“You should know that the dungeon is located directly beneath Babel.”
“Listen carefully, because I will only explain this once.”
“The basic structure of the dungeon is like a massive inverted cone. The further down you go, the wider each floor becomes.”
“Compasses are completely useless down there due to the presence of special ores.”
“Based on the strength and ecology of the monsters, the Guild divides the dungeon into four main tiers, the upper floors, middle floors, lower floors, and deep floors.”
“Monsters belonging to different tiers usually remain within their respective territories. The deeper a monster spawns, the less likely it is to roam up to the higher floors, however…”
“Monsters that appear on earlier floors can also spawn on subsequent levels. For instance, goblins found on floors one through five will still show up as far down as the twelfth floor, but once you reach the thirteenth floor in the middle floors, they will no longer appear.”
She shifted her tone, adding a note of caution.
“There are always exceptions. Occasionally, powerful monsters migrate to the upper floors for various reasons. For adventurers, encountering such an irregular is fatal.”
“As a standard guideline, level one adventurers generally explore floors one through twelve. Stat requirements for floors one through four are rank I to H, while floors five through seven require rank G to F. To survive past the thirteenth floor, reaching level two is mandatory.”
Mizuki listened quietly while observing Kaguya beside him.
Her profile, pretending to be utterly indifferent, looked remarkably delicate.
He could not resist teasing her, “Kaguya, it seems you care about me after all.”
“You… you bastard!”
Kaguya came to an abrupt halt, her dark eyes blazing with irritation.
“I am merely carrying out the captain’s orders! If you keep talking nonsense, I will toss you straight into the dungeon and feed you to a minotaur!”
After her sharp retort, Kaguya reached into the sleeve of her kimono, pulled out a small booklet, and shoved it firmly against Mizuki’s chest.
“Take it.”
“This contains notes compiled by our own familia members. It is far more detailed than anything sold on the streets.”
Kaguya maintained a cold demeanor as she continued.
“It details the habits and weaknesses of monsters on each floor, along with specific environmental hazards. Our familia has currently explored down to the twenty-seventh floor, though the survey on that floor remains incomplete.”
“Alise wanted to push further, but evilus has grown increasingly active lately. Most of our efforts must remain focused on the surface to preserve peace in Orario.”
The twenty-seventh floor?
The tragic fate of the Astraea Familia was tied to that very floor.
They had endured the horrors of the Great Feud, only to perish together on the twenty-seventh floor.
Holding the booklet, Mizuki did not open it immediately.
Instead, he looked at Kaguya with a gentle, resolute expression.
Do not worry.
Now that I am here, everyone will make it through safely.
As they drew closer to Babel, the number of street vendors grew considerably.
Even with evilus stirring up trouble across Orario, ordinary people still had to make a living.
A nearby peddler shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to hawk dungeon maps.
“Information on the forty-first floor! Most accurate charts available! Firsthand intelligence from the strongest familia in Orario! Do not miss this chance!”
Feeling Mizuki’s gaze linger on her, Kaguya shifted uncomfortably.
“What? Are you disappointed that our exploration data only reaches the twenty-seventh floor?”
“I heard the Loki Familia recently reached the forty-first floor, but confidential details are never leaked to the public. Most of the parchment sold by these vendors is fake.”
Mizuki did not argue.
Instead, he said softly, “Kaguya, next time, I will accompany you to the twenty-seventh floor.”
Hearing his earnest tone, Kaguya wanted to fire back a sarcastic remark, but an unfamiliar hesitation kept the words in her throat.
“Do not worry, I will catch up in no time.”
With a faint smile, Mizuki opened the booklet and began scanning its contents.
Haruhime leaned in curiously, resting her chin near his shoulder to peek at the pages.
Near the base of Babel, the crowd of adventurers thickened.
A burly orc adventurer, reeking heavily of liquor, stumbled forward while laughing boisterously with his comrade, leaning straight toward Mizuki’s path.
Focused on the notes, Mizuki did not notice the approaching brute.
Before the drunkard could collide with him, Kaguya stepped in between, extending a slender arm to intercept him.
A heavy thud echoed out.
The bulky orc was shoved back by Kaguya’s slender frame, losing his balance entirely and crashing onto the stone pavement.
Since this opponent was not Mizuki, Kaguya saw no reason to hold back her strength.
Scrambling up from the ground in total embarrassment, the orc felt his short temper flare up instantly.
“You damn woman, do you have a death wish?”
The orc roared in fury and stepped forward aggressively, but his partner quickly grabbed his arm, holding him back in panic.
“Wait! Look at who she is!”
“She is with the Astraea Familia…”
His partner kept his voice to a faint whisper, terrified of being overheard.
The orc blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked closely.
Standing before him was a young woman in an elegant red kimono, a long katana resting at her hip.
Her dark hair cascaded smoothly down her back, and her icy gaze was locked onto him.
Astraea Familia, dark hair, katana.
Gojouno Kaguya.
A level three powerhouse renowned throughout Orario for her lethal blade technique and fiery temperament, serving as one of the pillar fighters of the Astraea Familia.
The anger on the orc’s face vanished, replaced by sheer dread as cold sweat broke out across his brow.
As a mere level one adventurer, he had no business offending a level three veteran, especially a member of the Astraea Familia dedicated to upholding justice.
“I… I am so sorry, Kaguya-sama! Please forgive my terrible eyesight!”
He bowed repeatedly in apology, while his companion did not dare to utter a single word.
Kaguya clicked her tongue, not bothering to look at them any longer.
“Dealing with evilus is troublesome enough. You adventurers need to stop wandering the streets causing brawls while drunk. Get lost.”
“Yes! Right away! We are leaving now!”
Relieved to be spared, the two men hurried away in disgrace.
Before disappearing into the crowd, the orc repeatedly promised never to drink heavily during the day again.
Once the commotion settled, Kaguya realized that in her rush to protect Mizuki, she had stepped extremely close to him.
Her arm was still held out in a defensive stance across his chest.
The proximity was close enough that they could easily sense each other’s presence.
With a slight flush rising on her cheeks, Kaguya pulled her hand back and took a step away to create distance.
“I… I was only…”
She tried to offer a stiff explanation.
Seeing her struggle to maintain her composure, Mizuki reached out and gently took hold of the wrist she had used to push the orc away.
“That fellow was quite large. Did you hurt your wrist?”
The warmth spreading from his palm made her heart skip a beat.
“L-Let go! You fool, how could that possibly hurt me?”
Kaguya stiffened, attempting to pull away, but Mizuki held on firmly.
“What are you doing?” Kaguya asked, her voice carrying a faint, subtle tremor.
Without answering, Mizuki lowered his gaze to inspect her fair hand.
Her wrist was slender and her skin smooth, showing only light calluses along the palm from years of sword practice, which took nothing away from its beauty.
Looking up, he gave her a gentle smile.
“I am glad you are not hurt.”
“How could a weakling like that injure me?” Kaguya quickly pulled her hand free and looked away, avoiding his eyes.
Haruhime watched the scene from the side, her fox ears twitching slightly as she murmured under her breath, “Kaguya-sama, your cheeks are quite red…”
“They are not!”
Kaguya turned around to deny it, but feeling her composure slipping, she hurriedly pointed toward the towering structure ahead.
“That is Babel, and the Guild entrance is right there. Go in on your own. I still have duties to attend to.”
With that, she turned on her heel, preparing to leave in a hurry.
“Wait,” Mizuki called out.
Kaguya paused.
Without turning back, she asked coldly, “What is it now?”
“This is our first time here, so we do not really know the procedures,” Mizuki said intentionally.
Kaguya answered with forced impatience, “Once inside, tell the staff that you are new recruits of the Astraea Familia.”
“A Guild advisor will step forward to guide you. They can explain everything far more thoroughly than I can.”
As if suddenly remembering something, she pulled a heavy pouch from the wide sleeve of her kimono and tossed it back toward Mizuki.
Mizuki caught it by reflex.
The pouch felt substantial in his grip, and the metal coins inside clinked together clearly.
“What is this?”
“Funds to purchase your gear,” Kaguya said, keeping her tone strictly formal.
“There are thirty million valis inside.”
Thirty million?
Both Mizuki and Haruhime were stunned.
That was an extraordinary sum.
After all, the initial deposit he had arranged for Haruhime was only five hundred thousand valis, with a total debt reaching three million valis.
Yet Kaguya had just handed over thirty million without hesitation.
“Do not misunderstand. This comes from our familia treasury, not my personal savings. Both of you are level one adventurers, and basic beginner gear will not keep you safe down there.”
“Head to the Hephaestus Familia shop inside Babel and buy proper armor and weapons.”
She paused for a second before adding, “If that is not enough, tell them to bill the Astraea Familia tab.”
Weighing the heavy pouch in his hand, Mizuki spoke with genuine warmth, “Thank you, Kaguya.”
“Hmph, who asked for your gratitude?”
Kaguya turned her head slightly, her voice softening.
“I simply do not want our new members getting injured in the dungeon because of cheap equipment. That would tarnish our familia’s reputation.”
“Besides, as I said, this belongs to the familia, not to me.”
Mizuki might have believed her at first, but her repeated insistence made the truth obvious.
He looked at her with an amused smile.
“Kaguya, you mentioned that twice now. Is this thirty million valis actually your own private savings?”