Chapter 20 - The Training Floor (Mandatory)
The 11th floor had been completed just a few days after the 10th floor.
But it wasn’t discovered until much later.
As the Master had anticipated, almost no one bothered to go all the way to the bottom floor for a spring with unknown effects.
On the first day, nearly 500 knights had thoroughly explored every corner, so there was no need to search for alternative routes beyond the hot spring area.
It wasn’t that no one went to the 10th floor’s mysterious spring after visiting the 9th floor’s spring, which healed physical deformities.
However, no one ventured to explore the routes away from the hot springs.
After all, Queen Yuzha herself had ordered that they only needed to check once a month for any new staircases.
As a result, the staircase leading to the 11th floor wasn’t discovered until the next monthly investigation.
“The distance from the hot spring to the staircase seems pretty close. If that’s the case, we can stop by the 10th floor’s spring before advancing each time. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“But we still don’t know what the effects are...”
“That’s exactly why we need to try it. Otherwise, we’ll never find out.”
“Honestly, by the time we get here, we’re already drenched in sweat. At this point, even plain hot water would feel amazing…”
...The captain felt a slight sense of unease.
Making them enter a spring with unknown effects over and over again—under normal circumstances, they should suspect it’s a trap.
But if the dungeon were to produce obviously harmful effects, it would lose trust, and the number of explorers would plummet.
A dungeon that fulfills human desires fundamentally wants to attract people. There’s no way this hot spring could be poisonous or something like that.
Despite the slight unease, the group entered the 10th floor’s hot spring to rest before preparing to tackle the 11th floor in earnest.
The 11th floor was brutal.
They were forced to climb massive, long staircases that required full-body effort, lift and pass through dozens of heavy doors, and traverse sections where they had to rely solely on arm strength to move across the ceiling.
It was an endless barrage of physical exertion.
It reminded them of the hellish training they endured during their days as knight trainees—carrying heavy loads through treacherous mountains, marching dozens of kilometers without rest, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit.
By now, everyone was drenched in sweat, their faces pale and their breathing ragged.
A few were leaning against the walls, vomiting.
“This is bad. This wasn’t part of the plan, but we need to take a break. If we run into enemies in this state, it’ll be a disaster!”
If this were actual combat training, they’d push the exhausted ones even harder, driving them to their absolute limits. But that’s only possible in a controlled environment where there’s no risk of enemy attacks.
In real combat, you conserve your strength and take proper breaks to prepare for emergencies.
“Haa... haa... This floor is brutal... Captain.”
“Yeah, what’s up with this dungeon...? The 9th floor was suddenly ridiculously vast, then the 10th floor was disappointingly normal.”
“And now this 11th floor, forcing us into this training-like hell... Honestly, it’s so chaotic that it’s hard to tell what the dungeon is even trying to do.
But...”
“But... what?”
“...Lady Auf mentioned something. She said this dungeon feels like it has a human-like will.”
“...You mean that new theory some dungeon researchers are proposing? That some dungeons might have human consciousness?”
It’s a fringe theory gaining traction among dungeon researchers.
They’ve started noticing dungeons that seem too human-like in their design.
“Yes... This hot spring dungeon is clearly different from the typical dungeons that hand out random rewards.
It understands what people desire and how they’ll act after receiving those rewards. It’s a dungeon that stimulates human desires based on culture and customs.”
“Hmph, I’ll admit this dungeon’s rewards—the hot spring effects—are top-notch when it comes to stimulating desire.
But what’s with this bizarre dungeon design?
Does it think, ‘Sometimes you want a spacious area like the 9th floor, and sometimes you want a fun workout’? Is that why it’s so absurdly designed?”
“...Yeah. If it wanted to attract people, it wouldn’t make such a weird dungeon. And if it wanted to kill us and absorb us as sacrifices, it wouldn’t make a floor that’s just exhausting but safe, right?”
The captain and the others pondered the dungeon’s intentions, but they couldn’t possibly guess the truth: that the 9th floor was a hastily made distraction to shift attention away from the Dungeon Core, and the 11th floor was designed to level up the female knights.
With the information they had, reaching such a ridiculous conclusion would make them seem insane.
“Alright... Is everyone’s breathing under control? ...Let’s move out.”
“ “ “…Yes.” ” ”
The knights’ responses to the captain’s order lacked any energy or enthusiasm.
After three more days of grueling physical exertion, the knights finally discovered the 11th floor’s hot spring.
“Ah... Aaaaaah! It’s the hot spring... Captain. The hot springgggg!!!”
“Ye... yeah, everyone... you did well. You did great.”
“Ha... haha. Hahaaaaa......”
The knights collapsed on the spot, wearing faint smiles.
Hot spring! Beauty! What’s the effect? I want to get in now!
But the usual joy they felt upon discovering a hot spring was nowhere to be found.
All they felt was relief that they could finally go home.
Beauty? Glamour? None of that mattered anymore... They just wanted to go home.
This was the first time they’d felt this way since starting their exploration of this dungeon.
Even on the 9th floor, they’d still held onto the hope of eventually finding something.
“Alright, Lumidos... you’re up.”
“...Yes, ma’am.”
The knight named Lumidos stripped off her armor, entered the hot spring, and began to inspect it.
She was 32 years old, the oldest member of the Second Knight Order.
Thanks to the 4th floor’s 3-years-restoring spring, she looked like she was in her late twenties.
Ever since the youngest knight, a 16-year-old, used the 4th floor’s spring and ended up looking like a child, it had become standard procedure for the oldest member to test any new springs first.
If a teenage knight accidentally used a spring that reversed aging by 10 years, it would be a disaster.
“Haaaaaah... This feels amazing~~~, So good~~~. Ahhh~~, I feel alive again~~~”
After three days of exploring this hellish, obstacle course-like dungeon, pushing their stamina and willpower to the limit, her body was wrecked with fatigue and drenched in sweat.
For her, this hot spring was a godsend.
“Lumidos... nothing’s wrong, right? It’s safe? Can we get in too??”
Even the captain couldn’t hold back her impatience. She wanted to get in as soon as possible.
“Yes, it’s safe... Captain. And... I can clearly feel the effects. It’s like an enhanced version of the 6th floor’s moisturizing spring.”
She could tell just by looking at her skin.
Having used the 6th floor’s spring multiple times, she already had skin that was as beautiful as a 30-year-old woman could hope for.
But this 11th floor spring was on a whole other level.
Her skin now possessed the radiant youthfulness only a teenage girl could have.
Even the most beauty-obsessed nobles or royals couldn’t possibly maintain skin like this in their 30s.
It was a dramatic transformation.
Lumidos stood up and showed her body to the knights.
While her age hadn’t changed, the youthful aura radiating from her skin made her look like an 18-year-old girl.
For a moment, the other knights were speechless, staring at her rejuvenated skin. But only for a moment.
As soon as they saw her skin, all their exhaustion and fatigue vanished.
They immediately began stripping off their armor, rushing to get into the hot spring.
“ “ “ “Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh~~~~~~” ” ” ”
The knights’ voices of delight echoed through the hot spring chamber.
As they washed away the fatigue and grime from the abnormal exploration, their skin began to rejuvenate to an unbelievable level. Their spirits soared to the peak of joy.
“Ahh... Ahhh... I’m so glad we came, so glad we came!!”
“Haaah... I’m so glad we didn’t decide to retreaaaaat!!”
“This! This is it! This is what I’ve been waiting for!”
“My shoulder was a bit messed up from a fracture, so the 9th floor’s Deformity-Healing Spring was a huge help, but this... this is the real deal! My skin’s so soft~”
“Ah... I’m so happy... So happy.”
“Nnnngh, all my fatigue... it’s just melting away…”
“Haaah, this spring really seems to have fatigue-recovery effects too.”
“You’re right, my exhaustion just vanished. Maybe it’s because I’m so happy?”
Incidentally, this wasn’t just their imagination. The spring on this floor had been designed to include fatigue recovery alongside skin improvement.
The Master believed it would enhance the training effect.
The knights’ voices of happiness continued to echo through the 11th floor’s hot spring.
“Haaah... This is the best. With a report like this, Queen Yuzha will definitely be satisfied...”
“...Ah!!”
But as soon as those words were spoken, everyone realized something.
This floor’s hot spring was incredible—too incredible.
Which meant they absolutely, without fail, had to come back here.
Even without a formal report, just seeing the state of their skin, the sharp-eyed queen would undoubtedly demand, “Take me to the 11th floor’s spring immediately!”
No doubt about it.
And that would mean escorting Her Majesty through this hellish floor again...???
No, it wouldn’t just be the queen.
How many noblewomen would request guidance to this floor?
And then... how many times... no, how many dozens of times would they have to climb up and down this floor?
“...............”
As soon as this realization hit, all the knights turned pale, sinking into despair.
The joyous voices from earlier were gone, replaced by a funeral-like silence.
In the heavy, oppressive atmosphere, the knights tried to soothe their spirits by admiring their newly beautiful skin, calming themselves down.
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