Chapter 233: Preparing to Traverse the Middle Levels

After settling things with Loki-sama, Bell began his journey of learning.

Before entering the Middle Floors, it was essential to understand the situation. The unknown is often the most dangerous, and having a clear grasp of the known allows at least some room to adapt when facing the unexpected.

So, Bell conducted a detailed investigation of the conditions from the 12th to the 18th floor. Naturally, this was limited to information sold by the Guild.

Things like the so-called "welcome ceremony" on the 13th floor, the Hellhounds, and the Almirajs.

Bell wasn't particularly interested in the names of these creatures. What mattered more to him were their combat styles and stat profiles.

Unfortunately, both the dogs and rabbits were pack creatures, and this group behavior carried over to the monsters as well. These monsters acted in groups, making it nearly impossible to take them down one by one.

The rabbits were especially fast and were born wielding sharp axes. They could almost instantly tear through the flesh of a Level 2 Adventurer, delivering a potentially fatal blow in a single strike.

The rabbits were especially fast and had sharp axes. They could almost instantly tear through the flesh of a Level 2 Adventurer, delivering a potentially fatal blow in a single strike.

The dogs, aside from their incredible speed, had an acute sense of smell. Thanks to that, almost no adventurer could escape once targeted. On top of that, they could spit fire like the mythical hounds of the underworld—flames hot enough to roast a person alive. If you weren't prepared and got locked onto by a pack, you'd be nothing but bones in the end.

While the monsters' traits and their group behavior were already hard enough to deal with, the most troublesome part of the Middle Floors was how quickly they spawned.

On the Upper Floors, monster spawn cycles might take several hours, but on the Middle Floors, there was no such grace period.

This was especially true for the rabbits and dogs. As the gatekeeper monsters of the Middle Floors, and also the most common, their spawn rate was the highest.

So, once you encountered them on the 13th floor and got locked onto, it wouldn't take long before you were swarmed by packs of dogs and rabbits.

And once surrounded by those things, even a Level 3 could end up dead.

Besides dogs and rabbits, there were plenty of other monsters with unique traits—like the Gargoyle, which was impervious to blades and spears, and the Slime, which was completely immune to physical attacks.

The Middle Floors were nothing like the Upper Floors. Every level had a wide variety of monsters roaming around, unlike the more uniform Upper Floors.

But no one wants variety in the Dungeon.

Because for any Adventurer, variety in the Dungeon is a nightmare.

"It's like a dream come true."

Bell muttered to himself in a private room of the Guild.

"No wonder so many Adventurers stay stuck at Level 1. It's not that their abilities are only at that level—it's that their hearts never move past it."

Bell shook his head. He wasn't blaming those Adventurers for not trying harder. After all, the Dungeon doesn't play around. One misstep, and death is right there.

No one wants to die.

No one treats their own life that lightly.

Maybe death is something every Adventurer will have to face one day—but no living being wants to die without meaning. So, avoiding danger isn't such a bad thing. Everyone has the right to make their own choices, and no one needs to justify that to others.

Just like how Bell never dreamed of becoming a hero. He wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for others. His goal for becoming stronger was entirely practical: to reach Level 10, he had to step over the Black Dragon's corpse and keep moving forward.

After reviewing the monsters from the 13th to the 18th floors, Bell jotted down notes on the key monsters he needed to remember in his secret notebook, then sat back in his chair for a short rest.

'The biggest issue from the 13th to the 18th floors really is how often the monsters appear.'

'Even if you include Minotaurs, there are only five types of monsters. The variety isn't overwhelming, but the problem lies in their numbers, their frequency, and their strength.'

'Their strength takes time to adapt to, and the numbers and spawn rate take getting used to.'

Once he understood the monsters, a lot of the potential problems were already minimized.

The only thing left to worry about was his own strength.

As long as he was strong enough and could quickly adjust to the environment, the discomfort of transitioning from the Upper Floors to the Middle Floors would fade before long.

"Knock Knock Knock!"

Bell's nap didn't last long before knocking came at the door.

But he didn't get up to answer—it was part of his arrangement with Miss Eina.

Click!

Sure enough, the one who entered was Miss Eina.

After stepping inside, she promptly closed the door behind her.

This room was near the inner part of the Guild, and directly across from the door was a wall—no one could see what was happening inside.

"Bell-kun, have you finished reading the information?"

Eina saw Bell resting and couldn't help but ask.

"I've gone through it once. The monster types on the 13th to 18th floors aren't too numerous, so the amount of useful information is actually pretty limited."

Eina could tell Bell had seriously gone over the materials, but she still wasn't pleased with how casually he was treating the situation.

"Bell-kun, you know that the Middle Floors are nothing like the Upper Floors. The advantages you had up there might not apply here. You'll be exploring the Middle Floors alone, so you have to be more cautious. Got it?"

Of course Bell understood. But he also understood why Miss Eina was saying this.

"I understand, Miss Eina. I'll be on my own, so with how fast the monsters spawn in the Middle Floors, it's going to be overwhelming at times. But that's the only real issue."

"Miss Eina, you haven't forgotten about my magic, have you?"

Eina froze for a second, realizing she had subconsciously treated Bell-kun like a normal Adventurer.

"Sorry, Bell-kun. I slipped and treated you like any other Adventurer again."

Bell chuckled at that.

"It's probably better if you keep thinking of me that way, Miss Eina. I really am just a regular Adventurer. I just happen to be a bit luckier than most."

"Luck, huh... If the other Adventurers heard you call awakening magic 'luck,' they'd probably lose their minds. And honestly, who else has abilities like yours? Not even a month in, and you're already thinking about challenging the Middle Floors."

For most Adventurers, thinking about tackling the Middle Floors less than a month in would be unthinkable. But for the boy standing in front of her, it made perfect sense.

Eina even knew some of the hidden details from his own explanation—this kid was already on the verge of reaching Level 3.