Seeing the Invaders get up made The Core twirl the mana wires into something shaping up to be a Water Blast spell. Far enough in its resemblance that the Lesser Rain Spirits sent a pulse of delight into the air to celebrate the newly gathered water-aligned mana. It seemed they enjoyed water spells over ice ones.

  The Invaders, meanwhile, were surveying the area, as if to make sure there were no dangers present. Which was foolish, for if there were, they wouldn't have had the chance to rest in the first place.

  It didn't take long, however, before they made their way to the doorless frame leading to the 6th floor. The empty field spreading before their eyes didn't stop their hearts from speeding up in response to the adrenaline pumping through their bodies, having already learned what awaited them the moment they stepped onto a blade of grass within the floor.

  Unfortunately, none of their limbs trembled from fear, as that would have given the Mors Termites even more of an advantage. Although judging by how this group handled them previously, not being able to swing a sword properly would probably not give them that much of an edge over them.

  The monster enthusiast was picked up by their Leader, and the two humans currently standing interlocked their hands—a part of the plan that The Core heard them discussing during their break.

  It sincerely hoped that it wouldn't work, although considering that the only real threat they had was the 6th floor and The Foliage Shaper, it probably would.

  Not to mention their other teammate was still on the 4th floor. After seeing how pristine and untouched the 5th floor was, it only cut off a small bit of the Foliage Shaper flesh before retreating back into the previous floor, although close to the entrance. In fact, it situated itself in the perfect place to see if something abnormal happened in the next floor. Not everything, but seeing The Foliage Shaper get agitated would probably be enough for it to make an educated guess.

  Which meant they would have access to further, fully rested and healthy help from the moment they emerged from the hole leading toward the boss of the 5th floor. That basically nullified any danger henceforth for them in The Core's mind.

  The Invaders sprinted off, and predictably, the moment they passed the threshold, the Mors Termites flew out of the holes hidden in the ground, ready to harass and bite at the intruders.

  Unfortunately for them and The Core, the Cultivators were prepared for this inevitability. They enveloped themselves in an invisible barrier, imperceptible to The Core, that kept them out of mandible range.

  Not to mention that they were going straight toward the exit as well, the bugs' bodies doing little to cover their sight. It seemed that the Leader had either a much better memory than The Core would expect given the circumstances or was using some kind of qi-powered spell that it simply couldn't see.

  Either way was bad, as it minimized their time spent on this floor, which in turn would give them more energy to spend on The Foliage Shaper, which The Core already decided might as well be a null threat.

  They also expertly avoided any of the rock monsters situated on the ground, leading to them sustaining no injuries on this floor.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  In no time at all, the party of cultivators was already at the edge of the exit, jumping into the hole and running up the slope.

  The one being carried stole a glance at the floor they were leaving and widened his eyes at the sight of an empty grass field. He quickly shook himself out of his stupor as they, or rather Ze Yongrui, were breaking through the vines of the Foliage Shaper that were obscuring the exit.

  They broke through to the 5th floor with remarkable ease, although judging by the sweat pouring off the Cultivator, the strike must have put a strain on him. Not surprising, considering that it left The Foliage Shaper unable to regenerate for 5 seconds—just enough time for them to get out of the hole safely.

  The Foliage Shaper didn't remain stunned for long by this unexpected turn of events as she mobilized her other vines while the wounded ones were slowly regenerating. However, that could only slow them down so much when the exit was already visible, along with their other teammate who was noticing and helping them from afar as well, leading to a boost in morale.

  After a moment of observation, The Core made a small correction: it wasn't the teammate who was causing the sudden smiles and increased exertion of strength, as they were currently contributing next to nothing on the battlefield. Needles, no matter how poisonous, were simply not a danger to something as big as the Foliage Shaper. The burst of joy was a result of seeing an entrance to somewhere safe that would lead them to the surface.

  The run for the entrance to the 4th floor that commenced next was disgustingly coordinated in The Core's opinion. At least there were some sustained wounds this time, although none were fatal.

  When they finally succeeded in their mad dash towards the 4th floor and almost ran over their last member, who was standing in the middle of the exit and barely managed to step back in time, The Core let their mana flow freely toward the 6th floor. It couldn't restore the 5th floor as it was still within sight range, but seeing as the Invaders were already walking, even the one who was previously being carried, it reckoned that wouldn't last for long as it repopulated the 6th floor.

  The Invaders ceased smiling, and their muscles were still tense, but their movements were more light and less cautious than previously as they made their way farther from the entrance of the 5th floor. The Core hoped it meant they let their guard down.

  Then it realized that it didn't matter, as the monsters of the upper floors couldn't hurt them in a way that mattered to it, causing the wave of mana it sent towards the trees in The Foliage Shaper's room to grow lethargic.

  It quickly fixed that, as well as adding the Vampiric Squirrel to the floor that unfortunately got killed in action.

  While doing so, it still kept a careful watch over the Invaders, even while knowing that they were actively getting further and further away and therefore not a danger to itself.

  This lasted while the group swam through the water tunnel going up to the 3rd floor, while they trudged through its muddy waters, and even when an Overgrown Worm failed to land a sneak attack on Ze Yongrui. They weren't talking to each other during the excursion, unlike when they were going in, which was, in The Core's opinion, rather weird as the circumstances were the same, so why weren't the actions? Was it because there were fewer people to talk to?

  At least the group was making steady progress to get away from its depths, which it never thought would make it feel relief. It seemed for it to be truly happy, it didn't need just Invaders; it needed Invaders who were weak enough to die on the upper floors. A sad conclusion, considering it doubted every being in its halls would fall into this category.

  Just like the recent Invaders who were currently on its 1st floor and who, upon seeing the exit, were quite happy.

  Ze Yongrui, the only Invader it knew the name of, even made a sprint towards the exit. The Leader also quickened its steps, although the other two didn't bother, only relaxing even more as they crossed the threshold.

  The monster enthusiast would come back; it knew that as it said that out loud for it to hear, but the others, excluding the teammate who wasn't there during the deepest parts of the dive, were unlikely to.

  Good, it only wanted weak Invaders.