The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

After climbing out of the spring, Albion and Haruhime shook their heads vigorously to get rid of the water droplets. Haruhime twisted her tail as if she were twisting a towel.

"Doesn't this hurt?"

Albion looked curiously at the tail behind Haruhime, which had changed from a big fluffy tail to a small thin strip because of the water.

"I'm not exerting any more force, I'm just squeezing the water out."

Koya and Hatsune were looking around curiously. After taking out the 20th floor map purchased from the 18th floor safe floor and studying it carefully, Hatsune said to Koya affirmatively.

"'Unexplored Territory'."

The guild has been accumulating a lot of map information for the dungeon, but in order to prevent novice adventurers from seeking death and running down regardless of level, the guild provides maps according to level. Of course, it is not free, and it is quite expensive. The reason why Koya and his friends went to the eighteenth floor to buy maps was because during the Goliath War, his performance was seen by the merchants on the eighteenth floor. There are discounts for buying on the eighteenth floor, which is cheaper than the guild's sales. What's more, compared to the maps that the guild has not updated for a long time, the maps provided by the old hands on the eighteenth floor are more detailed.

But neither the maps provided by the guild nor the maps provided by the Eighteenth Floor were complete. A small map could not capture the entirety of the immeasurable, deep, and vast dungeon.

The human race continues to increase the number of floors it reaches, but at the same time abandons horizontal exploration.

Or it could be a truly undeveloped place that no one has ever discovered until today.

"Unexplored territory."

Truly, it is a field that no one has ever stepped into before.

"..."

The dark cave seemed to lead to the abyss.

There was almost no quartz light source, relying only on the magic stone light that pierced the darkness. Hatsune and Haruhime shuddered, their heartbeats threatening to be heard. The Black Rock Passage was silent, but their professionalism as adventurers kept them in formation, not approaching Koya too closely. Albion, on the other hand, felt no fear at all; rather, the pitch-black environment gave her a sense of security.

There's no telling what monsters might appear in this darkness. If the team encounters a maze trap or unusual situation for the first time, they might even be wiped out in an instant. The sheer "unknown" in the darkness is terrifying.

In the darkness, the five senses seem to transcend the limitations of the body and become more sensitive. Nerves are compressed, yet at the same time, they are sharpened to an unprecedented degree. The slightest movement makes people extremely nervous. Only the unwavering touch of the weapon in hand brings a sense of absolute reliability. Every step they take opens up a new "unknown", just as their ancestors did.

But this darkness did not frighten Koya. He silently expanded his divine domain and reflected everything around him in his mind. Now, even if he closed his eyes, he could still grasp everything around him. However, the divine domain that could be expanded at Lv. 4 was only a few hundred meters in diameter and could not touch the boundary of this cave at all. This cave was very big... so big that it was beyond imagination.

"Koya, there's someone there—"

Koya looked in the direction Albion knew, but there was no response from the divine realm, and his sight could not penetrate the darkness. However, as Albion's voice rang out in the empty cave, Koya keenly felt that countless gazes fell on him and his companions, and their eyes seemed to be able to see through the darkness.

Koya and the others stopped, but one, two, three... one hundred... their pace did not stop, and more and more "monsters" stepped into Koya's divine domain.

Chapter 202: Heretics

As more and more monsters entered the divine realm, Koya no longer wanted to sit still and wait for death. Flames erupted from nowhere, illuminating the cavern. The darkness was dispelled, and Koya and his companions finally saw the enemy's features. They were monsters bred in the dungeon, but unlike ordinary monsters, they were clad in armor and wielded sharp steel weapons. A quick glance suggested there were at least a thousand of them, all armed and armored. This wasn't something they could simply steal from dead adventurers.

But beyond their armor and weapons, the monsters before Koya shared another common trait: intelligence. Yes, though unbelievable, Koya was certain that all of these creatures possessed intelligence. They were not of the same species. Among them were lizardmen, half-human, half-bird harpies, and others lacking human form but possessing intelligence: gargoyles, hellwolves, spiders, and unicorn rabbits.

Monsters from the [Upper Layer], [Middle Layer], and [Deep Layer] gathered here like a hodgepodge. The thousands of monsters of all kinds scared Chun Ji so much that she turned pale.

The next second after the flames rose, this group of monsters with the same rationality as Albion rushed towards Koya and the others like a tide, and those monsters with long-range attack capabilities started their attacks first.

Venom, fireballs, and icicles rained down on Koya and his companions, but strangely, these long-range attacks seemed to be inaccurate, and all landed around Koya and his companions, without any one hitting their formation. The monsters rushing over with steel knives were aiming at Albion - was their target Albion?

"Al! Take Hatsune and Haruhime back the way you came. I'll cover your retreat. Hurry!"

"I do not want!"

Albion directly rejected Koya's order and rushed towards the monsters like a fool. The two spears were brandished with great vigor. For a moment, no monster dared to approach her, but...

See, this is the downside of having a new member join the adventure team. If Albion had obediently taken the two weak girls and evacuated quickly, Koya would have been able to fight without hesitation, and after they were safely evacuated, Koya could have retreated smoothly. But now, because of Albion's refusal, Koya and the others were in a dilemma. So, in the dungeon adventure, team members must obey orders.

But there was no point in saying anything now. The monsters wouldn't give Koya and his friends a second chance. The flying Happy (half-man, half-bird) had already flown behind them, blocking their escape route. Their chance of a safe escape was gone; all they had left was a fight for their lives.

Koya used the perception of the divine realm to mark out several monsters that might pose a threat to him, and then his brilliant dragon transformation was instantly activated. Covered in black dragon scales, Koya looked more like a monster than those monsters. He rushed to Albion, grabbed the back of her collar and threw her back to Hatsune Miku and the others.

"Protect Hatsune and Haruhime!"

Koya did not try to kill the enemy. He understood that these monsters were intelligent. Killing them would only make them hate him and his group. In the situation of a fight to the death, Koya could not save Hatsune Miku from so many monsters. What he had to do now was to scare these monsters.

Koya took out the giant sword as thick as a door panel that Albion had been using for training, and then held it horizontally in front of him, rushing towards the monsters like a bulldozer. Although the monsters were intelligent, they did not know anything about military formations. Koya rushed in and out of these thousands of monsters, deliberately avoiding the powerful monsters marked in the divine realm, and only charged towards the monsters that were gathered in large numbers and were relatively weak.

When Koya stopped beside Albion and the others, he had already knocked the monsters' encirclement to the ground. However, Koya knew that the real threat was not the monsters lying on the ground, but the monsters from the deep that were as powerful as him.

Just as Koya had imagined, dozens of Lv.6 monsters appeared before Koya and his group. These monsters were the reason why Koya didn't dare to retreat with Hatsune and the others.

"Albion...you must listen to me this time. The moment I make a move, take Hatsune and Haruhime away. I'll be fine."

"..."

Albion did not want to agree to this order, she knew it very well, but looking at the dozens of powerful monsters not far ahead who were eyeing her hungrily, Albion bit her lip and nodded silently, she knew very well that staying here would only cause trouble.

"Haruhime, Hatsune, give me a buff."

Just when Koya was fully prepared and took out the sword of salvation to fight to the death, a lizardman jumped out and shouted to Koya.

"Wait a minute, brother. Stop fighting and surrender—"

The lizardman was a monster that existed in the tree maze. His strength was only average among the thousands of monsters, but the amazing thing was that the dozen or so monsters in the deeper layers actually obeyed the lizardman's orders and stopped.

"Brother, you are so cruel! I feel like my bones are going to break..."

The lizardman rubbed his arm, stuck his weapon into the ground, and then walked over to Koya carelessly. The magic stone lamp held by Hatsune illuminated him.

"Honestly, I didn't expect you to be so strong. And you look so handsome like this! More like a monster than us monsters. By the way, let me introduce myself. My name is Reid. Nice to meet you. I'm Koya Constantine of the Hestia Familia."

"Is Albion your target?"

Koya was not surprised that the lizardman knew his name. From the tasks issued by the guild, he knew that at least someone in the guild knew about the existence of these intelligent monsters, and... Koya looked at the sophisticated armor on Reed. The person who knew about their existence definitely had a high status in the guild.

"Yes, thank you for saving our [compatriots]."

The compatriots were undoubtedly referring to Albion, but Albion was now looking at the lizardman Reed with a wary look on her face. She was more hostile to these [compatriots] than Koya.

"Koya, can I call you that?"

"can."

"You're really strange. I thought about how you would view us, whether it would be disgust or fear, but I really didn't expect you to be so...normal."

"Maybe it's because I've only been in this labyrinth city for a short time, or maybe... it's because I've seen quite a bit. You possess intelligence and are people I can communicate with. Naturally, I must treat you with the same attitude I would treat an intelligent being. We are equals."

After hearing what Koya said, Reed was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He walked forward a few steps, came in front of Koya, and stretched out his hand to him.

"You give us equal respect, so I will express my friendship to you with human etiquette."

Reed's right hand, unlike a human's, only had a layer of red scales and sharp nails. Koya released his dragon form and extended his right hand to grasp Reed.

"Let me make it clear first, I only represent myself, not any other adventurers in Orario."

"Of course, the only friend we currently recognize is you, Koya Constantine of the Hestia Familia."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Reid."

"Me too, nice to meet you, our friend, Koya."

The next moment—thunderous cheers!!

"Wow!"

The applause was so loud that it scared Chun Ji, and the big tail behind her was stretched straight at this moment.

The monsters who were watching all this with bated breath behind Reed cheered.

The goblin with the red hat was clapping his hands, the half-human, half-bird girl landed on the ground and rejoiced, and the beastmen without human form were also jumping for joy.

They seemed to be dancing with joy for making friendship with humans and taking a memorable step.

"Light the lamp! Our friend is still burning, don't let him get tired."

Reed shouted orders as the monsters rejoiced.

Cerberus and other monsters scurried into action, dragging out magic stone lamps hidden in the shadows of the rocks and deftly lighting them with their claws and mouths. They expertly manipulated human-made objects, and watching a hellhound precisely flip the magic stone lamp switch with its tiny paws was a sense of disorientation... how should I put it, it was like watching a pet become a spirit.

Not only that, the half-human, half-bird creatures also lifted the thick cloth covering them, revealing the quartz blocks hidden everywhere.

The huge cave chamber, similar to a stalactite cave, was suddenly illuminated by a dark green light source.

“——Tree, Tree Dragon!?”

Farther from the cave entrance, beyond the reach of Koya's flames, a dragon, over ten meters long, lay beneath a quartz pillar. Ancient scars covered its body, and its eyes, the calm of an old king, gave a sense of its age. It glanced at Koya and the others with a slight frown. Though it was a dragon's face, Koya saw the kindness of an old man.

"Everyone on the surface, I'm honored to meet you all!"

"Um..."

"I also want!"

Some can speak, some cannot, and some have stiff pronunciations. Many monsters gather in front of Bell.

"I've heard a lot about you. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Koya."

"That's ridiculous."

"It's a pleasure to shake your hand."

"Hello."

"My name is Laura. Thanks for your guidance."

"Please, please give me some advice..."

"..."

"Alas!"

The monsters took turns shaking his hand, their expressions full of joy, as if they had accomplished something remarkable. Koya and Hatsune behind him could only respond with stiff smiles.

"They are also very happy to see humans who don't reject us."

Seeing the monsters repeatedly shaking hands with Koya and others, the lizardman Reed stood beside Koya and grinned.

The gentlemanly red-capped goblin, the emotional half-human, half-bird, the half-human, half-snake with unsteady speech, the silent war shadow... Whether they could speak or not, whether they were humanoid or alien, it didn't matter. All the monsters, with eyes brimming with understanding, offered a handshake to Koya and his companions, whether small or hairy, gathering in front of Koya with a friendly air, even though he had just sent them flying.

"Then—let's have a party! Bring out the food and wine! Let's celebrate today by welcoming our new compatriots and the first group of human guests!"

Lizardman Reed took the lead in shouting, and the monsters became even more excited - they let out roars that shook the cave, and more than a thousand monsters roared at the same time. The scene was actually quite scary.

The monsters treated Bell and his companions to a feast of fruits, berries, and herbs from the dungeon, along with a worn wine barrel inscribed with the name "Rivera." The clustered magic stone lamps shone brightly, like a bonfire, and the humans and monsters formed a large circle around the lights.

"Everyone, feel free to eat as much as you can! Here!"

“What is this…?”

"Humans call this the Meat Fruit, and it's said to be a premium food on the surface!"

Reed, sitting to Koya's right, handed him a palm-sized red fruit. Koya generously took a bite of the fruit, which was about the size of a watermelon. The tender flesh and juicy flavor spread throughout his mouth. Unlike beef, pork, or chicken, it tasted like a thick, premium steak. It was clearly a fruit, yet it possessed the texture and flavor of meat. It was truly amazing—the Hestia family, perennially in debt, had never enjoyed such high-quality food. Even Hatsune let loose and ate two of the meat-flavored fruits, which were the size of watermelons.

Soon after, some people brought grilled mushrooms and grilled herbs. In the dungeon, there was no shortage of daily necessities, except for meat. The monsters in the dungeon would quickly turn into ashes after death.

"Reed, is what you just said true? Are you and the guild in cahoots?"

"Yes, absolutely. The guild has done everything they can to hide our presence, and they occasionally provide us with weapons and food... They've been helping us a lot for a long time."

"The guild actually got involved in such behavior. If their deeds were exposed, there would only be risks. How should I put it... there would be no benefits at all, right?"

"We don't accept help for nothing. We accept commissions and secretly investigate and suppress incidents or problems. This is what the surface calls a 'reciprocal' relationship."

Indeed, Reed and his companions who lived in the dungeon were more familiar with the dungeon's conditions than the adventurers. At the same time, there were dozens of Lv.6 monsters that could perfectly handle some abnormal conditions in the dungeon that the adventurers could not handle.

"But rather than calling it a guild, we're more connected to a god named Uranus. It seems the guild staff aren't aware of our existence, huh?"

"Ouranos..."

Guild Uranus, a god that even Koya, who had only recently arrived in Orario, knew about—

However, the guild should be a governing body that has declared it has renounced the use of force...

No, it's the Lord God who actually has his own private army. And it's a private army that could instantly disrupt the situation in Orario. Over a dozen Lv. 6 soldiers, and that tree dragon of unknown level... Uranus is really well hidden.

"This mandatory mission is indeed the best."

"That's right. When God Uranus and the others brought this up, we agreed."

This mandatory mission didn't come from the guild's top brass, but was directly issued by the guild itself. It could be said that everything was under the control of Uranus!

"However, there is one thing that neither we nor Ouranos understand. How did you turn her into a human?"