The celebration of the First Floor's victory, like a boulder thrown into the deep, desperate waters of Aincrad, sent ripples of hope that were still clearly palpable in every corner of the Starting Town the next morning.
The numbness and fear on the players' faces had been replaced by a new, vibrant sense of urgency.
On the streets, the flow of people heading to the Second Floor teleport gate was endless, and business at equipment repair shops, item shops, and even restaurants was much brisker than before—people seemed more willing to invest in themselves on the road to "moving forward."
Artoria, Minerva, and Allie slept until they woke up naturally, and after enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the "Sleeping Lamb" inn, they packed their gear unhurriedly and joined the stream of people heading to the Second Floor.
As they passed through the central plaza, the deep blue vortex leading to the Second Floor was still rotating steadily, emitting a reassuring glow.
Diabel and his core clear group members seemed to have already headed to the Second Floor in advance for reconnaissance and planning, but there were still many players gathered by the monument, either forming parties, trading, or excitedly discussing their experiences on the new floor.
"There are so many people," Allie said, carrying her "Explorer" small backpack and looking around curiously, "Everyone looks so motivated! It's completely different from a few days ago!"
"Hope is the strongest motivation," Minerva said softly, her gaze sweeping over the players whose eyes had rekindled with light, "A tangible victory can boost morale more than any empty encouragement. However, the challenges on the Second Floor will inevitably be more severe; how long this morale can be maintained depends on whether the subsequent progress goes smoothly."
"That's why we should enjoy our 'vacation' even more while everyone is so motivated," Artoria said with a smile, stepping into the deep blue vortex first.
The feeling of passing through the teleport gate was completely different from using the "System" for inter-Universe travel; it felt more like stepping into another slightly distorted space.
After a brief moment of weightlessness and light distortion, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
Aincrad's Second Floor—the "Floor of Plains and Valleys."
Unlike the relatively flat and open grassland and hilly terrain where the Starting Town of the First Floor was located, the scenery of the Second Floor was more magnificent and rich in layers.
The place where they appeared seemed to be a teleport platform located on the edge of a huge circular valley.
The platform was built of white stone, carved with patterns of flowing water and vines.
Looking out, below them was a vast, boundless emerald green grassland that extended to the skyline, dotted with sparse forests and winding rivers; as the wind blew, the grass swayed, looking like a green ocean.
Surrounding the grassland were towering, ochre-red cliffs of various shapes, reaching into the clouds and covered with moss and low shrubs.
Countless waterfalls, like silver ribbons, cascaded down from different heights of the cliffs, plunging into deep pools or rivers at the bottom of the valley, emitting a rumbling roar and refracting brilliant rainbows in the sunlight.
The air was moist and fresh, mixed with the scent of grass, water vapor, and soil.
"Wow—!" Allie let out a long exclamation, her small mouth forming an O shape, "So magnificent! It's a hundred times more beautiful than what I saw in the pictures!"
Minerva also took a deep breath, her eyes showing appreciation: "Valleys, plains, waterfalls... the natural elements are combined just right, offering both an open view and perilous wonders. The designer of this floor has a great grasp of aesthetics."
Artoria, meanwhile, immediately opened the system map.
The map of the Second Floor was much more complex than the First Floor; in the center was the vast "Ulan Plain," with several lakes and rivers of varying sizes scattered across it.
The periphery of the plain was surrounded by the towering "Red Rock Mountains," which contained intricate canyons, caves, and slopes leading to higher areas.
According to the map markers and the sporadic discussions heard from other players, the main town of the Second Floor seemed to be "Talan Village," located in the east-central part of the plain, while the entrance to the floor boss room was hidden in a cave deep within the Red Rock Mountains.
"The scenery is nice, but the monsters look a lot more 'enthusiastic' than the ones on the First Floor," Artoria pointed to the distance below the platform, where several "Stone-Skinned Boars" (LV.6) with rough, stony skin and significantly larger than Frenzied Boars were wandering on the plain, and further away, "Aquatic Lizardmen" (LV.7) with sharp claws and fins were looming near the waterfall pool.
"It seems that the leveling areas for ordinary players will have to start over from here."
At this moment, quite a few players had already gathered on the teleport platform and the gentle slope leading to the plain below.
Some couldn't wait to rush down the slope to find trouble with the new monsters; some were cautiously forming parties and studying the map; others were setting up temporary stalls near the platform to sell supplies brought from the First Floor or to buy materials newly appearing on the Second Floor.
"Where are we going next?" Allie asked excitedly, "Straight to Talan Village? Or should we wander around nearby first and try our hand at the new monsters?"
"No rush," Artoria's gaze was drawn to a massive waterfall in the distant Red Rock Mountains, the largest of them all, looking like the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven.
The waterfall cascaded down from a cliff hundreds of meters high, pouring into a huge, sapphire-like deep pool below, with the sound of the water roaring like thunder; even from far away, one could feel its majestic momentum.
On both sides of the waterfall, one could vaguely see vegetation nourished by the mist to be exceptionally lush, and there were even some rustic wooden viewing platforms built onto the cliff walls.
"How about we go check that out?" Artoria pointed to the waterfall, "'Thunder Roar Waterfall,' that's what it's marked as on the map. The scenery is superb, and... I guess there should be some good gathering spots nearby, or... a place suitable for a picnic?"
Her proposal was immediately met with an enthusiastic response from Allie.
Minerva also nodded with a smile; she was very interested in the special minerals or plants that might exist near the waterfall, formed under the influence of the Water element.
Thus, the three of them did not follow the crowd toward Talan Village deep in the plain, but instead chose a winding path along the edge of the Red Rock Mountains, heading in the direction of Thunder Roar Waterfall.
This road was rarely traveled and obviously not a mainstream leveling route; along the way, they only encountered a few sporadic, low-level but quite annoying "Rock Wall Poison Spiders" (LV.5) and "Wind Snakes" (LV.6), which they easily dealt with.
The closer they got to the waterfall, the more abundant the water vapor in the air became, and the roaring sound grew increasingly deafening.
After bypassing a dense coniferous forest dripping with crystalline water droplets, the scene before them made the three of them hold their breath once again.
The full view of Thunder Roar Waterfall was even more breathtaking than viewing it from afar.
The massive torrent of water, like a silver dragon breaking free from its restraints, roared as it lunged down from the knife-cut, ochre-red cliff top, crashing against the rocks of the deep pool below, shattering into the billion jumping pearls, and sending up a sky full of white mist.
Sunlight passed through the mist, forming several huge, constantly swaying rainbows that spanned between the waterfall and the deep pool.
The water in the deep pool was a very deep, almost ink-green blue, clearly bottomless, and the edges had been washed smooth as a mirror by the current.
The pool water overflowed, forming several cheerful, rushing streams that flowed into the plain below.
On one side of the waterfall, on the cliff wall about a hundred meters high, there was indeed a spacious, semi-natural, semi-artificial wooden platform built there.
The platform was fixed to the cliff wall with thick logs and ropes, with simple railings around the edges, and there were even a few rough stone tables and stools placed on it; it appeared to be a viewing spot set up by the system.
"Great! There really is a viewing platform!" Allie cheered, taking the lead as she climbed up the slippery and steep stone steps carved into the cliff wall.
Artoria and Minerva followed closely behind.
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