Pantry referred to the supply zone granted by the Dungeon to its monsters.
Although monsters were born from the Dungeon, they were, after all, still living beings—and as living beings, they would feel thirst, hunger, and the desire to eat and drink.
Most monsters in the Dungeon required food and water—only non-living monsters like Spartoi could do without them.
For this reason, Pantries came into existence, where monsters could find the nutrients and sustenance they needed to survive by consuming the resources provided within.
Generally, monsters filled their bellies with the liquid supplied by the Dungeon, their mother's body. Only a few chose to hunt adventurers for food or engaged in cannibalism, feeding on other monsters' flesh.
Such Pantries existed on every floor of the Dungeon, and not just one per floor.
However, since they were all located near the outer edges of each floor, few adventurers ever strayed from the main routes to approach them.
Asfi had informed Riezel that the Pantry on the 24th Floor was showing signs of trouble.
"I know that info from that robed person."
Asfi explained calmly to Riezel.
"They said a similar incident once happened on the 30th Floor, but since the 30th Floor is part of the Lower Floors and only a handful of adventurers could reach that deep, the Guild managed to contain the news before it spread widely."
"At the time, the abnormal increase in monsters was suspected to be connected to the 30th Floor's Pantry."
"They also mentioned that a member of the Ganesha Familia they had given a quest to had discovered a suspicious item there and brought it up to the 18th Floor."
If that was the case, then the monster outbreak on the 24th Floor was likely caused by the same problem—the Pantry.
"So... we're heading to the Pantry?" Ais asked for confirmation.
"Exactly." Asfi nodded. "Since the problem most likely lies in the Pantry, our investigation naturally has to start there."
At this point, Asfi shifted her tone.
"But the problem is, there are three Pantries on the 24th Floor—southwest, southeast, and north. Which one should we investigate first?"
Asfi said this because the 24th Floor was enormous.
It should be noted that the deeper one went, the higher the floor number became, and the farther it was from the surface, the larger the Dungeon's floors expanded in area.
Even though the 24th Floor was only a Middle Floor, it already covered half the total area of the city of Orario itself.
In such a vast space, investigating all three Pantries—factoring in the time spent dealing with monsters along the way—would take tremendous effort.
Moreover, from the 19th to the 24th Floors lay the region known as the Large Tree Labyrinth, where the landscape was complex and natural, the paths tangled and confusing. It was easy to lose one's sense of direction, let alone fully inspect all three Pantries located at the far edges of the floor.
To examine all of them would take a considerable amount of time, and Asfi wanted to avoid that, so she planned to choose just one of the three to investigate.
If they chose correctly, they would save time, labor, and resources.
If not, they could end up wasting an enormous amount of time.
"Well, this is the dilemma we're facing—and all the information we currently have." Asfi said, looking at Riezel. "What do you think?"
Ais also turned her gaze toward Riezel.
In response...
"We'll go to the northern Pantry." Riezel said without a hint of hesitation.
"...May I ask why?" Asfi paused for a moment before voicing the question.
"No particular reason." Riezel calmly shook his head. "Just a hunch."
A hunch?
Everyone present, except for Ais, fell silent since that answer sounded far too unreliable.
But what they didn't know was that Riezel wasn't being careless—he had simply hit upon the exact, correct answer.
It was only natural, for he knew the original story inside and out.
He knew perfectly well that the Pantry causing the incident on the 24th Floor was the one in the north, and he even knew precisely what was happening inside it.
For this reason, he made his decision without hesitation.
"Since none of you have any better ideas, let's go with my hunch on this one."
Riezel's calm tone made Asfi sigh yet again.
It seemed Perseus was always burdened with too much, and sighing had become second nature to her.
Watching this, Ais found her thoughts drifting slightly off-track.
"Since you put it that way, let's start the investigation from the northern Pantry." Asfi spoke with a tone of helplessness, shrugging her shoulders. "For this quest, you two are the main combat power on our side. Our role is simply to assist you."
Hearing this, Ais carefully interjected.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Ais asked quietly. "I mean, the 24th Floor is already the closest to the Lower Floors…"
The 1st through 12th Floors were considered the Upper Floors of the Dungeon.
The 13th through 24th made up the Middle Floors.
The 25th through 36th were the Lower Floors.
And anything beyond the 37th was the Deep Floors.
In that sense, while the 24th Floor belonged to the Middle Floors, it was the one closest to the Lower Floors.
In short, the monsters rampaging there were anything but weak.
Considering the Guild's recommended exploration level for the 24th Floor was the peak of Level 2, at least one of an adventurer's basic abilities had to reach C to S rank if they wanted to explore it.
Moreover, monsters in the Middle Floors spawned at a much faster rate than those in the Upper Floors, and within the Large Tree Labyrinth that spanned from the 19th to the 24th Floor, the variety of monsters was notoriously broad, bizarre, diverse, and countless.
Because of this, the Guild strongly advised that adventurers who met the exploration standard should form a party before venturing down.
If all party members met the recommended status standard, then the ideal formation would be a three-person party—vanguard, middle guard, and rear guard—each taking on their respective roles.
However, the captain of the Hermes Familia was only Level 2, and even their highest-ranked members were no higher than that.
Meanwhile, most of them were just Level 1.
Could such a group of adventurers possibly explore the 24th Floor safely?
Ais's words subtly expressed her concern over that very point.
However...
"No need to worry about them." Riezel, standing nearby, dropped another bombshell. "All the members of the Hermes Familia falsified their official levels. In fact, their real levels are much higher than reported, especially Perseus herself—she's not Level 2, but Level 4."
As soon as these words left his mouth, all the adventurers in the bar immediately shot to their feet—their faces filled with shock and confusion, as if they had no idea what to make of it.
Even Ais blinked in surprise, her gaze toward the gathered adventurers completely changed.
"H-How do you even know that?!" Asfi lost her composure, visibly shaken.
It was clear from her reaction that Riezel was telling the truth.
Indeed, the Hermes Familia truly had falsified their members' official levels.
Just like Riezel and Ais, who had to report their level-ups to the Guild each time, every adventurer in Orario was obligated to do the same, where the Guild would compile those reports to measure the strength of each familia.
One should know that the Guild had the right to monitor all adventurers' levels, and the adventurers, in turn, were required to disclose that information so the Guild could issue quests or emergency quests to protect the city when necessary.
Of course, only the level itself was made public.
Details such as basic abilities, development abilities, magic, and skills were private and not required to be reported, as they were considered personal secrets. Such information was never to be disclosed publicly—not even fully shared within one's own familia—to avoid being targeted or endangered.
One's level, however, had to be reported accurately, and this rule also existed for taxation.
As Orario's official governing body, the Guild had the authority to levy taxes on all familias residing in the city, and the amount varied from familia to familia, depending on their rank.
Yes, familias themselves had ranks.
In Orario, the Guild ranked them from S to I—S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I—based on factors such as scale and activity, where the higher the familia's rank, the greater its privileges within Orario, but also the heavier its taxes.
Because of that, some familias deliberately underreported their members' levels to lower their familia's official rank and reduce taxes.
Others did the same for entirely different reasons, and the Hermes Familia was one such group.
In other words, regardless of motive, the Hermes Familia's act of falsifying their members' levels to reduce their familia rank amounted to tax evasion.
If the Guild ever found out, they would surely face punishment—at best a fine, and at worst, expulsion from Orario itself.
And the Hermes Familia's falsification was particularly blatant, as their own captain, Asfi, who was publicly listed as Level 2, was in fact Level 4.
Many of the members present were the same—most of them were actually Level 3.
"You're probably being forced to help with this quest because that guild-affiliated guy caught you in the act, right?"
Riezel spoke casually, unbothered by Asfi's shaken state or the surrounding uproar, a faint smile curving his lips.
"But that's fine. As you said, we'll handle the main combat. You just provide support."
"Ais and I will take care of the fighting."
"As for the investigation into the cause, that part's yours. Sound good?"
Asfi stayed silent for a long time before finally letting out yet another sigh—the umpteenth one this day.
"I understand..."
Regaining her composure and rhythm, Asfi nodded in agreement with Riezel's plan.
"Well then, let's move out."
Seeing her response, Riezel's expression softened for the first time, as though he could already see the grimoires he sought flying toward him.
"Target—the 24th Floor."
===
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