After the entirety of Freya Familia entered the Dungeon, a second group slowly advanced not far behind them.
It was Loki Familia.
Leading the charge was the Pallum captain, Finn. His eyes swept over the familiar yet strangely distant back ahead.
After a few seconds of thought, he turned to Riveria beside him and asked quietly,
"That's him, right? Ryota?"
Riveria nodded gently.
"Yes. It should be him."
"Tch."
Finn let out a short laugh.
"For a rookie's first expedition, that's some serious nerve. What a terrifying newcomer."
Thinking back to the war game—the vision of that enormous skeletal figure descending like a god—Finn still felt his scalp tingle.
After a brief pause, Finn said slowly,
"Let's keep our distance from Freya Familia."
"Who knows if they'll use this opportunity to pull something on us."
Riveria hummed softly in agreement.
"Loki said the same. We're here to make money this time. Let them do the heavy lifting. We'll handle support."
Farther back in the formation, Ais and Lefiya walked side by side.
The two exchanged a glance.
Of course they knew who that person ahead was.
And they knew Ryota wasn't really their "enemy"—not outwardly, at least.
Ais and Lefiya both shook their heads faintly, their eyes tinged with helplessness and frustration.
Even if they knew the truth, so what?
In a world shrouded by Freya's charm, truth itself had become the hardest thing to believe in.
They said nothing more. In silent understanding, they followed the rest of Loki Familia into Babel.
At the same time, Ryota, who had just entered the first floor of the Dungeon, was deep in thought, calculating his cheat-system upgrades.
"Eternal Mangekyō techniques… aside from Kotoamatsukami, I've basically unlocked all of them."
"Sage Chakra and Hashirama Cells are both at 30%."
"Nine-Tails Chakra… that's at 10%."
"And as for total Chakra reserves—"
Suddenly, as if something dawned on him, Ryota snapped back to reality.
"Shit! I almost forgot about that quest!"
With a thought, a interface only he could see popped up before his eyes:
[Forbidden Jutsu: Reanimation — Advanced Version]
[Current Chakra: 500,001]
[Constructed]:
Pain Six Paths: Asura Path
Pain Six Paths: Animal Path
[Available for Construction]:
Pain Six Paths: Preta Path – Requires 200,000 Chakra
Pain Six Paths: Deva Path – Requires 500,000 Chakra
[Locked]: Omitted
…
Staring at the translucent screen in front of him and that glowing gold number, Ryota nearly slapped his own forehead out of reflex.
But then excitement quickly took over.
"So I've finally reached this point…"
He raised his head and looked at the number [Chakra Reserves: 500,001] displayed on the panel. A smile curled up at the corners of his mouth.
Ever since unlocking the Asura Path, his attention had been pulled away by Freya's charm, the Rinnegan fusion, the branching main quest, and the chaos enveloping Orario.
He hadn't had a moment to check the progress of this special task.
Only now did he realize that this ace in the hole he'd long left brewing had reached a truly shocking level.
"500,000 Chakra… enough to awaken the Deva Path."
In the Pain Six Paths, the true core was the Deva Path.
It was the main combat body that wielded the Rinnegan's fundamental powers—Universal Pull, Almighty Push, and Planetary Devastation. It also possessed overwhelming physical prowess and battlefield control.
More importantly—
Even though Ryota's Rinnegan fusion was only at 20%, his past experience showed that these reincarnated bodies could fully replicate his powers.
Though they relied on his dojutsu, even a Deva Path at just 20% Rinnegan progression would be far beyond what an average Adventurer could handle.
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
Ryota narrowed his eyes and muttered inwardly,
"Once I get to the 59th floor… that's when you'll all start feeling pain."
With a thought, he confirmed the Deva Path purchase, and immediately a mechanical voice echoed in his ears:
[Ding! Pain Six Paths — Let DanMachi Taste Pain quest progress updated: (3/6)]
Three more to go. Almost there...
Ryota tossed the system voice to the back of his mind and continued forward.
This time, however, he wasn't flashing around with Flying Raijin like before.
Not that he couldn't—he just didn't feel like it.
This bunch from Freya Familia wasn't even worthy of seeing his trump cards.
Besides, the upper floors were hardly a challenge for them.
Bodyguards? That just made things easier.
So Ryota half-squinted and trailed along behind the group, occasionally glancing up at the glowing reflections from the ceiling's magic stones, mentally planning his fusion route and the Rinnegan's next stage. Up ahead…
Whenever monsters appeared, the first to charge wasn't Hedin, nor Hogni.
It was Ottar.
The LV.7—Orario's strongest.
He led the way, demolishing monsters one by one with his fists.
It was a nonstop action showcase, as if he wanted to hog every single fight.
Watching this "battle performance," Ryota couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth.
He was starting to wonder if this guy had been sent by Freya to protect him.
"With Freya's personality, shouldn't she be trying to wear me down?"
"Don't tell me Ottar's just too dumb and misunderstood the assignment."
Back when Ryota led the Loki Familia expedition, they practically wiped out every floor boss along the way.
And floor bosses didn't respawn on a reliable schedule—sometimes they'd take days, other times months.
Clearly, both Loki and Freya Familia had gotten the super slow respawn variety this time.
Thus, the entire journey was smooth sailing—hardly any resistance at all.
The combined expedition team arrived at the farthest depths of the 58th floor, standing before a gate considered taboo by all of Orario's Adventurers.
Beyond it lay the chilling unknown—
The Glacier Territory.
According to expedition notes left behind by the Zeus Familia, the 59th floor of the Dungeon marked the beginning of what they called the "Glacier Territory."
The entire region was buried in eternal frost and blizzards.
Glacial lakes, frozen streams, endless snowfields, and remnants of coniferous forests crisscrossed the landscape.
The freezing temperatures, combined with magic pollution, were so intense they could practically freeze your breath.
This frozen plain extended at least to the 61st floor, though no one had ever confirmed its true boundary.
Because—long, long ago, the 59th floor wasn't like this.
It used to be a thriving deep-forest region.
Until the fateful clash between Aria and the Black Dragon.
Countless high-level monsters perished in that battle.
Afterwards, the 59th floor became what it is now.
The lush woodlands were incinerated by the Black Dragon's breath, leaving only desolation in its wake.
As for the monsters within, only one species was known: the massive plant-type creature called Titan Alm.
This thing possessed limited self-awareness and devoured anything that moved—enemy or ally, it didn't care.
Even scarier, Titan Alm was just one of the very few monsters ever recorded from the Glacier Territory.
The rest… complete mystery.
Even the Guild's official archives had barely a few scattered notes past the 59th floor—plus one ominous line:
"Beyond the 59th floor, it is no longer the Dungeon. It is the surface of a nightmare."
The group stopped at the boundary of the 58th floor, staring into the frozen domain that led to "nightmare."
In the silence, Ottar—walking in the lead—suddenly turned slightly to Ryota beside him.
"From here on… you're on your own."
Ryota froze, eyes flicking to the LV.7 warrior.
That one sentence held a wealth of meaning.
Since entering the Dungeon, he'd always been in the center of Freya Familia's protection.
They hadn't let him fight, hadn't let him get hurt, even subtly steered him away from danger.
—They were shielding him?
And now Ottar's "on your own" was essentially the end of that protection.
Freya… actually gave Ottar that order?
"What the hell is that crazy woman planning?"
Ryota said nothing.
Ottar, receiving no reply, also fell silent. He stepped forward into the entrance of the 59th floor.
Following him were Hedin, Hogni, and the other core members of Freya Familia.
As their figures were swallowed by the ice mist, Ryota glanced back.
Not far away, Loki Familia was making final preparations.
Lefiya and Ais stood in the center of the group, silently watching him.
Ryota smiled softly, then stepped into the 59th floor.
In that instant—the wind cut like blades!
The cold air pierced straight into his bones, stinging his scalp!
The ground beneath his feet wasn't rock but thick ice, glowing faintly blue. In the depths beneath the translucent sheet, shadowy forms slithered…
He'd only taken a few steps when Ottar abruptly stopped, brows furrowed—then—
BOOM!!!
The ice exploded!
"CRACK——!!!"
With a shriek of shattering ice, a gaping maw burst from below the surface.
Titan Alm!!
But Ottar reacted instantly—legs kicking off the ground as his whole body shot upward.
Before the massive jaws could snap shut, a second figure surged forward. Hedin raised his Dizaria high, launching into an ultra-short chant:
Zzzzz—
Hundreds of lightning orbs rained down from above, blasting straight into that bloody maw.
But… it was useless!
Titan Alm's massive form writhed in the fog. The petal-shaped jaw that should've been scorched to ash merely twitched—and came out completely unharmed!
If something on the 59th floor could be one-shotted, it wouldn't be on the 59th floor.
"!?"
Hedin tried to pull back, but it was too late.
The colossal beast twisted, its giant maw opened wide, lunging at him.
"Watch out!"
Ottar's eyes sharpened, preparing to leap—but right then—
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence."
A low murmur echoed from behind Hedin.
In the blink of an eye, the icy land trembled. From the cracks in the barren ice, green sprouts suddenly shot out!
Crack—crack crack crack!!!
The ground split apart wildly. One, two, dozens of colossal trees tore their way out from beneath the glacier like awakening titans!
Thick trunks twisted and coiled. Branches lashed out like chains. In an instant, they seized Titan Alm mid-lunge and lifted it high into the air!
Before its jaws could close, vines wrapped around them, yanking them wider and wider to the breaking point.
"ROOOOAAAAHH—!!!"
A shrill roar erupted from Titan Alm—but the trees smothered the sound, crushing it completely!
Hedin regained his balance and turned—only to see Ryota standing calmly, the crimson glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan piercing through the white frost like blood.
"What… kind of power is that?"
Hedin was stunned. Ottar was stunned. Even the just-arrived Loki Familia members hadn't finished stepping onto the 59th floor before they were floored!
He summoned a whole forest… in an instant?
Was this guy even human?!
"What the hell is going on?"
"Wasn't this supposed to be Glacier Territory? What's with the trees?"
"Wait… did Ryota make that happen?"
"…"
Voices buzzed in Ryota's ears.
Some in awe, some admiring—but mostly confused.
He ignored them all.
Because Ryota had a strong feeling that the monsters on this floor… would greatly boost his Rinnegan fusion progress!
Of course, that was just his hunch.
But he was the kind of guy who acted on instinct.
With a thought—
RUMBLE——
The air churned violently. Rings of shockwaves burst outward.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the space behind Ryota darkened—and a towering figure slowly emerged.
Pain Six Paths: Deva Path!
It didn't speak. But the instant it appeared, the air pressure across the entire glacier corridor plummeted, like divine will had descended.
"What… is that?"
Ottar stared, throat dry.
Hedin, fresh from the brink of death, grew visibly serious.
The Deva Path dropped to one knee before Ryota and spoke in a low voice:
"Master."
Ryota nodded, lifting his right hand to point at the still-struggling Titan Alm bound by Deep Forest Emergence:
"Go."
The Deva Path shot up into the air and murmured:
"—Almighty Push."
BOOM!!!
The air twisted and warped. The entire 59th floor trembled!
An indescribable repulsive force exploded outward.
Titan Alm, which had been struggling desperately, was torn from the ground and flung into the sky—then, with a deafening crack, it was pulverized into meat paste.
—Instant kill.
A true, ground-shaking, overwhelming instant kill.
"…"
The entire floor fell silent as the grave.