The drunken Xenos also rushed in, jostling each other, all surrounding Rhode and Fei Er, jumping up and down and dancing wildly.
Even the huge beastmen and ogres roared and beat the ground with their fists and feet, creating a wild rhythm.
Singing, shouting, and laughter continuously rang out, mixing together to form a symphony of new life.
The Xenos still maintained their deepest reverence and loyalty towards Rhode, but after this shared laughter and frolic, a sense of heartfelt closeness quietly began to sprout.
Loli Apophis sat alone on a high rock, swinging her two little legs, and softly hummed along.
She squinted, watching the young figure in the center, who had a hint of helplessness on his face but was clearly having a blast.
"Although he always forces himself to act as rational as a perfect capitalist, at the end of the day, he's still just a boy who just came of age... Occasionally, he needs some entertainment."
Her peripheral vision inadvertently caught the gazes of several female Xenos, which were fixated on Rhode the entire time.
Especially Lei Yi, who gazed at Rhode without any pretense, her singing becoming even sweeter and more moving!
Apophis pouted her small mouth and added fiercely in her heart.
"...It's proper entertainment! The demon lord 攻略戰 between men and women doesn't count!"
After being indignant for some inexplicable reasons, Apophis looked at the bizarre Xenos below, howling and wailing, and finally couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"Although, from the outcome, everything he does is in pursuit of profit... in reality, Lord Rhode has indeed brought happiness to many people..."
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Sure enough... Lord Rhode is actually very gentle."
Soma Familia, Witt, Huang Dongshu, Thomas, and others in heaven all expressed: "I have no objection!"
After Rhode played with these overly enthusiastic Xenos for a while, he left behind No. 4326, ten Shadow Soldiers from the covert unit, and the shadows of two Wyverns, continuing to explore downwards.
No. 4326 was responsible for teaching them basic literacy and common knowledge of human society, while the covert unit, while ensuring their safety, was responsible for providing them with systematic combat skill training.
Lei Yi had enthusiastically volunteered to lead the way for Rhode, but Rhode thought about it and decided to have her stay behind to receive education and training with the other Xenos.
Since, inspired by Enwei, he had already decided to clear every floor during this exploration, there was no need to worry too much about the extra time spent.
Just as he said goodbye to the reluctant Xenos and his figure merged back into the shadows, a line of cold system prompts appeared before his eyes.
"A-rank Wish has been issued."
"Issuer: All Xenos."
"Content: Annihilate the Ikelos Familia."
"Reward: One of the abilities of all Xenos, and a corresponding large amount of Wish Points."
Rhode's figure emerged from another shadow, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Interesting.
Theoretically, the Xenos at this stage had not yet suffered large-scale persecution from the Ikelos Familia, and Ranier had not been killed by Dix.
Logically, such a wish full of revenge should not have arisen.
But it did...
This made Rhode even more curious about the nature of wishes.
However, while the Xenos' ability didn't immediately attract Rhode, still....
Rhode's gaze lingered on the requirement to "Annihilate the Ikelos Familia" for a moment, and a pleased smile curled his lips.
"It's been a long time since I've seen a quest that asks me to send their entire family to the afterlife."
His DNA was stirring again.
"Now, I really have to do it."
In the original work, the god Ikelos successfully separated himself from the monstrous crimes committed by him and his Familia, and his punishment was merely permanent expulsion from Orario.
"Since I enjoy role-playing games, as a cheater, I enjoy punishing those who don't follow the rules."
Rhode felt the shadow of the Black Goliath within his shadow, already restless due to its master's killing intent towards a god, and he chuckled softly.
"Let's consider this a small prelude to the grand drama that is about to unfold."
He looked up, his gaze seemingly penetrating layers of rock walls.
"Oh, God's Assassin born from the Dungeon, please, don't disappoint me."
Immediately after, Rhode led his Shadow Legion and continued to explore deeper.
On the 22nd floor, a swarm of black hornets appeared.
— Deadly Wasps.
These monsters not only possessed extremely high evasion and mobility, but the hardness of their carapaces even surpassed that of the "Rookie Killer" Killer Ants.
Therefore, adventurers also called them Advanced Killers.
Although Rhode thought the title was a bit hard to take seriously.
But just one sting from this monster was enough to send a well-equipped Level 2 heavy warrior to the afterlife.
When they appeared in swarms, they were indeed terrifying.
And for adventurers, an even worse situation was encountering the rare monster coexisting with the Deadly Wasps—the Bloody Beehive.
It was an ugly fruit-like monster resembling a giant pinecone, over seven meters long, dyed purplish-black all over.
This trap-type monster could not move and usually disguised itself and hid within tree hollows or walls that giant bees could pass through.
Once prey passed nearby, it would instantly blow away the labyrinth's walls and tree bark, revealing its ferocious full appearance!
The beehive itself attacked by spewing a liquid that, while not lethal, was sticky and could immobilize adventurers. Then, the Killer Bees would swarm out and sting them to death.
And the most troublesome part was that, since the Bloody Beehive was directly connected to the Dungeon, it produced Deadly Wasps at an incredibly fast rate, making its threat level almost equivalent to a Floor Boss.
Ordinary adventurer parties, even advanced ones, avoided this monster at all costs.
However, for Rhode's Shadow Legion...
This was simply heaven! A buffet! An experience package delivered automatically to their doorstep!
What? Endless supply? Automatic refresh? Fearless?
— Is there such a good thing?!
— Hi hi hi~ Here we come!
Enwei's eyes lit up with excitement, and she immediately gave orders, strictly forbidding any of her subordinates from destroying the disgusting Bloody Beehive.
The Shadow Legion treated it as an infinitely spawning "bait," tearing the hatched swarms of Deadly Wasps to shreds again and again!
For a time, the entire 22nd floor echoed with the excited roars of the Shadow Soldiers and the mournful cries of the Wasps.
It wasn't until the poor Bloody Beehive was completely drained, withered and unable to produce a single Wasp, that a fed-up Enwei angrily cleaved it into a shower of flying debris.
Rhode also tried to summon the beehive itself, but it probably didn't work because it couldn't connect to the Dungeon, so he just decomposed it in the end.
The shadows of the Deadly Wasps were divided in two by him.
Half were given to his beloved Purple Moths.
Compared to Wasps that made buzzing noises when flying, he clearly preferred these quiet and elegant venomous insects.
However, when he saw those beautiful Purple Moths, each of them blushing and trying their very best to use all their strength to shakily produce a thick, extremely incongruous-looking poisonous stinger from their bodies.
Rhode always felt a resentful atmosphere emanating from their shadows...
He pretended not to notice.
The remaining half was all given to the covert unit.
Since the shadow's spatial passages were interconnected, the few Shadow Soldiers guarding the Xenos' base also completed their evolution simultaneously.
Their new abilities after this evolution, in addition to their skin's physical defense becoming stronger, also included a special long-range attack move.
They could instantly transform their finger bones into highly venomous bone needles and shoot them out at high speed from their fingertips!
Since their own various attributes were far superior to those of Deadly Wasps, the power, firing speed, and toxicity of these "finger guns" were geometrically enhanced.
A cold fact: Shikotsumyaku · Ten-Finger Piercing Bullets, also known as the Little Wasp Stinger!
The deepest part of the middle floors, the 24th floor.
It usually took ordinary adventure parties about a day to reach here.
However, even including the time spent clearing the map, plowing the ground, scavenging, and communicating with the Xenos, Rhode had only spent less than a single morning in total.
Not only that, while others' teams would weaken the further down they went, Rhode's team grew stronger the further down they went.
"Biubiubiu~"
A covert unit girl, a '雑魚醬' (Zako-chan, lit. 'small fry'), walking beside Rhode, was excitedly making sound effects with her mouth.
She made her right hand into a pistol shape, and with a "bang," she fired her index finger bone like a bullet.
That tiny bone drew a black line in the air, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, instantly piercing through all the clones split by a rare monster, the "Moss Giant," like a string of candied hawthorns!
After doing all this, Zako-chan even pretentiously brought the "muzzle" to her mouth and cutely blew away the non-existent gunpowder smoke.
When she proudly looked back, she found her master looking at her with a strange gaze.
Zako-chan's delicate little face instantly turned crimson with a "boom."
She let out an embarrassed, silly giggle, lowered her head, and quickly scurried back to the team not far away with small steps, burying herself in the embrace of an older-looking shadow.
Soon, suppressed, bell-like laughter came from the team.
Clearly, the other girls also knew about Zako-chan's chuunibyou-filled behavior just now and were mercilessly teasing her.
The exposed girl reluctantly pushed and played with her teammates.
As the human-like mimicry original of these Zako-chan, Enwei's brows instantly furrowed tightly, and she was about to scold them for their lax discipline.
But a hand gently stopped her.
"It's alright."
It was Rhode.
Enwei sighed helplessly, but still couldn't help but complain.
"You spoil them too much, Master."
Rhode chuckled, narrowing his eyes, his voice filled with warmth.
"For a group of lovely girls who have completely placed their hearts, minds, and souls on me, whose sole purpose in life is to live for me, why be so harsh?"
He turned his head, looking at the mature-looking Enwei beside him, who was now a little sulky, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Besides..."
"I spoil you just as much~"
"Eh?"
Enwei, whose surface appeared as cold as frost, felt her strong, battle-hardened heart, at this moment, thumping wildly like a startled fawn, "bang, bang, bang."
She stood with her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word, her cheeks tinged with a suspicious blush.
Rhode found this amusing.
No wonder she could lead such a lively bunch of subordinates; it turned out that when facing herself, she would instantly transform from a decisive commander into a cute and clumsy idiot.
The cute subordinates, after being teased by their master, somehow became even more motivated, clearing the dungeon at an astonishing speed, almost reaching the entrance to the lower floor in a few minutes.
Rhode had some impression of the 24th floor, so he paid special attention along the way and, sure enough, found some traces of Dark Faction activity in several extremely hidden corners.
He had the covert squad mark down these locations one by one and dispatched a large group of Purple Moths to monitor them, planning to directly block their path if they made any moves later.
Rhode even made a special trip to the large red crystal pillar on the 24th floor, but he did not find any signs of the Jewel Fetus parasitic there.
Perhaps it was not yet time, so Rhode merely left Purple Moths there for long-term surveillance before continuing his descent.
The passage connecting the 24th floor to the lower levels was a deep, crystal-encased corridor.
The world below the 25th floor had been known as the New World since the appearance of the Great Hole.
At the end of the cave passage, a pale blue light poured in, and the roar of rushing water grew louder and louder.
The moment they stepped out of the cave, the sight before them made all the Shadow Soldiers hold their breath.
A majestic, enormous waterfall, like a galaxy pouring down, suddenly appeared before them!
Mountains composed of countless crystals formed steep valleys and cliffs on both sides of the waterfall, reflecting a misty, watery light.
Accompanied by dreamlike splashes of mist, flocks of Harpies and Songbirds soared freely in the vast cavern, emitting high-pitched, clear cries.
This was truly a beautiful scroll depicting a Water Paradise!
Rhode stood on the edge of the cliff, muttering softly.
"Giant Azure Falls..."
This was a truly gigantic waterfall, starting from the 25th floor.
Its width was estimated to be over four hundred meters, and its height, looking down from here, was bottomless, easily estimated to be eight hundred meters!
Directly above the waterfall's mouth, one could vaguely see the remnants of the upper level's "Great Tree Labyrinth"—extremely thick tree roots, at least five meters in diameter, spreading out like coiling dragons, clinging tightly to the rock face.
Rhode took out his phone and enthusiastically snapped a few photos, then retrieved a sign from Kamui Space and planted it at the exit, writing "Ahead: Stunning View" on it.
"Hmm, the scenery here is really nice, quite suitable for building a viewing room on the cliff edge, and for fishing and such."
"I remember further down, on the 27th floor, there's also a Xenos village."
After finishing all this, he clapped his hands in satisfaction, leaned over to look down, and let out an amazed "Tsk tsk."
Directly below the crystal cliff where he stood was a bottomless, enormous waterfall pool.
With such a height and the force of the water, if one were to fall, even well-equipped high-level adventurers would probably be instantly crushed into a pulp.
"After all, it seems that in this world, flying magic tools can only be created by Asfi in the future, and even then, it's probably still a semi-finished product."
"Besides that, there doesn't seem to be any proper magic specifically for flying, at most just some means to glide for a short time or slow down a fall..."
This exaggeratedly large waterfall would extend all the way down to the 27th floor.
Rhode quietly activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, his gaze sharply scanning the rushing water curtain, silently observing the situation inside the waterfall.
Unlike Goliath, which only spawns on fixed floors, the two-headed dragon Amphistaena can use this great waterfall, which spans several floors, and the complex waterways to move at high speed throughout the Water Labyrinth.
Its ability value is estimated to be Lv.5, but if the geographical advantage of the Water Labyrinth is factored in, its strength is comparable to Lv.6.
Therefore, theoretically, with good enough luck, one could encounter it as soon as they step onto the 25th floor.
"But I don't seem to see it... I remember its spawn time is roughly once a month..."
Rhode looked back.
The cliff where he stood was located at the southernmost end of the 25th floor, while the passage to the 26th floor was in the southeast of the floor.
However, because the Giant Azure Falls and the enormous cavern were precisely in the center of the floor, one could only reach it by going clockwise from the south to the southeast.
Of course... that was just the "official" route.
Rhode turned around, looking at the silent Shadow Legion bowing before him, his hands in his pockets, and smiled faintly.
"Kill all the monsters here."