Whatever they might encounter on Floor 26 couldn't possibly amount to anything that Floor 25 had dealt them. It would be some time yet until they approached the dungeon however, let alone take on the boss. The ripples from the last boss still weighed heavily on the Clearers, no one was quite ready to undertake another battle just yet, even if it might be easier. That didn't wholly stop anyone from training however, and within the following day players were out and about once more, making headway into the yet explored fields and wilderness to train themselves. The medieval setting of the floor had many people joking about old European myths and legends, many wondering if they might encounter fiends of lore while here. A little disappointing perhaps then was it that creatures encountered were the standard cut and paste MMO variety, with small tweaks made to serve their placement in the game. This was only just beyond the city of Tarbinal however, there was undoubtedly more variety, and danger, the further one traveled from the center. Sooner or later the player was bound to move further out, without a doubt, but that was going to be a fair long time coming at the current.

"Wait... We're killing a dragon?" Suto asked, blinking in surprise. 

"It's a safe bet that there will be one, given the setting we're in. But don't expect too much, there may well not be one at all." Luna pointed out, casting a glance over to her partner. "You're not getting cold feet... Are you Suto?"

"What? No! No way, this is my kind of thing. I'm not backing out of the chance for adventure, not by a long shot. Dragons or not I'm coming." 

Maybe he was feeling the nerves right now, just a little bit. After all they were on another floor, and with that came stronger creatures. Recent events called for quite a fair amount of trepidation, albeit everyone was doing a fair job of masking it right now. The notion of combating a dragon, whatever lore it was designed from, was certainly a daunting task. No doubt it was going to be akin to a floor boss and therefore quite powerful, meaning this was going to be one hell of a battle. Taking a look around the group Suto mentally marked every person, wondering if they had enough to take this quest on. It called for one to four, so this had to be plenty. They were all pretty strong after all, so it made sense that they'd get through it pretty easily. 

"Good, because I need a meat shield in case things get hairy," Luna teased, smirking at the abashed look of her comrade. "And if you plan on sustaining that absurd partying habit of yours then I believe you're going to need this loot. Heaven knows how you're not already in debt to some shady players by now."

The approach to the dungeon was both exciting and terrifying. The area itself was modeled after some catacombs, or at least that was the closest thing Suto could think to label them. As a group they moved inside, determined to trek along in spite of what dangers may await them inside. So long as they kept their wits about them and watched the others backs then they would make it out of here just fine. It took relatively little time at all to reach the innards of the dungeon, and with it the beginning of mob encounters. A few Skeletons clad in tattered plate armor, leather bound Shambling Corpses with bows and the occasional Living Armor, animated sets of plate and chain, were among the foes they had to battle through to get deeper and deeper. With proper switching and carefully timed skills they made short work of even the heaviest of foes, and in record time as it seemed they were already nearing the end. The further in they went however the stronger the opposition became, and their progress slowed ever so slightly. It wasn't overwhelming by any means, but it wasn't as simple as smacking around a bag of bones either. Skeletons and Shambling Corpses were traded in for more Living Armor, and now even some of the quest knights they had been warned about. Compared to the Armor the Knights were pretty tough and certainly took teamwork to deal with them. Nero did a good bulk of the battling, as did Kenshin and Alphard, with Suto and Luna supporting as they did so well. Together the group managed to cut down any opposition, and soon they were stood at the precipice of the last battle, with a dragon no less. 

"Jeez, how many of those things did we kill anyways? I think I just got enough Col for the next week off of them alone!" 

Being out in the field with something to focus on had turned out to be quite a welcome change for Suto. Now he no longer was focusing on the loss of Mizuki, and as such could enjoy himself a bit. Being carefree then came easier, and so did his bellyaching. The amount of fighting they had done so far was enough to get him a bit tired, even if it wasn't in reality true exhaustion. That always baffled him how it worked out like that. Video games had never drained him like this before, certainly not a virtual one. Then again, video games had never trapped him in an alternate reality either, so it was a safe bet that conventions went out the window as soon as that had happened. 

"If we've come this far though then we might as well see it through," Luna replied, taking this moment to look through her own earnings. "Though you're right, this has been a rewarding expedition so far. I can't say I'm disappointed I came along for this." Quite the nice haul so far, and it was bound to only expand once the quest was completed. Taking out one of her throwing knives she ran a finger along the spine, turning it over to look at her own reflection in the metal. "Do we know anything about this monster we're supposed to be fighting?"