Chapter 214 – Sanctuary in the Middle of Snarls

Chapter 214

Sanctuary in the Middle of Snarls

Date : Day 12 of Frostfall 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Hyoren killed the last goblin with his sword.

The monster dissolved into Aethell, its body breaking apart into countless particles before disappearing completely. Hyoren swept his gaze across the widened corridor, checking the surroundings one more time.

There was no goblin left.

He looked back toward the corridor they had just passed through. Arianna's Earth Wall had already disappeared, leaving the path completely open again. Yet the goblins that had attacked them from behind were nowhere to be seen. 

They hadn't chased after Freedom Party. Instead, they had returned to their original positions and gone back to their inert state.

The aggro range really is about 100 meters…

After clearing the goblin horde, Freedom Party had advanced far enough to leave their aggro range. Just as Hyoren had suspected, the goblins had simply returned to where they had originally been.

Hyoren looked toward the front.

Another T-junction was waiting ahead. For the moment, there were no more goblins rushing toward them.

Hyoren sheathed his sword before reaching into his storage bag and taking out his waterskin. He raised it to his mouth and drank several mouthfuls, letting the cool water ease some of the fatigue that had accumulated after their continuous battle.

Once he finished, he put the waterskin back into his bag.

“Everyone. This floor is really different from the previous floors…”

The others looked toward him.

Hyoren glanced down the corridor behind them before continuing.

“On Floors One and Two, we could rest between encounters. But on this floor… we can't.”

He paused briefly.

“This floor demands a continuous marathon of fighting goblins.”

Jackey put his axe onto his shoulder.

“That's right, Big Bro! Too many skulkers here.”

His tabby cat ears twitched as he looked toward the long corridor ahead.

Elise gripped her Moonveil Bow.

“So, what should we do, Hyoren? Retreat?”

Hyoren shook his head.

“That's a good question…”

He looked toward the T-junction ahead, his expression thoughtful.

“The difficulty of each encounter is actually easy. It's about as easy as Floor One. Just mindless and uncoordinated goblins…”

He paused before continuing.

“No Elite Variants. No enemy which could coordinate and use actual combat skill.”

He shrugged.

“It's just the density and the amount of monsters that's the problem. And we can't rest peacefully between encounters.”

Hyoren's gaze moved across the corridor.

“This floor demands a marathon. Our endurance is being tested.”

He then turned toward Arianna.

“Arianna… whether we can clear this floor or not depends on you.”

The crimson-haired mage straightened her posture when she heard that.

Hyoren continued.

“Can you keep up with our current pace? If your Aethell reserve can keep up, then we can clear this floor.”

He paused.

“If not, then we retreat.”

Arianna became silent for a moment.

Her hand moved to the pitch-black orb resting against her chest—Noctynara's Lament. Her fingers touched the artifact as she seemed to calculate her remaining Aethell reserve. She had already spent a considerable amount during the previous encounters, and the battles on this floor weren't giving her much opportunity to rest.

After thinking for a moment, she looked back toward Hyoren.

“I think I can manage, Leader.”

Arianna smiled softly.

“As I said before, with this artifact and my level-ups, and as long as I keep rotating my spells, I should be able to keep firing spells for a few hours.”

She adjusted her purple robe.

“I might need to drink a magic potion from time to time, but I can manage.”

Hyoren nodded. That was reassuring.

Their crimson-haired mage had grown considerably since joining Freedom Party. She had once been a heavy hitter with a low Aethell reserve who needed to rest frequently. Now, with her level-ups and Noctynara's Lament, she could keep fighting for much longer.

Hyoren's dark eyes then shifted toward the other two.

“What about you, Jackey, Elise?”

Jackey immediately grinned. His tabby cat tail spiraled behind him.

“I don't want to run away! And this floor is fun! I can keep whacking skulkers! HAHA!”

Elise smiled. She tucked a strand of silver hair behind one of her pointed ears before looking toward Hyoren.

“If we ran away now, then how could we aim for Platinum Rank, right, Hyoren?”

Hyoren smiled.

Platinum Rank. The peak that Adventurers could reach. It was the goal he'd set—somewhat arbitrarily, if he was honest with himself—back when he and Elise had first stepped out of the Forest of No Return together. 

To become strong enough that nothing the world threw at them could shake them. Strong enough that they wouldn't be swept away by whatever absurdity Kresneger decided to hurl in their direction. 

Strong enough that no noble could touch them, manipulate them, or use them. Strong enough that no enemy could kill them before they were ready to die.

A simple goal. Almost childish in its ambition, when he thought about it plainly. But it had become something more than that over time—a shared dream that every member of Freedom Party had quietly adopted as their own.

Hyoren couldn't help chuckling.

“That's true… We will continue to advance then.”

He looked toward the corridor ahead.

“Anyway… We can't rest for too long… or the goblins are going to spawn around us.”

He chuckled again at the thought.

The image was almost surreal. They would sit down somewhere to rest after a long battle, only for goblins to suddenly materialize around them. One group spawning to their left. Another group appeared to their right. Then, before they even had enough time to stand up properly, they would be forced into another chaotic battle.

Jackey suddenly laughed.

“That's actually funny, Big Bro! HAHA!”

Arianna smiled at him.

“But Sir Jackey, that would be dangerous.”

Jackey's laughter stopped.

He seemed to think about it for a moment.

“Oh right…”

It was the others' turn to laugh. Even after the exhausting battles, the brief exchange managed to lighten the atmosphere.

Hyoren then reached for Dawn Breaker.

He unsheathed his sword and turned toward the corridor branch ahead. There was still a long way to go before they could reach the end of this floor.

“Okay, everyone. Let's go.”

The others nodded.

Jackey spun his axes before gripping them tighter. Elise readied her Moonveil Bow. Arianna tightened her grip on her Quadraflux Weaver.

With their short rest finished, Freedom Party followed Hyoren toward the corridor branch and continued deeper into the third floor of Akela Dungeon. 

***

Freedom Party continued their advance deeper into the third floor of Akela Dungeon.

Their steps were brisk, with no one lingering for longer than necessary. On this floor, stopping for too long was dangerous. The goblins could respawn behind them, and before they knew it, they could find themselves pincered again.

Elise was leading the way.

She had already discarded her Silent Step and no longer bothered with the careful approach she normally used when exploring unfamiliar territory. There was little point in moving quietly when they were deliberately charging into hordes of goblins.

However, her Tracking and Trap Dismantling Skills remained active.

Her pointed ears twitched from time to time as she listened for anything unusual. Even while moving at a brisk pace, she continued searching for unnatural sounds, hidden traps, or anything else that might indicate danger along their chosen route. 

Though on this floor she hadn't found any trap. Nevertheless, she continued searching for them. Because she knew the trap was dangerous, especially when they were focused on dealing with the horde.

Eventually, they reached another T-junction.

Hyoren immediately took point and looked toward both sides.

The two corridors looked almost identical. To the right was another corridor, with another horde of goblins waiting farther ahead. To the left was the same. Another corridor. Another horde.

Hyoren stared at them for a moment before making his decision.

“Left.”

There was no particular reason to choose it over the right. They would eventually need to explore both anyway.

Their goal was to fully map the third floor.

Elise's Mapping Skill automatically recorded the dungeon's layout into her mind, but that didn't mean they could simply stand at a junction and magically reveal every path. They still needed to physically walk through each corridor before the map could be completed. So, one corridor at a time.

Hyoren briefly glanced at the rest of his party.

“Okay. Similar corridor. Similar goblins horde. There is no change of plan. Once again, we will use the same strategy.”

His eyes moved toward Arianna.

“Arianna, block the corridor behind us like before.”

Arianna tightened her grip around the Quadraflux Weaver and nodded.

“Understood, Leader.”

Hyoren returned the nod.

“Good.”

He looked toward the goblin horde waiting ahead.

“Now, time to resume our marathon.”

And with that, Hyoren charged.

Freedom Party continued their marathon of fighting through the third floor.

Hyoren led the charge with Jackey beside him, the two frontliners breaking into the horde and keeping the goblins from overwhelming the rest of the party.

Behind them, Arianna sealed their rear with an Earth Wall before immediately turning her attention toward the battlefield.

Then the spells began flying. Fireball. Boulder Throw. Earth Spikes. One after another, Arianna unleashed her AOE spells into the dense horde of goblins, thinning their numbers as quickly as possible.

And beside their mage, Elise would draw her Moonveil Bow and deal with any stragglers.

The strategy had already become familiar.

Hyoren and Jackey pushed forward. Arianna prevented the goblins from attacking them from behind while continuously bombarding the horde. 

Elise stayed between the front and the back, making sure no straggler slipped through the frontliners and reached Arianna. 

At the same time, the silver-haired elven ranger constantly checked the mental map formed by her Mapping Skill. Whenever they reached another branching corridor, she would determine which path they had already traversed and which one remained unexplored.

They weren't simply slaughtering goblins anymore. They were systematically working their way through the dungeon.

And every time the fighting ended, they took a short break. Nothing long. Just enough time to catch their breath and drink some water before moving again.

Arianna occasionally reached for one of her blue magic potions as well, drinking the sloshing liquid to help her recover her Aethell faster.

Then they continued. Deeper and deeper into the third floor.

They kept checking Elise's mental map as they went, making sure they weren't wasting their time by repeatedly entering corridors they had already explored. Sometimes, however, their chosen path simply ended. A dead end. When that happened, they had no choice but to turn around and find another route.

After turning another corner only to discover yet another dead end, Jackey stomped his foot against the dungeon floor in annoyance.

“Tch. Another dead end! I want to whack more goblins! Not facing a stone wall!”

Arianna giggled.

“Ohoho. Be patient, Sir Jackey.”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with one hand.

“It is part of dungeon diving, is it not?”

Jackey rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hehe. Well… You are right, Miss Purple.”

Elise smiled as she watched the two of them.

“Focus, Jackey. Do not get distracted… Fufufu.”

Hyoren could only chuckle at the exchange.

“It is weird…”

He looked around at his party.

Everyone was clearly tired. Their clothes and armors were covered in dust and traces of battle. Sweat had gathered on their faces, and their breathing was heavier than when they had first entered the floor.

The dungeon itself was absurd.

The monsters spawned far too quickly, forcing them to keep moving almost constantly. What should have been a simple exploration of a dungeon floor had turned into a marathon where they had to fight over and over again just to keep from being surrounded. 

Yet somehow—everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

They had been surprised when they were first pincered by the goblins. But after they understood the pattern of the monster spawns, the aggro range, and how this floor itself worked, the situation had changed.

It had become almost methodical.

They found a horde. They fought. They advanced. They rested briefly. Then they fought again. A methodical slaughter.

Of course, they still needed to remain focused. They couldn't afford to become complacent just because they had figured out the floor's pattern. But it was no longer dangerous enough to stop them from joking around during their brief moments of rest.

Hyoren looked at his companions.

“You guys really seem to enjoy this marathon on this absurd floor…”

He paused.

“Are you all battle maniacs or what…?”

Elise leaned forward slightly, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulder.

“Hyoren. You need to see the mirror.”

Arianna immediately raised one hand to cover her mouth.

“Ohoho. Our Leader is pot calling the kettle black.”

Jackey placed his Bloody Axe over his shoulder with a huge grin.

“Big Bro! You were grinning like me the whole time we were whacking those skulkers! HAHAHA!”

Hyoren's expression turned wry.

“Well…”

He scratched his cheek lightly.

“That might be right…”

Everyone laughed. The laughter echoed through the dungeon corridor.

For a brief moment, the absurdity of their situation almost made the endless marathon feel like an enjoyable dungeon expedition. Almost.

Hyoren eventually tightened his grip around his shield.

“But we still need to focus, everyone.”

His party members nodded.

“That's a given, Hyoren.”

“I'm focused, Big Bro!”

“Understood, Leader.”

Hyoren nodded in satisfaction.

“Okay. Good.”

He turned and started walking again.

“Let's continue before the goblins spawn around us.”

The others quickly followed. Their short break was over. The marathon continued. And Freedom Party continued diving deeper into the third floor of Akela Dungeon.

***

Freedom Party continued their marathon while systematically mapping the third floor.

They had already cleared several more encounters and continued moving from corridor to corridor, following the routes not yet recorded by Elise's Mapping Skill.

They had just finished their sixth encounter. The last goblin dissolved into Aethell, leaving scattered magic stones behind. It had been just over six hours since they started dungeon diving, but their fatigue was becoming impossible to ignore. 

Hyoren took a moment to look back at his companions.

Jackey was still energetic.

At least, he looked energetic. His golden eyes still blazed with excitement as he drank water, and his expression remained as lively as ever. Anyone looking at him might have thought he could keep fighting for several more hours.

But Hyoren knew better.

Jackey was already exhausted… He had made several mistakes during that last encounter…

Nothing serious had happened, but there had been more openings than usual, more moments where his movements had been slightly off.

The cat-clan beastkin's arms and legs also carried several shallow wounds. None of them were severe. But wounds accumulated.

Hyoren's gaze then shifted toward Elise.

She was mainly fine. Compared to the others, Elise hadn't worked nearly as hard during the encounters in this Floor Three. She had spent much of the battles gathering the magic stones after the others finished their enemies, while her Tracking and other detection abilities helped keep them aware of their surroundings.

Then Hyoren looked toward Arianna. His expression tightened slightly.

She was pushing herself…

The crimson-haired noblewoman had spent the past several hours firing spell after spell in rapid succession. Whenever they engaged a goblin horde, she had to create an Earth Wall behind them to prevent another pincer attack. Then, while maintaining their advance, she repeatedly rained AOE spells upon the goblins ahead.

And after the first encounter, she even needed to cast multiple Earth Walls because the speed of their clearing went down considerably as they learned to pace their battles.

Her breathing had become noticeably ragged. Sweat drenched her forehead, and she repeatedly wiped it away with her handkerchief. Even with the new artifact that increased her Aethell regeneration. Even after leveling up. It was still taking a toll on her.

Hyoren looked away from his companions and toward the corridor ahead. Another dead end.

He then glanced toward the back, the route they would take next. Another intersection waited beyond it.

The marathon was harsh. The encounter rate was simply too high. The goblins would respawn only ten minutes after their spawn point had been cleared.

After the first pincer attack, they had already learned how to pace their battles and maintain the proper aggro range so they wouldn't need to rush quite as desperately as before. But even with that adjustment, the floor was still demanding.

Hyoren reached beneath his shirt and pulled out his pocket watch. The small chain attached to it gave a quiet metallic clink as he checked the time.

15:02.

He closed the watch and slipped it back beneath his shirt.

Ten minutes of rest… Then roughly forty to fifty minutes to clear each spawn point…

We’ve been spending around one hour on each encounter.

They had cleared six encounters in total today.  And they were already wrecked.

Hyoren couldn't help chuckling inwardly.

What an absurd dungeon floor…

After a brief moment, he made his decision.

“Everyone. We need to rest.”

Jackey immediately furrowed his eyebrows.

“But I can still fight, Big Bro!”

Hyoren calmly sheathed Dawn Breaker.

“Look at Arianna. She's clearly exhausted, Jackey.”

Elise added her voice as well.

She smiled softly at the Cat-clan Beastkin.

“Besides, Jackey… You said you could still fight, but you kept making mistakes during the last encounter. Fufufu.”

Jackey's ears twitched. He opened his mouth, but apparently couldn't think of a good argument.

Meanwhile, Arianna slipped her handkerchief back into her purple storage bag.

“But, Leader. I can still continue.”

She closed her eyes and placed a hand against her chest, focusing on her own condition as she tried to gauge the Aethell remaining within her.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes.

“I still have roughly half of my Aethell reserve…”

Hyoren smiled softly.

“Half your reserve means you'll be using your spare Aethell.”

He paused.

“That will put more strain on your mind. And if we encounter an anomaly or something that requires you to use even more Aethell, then we'll be in a bad situation.”

He gestured calmly with one hand.

“This isn't a life-or-death battle. We're dungeon diving. Training, if you want to call it that.”

His gaze moved across the party.

“It isn't like the battles with stakes like Riverville Town.”

His tone remained calm and practical.

“We'll rest whenever any of us starts showing signs of fatigue. That way, we can stay fresh for the next battle.”

He paused briefly.

“And if an emergency happens, we'll still have reserve stamina and Aethell to fight with.”

Elise smiled.

“Hyoren is right, you know.”

She tucked a strand of silver hair behind one of her pointed ears.

“Maybe the pace of this dungeon is giving us an adrenaline rush. It makes us want to keep going…”

Her smile widened slightly.

“And going.”

She looked toward the others.

“But yes. You all need to rest.”

Jackey and Arianna finally seemed to understand.

The Cat-clan Beastkin nodded.

“I see. Right…”

His eyes shifted toward Arianna.

“Miss Purple needs to rest so she can recover her magic and do more booms and bangs later…”

He quickly sheathed his two axes onto his belt.

“Then let's rest!”

Arianna smiled softly.

“Thank you for reminding me, Leader.”

She glanced down at her hands for a moment.

“It is true. The dungeon has made me feel as though we need to keep going. As though we are racing against time…”

She looked toward the corridor ahead.

“Always chasing the next horde.”

Hyoren nodded.

“I think that's also the danger of this floor.”

His expression became thoughtful.

“It has planted the mindset in us that we need to keep moving, or we'll get pincered.”

He looked around at his companions.

“Then we forget that we're still human. We need to rest.”

His words were simple, but the conclusion was obvious.

“If we don't, we'll start making mistakes.”

He glanced toward Jackey.

“Then our advance slows down.”

His gaze shifted toward Arianna.

“And eventually…”

He looked at the countless corridors stretching deeper into the dungeon.

“We'll be overwhelmed by the horde.”

The party fell quiet for a moment.

The third floor's marathon wasn't simply testing how strong they were. It was testing whether they could recognize when to stop.

***

Hyoren looked toward Elise.

“Elise. This floor doesn't have any proper resting areas either, right? Unlike the first and second floors?”

Elise briefly closed her emerald eyes.

She focused on the mental map created by her Mapping Skill, tracing the passages and dead ends she had memorized throughout their journey.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and nodded.

“Yes... On the first and second floors, there's always a dead end where monsters won't spawn. We could use those areas to set up camp. But this floor...”

She glanced around at their current position.

“Even the dead ends are close to the spawn points.”

Hyoren nodded.

“I figured. It can't be helped.”

He reached into his storage bag and pulled out a small, pure-white box.

The box itself was exquisitely crafted. Although its entire surface was white, delicate engravings and intricate ornamental patterns covered it, giving the small artifact a majestic appearance. It was small enough to rest comfortably in the palm of his hand.

Elise smiled as soon as she recognized it.

“Ah... I guess it's time to use the gift from the Church, huh?”

Hyoren smiled and nodded.

“That's right.”

It was a magic tool gifted to him by Archbishop Sherine after he had presented the Luminescent Cudgel to Luminara's Church. An upgraded version of the Ward Stones. A magic tool known as The Sanctuary.

“On the first and second floors, Ward Stones aren't really necessary. We've only used them as a contingency.”

Hyoren walked toward the center of the dead end and placed the white box on the ground. He considered the setting for the barrier.

I guess a ten-meter diameter should be enough...

He poured Aethell into the artifact and willed it to establish the barrier.

The white box immediately began to glow. Soft blue runes appeared across its surface, their light slowly intensifying. Then—a low hum reverberated through the dead end. A dome-shaped barrier materialized around them, with The Sanctuary at its center. The translucent barrier enclosed enough space for the party to establish their camp.

Hyoren stood and looked around the enclosed area.

“But on this floor, we'll need a magic tool like this if we want to rest safely.”

He gave the artifact a small smile.

“Unlike the four Ward Stones, this artifact creates a barrier with the box itself as its center. And this barrier is almost indestructible. It'll protect us while we rest.”

Arianna walked closer. She crouched beside The Sanctuary and examined the intricate artifact with obvious interest.

“So this is the famous The Sanctuary. I saw it once when Saint Sophia used it.”

She looked up at Hyoren.

“We were quite fortunate to have one of these for ourselves.”

Then—at the same time—just a few meters outside the barrier, something stirred.

A new group of goblins suddenly spawned. In an instant, the previously empty corridor was populated by goblins. Their numbers quickly filled the wider passage near the dead end, leaving the goblins standing shoulder to shoulder.

Weapons clanked against one another as the goblins shifted around. They snarled and growled, their ugly faces twisted into aggression.

Jackey, who had been staring outside the barrier, suddenly froze in surprise. His tabby cat tail stood completely still, its fur bristling.

His hands instinctively went to his two axes.

“Whoa! Goblins!”

Hyoren chuckled.

“Easy, Jackey. We're safe inside the barrier. No need to get so alert.”

As he said that, the goblins outside continued to move around. But none of them reacted to the Freedom Party.

They seemed to have completely ignored their presence. The goblins should still have been within the hundred-meter aggro range.

Elise stepped closer to the barrier and looked through it.

“So this is another difference between normal Ward Stones and this artifact. It can mask our presence from weak monsters too, huh?”

Arianna, who had also crossed over, nodded.

“Indeed. It seems to have that function… It truly is a powerful artifact.”

Hyoren watched them with an amused expression for a moment before speaking.

“Everyone. Is watching ugly goblin faces really that interesting? Let's set up our camp.”

Elise, Jackey, and Arianna looked at one another. Then they smiled.

Elise was the first to respond.

“That's right... We almost forgot. Fufufu.”

Jackey scratched his cheek.

“Hehe. It was pretty amusing, though. Seeing those ugly eyes this close.”

Arianna covered her mouth and giggled.

“Ohoho. Forgive me for that, Leader.”

The Freedom Party then began setting up their camp.

Jackey and Hyoren worked together to erect three tents. One large tent was prepared for Hyoren and Elise, while Jackey and Arianna each had a smaller tent of their own.

Meanwhile, Elise began preparing their dinner.

Arianna, on the other hand, set up a washing area and a portable toilet in one corner of the camp.

For the first time since entering the third floor, the Freedom Party finally had a safe place where they could stop moving.

***

Once everything was set up, the four of them sat together in the middle of the camp, surrounded by the Sanctuary's barrier.

They ate the stew Elise had prepared. The warmth of the meal spread through their tired bodies, bringing some much-needed comfort after their exhausting battle marathon.

For a while, they ate in silence.

The only sounds inside the barrier were the occasional clinking of utensils against bowls. Outside, the distant growls and snarls of the goblins continued.

Hyoren eventually finished his meal and placed his bowl down.

He reached into his clothes and took out his pocket watch. Inside the dungeon, it was the only reliable way they could keep track of time. Without it, they would never truly know whether it was day or night outside.

He opened the watch.

17:07.

Hyoren checked the time for a moment before closing the lid and slipping the pocket watch back beneath his undershirt.

Once he made sure everyone had finished eating, he finally spoke.

“Everyone, I think we should turn in early.”

He rolled one shoulder. Now that they had finally stopped moving, the fatigue from their marathon through the third floor was becoming painfully obvious.

Hyoren glanced around the group.

Jackey had been yawning repeatedly. Arianna's eyelids occasionally drooped, only for her to quickly straighten herself and pretend she wasn't sleepy. Only Elise still looked relatively fine.

Hyoren smiled faintly.

“We've been fighting almost constantly for six hours without a proper rest. We need to replenish our energy before we continue tomorrow.”

Jackey stifled another yawn.

“Now that Big Bro mentions it... yeah. I'm really tired. Hehe.”

Arianna adjusted her purple robe.

“I think some sleep would be most welcome as well. My head feels heavy after casting that many spells today...”

Hyoren nodded.

“I know everyone is tired.”

He then turned toward Elise.

“Elise, how's our mapping progress?”

Elise nodded.

“Give me a moment...”

She closed her emerald eyes.

Her Mapping Skill once again brought the mental map of the dungeon into her mind.  After a while, she opened her eyes.

“Our progress today... We've only mapped six percent of the third floor.”

Everyone grimaced.

Arianna leaned forward.

“After all that fighting and walking... only six percent?”

Hyoren tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“But I think that's understandable.”

Everyone looked toward him.

Hyoren continued.

“Remember, this floor is much larger than the first and second floors. And our progress is slower because the monster hordes here are massive.”

He crossed his arms.

“If we can only map six percent in a single day... then fully mapping this floor could take eighteen to twenty days.”

Jackey's eyebrows furrowed.

“That's long!”

Elise's emerald eyes sharply looked at Hyoren.

“Hyoren, Ina told us not to dive for longer than nine days. Spending twenty days inside this dungeon would be insane...”

Hyoren tapped his chin again.

“Yes. I know… It would be insane.”

Then he smiled.

“So we'll split it across multiple dives. We'll keep our usual schedule. Nine days in the dungeon, then we retreat to the surface, no matter how much progress we've made. We can continue from there on the next scheduled dive.”

He nodded.

“We might need two or three scheduled dungeon dives just to fully map this floor.”

He shrugged.

“But we don't really have a deadline in the first place. So we can take our time.”

Elise nodded, her silver hair swaying slightly.

“I suppose that's a sound plan I could agree with.”

Arianna nodded as well.

“Leader's plan is good.”

Jackey suddenly raised his fist.

“Yeah! Thanks Big Bro! With that plan, I can still visit the brothel! Twenty days without a brothel would kill me!”

The others burst into laughter.

Hyoren waited until the laughter died down before speaking again.

“Okay. Everyone, we need to rest. Let's sleep.”

But before anyone could stand, Arianna raised her hand.

“Leader. If I may?”

Hyoren tilted his head before nodding.

“Go ahead.”

Arianna gestured toward the goblins outside the barrier.

“Could we do something about that? I don't think I could rest well with those loud snarls as background noise...”

Silence.

Only now did they realize the problem.

They were completely safe from the goblins' attacks. But the goblins outside were still making plenty of noise. Their weapons clanked against one another. Their growls and snarls echoed through the corridor.

The Sanctuary protected them from the monsters, but it couldn't stop the noise from becoming an annoyance.

Hyoren smiled wryly.

“Now that Arianna mentions it... She is right.”

Elise giggled.

“Fufufu. It completely slipped our minds.”

She reached into her storage bag and took out a small sphere.

Everyone immediately recognized it—the Discourse Sphere. It was the magical tool that muffled sound inside a bedroom, making it a necessity whenever they wanted complete privacy.

Ina had bought it specifically for that purpose. Normally, Hyoren, Elise, and Ina used the tool whenever they wanted their nighttime activities to remain private and not disturb the other members of their family. Hyoren could sometimes be rather—energetic during those occasions.

But the tool had another useful function. It could also muffle sounds coming from outside.

Elise placed the Discourse Sphere beside the Sanctuary and activated it. Another low hum filled the camp. Then, just like that—the sounds outside became muffled.

The goblins' snarls and growls were reduced to almost complete silence.

Elise straightened her posture and nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. With this… Now we can rest peacefully, right?”

Arianna smiled.

“Ah... thank you, Mentor. This is definitely much better.”

Jackey nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! I can sleep like a log with this!”

Hyoren smiled.

The magical tools they normally used for privacy had now become useful tools for surviving inside the dungeon as well.

He chuckled inwardly.

“Good. Everything settled, then?”

He looked around at his party.

At the silver-haired elf sitting beside him. At the grinning Cat-clan Beastkin whose tabby cat tail spiralled in quick motion. And at the crimson-haired mage clutching her purple robes.

Hyoren nodded.

“Let's sleep.”

Everyone agreed. 

They then headed toward their respective tents. Hyoren and Elise entered the large tent together, while Arianna and Jackey each entered their own smaller tents. 

It wasn't long before everyone had fallen fast asleep. They were truly exhausted. The third floor had taken a heavy toll on both their bodies and minds.

Yet, for the first time since entering the floor, they could finally rest peacefully. The Sanctuary's barrier protected them from the goblins outside. And thanks to the Discourse Sphere, not even the goblins' snarling could disturb their sleep.