In a cavern chamber somewhere in the Dungeon, its exact location unknown, with only a single entrance and exit, its walls glowed with dim phosphorescence, while a vague darkness filled the room like a man-eating beast, ready to swallow anyone who stepped inside.
In this unknown cavern chamber, a strange sound resounded.
*Ka-cha!* *Ka-cha!*
It was the sound made when something hard was being bitten into and chewed away, piece by piece.
On the floor of the chamber, within a vast sea of gray, countless monsters had become corpses—their blood had stained the ground red, and even as they lay there, their bodies continued to crumble and scatter into dust.
*Pu-chi!*
A red-haired woman with an alluring figure held a crimson sword in one hand, while the other hand pierced through a monster's body like a sharp blade, digging out a purple crystal from within, which was none other than a magic stone.
*BOOM!*
As soon as the magic stone was removed, the monster immediately dispersed into ash, becoming another mound in the towering piles of dust.
*Ka-cha!*
If Riezel and Ais were here, they would immediately recognize her.
Yes, the woman was Revis, the human-monster hybrid they had clashed with before.
Right after extracting the magic stone, Revis brought it to her mouth and stuffed it in, chewing it like a snack and making a loud crunching sound.
Anyone could see that she was eating.
However, what she consumed was not human food, but magic stones, the favorite nourishment of a certain type of monsters known as 'strengthened species.'
*Ka-cha!* *Ka-cha!*
Inside the chamber, Revis continued to dig magic stones out of monsters and throw them into her mouth, repeating the act endlessly as though she would never be satisfied.
Only after every monster in the chamber had turned to dust did she finally have no choice but to stop.
From the thick sea of ash covering the entire floor, it was easy to see that the number of monsters devoured by her had already reached an astronomical level, enough to horrify anyone who witnessed it.
If all those magic stones had been consumed by a single strengthened species, then even if that monster had originally been only Level 1, it would likely have become a creature comparable to a First-Class Adventurer by now.
And yet, here stood a monster who could rival Level 6, consuming countless magic stones in the same way as a strengthened species.
It was a truly terrifying sight.
In fact, if Riezel and Ais had been here and had seen Revis at this moment, they would have noticed that, compared to before, the aura she gave off had clearly changed.
Now, she had become more dangerous, more ferocious, and colder and sharper than ever.
And yet, despite such a drastic change, she was still unsatisfied, as revealed by her murmurs.
"Not enough..."
"Still not enough..."
"This level..."
While murmuring to herself, Revis turned around, preparing to leave the chamber, but just then, a shrill, nervous voice suddenly called out to her.
"You're not done with your hunt yet, Revis!"
A man in white, wearing a skull-like mask, appeared inside the chamber and called out to her.
"Isn't it enough already? Just how many monsters have you eaten?"
"You're obviously much stronger than before. Even if you run into those two again, you definitely won't lose."
"It's time to move—there's no need to keep hunting."
"You can hear 'Her' voice, right?"
"'She' has been whispering in our ears the whole time, saying that 'She' wants Aria."
Hearing this, Revis stopped walking.
Of course, she could hear 'Her' voice.
But...
"I already said this level isn't enough," Revis said coldly. "Riezel Brynhart… someone even that guy, after fully recovering, was deeply wary of."
"With my current strength, I still can't defeat him."
"I need to keep hunting. Keep eating."
"Otherwise—"
Before Revis could finish, the man cut her off, unwilling to listen any further.
"I really don't get what you're so afraid of about that boy."
"He might be decent, but at best, he's just a human who received Falna. He's nowhere near comparable to beings like us who have stepped into the inhuman realm."
"You've already eaten so many monsters, and I've also grown much stronger since then. There's no way we'd end up running away like last time."
"Besides, our target is Aria, not that boy named Riezel Brynhart."
"All we need to do is go after Aria—there's no reason to care about that boy at all."
Hearing this, Revis did not even glance at the man, as if she could not be bothered to argue with him.
"I have a feeling that if we want to capture Aria, there's no way around that boy," Revis said coldly. "If we don't defeat him, we'll never be able to take Aria."
Her words seemed to make the man snort with ridicule.
"Don't make me laugh, Revis. You expect me to be convinced by something as vague as a 'feeling'? As I said, it's enough already. It's time to act."
"I got information from Enyo."
"He said the Loki Familia has gone on an expedition, and their destination is obviously the 59th Floor, where 'That' exists."
"Tomorrow, they'll pass through the Dragon's Vase on their way to the 59th Floor."
Evidently, this was why the man could no longer hold himself back and wanted to make a move.
He believed that with the terror of the Dragon's Vase, even if the Loki Familia could handle it, they would still be too stretched thin to guard everything during the operation.
If that happened, they could take advantage of the chaos to ambush the Loki Familia, seize Aria, and perhaps even wipe out those damn First-Class Adventurers in one strike—which was why he had deliberately come to invite Revis to join him.
However, Revis still did not turn her head or look at him.
"Go by yourself," Revis said in an even colder voice, colder than ice. "I don't want to fail again."
Leaving only these words behind, she left the chamber and went off to continue her hunt.
"Tch..."
Seeing Revis walk away, the man clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Just as I thought, a completely unreasonable female monster. I really don't understand why 'She' chose someone like her."
"She received 'Her' favor, yet ignores 'Her' voice—that's simply unforgivable."
"...Whatever. If she won't go, I'll go alone."
"I refuse to believe that in a place like the Dragon's Vase, a mere Level 5 could be important enough for her to worry about this much."
With that, the man turned around, spreading his arms as he walked into the darkness of the chamber.
"I will definitely fulfill 'Her' wish."
"Whether it's offering up the sacrifice called Aria to 'Her,' or bringing 'Her' to the surface, as long as it's something 'She' wants done, I will do it all."
"I am a new life, reborn through 'Her,' transformed through 'Her.'"
"Everything must go according to 'Her' will."
Muttering like a fanatic, the man also left the chamber.
*Pa-ta—* *Pa-ta—*
Behind him, accompanied by a series of sticky, wet footsteps, caterpillar monsters of various sizes appeared one after another, following the white-robed man as they headed toward the exit of the chamber.
===
Early the next morning, in the Loki Familia's camp, since there was no sunlight underground and even though the clocks everyone carried showed that it was already morning, the light from magic stone lamps and campfires still shone throughout the camp, illuminating the surroundings.
Some people were changing clothes, others were getting up, and just like yesterday, everyone gathered around the campfires to eat.
However, compared to the previous day, the atmosphere was clearly different—there was far more tension and seriousness in the air.
Under these conditions, the expedition party led by Finn finished their meal in silence, and then, under everyone's gaze, they each picked up their weapons.
Finn took up his spear.
Riveria took up her staff.
Gareth took up his battle axe.
Riezel and Ais fastened their swords.
Tiona's large double-bladed sword, Tione's kukri knives, Bete's metal boots, Tsubaki's naginata sword—everyone silently equipped their weapons one by one.
Raul, Anakitty, Alicia, and Lefiya carried large backpacks stuffed with all kinds of weapons and items, and even Tsubaki brought along an equipment case.
Fully armed, the group moved together under the watchful eyes of the members staying behind and arrived at the exit on the western side, which was the passage leading to the 51st Floor.
Soon, they passed through a gray, great forest and arrived at the western wall of the 50th Floor. Gathering in front of the passage that connected the 50th and 51st Floors, they looked down at the lower floor that formed a steep slope, each of them stirring their fighting spirit.
"Lefiya. Don't be so tense. Try to relax."
Seeing the elf beside him with sweat beading on her forehead, Riezel reached out and wiped it away.
"Yes..."
Lefiya truly seemed extremely nervous, not even reacting to Riezel's normally embarrassing closeness, gripping her backpack and staff so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Even Ais, watching from the side, began to feel concerned.
"…It's okay, Lefiya. We'll protect you, so stay strong."
Ais was not good with words, but she still reassured softly.
It should be noted that this swordswoman rarely comforted others, so the fact that she said that showed just how serious the situation was.
Even Bete kicked the equally nervous Raul while barking something at him, making Anakitty let out a helpless sigh.
"Hey, Riezel, aren't you kinda nervous or anything?" Tiona walked up beside Riezel and asked, sounding curious. "I mean, this is like your first time officially joining an expedition to an unexplored floor, right?"
If it were about expeditions, that was indeed true.
But if it was just the Dragon's Vase, he had already gone through it more times than he could count.
As a result, Riezel naturally maintained a calm expression on the surface.
"Honestly, I've had a bunch of first-time experiences already. Kinda used to it by now."
Riezel's answer made Tione click her tongue in amazement.
"Yeah, fair enough. You're kinda new to this—you only became an adventurer a few months ago. And it's not just about hitting unexplored floors—even counting this one, you've only been on two familia expeditions total."
With that being the case, how could he not have so many first-time experiences?
Tione's words made everyone look at Riezel, their gazes filled with something peculiar.
"So basically, you and this little girl don't really have much expedition experience, right?" Tsubaki said, giving Riezel a light pat on the back. "Heh, that kinda makes it even more impressive that you're not nervous at all."
"Did you hear that, Raul?" Anakitty whispered to her peer beside her. "If you really think about it, you actually have more experience than Mr. Riezel. And yet he's not nervous at all, while you are—that's pretty embarrassing."
"Stop it, Aki..." Raul said in shame. "If you keep going, I won't have any dignity left as a senior."
"You young'uns just don't train regularly enough," Gareth said in a deep, rough voice as he stepped in, his battle axe slung over his shoulder. "I'm not saying you all gotta be like Riezel—that'd be way too much to expect. But you're his seniors, so at least show some spirit, 'cause the road ahead isn't gonna be easy."
At this, everyone tensed up slightly.
"I-I'll pull myself together!"
Raul finally found his resolve.
"I'll do my best too…"
Lefiya spoke softly, which made Ais gently pat her on the head, and finally caused this elf girl to blush.
"Alicia."
Riveria glanced toward Alicia with concern.
"I'm fine, Lady Riveria," Alicia said with a calm, mature smile. "As long as Lady Riveria is still standing, I will never fall. Please rest assured."
At this point, Finn raised his spear and began to speak.
"Alright, since everyone is ready, we will begin the official expedition."
Finn was perhaps the calmest, even coldest person present.
It was as though he put on a mask the moment the expedition was declared to begin—his voice was youthful, yet it carried strength.
"First, we'll set the formation."
Finn began giving instructions seriously.
"The front will be Tiona, Tione, and Bete. You three will take the lead."
"The middle will be me, Riezel, and Ais."
"The rear will be Riveria, with Gareth bringing up the rear."
"Tsubaki, stay beside me. Anakitty and Lefiya, follow Riezel and Ais respectively. Raul and Alicia, follow Gareth and Riveria respectively. Make sure you stay close, but not too close. Leave enough space to fight, and enough distance to pass weapons and items to the executives at any time."
"With this formation, we'll pass through the 51st Floor as quickly as possible, then enter the 52nd Floor and push straight into the Dragon's Vase."
"Once we reach the Dragon's Vase, Riezel and Riveria, you will cast defensive magic on everyone, just in case."
"That's all for now."
Following Finn's instructions, everyone quickly took their positions.
As for Riezel's position, Tiona was in front of him, Riveria behind him, Ais and Anakitty beside him, and Lefiya slightly farther back, while Finn and Tsubaki were also nearby.
Riezel lifted his clear, translucent gaze, as though looking at something unseen, then...
"Move out!"
At Finn's command, everyone charged into the passage together and entered the 51st Floor.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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