Chapter 110
"Suu-hyah~ This familiar air."
Rei took a deep breath with arms spread wide, I teasingly remarked, "It hasn't been that long."
"The feeling's different. The air tastes different when you're a Novice versus a Senior."
Rei chuckled while adjusting her coat again.
She really is just like a child showing off new clothes.
She looked like someone flaunting their new middle school uniform.
"Save the dramatics and let's hurry. We have a long way to go."
To reach the Third Floor, we must pass through the First and Second Floors.
That alone would take a considerable amount of time.
It wasn’t for nothing that Abyss exploration was called an expedition.
The Abyss was as distant as it was vast.
In the deep layers, just travel time was measured in years.
"The First Floor won't be a problem."
Svetlana said, "Gates leading to the Second Floor are shared in real-time on the Marker Tree, and even if they change, the distances are similar. With the people here, we won't need even 10 days if we hurry."
But the problem comes after.
"The Second Floor labyrinth should have changed form by now."
"Already?"
"Considering the cycle, we might have barely made it... Did you hear anything differently, Ms. Gromadin?"
Though Conquerors might have separate information, Svetlana brought up a different reason.
"When damaged, the labyrinth accelerates its cycle for major repairs. Given the aftermath of the incident on the Second Floor, it likely changed form immediately after the situation concluded."
"Then do we start by finding the descending gate?"
"For now."
Svetlana briefly affirmed while shifting her gaze to Mea.
When finding something, ask a Devil Sorcerer.
She seemed to guess that was why I brought Mea along, based on that common sense.
But she was wrong.
Mea wasn’t great at finding paths or people either.
Does that mean we came without any plans?
Not exactly.
"We have an expert for the Second Floor."
Why struggle among amateurs when we have a professional?
"Hernan already figured it out."
That person went straight down to the Second Floor as soon as his injuries healed.
He was truly serious about the Second Floor.
He had already marked the gates' locations on the map.
"How do we contact this Hernan person?"
"Forget contact, if he's far away, won't we have to wait for him to come?"
"No, I told you. He already figured it out."
This isn't some vague belief or speculation, but a firm fact.
"How do you know?"
"Because I received it, the map."
Conference Without Borders.
Hernan was also a member within it.
And I, having contacted Hernan with Alice's help, received the actual map.
Though not complete, a map with gate locations and some tips for finding the way there.
Conference Without Borders really is a coveted artifact. Wonder if I can find something similar.
An artifact that can share not just text but images too?
Seems like Alice wouldn't even envy smartphones.
"Just trust and follow me. I'll guide you to the Third Floor by the shortest route."
§
Abyss Third Floor.
Like other floors, this place had a name.
Endless Forest.
An infinite forest stretching endlessly, its boundaries still unknown.
This marked the beginning of the Abyss' middle floors and was the most actively explored area.
It was a world-forming forest and a land of opportunity where undiscovered artifacts still wait for new owners.
Those who had shed their Novice status tried to join organizations, nine times out of ten to come here.
Even Regulars could enter the Third Floor without issue, but it was difficult to operate alone.
Even if they couldn't join guilds, schools, or clans, everyone headed to the Third Floor seeking regular teams or temporary parties.
Why?
Because it pays.
Actually, the Second Floor wasn't much worse than the Third Floor value-wise.
The byproducts and mana cores from monsters there fetch decent prices.
However, environmentally, the Second Floor was harsher than the Third Floor.
First, the pressure from the closed labyrinth environment.
Discomfort from dim light and unstable biorhythms.
And Sentinels scattered like landmines everywhere.
With too many things to worry about, Explorers grew sufficiently on the First Floor, roughly skipped the Second Floor, and headed straight to the Third Floor.
And 70% of Explorers end their Explorer lives here on the Third Floor.
That was based on those who safely retired without violent death, so the number going beyond the Third Floor was actually much higher than that 20%.
But for ordinary Explorers, this was essentially the final reachable point.
The Third Floor was that vast, and still full of opportunities and unknowns.
And the first unknown we encountered upon reaching the Third Floor was light.
"Daytime...?"
Light filtered through branches and leaves extended from towering trees.
Though more than half was blocked and shadows covered most of our bodies, it didn't feel dark.
The environment felt like we'd entered a forest on the surface outside the Abyss.
While Rei looked around dumbfounded at this unbelievable sight, Leaf unconsciously reached out.
Just before Leaf's hand touched a tree, Mea's quiet voice rang out.
"Careful."
"Huh? Ah, yes. Sorry..."
"Though they look normal on the outside, they're all magic trees."
A type of monster.
Though they were non-aggressive plant-type monsters no different from normal trees if left alone, the problem was they weren’t always like that.
These magic trees ate meat.
Unlike normal trees that received energy through photosynthesis from sunlight, the various magical trees filling the Third Floor received energy through the Abyss’ mana.
If tree photosynthesis was the process of using water and carbon dioxide to create glucose and oxygen, magic trees' mana reaction was the process of absorbing nutrients obtained through carnivory using mana.
Just as photosynthesis produced oxygen besides glucose, magic trees emitted light while gaining nutrients.
That was why it was bright as day despite us being on the Third Floor, midway through the Abyss.
"They don't usually show aggression toward larger animals requiring more energy, so don't worry. Given this size and leaf shape, it seems to be an Epimeli."
Svetlana lightly touched the tree top.
After even tapping it, Svetlana analyzed the area by identifying the magic trees around us.
"Looks like Ring 10s."
"Given the height, probably early Ring 10s."
"Agreed. Seems we arrived without issue."
Mea and Svetlana discussed various analytical results based on their knowledge.
The conversation between the Dark Elf and Quarter Dwarf immediately excluded the watching Human, Beast-folk, and Half-Elf.
"Hey Roman, you understand what they're saying?"
"...Somewhat?"
"Really?"
"I understand about 30-40%."
Would I not have studied the Third Floor when I prepared ways to pass the Second Floor?
Even the training center only provided fragmentary information about the Third Floor, like its name Endless Forest, and that its boundaries remain undiscovered.
So I looked into it separately, but I couldn't follow the field language of long-time veterans.
"I think I understand about half, shall we match our understanding?"
"That would be good. Honestly, I don't understand anything."
Rei had shown surprising knowledge up to the Second Floor.
Is that the limit of her picked-up knowledge?
Anyway, Leaf and I shared our interpretation of the two veterans' conversation.
Epimeli was one species of naturally occurring magic trees in the Endless Forest, characterized by bearing edible fruit.
The safest magic tree among the hundreds confirmed in the Endless Forest so far.
However, its combat power was average, so when attacking first, one needed to finish it decisively.
The following "Ring" was the Endless Forest's unique area classification system.
Befitting the forest setting, spaces were divided into circular rings like tree rings.
Previous generation Explorers analyzed the Endless Forest and confirmed transfer points didn't vary as much as the First Floor, so they cleared an entire area and created a kind of safe zone.
Those are Rings 1 through 9.
Like the First Floor's Main Base, the Third Floor had an established Explorer society.
So early Ring 10s means we weren’t far from the safe zone—slightly distant but within an acceptable margin of error for transfer points.
"Complicated... anyway, we arrived safely?"
"That's the summary."
"Then do we go to the safe zone first? Grove City, right?"
"Oh, you know the name?"
"...I know that much at least."
Perhaps overhearing our conversation, Svetlana and Mea who had been talking stopped and quietly looked at me.
Though their experience and rank might be higher, I was the undisputed leader of this team.
Needless to say for Mea whom I've branded, but Svetlana who came as a dispatch worker lacked authority compared to me, the Guild Master.
From the start, it didn't seem like Rei or Leaf would readily listen even if those two gave orders.
The group's direction depends entirely on me.
But I can receive advice freely.
"So what do you two think?"
"First, we should resupply. We've used quite a bit getting here, and if it's okay, we should consider hiring one or two guides."
"I agree."
Hmm, both think the same as me.
I definitely didn't just think of it now, trust.
"Then let's move."
When I made the decision, the group immediately followed.
And behind us as we started moving.
Rustle—
The trees twisted their branches as if watching us.
The moment we saw the Abyss.
The Abyss also began watching us.