The dungeon was located two miles away from the city of Duxelle and was surrounded by dense forest. Occasionally, weaker monsters from the upper floors would escape into the forest and pose a threat.

Since Duxelle was a city of adventurers, such monsters were dealt with quickly. Due to these monsters that could escape in the forest, residents of the city were not allowed to leave without an escort, but retired adventurers, knights, or those skilled in combat were exempt from this rule.

As a result of these restrictions, there were frequent minor escort quests for adventurers. Residents who needed to gather supplies from the forest often relied on these services. Since such quests were not as dangerous as dungeon exploration, the payment was low. Erik rarely accepted these jobs, as him only being able to work once a week made him choose higher-paying tasks.

Erik left the town, passing the knight he had seen earlier that day. After walking towards the east direction for a few minutes, he reached the main path to the dungeon, which had been carefully constructed. The path was made of yellowish heavy rocks, likely created by skilled mages using earth magic. This road was crucial for transporting goods between the dungeon and the city.

Walking slowly, Erik reached the dungeon's entrance in about 15 minutes. He stopped to observe the structure.

The dungeon's entrance was a massive cave with a striking design. Its upper section formed a perfect circular arch, curving smoothly, while the sides were straight and vertical, giving it a commanding look. Large rocks surrounded the entrance, and the stairs inside sloped downward into the darkness, hinting at the seemingly endless depths below.

No party has managed to explore beyond the 34th floor of the dungeon so far. To reach this floor, both the White Tiger Guild and the Wolf Fang Guild had to collaborate, even hiring additional high-ranking adventurers to aid in the expedition.

The 34th floor, currently referred to as the ‘Abyssal Threshold’ signifies the deepest level adventurers have explored to date.

However, legends claim that this dungeon has 100 floors, and something is sealed within the 100th floor, something that should never be unleashed. Yet, these claims are unreliable since there are no reliable records, only rumors.

Erik approached the dungeon’s entrance and stepped inside. As he entered, the light around him dimmed noticeably. This wasn’t just due to the absence of natural light but was also caused by the dense miasma that filled the dungeon. Beyond the entrance, a series of stairs spiraled downward, leading adventurers to the first floor.

Just like the connection between the mainland and the first floor of the dungeon, other floors also feature similar stairways or, at times, perilous routes for traversal between two floors. These paths could include steep slopes, cascading waterfalls, treacherous cliffs, and other hazardous terrains.

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“Well, the 17th floor it is then,” Erik muttered to himself as he briskly descended the stairs to reach the first floor.

Erik had reached the first floor, where small monsters like slimes and a few medium-sized creatures such as goblins were easily found. These were the monsters most likely to escape into the forest, given the proximity to the mainland.

“Take a clean hit, idiot!” a young girl in a blue dress, holding a small knife, shouted at the boy. Her black eyes were fixed on him with a glare that could pierce through steel.

“I tried, but that slime is slippery,” the boy mumbled in a apologetic tone, his brown eyes cast downwards. His brown, curly hair framed his face, and he wore a simple white shirt paired with brown knee-length shorts. He held a knife similar to the girl’s, but his hands trembled, possibly from the nerves of his first time in the dungeon.

Erik observed the interaction between the children, who barely looked 7 or 8 years old. He noticed that the slime the boy had tried to hit had already moved ten steps away from them.

“Never mind, I'll handle those for you. Just push them toward me,” the girl said confidently.

Their instructor, standing beside them with a smile, seemed amused by the children’s interaction.

Erik smiled at the scenario himself but quickly snapped out of it. Wait, why am I wasting time smiling? he thought, mentally scolding himself.

“Light Affinity, Quick Steps,” he mumbled almost immediately.

The children, who had been bantering, noticed Erik chanting and turned their attention toward him.

Erik stepped forward with his left foot in a walking motion, and when his right foot was about to lend, he vanished from their sight.

“What was that?” the boy exclaimed excitedly, looking at their instructor.

The girl also looked at their teacher, her eyes brimming with excitement.

“That adventurer probably has Light Affinity. He used an intermediate spell called Quick Steps. It provides bursts of extreme speed, allowing for something akin to a vanishing walk. While he can’t run with it, he can move incredibly fast in short bursts,” the instructor explained, using simple terms to make it easier for the children to understand.

“That’s so cool!” both children shouted enthusiastically.

Erik had already reached the sixth floor with his Quick Steps. The atmosphere here was notably more oppressive compared to the first five floors. He noticed groups of novice adventurers scattered throughout the floor.

One particular party of four was struggling to fight an orc and a group of goblins.

Should I help them? Erik questioned himself, but after analyzing their fight and team synergy, he decided otherwise. He activated another Quick Step and vanished from the scene.

Reaching the stairs to the sixth floor, Erik chose to walk instead of using Quick Steps due to the algae-covered, slippery steps. Descending carefully, he reached a transition pathway between the sixth and seventh floors.

Erik stepped away from the stairs, glancing around at his new surroundings on the seventh floor. The atmosphere was frigid—too cold, in fact. The walls were entirely covered in ice, reflecting light like crystals and illuminating the dungeon.

After traversing the narrow pathway of the seventh floor, Erik emerged into an awe-inspiring area. The space opened into a circular cliff-like zone that descended steeply downward. Moving down the pathway would lead to the stairway to the eighth floor. However, if you mistakenly fall from the cliff it would likely result in death.