Chapter 976 - Treasure : Warmth

After passing through the darkness of the 70th Floor once again, Vahn, Ais, and Shizune found themselves at the 'heart' of the large formation. They spent a short amount of time exploring the temple-like structure located at the center before descending the large spiral staircase that led to the 71st Floor. Even with his ability to translate anything, none of the murals and inscriptions found within the 'temple' provided any important information other than stirring up a person's curiosity. If an Adventurer had no knowledge about the Dungeon's true nature, they would have undoubtedly been shocked after witnessing what appeared to be man-made structures this deep within the Dungeon. Vahn, however, already had a working theory about the Dungeon's true nature and, instead of feeling surprised, each new discovery only served to affirm his thoughts on the matter.

Upon reaching the 71st Floor, Vahn kissed the top of Shizune's head before setting her down on the ground so she could walk on her own two feet. She gave him a playful pout as a result but didn't say a word of complaint as she began looking towards the large ornate archway that led to a long corridor with light coming from the far end. Vahn knew she was trying to put the previous matters behind her, at least for the time being, so he gently stroked her head and said, "We'll try and make a beeline for the 73rd Floor before returning to the surface. There shouldn't be any great dangers on these Floors so we can pick up the pace a bit..." With the information obtained from the mirror, Vahn had already compiled an accurate account of every monster in the Dungeon, giving each of the girls a 'study guide' of sorts so they could properly prepare themselves as well. Later on, he intended to sell the information at different grades through the HDF so that other Adventurers would be able to benefit while the power and authority of his Empire would steadily grow.

Ais and Shizune gave understanding nods to Vahn before the latter pulled out a wand similar to Tiona's, allowing her to sprout two adorable little wings out from her lower back. Ais did much the same, but her's looked more mystical and angelic, especially with the pure white dress that comprised her [Pactio]'s raiment. Like this, they began to accelerate through the long corridor before finally entering the 71st Floor proper, avoiding many hazards along the way. Upon entering, the two girls were slightly startled by what they saw while Vahn simply had a small smile since he had already known what to expect after inquiring from the mirror previously...

Unlike the Floors above, the 71st was rather unique in the fact that it had a sky-blue crystalline structure making up the walls and ceiling while the floor itself seemed to be full of nutrient-rich soil. In the 'sky' above, there was a blazing yellow crystal bed that emanated light that was extremely reminiscent of real sunlight, creating a natural illusion as if those entering the area had exited the Dungeon and arrived back on the surface. To complete the illusion, there were a plethora of emerald-green forests while pristine blue lakes dotted the landscape, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight for any who had managed to reach this far. If not for the existence of various dragon-like creatures flying towards them, many would have assumed this was a 'safe zone' due to how natural the environment was, especially after escaping the darkness of the 70th Floor.

Though she was momentarily awed by the beauty of the Floor, Ais' focused quickly fell upon the Dragons making their way over at extreme speeds. Her eyes reflected a look of excitement as she tightened her grip upon [Gram] and prepared to accelerate forward. She knew exactly what kind of Dragons these were and, much like Shizune, had several questions on her mind. After all, without a single exception, each of the large flock of Dragons was undoubtedly a Green Dragon, just like Terra's base form. This meant that, at the very least, there were more than a hundred 'Treasure Trees' located within the vast forests dotting the landscape...

Instead of stopping Ais, Vahn and Shizune slowed their flying speed to allow the former to cut loose as, even the largest in the 'flock' was only around the peak of Level 5. This ultimately didn't matter, however, as Ais' very existence seemed to be the bane of Dragons, even before she had obtained the S-Ranked [Gram]. As expected, Ais became shrouded in a tempestuous green aura that was nearly 20m in diameter before she turned into a green streak that passed through the largest Green Dragon in a singular instant. Its body seemed to ripple outward as its insides were torn apart by the Spirit Wind accompanying Ais' charge. By the time the 'ripple' had completed, nothing remained of the nearly Level 6 Green Dragon as the rest of the flock became chaotic as they attempted to attack an enemy they couldn't even see...

Though it took nearly twenty minutes, Ais managed to defeat every last Green Dragon, seemingly without breaking a sweat. She flew back over to Vahn's side with a relatively expressionless face until he flew forward a bit and gave her a gentle embrace, sending waves of energy into her body to replenish her mana and remove some of the fatigue she had built up. This brought a small smile to Ais' face, diminishing some of the envy she had felt as a result of Vahn carrying Shizune for such a long period of time earlier. Now it was the mature Kitsunes turn to show a small pout, causing Vahn to internally