The team continued forward, with Jiang Zhaoyue walking in the middle, scanning the area at regular intervals.

Stopping and starting, another two hours passed. Jiang Zhaoyue's silver moon emblem lit up again and again, and fine beads of sweat had already seeped from her forehead, but her footsteps did not stop.

Suddenly, she stopped. The silver moon emblem on her forehead flared brightly before slowly dimming.

She closed her eyes, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up into a suppressed smile that welled from the depths of her heart. She opened her eyes, turned around, and faced everyone. "Found it."

"Found it? The entrance to the third floor?" Tie Dun was the first to lean in.

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded. "It's just ahead, about two hundred and thirty meters in a straight line."

She pointed to the front left, but her smile quickly faded, and her brow furrowed slightly.

"However, the path seems to be blocked. In my perception, that direction is full of trees—not a sparse forest, but a dense mass of trees packed tightly together, sealing the path completely."

Lin Feng did not hesitate. "Let's go take a look first."

The group followed Jiang Zhaoyue, bypassing several thick Fluff Trees and passing through a narrow rock crevice until the path ahead suddenly opened up a bit.

Then they saw a "living wall," a vast expanse of Tree Trunk Spirits huddled closely together.

Trunk pressed against trunk, branches entwined with branches, forming a green barrier.

The bark was covered in those signature fluff tufts. On some trunks, closed eyelids could be faintly seen, while others remained motionless as if in a deep sleep.

Tie Dun swallowed hard. "This... this is a deliberate roadblock, isn't it?"

Lin Feng stepped forward and, with a thought, used the Eye of Probability to scan the first few rows of trees.

【Tree Trunk Spirit · LV17-LV19】

【Possible Drops: Tree Heart (2%), Class Change Book: Great Tree Guard (2%), Wood Heart (10%)】

They were all monsters, dozens of them, packed tightly together to block the path to the third floor completely.

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and gripped his Wildfire Spear, pointing the tip diagonally at the cluster of Tree Trunk Spirits.

As the group was about to move into a battle formation, he raised his left hand to signal them to stop. "No need for all that trouble."

A blazing fire meteor condensed at the spear tip—【Beacon Fire City】.

A crimson spear glow shot out from the tip, trailing a long plume of flame as it charged in a straight line, plunging into the densest part of the Tree Trunk Spirit cluster.

Wherever the fire meteor passed, Tree Trunk Spirits were sent flying, exploded, or set ablaze.

Some were blasted several meters away, landing on the ground with their roots pointing toward the sky.

Some were ignited by the flames, their entire bodies on fire as they rolled frantically on the ground, while others uprooted themselves and bolted away.

After the bombardment, a wide gap appeared in the previously impenetrable "tree wall."

The remaining Tree Trunk Spirits froze collectively for a moment before turning tail and running.

The sound of roots hitting the ground was as dense as a drumbeat. Dozens of trees fleeing at once was a sight both spectacular and ridiculous.

Tie Dun's mouth hung open as he watched those Tree Trunk Spirits run faster than rabbits. After a long while, he managed to choke out: "These Tree Trunk Spirits... they really bully the weak and fear the strong."

Wang Wu stowed his bow and shook his head, his tone flat. "This is likely just their way of survival. If they can win, they swarm;"

"if they can't, they run. To survive in this Dungeon, they rely on this cleverness."

Tie Dun thought about it and felt it made sense, but something still felt off.

"Then were they gathered here just now... to protect the entrance?"

"Yes." Jiang Zhaoyue walked over, her eyes landing behind the gap created by the blast. "

The entrance to the third floor I sensed is right behind this tree wall."

She raised her hand to point through the gap. "Look."

Everyone followed her finger. Behind the gap was a small clearing.

The clearing wasn't large, about a hundred square meters. The ground was paved with smooth stone slabs carved with simple patterns.

In the center of the clearing, a translucent light curtain hovered in mid-air, slowly flowing.

A line of words was written on the light curtain: 【Dungeon Floor Three Entrance】

Tie Dun was the first to rush over. Standing in front of the light curtain, he turned back to the group with a grin. "We're here! We're really here!"

The others caught up and gathered around the light curtain.

Feng Qingyan reached out to touch the curtain; a warm ripple spread from her fingertip.

Tie Dun had already started rubbing his hands together, muttering, "I hope the third floor doesn't have even weirder things."

An excited flicker of flame rose from Feng Qingyan's Fire Crystal. "Whatever's there, just burn it all."

Lin Feng walked to the light curtain and reached out to touch it.

The curtain rippled like water. A warm sensation came from his fingertips, and just like when entering the second floor, there was no resistance.

Lin Feng withdrew his hand, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Rest for fifteen minutes, then we go down to the third floor."

Everyone sat down one after another, checking their equipment and replenishing their water.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Feng stood up and was the first to step into the light curtain. The light before his eyes dimmed abruptly.

Behind the curtain was a downward slope with a very gentle incline.

The ground was paved with rough stone slabs, with scattered moss growing in the crevices.

The air was much drier than on the second floor, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) carrying a scent of sulfur mixed with metal.

It smelled a bit like red-hot iron being dipped into water in a blacksmith's shop.

Behind him, the others entered one by one, with Jiang Yelan being the last to come in.

The group walked down the slope for about two minutes. The moss underfoot gradually turned into gravel and slag, crunching beneath their feet.

A light screen expanded before everyone.

【System Notification: Dungeon Floor Two has been cleared.】

【Restriction Lifted: Entry restrictions for Adventurers to the second floor have been removed.】

Lin Feng's lips curled slightly. Two floors down; he would strive to clear the third floor today as well.

He withdrew his gaze and began to survey the surroundings.

An artificially carved archway appeared ahead, its lintel built from coarse stones.

Several lines of crooked characters were carved onto it, which the Nightmare World automatically translated:

"Orion Mining"

Below that were smaller words: "Safe production is everyone's responsibility."

Tie Dun leaned in to take a look and scratched his head. "Are there still miners? They haven't all turned into monsters, have they?"

Lin Feng didn't respond. He stepped through the archway, and the sight before him made him pause slightly.

A complex network of abandoned mine tunnels spread out in his field of vision. The main tunnel was about three meters wide, barely enough for a few people to walk side-by-side.

Countless small mine shafts branched off on both sides.

Rusted iron rails were laid on the ground, twisted and deformed, with most of the wooden sleepers rotted away.

Stepping on them produced a "creak" that sounded as if they might snap at any moment.

Extinguished magic wall lamps were spaced every ten meters or so overhead, their covers caked in dust and long since dark.

The only light source came from the occasional crimson ore veins exposed on the mine walls.

Those ores were embedded in the grayish-black rock walls like dark red blood vessels.

They emitted a dark red glow, like dying embers, only illuminating an area the size of a palm.

The light was weak, but in the darkness, it was enough to see the path beneath their feet.

Lin Feng walked to a section of the mine wall and reached out to touch the crimson ore.

His fingertips felt a warm, rough texture with small grains.

Red Nitre Stone Mine.