Chapter 71 - The 6th Floor!
*Splurt!*
The short sword pierced the monster's body. This fatal blow caused the creature to instantly dissipate into the air, leaving behind only a purple-blue magic stone fragment on the ground.
"Alright, that's the last one. Pick up the dropped items, and let's take a short break."
Riveria, observing Ais's progress, felt very satisfied.
Over the past week, Luke and Ais's performance truly showcased what it meant to be a genius in Riveria's eyes.
Luke was understandable. Even before becoming an adventurer, he already possessed considerable strength, and his current performance was to be expected.
However, Ais was different.
A week ago, although she was more outstanding than typical novice adventurers, she still fell within the category of a 'newcomer.'
But now, observing Ais's skillful performance on the 5th floor, it was hard to label her as a mere 'rookie.'
Whether in combat capability or familiarity with the dungeon, both Luke and Ais were improving at a remarkable pace.
At this rate, Riveria, who had been trying to restrain them from progressing to deeper floors too quickly, might have made a mistake.
Sitting on a rock, Riveria watched Luke and Ais picking up their 'spoils,' contemplating whether to take them to the 6th floor ahead of schedule.
On the other side,
After picking up the dropped items on the ground and preparing to find a rock to sit on, Luke was approached by Ais.
"Give them to me; I'll hold them."
Ais gently tugged at Luke's sleeve, extending her hands towards him.
Perhaps aware that she was the weakest and least useful in this trio, Ais was exceptionally proactive in other matters.
One of the most typical examples was carrying the loot.
Knowing her role was relatively minor, Ais always volunteered for the 'logistic' tasks.
She hoped that by making efforts in these areas, she could contribute to the team.
Carrying more loot would obviously affect Ais's movements due to the increased weight, but it was also a form of training.
With Riveria and Luke watching nearby, there was no danger, so they allowed Ais to do this willingly.
As a result, Ais, who originally intended to contribute more to the team, unknowingly turned her actions into a form of exercise observed by Riveria and Luke.
However, Ais remained completely unaware of this.
She was simply happy to be helping the team.
Riveria and Luke couldn't bear to reveal the truth to her, and so the three of them maintained this unspoken understanding.
Luke looked at Ais's outstretched hand, smiled at her, and then placed the recently collected loot into Ais's hands.
"Then I'll leave these to you, but make sure to hold them securely."
"Umm, got it!"
Watching Ais vigorously nod with a cute expression, even Riveria couldn't help but smile.
...
The break didn't last long, and soon the three of them entered the monster-grinding phase again.
However, this time, influenced by Luke and Ais's performance, Riveria decided to take them to the 6th floor.
In the dungeon, the first five floors were considered the novice area, where only kobolds and goblins would appear under normal circumstances.
Starting from the 6th floor, they would enter the upper part of the dungeon, encountering entirely new types of monsters.
When Luke and Ais learned that Riveria intended to take them deeper into the dungeon, both of them were somewhat happy.
Luke was looking forward to encountering different kinds of monsters.
Despite his formidable strength now, he hadn't seen much of these 'non-human' creatures before.
Witnessing unknown creatures firsthand would undoubtedly spark anyone's interest, and this curiosity was precisely what an adventurer should possess.
Ais, on the other hand, simply felt that she must have grown stronger to be allowed to venture deeper into the dungeon.
She knew that this team had been taking care of her, forcing them to stay in the novice area for a whole week.
Otherwise, with Luke's strength and Riveria guiding them, they could have reached the middle-floors at the very least.
Being able to enter the 6th floor now clearly indicated that her growth was recognized, making Ais particularly happy.
It seemed the dungeon had no intention of disappointing Luke and Ais's expectations.
The moment they entered the 6th floor, a new type of monster emerged from the ground, attacking them.
The 'Killer Ant,' the most common monster in the upper floors of the dungeon, holding a status similar to goblins in the novice area.
It had the appearance of a child-sized, jet-black ant with sharp mandibles and a sturdy exoskeleton.
Generally, when insects were magnified to a certain extent, their appearance became quite terrifying.
While ants were relatively more normal in this regard, killer ant's crimson eyes combined with the black exoskeleton made them look menacing.
The 'Killer Ant' was actually an unfriendly monster for newcomers, primarily due to its hard exoskeleton.
Most novice adventurers were quite impoverished, and gains in the novice area had a very low resale value.
This made it challenging for novice adventurers to save money to buy good equipment.
However, it was also challenging to penetrate the 'Killer Ant's' exoskeleton with ordinary iron weapons.
Therefore, 'Killer Ant' is also known as "newbie killer" for killing a lot of newbie adventurers
However, the typical adventurer's dilemma did not exist for Luke and Ais.
Although Finn advised them not to rely too much on equipment, even so, the weapons provided by Loki Familia to newcomers were sufficient for use up to around the 10th floor.
Piercing the exoskeleton of the 'Killer Ant' was clearly not an issue.
Ais's performance also confirmed this point.
As soon as the monsters appeared, Ais volunteered and charged forward.
The short sword in her hand deftly traced two arcs in the air, instantly slaying the 'Killer Ant.'
However, just as she was happily about to pick up the magic stone fragments, she heard Riveria's serious voice from behind.
"Ais! Don't let your guard down. Watch above you!"
Upon hearing Riveria's reminder, Ais was suddenly shocked.
Without time to regret her momentary complacency, she exerted force and swiftly dodged to the side.
*Splurt!*
*Splurt!*
The sound of something piercing into the ground echoed in the place where Ais had been standing before.
With a narrow escape from the imminent attack, Ais now had the chance to turn around and look at the spot where she had just been.
Two more 'Killer Ants,' identical in appearance to the one she had just slain, were pulling their large mandibles out of the ground.
Like goblins in the novice area, 'Killer Ants' were also monsters that acted in groups.
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