Chapter 98 92: Deep Down Dive (3)

Three jaws touched the table in the Branch Manager's private office.

Even the stoic muscular manager couldn't hold back his surprise as he saw the happenings of the event. People who had already cleared a part of the labyrinth could jump in and out from the deepest floor they had visited thanks to the system, unless and until the floor was one that had never been conquered before.

As such, they expected the newbies to not have many gazes drawn on them and most of the attention was expected to be fixed on the adventurers going deeper than the fiftieth floor. Yet.

"Did he just?"

[Smack! Smack!]

Though no sounds emerged from the display, the three branch managers all flinched as they saw the white-haired boy slap the living shit out of the Kobold King.

Eventually, the Kobold King whimpered like a dog and lowered its head.

"What is this kid...?" the blonde manager spoke. It wasn't an impossible sight, by any means, there just had never been a chance for a truly strong person to take on these weak monsters though.

Still, this went beyond sense.

They had raised their vigilance to the max and inspected the child with their all, it was clear he was a rare type amongst the dual cores. If dual cores were people who were average at everything in a world where specialists of one were respected, this boy was on the path to becoming a specialist in everything.

Yet, this was not the level of power and strength they expected. Even for using your strength, to make that dog-like monster completely surrender from just slaps was like saying a large wolf could tame a lion. It would be impossible until that person was a crazy beast as well.

Eventually, the boy seemed to have noticed that just subduing the monster wouldn't get him anywhere.

He flicked his wrist and the Kobold's head was pierced by a spike.

"In just three hours, he has already gone past the first ten floors," the muscular manager muttered. "A monster with potential greater than Kaiser seems to have come into our ranks now."

An adventurer comparable to a living legend.

A new fable was in the making.

And he wasn't alone.

Just as Dusk descended the stairs of the tenth floor of the labyrinth, another adventurer reached the place on her own.

Dawn was right on his trail.

***

I passed by the grasslands after killing the Kobold King. Unlike before, I wasn't led to a lower floor in the labyrinth, but instead, a small one-room space opened up in front of me.

"This is the reward room!" Titania, my guide for dungeon exploration swooped in front of me and enlightened me on the situation.

The stones in the room started to light up, illuminating the entire place as an altar appeared in front of my eyes.

"You'll find one every 10 floors, the reward changes depending on your performance."

I had already read all of this, but I still nodded at Titania's mutterings. It was her responsibility to tell me all this, so I let her do so.

I reached my hand out at the altar when I saw a reddish fluid placed in a vial reminiscent of bones on it.

"Should I use appraisal on this—"

"No, no!" Titania interrupted. "Dungeons are mysterious, they are places where a god's eyes don't reach and places where demons could easily mess with others. So, leave all appraisal of these dungeon items to me!"

Though I had my fairy accompanying me, she had already made it clear that she was one of the very few who could do so. Most other fairies used the 'system' to communicate and guide the adventurers and humans they had made a contract with.

Navigation and escape in the dungeons and labyrinths were one of their simplest jobs, so was showing them a better path toward getting stronger.

But the biggest reason the guild had formed a contract with Alfheim was to ensure that no demon could influence the humans and adventurers. Raum's agent who had received a weak blessing and his ability to peek into the future made the threat of demons clear to my eyes.

It would just be worse if the person affected was someone strong, like an adventurer.

That wasn't all, though.

The reason the power of the gods didn't reach these dungeons and labyrinths was that they were created by the 'world' itself. And Alfheim, as the realm that maintained order and balance in this world, was greatly cautious of these labyrinths and dungeons. Helping the adventurers was also helping them tap into the secrets of the world.

Though I had been told by the others to call the method of communication between the fairies and the humans a 'system.'

It was this symbiotic relationship between the humans and the fairies that fit the title of a 'system' better.

"Hey! I am done with the analysis~" Titania spoke. She snapped her fingers, and a translucent window opened in front of me.

[Bone Potion

Heals most injuries as long as they are not life-threatening]

How informative.

"It seems slightly better than the advanced potion you carry," Titania mentioned, and I tossed the vial back in my bag.

The altar moved as I took off the vial and a new staircase emerged inside the trembling room.

With a determined gaze, I started descending the stairs again. There was no need to take a break yet, maybe another ten floors were doable.

As I stepped down the staircase, it naturally faded into a wider set of stairs as a dark and ominous place enveloped me. Unlike before when the open skies greeted me, this time, the ceiling of the floor was a mere four meters high.

Cracked walls filled all three sides while my feet pressed down on tiles floors. Cobwebs and trinkets of dust floated around as a layer of dirt was mixed in the air. I walked past the cracked paint in the narrow walls, ignoring the ragged state of the broken wallpapers and their adornments.

Floors 11 to 20 of the Deep Down Dive, were a giant abandoned mansion.

As I took another step ahead, my foot pressed down on one tile.

An ominous feeling rose from my back as I twisted my body completely.

In the very next moment, an arrow shot out from the walls and grazed past the air right where I stood.

"Oh, dear?" Titania smirked. "There seem to be traps this time. Say Eugene, how about another quest? Would you like to see the invisible and avoid all traps for the next set of floors?"

It wasn't even a challenge.

I gladly accepted Titania's quest and soared through the Deep Down Dive again.

Over and over, I passed by the different floors with next to no effort as time passed.

And then, over three weeks later.

On the eightieth floor of the Great Labyrinth, I finally found the trouble I was looking for.