Level 71 was a massive coal vein. When I used "Ore Detect", I found traces of several other metal ores mixed in.
This level seemed dedicated entirely to producing coal. The next nine levels each contained a specific ore in large quantities.
We had finally left the snowy region, so there was no need to keep our warm jackets on. We took off our coats, gloves, and earmuffs.
Lina still felt hot, so she tied her beautiful snow-white hair into a ponytail with a hair tie. The exposed nape of her neck made my heart skip a beat. I immediately slapped myself to calm down.
Seriously? Getting flustered just from seeing the back of her neck? What would happen if I saw her stomach—would I just pass out? No, no… it's only because it's rare to see the back of Lina's neck, so I guess it felt… fresh.
"Karen, why did you hit your own face?"
Looks like the sound of my slap was a bit too loud and Lina heard it. I hurried to come up with an excuse and steer the topic away.
"Nothing, probably a mosquito. Anyway… are you done tying your hair?"
"Mm. We can go now."
Animals in the veins had no normal food to eat, so they adapted to consuming minerals. Parts of their bodies turned into whatever metal they consumed.
A few coal-tailed giant lizards were digging and chewing on coal when they suddenly noticed us. Hostility flashed in their eyes, and they charged.
I immediately used ancient magic on them. Modern magic probably wouldn't harm creatures like these, and there was no one else nearby.
(Next time, I should test whether using my full power would hurt them.)
When collecting their remains, I noticed the coal on their bodies was incredibly pure, with almost no impurities.
So I didn't bother taking out the magic stones and just tossed everything straight into the storage hole.
Level 72 was a tin vein, inhabited by tin-spiked porcupines that loved to munch on tin ore.
I used thirty-two years' worth of modern magic and took no damage at all. Then I tried five years' worth of ancient magic, which shredded them effortlessly. So this is why most people under forty can't rise to Red-rank adventurers.
Next, I tested whether my sword could injure them, and the blade snapped. Even though it wasn't embedded with a magic stone, it was still crafted from monster materials and several times harder than a normal iron sword.
Oh no, I didn't have a spare. I'd have to rely on magic for now… and get a custom sword once we got out.
Level 73 was an aluminum vein inhabited by aluminum-legged cheetahs.
Level 74 was a copper vein with copper-skinned crocodiles.
Level 75 was an iron vein with iron-horned buffalo.
Level 76 was a lead vein with lead-clawed brown bears. I only realized it was lead after using "Ore Detect"—there was too little information about these deeper levels.
Level 77 was a silver vein with silver-winged ostriches. Since this level matched the same repeating number pattern, I expected it to feel peaceful, a place to relax or rest. The good news was that the ostriches didn't attack us, so I guess my hunch wasn't entirely wrong.
Level 78 was a gold vein with golden-furred lions.
Level 79 was a tungsten vein with tungsten-tusked elephants.
Level 80 was a diamond vein with giant tortoises covered in diamond shells. Their shells were unbelievably hard and glittering, but the flesh underneath was soft, allowing us to harvest flawless, scar-free diamonds.
Now the next one was Level 81.
I had no idea what kind of environment awaited us there.
We stepped through the entrance to Level 81, and the moment we came out, all we saw were mountains—an entire range stretching endlessly. What kind of environment was this supposed to be?
There were many animals here—no, beasts was more accurate. Large groups of them stared at us. Even though they were species we had seen before, their presence felt completely different. Their intelligence too.
Their attacks were coordinated, using surrounding tactics and group formations. Unfortunately for them, they had run into us—someone they couldn't possibly overpower. But that wasn't the surprising part. The real issue was that different species were moving together as a united herd.
Different animals working together meant only one thing: there was a powerful beast acting as the leader. And judging by how united they were, that leader was also very smart.
The entrance to the next level was on another mountain, so we had to cross several ridges. Along the way, beasts kept attacking us, and we took them down one by one.
Just when we were close to the entrance, a troop of apes suddenly rushed out and blocked our path. I lifted my hand, ready to fight, when a particularly muscular ape abruptly dropped to its knees. It let out several deep cries, and every other ape instantly knelt as well.
Lina and I stared in confusion. All hostility vanished from their eyes. And then—what shocked us even more—other animals nearby also dropped to their knees.
What in the world did we do?
I looked at the first ape that knelt. It had to be the leader. When it noticed me staring, it lifted its head and opened its mouth.
"Please… forgive… us…"
Forgive them? We had just killed so many of their companions. Why were they asking for our forgiveness?
I glanced at Lina. She looked stunned, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to speak but couldn't. …Hmm? Was something off…?
"…You can talk!?"
I finally reacted and shouted back in shock.
"I… we… kn-kn-know… our mistake…"
The ape lowered its head again, trembling as it begged. I ignored the apology for now—this was too big to skip over.
"Wait! Wait! How can you talk? Do you understand our language?"
"I… understand… a little… because… I met… you before. You… talked… and talked… so I learned… a bit…"
I knew apes were intelligent, but talking? This was insane. And it had met me before? I didn't recall ever seeing a talking ape. I pointed at myself.
"Me? I'm first time coming here. This is the first time I've seen you. Are you sure you didn't mistake me for someone else?"
The ape shook its head vigorously.
"I… would… never… mistake… you. Even though… your color… is different… I will… never forget… your face…"
My face was that memorable? And what was that about my "color"!?
"My color?"
"The… same… as hers."
The gorilla pointed at Lina's long, snow-white hair. I grabbed a lock of my own hair.
"This color? My hair?"
"Y-yes…"
"Could it be someone who looks like me?"
People said there were always three unrelated people somewhere in the world who looked identical… maybe that explained it?
"N-no… the smell… is also… the same…"
"Smell?"
""A very… comforting… smell…"
A comforting smell? On me?
What kind of smell was that supposed to be? The more this went on, the stranger it felt. We really needed to get out of here quickly.
"…Ah. I don't fully understand, but let me ask—are you saying you won't attack us anymore?"
If so, this level would become much easier for us later.
"Y-yes! Please… don't… kill… us…"
"We only want to enter that entrance. We're not here to harm you."
"Ple… please…!"
The ape looked toward the entrance, then moved aside. The others followed, clearing the path. I then returned the bodies of the beasts we had defeated.
"I'll return your companions. Sorry… they're already dead."
"N-no… it's… all… my fault… I ordered… them…"
This gorilla was too smart. It was taking all responsibility onto itself. Would it lose its position as leader later? Possibly. But that had nothing to do with us.
"Everything from here on is up to you. We're leaving."
Just as we approached the entrance, I suddenly turned around and randomly killed a nearby beast. At the same moment, I caught sight of the ape chief raising a stone, clearly preparing to strike me from behind. My sudden movement startled it, freezing its attack.
"You're still too green for tricks like that."
I smirked, mocking it. The ape grit its teeth, glaring at me with hatred.
"How… did you… notice…?"
"If I really had a 'comforting smell,' then why were the animals still targeting me? Were they comforted by eating me? Or comforted by killing me?"
The moment it mentioned "comforting," its hostility kept flickering—appearing and disappearing. But when I took out the corpses earlier, the other animals' hostility became unmistakably clear.
"I… have waited… for this moment… for so long. Back then… I was small… I could only watch… as my family… was killed… by you. Now… I've grown… it's my turn… to kill you! Aaaahhh!!"
With a furious roar, it charged at me recklessly. I grabbed its arm, flipped it over, and slammed it hard into the ground. Then I called to Lina to handle the other beasts.
"Lina, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Okay. Wind Blade"
I flipped the ape onto its back and pinned both its arms down. I still had questions, so I couldn't kill it yet. It immediately began to struggle.
"Let… go… of me!"
"Not unconscious, huh? Listen, this is my first time here. I didn't kill your family."
"You… lie! I will… never… mistake… that face!"
So it insisted it had seen me. Fine. Let's just follow its story.
How old was the "me" it saw? Anyone who could reach this level was either over fifty or someone wielding a powerful weapon.
"Fine, fine. Then tell me—what did the 'me' you saw look like?"
"Let go… of me! I'll… kill you! For… my family! I'll kill… you!"
It refused to talk. Continuing was pointless.
"Alright, then. Goodbye. Stone Bullet"
I killed the ape cheif and tossed the body into my storage hole. Lina finished her side as well. As we collected corpses, she walked over.
"Karen, did you get anything out of it?"
"No. It kept insisting it was me. Do I really look that old?"
"You don't look old at all. You look really young."
"Then who was it? I've never heard of any Rainbow-ranked adventurer like that."
"We can ask Mr. Brett later."
"Brett probably knows a lot."
When we finished, we approached the entrance—but I suddenly stopped and turned toward Lina.
"Lina, let's find the teleport circle."
"We're not going down?"
"Reaching level 81 already qualifies us for Rainbow-rank. The best record is Level 85. If we go all the way down in one go, we'll draw way too much attention—maybe even get summoned by the king."
Reaching Rainbow-rank was already attention-grabbing enough. Breaking the dungeon record all at once would definitely get us interrogated. And breaking a dungeon record was far more significant than ranking up. It might even attract attention from multiple countries.
"I don't want that. I'd never feel safe walking outside."
I agreed. I hated royal audiences. You couldn't speak freely, and I didn't know how nobles talked. I'd probably get executed after two sentences.
"So if we descend one level at a time later—slowly refreshing the record—it won't attract as much attention."
It took over two thousand years for people to reach level 85. If we suddenly advanced fifteen levels in a single trip, it would cause a huge commotion. It was better to raise the record slowly.
"I see. Let's back."
We found the teleport circle soon enough—its markings were huge and obvious. I let Lina step on it first; the moment her feet touched the circle, she vanished. Then I stepped in as well.
A rainbow glow enveloped me. When the light faded, I was already back outside the entrance. The sky had darkened; the sun was nearly gone. Lina stood right in front of me.
"Come on, let's back to the inn."
"Mm."
We returned to the inn, ate dinner, took our baths, and—exhausted—collapsed into bed. We didn't even have the energy to think about everything that had happened today.