After the revival incident, the parties around the entrance were quite noisy for a while. Of course, some knew who had used the revive skill and were curious about her, but Aster—the person who had killed Kolten before—was beside her, causing them to hesitate from approaching.
The night passed peacefully and quietly, with the Dragon's Roar team temporarily leaving the 10th floor to have their leader checked at a hospital.
After changing guards—leaving Cassy out of the equation due to her exhaustion—morning came. Aster tirelessly prepared breakfast for everyone, maintaining his usual high standards.
The girls enjoyed the meal, and even Argus wolfed down his food as if he hadn't eaten in a week. After their hearty meal, it was time to continue their journey.
As they moved onward, they encountered a few parties along the way, which was quite rare. Among the first ten floors, the 10th floor had the potential for the highest profit. It was not only the hardest of the said group of floors but also because of a special item that could only be found there.
"Oh, another Death Viper!" Aster exclaimed as he stomped on another one that tried to attack him.
The "something" wasn't the Viper itself, but its poison gland could be traded for a good price. However, the special item was actually something that the Death Vipers "protected."
"Let's check over there!"
Aster stopped the cart while pointing beyond the bush where the snake had appeared.
They were traveling beside the forest's edge, the closest Aster could bring the cart to the forest. The reason was, of course, to collect the special item only found on the 10th floor.
"Ah, Star! I found one!" Cassy called everyone over. "Up this tree!"
Coming to her side, Aster quickly found the object of their search—a beautiful flower with petals glowing in an ethereal dark-green hue and silver-colored leaves that made it seem unreal. An orchid cultivated by Death Vipers offering their poison as "nutrients" for it: the "Eclipse Orchid."
This wondrous item had many uses. To name a few, its nectar could enhance the Death Viper's poison, increasing its deadly properties by at least three times, while its petals could turn the Death Viper's poison into an all-purpose antivenom.
Due to its versatility, it could be bought by the guild for a hefty price. However, the risk of harvesting it was life-threatening.
*Hiss!*
"As expected, they're all over the place."
After that, the party spent a total of 16 hours just to reach the floor boss. The number of orchids they had harvested had already gone past a hundred by then, so it was a welcome delay.
After Argus wrapped the 10th-floor boss in a single attack, they continued onto the next floor: the 11th floor!
To emphasize that "This is now outside of the tutorial!" the entire 11th floor was covered in an eerie shadow, with the field being in constant nighttime instead of day. Read new chapters at M V L
Despite its eerie appearance, there were no ghost or undead-type monsters on it, only inorganic monsters like Treants, Golems, and more Slimes. Such monsters had little to no profitable loot, making the 11th to 13th floors—the same style—least liked after the 1st floor.
"But first, let's dump our loot!"
It was already 10 p.m., so the loot could only be handled after 6 more hours by the guild, which opens at 4 a.m. The first batch of orchids was harvested 16 hours ago, meaning 8 hours remained before they withered. As such, they didn't have much leeway if they wanted to sell the orchids alive.
"Leave it to me, darling~! I already told them yesterday about how we're planning to harvest the Eclipse Orchids, so they should have prepared for it already!"
Thankfully, Tina's resourcefulness exceeded Aster's expectations. When they emerged, carrying all the loot they had gathered, they were greeted by several researcher-looking individuals, racing to be the first to arrive before her.
"Princess Celestinya, please let our **** Research Facility buy one orchid!"
"I'm one of the major shareholders of *** company! We need the Eclipse Orchids more than you!"
"50 million! I'll pay 50 million for one, just give me one Eclipse Orchid, I beg you!"
"Woah..."
Aster groaned, seeing them swarm as they got out of the portal.
Tina smiled sweetly, stepping forward as she spread her arms wide, appearing welcoming and sweet.
"Everyone~! Shut up and take ten steps away from me and my darling, or I'll crush your balls~!"
... Or not. The entire venue went dead silent as a clear space appeared around them. As expected of the Lineage Breaker, her name was feared far and wide!