"The Food Storeroom" Drake and Tsubaki sat with the Loki Familia’s elite members, all staring at the crystal orb containing the unsettling g
Drake and Tsubaki sat with the Loki Familia’s elite members, all staring at the crystal orb containing the unsettling green infant.
Finn began to explain. "Right after the Monster Festival, a murder occurred in Rivira.
We happened to be on Level 18 at the time, so we got involved. We discovered the killer was a red-haired woman who, like the White-Haired Ghost, could control the new species of monsters.
During our engagement with her, we discovered that her objective was the Fallen Sprite fragments, the infants of the special monster species.
The Ganesha Familia had discovered one during the disturbances on Level 30; the red-haired woman was killing people here to retrieve it.
Unfortunately, in that instance, the Fallen Sprite fragment had fused with a carnivorous plant, resulting in a female-shaped monster. This one here was recovered by Bete on Level 24 after he encountered a group of Dark Faction remnants."
Drake couldn’t help but marvel at the power of the butterfly effect. The original storyline didn’t include Bete seizing a Fallen Sprite fragment.
Under normal circumstances, the Dark Faction would have collaborated with the White-Haired Ghost, transforming the entirety of Level 24 into a breeding ground for the new species of monsters.
However, the Hermes Familia and Ais had jointly raided the food storeroom on Level 24, and later, Bete, Lefiya, and Dionysus Familia’s Filvis had arrived to provide timely support.
In the end, the White-Haired Ghost was killed by the red-haired woman, who only told Ais to seek answers on Level 59, bringing a temporary end to the incident.
But now, the White-Haired Ghost had already been eliminated by Drake, and the Fallen Sprite fragment on Level 59 had been purified by him as well.
Most importantly, Drake had provided Loki with a significant amount of information, particularly some crucial details that brought Finn closer to the truth.
At the very least, Finn now had a clear direction for his investigation, and Drake believed that Dionysus would undoubtedly have adjusted his plans as well.
However, no matter how he changed his plans, his ultimate objective would remain the same; knowing this was enough to deal with the situation.
Finn continued. "Combining this with previous information, we can conclude that the Fallen Sprite and the Dark Faction’s ultimate goal is the destruction of Orario.
The part of their plan that we know about is that they are secretly transporting the Fallen Sprite fragments to the surface. Exactly how many fragments they’ve successfully transported to Orario remains unknown.
Drake, what are your thoughts?"
Drake chuckled. "Finn, are you testing me?"
Finn simply smiled without saying anything, and Drake continued. "Isn’t the answer obvious? First of all, why would the Fallen Sprite cooperate with the Dark Faction?
In other words, what kind of assistance does the Dark Faction provide in this plan?"
Finn smiled. "As expected, you’ve figured it out. The Dark Faction controls another, secret exit from the Dungeon.
I suspect that there are two possible locations for this exit: Level 18 and Level 24.
Level 18 because it’s a safe floor, suitable for the Dark Faction’s operations. And Level 24 because we recently received a commission from a mysterious individual to investigate the anomalies occurring there.
Bete’s earlier discovery of the Dark Faction and the new species of monsters also makes Level 24 highly suspicious.
Therefore, I’ve gathered everyone here today for a two-pronged approach: a search of Level 18 and a raid on Level 24 to investigate.
Conveniently, Drake possesses the ability to sense the new species of monsters, so I hope you’ll lend us your assistance."
Drake replied, "I can’t just stand idly by and watch those guys cause trouble. I’ll do my best."
Tsubaki spoke up from the side. "And me! Count me in as well!"
Finn nodded. "With your help, I feel much more at ease. We’ll divide into two groups. Riveria, Bete, and Lefiya, please lead the others in searching Level 18.
Gareth, Ais, Tione, and Tiona, you’ll accompany me, Tsubaki, and Drake to Level 24. Let’s get started immediately!"
Everyone responded in unison and began their respective missions.
While making their way towards Level 24, Drake learned more about the situation there from Finn.
It turned out that, starting a few days ago, the monsters on Level 24 had begun to gather and move in an unusually concentrated manner. And the suddenly appearing person in a dark robe had given the Loki Familia – or, more accurately, Ais – the commission to investigate Level 24.
Since Ais had been in the Dungeon with Finn and the others, earning money by hunting monsters, Finn would never have allowed Ais to undertake such a dangerous task alone.
Because this matter was related to his ongoing investigation, Finn had immediately mobilized his companions from the Loki Familia to assist in the investigation.
Based on Finn’s deduction, the location of the Dark Faction and the new species of monsters was likely the food storeroom.
Since all the monsters are bred within the Dungeon itself, there is no predator-prey relationship between different species of monsters.
The Dungeon does not possess a complete ecological environment; it’s even questionable whether the monsters can be considered living beings in the strictest sense.
But regardless of what kind of existence these monsters are, any movement requires the expenditure of energy. And the way monsters replenish their energy is through feeding, although the food they consume is also provided by the Dungeon itself.
On certain levels of the Dungeon, there are special rooms containing enormous quartz pillars that secrete a liquid substance that provides nutrients to the monsters.
Therefore, these special rooms are known as food storerooms, and monsters regularly feed there.
The cause of the unusual monster behavior was likely a disruption in the pathways leading to the food storerooms, causing the monsters to engage in this unusual "migration" pattern.
As they were moving forward, Drake leaned in towards Finn. "Finn, don’t you find this a little odd? If the Fallen Sprite and the Dark Faction’s plan is merely to transport the Fallen Sprite fragments to the surface, why are they causing such a commotion on Level 24?
It almost seems like they’re intentionally guiding someone to investigate."
Finn lowered his head. "I understand what you mean. However, regardless of whether they intend to mislead us or have some other ulterior motive, this is one of the few clues we have. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N()velFire.net
In any case, once they act, they will inevitably reveal their weaknesses. It’s better than allowing them to remain hidden indefinitely.
However, your point is well-taken. We need to be even more cautious during our investigation."
Drake suddenly spoke. "Speaking of which, do you have any leads on the person who commissioned Ais?"
Drake, of course, knew who the mysterious person was; it could only be the 〈Sage〉 Fels, acting on behalf of Ouranos.
Drake was genuinely curious about this person. After all, Fels was the known individual with the highest level of [Mystery], the only master to have created both the Philosopher’s Stone and resurrection magic.
Finn shook his head. "Absolutely no leads. However, it’s likely connected to the Guild. It seems that the Guild is hiding a great deal from us."
Perhaps upon hearing Drake mention her name, Ais also leaned in closer.
That familiar feeling again; Drake turned to Ais, who was staring at him with the same intensity as when they had first met.
After a long moment, Drake sighed. "Just say what you need to say."
Ais spoke. "Bell Cranel has gotten stronger!"
Drake genuinely didn’t understand what Ais meant. "So?"
Ais said, "I want to become stronger, like him!"
Drake replied, "But you’ve already leveled up to Level 6! I saw it myself; you soloed Udaeus. You’re already incredibly strong."
Ais responded without hesitation. "It’s not enough! I want to become strong like Bell Cranel. You trained him, so please, I beg you, help me get stronger!"
Drake looked into Ais’s eyes, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Bell and Ais were simply not comparable. Bell was a novice, and he also had the "One Heart’s Longing" skill acting as a kind of cheat code, allowing him to grow incredibly fast.
Ais, on the other hand, was already a top-tier adventurer, and each step forward would be far more difficult for her.
However, looking into Ais’s earnest eyes, Drake couldn’t bring himself to refuse her request.
"Then, let’s wait until this matter is resolved. But you need to be prepared; getting stronger isn’t easy."
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