"The moment you overcome your fear, you'll be able to face your opponents head-on, dodging their attacks while casting your spells. As a Riviria apprentice, I'm sure you understand that better than anyone," Yuri said.
Yuri then approached the elf girl, held her in his arms, and began to walk.
"How about taking this opportunity to guide me to see the Monster Rex on the 17th floor?"
Lefiya suddenly avoided his gaze, buried her face in Yuri's arms, and pointed forward.
"Don't look at me. I'll show you the way..."
Loki Familia
Breakfast was coming to an end.
Suddenly, Tiona and Tione realized that Lefiya was gone.
"If Lefiya just wanted to stay in bed, she wouldn't be this late, right?" Tiona said, a little confused.
"In fact, she's usually very diligent. Besides... he's here too," Tione added, also puzzled, since the elf girl rarely missed an opportunity to be near Ais.
"Lefiya might've left early."
Having been reminded by the Amazon sisters, Ais also realized something was missing.
She had noticed changes in Lefiya since they returned from the last expedition.
"Lefiya was upset about her failure during the last expedition. I think she might've gone into the dungeon alone."
After hearing that, the Amazon sisters understood immediately.
The last expedition had almost ended in disaster due to Lefiya's failure with parallel chanting.
"So that girl really went into the dungeon alone this morning?" Tione frowned.
"I have a bad feeling..." Tiona added, clearly worried.
In response, Ais dropped her knife and fork and stood up.
"I plan to go to the dungeon to train as well."
"Then I'm going too."
"Me too."
The three quickly agreed, geared up, and rushed toward the dungeon, eager to find the elf girl.
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon...
Monsters encountered along the way were swiftly eliminated by vines and branches. Though the dungeon was teeming with monsters, the journey was surprisingly peaceful.
Yuri chatted with Lefiya, who remained safely in his arms like a princess. As he watched her closely, he realized she was much more beautiful than he'd initially thought.
Her long orange hair, those soft and bright eyes, her slender waist, long legs, and even the seductive white stockings—all of it gave her a unique charm.
Especially the way she cutely turned her head now and then to sneak a peek at him, only to quickly bury her face in his chest again.
The elf girl in his arms also felt her heart racing.
The elven habit of keeping distance from humans meant she had never experienced this kind of closeness before, making her a bit shy and flustered.
Now, feeling the warmth of his embrace—broad and secure in a way she'd never felt—Lefiya couldn't help the wild thoughts that began flooding her mind.
Suddenly, she wondered if there was really a reason to be so hostile toward Yuri just because of his closeness to Ais.
Thinking about it more, maybe... from now on, she could hold Ais in her left hand and Yuri in her right. Wouldn't it be nice for the three of them to be together?
With her vivid imagination, Lefiya couldn't stop herself from picturing the scene—Ais on one side, Yuri on the other—and letting out a silly little "Hehe~" smile.
And so, the two of them, each lost in their own thoughts, yet with a shared goal, finally stepped onto the 17th floor!
This was the exclusive domain of the floor boss.
A vast and long stone chamber dominated the floor. Glowing phosphorescent lights scattered across the ceiling and walls lit up the place as if it were daytime.
The stone chamber was about twenty meters high and over two hundred meters long. The right side of the chamber was rough and uneven like a cave, while the left side was smooth as a mirror.
Yuri gently set Lefiya down and looked at the polished wall.
"Lefiya, wait outside and don't interfere."
The elf girl, knowing Yuri's strength, quickly backed up toward the entrance of the 17th floor, her eyes fixed on the rock wall.
A snapping sound echoed clearly from one of the cave walls.
Yuri, now holding his Nichirin, calmly turned his attention to it.
The wall, smooth as a mirror, began to crack, the sounds growing louder as the fissures spread rapidly—until suddenly, it burst open.
Bang!
With a loud explosion, a massive figure burst from the cracked wall and slammed onto the floor.
Its gray-brown skin was coarse and stony. Although it had short legs, its bulky upper body made up nearly 60% of its height. Its body looked as hard as steel, and long white hair flowed from its back, always curling forward.
[A/N: Unfortunately, I couldn't find any reference image of the normal Goliath—only images of the Black Goliath.]
The giant, completely nude and about seven meters tall, let out a fierce roar as it fixed its glowing eyes on Yuri.
"Show time~" Yuri grinned as he assumed an Iaido stance.
(End of Chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉