623 Deepest Depths
The Elves witnessed it all.
The sight of nature in its purest form was burned into their minds.
They saw how Monsters devoured fellow Monsters, and how cruel the entire process could be. The world within the Dungeon was unforgiving—certainly not for the faint of heart or weak in spirit.
It was a complete nightmare.
Rey took them through paths, traversing various Floors so they could see even more of the calamity occur right before their eyes.
Some of them protested, desiring more than anything to leave the horrid place, but they were all ignored.
"You can leave if you want." They were told, but none of them dared to step a foot outside the only shroud of protection that they currently had.
They also couldn't attack Rey. If they did, and the barrier collapsed, they were pretty much done for too. As a result, they all followed him obediently—like sheep in a herd.
Finally, after reaching the entrance to the Bottom Floor of the Dungeon, they finally halted their long and frightening journey.
"C-can we go back now?"
"I'm so tired… and hungry…"
"My legs hurt. This place stinks. I want to go home."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Rey tuned out their whinings and focused on the door that stood in front of him. It was a double door, one he had to push from both sides to open. The thick stony surface showed just how strong of a barrier it was—and how heavy the doors were.
Still, this level of obstruction was no match for him.
'Before I go in, though…' Rey closed his eyes and sent his senses across the door one last time, doing his best to confirm the contents within.
In the black and white world, he couldn't see all the details, but as long as the outlines were revealed to him, he could anticipate what to expect.
Surprisingly, there was only one creature there.
'The Boss… but with no footsoldiers?' Rey found it a little difficult to believe, but his eyes had never deceived him before.
'There doesn't seem to be a Boss Room either. Just one large expanse that stretches for too long.'
After contemplating things a little longer, he decided to proceed.
"Let's go." In an instant, the double doors swung wide open, granting easy entry to Rey and his companions.
There were lots of groanings and complaints among the Elves, but he ignored them yet again. They weren't particularly his primary concern.
'I've pretty much accomplished what I set out to do. The Minerals that Ater spoke of… they're all incredible.'
If it wasn't for the fact that he had to keep his emotions in check, Rey reckoned he would be jumping for joy at the moment. Not only were the materials he found in the Dungeon at least a dozen times purer than those of the Western Continent, but there also seemed to be more variety here.
He saw Mana Crystals that were as tough as Adanantite, or Orichalcum that had a tougher build than the strongest metal in the Western Continent. Mythrill was commonplace too, among other well-known as well as obscure Minerals.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Other than those, though, Rey found even more interesting discoveries.
'The Water here is really dense in Mana. Even unrefined, it can serve as a Mana Recovery potion. If it's refined, it can turn even more potent. Like a cleanser of sorts…'
There were so many possibilities that Rey had to explore with the Minerals in sight, but he didn't do anything at the moment.
He didn't even slay any of the Monsters despite being curious about how their Mana Cores would look like.
'I accidentally destroyed the Monster Cores of those previous Monsters. I really should stop being careless…'
His eye flickered, and he chose to keep his gaze on the world before him.
'Beautiful…' His thoughts trailed as he laid eyes on the untouched garden that was the Final Floor of the Dungeon.
And it was just that—in every literal sense of the word.
The multi-colored flowers were almost as tall as an adult human being, and they decorated the entire space. Some were bright yellow, while others a dull purple. Some had various colors on their petals, and some had colors that seemed to change within moments.
The 'garden' that was this Floor seemed serene, with flowers like this growing in all areas of the room.
All areas but the very center, where a certain creature lay.
As Rey stepped into the Final Floor, he felt the effects of gravity diminish almost instantly. Slowly, his body began to float in the air, and the same applied to all the girls who remained in his barrier.
All of them left the ground and found themselves swimming in the air.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})'I see. This is similar to what Lucielle told me, and what I confirmed myself. The Mana Saturation of the Lowest Dungeon Floors, and the strange effects it can have on the environment.'
The last time he experienced this was in the last Floor of the Royal Dungeon—when the Dragon Commander appeared.
'Time flowed a lot faster down there than on the surface. It seems like this time it's gravity that's being affected. Or could it be the Boss' Skill?' Upon having this thought, Rey cast his gaze on the sleeping creature.
The beast looked like a dog, but it had five heads, with horns attached to each head—as if numbering them. The head at the center had the highest number of horns, five of them twisted and gnarled as they stiffly stood in place.
The Monster's snoring ruined the serene atmosphere, though Rey didn't see much of a difference with it's noise and the constant ramblings of the Young Ones.
'I'm beginning to understand why all the Elders I've met always seem grumpy.'
He had only met two, but the similarities were clear.
"In any case, it's time for a bit of an experiment." Rey smiled as he looked at the Elves behind him.
'I have all my specimens here. Might as well begin.'
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Thanks for reading!
What amazing plan does our benevolent Rey have in store for the Young Ones and the Boss, I wonder…
