On Floor 50, gray trees towered high, covering the ground with their lushness. This floor was more than twice the size of Orario, and in its center flowed a long river that never stopped. Floor 50 was a safe point where monsters would not appear, although threats lingered, just like on Floor 18; monsters could come from above or below.
In the vast open space, the Loki Familia tent stood firm. Adventurers busily checked their gear—weapons, armor, food, and potions. They had been exploring the Dungeon for over half a month, and now they could finally rest on this floor before continuing their journey ahead.
They were waiting for Raul, who was leading several level two adventurers from Loki Familia on their mission. As a Familia focused on dungeon exploration, they not only ventured into uncharted floors but also accepted missions from other Familias. These missions typically involved gathering plants or specific materials. Many Familias could not venture deeper into the Dungeon, so they sought help from exploration Familias like Loki Familia to carry out such tasks.
The mission Loki Familia had accepted this time was to collect Cadmus spring water on Floor 51. To expedite the process, Finn requested Raul to bring along several level two adventurers so the journey could be more efficient. Too many people would only slow down the expedition and deplete supplies.
However, while Finn was discussing with the other Familia members, a bad feeling enveloped his heart.
"I have a bad feeling," he murmured, sensing pain in his right thumb. This was a signal he always felt before bad things happened.
...
On the other side, Ais was fighting against a strange giant worm monster that was green in color. This monster had the ability to spray corrosive liquid that could dissolve weapons and armor. Raul, who had been directly battling the monster before, was unaware of the lurking danger.
"Argh...!!!!"
Without warning, Raul was hit by a spray of corrosive liquid from the monster. In an instant, his armor and weapon began to corrode, and even his skin suffered. Raul had lost his ability to fight and was carried by another member.
Like a storm dancer, Ais cut down the monsters blocking their path, as her sword of despair had indestructible attributes, allowing her to fight without worrying about her weapon breaking. A fierce wind enveloped Ais, protecting her from the corrosive liquid.
Under Ais's protection, they finally reached the entrance of Floor 50, where their Familia had set up camp. As they entered the floor, they discovered that their camp had also been attacked by these strange monsters.
...
"Argh!"
Suddenly, Raul's scream shattered the tension.
The sound echoed through the trees, startling Finn and the others.
Finn quickly rushed out of the tent, followed by Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Riveria, to see what was happening.
As soon as they stepped out of the tent, they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of giant green worm monsters they had never encountered on this floor.
"A new type of monster?" Finn muttered, feeling his bad premonition intensifying with the appearance of these creatures.
Tiona, unable to contain her impatience, rushed forward to attack the monster. She swung her Urga with full force, creating a strong gust of wind.
What she didn't expect was that her Urga easily pierced the monster's defenses. Tiona was puzzled because these monsters were so weak. Every monster that appeared on this floor usually had a minimum level of 4, so even for Tiona, it was impossible to kill one so easily with just a single slash.
Before Tiona could ponder this, the monster's corrosive liquid dissolved her Urga.
"Ah… My weapon!" she screamed in panic. Her weapon was a class one weapon, unattainable without spending hundreds of millions of Valis. But now, that powerful weapon was dissolving in mere moments. One could imagine Tiona's heartbreak at losing something worth hundreds of millions of Valis.
"Tiona, get away from that monster!!!"
Finn shouted as he sensed something strange about the creature and commanded Tiona to retreat without hesitation.
Though she was heartbroken over losing her weapon, Tiona immediately jumped back. As she retreated from the monster, the previously wounded creature suddenly swelled before exploding into corrosive liquid.
Both the ground and the dungeon ceiling were now covered with monsters. The liquid sprayed everywhere, hissing and dissolving whatever it touched, just like Tiona's Urga.
"Hey, what kind of monster is this? I've never seen it before," Tiona said, frustrated.
"Be careful, don't attack that monster up close. It has corrosive liquid that damages weapons," Finn said seriously.
"We can only attack from a distance using magic. Riveria, we will rely on you and Levia," Finn continued.
Riveria nodded and began preparing her magic.
While they were discussing, hundreds of the monsters drew closer, the ground and ceiling of the dungeon now teeming with them. They sprayed corrosive liquid toward the Loki Familia.
"Dodge!" Finn's command echoed across the entire floor.
Without hesitation, the members of Loki Familia evaded, but due to the sheer volume of corrosive liquid, some were still hit. Seeing there was no way to avoid it, they braced large shields in front of them to block the corrosive liquid, if only for a moment. Fortunately, thanks to the shields, they managed to save their lives. But one could imagine the losses Loki Familia would incur because of this.
As Ais and the others approached the camp, Finn and the others also spotted them.
"Ais! Be careful!" Finn shouted, noticing how badly Raul was faring.
With swift strikes, Ais sliced through the monsters using her sword of despair.
With Ais at the forefront, they quickly rushed, trying to avoid the explosions that would release the dangerous liquid and join Finn and the others.
"The flames will soon be unleashed.
The war that is happening, the destruction that cannot be avoided. The war horn sounds loudly, the brutality of conflict will envelop all. Come, red fire, the cruel hell. You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep clean, close the great war. Burn them, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf."
Riveria's incantation echoed amidst the chaos of battle.
"Fall back!!!"
Finn commanded as he saw that Riveria's spell was nearly complete.
Without hesitation, the Loki Familia quickly distanced themselves from the battlefield.
"Rea Laevatein!!"
Finally, Riveria completed her spell, red lines like fire filled the entire floor and ceiling before countless pillars of fire shot up from the ground, incinerating the monsters, turning the entire floor into a hellish scene of blazing flames.
.....
"After treating the injured and packing the remaining supplies, we will immediately retreat" Finn ordered firmly looking at the condition of his members and their supplies.
"ehhh?!! Withdraw?... Even though it's already this far" Tiona exclaimed after hearing Finn's decision.
"We have no other choice, many of our weapons and supplies are damaged. It is impossible for us to continue exploration with our current condition" said helplessly, he was also reluctant to return like this, the rope as he said, their current condition was not possible they continued to go deeper into the Dungeon.
After the healing and packing process, they walked home feeling depressed thinking about the losses of this expedition, especially for those whose twilight was damaged like Tiona.
### Floor 17
"Ah... It's so frustrating. We went all the way up to Floor 50 for this," Tiona complained as they headed home.
"Come on, how long are you going to keep complaining?" Tione glanced at her younger sister, silently wishing she'd stop grumbling throughout the journey.
"Besides, what kind of monster was that green caterpillar? I've never seen anything like it!" Tiona recalled the strange monster they encountered on Floor 50.
"Must be a new type of monster," Tione replied, examining the bright yellow magic stone she had obtained from that creature.
**Crack... Crack... Crack...**
The dungeon walls cracked open as they approached the stairs leading to Floor 16. A large group of tall minotaurs with black skin and red eyes emerged from the dungeon walls.
"It's a monster party!" shouted one of the members of Loki Familia.
A monster party is a special event that rarely occurs, where the dungeon spawns a large number of monsters in one place.
"Captain, what should we do? There are quite a few of them," Tione asked Finn. Given their Familia's strength, they could easily handle a monster party consisting of minotaurs, as they were only level 2 monsters.
The real issue was to eliminate them before they spread to the upper floors and endangered other adventurers. Even for Loki Familia, it would be challenging to wipe them out before they could escape due to their sheer numbers.
"Quickly eliminate them at the fastest pace," Finn ordered calmly, showing no signs of panic.
"Well, that's how it should be," Tiona exclaimed as she dashed toward the minotaurs impatiently. Still frustrated from her broken weapon, she decided to take out her annoyance on the minotaurs.
Standing in front of a minotaur, Tiona kicked its head, instantly turning it to ash and leaving behind a magic stone.
Tione leaped into the air, landing on the shoulder of a minotaur before grabbing its horns and twisting its head, killing it in an instant, blood spraying from the monster's neck.
The minotaurs took a step back in fear at the display of power. Their survival instincts kicked in, causing them to flee toward the upper floors.
"That way... Chase them! Don't let them endanger the adventurers above!" Finn commanded as he realized the direction the minotaurs were fleeing.
Even though the minotaurs seemed weak and helpless in front of Loki Familia, they were a nightmare for adventurers on the upper floors, where the highest levels were only level 2.
---
### Floor 6 of the Dungeon
Bell jumped to the side to avoid a kobold's attack. Gripping his dagger that glimmered with a cold light, he leaped forward like a rabbit and slashed the kobold's neck. The creature staggered back before disintegrating into a puff of black smoke.
Bell picked up the magic stone from the ground and pocketed it. Today was his first time exploring the dungeon alone. Previously, due to Hestia's request and Noah's orders, Lili had accompanied Bell in the dungeon for several days. After explaining everything he needed to pay attention to in the dungeon, Lili left Bell's side because she was a supporter of Vermilion Familia and couldn't stay with him for long.
Thanks to Lili's guidance, Bell was able to explore Floor 6 of the dungeon alone in just a few days.
"Mooo..."
As Bell continued his journey, the sound of a heavy cow-like moan echoed, and a tall, muscular minotaur emerged from the shadows.
Seeing the minotaur, Bell stepped back in fear, realizing he was cornered by the wall behind him.
**...Swosh... Splash...**
Just as Bell thought he was going to die, a slash cut off the minotaur's right arm.
"Moo!!!" the minotaur screamed and turned to kill the one who attacked it from behind, but another slash came in an instant, severing its other arm before cleaving the minotaur diagonally. Hot blood sprayed everywhere, soaking Bell, who was directly beneath the creature.
Bell looked up to see a beautiful girl with long blonde hair, her sword gleaming as she sheathed it.
"Are you okay? Can you stand?" the girl asked in a flat voice while extending her hand.
"Argg!"
Ignoring her question, Bell, still recovering from his shock, ran away in sheer terror, his entire body turning as red as a tomato.
Ais, surprised at his reaction, retracted her outstretched hand, not understanding why the boy had fled.
"Hahaha... He ran away after seeing you, Ais," Bete, who happened to witness the scene, couldn't help but laugh. His laughter echoed in the quiet dungeon.
---
Finn led Loki Familia out of the dungeon. The adventurers discussed among themselves as they watched their return.
"Hey, look, it's Loki Familia."
"Why did they come back so quickly?"
"Something unexpected must have happened in the dungeon."
The adventurers whispered quietly, none daring to speak ill of Loki Familia, even though they could see the tense expressions on their faces.
Finn paid no attention to their discussions about what had happened to his Familia, as it was a fact that this expedition had ended in failure. However, a certain topic piqued his interest.
"Hey, did you hear that all members of Vermilion Familia were promoted to level 2?"
"Really? Wasn't it only a month since they became adventurers? Even the Sword Princess took a year to reach level 2."
"It seems the news about them defeating the Goliath Rex is true."
"Looks that way."
"I can't believe they got so strong so fast."
"Unbelievable. A party of three level 1 adventurers defeating a Goliath."
"It seems the title of the strongest Familia will change soon."
"Shh... Don't say that; Loki Familia is still here," one adventurer cautioned upon hearing his friend's words.
"Vermilion Familia? I might have underestimated their strength," Finn murmured as he recalled the three adventurers he had saved a month ago.
Ais, who also overheard the conversation, had a glimmer in her eyes, curious about how they had become so powerful. As someone who pursued strength for revenge, Ais was eager to know their secret. But she held back for now, as they had just returned from an expedition and she needed to rest.
Riveria, walking beside Ais, noticed the change in her expression and immediately understood what was on her mind.
Riveria was the one who knew Ais best, having cared for her since childhood before joining Loki Familia. To Riveria, Ais was like a daughter, which is why among the adventurers of Loki Familia, many jokingly called her "Mama Riveria." Of course, those who dared to call her that had felt Riveria's staff.
As an elf with a long lifespan, Riveria, who was 99 years old, was still like a teenager by human standards, so how could she not be angry when called "Mama"?
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