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The crimson-red earth was utterly barren, the rocks and soil so dry they resembled a desert.
The entire space looked as though it had been scorched by magma, transformed into a blazing hell.
Large, goat-headed monsters let out continuous roars, their blood-red eyes rolling wildly as they radiated brutal killing intent.
"Eek!"
From the rear ranks, a ten-man squad carrying bundles packed with metal equipment cried out in terror.
For people who had never descended to such deep floors before, the scenery here was practically hell itself.
Monsters comparable to Floor Bosses were actually everywhere here, utterly shattering their worldview.
If not for the powerful Adventurers protecting the perimeter, they probably wouldn't even be able to move a single step.
"This is bad!"
Suddenly, one of them let out a terrified scream.
"What are you yelling for?!"
Leading them was a tall woman with bronze skin. Her physique was powerfully toned, yet her figure still possessed striking curves.
Hearing her subordinate scream, she shot him a glare.
"The defensive line over there is about to break!"
To their left, a large group of goat-headed monsters had gathered, forcefully pushing back the defensive line formed by several High-Level Adventurers before finally tearing straight through it.
The monsters immediately cried out in delight and charged into the formation, ready to begin a massacre.
"Everyone else, hold your positions! Ryoji, go deal with the rear guard sector!"
"Understood!"
Like a gust of wind sweeping past…
Under Finn's unwavering command, a figure too fast for the naked eye to follow shot between the two sides.
Slash!
Slash!
The sword moved as fast as flashes of light, leaving dazzling trails in the air.
At the very front of the battlefield, Ais cast a steadfast glance toward the rear.
The three Fomoires that had broken into the formation were sliced apart like butter in the blink of an eye. Even in death, twisted expressions of cruelty still remained on their faces.
His speed was so fast that even Level 4 monsters couldn't react!
"Oooh!"
"So strong!"
"As expected of the famous super rookie!"
Seeing the crisis resolved, the ten-man squad burst into cheers.
"We can't fall behind either!"
Several Adventurers responsible for defense immediately rallied themselves and reorganized the protective line around the group.
"Push a little harder! We're almost through this floor!"
Finn's voice rang out, reinvigorating the physically and mentally exhausted group.
This was the 49th Floor.
Without question, territory belonging to the deep floors, where large numbers of Level 4 monsters appeared, and where monster spawn rates were far faster than on the upper floors.
To Ryoji, this scene felt strangely familiar.
Several months ago, he had come here as part of an expedition while still weak at Level 2. Back then, he could only remain behind the defensive lines as a Supporter, getting only the occasional chance to fight.
But this time was different.
Having become a new Executive of the Loki Familia, he was already one of the main forces responsible for breaking through the 49th Floor. Like Ais, he was entrusted with safeguarding the entire expedition team and enjoyed everyone's trust.
He looked toward the very front of the formation.
With Ais serving as the spearhead, the expedition party steadily, if slowly, advanced toward the passage leading to the next floor.
Dozens of Fomoires surrounded the area, while Tiona and Bete swept back and forth across the battlefield, relentlessly cutting them down.
For the current him, he alone would have been enough to wipe out the entire pack of Fomoires.
But in group combat, obeying orders was paramount; acting independently was absolutely forbidden.
"The role assigned to me is central support."
Ryoji steadied his thoughts.
His speed surpassed anyone in the Loki Familia, even faster than Bete's. After careful consideration, Finn had assigned him the position best suited to his abilities.
"Ryoji, the right side!"
"On it!"
A new order came in, and he became like a firefighter rushing to put out flames wherever they appeared.
Ten minutes later, the expedition successfully broke through the Fomoire horde.
After overcoming the most dangerous part of the deep floors, the 49th Floor, the expedition arrived at the Dungeon's fourth safe floor: the 50th Floor.
This place resembled a tropical rainforest. In the distance, forests had been stained gray by volcanic ash, and between the towering trees ran rivers branching like leaf veins. High above, dozens of meters overhead, stalactite-like stone pillars hanging from the ceiling emitted a pale bluish-white phosphorescence.
The Loki Familia expedition set up camp on a massive rock platform not far from the entrance to the 51st Floor.
Everyone was now busy establishing camp. Footsteps echoed everywhere, iron stakes were hammered into the ground and tied with ropes, and before long the tent canopies were up.
"Man, having one extra Executive really makes a difference!"
"No kidding. Entering the 49th Floor felt way smoother than usual this time!"
As they pitched tents, lower-ranking members of the Loki Familia gathered together and chatted excitedly.
Each of them looked energized and proud, the fatigue from the forced march seemingly vanished.
Normally, reaching the 50th Floor took at least seven days counting from departure.
But today, they had arrived on the sixth day.
And not only that, veterans accustomed to expeditions could clearly tell that advancing through the floors had become far easier. In the past, breaking through the 49th Floor required exhausting every ounce of strength, but today they had practically breezed through it.
Naturally, that was because the Loki Familia now had one more First-Class Adventurer and Executive!
Expressions of amazement and admiration appeared across everyone's faces.
Only through real combat could one truly appreciate how inspiring it was to have an additional Executive.
At one corner of the camp… Several Loki Familia Adventurers gathered in a circle around a small group carrying various stone blocks.
A closer look revealed that they were the same squad Ryoji had protected earlier.
All unfamiliar faces.
"This is my first time seeing a blacksmith at work!"
"Looks like it takes a lot of concentration!"
Raul, Lefiya, and the others gathered nearby, curiously watching the sharpening process.
There were ten blacksmiths in total, all wearing focused expressions as they examined the weapons in their hands.
Finn had specially borrowed them from the Hephaestus Familia. Every one of them was a High-Class Adventurer. They were not responsible for combat, only for helping the Loki Familia maintain and sharpen their weapons.
"The last time we ran into those caterpillars that spit corrosive slime on weapons, we got wrecked, we barely even dared charge in with our gear…"
"Having blacksmiths with us this time makes things way easier!"
That was precisely Finn's intention.
The greatest strength of Adventurers was this: even if an expedition failed, they could simply prepare better the next time and overcome the obstacle blocking their path. It perfectly embodied the Adventurers' spirit of never giving up.
"Hey, little girl!"
Suddenly, Lefiya felt someone sling an arm around her shoulders from behind.
Although Lefiya wasn't the overly prideful type of elf who treated the old rule of "no one except those I acknowledge may touch my skin" as sacred, she was still startled by the sudden contact.
She turned around with a frightened expression…
Only to be met by an enormous pair of breasts.
(End of Chapter)