It seemed that no matter which path one took on the second floor of the Dungeon, they all eventually converged. With his god's-eye view active, Ren Isana watched in astonishment as the rest of his classmates slowly gathered here from the other tunnels.
When everyone finally regrouped, they were actually quite bewildered. To think they all ended up in the exact same place? Wasn't that a bit ridiculous?
Ren collected everyone's map fragments and sketched out a complete map of the second floor, finally confirming this fact.
Looking at the map in his hands, Ren couldn't help but say, "Sure enough, no matter how we split up earlier, we were bound to end up together."
By now, Ren had already sensed the entrance to the third floor. Even the other tunnels ultimately converged toward it. In other words, unless someone intentionally stayed behind, everyone would eventually make their way down.
Ren handed the completed map to the group so they could take pictures of it, then announced, "Next, we'll be heading down to the third floor. If anyone wants to stay behind on the second floor, you're free to do so."
Hearing this, the others exchanged glances. Ren continued, "Everyone has seen the monster spawn rate on this floor. It's quite fast. If you want to make some money, staying here is a viable option, especially since the monsters aren't that strong."
He looked at his classmates. Everyone had gathered a fair amount of Magic Stones by now, and the happy smiles on their faces made it clear that they were quite satisfied with their current haul.
"But is it really okay to stay on this floor? When night falls, I don't think we'll be able to handle it, right?" With this kind of spawn rate, they wouldn't be able to sleep at all during the night.
Even with people keeping watch, they wouldn't be able to endure the constant respawns. Therefore, staying on this floor wasn't exactly the best choice, which was everyone's biggest concern.
"Monsters don't spawn in the tunnels. The tunnel entrances on each floor are the best safe zones," Ren said, looking at the student who had spoken and sharing his discovery.
Everyone's eyes immediately lit up at his words, but no one stepped forward to say they were staying. After all, stopping at just the second floor would be far too embarrassing.
"Never mind, let's keep going. Who knows, maybe there's an even better spot further down?" Sora spoke up at this moment. She had formed a party with a few of her close friends.
Their harvest this time had actually been quite substantial. Although the monster spawn rate here was fast, she didn't want to stay. After saying this, she looked at the student who had spoken earlier. "Leo, if you want to stay, it seems you can use the tunnel as a base for exploration and just return there to spend the night."
There weren't many people in the Dungeon right now; it seemed only the students had entered. As for those who had come in earlier, they were likely much further down.
The student named Leo thought for a moment before declining. "Forget it, let's keep moving forward. We have ten floors to explore, so there's no need to stay here."
Although he was tempted, he restrained himself, knowing that continuing downward was the right path. The others also agreed with his reasoning; there was no need to linger on this floor just yet.
"Since no one is staying, let's set off. The Dungeon will likely get larger the deeper we go. If we can't meet up down there, everyone will just have to find their own way to the next floor," Ren instructed as he looked at his many classmates.
He glanced at the map of the second floor he had drawn. It was much larger than the first floor—at least a third bigger—and there were still some areas left unexplored.
Hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances again, but no one voiced any objections. Splitting up was inevitable anyway, and with the teachers secretly watching over them, they shouldn't be in too much danger.
"No problem, it was bound to happen sooner or later!" With no major disagreements, the matter was settled. From here on out, everyone would have to rely on themselves for the adventure.
"Act within your limits. If you feel like you're struggling against the monsters, then stop. Remember the paths you've taken, and make absolutely sure you memorize the tunnel locations. Those will be your safe zones," Ren gave his final piece of advice, seeing that everyone was on board.
He had said everything he needed to say. Whatever happened next was out of his hands, especially since he and his party would be off exploring some unknown corner of the Dungeon themselves.
Ren wasn't a damn babysitter, so naturally, he couldn't keep an eye on them around the clock. Besides, there were several teachers secretly watching over them, so nothing major would go wrong.
This was especially true for the teacher with the sensory talent. Ren didn't know what their exact sensing range was, but when the students had gathered, the teachers had hidden themselves in the shadows.
Barring any surprises, that teacher's sensory abilities had to be incredibly powerful, likely capable of monitoring this entire floor's space. With someone keeping an eye on the whole Dungeon floor, the students naturally wouldn't run into any real trouble.
Having finished his piece, Ren took the lead and began heading toward the next floor, with Asuna, Megumi Kato, and Yukino Yukinoshita following closely behind.
Upon finding the tunnel to the third floor, the four of them walked in without hesitation. The rest of the classmates gradually followed suit. Once they reached the third floor, the space became noticeably more expansive.
The cavern tunnels were significantly larger than those on the previous two floors. However, seeing this only made everyone more vigilant. A larger space meant larger monsters, forcing them to proceed with caution.
Ren led the way. After bidding farewell to his classmates, he took Asuna and the other two deep into the tunnels. With his sensory abilities currently active, Ren soon noticed something as they walked.
Quite a few monsters had already spawned within these caverns. Like hunters in the dark, they were lying in wait for their prey to take the bait.
After walking only a short distance, Ren sensed several giant bats hanging upside down from the cavern ceiling ahead. Each of these inverted bats was half a meter tall.
With their wings spread, they would likely span two to three meters. Combined with their fur color, they were perfectly camouflaged against the dim cavern ceiling. If one wasn't paying attention, they would definitely fall victim to an ambush.
Ren and his party hadn't gone very far yet, and many of their classmates were still right behind them. After a moment of thought, Ren raised his hand, and a fiery red Magic Circle instantly took shape.
Seeing this, Asuna and the other two immediately raised their weapons and entered a combat stance. The next moment, Ren unleashed a massive fireball—the Basic Magic spell, [Fireball].
However, this one had been amplified. It was an application of Magic Power that Ren had learned from Jin-sensei on the bus. Although it was only Basic Magic, its power after being amplified was nothing to scoff at.
Ren blasted the half-meter-wide fireball toward the cavern ahead. The light radiating from the fireball illuminated the entire tunnel, allowing Asuna's group and the classmates trailing behind to clearly see what lay ahead.
The dense cluster of bats hanging from the cavern ceiling instantly made everyone's skin crawl. To think there were monsters already? And it had to be bats, a creature that made many people physically uncomfortable just looking at them!
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