rough, loud voice.
"It's a person... How can someone be so ugly?"
Eiji was greatly shocked.
It was a woman with an enormous, toad-like build. Her facial features, compared to Eiji's, could only be described as having the bare minimum: two eyes, one nose, one mouth, and so on.
"However, the sense of oppression is strong, almost like Tiona's..."
Eiji hid in the corner, not daring to move.
But now, their purpose was clear.
Without a doubt, they were here for him.
The reason was still unknown, but Eiji had reason to suspect that these Amazonesses were after his beauty. After all, no one could match his looks, and it wasn't uncommon for low-quality admirers to swarm around him.
An expired l0l! gave a thumbs down.
Crack!
Suddenly, the crisp sound of a cracking wall reached Eiji's ears.
A large crack appeared in the wall beside him, and the figure of a Minotaur began to emerge.
"Who's there!"
A black short axe came spinning through the air with a heavy whooshing sound.
Eiji: Bad luck really isn't anyone's fault.
***
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