There were exactly 20 floors in the Slime Dunk Dungeon.
And five of them had already been completely cleaned out by Adonis.
When other divers finally descended after him, what greeted them was not the chaotic battlefield they had expected, but eerie emptiness.
Puddles lay lifelessly. Gelatin residue slowly evaporated.
Only a handful of newly spawned slimes wobbled weakly at the edges of the tunnels.
"What the hell?" a swordsman muttered, staring at the clean stone floor. "Did we come in late?"
"That's impossible. The dungeon reset was only this morning," another replied, frowning.
A young woman in leather armor crouched and touched the ground.
She said,
"Guys, these slimes were destroyed recently. Minutes ago, at most."
"We also get that, Ursha. But by whom?" someone asked.
No one answered.
"Well, why don't we find out?"
"Yes. That's the most practical solution."
They moved deeper, unease creeping into their steps.
On the sixth floor, the atmosphere was noticeably different.
The ether density was higher. The slimes were larger, and their movements were far more aggressive than those on the upper floors.
And in the middle of it all stood a lone figure.
A black-haired boy.
He moved calmly through a cluster of slimes, his black blade flashing in controlled arcs. Each strike was clean. Efficient. Almost mechanical.
Thrust.
Turn.
Step.
Slash.
The cavern walls were exploded with blue gel.
[ EXP +10 ]
[ EXP +11 ]
The group that just entered froze at the entrance.
"Who is this guy? He looks so lackluster, but—" A girl paused as if still thinking.
Another girl shook her head,
"No. He's not ordinary. We're on Floor Six, Melt."
The young woman was beautiful. She was wrapped in elegant, expensive gear.
Her robes were emerald green, engraved with pearls that gleamed like silver jewels.
Her long silver hair was tied neatly behind her back, and her sharp eyes missed nothing.
She raised her emerald green staff high, murmuring,
"He is interesting."
Her signal forced her group to a halt.
"Don't interfere for now. Just watch."
Behind her, a burly young man frowned,
"Leader, that guy is stealing our kills and EXPs. Let's kill him.
The young woman shook her head slowly.
"No. You're making a great mistake, Barn. Look at his movements."
They watched as Adonis ducked beneath a lunging slime, pivoted, and drove his blade straight through its core.
Plop!
The slime collapsed instantly.
There was not a wasted motion. Not even a hint of panic.
"Fuck. He's not struggling at all. He's literally farming kills," the archer said quietly.
(AN: For anyone wondering why there are archers and healers, it's because sword souls come in many forms and traits. Not just in the shapes of swords.)
The silver-haired young woman's grip tightened slightly around her staff.
"No. Not just farming. He's single-handedly clearing the floor," she corrected.
As if sensing their presence, Adonis finally stopped.
He wiped the blade clean with a casual flick and turned toward them.
His eyes were calm. Too calm.
For a moment, neither side spoke.
Then the leader stepped forward,
"You're impressive. This is your first dive, isn't it?"
Adonis frowned slightly. He knew this wasn't the time to think with his dick, just because the other party has excellent beauty and assets.
In these dungeons, crimes and injustices cannot be controlled by law and order.
As such, he made caution his first necessity.
"Does it matter?" he replied indifferently.
Hearing him, a few members of her group stiffened at his reply.
The young woman, however, smiled faintly.
"No," she admitted. "I suppose it doesn't."
She studied him openly now.
"But a solo diver clearing Floor 6 on his first dive—that's rare enough, isn't it?
Her lips curved.
"Actually, it's unheard of."
Adonis said nothing in reply.
Behind him, a barely noticeable ripple of Ether erupted once, then vanished.
The young woman noticed with her sharp senses, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
"My name is Arisu. What's your name?" she asked.
"It's Mateo. Just another diver," he answered calmly.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, Arisu laughed a little.
"You're so rigid, Mateo."
She then tapped her staff lightly against the ground.
"I'm here to clear deeper floors. If our paths cross again, I'd prefer we aren't enemies."
Adonis gave a short nod.
"That depends on whether you slow me down," he replied.
The other five members glanced at each other.
But Arisu stared at him, still smiling. Whether it was a cunning smile or a genuine one, he couldn't tell.
"You're bold. And I like that."
Afterward, she stepped aside, motioning for her group to move.
"Go on," she told him. "We'll take another route."
Adonis did not bother with courtesy.
He turned and walked deeper into the dungeon, his footsteps reverberating into the darkness.
As his figure disappeared, one of the party members swallowed hard.
"Leader, what exactly did we just meet?"
Arisu watched the route where the boy had vanished.
"A storm maybe. Although... it's still in the infant phase," she replied.
The burly young man, Barn, flared in jealousy. He had secretly had a crush on the leader for a while now, with no courage to confess it. But here was an average-looking guy who stole her attention just with some showing off.
But he did nothing, thinking Adonis was just a passerby in their journey.
He didn't know this meeting will be the reason for his whole family's downfall in the near future.
Meanwhile, Adonis moved alone once more.
The noise of the Sixth Floor faded behind him as he descended deeper, step by step, floor by floor. The dungeon grew quieter, the air thicker, and the Ether denser with each level he cleared.
By the time he reached the eighth floor, the slimes had changed again.
They were no longer the simple, wobbling creatures from the upper levels. Their bodies were not watery anymore. They glowed with fire. And these Fire Slimes were larger, denser, and carried faint crystalline cores within their fiery mass.
[ Fire Slime – Level 5 ]
They attacked in groups of four or five, coordinating instinctively, attempting to flank and engulf him.
Adonis adapted without hesitation.
He stopped relying purely on brute force.
[ Relentless Thrust ] was used sparingly now, reserved for moments when momentum mattered.
For the rest, he used controlled movements, precise strikes, and minimal Ether expenditure.
Slice.
Step.
Thrust.
With each strike, red fiery essence like magma splattered onto the stone floor.
[ EXP +6 ]
[ EXP +7 ]
...
Floor 8 fell.
Then Floor 9.
[ Level: 3 | Exp: 370 / 500 ]
The dungeon shook a little as if acknowledging his presence.
When Adonis finally stepped onto the 10th floor, he felt the change immediately.
Something was different here.
The Ether density spiked, pressing lightly against his skin. The Water and Fire slimes here were slower but far tougher. Their translucent bodies were hiding something solid within.
Ether Cores?