The Level 31 is a small cavern, roughly the height and width of a truck. The moment we step in, I detect a huge cluster of creatures. There's only the faintest glow, so I can't see what they are—
but since it's a cave, they're probably bats.
I pat Lina's shoulder, bringing her ear close to my mouth. As I speak, I point upward in front of her face.
"Don't talk loudly, or we'll disturb them."
"Okay."
Lina nods, and we move forward carefully. There's no light in the cave, but we can keep going thanks to "Detection". Just like before the Level 10, we can see the route ahead, so light isn't necessary.
Soon, we find the entrance, marked by a torch stuck into the ground beside it.
The Level 32 is filled with stalactites, long and short—marks left by countless years. The lighting here is brighter, enough to see what lies ahead.
The Level 33 doesn't match a cave at all; it's like a fairy-tale grove. A hole opens in the ceiling, and sunlight pours in, illuminating a pond and a heart-shaped tree.
(This looks like the perfect confession spot.)
It feels like one of those "legendary confession places", like the famous tree at some school where anyone who confesses supposedly succeeds.
But… would anyone say yes if you confessed in a dungeon? If someone came here just to confess and got rejected, that would be heartbreaking.
For some reason the entire scene feels beautiful—the sunlight hits the pond, while the areas around it remain untouched by light. The pond sparkles from the reflection.
Looking closely, the heart-shaped trees aren't pruned into shape—the branches naturally grow that way. Incredible.
Lina seemed to steal a glance at me earlier. My instincts tell me not to think too hard about it, so I ignore it. Behind the trees, I spot the entrance to the next floor.
The Level 34 is a mushroom cavern. All sorts of species are here, thriving in the warm, humid environment. They don't need sunlight, only ventilation.
I pick some non-toxic mushrooms. I can tell which ones are poisonous—not by color—but simply thanks to the knowledge in my brain.
The Level 35 is a large cavern, similar to a limestone cave, with nothing noteworthy. The spiders here are huge, and their webs are annoying, but nothing troublesome.
The Level 36 is filled with colorful crystals, shining everywhere like a ballroom lit with rainbow lamps.
Crystals are actually quartz formations, and their colors come from mixed minerals and trace radiation. But some of these hues should only be made artificially. Why can they form naturally here?
"Karen, why are these stones glowing?"
"Crystals don't glow. It just looks like they do because the light is shining on them."
"So that's how it is."
We later find an entrance made entirely of crystal. Very cool.
The Level 37 is a mineral cavern. I use "Ore Detect"and find small amounts of iron, aluminum, copper, and more.
One adventurer is digging with a pickaxe, but the spot he's digging has no ore. I walk up to him.
"Hello, what kind of ore are you looking for?"
Better ask first. Hearing me speak to him, he turns his head toward me.
"Huh? Oh—hello. I'm looking for iron."
Jerk. He answers me impatiently at first, but the moment he sees Lina, he suddenly becomes polite—and even speaks while staring at her.
I step in front of Lina, blocking his gaze, and point in the direction where he can dig iron fastest.
"There's nothing there. You should dig over there."
"Really?"
He looks at me with doubt. I knew he wouldn't believe me—not that I blame him—so I simply use magic and dig out iron ore on the spot. Seeing the iron in my hand, his face instantly turns into full belief.
"Now you believe me. But I already dug the ore from this direction. There's nothing left if you keep going…"
I look around, then point in another direction.
"Try that way. There's a lot of iron over there."
"Thank you!"
There is a lot of iron in that direction… but he'll have to dig a very long tunnel to reach it.
If he hadn't acted like that earlier, I might've given him the ore I dug out and shown him the fastest route.
"Kallen, are you in a bad mood?"
How did Lina notice? I don't want to admit it, but denying it would be pointless.
"How did you know?"
"I can feel it. I don't know if there's iron there or not, but… he's going to need a long time, isn't he?"
She hit the nail right on the head!
Am I seriously incapable of hiding anything from Lina?
"You're right. That's the longest path, but it really does have a lot of iron. As long as he keeps digging, he'll find it."
"It's a little mean… but also kind."
I'm sending him on the longest path, but he'll end up with a huge amount of iron. A mix of mischief and goodwill.
I could've let him keep pointlessly digging, but at least I pointed him in the right direction.
"Don't worry about it. Let's keep going."
"Okay."
The Level 38 is a maze-like cavern. With "Detection", it's not complicated at all. We find the entrance quickly and defeat plenty of creatures along the way.
The Level 39 is a cavern filled with groundwater. Ahead, there's a downward entrance, but it's clearly man-made and not the entrance to the next floor.
We walk in. First come the stairs leading down, then a flat path, and finally stairs that lead back up. When we exit, the real entrance is right in front of us.
I roughly understand the original structure: a very deep lake, split in the middle by a wall that doesn't reach the bottom.
Originally, people needed to dive under the wall to reach the entrance. But for adventurers who can't swim—including me—someone built an underwater tunnel. With all the dangerous creatures in the lake, it makes sense.
The Level 40 is a giant sinkhole. Looking up, we see an enormous, impossibly high opening above us, while there's no entrance in sight. Then I spot the handiwork of adventurers before us—a rope ladder hanging from the wall. The entrance must be up there.
But I don't need the rope ladder. Magic works just fine—something like an elevator.
We walk to the wall, and I hold out my hand to Lina.
"Lina, give me your hand."
"Mm?"
She takes my hand with a puzzled look. I place my other hand toward the ground beneath us and cast Fill Earth downward.
Just as the name suggests, Fill Earth creates packed soil. I form a rising pillar beneath our feet, lifting us steadily upward like an elevator.
The opening is high, but with my current strength, creating a tall pillar isn't a problem.
I gradually increase the speed, and soon we reach the top. What greets us is a landscape so ordinary it's almost disappointing—a plain mountain summit.
As I was ascending, I couldn't help thinking that the outside might be some kind of paradise. It reminded me of those movie scenes where the camera spins 360 degrees as the protagonist emerges from a cave and beholds a hidden utopia.
We step onto solid ground, and I cancel Fill Earth. The entire pillar collapses into nothing. Then we continue toward the 41st floor.