And so, with everything planned out, the rest of the day was spent bringing Shurry up to speed on as much dungeon knowledge as was possible in the short time frame they had. The rate he absorbed all of the information led the senior members of the Zeus & Hera familias to sigh internally, not because he was slow, rather just opposite, he was so fast that the thought of him not being in their familia was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow.
It took about 2 hours to finish going through all of the information on the upper, middle, and lower floors… From the first floor down to the 36th floor. It was absolutely ludicrous. And so there was an additional hour of quizzing, where the members of the raid team would ask questions they thought were important for him to not only know the answer, but be able to react right away.
"Alright, I'm certain you know everything there is to know about the dungeon's floors, down through the 36th floor. It would be prudent for you to learn about the floors that come after as well. I'll be dangerous on some of them given you're lack of the Abnormal resistance-"
"I can also recover such status ailments. That's why my daddy chose my other one."
"Huh? That healing magic-" Maxim uttered in shock. "The versatility of it is astounding. Empress, we might manage to push a few more floors this time. That boy is really something else."
"Let's try not to rely upon him too much, he is a guest on our expedition. And he won't be coming with us to take on the great quests either. That's decreed by Lady Hera herself."
"Zeus said the same thing… Very well, we will push as far as we can, without relying on him."
Shurry was standing on the chair, reading the book about the deeper floors when… "Hey, this Ugly day guy? Is he really just a giant skeleton? Where's his crystal then?"
"Udeaus, it is a skeleton, except super big, and his magic crystal is where the heart would be."
"Oh? I wonder if I can just weave my way inside the gaps and just drain it from there then? I kinda want to try that. Sounds like fun!" His tail wagged.
"Pfft, I'm not going to make that promise until after I personally see you fight. Even with Leon's words, I still have a hard time believing it."
"Okay! I get the stone either way, right?"
"Yeah, after hearing how they'll be used, even if it throws off the dungeon a bit, I doubt it'll cause too many problems."
And with that the studies continued, Shurry was to stay the night studying up on all of the records he could possibly manage to consume before the expedition. He stayed up late into the night and enjoyed passing the time with snacks. There was also always at least four others waiting up with him, all to answer his questions whenever he had them.
The deep floors were a whole new concept to him, so it took far longer to get a grasp on some of the concepts. In other words, he had so many questions it was crazy, he actually wanted to know everything there was to know, he also wanted to understand it. However, even with his resilience, he still passed out on the table, exhausted.
…
Central plaza, the gathering point of all adventurers before their descent into the dungeon, was filled with the joint expedition team. This was truly a sight to behold, sure there were other large familias, but none compared to the majesty, and prestige that the Zeus & Hera familias gave off, they were the strongest by far, and so regular citizens would come to watch them prepare, and give their best wishes. For everyone in Orario knew that if anyone was ever going to clear the Dungeon, it would be them, Zeus & Hera.
So, Maxim, stood at the forefront, and addressed the expedition team. "Today we embark on a dangerous quest to explore the depths, the mysteries which lay beneath our feet. The people of Orario have given us their blessings, hopes, and dreams. Let us carry them with us, and discover what has yet to be. Today we push further!"
Empress, standing to Maxim's side, smirked. "Such vigor, impressive…" She teased, then began her own address. "To those we've invited to accompany us, we welcome you, each and every one. Thank you for coming along with us, and entrusting your skills, and safety with us. We are grateful you could come on short notice."
Maxim chuckled, not needing to say anything to tease Empress back. "With that, I will be leading the forward group, and Empress will lead the follow up group. We will rendezvous on the 18th floor, and from there, launch our assault all the way down, deeper. Come, let us begin!"
Maxim and the forward group, which included Leon and Shurry, charged through the dungeon with a speed that made people watching it stumble dizzily. Clearing the first floor in a matter of minutes, it was obvious the strength of the few leading the vanguard wasn't simple. They were all level 3 but easily fought far above that. To Shurry it seemed like they were fighting at least to the level of a high 4 maybe low 5.
The two exceptions were; Meteria, and a half Hume Bunny. They were much slower, and weaker than the others. But they were still given the chance to fight so they could build up their skills. Then…
"The next floor is the 15th. Shurry, take the vanguard and show me what you're made of."
Shurry responded with action, speeding up past the others who'd been in the vanguard for the last several floors, he was at the front creating an arrow that pierced through everything in their way. There wasn't a single monster that got the better of him, and whenever there were too many, he created that same attack he happened across during the leviathan fight, slaughtering the monsters in a giant cone of light.
"Well damn, he really is something else. Now I'm excited to see how he does in Monster Rex battles."
"I did tell you he was something else, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but seeing it is so much better." It didn't take long for the forward group to arrive at the Wall of Lamentation on the 17th floor. "Alright, take five minutes and recuperate."