CHAPTER 896: CHAPTER 693: LEAVE IT TO ME TO HANDLE (PART 2)

After speaking, Finn picked up a drink.

"To our victory and safe return."

Instantly, everyone without exception raised their drinks and declared in unison.

"""""Victory! Safe return!"""""

...

When night fell on the surface, the adventurers at the camp on the 50th floor dispersed after dining, beginning preparations for tomorrow.

Those assigned to guard the camp began patrols and night watches, taking shifts every four hours to prevent monster attacks.

The Forging Masters of the Hephaestos Clan took out their portable tools to repair the weapons of Loki Clan adventurers.

The main expedition team didn’t need to participate in night watches or patrols, as they could enjoy a good night’s sleep tonight, conserving energy for tomorrow’s deadly voyage.

However, it was unclear how many people could sleep peacefully under such circumstances.

Anyway, Raul was constantly nervous and scared, so much so that Angel found it hard to bear and dragged him out of the tent for a stroll.

Alicia went to Revilia, having many conversations with the royal.

Since the break-up, Rephia walked around visibly uneasy, finally captured by Theona and Theone who took her back to their tent to sleep together.

As for Bert, he got caught by old man Grace, and the two sat there chatting about something, with Bert consistently showing displeasure while Grace laughed heartily, forming a stark contrast on their expressions.

At this time, Reiger also went to Finn, talking about something.

"I think that on our journey to the 59th floor, we might encounter those strange ones."

Reiger expressed this thought to Finn.

This made Finn squint his eyes.

"You think so too?"

Finn said surprisingly.

"Does the captain feel that way too?"

Reiger seemed a bit surprised.

"Pretty much." Finn licked his thumb, saying, "My thumb is faintly aching, telling me tomorrow’s expedition will not go smoothly."

"Based on the information you brought back last time, we can guess that those so-called strange ones are likely guarding the food store transformed into a seedbed."

"Since that’s the case, when we break into the lower floors, encountering colorful monsters and the immediate appearance of these strange ones wouldn’t be surprising."

The worm-shaped monsters and female monsters from the last expedition have been confirmed to be related to those strange ones.

Especially the female monsters, whose true forms are creatures parasitized by the "Treasure Embryos".

Thus, the food store below the 50th floor is a seedbed for the colorful monsters, like the stores on the 24th and 30th floors, with the "Treasure Embryos" there absorbing the nutrients of the Quartz Pillars, lastly parasitizing the monsters and turning them into female monsters, making this easy to imagine.

Therefore, when the expedition team enters the lower floors advancing to the 59th floor, it won’t be surprising if they encounter colorful monsters and the strange ones controlling them.

"The surface goal of this expedition is to reach unattained floors, while secretly we have another aim, which is to take this opportunity to investigate the strange ones, colorful monsters, and even figure out what the "Treasure Embryos" really are."

Finn said, holding his thumb which was faintly aching.

"However, saying it is easy; doing it is extremely difficult, especially once we reach the 52nd floor."

Listening to Finn, Reiger silently nodded.

He understood why Finn said this.

Simply because, from the 52nd floor of the underground city onwards, everyone arriving there would be facing a terrifying hell.

Just like the "Big Tree Maze" term for floors 19 to 24, the "Water Mysterious City" term for floors 25 to 27, the floors 52 to 58 are collectively known as—"Dragon’s Crucible".

Among the upper, middle, lower, and deep layers, in these seven floors, dragon-type monsters extremely rare in other layers are commonly seen.

They possess strength and characteristics unmatched by ordinary monsters.

There are evil flying dragons over three meters long attacking from the air.

There are Valgang Dragons capable of spewing flames and performing sniper attacks from a great distance.

Especially the Valgang Dragons, also known as Cannon Dragons, primarily appear in the bottom layer of the "Dragon’s Crucible", the 58th floor.

Yet the Cannon Dragons on the 58th floor can sense adventurers entering the "Dragon’s Crucible" from several floors away, targeting and spraying enormous fireballs once adventurers step onto the 52nd floor. The fireball power is sufficient to penetrate the floors from 58 to 52, directly hitting adventurers on the 52nd floor, burning them to ashes.

This is a terrifying overlooking of floors, an occurrence that definitely wouldn’t happen above the 52nd floor.

Thanks to this, once entering the 52nd floor, adventurers must keep running without stopping, never halt, or they become living targets executed by long-range sniping from the Cannon Dragons on the 58th floor.

Even if not killed by Cannon Dragon’s artillery, adventurers must keep fighting while running because evil flying dragons will attack adventurers from pierced floors by Cannon Dragon’s artillery.

Understanding this explains why the layers starting from the 52nd floor are considered hell?

All because of this terrifying floor overlooking.

All because of these dreadful dragon-type monsters attacking from the entire "Dragon’s Crucible".

"Inside "Dragon’s Crucible", even we can scarcely manage, needing to keep running to lower floors without pause, lest targeted by flying dragons and Cannon Dragon’s sniper till death."

"Before you joined the clan, the reason we stopped advancing at the 58th floor without reaching the 59th floor was after experiencing "Dragon’s Crucible", including myself, Revilia, and Grace, everyone lost the ability to continue fighting."

"We arrived at the 58th floor, battered, then retreated from it, exhausted, unable to reach the 59th floor."

Speaking of this, Finn sighed.

"In such circumstances, investigating the strange ones and information about the "Treasure Embryos" becomes too difficult."

Not only Finn and others, even Reiger was hotheaded previously, but ultimately stopped at the 58th floor, didn’t he?

He utilized [Portal] to come here below the 50th floor many times, fighting wild monsters, yet not once did he reach the 59th floor.

Of course, this was because Reiger clearly knew what awaited on the 59th floor, deliberately avoiding that layer, otherwise, if he relentlessly wished to enter, surely, he’d find a way.

But now wasn’t the time to talk about this.

Reiger approached Finn, in fact, just intending to say one thing.

"If the strange ones appear, Captain, could you leave dealing with them to me?"

Reiger proposed such a suggestion.

"Leave it to you?"

Finn slightly paused.

"Yes." Reiger looked at Finn, saying, "Just as the captain said, wanting to progress in "Dragon’s Crucible" while investigating "Treasure Embryos" matters is indeed too difficult."

"Hence, why not split into two paths."

"Captain, you continue your strategy in "Dragon’s Crucible", heading for the 59th floor."

"As for the strange ones, if they appear, leave dealing with them to me."

Reiger’s words made Finn raise his head, looking at him.

Reiger met Finn’s gaze, face calm and composed.

"Let’s do it this way then."

After the two shared a gaze for a while, Finn agreed.

Reiger said nothing, smiling as he nodded.