Orario Dungeon, 37th Floor
After resting on the 34th floor, the Loki Familia continued their exploration. With time passing, the likelihood of the dungeon spawning powerful monsters increased, making them wary of taking things lightly.
This left the women vulnerable, engaging in a pleasant conversation with Ais by a small lake. Since Tsubaki mentioned the weight of metal plates and the difficulty of controlling strength, the women once again surrounded Ais.
Their curiosity was piqued...
Women instinctively enjoyed such things, so they bombarded Ais with questions. Even Riveria remained silent this time, as she, too, was curious.
Ais, on the other hand, was a complete disaster at socializing. To satisfy their curiosity, she took action.
Demonstrating exercises and walking on water, Ais thought this would make her companions stop bothering her...
How wrong she was.
Needless to say, the women were wide-eyed as Ais walked on water. This was unheard of, and their curiosity grew. Even Riveria joined the chaos, unable to comprehend how using wind to walk on the soft surface of water was possible.
Fortunately for Ais, her torture didn't last long. Finn put an end to her suffering by gathering everyone and explaining the battle plan.
Placing Ais at the front line, with Riveria and the mages in the center, they advanced.
Their plan worked until they reached the 37th floor, where even Ais couldn't remain calm. The number of monsters and their rapid spawning speed posed a significant challenge.
Moreover, the monsters' power increased, forming packs, with some level 5 monsters mixed in.
This gave Finn a headache. He had no choice but to turn to the mages.
"Rea Laevateinn!"
With Riveria's motion, the monsters were defeated by her annihilation magic, though it took a long time to prepare, it was worth it.
"That's all, Riveria... Let's rest for a moment."
"Yes..."
The 37th floor was a real challenge, one of the largest, known as the White Palace. The floor's ground and ceiling were completely white.
But more than a palace, this floor was a giant labyrinth, with a diameter equivalent to that of an entire city. Exploring it took a considerable amount of time.
Fortunately for the Loki Familia, they had a map, so they didn't get lost. They also prayed for luck upon discovering that this floor remained the same as always.
Otherwise, exploring this floor would take a long time.
"Is it okay to rest, Captain? Even though the monsters have been eliminated, we don't know when they'll respawn."
Unable to stay calm, Tione clenched her fist. This had been tough work so far. With the monsters getting stronger, even her Urga showed signs of wear.
Fortunately for her, she had the Hephasteus Familia with her, taking care of maintenance.
"It's fine... We're close to the Rex Undeus monster room; monsters don't spawn in these corridors."
Sighing, Finn held his thumb, the pain in it increasing.
"According to the Guild, the Hestia Familia eliminated all the Rex monsters, so this corridor is a safe zone."
Each Rex monster had a specific spawning time. With the Hestia Familia killing them all, the Loki Familia didn't face any. This was also why they could progress through the floors quickly, as a Rex monster was a floor boss, several times stronger than regular monsters.
"Alright, Captain... It's a good time to rest."
Sighing, Tione stretched her arms. Reaching this floor was a challenge, and she was already tired of killing.
(But... Why do I feel like something bad is about to happen?)
With his hand trembling, Finn clenched his teeth. This wasn't normal...
Every time he turned his head towards the boss room, a chill ran down his spine, as if a terrifying beast were waiting for him.
"Finn..."
Seeing his strange behavior, Riveria furrowed her brow and called him. However, Finn didn't look at her; instead, he forced himself to calm down before continuing.
"Tiona, Tione, Bete, Gareth, Riveria, Ais, Tsubaki, and Raúl... Come with me."
Waving his hand, Finn called all the powerful adventurers accompanying him.
He had a bad feeling. Something was about to happen, and honestly, Finn wanted to go back. He knew well that, unlike the Hestia Familia, they lacked strength.
The pressure on them was increasing, and if they continued at this pace, it wouldn't be long before the weaker ones started dying.
But he couldn't retreat...
He had a mission to fulfill and couldn't back down because of a bad feeling. They needed to know what was happening. After all, they didn't know if things would get worse, and with the difficulty of exploration, it would be too late to regret if the same happened to the intermediate floors.
But even though he knew this, Finn didn't want to enter that area with the Rex monster.
If there were another way, Finn would undoubtedly choose it. Unfortunately, to descend, they needed to pass through the Rex Undeus monster room.
"What's wrong, Finn?"
After distancing themselves from the group, Riveria asked, looking at her captain with a furrowed brow and slight trembling. This Pallum was the strongest she had seen, and after knowing him for years, she knew well about his character.
"Finn..."
The same went for Gareth. As the trio with the most seniority in the Loki Familia, they shared blood and battled together. Their level of understanding of each other was on another level.
"I'll be honest... We should go back."
"Huh?!"
Sighing in defeat, Finn shrugged. His behavior might seem cowardly, but at least he wouldn't lie to his comrades.
This, of course, surprised his companions, who quickly asked for an explanation. It wasn't easy to reach this floor, but their captain wanted to go back. They needed a reason, especially Bete, whose face twisted in dissatisfaction. He was on the front lines killing monsters. Retreating now would be a waste of energy and time.
"I know very well that at this point, we shouldn't retreat. However... I have a bad feeling, something is definitely going to happen."
Biting his thumb, Finn didn't explain further. After all, he didn't know why he felt this way either.
"Even if I understand you, Finn, we can't go back. We still have a mission, and the Guild won't accept us returning empty-handed. We don't know if things might get worse."
"Gareth is right. We should at least go down to the 44th floor, and if we're lucky, we might run into the Hestia Familia."
Nodding, Riveria shared the same thought as Gareth. They couldn't give up now. Moreover, with all these high-level adventurers and their provisions, they could continue for a month even with strong monsters. Although the monsters were powerful, they were stronger. There were over 100 adventurers, enough for a large-scale exploration.
"..."
Ais, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. This situation was very strange. Her captain behaving cowardly was not like him, but his words carried weight.
After all, as a leader, he couldn't afford to hesitate. Otherwise, his subordinates who trusted him would be in danger.
"You're right... However, if we continue descending, we'll first have to pass through Undeus."
"Isn't he dead? The Guild made it clear that the Hestia Familia killed him, and even his magic stone was sold."
"For now, I think we should confirm this..."
After a lengthy discussion, they ultimately decided to continue descending. However, due to the dangers they faced, Finn suggested that their main group should enter the Boss room first.
After all, if the Rex monster was still alive, the casualties would be enormous. Therefore, they needed to ensure that Undeus was dead, and if it had been born, they would take care of eliminating it.
Although it would be difficult, it wasn't impossible. Undeus was originally a level 6 monster, but due to the abnormality in the dungeon, its level was said to have increased by one, making it a level 7. Even with this increase, it was still manageable for them.
And if they couldn't defeat it, they could still retreat since Rex monsters didn't leave their rooms.
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