Below Babel, at the entrance to the Dungeon.
Many adventurers intending to explore the Dungeon gathered here, either waiting for teammates or recruiting supporters. Various needs made this place exceptionally lively.
But at a certain moment, the bustling and noisy square suddenly fell silent. Many adventurers stopped talking and stared blankly ahead.
There, the renowned Loki Familia was emerging en masse.
"Look, it's the Loki Familia! The Brave, the Heavy Warrior, the Nine-Tailed Mage, even the Sword Princess is there."
"Not only that, I think all of the Loki Familia's high-level adventurers seem to have arrived."
"Could it be an expedition? But I don't see them preparing any supplies."
Amidst the discussions of the surrounding crowd, the Loki Familia's party approached, walking directly towards the Dungeon entrance.
Seeing the Loki Familia's party, many adventurers instinctively moved aside. Although the Loki Familia hadn't spoken, they simply didn't dare to stand in front of them.
And this was the deterrent power of one of Orario's strongest.
"It's truly magnificent. Other Familias' adventurers look like mice seeing a cat when they see us."
Shirou, who was going deep into the Dungeon with a large group for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim. He had never experienced such a scene before.
"This is the right granted to us by Orario, but it is also our duty."
"Whenever something dangerous happens, we will be the Guild's first choice. We will stand at the forefront of danger, facing Orario's enemies."
Finn, walking beside him, heard Shirou's exclamation and quietly came to his side to explain.
Finn was undoubtedly very pleased with Shirou. In his mind, Shirou should be the best successor to the future Familia captain.
Therefore, whenever there was an opportunity, he would subtly educate him.
Hearing Finn's explanation, Shirou nodded thoughtfully.
Others didn't know, but he did—that in the future, the Dark Faction would reappear, and the Loki Familia would once again fight against them.
These were unavoidable.
Seeing that Shirou had gained something, Finn said no more and quietly stepped back.
After all, education also had to be done little by little, and besides, it wasn't yet time for him to retire.
After entering the Dungeon, the Loki Familia's party advanced irresistibly.
In front of this group of high-level adventurers, the upper floors' environment was no different from the surface. The group moved as if they were on a pleasant outing.
Even in the middle floors, the Loki Familia's party showed no signs of slowing down.
Although there were some adventurers in the Loki Familia who would struggle in the middle floors, they were all distributed beside powerful adventurers under Finn's prior arrangement.
Because of this, the Loki Familia quickly arrived at the 17th floor of the Dungeon.
At the end of the passage connecting the 17th and 18th floors, a huge chamber appeared before the Loki Familia.
But they did not continue forward, because the protagonist here was no longer them, but the young man in the center of the group.
Stepping out of the group, Shirou walked leisurely through the passage, now devoid of monsters, and entered Goliath's Chamber, waiting for its revival.
Looking at the Great Wall of Lamentation on one side of the chamber, Shirou's eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
Last time, he sincerely didn't want to encounter the Floor Boss, but this time, he actively sought it out.
Even though it had only been a month.
But in this single month, he had grown tremendously.
And now, it was time to showcase his growth.
"It's coming!"
As soon as Shirou finished speaking, the Great Wall of Lamentation on the opposite side began to tremble violently.
Then, a huge figure broke free from the wall and appeared before Shirou.
"Ooooooh!"
The gigantic monster roared to the sky as soon as it appeared.
Unlike other monsters, this was a true monster.
Its massive body was estimated to be dozens of meters tall, and its sturdy physique was filled with power.
This was Goliath, the Floor Boss of the 17th floor of the Dungeon.
"Projection, start."
With the flow of magic, the two divine weapons, Kanshou and Bakuya, appeared in Shirou's hands.
Gripping the swords tightly, Shirou walked towards the monster before him.
"According to the Familia's intelligence, the Floor Boss Goliath is rated at LV.4, but in terms of endurance alone, Goliath can even reach LV.5."
"I wonder if my attacks can inflict fatal damage on it."
With a thought, the two short swords in Shirou's hands began to extend continuously, finally transforming into two great swords.
And at that moment, Shirou finally unleashed his full speed and charged forward.
"Ooooooh!"
Goliath, enraged by the insect-like creature charging at it, clenched its iron fist and smashed it towards Shirou.
With immense power, the heavy iron fist violently struck the ground, instantly causing the ground to cave in.
This demonstrated its terrifying strength.
But this punch did not hit Shirou's body.
With the enhancement of his Mind's Eye, Shirou's perception was greatly improved.
Before the opponent even attacked, Shirou had already 'read' its movements.
He then perfectly dodged it.
Leaping into the air, Shirou stretched his body freely mid-air, then firmly landed on Goliath's arm.
He then swiftly ascended along Goliath's arm, rushing directly towards Goliath's head.
But Goliath's reaction was swift.
Before Shirou could reach Goliath's head, its other hand had already swung over, attacking Shirou along its own arm.
There was no choice.
Seeing that he couldn't continue forward, Shirou aimed at the arm beneath his feet and slashed fiercely, then leaped back into the air.
With his head falling downwards, Shirou projected his black longbow in mid-air.
"Projection, start!"
"False Caladbolg!"
Without a blade, the peculiar long sword, born for piercing, once again transformed into an arrow and was nocked onto the longbow.
"Broken Phantasm!"
Accompanied by the soft twang of a bowstring, the arrow carrying immense magic power shot towards Goliath.
Boom!
A violent explosion echoed through the chamber, and endless flames danced in the air.
Falling from the air, Shirou stood steadily on the ground, gazing at the monster shrouded in smoke.
There was not the slightest hint of relaxation on his face.
He knew very well that the previous blow would not be enough to defeat this enemy.
What he wanted to know now was Goliath's damage status, so he could plan for the subsequent battle.
"Ooooooh!"
A deafening roar once again reverberated throughout the chamber, and with Goliath's arm swing, the pervasive smoke instantly dissipated.
Looking at the reappearing figure, Shirou's pupils contracted sharply.
Although the opponent was covered in soot, and some places were even pitted, Shirou could sense that its combat ability was almost unaffected.
"What monster-level durability! Is this the power of a high-level adventurer?"
His magic circulated even faster, and a dozen sword armaments appeared around Shirou.
"Don't get careless, Goliath. The battle has just begun!"
A joyous smile appeared on Shirou's lips.
This was a battle that truly made his blood boil.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter