"Ugh I'm so tired!"
"Phew..."
Sora clutched his aching back, sweat streaming down his face as he leaned dejectedly against the baby dragon's corpse. Even as adventurers, their physical strength had limits.
Miko and the black cat were also exhausted, but as girls they kept their composure and didn't slump to the ground. Only Dekomori stood proudly atop the dragon's body, hands on her hips as she flashed a peace sign: "Dragon exterminated! Death to all foes!"
Lily had even gone up to throw a few punches, earning some experience points. She was deeply impressed by this method of defeating monsters though she knew she would've been useless during the actual capture.
But still...
"How much must this cost? No normal adventurer would waste resources like this..."
She'd secretly noted the electrified net, lightning magic sword, mana potions, and unknown venom their total value far exceeded what the dragon itself was worth.
"No smart adventurer would do this... They're demons."
Yet Lily found herself thinking: Could I become stronger this way too? Compared to hoarding money, personal strength offered far more security. She hadn't started as a supporter by choice she simply couldn't afford the costs of being an adventurer.Medical treatment and weapon repairs had always eaten up more than she could earn from hunts. But now she'd saved a decent amount...
Unfortunately, updating ability values required approval from Captain Chanis, so she'd given up on the idea.
As if reading her mind, Sora suddenly spoke up:
"That cobra venom is very common stuff..."
"Why are you telling me this?" A cold sweat rolled down Lily's forehead. It felt like he could see straight through her.
"Because you have a very special ability." Sora pointed to the massive backpack behind her: "It suits you perfectly, doesn't it?"
"With a bag this big, you can carry enough supplies to handle any monster you encounter."
[Artel Assist] a logistical skill that drastically reduces the weight of carried items and lets users retrieve prepared supplies instantly. It was exactly what Sora admired most.
Lily pouted: "Lily's just an ordinary supporter I don't have that kind of money."
Sora let the topic drop and clapped his hands: "Alright, rest time's over. Let's move out. Our destination is Rivera Town on the 18th floor."
The original plan was complete, but with Hogni around it was a rare opportunity. Sora decided to push deeper not just for combat, but to survey terrain, gather monster data, and plan future strategies.
The dungeon self-repaired, meaning the layout was mostly fixed. He was already thinking about how to use the terrain to create more efficient farming spots.
Dungeon, 17th Floor
From this floor onward, the misty forests disappeared, replaced by layered caves and labyrinthine chambers. Narrow corridors connected the caves in seemingly random patterns no adventurer wanted to fight in such tight spaces. Get ambushed from both sides, and you'd fall into a "vertical cave" to a lower floor.
Right now...
"Lord Sora..I, I can't run anymore!"
Lily ran with all her might, huge backpack bouncing as a horde of monsters chased behind her.
Sora ran alongside her, carefully examining the rock walls, his eyes gleaming as he occasionally jotted down notes on paper.
"Starting from floor 11, the dungeon triggers a 'Monster Feast' event. In this mode, over 10 monsters spawn at once, and moving around only draws more foes."
"Floors 13 and 14 have Hellhounds and Unicorn Rabbits both are huge nuisances. Hellhounds are the second monster after baby dragons that use fire magic; even Level 2 adventurers get wiped out if hit directly. And Unicorn Rabbits throw stone axes,and are rare ranged attackers."
"Plus the poisonous moths hiding in the ceiling... Not to mention other threats."
"Put simply, these floors weren't designed for 'novice' adventurers like us."
Miko clutched her head and wailed: "Does that mean the 'middle levels' were never meant for newbies to begin with?!"
Except for the black cat who could reach Level 2 combat power with Mamenosuke's help none of the team had stats matching the floor's recommended standards. Dekomori was an exception with her giant warhammer, but the maze's narrow passages rendered her weapon useless, her first "version nerf."
Even someone as strong as Bell Cranel, with his SSS growth rate, wouldn't dare enter the 18th floor alone. But Sora was doing exactly that.
"So why did you let Mr. Hogni leave?!" Lily complained loudly.
This was her first time in the middle levels, let alone the 17th floor all her past experience was useless now. Survival depended entirely on Sora.
"Simple, I want real ability points!" Sora grinned slightly.
"Adventure is about using wisdom and experience to navigate tough terrain, defeat blocking monsters, and reach safety in the end, that's the game's charm!"
With Hogni around, experience gains would be diluted whether he fought or not. Only true adventure could bring meaningful growth. For a pro player, efficiency always came first. So Sora had asked Hogni to step back and keep watch from afar.
Miko's eyes welled up with tears: "But this isn't a game!"
"Is there really a difference?" Sora's question left her speechless.
With SAO's existence and the "Artificial fluclights" concept established, future games would inevitably be full virtual worlds even ones that could influence reality and accelerate human thought. Miko looked visibly uneasy.
Shiro gave a thumbs-up to comfort her: "Don't worry this is all part of the plan."
The black cat (a seasoned gamer) and Dekomori (adventure-obsessed) agreed wholeheartedly. Only Miko could truly understand Lily's panic...
You can't see me, you can't see me... Lily covered her face as she ran stiffly. As a supporter, she always felt out of place without her usual teammates.
"I feel so useless..."
"Didn't you want to become extraordinary? Now's not the time to give up!" Miko tried to encourage both herself and Lily.
As they spoke, the group rounded a corner. Sora caught a faint glint of light in the dark alley ahead.
Calmly, he raised the Fire Fairy Protector to block a gout of flame.
"Even on the 17th floor, those annoying Hellhounds are still around."
Two precise shots from Shiro struck the Hellhound's magic stone directly, reducing it to ash. She quickly finished up, reloading her weapon as she patted her pocket: "Running low on 'ammunition'."
Magic stone guns required specially sized stones that had to be ground and cut beforehand just like most magic items in Orario. Small fragments from upper floors were nearly worthless.
Sora nodded, scanning the area before fixing his gaze on the cave ceiling.
"Here we are."
Ahead lay a spacious cavern leading to a narrow passage unlike the usual suspension bridges and chasms, this was a solid rock corridor.
The group hurried through the cavern. Sora leaped up to plant several bombs in the ceiling crevices, then quickly followed everyone into the passage.
By now, the monsters had caught up their "luring" tactic had drawn over 50 foes, including saber-toothed tigers and old "friends": Minotaurs!
"Moo!"
"Stay back!" Lily and Miko screamed as the massive beasts lumbered after them, panting heavily but refusing to stop. Thankfully, they were strong but slow.
Once everyone was through the cave and into the corridor...
"Shiro!"
"Got it!"
Shiro spun around, firing her gun's last shot. The lightning bounced off the rock walls multiple times before striking the three bombs overhead.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom!
The explosion sent tons of debris crashing down, sealing off the only passage behind them...