"Wuwuwu, my Urga!"
Tiona wept bitterly, overwhelmed with grief to the point of suffocation.
Urga was the name of her greatsword, worth 120 million Valis.
Putting herself in someone else's shoes, if Eiji accidentally lost over 100 million Valis, he might have already stopped breathing by now.
"Stop crying already. We're almost at the 49th floor—pull yourself together."
Her twin sister took a large cleaver from the supporter's backpack and tossed it to Tiona.
"Wuwuwu..."
Tiona caught the cleaver but continued to sob.
"You're so annoying. Hey, Eiji, come here!"
"What do you want?"
"Comfort her."
"Fine."
Eiji rolled his eyes and then gave Tiona a head pat.
"Ehehe..."
Before the tears on Tiona's face could even dry, her lips curled into a happy smile.
"I'm fired up again!"
Such an easygoing Amazoness!
Everyone in the Familia couldn't help but complain inwardly at the sight.
"By the way, is it really okay to just end the expedition like this?"
"There's no other choice."
In response to Eiji's question, Finn's voice came from the front of the group.
"Aside from Ais's Desperate, all our first-class equipment has been melted. We can't go on even if we wanted to."
The Desperate referred to Ais's slender silver sword, rumoured to have been imbued with an "indestructible" property by its blacksmith, making it incredibly durable.
Thanks to Eiji's timely warning, supplies like food and potions hadn't been lost. But without powerful equipment, further exploration was impossible.
They were already on their way back.
"But it's definitely frustrating."
Finn's voice carried a hint of gloom.
"We'll definitely come back for revenge soon. When that time comes, we'll take back everything with interest!"
Hearing this, the executives all nodded, their faces filled with determination.
"Alright, everyone, get ready to break through the 49th floor!"
"Yes!"
Eiji also returned to the supporters' group.
Though his performance had been outstanding, as a Level 2, he hadn't been much use against the Fomors. Their muscles were harder than steel—even supersonic sword slashes could only kill them by piercing their eyes.
Still, those giants were massive sources of experience for Eiji, comparable to the Goliath.
Eiji was already itching for a fight.
***
Another week passed.
The Loki Familia, having concluded their expedition, traversed the unimaginably vast depths and lower levels, finally returning to the middle levels.
"Such a lovely place!"
Eiji gazed at the breathtaking grasslands and lakes, a serene smile on his face.
Huh? Is that a Bear Bug?
Haha, it's so unthreatening—what an adorable little thing!
This was the 18th floor, the first safe zone of the Dungeon. Just stepping out of the Great Tree Labyrinth, Eiji spotted Bear Bugs and Sword Stags in the distance, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace.
"Hehe, we had the same reaction during our first expedition."
The golden-haired elf, Alicia, wore a reserved smile as she subtly inched closer to Eiji.
Tiona shot her a piercing glare, while two other pairs of eyes secretly glanced over. But when Eiji turned to look, all he saw were the backs of golden and marigold-coloured ponytails—their owners pretending not to care.
"It seems it's noon right now."
The white crystals on the ceiling shone with daylight-like brilliance.
Even the usually composed Finn couldn't help but look invigorated.
"In that case, let's hurry and return to the Familia before sunset today!"
"Yay!"
"Following tradition, we'll split into two groups, same as when we entered..."
"Wait, Finn! Put Eiji in the first group this time!"
Tiona suddenly jumped out, deliberately speaking loudly.
"Hm? Well, I don't mind."
Finn glanced at her and nodded calmly.
They were almost back to the surface anyway, so the grouping hardly mattered. Even as Level 2s, the Loki Familia could stroll through the upper and middle levels like tigers among sheep.
"Hmph!"
Tiona shot Alicia a triumphant look.
Alicia sighed regretfully.
Eiji shrugged.
His expression practically screamed, "Being too handsome comes with these kinds of troubles."
A few minutes later.
A small team of over a dozen members, including Finn, Eiji, Tiona, and Ais, set off from the 18th floor with some of their luggage.
"Hey hey, Eiji, how much do you think your excelia will increase after this expedition?"
Walking through the dim caverns of the 17th floor—the Goliath seemed to have been defeated two days prior—Tiona idly asked Eiji beside her.
"Hmm, at least 4,000 or 5,000?"
"...You've got some nerve saying that."
Tiona was dumbfounded.
Ais also cast him a strange look.
The werewolf Bete outright scoffed, openly expressing his disdain for Eiji. Well, that was understandable—he and Eiji had been at odds for the past half-month.
For Level 5s like them, an expedition might only boost their excelia by a few dozen points at most. Though they had bulldozed their way through, Eiji, as a Level 2 fighting above his weight class, would naturally gain more experience. But an increase of 4,000 or 5,000 was downright fantastical.
"I also think it's a bit—"
"I actually think it's entirely possible."
However, Finn, who was leading the group, suddenly spoke up, his tone brimming with confidence in Eiji.
"Eh? Really? Then I think so too!"
Tiona was startled but quickly switched sides with zero principles.
"Why do you think so, Finn?"
Lefiya shot Finn a curious look.
To be honest, even she, who held high hopes for Eiji, found a 4,000–5,000 increase nearly impossible. She hadn't expected Finn to be so unusually confident in him.
Finn chuckled.
"Crack—!"
Then—
Before Finn could explain, the crisp sound of shattering rock echoed in their ears.
"Ooohhh!"
Immediately afterwards, one monster after another emerged from the walls, letting out earth-shaking roars.
Their sturdy, grayish-brown muscles, two-meter-tall burly frames, twin curved horns, and bloodthirsty crimson eyes—all unmistakably marked their identity.
The strongest individual monsters above the 18th floor: Minotaurs.
However—
Just as the Minotaurs were about to attack the passing adventurers—
They suddenly froze in place.
From Finn, Tiona, Ais, Bete, and the others, their wild instincts sensed an utterly terrifying aura. The overwhelming, demon-king-like pressure instantly silenced the Minotaurs, flooding their hearts with fear.
Every single one of them was a monster!
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹