The expedition of the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia encountered an attack by special monsters in the Deep Floors.
Deep green, vine-like man-eating flowers;
Worms with highly corrosive body fluids that spewed deadly poison;
Special species created after parasitic plant infections;
And on top of that, giant "female-type monsters" capable of chanting magic.
These were all special monsters never recorded by the Guild.
And besides that, there were "humans" assisting and commanding them.
Inside Twilight Manor, after sending the poisoned Familia companions ahead to the Dian Cecht Familia for treatment, Captain Finn and Vice-Captains Riveria and Gareth hurriedly returned to the Familia headquarters.
Then, they dragged Loki, who was sound asleep in bed, right up.
The original quartet of one of the city's strongest Familias began a small meeting, just as they did in the old days when traveling the world.
"The expedition went smoothly at first," Finn spoke first.
The prum youth with blond hair was deep in thought. While looking at the pile of blue-purple, strangely colored magic stones Riveria brought out, he said:
"The guys from Freya Familia were a step ahead of us, but they didn't encounter the respawn of Udaeus, so they went directly to the 49th floor below."
"So, according to the original plan, after we assisted Ais in defeating the subsequently respawned 37th floor [Monster Rex: Udaeus], we continued towards the 49th floor."
"There, we saw Ottar fighting the Floor Boss."
The scene at the time was quite shocking.
In that vast wilderness, the city's strongest adventurer was facing the Floor Boss—which was estimated by the Guild to be the same level as him—in single combat.
No...
Not only that.
The 49th floor's [Monster Rex: Balor] would continuously summon monsters named Fomorians to assist in battle, so he had to clear the field while dealing with the Floor Boss's attacks.
And at the same time, the other three Level 6 adventurers of the Freya Familia were also there.
Allen, Hogni, and Hedin.
They weren't just watching from the sidelines, but they weren't helping either; instead, they were hindering and attacking each other, turning the entire [Great Wilderness] into a chaotic coliseum.
This is the Freya Familia; to gain the gaze of the Goddess of Beauty, they view each other as rivals.
Letting the other party obtain a [Feat] to level up is completely unacceptable.
This is the characteristic of the Freya Familia.
Because of this, their Familia has never organized a large-scale Familia expedition like the Loki Familia; on the contrary, their expeditions are usually conducted solo.
Just like now.
Ottar actually hasn't challenged Balor alone for the first time.
It's just... he didn't succeed this time either. Although they are hostile to each other, they cherish each other's lives—because the soul of every member of the Freya Familia is unique to the goddess and is an existence that needs to be guarded.
Ottar and the others ultimately chose to retreat.
"So we took over; I thought it was a good opportunity," Finn sighed.
Because subsequently, they were attacked by those special monsters.
"Led by two people, a red-haired woman, strength probably around Lv. 5. Her target was clearly Ais," Riveria described the situation indifferently.
"Those special monsters completely obeyed her commands. I don't know if she's a Tamer, or..."
"In short, that red-haired woman didn't succeed, and on the other side, Ottar and his group were blocked by a black-robed young girl. Her strength was even greater; it can be confirmed she is Lv. 7."
Because of her existence...
Plus the Floor Boss still in a rampage, and the sudden attack of special monsters with absolutely no prior intelligence...
Finn decisively chose to retreat.
The cautious Prum [Braver], for every expedition goal, operates on the premise of [guaranteeing everyone's survival to the maximum extent]. Although it makes the Familia's expedition progress very slow, it surely protected the lives of many second and third-line members and logistics troops.
The Freya Familia guys were a bit hot-headed, but ultimately chose to retreat under Hedin's request.
However...
"Finally, that black-robed girl said one sentence."
"[If you want to know the truth, bring Ais to the 60th floor.]"
A provocation.
And a trap. It was too obvious an attempt to lure Ais into the Deep Floors, so direct that it was almost laughable.
The Goddess who governs "Trickery" and "Conspiracies" opened her vermilion eyes.
Thinking for a moment, she asked her three dependents.
"Does Ais know?"
"She doesn't."
The dwarf uncle Gareth, who hadn't spoken much, still wearing his heavy armor, said in a muffled voice.
"After Riveria discovered the other party's goal was to get close to Ais, I blocked that red-haired woman and let Ais go help out at the Monster Rex's side."
"The 60th floor, huh..."
Loki recalled.
"It seems it's related to that place."
The Guild's absolute secret, a place only the former Zeus and Hera Familias had ever set foot in.
In the gap between the 60th and 61st floors, there exists a hidden floor named [Thousand Blue Ice Garden]. There, it is a "tomb" where countless ancient nameless heroes are frozen.
They all stand there, as if guarding and protecting the last hope, surrounding "something" in the very center.
The Zeus Familia brought it out and later entrusted it to the Loki Familia, and that was—
[Ais Wallenstein].
The once young golden-haired girl was sealed in pure white ice crystals, staying in the pitch-black depths of the Dungeon for who knows how long, until she woke up five years ago...
Ais remembers little of her childhood besides her name.
She occasionally dreams.
Dreams of her father swinging a sword under a tree, so she learned to do it too, while her mother always smiled slightly from the side.
But at the end of the dream...
Her father would always disappear, and her mother would be swallowed by a [Giant Darkness].
"Dragon?!"
Ais, who suddenly stood up, realized she was a bit too agitated and startled Tiona, who was still telling an adventure story.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm, that's right, it's a giant dragon!"
The Amazon girl described.
Opening the picture book she drew herself, on a tall city wall, a giant dragon poked its head out, breathing fire, forcing "Boss Isagi and his team" to temporarily retreat from its edge—Isagi taught her this word.
Ais clenched her fists.
The young girl's hatred for monsters is real and intense, even to the point of generating the skill [Avenger].
And towards [Dragons], that hatred becomes "doubled".
"Captain Ais is already Lv. 5, right?!"
"Mhm!"
This expedition went very smoothly, and the golden-haired girl obtained enough Exilia (Feats) to level up.
"Then it'll be soon. Boss Isagi and the others level up very fast. When he reaches Lv. 4, we can go on an adventure together!!!"
"Yes..."
Ais nodded. Mama Riveria had already agreed to let her go adventuring with the boy. The price was that she was forbidden from entering the Dungeon for this period of time.
That's fine.
When Loki leveled her up just now, she also secretly said it was best to keep her current stats at "0" points before going adventuring with the boy.
That way, there would be many surprises.
Thinking of how powerful Tiona had become in such a short time, Ais couldn't help but look forward to it!
And it just so happens...
During this time, she could learn how to have a good relationship with a strange boy!
"Tiona, did you bring those things?"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm!"
The Amazon girl quickly brought out the secret tomes her sister had hidden away, such as , , and ...
Although they were a bit weird, they should be useful, right?
Tiona was actually quite skeptical!
After all, the relationship between her idiot sister and the Captain had been going on for so long with absolutely no progress!!
But Ais began reading them very seriously, thinking to herself: Is this how you get along with strange boys? So that's how it is. Mhm, mhm, mhm, I understand...
Meanwhile.
Riveria, who was secretly watching this scene from outside the door, couldn't help but rub her forehead again.
She remembered her deity claiming shamelessly just now, "That child Isagi gets along well with me too!" and "Now is the perfect chance to use Little Ais to strike! Charm that kid until he's lovestruck and snatch him away from Astraea!!"
"Listen to yourself!"
Riveria immediately gave Loki a punch. However, she remembered the golden-haired girl who, during the expedition, would often cling to her and other female members asking, "How do you talk to strange boys?"
The High Elf royalty, who had watched Ais grow up since childhood, also inexplicably felt a sense that "a grown daughter cannot be kept at home."
Sigh!
Since that's the case.
As a "mother," she couldn't just let things develop on their own!
Soon, Riveria summoned Alicia. The elf woman with the title [Garden of Purity] was a cadre of the Loki Familia's second unit and usually responsible for commanding the Familia's mage squad composed of elves.
She was one of the High Elf's most trusted compatriots.
Quietly, she informed her of the plan. Riveria's idea was simple: Tiona, that idiot, was unreliable. So, before Ais went to adventure with the boy...
She needed to first grasp and know exactly what kind of person he was.
Therefore, having a trustworthy elf compatriot team up with him for observation was the best method.
"Rest assured, Lady Riveria!"
The elf woman, who unlike other elves had a plump and soft figure rather than a slender one, accepted the "mission" seriously and solemnly.
"I will carefully judge whether that young man has the qualifications to guide Miss Ais!!"
Unknowingly.
Isagi found that quite a few days had passed since he leveled up.
His body had adapted pretty well; in a few more days, he should be able to continue adventuring in the Dungeon.
The sun was shining brightly today.
Golden light shone in through the slanted window of the attic, making the strange magic stone in his hand sparkle, looking like a brilliant sea of starry flowers.
[Fallen Magic Stone:
A special magic stone. Although born from the Dungeon, it differs from the Dungeon's power.
The Mother of Darkness also wonders if it is her child.
Heroes long forgotten by the world are buried in the abyss; do they hold resentment for this? Or is there also a desire to see the sky again?]
This stone.
This was the magic stone Cecil saw when she came back earlier, saying that the Loki Familia and Freya Familia also had them. Subsequently, the Goddess Astraea went to acquire intelligence.
The Deep Floors, huh...
Then that has nothing to do with him.
Isagi thought so, because he couldn't go to the Deep Floors.
It is said...
The provoked Freya Familia, unprecedentedly, planned to organize a Familia expedition to go to the 60th floor to investigate.
But because of the intelligence he brought back, Loki believed it was definitely related to a Dark Familia.
So, it might be temporarily suppressed.
The city's strongest Familias and the Guild were still discussing it, while Ryu-senpai continued to stay in the port city, investigating why man-eating flower monsters existed in the great lake.
"Isagi!"
The "door" to the attic room located on the floor was pushed open.
Cecil's chubby, cute face just popped out. This guy never knocks; what if she came at a bad time!
"What are you doing?!"
"Resting."
Isn't that obvious?
On a lazy midsummer day, with nothing to do, one should lie lazily in bed.
"Then hurry down, hurry!"
The girl, who immediately drilled into the room, unceremoniously went "thump thump thump" running to the bedside, grabbed him, and tried to drag him to the living room downstairs.
Isagi thought something big had happened.
As it turned out...
The [Mystery Gear] that this guy was crafting for him was finished.
Well, that is a big deal!
"Heh heh heh, look at it yourself!"
The girl placed her hands on her hips with some pride, puffing out her soft, ample chest. Although completing it was mostly the credit of Fels, the [Sage]—after all, only he possessed the [Mystery] Development Ability.
But she had put in a lot of effort too!
"This is very powerful! Isagi, let me tell you!!"
"What is this..."
Isagi looked at the table, where the [Mystery Gear] that Cecil had clamored about and just brought back lay.
It looked a bit strange at first glance.
It looked like slender arms, with an overall pink, tender, fleshy texture that made him immediately think of the [Meat Cup Princess] he had defeated before.
"Originally, I wanted to forge it into a pike or a spear," the girl mumbled from the side.
Because among the weapons Isagi used earlier, the shield and the super wool (?) broke together. Later, a new shield was made, but the spear had not been replenished.
Cecil had originally thought about upgrading all of Isagi's weapons and equipment to "Second-Class Armaments," so naturally, the crafting efficiency wasn't that fast.
But for some reason...
This piece of equipment seemed to have its own mind. During the crafting process, it was completely uncontrolled by her and Fels.
Ultimately, it turned into what was before his eyes.
After all, it is [Mystery Gear]. Like the [Shadow of Pandora] Isagi obtained from Asfi earlier, it possessed a "special ability."
"[Transformation]."
Cecil said, feeling that it was simply incredible.
Because it wasn't just her.
Even Fels, the widely knowledgeable [Sage], was seeing such a special weapon for the first time.
"Eh?!"
Lefiya also leaned over from the side, and subsequently, along with Isagi, thought of the [Meat Cup Princess] from back then—those hands that could turn into long blades and shields, and then into sharp claws.
However...
The ability of the [Mystery Gear] before his eyes was surely not that exaggerated.
As everyone knows.
The difference between the seller's display and the buyer's reality in Souls-like games is vast.
But as Isagi picked it up and tried it himself, he instantly understood its [Transformation Ability]. It was actually—
[The Ruyi Jingu Bang!]
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan