Right now, Lefiya was trying her very hardest to stifle a gasp by pressing both hands over her mouth.
Her wide eyes trembled, the effort of forcing down that instinctive reaction nearly unbearable.
But since one hand was occupied, she had only the other to tug at the edge of the Spartoi Hide Cloak.
Problem was, her little rear was sitting right on the other end.
She pulled once.
Then again.
And again.
Each attempt left her more flustered and panicked, until she was practically on the verge of tears.
Ugh... why now of all times...
Thankfully, before the poor girl completely broke down, Aether gave a wry smile and turned his back once more.
Only then did the crimson-faced elf finally manage to steady her breath.
But now, fear of the Deep Levels tangled with a scorching embarrassment, leaving her cheeks burning hot.
Her pointed ears, trembling ever so slightly, had already flushed a vivid scarlet without her realizing.
And then,
"Eh?"
Lefiya blinked in confusion.
"Why did Diona-san turn her back too?"
"Meow?"
See? Instinctive reactions really are hard to suppress.
================
Elsewhere,
"Outta my way!"
BOOM!
A massive man-eating plant exploded under the kick of one very irritable wolf-boy.
Bete didn't even bother picking up the dropped magic stone, he just kept running forward.
Behind him, Finn casually jabbed his Command Spear into the ground, smashing the crystal to dust in passing.
The rescue squad he had hastily assembled was now racing through the 30th Floor at top speed. Everyone knew: this was not the time to weigh themselves down.
Leading the charge were, of course, Bete and Ais.
Ais, silent as always, methodically cut down any monster that dared block their path with her unbreakable Desperate Sword.
Bete, on the other hand, was visibly more aggressive than usual.
Or perhaps... more anxious.
He's desperate to reach them.
"Take the left fork up ahead!"
Finn's calm voice cut through the rush.
Even mid-sprint, he could unerringly call out the correct path.
This wasn't just knowing the route. Inside the head of this Pallum Hero seemed to be a living map, recording countless variations of paths and detours.
Supply wagons for expeditions, fast assault teams, the quickest shortcuts, all perfectly catalogued in his mind, ready for use.
To the others, Tione, Tiona, and the rest of Loki Familia, it was already second nature to follow his calls.
As for Lumine...
Being a Traveler energy body, her stamina recovery was astonishing. So long as she eased her pace even slightly, she could return to peak condition within seconds.
On top of that, since the Genshin system had fully integrated into this world, the old "stamina bar" problem was practically eliminated.
Her durability stat, rated SSS, wasn't just for show.
In short, anything the strongest possible Lv.2 adventurer could manage, she could as well.
Still, as Aether had once noted: reality wasn't like anime. Too many details were glossed over.
In the show, Loki Familia descended from the 52nd to the 58th Floor in mere minutes.
But here, over twenty minutes had passed, and the rescue squad had only just reached the mid-30th Floor.
And,
"Oi, Finn! This ain't the proper path to the floor stairway, is it?"
Bete barked from the front, his nose twitching.
"You're right."
Finn answered evenly.
"But we don't have the time for 'proper.'"
He elaborated:
"Two hundred meters ahead, there's a vertical shaft. Tiona, you'll widen it when we get there."
"No problem!"
The Amazon grinned. At Lv.5, with strength, endurance, and agility all rated A, and dexterity at B, she was practically built for this.
Her signature spinning double-blade technique turned her into a living propeller.
But then Tione, acting as a supporter, frowned thoughtfully.
"Captain, if we're gonna use a vertical shaft to save time, why didn't we just dive deeper through the Serpent Pits in the first place? We could've handled any monsters that showed up."
Finn gave a wry smile.
"I checked before we left. When those Worm Wells showed up, they shattered huge slabs of the 28th Floor's rock bed. The pits are buried."
"To dig them open again would waste more time."
He paused, thumb twitching sharply with a sudden flare of pain, far stronger than before.
He hid the wince behind his usual calm.
Again... this pain. Every time I think of blasting through with Riveria's magic...
With the expedition still fresh from disaster, Finn didn't know why his body was warning him so violently.
But he trusted his intuition.
No one else knew it, but that choice saved lives.
Because if they had forced the pit open...
Even the Lv.4s among them would not have escaped unscathed.
"Here we are."
Finn called the group to a stop.
Before them was a narrow hole, barely thirty centimeters wide, piercing straight down to the 31st Floor.
"Alrighty~!"
Tiona wasted no time. She stepped forward barefoot, slammed her heel into the ground,
BOOM!
The thin rock shattered, widening the shaft in a quake.
One by one, the squad leapt down.
Even without the physique of these First-Class Adventurers, Lumine had no trouble. She didn't even need her Wind Glider.
A quick aerial slash before landing let her pull off a perfect Superhero Landing.
Finally,
"Now, let me think..."
Finn scanned the cavern calmly after landing.
"Yes... this should be the B-02 route. Follow me."
Without hesitation, the group pressed on.
And above the Dungeon, the great city of Orario was finally shrouded in night.
=============
129+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria
250 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
Add to Library to support