18th Floor of the Dungeon
After some final preparations, the executives of the Loki Familia, who had stayed there for a night of rest, gathered together.
"Ahh~ We're finally heading back. We stayed here for over a month this time!"
Tiona said with a wide grin, hands on her hips as she stared at the path leading to the 17th floor.
"Indeed, we've spent far more time here than usual. On the other hand, our earnings have also been excellent,"
Tione replied, casting a glance at her twin sister, who seemed eager to return.
"Sister, excellent? Our earnings were insane!"
Tiona complained, clearly dissatisfied with her sister's modesty.
Without wasting time, she rushed over to Ais and asked:
"And you, Ais? Aren't you excited to go back to the surface too?"
"No. I still want to keep fighting…"
Ais responded in her usual flat, emotionless voice.
(Arrrrgh! I asked the wrong person! Ais is a complete battle maniac!!)
Tiona groaned mentally.
Just as she was about to speak again, Riveria's serious voice echoed from behind her:
"You need to balance hard work and rest, Ais."
"Even though you're already Level 5, overexertion will negatively affect your growth. Don't jeopardize your future out of greed."
As she spoke, Riveria approached Ais and gave her a light tap on the head—a gentle scolding.
"Riveria, you meanie!"
Knowing she couldn't argue with the elf, Ais simply held her head and let out a soft sigh.
"I have to be strict to keep you in line,"
Riveria replied with a kind smile before turning her attention to the twins.
Noticing her gaze, Tiona and Tione immediately looked in opposite directions, feigning innocence and starting to whistle.
"Don't be so serious, Riveria. Let them enjoy themselves a little. After all, we're heading home after over a month,"
said Finn, approaching with his usual warm smile.
"Captain!"
Tiona rushed over to him excitedly and, taking advantage of the support, beamed:
"Exactly! We're finally going back! Why all the grumpiness?"
"If you like staying home so much, why not become a gatekeeper?"
Bete mocked, smirking.
"Bete, you idiot!"
Tiona shouted, immediately engaging in another argument with him.
The atmosphere quickly grew livelier, filled with voices and laughter.
"Seriously… Can't you all stay quiet for even a second? You're noisy all day long,"
Riveria muttered, massaging her temples.
"You two, silence!"
she snapped, slamming her staff on the ground with authority.
Tiona and Bete froze at once, standing still and visibly regretful. Irritating Riveria was never a good idea.
But before she could continue scolding them, a sudden roar echoed through the dungeon.
"ROOOAAAR!! ROOOAAAR!! ROOOAAAR!!"
"Did Goliath just spawn? What a coincidence…"
Tione remarked with an intrigued smile.
"I'll defeat the glory and clear the way for everyone!"
Tiona shouted, already preparing to charge.
"Me too!"
Bete added quickly, not wanting to fall behind.
"I'm coming as well!"
Ais declared, seeing it as yet another opportunity to fight.
In seconds, the trio vanished from Riveria's sight.
With an exhausted expression, she sighed:
"Those troublesome kids…"
"Hahaha!"
Finn and Gareth laughed, watching the scene with amusement.
---
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Shirou, who had been fighting nonstop since reaching the Middle Floors, continued cutting down monsters in front of him without pause, despite the growing fatigue.
But he couldn't—and didn't want to—stop now.
He was alone, and staying in one place too long could get him surrounded. Stopping simply wasn't an option.
Thankfully, he had brought enough supplies in advance.
Shirou pulled out a flask of magic potion and another of physical potion from the pouch at his waist and drank both without hesitation.
The effects were immediate: his wounds began healing faster, and the mounting mental fatigue faded away.
Of course, these potions weren't miraculous—far from instantly restoring him completely—but they were more than enough.
The most powerful healing item, capable of regenerating nearly all wounds and removing negative effects, was the legendary Elixir.
Though it couldn't regenerate lost limbs, a single bottle was worth at least 500,000 valis—a fortune most adventurers could never afford.
"Hah!"
Shirou roared, swinging his twin blades with renewed strength.
He had already reached the second half of the 15th floor.
In addition to Hellhounds, he now faced other threats: Crystal Mantis, Wyverns, and the dreaded Dungeon Worms.
But among them, one monster stood out as the most dangerous of the Middle Floors—the Minotaur.
A humanoid beast with a bull's head, the Minotaur was considered a symbol of raw power and endurance.
With 1980 strength and 1700 endurance points, it outclassed almost every monster at its level.
However, its agility (950) and dexterity (200) were relatively low, making its movements somewhat predictable.
Even so, it was a deadly threat to Level 2 adventurers.
In the past, it had been Bell's psychological nightmare—until he faced it and reached Level 2.
And now, that same monster stood before Shirou.
The redhead grinned at the towering, muscular beast before him.
"Tough luck for you… I'm practically a monster shredder thanks to these beauties right here."
he said, gripping the handles of Kanshou and Bakuya firmly.
"Let's see how you handle this, hornhead."
he muttered before charging.
Shirou spun his body gracefully, dodging the Minotaur's attack and immediately countering—Kanshou sliced cleanly through the monster's neck.
"That… was easier than I expected. Once again, you two have proven yourselves my finest projections,"
he murmured, smiling at his twin swords.
He spun Kanshou to flick the blood from the blade and, with a spirited grin, moved forward—ready to face the next wave of monsters.
---
"Now I feel so much better! Don't you, Ais?"
Tiona said, leading the group and effortlessly defeating Minotaurs.
"Yes,"
Ais replied with a slight nod.
"You two, don't let your guard down! We're close to the passage to the 15th floor. The road is narrow, and there's a cliff just below. Stay sharp!"
Riveria warned, following close behind.
"Got it!"
Tiona responded, immediately serious.
"By the way, we've been running into an unusual number of monsters…"
Finn commented, his expression tense as he scanned the surroundings.
They had reached the transition point to the 15th floor, where several stone bridges spanned massive cliffs.
Normally, a few monsters appeared in this area… but never this many.
Upon hearing Finn's concern, the members of the Loki Familia looked toward the stone bridge ahead.
Before they could investigate further, an arrow suddenly flew from the passage and struck a monster squarely in the head.
Then a rain of arrows followed, eliminating the remaining enemies one by one.
"RAAAHHH!!"
With a fierce roar, a young man with red hair and a single white streak came charging through the passage, rushing straight at the remaining monsters.
In that moment, Shirou finally crossed paths with the pillars of the Loki Familia.
But he had no time—or intention—to get distracted.
Right now, he had only one thing in mind:
Fight.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."