Chương 59: The First Line Between Life and Death

"The most important thing is not how strong each enemy is, but the fact that they keep coming. Constant unexpected enemies give adventurers with unstable footing no time to breathe, rest, or resupply." Looking at everyone listening carefully, Cael smiled slightly.

"Although I have never entered the Middle Floors, I understand the Dungeon better than everyone here. No one has any objection to me acting as captain, right?"

"I have no problem with it."

"I have no problem with the person who understands it best taking command."

"I have no problem with it."

"I do not have a problem either."

"Same here." Everyone looked at each other. They had just arrived in this world. Although they had read the Adventurer's Manual, they had no experience dealing with young Dungeon monsters. Leaving command to the person with more experience was the most reasonable decision.

"Then let us divide the rotation first." Cael nodded. It was his first time acting as captain, and he was still a little excited. After all, the Demon Slayer Corps were all powerful people in their own world.

"In the Middle Floors, physical stamina is a critical issue. We have enough people, so we can rotate. When one group gets tired, a rested group can take over."

"That way, not everyone needs to act at once. Everyone here is relatively strong, so if we encounter something we cannot handle, then everyone can move together."

"First, Rengoku, Giyu, and Obanai will be the first round."

"Tengen, Muichiro, and Sanemi will be the second round."

"Gyomei, Mitsuri, and I will be the third round."

"Shinobu does not need to act. Save your energy and keep your magic for critical moments."

"Tanjiro, boar boy, yellow-haired boy, and Lili will follow the team and pick up drops."

"This should reduce our stamina consumption to a minimum. Does anyone have a problem with this arrangement?" Cael looked around at everyone with a serious expression. Of course, he had some selfish motives behind this arrangement. He could spend more time with Shinobu and Mitsuri, both of whom he liked in his heart.

"No problem."

"Agreed."

"I second that."

"Completely agreed." As he spoke, Cael took the lead and walked into the passage leading to the thirteenth floor. The Middle Floors, meaning Floors 13 through 24, were where the strength of monsters underwent a dramatic change. The Middle Floors were also called the Rock Labyrinth by adventurers. The first thing they saw after entering was the huge rocky ceiling above their heads. Both the walls and the ground were made of huge rock formations. Gray stone filled everything in sight.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The word "grotto" immediately came to mind. Unlike the cave-like maze of the Upper Floors, the air here was filled with moisture, proving that there was a water source nearby.

"This place is much wider than the winding cave from before. It feels comfortable. Even my limbs are itching to move." Tengen spoke while flexing the powerful muscles of his body.

"That's right. Now there is much more space to move our hands and feet. This is excellent," Rengoku said loudly.

"Then let's go." Cael grinned, his deep, star-like eyes fixed on the only passage ahead. Compared with the Upper Floors, the rocky road of the Middle Floors was much wider. It sloped slowly downward, as if there were no end in sight. The rocks were covered in phosphorescence that illuminated the space. It was much brighter than the Upper Floors, almost like the effect of incandescent lights at night. Cael took the lead and ran forward at high speed. The longer they stayed, the more dangerous it became.

They had to move quickly. Otherwise, they would be like a beacon in the night, watched by monsters hiding in the dark, ready to gather and bare their fangs at any time. Everyone looked at each other and quickly followed. Their figures ran swiftly along the seemingly endless rocky road, fast enough to leave even professional sprinters stunned. If they had not been taking care of Lili, Tanjiro, and the others, they would have been even faster.

"They are here after only three minutes. As expected of the Middle Floors." Pairs of red eyes emerged from the rock wall. One, two... ten... more than twenty Al-Miraj stood upright and pounced.

"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire." Rengoku took the lead. A flaming horizontal slash tore through the air and cut three Al-Miraj in half. Giyu followed through the opening beside him and cut off another rabbit's head with an extremely smooth strike.

"You two are too aggressive. How many are you planning to leave for me?" Obanai quickly ranked behind them and happily cut down the four rabbits in front of him.

"Hurry up and deal with them. Their aura is getting heavier and heavier. If they attack first, that would be embarrassing."

"I want to act too!" the boar-headed boy carrying a backpack jumped up and shouted.

"Go carry your bag. Stop shouting."

"Heads are flying everywhere," Cael muttered. The Hashira were already used to cutting off demon heads. The first wave of monsters was quickly dealt with, but the second wave appeared before they had gone far. However, Hashira were worthy of being Hashira. With their super-class values and powerful swordsmanship Skills, they crushed small and medium-sized monsters like Al-Miraj head-on. Even when there were many monsters, they could quickly break through and clean them up.

But less than two hours after entering the Middle Floors, the team had already encountered fifty-three waves of monsters. Basically, monsters appeared every three or four minutes, and each wave had no fewer than twenty. Although no one was injured in the continuous fighting, their steady breathing gradually grew rapid. This kind of high-intensity continuous battle pushed even their physical strength close to the bottom.

"There are too many of them, and the frequency is too high."

"It is not on the same level as the Upper Floors."

"Kyojuro, you three fall back and rest. Next is the second round. Tengen, Sanemi, Muichiro." Cael spoke quickly as he looked at the three people sweating and breathing heavily. They had not yet left the rocky passage of the thirteenth floor. The place was much larger than the twelfth floor, and the frequency of monster appearances was too high, slowing their progress. As expected of the Middle Floors, the monster regeneration speed and frequency were completely different from the Upper Floors.

"I did my best."

"No problem. Leave it to me gorgeously. I will chop up every monster beautifully."

"They are obviously only Lv. 1, but after so many waves of monsters, the three of them are only breathing a little harder. That is strange."

"They are all very strong. One-in-a-million people." Cael watched the three Hashira kill monsters like wolves entering a herd and spoke with enthusiasm.

"They are definitely not as strong as Lord Cael," Lili said, looking at Cael with shining eyes. Although they were all powerful, Cael was the one leading the team, so he seemed even more powerful to her.

"It depends on the situation. No one is the strongest forever. Sometimes the strongest can be defeated by the weakest." Cael touched his chin and looked toward Shinobu.

"Shinobu, can you use your magic?" The graceful young woman spoke softly. He was growing so quickly. When she first met him, he was still young and immature, and even needed Rengoku to teach him how to use his strength. Now he was already able to command as a leader. It was truly incredible when seen with one's own eyes.

"It does not matter. Protecting the rear support personnel is the most important part of a full-team battle, so I will protect you when the time comes." Cael spoke as if it were only natural.

"After all, with you here, even if I get into trouble, I will be able to recover my strength quickly." Shinobu's magic included recovery of stamina, injury healing, defense, and detoxification. It was only normal that its chant took a long time.