Ryou's fingers twitched, and then he slowly climbed up while downing a bottle of healing potion.
Looking at Udaeus, who seemed to be mocking him, Ryou sneered, "What are you laughing at? Your father isn't dead yet!"
Seemingly recognizing the sarcasm in his tone, Udaeus paused and launched another attack.
A series of sword peaks instantly spread from Udaeus's side.
However, this time, Ryou neither dodged nor evaded. He simply covered his head and face with his hands and charged straight at the sword peaks like a tank.
Upon closer inspection, his entire body was enveloped in a crazily flickering blood-colored magical aura, as if it was burning his life force to the brink of exhaustion.
Crack! Crack!!
A series of metallic shattering sounds echoed as the sword peaks, as hard as steel, were shattered one by one by Ryou.
The sword peaks left numerous wounds on his body, but instead of halting his steps, they seemed to fuel his ferocity, making the blood-colored magical aura around him even more dazzling.
Seeing Ryou approaching, Udaeus raised his bone sword and slashed down at Ryou's head.
Even before the sword arrived, the storm it whipped up blew away the surrounding debris and dust. Just being grazed by the storm inflicted several shallow wounds on Ryou.
The power of this slash was terrifying!
However, a fierce gleam flashed in Ryou's eyes. Instead of dodging, he raised his fist and punched hard.
In response to his determination, dense black magical energy suddenly appeared on his arm, forming intricate circuits.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the large and small figures collided head-on, followed by a slight cracking sound.
Udaeus's bone sword shattered with a clang, and the tip flew out, embedding itself heavily into the stone wall.
Ryou leaped out of the dust cloud, his body covered in countless wounds of various sizes, bleeding profusely as if he might die at any moment.
However, Ryou's face was filled with excitement and frenzy.
He roared and charged straight at Udaeus.
Faced with Ryou, who resembled a blood-soaked war god, the once imposing and demonic floor boss showed a hint of fear in its red-glowing eyes.
It continuously sent out sword peaks to try and block his advance.
Ryou's wounds grew more numerous, but his aura became increasingly terrifying, eventually surpassing Udaeus, the floor boss, entirely.
"Die!!!"
Ryou's punch landed hard on Udaeus's head. In an instant, bright white magic circuits lit up on his arm, followed by a burst of dazzling white light at the impact point.
This white light, like the sun, purified all evil and darkness.
Udaeus didn't even have time to scream before its skull was shattered to dust by Ryou's punch.
Decapitated, Udaeus collapsed as if its spine had been removed, then exploded into a sky full of white starlight.
A magic stone, twice the size of Ryou's fist, fell to the ground with a thud.
Having finally slain the formidable foe, Ryou didn't want to move even a finger now.
Tap, tap~
At this moment, the sound of light footsteps suddenly came from afar.
Someone was arriving at the floor boss's room at this time?
Ryou immediately forced himself to stay alert and downed a high-grade healing potion worth 1,000 energy points without any hesitation.
Among adventurers, behavior can be quite varied. On one hand, there are groups like the Loki Familia, who are positive and full of energy. On the other hand, there are teams like the one Ryou previously encountered, such as Canoe's gang, who enjoy robbing and killing, acting as temporary bandits. One must be cautious when dealing with unknown adventurers!
The phrase "you get what you pay for" holds true, as the high-grade healing potion proved to be incredibly effective. Combined with the effects of his Mystic Code, within a few minutes, Ryou's near-fatal injuries were almost fully healed.
At this moment, the silhouette had already entered from the entrance.
Golden hair that seemed to glow, a slender figure clad in light, agile battle armor, and a face as exquisite as a goddess.
Seeing the newcomer, Ryou immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Although his wounds had fully healed, the mental fatigue from the intense battle was not so easily recovered. It was a great relief that the person who arrived was an acquaintance.
"So, it's you, Kouhai," Ryou greeted, raising his hand.
"Are you referring to me as Kouhai?"
Ais's cool voice echoed in the spacious underground chamber.
It seemed that the term "Kouhai" confused her a bit and made her slightly uncomfortable, so she instinctively tilted her head.
Unbeknownst to her, this action, combined with her expressionless little face, was irresistibly adorable.
Ryou felt increasingly convinced that his decision to bring her onto his team deserved the highest praise.
"Of course, if you don't like being called that, I could call you... Ais-tan?" Ryou said, looking very accommodating, though he was secretly amused.
"Ugh~"
Ais's delicate little face immediately puffed up.
Though she didn't know how to express her emotions, it didn't mean she couldn't detect the teasing tone in Ryou's words.
Seeing her reaction, Ryou instinctively wanted to pat her head but suddenly felt weak in his legs and began to collapse.
Without thinking, Ais rushed forward and caught him.
"It seems the exhaustion is greater than I thought. Sorry, Kouhai, I need to rest for a bit," Ryou said with a bitter smile.
"Wait!..."
Ais began to speak but realized Ryou had already fallen asleep.
Helpless, Ais could only support him and let him lie down.
At this moment, Ais recalled the action Riveria took when she was sleeping and immediately mimicked it, placing Ryou's head on her lap.
The sleeping Ryou felt himself surrounded by a faint fragrance, and the back of his head rested on something soft and comfortable, making him instinctively shift his head slightly.
Ais, who had mimicked Riveria's lap pillow, blushed deeply. Ryou's head unconsciously turned, facing her abdomen and that embarrassing area.
Feeling the warmth of Ryou's unconscious breaths, Ais experienced a strange tingling sensation from that spot.
This unfamiliar sensation made her both scared and curious...
Ryou slept for a good two to three hours.
When he first opened his eyes, he saw a flat, firm stomach under a tight battle suit.
Instinctively, Ryou moved his gaze upward and saw a face as beautiful as a water lily.
Such a beautiful scene made him breathe cautiously, afraid to disturb this precious moment of a beauty's serene sleep.
However, his slight movements upon waking eventually roused Ais, who soon opened her eyes.
Her pale golden pupils looked at him with a complex expression.
Given that she had allowed him to rest on her lap, there was at least a hint of affection. Thus, Ryou reached out his hand, moving at a pace Ais could easily evade, and gently touched her cheek.
A trace of unease seemed to flash in Ais's eyes. She instinctively wanted to pull away but ultimately did not move, allowing Ryou to caress her cheek.
"Kouhai, thank you," Ryou said sincerely.
Ais said nothing, merely shook her head.
Ryou noticed that the skin he was touching was noticeably warming up.
Knowing the principle of moderation, he only briefly felt the smooth and tender skin before moving his hand away and standing up.
Ais also stood up, but perhaps because her thigh had been pressed down for a long time, it felt numb and she involuntarily started to topple over.
"Careful," Ryou quickly supported her.
Ais's face blushed again. After her thigh finally regained feeling, she hurriedly broke free from Ryou's embrace and stood firmly on her own.
Ryou smiled lightly, sensing the awkward atmosphere, and changed the topic: "I remember the Loki Familia is currently preparing for an expedition. How do you have time to come to the dungeon alone?"
Upon hearing this, Ais's eyes became a bit evasive.
Finn's order was for her to rest well and conserve energy for the expedition. However, having just leveled up and with nothing else to do, she thought of coming to the dungeon to get accustomed to her newly upgraded state.
Seeing her slightly guilty expression, Ryou immediately understood. This girl had sneaked down here alone without telling her Familia. He quickly realized that her usual leisure activity was solo monster hunting in the dungeon.
If this girl were born in modern times, she would either become a shut-in or a master in some field. Her focus was so intense that it made Ryou feel a bit sorry for her.
Ryou quickly suggested, "It's always better to have someone to watch your back. How about I accompany you? But tomorrow, you have to go shopping with me to relax. How about it?"
Ais's eyes brightened, and she immediately nodded.
Monster hunting in the dungeon was her favorite thing.
As for Ryou's obvious invitation to a date in the second half of his suggestion, the naively ignorant Ais only saw it as normal interaction between friends. To her, her relationship with Ryou was at most that of Senpai and Kouhai, nothing more.
"Since I took down Udaeus, how about we try challenging the floor boss on the 48th floor, the Lava Lord? Morphite?"
Ais immediately nodded. Challenging a floor boss was the best way to test one's strength limits.
Ryou collected the magic stone and the broken sword tip dropped by Udaeus into his storage space.
Unfortunately, this time, Udaeus was quite stingy and didn't drop any equipment, only contributing nearly 50,000 energy points.
Ryou turned around and saw Ais's face full of curiosity and envy.
He immediately knew what this girl was thinking. She was undoubtedly eyeing his ability to store a large number of items in his storage space.
For a monster-hunting enthusiast like Ais, the most painful thing was wasting a lot of time going back and forth to replenish supplies.
Expeditions were fine because there were dedicated supporters, and she only needed to fight. But every time she hunted alone, she had to return to resupply before she was fully satisfied.
Ryou pretended not to see her expression, but he decided something in his heart.
...
Passing through the canyon where Udaeus was located, Ryou and Ais entered the domain of the 39th floor.
Here, every view was dominated by steep rocky mountains, jutting into the sky like unsheathed swords.
The sky, however, was covered with thick, leaden clouds, seemingly about to collapse at any moment.
Rumble!
With a loud noise, the rocky mountains "came to life."
A stone golem, about five meters tall, crawled out of the rock pile and attacked Ryou and Ais without a word.
Just as Ryou was about to act, Ais, without hesitation, drew her sword and charged.
Seeing Ais's sword pierce the golem's head, Ryou was left speechless.
Young lady, you're too diligent in your monster hunting; you're leaving no monster behind.
Seeing Ais fighting so fiercely, Ryou had no choice but to switch from tank to support, using primal runes to buff Ais with a series of enhancements.
Watching Ryou continually drawing primal runes, Ais's eyes once again filled with envy.
Ryou patted her on the head, saying, "Don't be envious. If Shishou thinks you're ready to learn the primal runes, she'll teach you."
Ais quickly nodded like a pine tree.
So, Ryou and Ais, relying solely on their cooperation, quickly advanced to the deeper levels.
To gain Ais's trust, Ryou no longer kept some of his small secrets from her. For example, he revealed his storage space and the system-produced potions that were of much higher quality than the healing potions sold in Orario.
Ryou's ultimate goal was to bring Ais back to "Chaldea," so naturally, apart from the system and his identity as a transmigrator, he didn't hide much from her.
By the way, the space Ryou had just transmigrated to was almost the same as the "Chaldea" in the mobile game and anime, so he simply called it "Chaldea." It was also a way to commemorate his life before transmigrating.
Moreover, Ryou removed the "Mask of the Deciever" in front of Ais, revealing his distinctly Eastern features.
Compared to the magically disguised, featureless Western face, Ryou's face was quite handsome, mainly due to the hardened aura from numerous battles, making him appear more rugged than his peers.
This kind of aura, however, was often more attractive to a girl like Ais, who admired strong individuals, than a frail pretty boy.
Ryou felt that after he removed the mask, Ais glanced at him more frequently.
Although Ais was still in a state of emotional ambiguity and only had a slight fondness for Ryou, most likely due to curiosity.
But Ryou didn't mind. Excluding that rabbit with a harem aura, he planned to bind Ais to his side. First as Senpai and Kouhai, then as siblings, and finally as a couple.
Hehe, the thought was a bit exciting.
"Remember, my name is Nguyen Ryou. This is a little secret only you and I know," Ryou said to Ais with a smile.
Ais obediently nodded her head.
As for Scathach, Ryou selectively forgot about her.
And the Ishtar Familia, who had a deep grudge against him, only regarded him as a slave. Slaves did not need names.
The two continued to advance, and as they went deeper, the monsters became stronger.
First, there were ordinary stone golems, followed by elite stone golems capable of using earth magic like "Rock Throw." As they approached the 48th floor where the floor boss resided, most of the monsters turned into lava golems.
These formidable monsters not only had thick skin and flesh but also possessed a unique magic called "Flame Shroud."
Anyone within a certain range of them would be burned by magical flames.
This was very troublesome for melee class.
However, for Ryou and Ais, it wasn't a big problem.
Ais had her unique wind magic for protection. As long as she fully defended with the magic wind, the level 5 lava golems couldn't harm her at all, given her high level 6 status.
As for Ryou, his high defense and fast HP recovery allowed him to do as he pleased, directly cutting down the lava golems.
Soon, the two of them, unstoppable, fought their way to the 48th floor.
What greeted them was a sea of lava, with only a large island made of volcanic ash isolated in the center.
"Be careful!"
Ryou cast various buffs on the two of them while spending energy points to redeem two bottles of fire resistance potion from the system.
At first glance, the potions looked like ice crystals contained within. Just holding them made Ryou's palm form a thin layer of frost.
Drinking it felt like gulping down a big bottle of icy soda on a scorching summer day—a cooling sensation.
In addition, there were potions for increasing attack and defense, agility, damage absorption, and injury recovery speed.
Altogether, they cost more than 5,000 energy points.
However, the system-produced potions were highly effective. Ryou felt his overall attributes approaching level 6, and for Ais, even without using wind magic, she was nearing level 7.
With this setup, Ryou felt like he was about to fight a boss in a game.
However, he quickly dispelled this feeling. This was not a game; there were no save points and no way to resurrect. If they died, it would be a death without a burial place!
They couldn't afford to be careless!
Ryou and Ais exchanged a glance and simultaneously stepped onto the stone island in the center of the lava sea.
Splash!
Just as they reached the center, a huge whirlpool suddenly appeared in the lava sea beside the island. The surrounding temperature soared, almost to the point where a single breath could scorch their lungs.
Had Ryou and Ais not taken the resistance potions in advance, they might have been injured right from the start, reducing their effectiveness.
Then, a colossal figure leaped out of the whirlpool.
It was a gigantic version of a regular lava golem, magnified four or five times. Just standing there, it was as tall as a five- or six-story building.
It had two huge, ferocious heads, and lava flowed along its body like veins emitting an orange-red glow.
"The Lord of Lava—Malphite!"
Ryou gazed solemnly at the enormous figure.
Roar!!!
As if responding to him, Malphite suddenly raised its heads, both opening their massive mouths and roaring.
With its roar, the previously calm lava began to boil, rolling and surging, creating waves of burning hot lava.
Ryou quickly moved his fingers, drawing a rune resembling an "H" in the air.
This was Hagalaz, the rune symbolizing "Hail" in the runic alphabet.
A sudden cool breeze blew through the scorching air. Immediately, a hailstone materialized out of thin air and smashed down towards Malphite's head.
The magical hailstone, enduring the intense heat of Malphite's flames, struck its body, creating black patches on its dark red stone skin.
Given the Malphite's enormous size, such minor injuries were nothing more than scratches.
As the Ruler of Flames, its already volatile brain felt provoked.
Without hesitation, it climbed out of the lava sea, taking giant steps towards Ryou and Ais.
With Malphite's massive size, it could reach them in just a few strides. Ryou immediately said to Ais, "Let's split up. I'll hold it off, and you look for an opening!"
Ais nodded, instantly activating her wind magic. With a light step, she leaped to the side like the wind.
"Come on, big guy," Ryou sneered, launching another hailstone at Malphite's head.
Malphite roared, enduring the hailstone as it lifted its foot to stomp down on him.
If that foot landed, he would be squashed flat.
Ryou had no choice but to channel magic into his feet, using the burst of speed to dodge to the side.
Boom!
A thunderous crash shook the ground.
After Malphite withdrew its foot, a huge, red-hot footprint remained, and the surrounding stones began to crystallize, soon to turn into glass as they cooled.
Ryou knew his attacks were unlikely to harm Malphite. Moreover, Malphite's "Flame Shroud" was ten times stronger than that of ordinary lava golems. Even from a distance, and with the fire resistance potion, Ryou still felt his hair and clothes were about to catch fire.
He dodged to the side and immediately began using "Hail" again.
Ais, in perfect sync, used her wind magic to fly directly to the spot where Malphite had been hit by the hailstone, and she thrust her sword fiercely.
The combination of extreme cold and heat would make any material brittle. With the destructive power of wind magic, Ais's sword acted like a giant drill, creating a huge gash in Malphite's shoulder.
Malphite screamed in pain and instinctively swung a massive hand at Ais. She dodged the attack gracefully, like a nimble bird.
Already severely injured, Malphite's heavy slap immediately knocked off its left arm.
Ryou, who had been continuously pelting Malphite with hail, was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw this. Suddenly, Malphite's eyes, like fiery orbs, erupted with a blinding light.
Next, it grabbed the injured part of its body, tore off a large chunk, and hurled the magma-laden tissue at him.
Ryou, disregarding his image, clumsily rolled to the side to dodge.
Boom!
The chunk of Malphite's body exploded upon hitting the ground.
Hot fragments and magma flew everywhere.
Although Ryou had dodged in advance, he hadn't anticipated this move, and his body was instantly riddled with burning holes.
Gravely injured, Ryou shouted excitedly, "Ais, now!"
Ignoring the searing pain from his burns, he drew another hail rune.
This time, his target was Ais, who was in mid-air!
Upon hearing Ryou's shout, Ais lightly cried out, "Wind!"
The wind magic enveloping her surged dramatically, and at that moment, Ryou's hail arrived.
The blue-white hail was immediately caught up in the greenish whirlwind.
Ais, now like a drill, aimed at the connection point between Malphite's two heads and bore down fiercely!