บท 44: Floor 59!
It's nighttime on the 50th floor of the dungeon, all members above LV5 of the Rozzo family were gathered outside Riveria's shop.
Outside the tent, there was a bonfire surrounded by several carefully placed chairs.
Everyone in the family sat on the chairs around the fire.
The warmth of the bonfire and the delicious cups of hot chocolate, specially prepared by Riveria, made the whole group feel relaxed and satisfied.
"I'm going to organize a team led by some adventurers above LV5 to go to the 60th floor of the dungeon," Riveria slowly expressed her decision while drinking her hot chocolate.
The main goal of this expedition was to reach the 60th floor and set the record as the first family since the fall of Zeus and Hera to reach so far.
Although the status of their team and supplies is very scarce, Riveria still chose to take the risk.
After all, when they set out, they publicly declared that they would reach the 60th floor. If they were to retreat now, it would undoubtedly tarnish the family's prestige.
Of course, Riveria isn't so foolish as to risk her family members for something as simple as prestige.
That's why she planned to organize an elite team to descend, so as not to endanger her family.
The elite team will have enough strength and skill to withdraw smoothly if things get tough.
After thinking about it for a long time, Riveria thought the plan was feasible, so she decided to go through with it.
She quickly descends to the 59th floor, then takes a look at the 60th floor and retreats to return another time.
"Understood, Riveria-chan, I fully support it!" Elinalise was the first to agree.
"I have no opinion!"
"We all obey your orders, Lord Riveria!"
"Yes!"
Riveria's prestige in the family is very high, and soon everyone reached a consensus.
However, candidates still need to be selected for the 59th floor.
Looking at all the elite members of the family, Riveria knew she couldn't take them all. If she did, there would be no one left to protect this floor.
"Elinalise, Eris, Ghislaine, Talhand, Rudeus, Rakash... Roxy and Sylphie."
After thinking for a while, Riveria read the names one after another, and soon the family's elites were selected.
Each of them possesses immense strength and great skills. Riveria is confident in facing any challenge with this team.
"Oh, and I would also like Alfia to accompany us," directing her gaze at Alfia, who was also quietly drinking chocolate, Riveria said.
With the extra security of Alfia, Riveria would be much more at ease.
"Understood," raising her head, Alfia nodded without saying anything else.
"Well, with that, it's clear who will go tomorrow... Oh, by the way, we also need to add Tsubaki," Remembering the captain of the Hephaistos family, Riveria added.
She had promised her before that she would give her the opportunity to gather more materials, so to fulfill her word, Riveria will take her with her group.
Everyone nodded without any problem. Everyone in the family has had the chance to meet Tsubaki, and everyone liked the lively and cheerful woman.
Especially Talhand, who has the best relationship with the captain of the Hephaistos family.
"Paul, Arkanh, I'll leave the security of the camp to you," Addressing the two, Riveria said with a hint of apology.
Although Riveria would love to take everyone, it is still necessary to leave some LV5 adventurers to protect the camp.
"Don't worry, Riveria-sama, we have no objections," Both Paul and Arkanh shook their heads without offense.
They understand that their role in protecting this camp is important and that Riveria is not intentionally excluding them.
"Well, with everything clarified, now we can continue enjoying the chocolate," With a more relaxed smile, Riveria told everyone.
Soon, a warm conversation began around the bonfire, and everyone participated in it.
Even the cold Alfia said a word or two.
Soon the night concluded in a pleasant gathering, and everyone returned to their tents to rest.
...
The next day, Riveria made arrangements for some others to stay in charge of protecting the camp, and if there was an unexpected situation, they could return to the surface directly.
With some LV5s as protection, it shouldn't be a big problem for the coverage expedition to return to the surface.
In case something unexpected happens, the camp has orders to gather their equipment and descend to the 37th floor.
After finishing organizing the camp, Riveria could be much more relaxed, and soon she gathered the elite team to descend to the 60th floor.
"With this group, there will be no problem descending," Looking at the elite group she organized, Riveria is excited.
In her opinion, it's difficult to find a second team like this in Orario.
After all, this is a powerful team led by LV7 and an LV8, and the vanguard has 4 adventurers of LV6.
Four other LV5 adventurers, Roxy, Sylphie, Rudeus, and Tsubaki, are also added.
With such a powerful team, Riveria is confident they can descend and ascend without any problems.
After arranging the weapons, potions, and explosives, the family was soon ready to depart.
Arriving at the entrance to the 51st floor, Riveria still added a layer of defensive magic to everyone as usual, and the team began to act.
"Pay attention to safety, Ghislaine will go ahead and clear the way!" Riveria reminded according to the assigned task beforehand.
Ghislaine, who has the best senses in the family, is the best choice for clearing the way.
From the 51st floor, not only do you need to withstand the monsters on this floor as you advance carefully.
You also need to be alert to attacks coming from the 58th floor.
The dragons on the 58th floor can launch attacks that penetrate through several layers to damage enemies on the upper layer.
Once you get hit, it's definitely not a game; the firepower of the dragons can seriously damage the family executives.
And it could even end LV5 family members.
That's why Riveria gave Ghislaine the important task of advancing ahead and detecting changes in the area.
Ghislaine immediately ran to the front of the team, activating her senses to the maximum. She was attentive to even the slightest vibration.
Soon Ghislaine's feet trembled slightly, and she could feel the temperature of the ground rising.
"Here it comes!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Ghislaine shouted and quickly moved out of the blast zone.
The group behind her didn't hesitate and quickly followed Ghislaine's steps.
*BAM*
Once Ghislaine and the group moved from the spot, a column of fire shooting up into the sky appeared in the position where Ghislaine had been before.
The enormous temperature, capable of melting even the hardest metals, exploded across the 51st floor.
*TRAGO*
"How terrifying..." Looking at the frightening column of fire, Tsubaki swallowed nervously.
"I didn't feel when the explosion gathered; it's a relief to have Ghislaine with us," Rudeus, with his forehead covered in cold sweat, said.
The rest of the group nodded in agreement; aside from Alfia, no one else managed to sense the pillar coming from the 58th floor.
After a few seconds, the flames slowly dissipated, revealing a huge hole in the ground.
Through the hole, you could even directly see the great head of the Dragon that had attacked a moment ago on the 58th floor.
"Riveria-chan, we have an entrance!"
"Talhand, you go ahead!" Riveria quickly said aloud.
With the hole to the 58th floor, the plan developed by Riveria can continue.
"Everyone behind me!"
Following Riveria's order, the dwarf Talhand took his huge shield and stood in front of the hole.
A group of people immediately grabbed onto Talhand's back.
Then, without hesitation, Talhand jumped from the hole made by the dragon earlier.
The rest of the members jumped while clinging to the dwarf's back.
"The Talhand express is moving, please keep your tickets in hand!"
Elinalise's excited cry echoed as they fell rapidly through the hole.
Meanwhile, to ensure the dwarf's safety, Riveria cast a defensive spell on him.
"Dance, Spirit of Air, Lord of Light. I have made a contract with the Guardian God of the Forest and hope to play the song of the earth to cover and protect us. Please become a giant wall of forest light and protect us, my name is Alf."
The Dimensional Blocking Barrier became a second layer of protection to block the dragons' shots.
With the coverage of defensive magic and the dwarf's great defense, this can be considered a safe journey.
This is a shortcut to the 58th floor, devised by Alfia. During last night's meeting, she proposed the idea to descend more quickly through these floors.
Of course, when this proposal was made, everyone immediately rejected it. After all, it's common sense to avoid fire columns, not to throw oneself into them.
However, after Alfia mentioned that the dragons' attacks only have the power of a level 6, and that Talhand is capable of easily withstanding it, the group began to consider it.
Considering how difficult it would be to descend floor by floor to the 58th, the group ultimately decided on the crazy idea.
Of course, they must prepare well for possible inconveniences, so with Tsubaki's help, Talhand's shield was reinforced.
After all, if the shield breaks, they will have to withstand the dragons' attacks with their bodies.
Then they will have to fall wounded to the 58th floor and face the huge number of dragons.
During the fall, the people behind Talhand were also alert to the attack from below.
And the moment they noticed the dragon opening its mouth, they all quickly prepared for the impact.
*BAAMMM*
*CRASH*
Accompanied by the roar of the aggressive dragon, an enormous column of fire immediately headed towards the group.
Crashing against Talhand's shield and Riveria's magic barrier, the dragon didn't even cause a tiny crack.
With the dragon's attack intercepted smoothly, the group breathed a sigh of relief. Although they said there would be no problems, seeing it is believing it.
While the enormous column was easily blocked, Talhand pushed downwards, and the falling speed became much faster.
Seeing how close they were to the dragon's jaws, which were wide open, seemingly awaiting a snack, Riveria said, "Roxy, Sylphie, and Rudeus, get ready. Once we reach the 58th floor, you'll unleash your most powerful spells without holding back."
"Understood, Riveria-sama/Mistress!" Nodding, the three immediately began gathering their mana.
Soon, the dragon, which was waiting for its meal, sensed something amiss, a feeling of threat invading its body, urging it to retreat.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Accompanied by a loud blast, the dwarf Talhand fell onto the dragon's body, turning it into minced meat.
"Ahh damn it, how disgusting!" Feeling her shorts wet, Elinalise immediately exclaimed in disgust.
"Uhh," Roxy and Sylphie also made disgusted faces, feeling the blood on their battle dresses.
"Roxy, Sylphie, Rudeus, now cast your spells!" Seeing the huge number of dragons, Riveria quickly said.
"Yes, ma'am!" Putting aside their disgust, Roxy and Sylphie quickly unleashed their spells.
Releasing all the mana in their bodies, the three mages quickly cast annihilation spells.
"Cumulonimbus!" x2
"Typhoon!!"
The three enormous spells were cast throughout the 58th floor.
Enormous storms formed on the 58th floor, raining down lightning, while the massive Typhoon swept away all the dragons in the area.
Many lightning bolts struck the dragons, killing some and severely injuring others.
Meanwhile, the powerful winds tore limbs off the dragons, and some also perished.
"Eris, Elinalise, Ghislaine... Tsubaki, clean up the rest of the floor," Looking at the still quite large number of dragons, Riveria ordered the vanguard of the group.
"Understood!"
Taking their weapons, the group launched themselves at the dragons, cutting down and killing all in their path.
A massacre soon began on the 58th floor of the dungeon; the dragons, already injured and disoriented, stood no chance.
...
The Talhand express was smoother than expected, and the entire area near the 58th floor was successfully cleared.
The ground is filled with magic stones and fallen materials.
Due to the powerful power of the dragons, the size of the magic stone here has also become extremely exaggerated.
It's just slightly smaller than Goliath's magic stone.
Of course, the price of these magic stones and fallen objects is also very high.
With just the profits from this floor, the expedition's expenses have already been paid off.
"Rest a bit, then get ready to enter the 59th floor."
After reaching the 59th floor, Riveria noticed that something was amiss. The entrance to the 59th floor, which was supposed to be a floor covered in snow with icy temperatures, now seemed to have changed drastically.
"It's different from when I went down with the Hera family," looking towards the entrance to the 59th floor, Alfia commented to Riveria.
Normally, just approaching this entrance would make adventurers feel intense cold.
However, now it's completely different.
"What is that monster!?"
Soon, one of the family members' cries alerted Riveria.
Trotting quickly to where Sylphie's cry came from, Riveria managed to see Sylphie, who had a disgusted look on her face, pointing at something.
Looking where Sylphie was pointing, Riveria saw a slimy worm moving towards a hole.
"A worm?" With a puzzled face, Riveria wondered.
There's no information about worms on these floors.
"Do you know anything, Alfia?" Looking at Alfia, who was also looking at the worm with confusion, Riveria asked.
"No, I've never seen this monster before," shaking her head, Alfia told Riveria.
In her years as an adventurer, she had never seen monsters on these floors.
"It could be a new species...?" Riveria said as she observed the worm's behavior.
Sometimes the dungeon gives birth to new species, although it's quite rare.
"There are more over there!" Again Sylphie's cry rang out, pointing to a more distant place.
There, several worms were also heading towards some holes in the dungeon.
"Those holes... They seem to be heading towards the 59th floor," With her sharp eyes, Alfia managed to see where the holes were heading.
The different events on the 59th floor made Riveria feel palpitations in her heart.
"Prepare your weapons, we're going to descend to the 59th floor!" Sensing the importance of going down to investigate, Riveria ordered the rest of the group.
Such a drastic change on the 59th floor could be bad for Orario, and the appearance of new monsters is also a bad sign.
When the sky falls, a big man appears to hold it up.
And in this case, her Rozzo family is the big man, so to ensure the safety of the city where her family resides, she decided to go down to investigate.
...
As soon as they entered the 59th floor, what they saw was a patch of vegetation; tall trees covered the sky.
The massive vegetation covered the entire floor, transforming the originally icy and humid floor into a dense jungle.
"Indeed, it's different." Upon entering and seeing the surroundings completely different from Alfia's information, Riveria said with a furrowed brow.
How did the promised glacier field turn into a large forest?
The huge bushes also hinder the team's observation. The visibility range is very small, and it seems like any place is suitable for hiding.
"Ghislaine... find the way forward!"
Riveria instructed the team to slow down and, by the way, sent Ghislaine to scout the path.
If it weren't because she still had to find out what resided on the 59th floor, Riveria even had the idea to set fire to the mountain.
Destroying all the nearby bushes, Riveria waited to receive information from Ghislaine.
With no clear information about the floor, it would be difficult to move through such a deep jungle and even face an enemy.
"Be careful, watch your surroundings—"
The path they're traversing now is also very strange. Is there still a path wide enough for people to pass in this kind of place?
Who left it and for whom?
When did the dungeon become so intimate?
"There are those insect-shaped monsters ahead of us."
Not long after, Ghislaine returned to the team after gathering information.
Under Ghislaine's leadership, soon everyone quickly found a large group of insects wriggling slowly on the ground.
The number of worms seems endless at first sight, and it seems there are thousands and even tens of thousands.
They seem to have received some kind of call and tacitly are moving in one direction.
Even if Riveria and the others walked to a place not far from them, none of them wanted to turn their heads to look at them.
It's completely different from other monsters.
Eris even tentatively stepped forward and grabbed one, and with brute force, she directly split the fat body of the opponent in half.
Even so, the other bugs continued to move forward on their own, completely ignoring the tragedy their companions encountered.
"Don't they show any resistance?" Eris shook it with disgust, some liquids threatened to fall on her body, but soon they were incinerated under her ability.
"Be careful, their blood seems to be corrosive." Watching the liquids start to corrode the ground, Riveria reminded them.
Following the path where the monsters were heading, the group observed attentively.
Regardless of whether these insects defended themselves, after all, they were monsters, so controlling the number was definitely necessary.
As something is calling them, there might be a boss waiting for them in the depths of the 59th floor.
In case they really want to fight these worms later, it can be considered to reduce the number of enemies beforehand.
With that thought, Riveria didn't hesitate and decided on a course of action.
She quickly informed the group to eliminate as many as possible.
With Riveria's instructions, the others stopped holding back and unleashed to clear the central area one after another.
Of course, with Riveria's earlier reminder, they avoided the blood of these bugs, to avoid being harmed.
Soon, the entire team of worm-like monsters was divided by the family members.
A large number of insect-type monsters dissipated into the air as smoke.
Leaving behind several magic stones in the area.
But the number of these monsters is really too much, and there are still many insects that escaped through their temporary defense line.
Seeing that the number of monsters was not decreasing, Riveria gathered mana and cast an annihilation spell.
"The omen of the end, the white snow. Facing the twilight hour, wind up the closed light, the frozen earth casts snow across the sky, three severe winters... my name is Alf"
Riveria cast a spell and the monsters in the front row instantly turned into ice sculptures and remained in place.
The direction of the insects was instantly blocked, and several insect-shaped monsters immediately began to crawl towards the bodies of their comrades.
The reaction is quite fast.
It seems they manage to get through this obstacle layer by stacking the bodies of their comrades.
However, it wasn't these actions that made everyone's scalps tingle more. Behind the large swarm army of insects, there were countless insects closely following them...
It's as if Riveria's spell had no effect at all.
How many are there? These bugs advance uninterrupted, they have no sense of self, and they don't care about their own lives.
"This is really strange..." With a furrowed brow, Riveria didn't know how to explain the attitude of these monsters.
Ghislaine, who was assigned the task of estimating the approximate number of bugs, has not returned yet.
At that moment, Riveria noticed some strange behavior among the worms.
Out of nowhere, the previously honest insects in front of her suddenly began to counterattack.
It's like going crazy, senselessly destroying everything around them.
Not only that, the originally ordered team of insect swarms suddenly became chaotic.
Countless insects ran out from behind.
Riveria finally understood the number of these bugs.
It seems she can't even count...
"Everyone, come closer to me! I'll deal with these pesky ones—"
Riveria gestured to the rest of the team behind her, and the team quickly moved toward Riveria.
As Riveria gathered mana to deal with these bugs once and for all.
Like a Saiyan, Riveria is surrounded by a circle of constantly rising golden flames.
Large amounts of golden light gathered around her, the air pressure became heavier, and a massive amount of mana gathered in her scepter.
Alfia, who was behind Riveria, quickly noticed the spell Riveria was preparing.
Shivering slightly, Alfia couldn't help but remember the spell that almost killed her.
Without wasting any time, Riveria began chanting the spell she knew by heart, while madly gathering mana in her scepter.
Soon, with almost 80% of her mana gathered, Riveria didn't hesitate and cast the annihilation spell.
"Oh bless me Supreme God of light, to bring enlightenment to your enemies, let me burn them with your sacred heat, reflect your light in my heart and soul, and allow me to judge their sins... DISINTEGRATION!!"
The ascending pillar of light, which was more terrifying than the attack a hundred times more terrifying than the previous dragon attack, appeared at the feet of these insects, followed by the second and the third.
~BOOOM~
How much damage can a level 7 elf mage cause?
How much damage can a magic with a trace of divinity cause?
Well, now that was more than clear to the members of the Rozzo family.
More than half of the area on the 59th floor was dyed red by flames, and the lush vegetation was devoured by the flames, turning into ashes in an instant and dispersed into the air.
The swarm of insects that could cause people with a dense phobia to suffer seems to be eliminated with just one click, and any insect that approaches the pillar of fire will not be spared.
Instantly evaporated into gas at an extremely high temperature, deeply expressing the name of Riveria's spell.
The effect of the terrifying annihilation magic is very obvious.
The original dense jungle was lush, it was completely destroyed, and the entire 59th floor became silent, and even the wind that blew seemed scorching.
The sporadic monsters that survived by hiding in the corners were no longer a threat, but the scorching earth beneath their feet made other team members hesitant to approach.
"This spell is still as terrifying as ever," Elinalise commented fearfully, looking at the huge destruction.
Alfia behind her nodded secretly, even she, who is level 8, doesn't trust herself to escape unscathed from that terrible spell.
"Tremendous..." Looking at the profound destruction, Tsubaki said as a shiver ran down her spine.
After the surroundings calmed down a bit, the members had the chance to look around.
Under Riveria's magical bombardment, most of the things blocking the basic line of sight basically moved flat.
"...But, does it seem like there's nothing else here?" They looked around curiously, none of them noticed anything strange.
Besides the great destruction and the many magic stones on the floor, there doesn't seem to be anything else.
There was no trace of the Boss.
"According to logic, the small monsters have already been eliminated, so shouldn't it be the Boss's turn to appear next?" With confusion, Roxy said.
"Could it have been burned to ashes along with those small insects?" Eris mentioned absentmindedly that Riveria's terrifying strike could have killed it.
Everyone thought that Eris's reflection made sense, at least everyone believed it was quite feasible.
Everyone thought that even the master of the floor couldn't withstand Riveria's previous attack.
With that much power, it's not surprising that the bosses of those strange insects are eliminated.
Although everyone thought so, Riveria didn't easily believe it.
"Alfia, did you feel that presence when we entered the 59th floor?" Turning to Alfia, Riveria asked.
"Yes, I felt it too..." Nodding, Alfia confirmed Riveria's suspicions.
Upon entering the 59th floor, both felt a powerful presence, that presence was much more powerful than the Balor's.
Even Riveria couldn't help but feel heavy, feeling the threat of whatever was on the 59th floor.
"However, it disappeared when we fully entered..." With an interested expression, Alfia said.
After entering the 59th floor, the presence disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.
"Forget it, it doesn't make sense to overthink, let's go down to take a look at the 60th floor and then return home." Shaking her head, Riveria didn't want to complicate things further.
Recovering some of her mana, Riveria soon gave the order to quickly descend to the 60th floor and then ascend.
...
In a remote and dark corner of the 59th floor.
A grotesque Monster hides, its lower part formed of worms, and its upper body shaped like a spirit.
It now glares with eyes full of fury and fear towards the Rozzo family expedition.
If Riveria were here, she could clearly say that this is the presence she felt when entering the 59th floor.
Of course, she wouldn't have imagined that upon sensing the two strong auras of Riveria and Alfia.
The monster had decided to hide and avoid confrontation.
To its dismay, before it could unleash its worms from the 59th floor, the terrifying magic killed them all.
Now, the monster, having lost its work of several weeks, glares furiously at the elf.
However, as annoyed as it is, it dares not come out, for with the strength of those individuals, coming out would mean seeking death.
With immense resentment, the monster swore that it would settle the score with the Rozzo family in the future.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Well, here's today's chapter!
There are about two chapters left to conclude the expedition, and we'll start heading towards Fate.
However, I ask you, do you want me to address the disaster of the Astrea family.
now? or when we return from Fate?
If you want it now, then it will have to extend for another two chapters.
It's up to your decision.
Thanks for the support!!!
Remember to leave your magic stones!
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