The Guild's data only went down to the 37th floor. Anything below that was mapped out by the major Familias themselves, and generally, they would never release that information to the public.
After all, the deeper one went, the more difficult it became. Who would publish such hard-earned information for free? Ren Isana was well aware of this, and the others had no objections to his arrangements.
As for why the map stopped at the 37th floor? No one asked. They trusted that Ren Isana would explain it to them.
Besides, just these 36 floors were enough for them to explore for a very long time. They might not even get the chance to go any deeper.
"Down to the 37th floor, there are three Floor Bosses in total. These will be our upcoming targets. There's a Floor Boss on the 17th floor, the 27th floor, and the 37th floor. However, that thing on the 37th floor... we can't handle it right now," Ren Isana said finally, looking at the information on the strategy map.
This was exactly why Ren Isana had no intention of going to the 37th floor. According to what he knew, that Floor Boss possessed terrifying regenerative abilities. Unless it was blown to smithereens in a very short amount of time, it would just keep coming back.
Otherwise, it would resurrect infinitely. With their current firepower, subjugating the 37th floor's boss would be quite difficult.
"Why?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked, a bit confused. What was recorded on the map? Why would Ren Isana say they couldn't handle it? The others also looked over in curiosity.
"This boss has to be shattered into pieces in the shortest time possible, otherwise it will resurrect infinitely. Do you think we have enough firepower for that?" Ren Isana asked flatly.
"Infinite resurrection? Are you kidding me? Forget it, forget it, we can't afford to mess with that!"
*That's a freaking gimmick boss!* And it required overwhelming firepower to shatter? Hearing this, everyone instantly felt demoralized.
"Tell us about the other Floor Bosses so everyone can mentally prepare themselves," Asuna suggested, prompting Ren Isana to explain the remaining two bosses.
Based on what she had learned from Hestia, the fastest way to level up was by accumulating Excelia, and the best way to do that was by defeating Floor Bosses. So, they would have to try subjugating these bosses eventually.
What if beating one allowed them to level up? Leveling up meant breaking through their current limits. How could she not be tempted? Therefore, they had to understand what they were up against!
Ren Isana nodded, glanced at the strategy guide, and continued, "The Floor Boss on the 17th floor is a giant. Its weakness is the nape of its neck..."
"Huh? Doesn't that mean we have to fly up and slash its neck?" Hearing this, Sora instantly became interested. She hadn't expected to be slashing giant necks in this world.
"I am strong, stronger than any of you, extremely strong, so I'll do it!" When some people heard Ren Isana mention a giant with a weak point on its neck, their anime DNA instantly activated, and someone excitedly shouted the iconic line.
"Too bad none of you can fly yet. Wake up, right now you're sitting at the same table as Groudon!" Ren Isana rolled his eyes. He couldn't be bothered to entertain their chuunibyou fantasies and casually roasted them before returning to the guide.
Ren Isana's roast left everyone feeling depressed, but it also solidified their resolve. They needed to get stronger, break through to Tier 4, and then ask Ren Isana to teach them that mid-air movement technique.
The news about [Geppo・Moonwalk] had already spread. Everyone knew Ren Isana was the one who came up with it, so when the time came, they just had to ask him to teach them. Not to mention, Shizuka Hiratsuka was also here to help them learn.
"The Floor Boss on the 27th floor is called Amphisbaena. It's a two-headed water snake capable of using blue flames and red mist attacks." Ren Isana ignored the peanut gallery and continued introducing the 27th-floor boss.
Hearing this, everyone understood that this was likely an aquatic boss, which would also be very difficult to deal with. However, it was still better than the 37th floor. A boss that resurrected if not instantly obliterated was the most troublesome of all.
"Then our near-term goal will be the 17th-floor boss," Asuna concluded. That was the most realistic target for them to subjugate right now.
"Exactly, it's Goliath. Everyone, memorize its weakness; it will come in handy later. As for the other floors, the 18th floor is a safe zone, so we can use that area as a transit hub." Ren Isana pointed out the only safe zone listed in the guide.
Everyone silently committed this to memory. The 18th floor. Having a safe zone was definitely a good thing.
"Aside from that, that's about it. Let's wrap it up here for now. Go prepare yourselves. Remember to bring your Red Potions and Blue Potions, as well as antidotes. Some monsters on the 13th and 14th floors have poisonous scales. If you didn't bring antidotes, buy some on the way tomorrow." After explaining everything that needed to be said, Ren Isana concluded the meeting.
This gave everyone a basic understanding of the Dungeon. As for the rest, they would have to experience it for themselves.
As the meeting ended, Hestia raised her hand and said, "You all need to be careful in the Dungeon! If you encounter any danger, remember to run away immediately. Where there is life, there is hope."
They had been in this world for less than two days, and Ren Isana had already decided to take everyone into the Dungeon for a three-day expedition. This made Hestia feel a bit depressed, but she couldn't tag along, nor could she stop them. All she could do was urge Ren Isana and the others to be careful.
"Of course we'll run at the first sign of trouble. As long as the Dungeon doesn't spawn a god, there basically won't be any danger, alright?" Ren Isana shot Hestia a dry look.
Back in the dungeon of their previous world, if this goddess hadn't spawned out of nowhere, they might have actually finished their training properly.
But because Hestia had spawned, that dungeon became enraged. This resulted in Ren Isana and the others having to retreat after spending just one night inside. It was a complete waste of effort.
"Hehe!" Hestia laughed sheepishly at Ren Isana's jab. "But gods won't just randomly spawn here! Besides... all gods are strictly forbidden from entering the Dungeon."
"Alright, let's leave it at that. I'm going back to wash up. Those who need to rest, rest early. We gather at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Ren Isana put down the documents in his hands, stood up, and walked out of the conference room.
Seeing this, the others also returned to their respective rooms, preparing to meditate and test the power of the Array Magic Ren Isana had set up.
Of course, a few people stayed behind to ask Hestia to teach them the written language of this world. They couldn't just remain illiterate here forever, right? Learning it was definitely for the best.
Hearing their request, Hestia smiled radiantly. Without a second thought, she agreed immediately. She couldn't experience the joy of being a teacher with Ren Isana, but surely she could experience it with these students, right?
However, the reality was that as everyone's Mental Power grew stronger, learning text-based knowledge became incredibly easy. Once they grasped the linguistic logic of this world, it only took the group two or three hours to be able to read and understand it.
This left Hestia completely dumbfounded. *Did it have to be this ridiculous? Do you all learn this fast? Doesn't this make the illiterate people of this world look incredibly stupid?*
Having easily mastered the basics, the group borrowed some books from the manor and returned to their rooms to rest. Now that they knew how to read the language, it was only natural to read up on the literature of this world.
Meanwhile, the students who had returned to their rooms early were already deep in meditation. The Array Magic Ren Isana had set up was finally showing its true power.
It gave everyone the sensation of attending a focused class back at school. Their meditation speed was absurdly fast. Some students even decided that once they returned to their own world, they would pay Ren Isana to set up one of these in their homes.
The assistance this thing provided was simply too massive.
At the same time, the Array Magic Ren Isana had deployed was currently shocking some "little mice" outside. This Familia was not to be trifled with.
The thugs who had been tailing Ren Isana and the others earlier today stared at the Hestia Familia compound—now shrouded in Array Magic—with absolute terror. Originally, they had planned to sneak in tonight and scavenge for some easy loot.
After all, Familias that had just arrived in Orario usually lacked vigilance, making this the perfect time to strike. If they missed this window, they might never get another chance.
By the same logic, pulling off a big heist here would provide them with enough wealth to eat, drink, and gamble for a very long time. This was especially true for the Hestia Familia, who had just arrived in Orario and immediately spent a fortune buying land and various supplies.
No matter how you looked at it, they were a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Many thugs had planned to make a massive score and then leave Orario. But now, looking at the Hestia Familia compound enveloped in Array Magic... they realized this wasn't a fat sheep at all, but a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Without any hesitation, some of the smarter mice immediately retreated, terrified of alerting the members of the Hestia Familia. Anyone capable of deploying such magic was far beyond what they could afford to provoke.
Of course, there were also some fearless fools. Under the cover of night, these individuals crept closer. In their eyes, no one actually set up Array Magic like this for real defense; it was obviously just a bluff to scare people off.
As the saying goes, the bold die of overeating, and the timid die of starvation. How would they know if they didn't try? At worst, they would just run for their lives. It wasn't like the Familia members would actually chase them out into the streets, right? If they did, it would just draw the attention of other gangs who would swarm the place.
Quite a few people shared this mindset, so they stealthily approached, planning to slip inside and scope the place out first.
Under the veil of darkness, several pitch-black silhouettes dashed toward the Hestia Familia compound. They crossed into the perimeter of the Array Magic without hesitation. In an instant, Ren Isana and the others were alerted.
Everyone snapped out of their meditation. Ren Isana stood up, walked to his balcony, and sensed the little mice that had intruded. His gaze instantly turned ice-cold.
On the other side of the compound, Natsuki Minamiya and the other teachers were also watching this unfold. In truth, they had known the moment these thugs approached, but none of the teachers had any intention of intervening.
They wanted to see how Ren Isana and the students would handle this. Would they let these scumbags go? Or would they... eliminate them directly?
By now, Ren Isana's [Perception Magic] was fully active, covering everything within a one-kilometer radius. He didn't strike immediately; instead, he waited quietly.
However, Ren Isana's classmates weren't about to sit still. The moment they realized intruders had breached the compound, they immediately grabbed their weapons, ready for a fight. Anyone sneaking in at this hour was definitely up to no good.
Ren Isana sensed his classmates' movements, which left him speechless. *Damn it, if you guys start moving now, how am I supposed to trap these dogs behind closed doors?*
*Wouldn't my [Spatial Barrier] be completely wasted?* Ren Isana quickly thought of a way to tell everyone to hold their positions. An idea swiftly surfaced in his mind.
He raised his right hand and injected Magic Power into it. The next moment, the seal he had engraved on his right hand lit up. Through the connection between this seal and the Array Magic, Ren Isana could transmit his Magic Power into every single seal he had placed on his classmates.
It was common knowledge that sound could be transmitted through Magic Power. Therefore, Ren Isana could easily use this method to broadcast his message directly into the ears of every student bearing the mark.
"Don't move!" Ren Isana's voice echoed right beside everyone's ears, as if he were standing right next to them. The sudden voice made everyone freeze in surprise.
But soon, they noticed the seals on their right hands glowing. Seeing this, they realized that this mark had other functions as well.
The students, who had been about to charge out, stopped in their tracks. Although they didn't know what Ren Isana was planning, they decided to follow his orders.
Seeing that he had successfully halted his classmates, Ren Isana breathed a sigh of relief. He expanded his senses again. Once he confirmed that all the intruders had fully crept inside the perimeter, his expression turned freezing cold.
If he let them succeed tonight, the Hestia Familia would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of all Orario by tomorrow morning.
Hestia herself would become the butt of every god's jokes. That little shorty would probably burst into tears on the spot.
*Perfect... I'll use these scumbags to establish our dominance.* Only by doing this would the rats living in Orario's underbelly learn to fear the Hestia Familia and abandon any greedy thoughts.
With that decided, Ren Isana pushed open his window and leaped out, directly taking flight into the air. The next moment, the Array Magic surrounding the compound erupted with a blinding light.
The space was instantly locked down. The last few mice who had just stepped inside saw this and turned deathly pale.
"Oh crap, we've been discovered!"
"Run!"
Under the night sky, the purple Array Magic grew increasingly brilliant. The intruders who tried to turn and flee suddenly felt as if they had slammed into a solid wall.
The purple light had formed a physical barrier, trapping all of them inside. At that moment, Ren Isana's voice echoed in his classmates' ears once again.
"Do it. Kill them all!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the students—who had never taken a human life before—froze. They couldn't quite believe what they were hearing. Ren Isana was telling them to kill all these people? Was... was he serious?
Everyone looked out their windows at Ren Isana hovering in the sky. Because Ren Isana lived in the central building, with the boys on the left and the girls on the right, everyone had a clear view of him.
As Ren Isana issued the command, they saw him draw his magic staff. Without a shred of hesitation, he aimed at a dark corner of the courtyard and unleashed an attack.
Some students could vaguely make out three silhouettes hiding in that corner. Ren Isana's [Magic Bullet] plummeted from the sky, blasting directly into them without holding back in the slightest.
*BOOM!*
"Aaaargh!!"
As the explosion of the [Magic Bullet] echoed, agonizing screams followed. This made Ren Isana's classmates realize that he was dead serious.
Just as everyone was reeling in shock, Ren Isana's voice transmitted through their seals once more. "Remember, if you don't kill them tonight, they will kill you one day. Imagine what would have happened to you if I hadn't set up this Array Magic!"
These words caused many faces to pale. They didn't even need to think hard to realize what the consequences would have been. It was highly likely they would have been slaughtered... after all, these intruders were ruthless outlaws!
In that instant, all hesitation vanished. Everyone charged out of their rooms to hunt down the rats that had broken in. Ren Isana was right. If they didn't kill these scumbags, these scumbags would kill them.
They remembered that the seals Ren Isana had given them had pulsed with warnings over a dozen times. That meant at least a dozen people had broken in.
Empowered by Ren Isana's words, the students attacked without a hint of mercy. These people deserved to die. They would just treat them like monsters spawning in a dungeon. After all...
*They're just a bunch of humanoid monsters from another world!!*
The moment this thought took root, the way the students looked at the intruders completely changed. It was just like playing a video game. What do you do when you encounter hostile humanoid mobs?
You wipe them out.