To those asking how portals work:
Make or buy charged sticks.
Collect adamantine.
Use the charged sticks and adamantine to make portal energy cells.
When you're on top of a green portal, which may or may not show up rather you're on level one or level 9 (they can break your chain and stop appearing) a new portal-entry graphic will appear if you have a portal energy cell in your warehouse and you step onto a green portal tile. Going through will consume one portal energy cell.
Not all explore attempts will have a path leading to low levels, sometimes green portals stop appearing mid way into your adventure, it's luck.
Etelia (I think) appear at level 9 and below. (Edit: Found one on 8, nope.)
Pristine Snowfalkes appear at level 10 and below. (I found mine on level 12.)
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Etelia Fighting
Some animals are much better, like certain unicorn builds. Etelia are immune to many things and lykos may not be the best choice here.
I was using a super charged gryphon with over 100 magic food fed to it, but even then I started losing horribly at level 12 and threw in the towel there, lol.
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Random tip: Give you pet a Major Scroll of Insight to use the tundra as a level mill, as it doesn't take energy to go through green portals and you can collect piles and piles of EXP. Often you'll find energy springs to drink from in the levels so you can explore 20+ times in one sitting with the same pet. :)