The benefits of joining Hera Familia were more than Charlie anticipated.
First, he received equipment such as the Eclipse Aegis cloak with numerous magical functions, the Damocles Sword with the Durandal Attribute that grows with its user, and several pieces of body armor.
Second, he was given a sum of money as initial funding for living expenses in Orario. It's worth noting that even the protagonist Bell Cranel was only given 3,000 valis by Zeus when he first arrived in Orario, whereas Charlie received 50,000 valis from Hera.
Third, Hera provided him with complete maps of every floor up to Floor 71! This information is invaluable, something even the Freya Familia and Loki Familia do not possess!
Although the Hera Familia had declined and its foundation crumbled along with the destruction of its main personnel, the remnants could still not be underestimated.
*WHOOSH*
With buffs enhancing his physical strength and wind speed, Charlie could run as fast as a sports car. If it weren't for the need to maneuver around the Dungeon's terrain and other adventurers, his speed would have been even faster.
*WHOOSH*
His figure left behind a strong gust of wind, surprising the adventurers who saw him.
"Huh? What just passed by?"
"Did you feel it too? I thought it was just my imagination…"
Two novice adventurers on the 4th Floor looked at each other in confusion.
Not long after, another figure rushed past. This time, they caught a glimpse of a blonde figure moving at high speed.
"Isn't that the Sword Princess? Why does she seem to be in a hurry?"
"Forget it, whatever the Sword Princess is doing, it has nothing to do with low-level adventurers like us."
"You're right."
No longer paying attention to what had just happened, the two of them turned back to fighting a group of Kobolds that had just emerged from the Dungeon walls.
Meanwhile, Charlie remained unaware that Aiz was following him.
The deeper he went, the larger the environment of each floor became. Even the 5th Floor was almost the size of Central Park in Orario.
It's a well-known fact that the Dungeon expands with each floor. Although some floors do not follow this pattern exactly, most people have accepted the idea that the deeper adventurers delve into the Dungeon, the larger the floors become. The corridors and rooms on each floor also grow dramatically larger with each descending level.
8th Floor… 12th Floor… 15th Floor… 16th Floor…
After half an hour of running at high speed, Charlie arrived at the entrance corridor of the 17th Floor.
"Huff.. Huff... Huff…"
He didn't immediately enter the 17th Floor, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling, and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"So exhausting... This is just like the inhumane training during the Kopassus recruitment. Huffttt...."
Exhaling deeply, he took a Dual Potion from his backpack and drank it.
The Dual Potion's effect was to restore both health and mind. It cost 20,000 valis, something low-level adventurers would have to save up to buy.
"So this is the 17th Floor. It's definitely designed for giant monsters."
Sitting on the ground, Charlie observed the 17th Floor ahead of him.
It was a vast room, incredibly spacious and very tall.
The walls and ceiling were made of many different-sized stones stacked on top of each other, except for the one on the left.
The wall on the left seemed to be carved and polished in such a way that it was perfectly smooth, without a single rough protrusion, stretching straight from end to end.
This is the iconic architecture of the 17th Floor—the Great Wall of Sorrow, also known as the place where Goliath appears.
"Luckily, no other adventurers have arrived. With this, Goliath is mine."
"Before I start, let's analyze the information about Goliath."
No longer in a rush, Charlie didn't immediately enter the 17th Floor. Besides, Goliath hadn't respawned yet, and he wasn't the type to fight without a plan. On the contrary, he was cautious. If he wasn't, the revenge in his previous life wouldn't have succeeded without extraordinary patience and determination.
"The term Monster Rex refers to a unique, solitary monster that dominates its birthplace. Their strength and territorial nature have earned them the title of Floor Boss."
"Floor Bosses surpass all other monsters in terms of strength and size, defeating a Monster Rex should be the hardest part of conquering a floor. Furthermore, Floor Bosses typically have strength two levels above other monsters on the same floor. Goliath is the first Floor Boss in the Dungeon, and its strength is classified as Level 4."
"Goliath possesses immense raw power; its large size doesn't hinder its movement speed, and the most troublesome aspect is its regenerative ability."
"No matter how powerful Goliath's attacks are, as long as they don't hit me, I'll be fine."
If others knew that Charlie, only at Level 1, dared to challenge Goliath, they would label him as either crazy or fearless.
But Charlie had a different perspective. He possessed Spirit Art that allowed him to manipulate natural phenomena, which was even superior to the magic of this world. After all, adventurers should take risks and seek challenges. If not, could they truly be called adventurers?
The majority of adventurers live in their comfort zones and are reluctant to take life-threatening risks. This is also the main reason why the average adventurer remains at Level 1 or Level 2. Even after the gods bestowed Falna upon them, their cowardly mentality didn't change, and they preferred a life without risk.
"I'm different from them. Powerlessness… I hate that feeling."
"There's nothing I hate more than the helplessness of a man allowing his lover to be killed right before his eyes. I won't make the same mistake and won't be a man who regrets and cries, wishing he could have done something better."
Memories of regret over losing the woman he loved in his previous life haunted Charlie once again.
*CRACK* *CRACK* *CRACK*
The sound of cracks snapped Charlie out of his sorrow.
He turned and saw large cracks spreading down the wall from top to bottom like a massive lightning bolt.
*RUMBLE... CRASH*
The entire room shook, a landslide of wall fragments suddenly struck the Dungeon floor, and a deafening sound echoed as the stones hit the ground.
*BOOM*
Something enormous had emerged from the hole, shaking the room with its first step.
It was a giant over seven meters tall, its grayish-brown skin rough like stone. Its muscular upper body accounted for about 60% of its height, and hair hung from its back, which was always hunched forward.
"OOOOOOOOOHHH!!!"
Goliath's piercing roar echoed loudly on the 17th Floor.
"On closer inspection, Goliath looks a bit like the Titan Eren. Both are equally naked."
Making a dull joke, Charlie unsheathed the Damocles Sword from its scabbard and, without hesitation, stepped into the 17th Floor.
Instantly, Goliath recognized him as an enemy.
"Come on, Goliath, try to entertain me!" Charlie grinned excitedly.
"OOOOOOOOOHHH!!!"
As if understanding the provocation, Goliath roared in anger and charged at Charlie.
Since Charlie was fully focused on Goliath, he didn't notice Aiz, who had just arrived, panting from exhaustion.
"He's really fighting Goliath..." Aiz whispered softly.
Charlie's figure reminded her of her father, who bravely faced far stronger enemies on the battlefield.
"You must win…"
Aiz wished for Charlie's victory, the man she had only met once.