Hearing the scream, Aston and the others immediately looked in the direction of the sound and rushed towards it, with Eina and Tione ceasing their sparring to follow. The campsite where Aston's group was stationed was on a large platform leading to the passage to the 51st floor.
Before Aston and the group could reach the scene, they saw walls near the entrance to the 51st floor covered with densely packed, multicolored unknown monsters.
These creatures, with their yellow-green bodies, swollen and seemingly tender green skin marked with colorful patterns, were glaringly strange. With numerous short legs forming their lower body, they were creatures the Loki Familia had never encountered before.
By the time Aston and the others arrived, these monsters had already started to destroy the camp. One-third of the camp had been damaged, but as Aston and the others arrived, intense flames surged from the ground, incinerating everything within a hundred meters to ashes.
"This is the High Victory Sword; Finn is using the magic sword!" Riveria immediately frowned upon seeing this scene.
The Loki Familia had commissioned Aston to make six unbreakable magic swords, four of which were offensive and held by Finn and Gareth. Familia members could request to use them from Finn and Gareth. There were also two defensive magical necklaces, one with Finn and the other with Riveria.
However, Riveria was puzzled. Even under attack by monsters, there was no need to use the magic swords crafted by Aston. Although the High Victory Sword wasn't an indiscriminate attack and could target specific enemies, it was still a regional spell, and using it had caused half the camp to be damaged since even the ground was scorched.
Aston also frowned slightly at the scene. The attacking creatures were a new type of monster, something Aston realized upon seeing their shape. However, these monsters were supposed to be on the 51st floor or beyond, so how did they appear in the safe zone?
The others were equally baffled.
"Finn, what exactly is going on?" Without stopping, the group continued to run forward, reaching Finn's side, Riveria asked with a frown.
The deployment of the High Victory Sword resulted in the evaporation of at least one-third of the expedition's supplies, which could spell bad news for the mission, potentially halting the expedition right there.
Finn didn't respond, his gaze fixed forward towards the direction of the passage, biting his thumb and furrowing his brows.
Gareth spoke up in Finn's stead, explaining, "A large number of new types of monsters emerged from the passage, in great numbers, and possessed powerful corrosive liquid. Finn's and my weapons were melted. Continuing with regular attacks would only waste weapons, and other magic swords couldn't quickly and effectively deal with these monsters, so we decided to use the unbreakable magic swords."
"So that's what happened."
"The captain's weapon is gone."
"What do we do now?" Everyone frowned upon hearing the situation.
A powerful weapon can significantly enhance an adventurer's strength, and now Finn and Gareth, having lost their specialized weapons, could be said to have greatly diminished in strength.
This news bodes ill for the upcoming conquest.
Would Finn and Gareth have to keep using the magic swords as their weapons for the attack?
While the indestructible magic swords are also first-level weapons, they are not the specialized weapons of the two. Their specialized weapons are a spear and an axe, and some skills are even related to the spear.
Using the indestructible magic swords, although it counts as having weapons, ultimately limits their combat effectiveness.
"Let's go back for now. We've lost a lot of supplies. If we go back now, we won't be able to last long."
"Moreover, my thumb has been hurting constantly, advancing to the next floor seems ominous." Finn bit his thumb, feeling the throbbing pain, and said with a deeply furrowed brow.
Hearing this, the members of the Loki Familia immediately tensed up, nodding solemnly with serious expressions.
Finn's invocation of this significant concern left them no choice but to believe.
Their captain's thumb is highly reliable; whenever the captain feels pain in his thumb, their adventures would often encounter some twists and turns.
And judging by the captain's reaction this time, it seems quite dangerous.
Continuing might not be wise for them.
Quickly, following Finn's command, the entire camp began to pack up, no longer staying put.
Finn and others then approached the entrance to the 51st floor.
If another wave came while they were packing up the camp, it would be troublesome, so they decided to block this area just in case.
"Captain, what about the commission from the Dionysus Familia?" Tiona asked Finn, looking at the dark entrance.
This expedition was undertaken with a commission from the Dionysus Familia, to collect a specified amount of spring water from the Cadmus Spring on the 51st floor.
Now that they're not entering the 51st floor, they naturally can't collect it.
"No problem, as long as we explain properly, the Dionysus Familia won't mind," Finn shook his head, casually responding.
Then, Finn turned to Aston, with a tone slightly apologetic, "Sorry, Aston, this expedition can only go this far."
"It's okay, stopping here is fine," Aston smiled and shook his head, nonchalantly.
"That's good," Finn slightly relieved, said.
This expedition was initiated by the Loki Familia inviting Aston, and now it had to be abandoned halfway, Finn was indeed worried Aston might feel dissatisfied.
Seeing Aston's reaction, he was overthinking it.
But then again, of the four first-class adventurers in their Familia, three were already on good terms with this young man. Not to speak of the matter itself, Aston probably wouldn't hold a grudge over this little issue against the Loki Familia.
Unaware of Finn's thoughts, Aston's gaze was fixed on the darkness ahead, his Sharingan manifesting.
"There's someone there!"
"Filvis?" Muttering to himself, Aston peered into the dark depths of the passage.
***
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