Chapter 402: Exploring The Dungeon Of Eden

The monster most commonly found on the first floor of the Dungeon of Eden was none other than the Horned Rabbit.

Despite their small size of about one foot, they mustn’t be underestimated.

Why?

Because they were fast!

Those who underestimated them had long been buried inside the dungeon, never to be seen ever again.

After entering the dungeon, they encountered a Horned Rabbit.

At the sight of them, it ran. Not away. It charged at them, zigzagging from side to side, deliberately confusing its opponents.

Its volatile pattern made it hard for them to predict its movements, so they could only keep their senses sharp and react in time.

Upon reaching Leone’s three-meter range, the Horned Rabbit bounced off the dungeon wall and used that momentum to attack the young man.

"Hyah!" Leone thrust his spear, skewering the Horned Rabbit mid-jump.

Moments later, the monster imploded into black mist, leaving a small blue core behind.

"Hahaha! Foolish rabbit!" Leone laughed after claiming his first kill. "You dare underestimate me?! I am now stronger than a squirrel!"

The young man laughed out loud, genuinely satisfied with his first hunt inside the dungeon.

Ulric, Kael, and Jason all exchanged knowing smiles at his words, joyful that the young man had become stronger compared to the past.

The Leone from before would likely have been killed by a Horned Rabbit without too much effort, and he might not even know how it happened.

However, Leone had improved a lot since then.

Not only did he grow stronger, but he also practiced the Heaven Piercer Spear Arts alongside his tribe members. A mere Horned Rabbit could no longer defeat him now.

The young man happily picked up the core dropped by the monster, which was only the size of the nail on his thumb.

Compared to the core of the Monster King, which was the size of an adult’s head, the core in his hand looked minuscule.

"Hmm... so dungeon monsters disappear after they are killed." Leone pondered for a while. "Is this phenomenon consistent across all dungeons on the continent, Kael?"

"I cannot be certain, Great Chieftain," Kael replied. "But it’s highly likely that all dungeons are like this."

"Understood. Well, then. Let’s continue hunting so we can reach the second floor as soon as possible," Leone stated.

Earlier, he had bought dungeon maps from the guards stationed near the dungeon entrance.

He then asked Daedalus to absorb them so the grimoire could lead them to the most efficient path.

To make it more convenient, it even went out of its way and cast a projection of a map, which only Leone could see.

The young man then followed the shortest route to his destination, killing more Horned Rabbits along the way.

His vassals made no move to stop their Great Chieftain’s enjoyment. However, the three of them were still on standby to protect Leone just in case something unexpected happened.

They eventually reached the second floor without too much trouble and came face to face with... more Horned Rabbits.

But this time, instead of a single Horned Rabbit, they would have to face pairs.

And every pair moved in perfect synchronization, especially in their attack patterns.

This time, Leone could no longer use his thrusts.

Instead, he decided to hold his spear with both hands, using it as some kind of wooden stick.

He then whacked the Horned Rabbits with the two ends of his spear, creating a one-two combo.

Thanks to his increased stats, he could still one-shot the monsters with those two consecutive attacks, killing both Horned Rabbits at once.

"It’s a good thing that I often sparred with Blitz," Leone muttered as he picked up the cores that were on the ground. "Compared to him, the Horned Rabbits are like turtles."

An hour later, they finally arrived on the third floor of the dungeon.

Leone half-expected to be met with even more Horned Rabbits... and he wasn’t wrong.

However, the composition of monsters on the third floor had certainly changed.

Horned Rabbits still attacked them in pairs. But aside from them, one more type of monster joined the third floor’s roster.

It was none other than Goblins.

Leone looked at his opponent, which was holding a wooden club in its hand. Standing ‌three feet tall, the Goblin looked very intimidating.

It had green skin and a murderous glare directed at the young chieftain.

The Goblin unleashed a guttural war cry before charging with its weapon raised high.

Unfortunately, before it could even reach Leone, the young man had already stabbed it with his spear in its chest.

The Goblin let out a dying groan, fading as its body disintegrated into black mist, leaving behind a monster core the same size as that from the Horned Rabbit.

Although it was a humanoid, Leone felt no pang of remorse after killing it.

After everything he had been through since he arrived in the Borderlands, killing someone no longer made him puke his heart out.

"Kael, if I remember correctly, the hunting parties have managed to reach the 49th floor of this dungeon, right?" Leone asked.

"Yes, Great Chieftain," Kael answered. "The 49th floor is a maze, with the monsters located there being Minotaurs."

"Are there any Orcs in this dungeon?" Leone asked.

Earlier, Khan said he wanted to explore the dungeon with Leone, but Leone rejected his proposal.

He made an excuse on the spot, saying that only Khan could defend the fortress while they were away. Albeit reluctant, the Orc Warlord could only agree.

But Leone’s main reason was much simpler. He simply didn’t want the Orc Warlord to kill one of his kin inside the dungeon.

Although Orcs often warred against each other, he still didn’t want one of his friends to be treated as a dungeon monster by the inhabitants of Eden.

"Orcs start to appear on the 20th floor, Great Chieftain," Kael replied calmly.

"I see..." Leone nodded in understanding. "Do the dungeon parties have to walk back from the lower floors all the way to the upper floors just to exit the dungeon?"

"No, Great Chieftain," Kael answered. "Every five floors, there exists some kind of magical formation that allows people to cross to the exit on the first floor."

"Then, can they return to the floor that they last explored without having to travel from floor to floor?" Leone inquired.

"They can, Great Chieftain," Kael answered. "However, I don’t know how it works. It would be best to ask the other chieftains about it."

After pondering for some time, he made a decision.

"Let’s head down the fifth floor," Leone said calmly. "Let’s attempt to head there at the fastest speed possible. Jason, you take the lead. Eliminate any monster that blocks our path."

"Yes, Great Chieftain," Jason replied without hesitation.

He had been itching to kill the dungeon monsters since earlier. Now that an opportunity had been given to him, he decided to find the difference between killing a monster in the wild and killing a monster inside the dungeon.

Thanks to the young man’s exceptional fighting abilities, the Horned Rabbits and the Goblins didn’t stand a chance.

Since they had started to jog instead of walking, Leone’s group reached the fifth floor within an hour.

When they arrived, they immediately noticed a wide clearing on the right side of the entrance.

There, a magical circle glowed faintly, which Leone believed to be the teleportation formation that would take them back to the first floor.

"I see, so that’s how it works." Leone nodded in understanding.

Earlier, when they first entered the dungeon, he saw a similar formation on the right side of the entrance.

"Follow me."

He then stepped onto the magic circle and waited for his vassals to do the same. Once all four of them stood at its center, the magic circle glowed brightly. A moment later, Leone found himself at the entrance of the dungeon.

But he and his vassals weren’t the only ones near the entrance.

Five warriors, whom they believed to be a dungeon party belonging to the Grimhowl Tribe, stood there, looking at them with curiosity.

Suddenly, Leone felt a killing intent coming from one of the warriors within the group.

And he wasn’t the only one to sense it.

His vassals felt the hostility as well, causing their expressions to turn serious as they instinctively positioned themselves closer to their Great Chieftain in order to protect him.