Chapter 12 - The 9th Floor
Upon receiving reports of the discovery of a staircase leading to the 9th floor, the female knight corps quickly assembled a team of 30 dungeon exploration specialists and set off for their destination.
These elite knights, who had ventured into the dungeon countless times before, made their way through the familiar paths.
Along the way, they took breaks to enjoy the hot springs on the 5th and 6th floors.
Eventually, they reached the staircase leading to the 9th floor and began their descent.
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.....It’s long.
Just how far have we gone down?
And we’ll have to climb back up on our way back...
The thought of it was enough to make them feel deeply gloomy.
They were heavily armed with armor and weapons, and they carried nearly a week’s worth of food and water. Climbing back up would be far more grueling than the descent.
Even for highly trained soldiers, imagine being told to climb the stairs of Tokyo Tower—while wearing full plate armor and carrying a backpack stuffed with rations and water.
Anyone would hate that.
At the very least, they hoped the hot spring waiting for them would be so magnificent that it would make them forget the ordeal of the return trip.
With that hope in their hearts, the knights finally arrived at the 9th floor.
........
It was huge.
Ridiculously huge...
The knights felt a faint sense of nostalgia.
The layout... it was strikingly similar to the 8th floor of the No-Hunger Dungeon, a dungeon unique to their kingdom.
One of the trials to become a first-class knight in their kingdom was to survive alone on the 8th floor of the No-Hunger Dungeon for a week.
All 30 female knights here had undergone that trial.
But... they could all feel that this was clearly different from the No-Hunger Dungeon.
The sheer scale was incomparable.
The No-Hunger Dungeon wasn’t so tall that you couldn’t see the ceiling, and while you couldn’t see the opposite wall here either, the lack of a ceiling made this place feel like it was on a completely different level of vastness.
“What should we do, Captain?”
“...First, we’ll explore using the same method as the 8th floor of the No-Hunger Dungeon.”
“Follow the wall around to confirm the size, right?”
“However, we’ll first assess the strength of the enemies near the entrance before proceeding.
Half of us haven’t experienced dungeons beyond the 8th floor.
Even I’ve only ventured below the 10th floor in foreign dungeons a few times.
...If the monsters here are similar to those dungeons, we should be fine, but it’s better to be cautious.”
In the distance, they could see tiny specks running toward them.
Likely enemies, though they were too far away to identify.
“Some fluffy-faced wildcat-like creatures are running this way.
Further back, there are deer-like and boar-like creatures...”
“You can see that far? ...As sharp-eyed as ever, Niko.”
“Are those... enough to gauge their strength, Captain?”
“...Maybe not.”
Monsters in dungeons attack intruders on sight without hesitation.
That was the instinct of monsters in dungeons.
In such a vast dungeon, they would detect intruders from afar and charge at full speed.
Yes... at full speed.
The first creature to reach them was a small, lion-like beast covered in scales.
However, by the time it reached the knights, it was completely exhausted—its sprint having drained all its energy. It could barely move.
“Feels nostalgic, doesn’t it, Captain?”
“Yeah... I’ve seen this plenty of times in that ridiculous dungeon.”
As they spoke, two knights drew their swords and split off, attacking the monster from both sides in perfect coordination.
The already-worn-out monster had no chance to resist and was swiftly cut down.
“How was it?”
“Its body is tougher than the monsters on the 8th floor, but still no real threat.”
The remaining monsters arrived shortly after and were easily dispatched. The captain assessed their strength based on the feel of the strikes.
“Hmm... Judging by their speed and stamina, even at full strength, these monsters aren’t much of a threat to us.
Even if there’s an irregular like the 5th-floor boss, we can handle it.
First, we’ll split into two teams and circle the floor along the walls.
After completing the loop and meeting up, report the distance in steps.
If you find any side passages, note their location in steps but do not explore them unless you can immediately see a hot spring inside.
Our priority is to confirm the size of this vast chamber.”
“ “ “Yes, Ma’am” ” ”
“I, Vihita, will lead one of the teams. Good luck.”
Just as the vice captain, Vihita, was about to lead half the knights away, the captain called out.
“...Wait!”
“? What is it, Captain?”
“One more thing... If we are unable to reunite after using three days’ worth of rations, retreat immediately.”
“...Surely not?”
Vice Captain Vihita pondered.
In the No-Hunger Dungeon’s 8th floor, circling the perimeter took about a full day, including breaks and sleep.
It was certainly much larger than that place, but the idea that we would split into two teams, use up three days’ worth of rations, and still fail to regroup… that was nothing short of a nightmare.
...And, to cut to the chase, three days later, we were forced to retreat.
After three days of walking, there was no change in the scenery.
There was no sign of the captain’s team coming from the opposite direction.
It was just endless... with no landmarks in sight.
The illusion that this floor might stretch on infinitely was enough to break anyone’s spirit.
“...It’s impossible.
Strength isn’t what we need to explore this place...
It’s numbers. A massive number of people and supplies.”
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