The Fukaros Familia, starting from DanMachi.

As for the strategy for the Secret Realm dungeon, Loki's Familia has enough Lv.2 and Lv.3 adventurers, so they no longer need to worry about it.

Lefia waved goodbye to Fenyu and the others, then obediently returned to Riveria's side.

Watching Fen Yu and his group depart, Loki suddenly leaned close to Rivera, nudged her with his elbow, and whispered, "Hey, Rivera, I really want to see that kid's stats..."

Rivera frowned and said in a deep voice, "Loki, don't do anything rash."

She was worried that her god's curiosity would outweigh his reason.

Forcibly prying into someone else's favors is a taboo act that can cause any clan to become mortal enemies.

Not only is Fenyu a friend of Bert, but she also just generously shared information and opportunities about the secret realm instance with them. If Loki really has any bad intentions, she will be the first to object.

"Oh dear, you think too badly of us. How could we possibly use force?"

Loki chuckled, then, in a tone that sounded incredibly clever, quietly offered a terrible idea.

"We have a brilliant idea. You can just take him down, and once we're in bed, you can openly look at his back, right?"

The air fell silent instantly.

On Rivera's elegant and dignified face, a clear "well" character slowly appeared on her forehead.

The next second, without hesitation, she clenched her fist and delivered a precise, heavy blow to Loki's head.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the goddess, hundreds of millions of years old, collapsed, her eyes rolled back, and a large bump swelled up on her forehead at a visible speed, emitting wisps of white smoke. She fell asleep as soon as she was told, her body was incredibly healthy.

Upon seeing this, Finn's eye twitched violently. He silently turned his head away, pretending to be studying the portal.

Bert whistled and looked up at the ceiling.

Tiona and the Tione sisters exchanged a "she deserved it" look.

……

Fen Yu and his group were completely unaware of the farce that was unfolding behind them.

They continued along the dimly lit passage and soon came to a huge fault line.

This is the "first line," the dividing point between the upper and middle levels.

Unlike the relatively gentle slopes on the upper levels, what lies before us is a bottomless, spiraling staircase that descends into the depths.

A cold wind blew in from below, carrying a damp and chilly atmosphere that was completely different from that of the upper levels.

"From here on, we're in the middle level."

Fen Yu stopped and said seriously, "Cheer up, this place is a completely different world from up there."

Everyone nodded and followed Fen Yu up the stairs leading to the thirteenth floor.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding light was gradually swallowed up.

The moment they stepped onto the thirteenth floor, the last glimmer of phosphorescence from the upper levels vanished.

Absolute darkness and deathly silence enveloped them.

"Here..." Feng Jin held little Ika, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Fen Yu didn't speak, but simply snapped his fingers.

A small flame ignited at his fingertips, dispelling the surrounding darkness and illuminating the scene before them.

They were standing at the entrance of a huge cave.

There are no traces of the artificial repairs that were done on the upper floors.

The walls, floors, and ceilings are all made of rough, hard, dark brown bedrock.

The air was damp and cold, carrying a strong earthy smell and the stench of some kind of decaying organism; every breath made one feel a tightness in their chest.

Countless tunnels unfolded before them like a spider web, densely packed and intricately interwoven.

They are no longer extensions of a plane, but twist and spiral in all directions, forming a true three-dimensional maze.

Some tunnel entrances are pitch black and bottomless, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, while the ends of other tunnels shimmer with a faint green or pale blue light emanating from moss, filled with unknown allure and danger.

"Tick-tock...tick-tock..."

The sound of dripping water, seemingly coming from nowhere, was exceptionally clear in the silent cave, striking a chord in everyone's hearts.

In the distance, occasionally a sickening "rustling" sound, like claws scraping against rocks, or the deep growl of some monster could be heard. The echoes refracted repeatedly in the complex tunnels, making it impossible to determine their source or distance.

This is the thirteenth floor, the starting point of what adventurers call the "Cave Labyrinth".

Compared to the upper floors, the sense of oppression here is on a completely different level.

That ever-present sense of being watched, that tension that monsters might leap out from overhead, from underfoot, or from any shadowy corner at any moment, keeps one's nerves constantly on edge.

Tifa silently adjusted her breathing, her eyes scanning every dark corner warily.

The robin gently closed her eyes, using her keen senses to capture every wisp of magic flowing through the air.

"Let's go this way." After observing for a moment, Fenyu pointed to a relatively wide tunnel on the left with relatively new ruts on the ground.

Those were traces left by other adventurers.

This decision was correct.

In the middle levels, getting lost is one of the most deadly dangers.

Following in the footsteps of our predecessors at least ensures that we don't stray too far from the right path.

They advanced cautiously, and their formation naturally changed.

Burning Feather walked at the front, while Tifa walked beside Robin and Wind Violet to protect the back row.

"Awooo—"

Just then, a low wolf howl came from a dark tunnel on the left.

Immediately afterwards, several pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness.

Four or five hellhounds, each the size of an adult giant wolf, covered in jet-black fur and dripping with lava-like saliva, rushed out of the tunnel.

As soon as they appeared, they opened their mouths without hesitation, and several scorching fireballs, trailing black smoke, roared towards the group.

"Deep within the lake of my heart, ripples of the past stir—"

Burning Feather's chanting was as fast as lightning.

He didn't use [Eternal Flame], which would greatly deplete weapon durability; the added magic was one of his last trump cards.

"—Peace of the Soul".

[Garden of Tranquility] activated.

An invisible magical barrier instantly enveloped him, and he stepped forward to stand in front of everyone.

The fireballs, powerful enough to melt rocks, struck the barrier without making a sound, vanishing silently as if they had been thrown into the sea, without even a trace of heat penetrating.

Almost simultaneously, the rocks on the ceiling and the walls on both sides suddenly began to wriggle, and seven or eight snow-white rabbits with sharp horns on their heads and blood-red eyes "grew" out of the rock walls.

As soon as they appeared, they grabbed crude stone axes and hurled them forcefully at Tifa and the others below.

Unicorn rabbit.

These monsters may look cute, but they are ruthless when throwing stone axes, aiming every blow at the robins and violets in the back row.