Time ticked away.
The occasional footsteps and voices echoing outside the stone chamber had long since faded away.
Most of the adventurers on the third floor had already gathered near the dungeon entrance to rest.
Inside, Chen Mian leaned quietly against the wall, his eyes half-closed. The two beside him were fast asleep. Flora had a faint smile on her face, sleeping very peacefully.
Loviki was much more restless, occasionally nudging and rubbing her head against him... a bit like a cat.
Being able to sleep so soundly in a dungeon was entirely due to their trust in Chen Mian.
Chen Mian opened his eyes, glanced slightly at the stone chamber's door, and the corners of his lips curled up.
Only a few scattered magic lamps remained lit in the dungeon corridor. Several dark figures silently approached the rune-engraved stone chamber.
Two of them, wrapped in black cloaks, stepped out from a side path. Each held a fist-sized black crystal and stood on either side of the door.
The scar-faced man raised a dark-red lantern. As the lantern lit up, two tall, humanoid creatures rushed over from the depths of the dungeon at an extremely rapid pace, making no sound.
After the Giant Blade Demons arrived, the black crystals in the hands of the black-cloaked figures lit up simultaneously. A ring of purplish-black light rapidly enveloped the entire stone chamber, isolating its interior from the outside world.
The scar-faced man grinned and raised his right hand. A glob of dark mana surged from his palm, reaching toward the rune Chen Mian had casually carved on the surface of the stone door.
The moment the dark mana touched the rune, it flickered twice and shattered silently.
The scar-faced man pushed the door open, stepping over the threshold first with the dark-red lantern in hand.
Inside, the campfire was still burning. The three targets were leaning against the wall; two of them were asleep, but the young man was awake. His posture was relaxed, and he was even looking at him with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
A bad premonition rose in his heart.
This man looked as if he had anticipated their arrival, or was even waiting here for them on purpose...
Instinctively, the scar-faced man took a step back. The lantern in his hand flared with a brilliant red light, and the two Giant Blade Demons charged forward at breakneck speed.
However, in the next second, he saw the two Platinum Rank Giant Blade Demons vanish without warning, leaving not a single trace behind.
He wanted to run, but found his body completely immobilized. Even his voice and the light from the lantern in his hand were confined within a tiny space.
Even up to the moment his consciousness faded, he never saw what movement the man had made.
The room and corridor remained deathly quiet.
The door to the stone chamber slowly shut.
...
The next day.
Loviki rubbed her eyes groggily, her voice carrying a trace of laziness. “Good morning...”
“Morning.”
She suddenly realized something was off. Slowly raising her head, she was met with Chen Mian's sharp-featured face, looking down at her with a half-smile.
Loviki blinked, her vision slowly focusing. Her body stiffened, and her eyes instantly cleared.
She realized she was pillowed on Chen Mian's shoulder, with her arm wrapped around his waist at some point, and her face pressed against his chest. To make matters worse, there seemed to be a bit of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.
The air grew quiet for a moment.
Loviki recoiled violently, her face flushing red at a speed visible to the naked eye, the blush even spreading down to her neck.
“I—I didn't! How did I...” She gestured incoherently, her eyes darting everywhere except at Chen Mian. “W-Why didn't you push me away!”
“I did, but you clung right back on, and quite tightly too.”
“I—I did not!” Loviki's voice spiked. Noticing Flora was still sleeping nearby, she quickly covered her mouth, leaving only her wide, round eyes exposed.
Flora was also awoken by the noise. She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes as she looked at Loviki's beet-red face, then at the small damp patch on Chen Mian's clothes. Her lips curled up involuntarily. “Good morning! Loviki really can be a bit restless when she sleeps.”
“Flo! Ra!” Loviki wished she could find a hole to crawl into. She quickly turned away her burning, red face. “Last night... last night I was just too tired! Normally, I would never...”
“Even if it was unintentional, you still used me as a pillow for the whole night. The service fee for using the landlord as a pillow will be deducted from your rent,” Chen Mian said with a stretch.
“I—I... Flora leaned on you too! Why am I the only one who has to pay a s-service fee!”
Flora, who had been watching the drama unfold, paused upon hearing this. Her cheeks flushed red, but she still smiled. “I didn't drool, you know. And last night, Loviki mumbled ‘so warm’ in her sleep before snuggling right into Mr. Chen Mian's arms.”
Loviki was instantly petrified.
After a long silence, Loviki's face burned as she lowered her head. “Then... then just deduct it.”
“I'm just teasing you.” Chen Mian stood up and began packing their things in the stone chamber. “If you've rested enough, we should head down to the fourth floor.”
“Are we not going to catch the criminals hiding here?” Loviki asked, looking up. The flush on her face hadn't faded yet, and her voice sounded somewhat soft.
“They already came. I took care of them.”
“When?” Loviki's eyes showed clear confusion.
Beside her, Flora also looked up at Chen Mian with questioning eyes.
“While you were sleeping.”
“But I didn't hear a single thing... and there are no traces left in the room either.”
“I dealt with them a bit quietly.”
“Were there many of them?”
“Not many. Four people and two Giant Blade Demons.”
Hearing this, the two nodded. They weren't particularly surprised that Chen Mian could easily deal with such opponents.
After all, even Flora could manage that, let alone Chen Mian, who used an Epic Rank magical beast as a mount.
Carrying their belongings, the three of them ventured deeper into the main corridor of the third floor toward the fourth floor of the dungeon. The number of adventurers around them grew scarcer.
The entrance leading to the fourth floor was a flight of stairs extending downward. This staircase was noticeably different from the previous ones; as they descended, they could feel the temperature growing warmer.
Furthermore, the stairs to the fourth floor were exceptionally long—much longer than the previous three staircases combined. The three walked for a long time without reaching the end.
As they descended further, the chill in the air completely dissipated, replaced by a warm and humid atmosphere. By the time they reached the middle section, insects and mosses began to appear.
“The fourth floor really has its own subterranean ecosystem.” Flora looked at the plants and insects, her eyes filled with curiosity. “It's just like a secret realm, but even secret realms don't usually exist underground.”
“It's getting warmer and warmer.” Loviki stopped, unwrapped the scarf from her neck, and exhaled. “This doesn't feel like an underground dungeon at all.”
Stepping down the stairs, the three continued to approach the glowing area below.
When they finally stepped off the stairs, their field of vision suddenly opened up.
Before them was a lush sea of trees. Colossal trees stood densely packed in front of them, while a massive magical creation—a “sun”—emitted a bright, warm glow in the sky, filtering through the layered leaves of the giant trees to cast dappled light onto the ground. The air was rich with the scent of flowers and grass, mingled with the smell of damp earth.
A winding path stretched into the depths of the sea of trees, with plants of various shapes and sizes growing on both sides, while the chirping of various birds echoed in their ears from time to time.
“So this is the fourth floor.”
Standing behind him, Loviki stared blankly at the towering, dense sea of trees before them, her eyes filled with clear wonder. “The trees here are even taller than the ones in the Forest of Death. This doesn't look like an underground dungeon at all.”
Rate on N.U.
