After bidding farewell to Hephaestus, Charles set off for the Dungeon.
Being a goddess, Hestia still had her pride, so by the ti Charles left, she had already taken off.
Watching the silhouette of that blue ribbon disappear, Charles suddenly realized the plot was about to begin.
The Rabbit would soon arrive in Orario, and after being rejected by every Familia, he would encounter Hestia and begin his overpowered journey.
Charles, however, had no particular sense of urgency. This world didn't really face any major crises—so long as those gods who delighted in chaos didn't stir up trouble, Charles could develop himself steadily for quite a long ti.
Still, this ti he entered the Dungeon with a clear objective: to achieve a great feat—and to acquire the [Blacksmith] developnt ability.
From what Charles knew, for an adventurer to level up, they had to take a risk. A true "adventure" required staking everything—courage, resolve, even one's life.
Victory or defeat wasn't the key. The important part was accomplishing sothing deed "impossible."
The simplest route was to fight enemies stronger than oneself. The glory of defeating the strong while being weak was the most celebrated form of great feat.
Given Charles's strength, achieving such a feat required venturing into the deep levels of the Dungeon—which ant going on a solo expedition.
But for Charles, an expedition wasn't cost-effective. Going that deep consud too much ti and energy.
So Charles devised his own strategy: if there weren't enemies strong enough, then he would make himself weaker.
After buying healing potions, he used all the rest of his money to commission a special potion from the Miach Familia—one that could place him in a weakened state.
To ensure no misunderstandings, Charles specifically asked Hephaestus to vouch for him, to prove the poison was not ant to harm others.
It was only then that Hephaestus realized just how difficult it was for soone as strong as Charles to achieve a great feat.
But what surprised her even more was that Charles had co up with such a clever thod to do so.
If he succeeded, it would beco a ga-changing discovery that would draw the attention of all Familia.
Why hadn't Loki Familia's Big Three advanced to level 7 yet? Even though they had spent years training at level 6 and had long reached the experience cap?
Because they were simply too strong—they hadn't been able to achieve a feat worthy of leveling up.
Loki Familia's massive expeditions were partly an effort to create such opportunities.
Yet, even after three expeditions, reaching as far as the 59th floor, the Big Three still hadn't earned enough rit.
This just showed how difficult it was to go from level 6 to level 7. Otherwise, Orario wouldn't currently have only one level 7 adventurer: Ottar.
But if Charles succeeded, it would prove there was another way to achieve great feats.
The idea wasn't originally his—it had been inspired by a predecessor, another transmigrator.
And thanks to Charles's abnormal constitution, even a potion crafted personally by the kind-hearted Miach would only last an hour before being fully tabolized.
It seed that even while concocting poisons, that gentle god still worried about potential harm to the body.
According to Charles's tests, the potion could suppress his strength to around the level of a typical level 4 adventurer.
This ti, his chosen target was the lower Dungeon's floor boss—the second Labyrinth King: the two-headed dragon Amphisbaena, estimated to be level 5.
Last he'd heard, during Loki Familia's most recent expedition, Amphisbaena had yet to respawn. They'd planned to take it out on the way back.
It was the perfect opportunity for Charles to test how powerful his skill [Dragon Slayer] truly was.
In addition to raw speed, strength, and defense, Amphisbaena had two dragon heads capable of different breath attacks.
One unleashed blue flas strong enough to destroy high-grade equipnt, and the other spewed a red mist that weakened magic.
Combined with its impenetrable scales, the beast was a near-perfect fortress.
Even more challenging was the area it spawned in—from floors 25 to 27—a unique region where it was the only floor boss capable of moving between levels.
That was due to the geography of those floors. Starting at floor 24, a colossal waterfall cascaded all the way down to floor 27.
This waterfall, dubbed the Great Azure Falls by adventurers, effectively linked the three floors into one zone known as the Water Labyrinth.
So though Amphisbaena road across three levels, they were treated as a single area.
That environnt naturally suppressed fire-attribute magic, which was Charles's specialty, and the dragon's breath further weakened his attacks.
Even with the [Dragon Slayer] boost, this boss would still exert enough pressure on a weakened Charles to qualify as a feat-worthy opponent.
Unlike his first descent into the Dungeon, Charles now had a clear objective. He moved quickly, diving down toward the lower floors.
Even so, his backpack grew heavier with magic stones and monster drops.
Luck was on his side this ti—he even acquired a rare piece of adamant steel ore, enough to forge a longsword.
There were no accidents on the way. After passing through the root-infested 24th floor, Charles arrived at the 25th floor, officially entering the Dungeon's lower levels.
As expected of the Water Labyrinth, nearly seventy percent of the area was covered in water, with torrents and rapids everywhere.
Charles suddenly recalled how Orario referred to floors beyond this point. Adventurers called them the "New World."
As he stared at the watery expanse, Charles found the na oddly fitting.
Though this "New World" wasn't the one he rembered, both shared one key trait: their danger increased dramatically.
Compared to this place, the upper and middle floors really were paradise.
Here, even Charles had to be extrely cautious. Because—
As Charles walked beside the path, a black shadow suddenly burst from the water, flying straight for his chest.
It was a massive, fish-shaped monster with a maw full of razor-sharp teeth.
A Surprise Pike—a monster known for ambushing adventurers from underwater.
Their speed far exceeded that of most adventurers of the sa level, and they often caused trendous casualties.
The pike's jaws snapped shut with a loud crack—but Charles had already leapt into the air.
His raised leg ca down like a battle axe, cleaving the creature in two.
The fish hit the ground and promptly exploded into black mist.
Charles bent to retrieve the magic stone—when another monster suddenly burst through the rock wall from the side.
It was a Great Water Serpent. Though shaped like a snake, it had fins on its head like a fish.
Slower than the Surprise Pike, it had still seized the opening when Charles reached for the drop.
"I saw you coming ages ago!"
Charles simply raised a hand. Flas surged forth, engulfing the serpent's head.
It turned to ash in an instant, leaving behind another magic stone.
Such was the danger of the Water Labyrinth. The extensive water coverage gave monsters countless places to hide.
Without a detection skill, adventurers were easy prey for aquatic ambushes.
Charles tossed the stone into his bag, then turned toward the massive waterfall.
Flas burst from his back as his fire wings unfurled.
"Well then… let's go straight to the target."
With that, he leapt from the cliffside—plunging down the waterfall toward his battle with destiny.
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