Chapter 84 - The 18th Floor!
Following the expedition team, Luke traversed the grassy entrance of the 18th floor and entered a forested area.
On the 18th floor, there was actually a town.
A town purely constructed and managed by adventurers, known as "Rivira."
Since it was built by adventurers themselves, the entire town appeared quite run-down, with no particular order to the arrangement of houses.
Except for a few important buildings, most shops were even constructed with shabby woods.
Due to the small size of the town, not even reaching the length of a street in Orario, it was also called "Rivira Street."
Being self-managed by adventurers meant that all the rules set by the adventurer guild on the surface couldn't constrain the adventurers here.
Thus, Rivira Town had its own unique rules, significantly different from those on the surface.
With unreasonable soaring prices of the goods, the circulation of forbidden items and potions, incidents like robbery, theft, and bullying occurred frequently here.
However, there was still a noticeable order, such as unity against external threats and the prohibition of killing adventurers.
It was a unique town woven with chaos and order, filled with adventurer's style.
Due to the unreasonably high prices in the town, every time Finn and his team arrived at this floor, they chose to camp in the woods instead of staying in the town's inn.
After all, who wants to willingly be ripped off?
...
Luke walked through the forest, enjoying the unique beauty of the surrounding scenery.
Blue crystals covered every corner of the forest, from small crystals growing at his feet to enormous ones that could fit an entire person.
The crystals emitted a blue glow, and countless differently shaped blue crystals caused the forest to be filled with a pale blue glow.
It was a mysterious and fantasy-like color palette.
This nameless blue forest made Luke feel like he was in a fairy tale world.
"Even on the safe floor, don't let your guard down completely inside the dungeon."
Seeing Luke and Ais being captivated by the dreamlike scenery, Riveria spoke up, giving them a gentle reminder.
After hearing Riveria's reminder, Luke snapped out of his reverie.
But then, he was a bit puzzled and asked Riveria, "Isn't it said that there are no monsters in the safe floor? Why do we need to be cautious?"
"While it's true that monsters won't spawn in the safe floor, it doesn't mean there are no monsters on this floor."
Shaking her head, Riveria pointed out the flaw in Luke's words.
"They won't spawn, but monsters can still come to this floor through the entrance and exit to the upper and lower floors."
"Since humans can move between the dungeon floors, monsters can also do so."
"Although rare, there have been incidents where monsters from lower floors entered upper floors, causing significant casualties among lower-level adventurers."
"That being said, the 18th floor is somewhat special."
"Monsters that come to this floor, attracted by the scenery, seem to have reduced aggressiveness."
"Generally, as long as you consciously avoid and don't provoke the monsters on this floor, you won't be attacked."
"Therefore, the 18th floor is also known as the 'Under Resort.'"
"It's not only a paradise for humans but also for monsters." Riveria finished speaking.
"By the way, Riveria, take Luke and Ais 'there'. Let them see the sights we saw back then. Consider it a tradition to be passed down to them." Finn gave his advice as he walked towards them.
Upon hearing Riveria explaining the 18th floor to Luke and Ais, Finn suddenly made this suggestion to her.
Riveria paused for a moment, seemingly reminiscing about the time the three of them first arrived on the 18th floor.
"Alright, you guys go set up camp. I'll take them 'there' to have a look."
Thinking of something, a faint smile appeared on Riveria's lips.
The usually stern elf royalty now had a softened expression. This contrast made Luke appreciate just how beautiful Riveria truly was.
Snapping out of his daze, Luke and Ais didn't interject but quietly followed Riveria.
They were both curious about the 'place' Finn mentioned.
Following the direction Riveria led, the density of trees gradually decreased.
Soon, they saw a semi-circular forest exit ahead.
Crossing the relatively dim forest boundary, what came into the view of Luke and Ais was a miracle of nature.
A magnificent and vast grassland, a lush expanse that was rarely seen even on the surface.
At the center of the grassland stood a towering giant tree reminiscent of the mythical World Tree where elves resided.
Luke and Ais were guided by their sight along the direction of the growing giant tree, looking up towards the sky of this floor.
Then, another miraculous scene appeared before them.
It was crystals, countless crystals.
The ceiling of the 18th floor was filled with countless glowing crystals.
Like blossoming flowers, innumerable crystals covered every corner of the ceiling.
They were of two colors – the central ones were as white as the sun, and surrounding the white ones were hues of blue reminiscent of the outside sky.
It's not that there is a blue sky inside the dungeon. Instead, the countless crystals emit light, creating the illusion of a blue sky.
"The glow of these crystals changes with the passage of time, so even in the 18th floor, there is a kind of 'night,'" Riveria's explanation came timely into Luke and Ais's ears.
The 18th floor, a safe floor.
An underground world filled with crystals and nature.
Also known as the "Under Resort."
Riveria stood there with Luke and Ais, silently appreciating the "miracle" created by the collaboration of the dungeon and nature – a world full of crystals and natural beauty.
…
After enjoying the beautiful scenery, Luke and the others returned to the campsite to help with camping preparations.
The Loki Familia expedition team would spend 2-3 days on the 18th floor for maintenance.
During this time, various tasks such as rest, treating wounded members, and assigning duties to those staying behind would be carried out.
Out of the nearly 30 members in the expedition team, only a little less than half might be qualified to continue deeper into the dungeon.
Most Lv1 adventurers would be left behind, with a few Lv2 and Lv3 members staying with them to prevent potential threats from the dungeon or other adventurers.
Considering the exhaustion of ordinary members, Luke's condition was relatively good at this moment.
And just in time, Finn found him at this time.
"Luke, how are you feeling? Do you want to go to the town with me? I need to sell the magic stones and drop items we collected from the previous floors, as well as that huge magic stone you obtained before."
Finn pointed at the conspicuous giant magic stone behind.
"Besides, you haven't been to 'Rivira' yet. It's a good opportunity to show you and Ais around."
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