Black Clover: The Son of Fire Dragon Igneel

"Initial Dungeon Exploration"

Drake organized his belongings. Since this was his first Dungeon delve, he only brought water, food, and the loot bag Hephaestus had provided.

He then entered the Dungeon.

The Dungeon was a mysterious place; its true size remained unknown. Even the Loki Familia, the most advanced explorers to date, had only reached the 59th floor on their expeditions.

The Dungeon's structure is conical, narrowing as it ascends. The first floor is the smallest, roughly the size of several rooms.

Drake's memories, combined with the information Eina had provided with the map, further clarified his understanding.

The Dungeon is divided into twelve-floor levels. Floors 1-12 are the upper levels, 13-24 the middle levels, and 25-36 the lower levels.

Below the 37th floor, rarely reached by adventurers, is the deep level.

The Dungeon's monsters, like animals in nature, have their territories.

However, monster distribution is more determined by strength than habitat.

The upper, middle, lower, and deep levels correspond to lower-tier (Level 1), third-tier (Level 2), second-tier (Level 3 & 4), and first-tier (Level 5 and above) adventurers.

In other words, the upper levels (1-12) are suitable for lower-tier, Level 1 adventurers. The monsters here are mostly equivalent to Level 1 adventurers.

The 12th floor is known as the "First Dead Line"; only high-tier adventurers who have achieved a feat and leveled up can proceed with a chance of survival.

Beyond this, the terrain is more dangerous, and monsters are typically Level 2 or higher.

"Estimated Level" is the Guild's assessment of a monster's danger based on its strength compared to adventurers.

Some monsters are stronger and more dangerous than others of the same species, possibly exceeding their level by one or two ranks (enhanced and special species).

Beyond enhanced and special species are the floor bosses.

Every twelve floors, an exceptionally powerful monster appears, typically two levels stronger than other monsters on that floor.

For example, the giant Goliath the rabbit defeated, as a middle-level floor boss, is normally two levels stronger than the average Level 2 monster in the middle levels.

However, the Dungeon sensed the god Hestia's presence, resulting in an enhanced Goliath, estimated at Level 5.

These monsters usually appear only once and respawn in a fixed location, hence "Dungeon Lone Kings."

These are formidable foes, requiring large teams to defeat safely. They are also the best source of achievements for talented adventurers.

Even with caution, the Dungeon presents mortal dangers.

This isn't only due to mobile monsters; the Dungeon itself is a danger.

Hephaestus, Eina's materials, and Drake's memories all point to one thing: the Dungeon is alive, possessing its own will.

It sets traps when adventurers are confident and unleashes devastating attacks when they are weak.

Special species are minor problems; the Dungeon often creates large-scale monster outbreaks to eliminate adventurers.

Drake even suspected that the Dungeon rules discovered by the various Familias were deliberately revealed by the Dungeon itself to adventurers and gods.

However, this wasn't his current concern.

His goal was to reach the middle levels and return the same day.

Even with bad luck, encountering Goliath, the middle-level floor boss, would be easily manageable with his abilities.

Even if a Monster Feast erupted in the middle levels, Drake was confident in escaping safely.

The first floor resembled an ordinary cave, dimly lit by glowing minerals, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

After five or six minutes, Drake saw his first monster:

A goblin, a low-level monster common in many fantasy works.

The goblin was less than a meter tall, looking like a malnourished child. But its skin was a disgusting dark green, its pointed ears obscuring its eyes, and its sharp teeth gave it a vicious appearance.

Strangely, it emerged from the wall.

Drake had checked the walls upon entering; they were ordinary rock. He didn't understand how such a large monster emerged from the wall.

The Dungeon, a mystery even to the gods, possessed a truly unique way of spawning monsters.

All monsters are born from the Dungeon and inherit its malice towards adventurers and gods. The goblin immediately attacked Drake.

Drake stepped back, dodging the goblin's claws.

The goblin, completely unaware of the vast difference in strength, continued its attack.

Drake had assessed the goblin's abilities and lost interest in prolonging the encounter.

It was only a Level 1 monster, lacking special abilities. Its speed and strength were merely human-level.

Drake stepped forward, striking the leaping goblin with a swift jab.

With a bang, the goblin disintegrated into black mist, leaving a purple stone behind.

Drake saw "Magic Stone +1" appear—his first loot.

Worth approximately 10 to 20 Valis. He'd spent 300 Valis on dinner last night; he needed to defeat twenty such goblins to earn enough for a meager meal.

Drake collected the magic stone and continued deeper into the Dungeon.

He used the map to head directly to the next floor's entrance.

Since the upper levels are for Level 1 adventurers, the Guild provides basic maps.

Maps for the middle and lower levels must be purchased, while deep-level maps are closely guarded secrets of the exploring Familias.

Drake continued deeper, unarmed, reaching the entrance to the 13th floor, the so-called "First Dead Line."

Most adventurers on their first Dungeon descent, even with experienced Familia members, rarely go beyond floors 7 or 8.

Drake, however, had reached the middle levels and showed no intention of stopping.

Along the way, he encountered other upper-level monsters:

Large, crudely armed half-orcs, groups of armored ant-lions, and shadowy, black figures called Shadow Beasts.

However, these monsters caused less trouble than the fog encountered after the 10th floor. All were converted into magic stones and materials in Drake's bag.

Unfortunately, he hadn't encountered a young dragon, a lower-level floor boss whose scales and teeth were valuable materials. Drake had hoped to acquire some.

Without hesitation, Drake proceeded into the passage leading to the middle levels.

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