Enwei truly lived up to Rhode's "sustainable fishing" philosophy.
Rhode contentedly collected all the materials, then raised his hand to summon the shadows of all the monster corpses.
The Tree Dragon shadow was naturally assigned to Kamish's command.
The rest of the monsters continued to have their essences extracted as nourishment, with the insect types added to the Purple Moths, and the others added to the stealth unit.
And this time, they underwent another transformation.
Their figures became even more compact and powerful, and their pupils turned crimson like rubies.
With a soft click, a ferocious, pitch-black bone shield, capable of unfolding at any time, appeared on each of their left arms.
And behind them, the air subtly twisted, and several sharp javelins made of pure shadow energy materialized, hovering behind their shoulders, emitting a chilling, sharp killing intent.
Enwei felt the surging, stronger power within her and looked at her subordinates, whose aura had become increasingly condensed, nodding with satisfaction.
"Master, we have found the entrance to the next floor."
"Finally…"
Rhode leaped down from the tree trunk, stretching with a big yawn.
"No wonder those Familia's Grand Expeditions always took at least half a month to start…"
Although with his current strength, he could completely break through the floors and forcefully advance to the lower levels.
But to achieve his obsessive goal of "collecting all monster characteristics," he could only proceed step by step, floor by floor.
"Let's set the endpoint this time at the 27th floor, to see if the two-headed dragon Amphistaena has respawned."
With a clear coordinate, next time he could directly teleport to the 27th floor and continue exploring downwards from there.
Just then, the newly transformed Green Dragon suddenly let out a low whimper, transmitting the coordinates of an unexplored area to Rhode.
Rhode's expression paused, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That's right, I almost forgot about them, the Xenos that already existed at this time…"
The twentieth floor.
Guided by the Tree Dragon, Rhode arrived at an unknown path far from the explored area.
After walking for a full hour, he reached a cave chamber on the edge of the floor, not far from a food storage.
"Master!"
Kamish, hidden in the shadows, warned Rhode.
"Ah, no need to worry."
Rhode's steps didn't falter in the slightest; instead, a playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"If she wants to watch, let her watch to her heart's content. It's good, I wanted to meet her too."
He casually raised his head, his gaze precisely locking onto a miniature device at the top of the cave, almost integrated with the rock and imperceptible to the naked eye.
Then, he flashed a brilliant smile, enough to make the observer's heart stop, and waved his hand easily.
In a certain secret room, the figure observing everything through an eye crystal trembled violently.
However, her heart didn't stop, because she didn't have a heart to begin with...
Rhode didn't destroy the little contraption; he simply continued to follow the guidance, while the identity of the person behind it surfaced in his mind.
The Sage who created the immortal Philosopher's Stone eight hundred years ago.
In this era, when it comes to the manufacturing technology of magical tools, she is undoubtedly at the pinnacle. Even the gifted but still immature Asfi is not on the same level as her.
She even created forbidden magic that could truly bring people back from the dead.
As a mortal, she declared war directly against the gods who control death!
Although this magic hasn't succeeded even once yet...
But Rhode knew that magic was real.
It's a pity for such a fellow to remain in the Dungeon; I think she and I are fated.
On the sacred altar, four huge torches crackled.
The flickering firelight illuminated the stone altar.
Uranus sat on his divine throne, deeply immersed in the silence.
He rested his arms on the armrests, his pale blue eyes under his hood looking towards the distant stairs.
"Fels."
His voice was low and calm.
The voice, which should have been directed at the empty darkness, was answered.
"Yes, I'm here, Uranus."
From the shadows of the altar, where the torchlight couldn't reach, a hazy outline, as if condensed from pure darkness, emerged.
The person wore a pitch-black robe, not even a sliver of skin exposed; the entire being seemed to be formed by condensed darkness.
Her face was completely hidden in the deep shadow cast by her hood; no light could penetrate it, making her true appearance impossible to discern.
Her exposed hands also wore matching pitch-black gloves, adorned with some complex and mysterious patterns.
The voice that reached the altar was also neutral; it was impossible to determine her gender just by listening.
"How did that young man... perceive the existence of the Xenos?"
"...I don't know. At least under my surveillance, the Xenos never had contact with him."
"So, is it that terrifying ability?"
From the deep darkness to Uranus's left, the figure named Fels took a step, walking silently, eventually stopping before the divine throne.
"Heh, Uranus, do you merely call that power of controlling the dead an 'ability'?"
In these words, there was both a hint of sarcasm towards the gods and genuine admiration for Rhode, but more than that, an undisguised warning.
"I think, even your so-called divine authorities are nothing more than that, right?"
Uranus was silent for a moment, truly unable to refute.
"That young man's origin is too special; his appearance has plunged the future of the entire world into chaos."
"So, is it a good thing, or a bad thing?"
"He met the children of the Astrea Familia, so... it will be a good thing."
"...Should I feel fortunate?"
Fels's neutral voice suddenly took on a hint of teasing.
"To be honest, even my body, which is nothing but a skeleton, shivers at the thought of being an enemy of such a monster."
Uranus glanced at her, speechless.
Facing his gaze, Fels's chin, hidden under her hood, retracted slightly.
"So, is it really okay to let him interact with the Xenos?"
Her tone became serious again.
"Based on my observations, he is not someone who is generous and tolerant towards outsiders."
Uranus pondered for a long time, eventually making his decision.
"Since he is favored by justice, it proves that he is not someone who distinguishes neither good nor evil. I choose to trust him."
Although Fels secretly appreciated Rhode's personality of "decisive in killing outsiders and overly partial to his own people," at this moment, she had to remain rational and calm.
"This reason alone is not enough to convince me."
As a result, Uranus calmly stated a conclusion that instantly rendered Fels speechless and possessed absolute persuasive power.
"There are many pretty girls among the Xenos."
Fels was utterly silenced.
From her long-term observation, this reason... was indeed enough to prevent that young man from immediately striking a fatal blow upon meeting them.
A strange silence fell over the altar.
After an unknown period, Fels's faint voice sounded again.
"You said... would he be interested in a skeleton? I think my kind is actually quite rare, quite explicit."
The corner of Uranus's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he took a deep breath.
"Don't laugh at the challenge, I lost."
Although it was just a joke at first, Fels indeed harbored the idea of meeting Rhode.
After all, he had already greeted her from such a distance; it would be too impolite not to return the visit.
Moreover, she held great curiosity about that mysterious ability to summon the undead, wondering if it could bring some new inspiration to her magical research.
While Uranus and Fels were each lost in their own thoughts, Rhode arrived at a rectangular chamber.
It was over ten meters wide, and the ceiling was equally high.
The ceiling and walls were also made of tree bark, covered with glowing blue moss.
The entire chamber was like a meticulously maintained beautiful flower garden, adorned with greenery and pure white small flowers everywhere.
However, even more striking than the flower garden were...
The deep green quartz crystal clusters growing everywhere, reminiscent of top-grade emeralds.
Rhode walked directly to the depths of the chamber, to a corner of the crystal cluster that covered an entire wall.
His right index finger gently touched it, then—he pressed slightly!
Accompanied by a sharp sound like breaking glass, the quartz shattered, revealing the hidden tree hollow that it had concealed.
"Using the Dungeon's self-repair function to hide the entrance... truly clever."
In that short time, the crystals began to slowly regenerate at a visible speed.
Rhode narrowed his eyes, then stepped in without hesitation.
At the end of the tree hollow ramp was a clear, pale spring.
Rhode's eyes saw through the passage hidden at the bottom of the spring; after judging the distance, his entire body, like melting ink, instantly merged into the shadow beneath his feet.
The next moment, he quietly emerged from the shadow of a much larger, enormous chamber.
"Chirp chirp... chirp?"
In the chamber, the bird-like chirping, a song of unknown meaning, abruptly ceased.
A half-bird girl, who looked to be only about eight or nine years old, was happily preening her beautiful feathers when, without warning, she saw a human emerge from the shadows.
Perhaps never having seen such a bizarre entrance, she stared blankly at Rhode, her clear, crimson eyes full of curiosity, as if trying to find some special biological characteristics on him.
But... she didn't see any characteristics...
He was just an ordinary human.
Their eyes met.
The half-bird girl's face instantly turned pale!
"Eh? Eh eh eh eh?!"
Wait! Could it be, could he be one of those human adventurers that Lei Yi and the others talked about, who capture monsters, eat them, skin them, and pull out their tendons?!
At the thought of the miserable fates she had been repeatedly warned about when encountering adventurers, she was scared out of her wits, desperately trying to flap her wings and escape this terrifying place.
However, because she was too afraid, her wings only flapped weakly once before losing all strength.
"Ouch!"
With a cute cry of pain, she fell onto the ground, rubbing her bottom with teary eyes.
Seeing her clumsy and adorable appearance, Rhode couldn't help but chuckle softly.
He took a step, slowly walked towards her, and extended his hand.
"Ah—!"
The half-bird girl instinctively shrieked in fear, curling up her body, hugging herself tightly with her wings, closing her eyes tightly, trembling all over, waiting for the terrifying attack she anticipated.
However, what she received was not a painful blow.
But a warm hand, gently resting on her head, softly stroking her.
"My cats and dragons both quite like this. What do you think?"
"...."
She quietly opened her wings a tiny crack, nervously and anxiously peeking at the human with a gentle smile in front of her.
"You... you won't hurt me?"
Rhode raised an eyebrow.
"Generally speaking, when I'm in a good mood, I don't casually hurt others."
"Ugh... Then, then how are you feeling now?"
"Not bad."
Perhaps due to her inexperience and simple mind, the half-bird girl gradually stopped being as scared as she was initially.
"I... I'm Fei Er! Sir, what's your name?"
"Rhode."
"Rhode... Rhode..."
Fei Er repeated the name, a brilliant smile slowly spreading across her face.
"Hehe, I remember it! What a nice name!"
Her wings, due to her happiness, also involuntarily flapped twice.
"Mr. Rhode, are all adventurers on the surface as kind as you?"
However, Rhode's next words, like ice water, extinguished the innocent fantasy of the young half-bird.
"No. In your current state, encountering any other adventurer would be a dead end."
Fei Er's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sad and mournful expression.
"Why… but Mr. Rhode didn't attack."
"I am naturally different from them. Because I've long known that you are different from ordinary monsters."
"I long for the sky outside… Can humans and us truly not coexist peacefully?"
"I came here for this reason."
"S-Rank Wish Released."
"Content: Allow humans and Xenos to coexist peacefully (Requester: Uranus) / Allow Xenos to live freely under the blue sky, free from persecution (Requester: Dungeon)."
"Reward: Obtain one of the other party's abilities, and corresponding Wish Points."
Rhode slowly turned around, looking at the dozens of Xenos of various forms who had silently surrounded him at some point.
"So, can you have your leader come out and talk to me?"
"Fei Er, come back quickly!"
A Songbird with a magnificent long tail emerged cautiously from the group, shouting sharply at Fei Er.
She was beautiful and captivating, with dull golden long hair, each strand tipped with a mysterious hint of cyan.
Her forelimbs, equivalent to arms, were a pair of beautiful golden wings, just like Fei Er's.
Her lower body, covered in feathers of the same color, had a pair of slender legs ending in sharp bird talons.
Fei Er was a bit reluctant; she still wanted to learn more about the surface, and she felt that Rhode genuinely had no ill will towards her.
"But…"
Rhode gently ruffled her small head again. This intimate gesture instantly made the surrounding Xenos tense up, almost entering a battle stance.
"Go."
Seeing Rhode actually let Fei Er return to their ranks, the Xenos couldn't help but exchange glances.
For the first time, they felt that this human adventurer in front of them seemed truly different.
"Human!"
A sturdy Gargoyle, Gu Luosi, was silent for a moment, but finally spoke in a fierce tone.
"I don't know how you got here, but since you didn't harm Fei Er, please leave immediately! You are not welcome here!"
"Hey, Gu Luosi, don't say that!"
On the other side, a Lizardman holding a spear immediately spoke to stop him.
"This might be an excellent opportunity to communicate with humans!"
Gu Luosi turned his head, sticking to his opinion.
"Hmph, Reed, humans are humans! There's no difference at all! You should have given up on those naive and boring ideas long ago!"
The leading Songbird, Lei Yi, glanced at Rhode, who had been quietly observing their conversation the entire time, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.
"Ordinary adventurers shout and kill us on sight; if we speak, it only frightens them more, but… he is different."
Lei Yi's words almost made Gu Luosi laugh in anger.
What did she mean by 'he is different'?
How many times do they have to be fooled, how many of their kin have to die tragically, before they learn their lesson?!