With the order given, the frontliners charged again.
Fron, while using Amid's magic to heal the severely injured, looked at the battlefield ahead and sincerely let out words of praise.
--------------------------------------
"What an amazing coordination, this is the technique I lack."
Focusing on two things at once, not only completing the treatment of injuries but also continuously learning until the battle ended.
...
...
After experiencing a fierce battle, everyone remained mentally excited, but the physical fatigue and injuries slowed down the team's pace.
This is the 37th floor, an entrance to the deep levels.
According to the guild's evaluation and analysis of the dungeon:
Floors 1-12 are classified as the "Upper Floors",
13-24 as the "Middle Floors",
25-36 as the "Lower Floors",
37-48 as the "Deep Floors",
and everything after 49 as "Unknown Floors".
There is nothing much to say about the upper, middle, and lower levels; any mid-tier Familia in Orario can reach those floors.
However, the Familias capable of reaching the 37th floor and beyond are few and far between in the entire Orario.
The Loki Familia, Freya Familia, Hephaistos Familia, Ganesha Familia, Ishtar Familia, and some other dark Familias like Hermes Familia and Dionysus Familia secretly operating in the shadows all have that capability.
This alone shows how terrifying the "Deep Levels" are.
Starting from the 37th floor, you might randomly encounter a Cadmus, a Peluda, or an elite Lizardman. Without Level 4 strength and high stats, you're basically done for.
All of these monsters have potential strength at Level 4, and with almost regular "Irregular Events" such as "Monster Parties" or "Monster Mutations," even powerful Familias like the Loki Familia can end up suffering devastating losses, possibly even being wiped out.
For these reasons, anyone reaching the 37th floor is already extraordinary.
The Elf's Magic Unit's deployment was the best demonstration of this.
...
...
"The White Palace" – that is the name of the 37th floor.
Huge, mysterious walls of pale white create an immense maze that stretches across the entirety of the 37th floor almost the size of Orario.
Even with dozens of people walking through the corridors and vast halls, there was no crowding; by rough estimation, the width on both sides easily exceeded ten meters.
The lighting in the deep levels was dim, and even if one couldn't clearly see the details, the ceiling height alone surpassed that of any floor Fron had ever seen.
This underground dungeon, true to its name, was a real labyrinth on the 37th floor.
Its defining feature was the "Circular Giant Walls."
At the floor's center was a staircase leading further down, with the entire structure built like a throne, surrounded by several layers of massive circular walls.
The team had to travel through the labyrinth corridors inside these circular walls, climbing countless steps and stairways while heading toward the center staircase.
After fighting and resting at the outermost layer, the fifth circular wall, the team began moving toward the central staircase.
"We are now in what's called the 'Beast's Room,' located between the fourth and fifth circular walls. Inside that are the 'Soldier's Room,' then the 'Warrior's Room,' the 'Knight's Room,' and finally, at the center, the 'Throne Room.'"
"The floor boss Udaeus will spawn in the 'Throne Room.'"
The one explaining this to Fron was the blonde swordswoman, Ais.
The setup was almost identical to that of the 17th floor: the floor boss guarded the entrance to the next floor.
In other words, defeating the floor boss was an unavoidable step to proceed.
"Udaeus, huh?"
"What about it?"
"No, just remembered something funny."
Fron couldn't possibly tell Ais that among the "Four Known Floor Bosses," Udaeus's tragic fate was second only to Goliath's, and even weaker than the Two-Headed Dragon, which at least didn't get solo-farmed constantly.
All he could think was , a treasure invites disaster; your weapon(big sword) is just too tempting.
"?" The Sword Princess looked puzzled.
"Fron, someone ahead has been poisoned by a Peluda! We need your healing magic now!"
"On it!"
Peluda, one of the two kings of the 37th floor along with the Cadmus.
Cadmus was a Level 4 melee specialist monster, already a headache to deal with in direct combat.
But… if given a choice, adventurers would rather fight a Cadmus than a Peluda.
This monster possessed an extremely potent poison rivaling that of a Lambton.
Its poison could not be neutralized with ordinary antidotes; only special antidotes could cure it.
And this was the 37th floor, there weren't many such antidotes available even in the entire city.
So once poisoned, it became a serious problem.
However, with Fron in the party, who wielded Amid's magic, things became much easier to handle.
"Raul? And Cruz?"
"Ah, ugh… cough, cough!"
"Don't talk, I'll heal you now!"
Rushing to the middle of the party, Fron knelt down, placed his hands on the two of them, closed his eyes, and began chanting.
"[Dia Fratel!]"
–-!
The holy magical light reflected off their pale faces, and the sight brought smiles to the faces of the vigilant companions nearby.
As expected of the city's strongest healing magic, its effect was astonishing.
The parts of their legs that had turned completely purple began healing rapidly under the warm, holy light, and even their intense pain eased significantly.
"You only used the detoxification function? You're getting really proficient with Amid's magic, Fron."
"Well, I've already used it so many times on this expedition. Besides my own magic, it's definitely the one I'm most skilled at."
"That's good. Make sure you conserve your mana; we still have a long way to go."
"Don't worry, Captain. My mana pool… let's just say no one in the entire Orario can match it."
"Perhaps I could call myself the strongest mana user in the city?"
During the short break, Fron exchanged a few jokes with Finn and Riveria, while Raul and Cruz finished recovering.
"I've also restored some of your stamina, remember to buy me a drink later!"
"No problem, after this expedition we'll treat you to a good one!"
"You guys… focus on the battle at hand."
Just then, the scout returned with a report.
"Captain, we've reached the 'Throne Room.'"
Finn licked his thumb and gave the command.
"Good, everyone rest here for ten minutes, then prepare for the floor boss battle!"
"Yes!"
Following this expedition, Fron had gained not only an immense amount of knowledge but also a massive amount of advanced experience points needed for leveling up.
As for Goliath, it was instantly defeated, and he didn't even get to see it, so there was nothing to say about that.
On the 27th floor, against the Two-Headed Dragon, Fron alone activated [Dia Fratel], sustaining the entire front line and earning massive experience.
For the 37th floor's Udaeus, its fate would probably be the same as the Two-Headed Dragon's, given that their team had three top-level Level 6s and four top-level Level 5s. Their destiny was to steamroll everything.
And if they added the floor boss Balor on the 49th floor into the mix, three consecutive floor boss battles, by the time this "Expedition" ended, Fron felt that he would have accumulated almost all the advanced Excelia required for leveling up.