Chapter 84: The Large Tree Labyrinth Area!
'Thump thump thump—'
In the depths of a dark cave, a man and a woman walked side by side.
"Ethan-sama, is this really okay?"
Haruhime looked at Ethan with a face full of worry.
She had no combat ability, and Ethan was only a level 2.
Wasn't it a bit too reckless to enter the middle floors so carelessly?
"Don't worry, I've got everything under control."
"Alright then~"
Seeing Ethan's confident look, what else could the golden-haired Renard do?
When she was a member of the Ishtar Familia, she accompanied the senior members into the dungeon.
However, she was at best considered a mascot, merely getting a glimpse of the dungeon's atmosphere.
She had never been involved in actual combat and couldn't help much in a battle.
The 19th floor of the dungeon, just below the 18th floor's safe zone, also marks the entrance to the 'Large Tree Labyrinth' area.
This area is filled with various jungles and trees, and it is home to a large number of insect-type monsters.
Without 'antidotes', it's easy to run into trouble here, as the dense underbrush is abundant, and it's impossible to know where dangerous monsters are hiding.
What's more, many of the monsters here are highly poisonous.
Even though it's just the 19th floor, many high-level adventurers detest this place.
You have to be extra careful here, otherwise, they wouldn't even know when they might die next.
'Rustle rustle rustle—'
Hearing the sound of movement, Ethan smiled.
They've just arrived and received such a 'warm' welcome.
"Ethan-sama~"
As a Renard, Haruhime possessed very sharp senses, and having Falna enhanced them further.
Naturally, she sensed that something was amiss.
'Swish—'
An 'insect' burst out from the bushes. Looking at its large size, it could have set a world record in Ethan's previous world.
"Mad Beetle!"
Ethan recognized this monster immediately upon seeing it.
Before entering this place, he had done his 'homework'.
'Swish swish swish—'
However, this Mad Beetle was just the beginning as more of them emerged from the surroundings.
"Insects, Bugs~"
The hair all over Haruhime's body stood up, especially her fluffy golden tail, which puffed up.
As a normal girl, Haruhime is naturally afraid of insects, let alone such large ones.
"Gem Magic: Flame—"
'Boom—'
Ethan took out a gem, and the next second, a torrent of flames erupted.
The entire area in front of him was cleared, and all the Mad Beetles were burnt to death.
The process was very quick, and Ethan did not expect this magic to be so effective.
'Boom—'
However, before he could be happy, the gem cracked with a pop.
Indeed, this was a 'pay-to-win magic'; a gem storing much of his magic power was used up in an instant.
'Rustle rustle—'
However, the most indispensable thing in the Large Tree Labyrinth is monsters.
After killing these Mad Beetles, more monsters gathered.
But Ethan wasn't worried, he was ready to test his another ability, specifically a 'Cursed Technique'.
'Hum—'
A space rift gradually opened beside him, forming a gateway to the Imaginary Space.
In the next instant, a pack of 'wolves' stepped out from the rift, featuring snow-white fur, ice-blue eyes, sharp claws, and ferocious fangs.
These were Snow Wolves, a type of cursed corpse crafted by him.
He had decided against attempting to create a powerful cursed corpse from scratch, opting instead to use animals as templates.
Ethan had been busy with more than just 'space rings' in the past few days.
He had also managed to create a total of twelve 'snow wolf cursed corpses'.
"Go, let the hunt begin—"
'Swish swish swish—'
The next second, all the snow wolves charged out.
Their bodies, made from the drop items of middle floor monsters, were definitely strong enough to contend against the middle floor monsters.
Thus, on the 19th floor, the battle between 'insects' and 'wolves' began.
'Splat—'
Under the snow wolves' bites, even the 19th floor beetle-like monsters were quickly eliminated.
Puppet Manipulation Technique, a Cursed Technique that allows for fighting above one's level.
With strong enough cursed corpses in sufficient numbers, defeating stronger enemies is not just a fantasy.
Naturally, creating and managing numerous cursed corpses exerts considerable pressure on both one's magic power and mental energy.
It was only because Ethan was an unusual 'monster' that he could act so recklessly.
Thus, Ethan, accompanied by a fox-eared girl, advanced through the middle floors of the dungeon, with Haruhime acting as his 'supporter', collecting all the dropped items.
Even though he said it wasn't necessary, the golden-haired Renard still wanted to do something within her ability.
After hearing this, he didn't say anything more.
'Splat—'
After dealing with the last monster, this battle also came to an end.
Surrounded by the disappearing corpses of numerous monsters, of the twelve snow wolf cursed corpses, only eight remained, with four being too damaged and unable to function temporarily.
"Ethan-sama, here's water~"
After cleaning the blood off his black sword, the fox-eared girl approached him with a bottle of water.
"Thanks, Haruhime."
"This is what I should do~"
Along the way, Haruhime had no sense of existence since she had no combat ability.
It was only at moments like this that she felt her presence mattered.
After yesterday's events, Ethan also discovered that Haruhime's heart is very fragile.
Occasional teasing and taking advantage were fine, but if the joke is taken too far, it can genuinely make the other party too sad.
Yesterday's incident served as a clear example of this.
"Ethan-sama, how far are we going today?"
"To the 22nd floor~"
"And where are we now?"
"The 21st floor~"
Ethan responded, confident that they had not yet reached the 22nd floor, as the mission was still incomplete.
The mission panel clearly showed his progress.
[Daily Mission: Reach the 22nd floor of the dungeon!]
[Progress: 21/22]
[Reward: Diamonds*20]
These days, the reward for the daily mission is sometimes 10 or 20 diamonds.
Ethan's diamond accumulation had reached 90, just 10 short of another ten-consecutive-draw.
So, he headed to the dungeon early today.
Haruhime joined because she insisted, wanting to use her magic to help him.
Considering how useful her magic is, Ethan agreed.
Although not all of Ethan's strength originated from 'Falna', temporarily leveling up would still significantly enhance his combat effectiveness.
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