Volume 1 Chapter 53 Towards The Middle Layer
We hurriedly made our way deeper into the cave, the four of us together.
After a while, we came across a cavern that was larger than any place we had passed before. On either side of the cavern, there were huge waterfalls, with a constant flow of water cascading down.
In the center, there was a stone ground that looked like a lonely island, with nothing else except a path to move forward.
"This is strange... It seems like there are no signs of monsters."
Fatina said with a puzzled look.
Considering the battle we had just fought with the Lizardmen in the previous passage, it was a bit odd to find such a large space without any monsters.
"I know, but we can't just stand still. Let's continue forward for now."
I said, taking the lead and moving towards the center of the ground.
Just to be safe, I checked the surrounding water to see if any monsters would come out, but there was nothing in the water I looked into.
"Hmm... It seems like there's nothing here."
"Presumably, this is a place where several barriers have been set up inside the dungeon."
As I pondered this, Mel seemed to notice and explained,
"Barriers?"
"Yes. It is written in ancient documents that there are places within the three dungeons where barriers have been set up to prevent monsters from entering. It's just a guess, but I think this might be one of those places in the Aquaflow Cavern."
Mel's information is probably correct. I remembered it too.
"Oh, come to think of it, there was a similar place in the Voltana Dungeon."
Like me, Fatina also seemed to recall.
In the Emerald Green Dungeon, there is a 'safe zone' for each floor, so for example, goblins and orcs didn't enter the upper layer, and skeletons and hobgoblins didn't enter the middle layer.
"But if they don't want the key to be stolen, then why did they create such a place?"
"Well... now that you mention it, that's true."
If they didn't want the dungeon to be conquered, there would be no point in creating a safe zone.
"Such detailed information is not even written in the ancient documents. It may have been necessary when this place was created... but, there are guardians of the key in the lower layer. Since it was never expected for them to be defeated, they might have deliberately left them there."
Indeed, what Mel says may be true.
The guardian of the Emerald Green Dungeon, the dragon, gave even the S-Rank party Ryuin a tough time. No matter how high-level adventurers there are, it is unlikely that they can win by fighting head-on.
If there is a possibility, it would be the Cretia Kingdom Knights that Iria belongs to. However, the king is probably planning to take the key without using them.
"By the way, is everyone's magic power okay?"
We should double-check just in case, as once we pass this point, the only place we can rest is the safe zone in the middle layer.
Especially for Chester, when we reach the end of the middle layer, we'll need him to use [Teleportation Magic]. So, he needs to make sure his magic power is fully restored by then.
"It's not fully restored yet, but I think it will be by the time we reach the middle layer. So, please don't worry about me."
"I see, got it."
"No worries. Besides the potion I drank in the beginning, I still have a few more, so I'll drink them if necessary."
It seems Chester is aware of the amount of magic power his magic consumes.
"Fatina and Mel, are you both okay? Not tired?"
"I'm fine!"
"Yes, I haven't been involved in any battles, so I'm not fatigued."
"Alright then, let's keep going without taking a break."
Mel is right about that, but Fatina does not seem to be tired even though she moved so much earlier. Maybe it's because she leveled up.
After that, we walked through the safe zone and started walking along the straight path ahead.
The scenery ahead in the cavern continues as usual.
"Even though it's the upper layer, I wonder what kind of monsters are there..."
Chester looked nervously at the sword at his waist.
"I've seen dungeons where monsters expanded their habitat like here, but middle layer monsters coming this far."
"Really!? Is that true!?"
"Yeah. In the previous place, an ogre came to the upper layer."
But at that time, Fatina defeated it all at once.
"Oh, an ogre..."
The ogre we fought before was a C-rank monster.
In the adventurer's guild, they say that a party with a Level Cap of 30 can defeat C-rank monsters.
However, this is basically about party members having skills that match their occupations.
Chester himself doesn't seem to have any skills other than [Teleportation Magic], so he's not the type to join the fight on his own.
In this world, there are different skills for various weapons like daggers, axes, and spears. If people have these skills, they can learn different techniques as they level up.
But even if their stats are high like mine, if they don't have skills, they'll just end up swinging their weapon around.
On the other hand, someone like Fatina with skills can beat strong opponents even with a slightly lower level. Having skills or not makes a huge difference.
"If a monster like a wraith shows up again, I'll take care of it."
"Y-yeah! I'll leave it to you, Ark-san!"
Chester shivered as my words reminded him of yesterday's events.
There's probably a wraith here, which means there might be other ghost-type undead in this dungeon too.
Since normal attacks don't work, I don't know if Fatina can defeat them... If that happens, Mel and I will mainly fight from a distance.
"...Hmm?"
I wonder how far I've come while thinking like that.
As we turned a corner, I noticed white fragments scattered on the ground. There were quite a lot, enough to turn the damp, dark ground white.
"What's this?"
"Well, I can kinda tell from the lingering smell. It looks like the remains of burned bones or something."
"It's probably a skeleton. It's as if it was taken down all at once with a powerful spell..."
"So, does that mean there are other adventurers who have gone ahead after all?"
Mel pondered for a while, touching her chin with her finger, and then immediately raised her face.
"Yes... And if it can be crushed to this extent, I think there must be a magician of a high level in the party."
"I see. Maybe we're getting closer to a party that's a little ahead."
"Ark-sama, please look at that."
"What happened?"
Upon being told by Fatina, I walked a little ahead and the passage came to an end.
Instead, a stone staircase leading to the underground appeared.
At the back of the staircase, I could see something like a beam of light shining on the wall. There must be something that serves as a substitute for light.
"...Is this the entrance to the middle layer?"
"W-What lies ahead from here..."
Chester swallowed nervously as he looked at the staircase.
"Let's go then."
"Yes!"
Since Fatina had already experienced entering the middle layer in another dungeon, she went down the staircase without any hesitation. I followed suit.
"Wait, wait!"
Chester said in a pathetic voice.
Then, after going down a long staircase, I saw something very strange.
"Wow!"
Chester was surprised and lifted his foot when he reached the ground.
And no wonder, the ground on the middle layer was flooded up to our ankles.
But the water wasn't very cold, it was warm.
The water was reflecting the sparkling light from the crystals growing around, making everything look light blue.
The walls around us changed from natural rock to artificial stone walls.
This must be the middle layer of Aquaflow Cavern for sure.
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