The Floor Boss... has been defeated...
The Adventurers of Rivira were too stunned to speak.
Because it was not just a defeat, but a total annihilation!
"That sea of flowers... it ground Goliath into dust!"
"Terrifying."
"What a monster."
"It seems the conclusion is clear, Riveria," Finn said with a grave tone.
The power to obliterate a Goliath in a single strike—a feat even a Level 2 Adventurer couldn't manage.
'Just what kind of masterpiece is a Zanpakuto?'
"Rayleigh of the Hephaestus Familia... I believe the Loki Familia must make every effort to recruit him."
Riveria didn't question his statement.
"You are the Familia's strategist and captain. If you, our Captain say so, then it must be the right course of action."
She had witnessed that power firsthand.
The potential of a Zanpakuto was now beyond her ability to evaluate.
...
The battle was over and the girls gathered around.
Ardi rushed forward, her voice trembling. "That was incredible! Rayleigh, was that your Bankai?!"
Rayleigh smiled and replied, "That's right. What you just saw was Senbonzakura's Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
"Senbonzakura..." Kaguya murmured. "The name is fitting, yet also deceptive."
Ryuu nodded in agreement.
"Behind its breathtaking beauty lies a hell where flesh and bone are ground to dust."
Alise grabbed Rayleigh's shoulders and shook him.
"Hey, Rayleigh! How do you use Bankai?"
Her eyes gleamed.
Lyra quipped, "Hey... I feel like if I don't get a Zanpakuto soon, you're going to kick me out of the party."
Rayleigh's ears twitched.
In an instant, he used Utsusemi to slip free from Alise's grasp and appeared before Lyra with a contract already in his hand.
"Sign here."
"..."
Lyra stared at Rayleigh.
'Damn it, even when he's being greedy, this man is still handsome.'
'No.'
'My ideal type is Braver, not a Human.'
'Get a grip, Lyra!'
"Fine i signed."
"Pleasure doing business with you."
Rayleigh seized Lyra's hand and shook it.
'Now, every member of his party has a Zanpakuto.'
'The Espada... maybe I can actually make that happen.'
Lyra stared at the enormous Magic Stone, looking troubled.
She didn't have a Skill like [Artel Assist], so transporting something this massive would be a hassle.
[Artel Assist] is a Supporter Skill, helps compensate abilities when carrying a certain amount of weight, making it easier for the user to carry heavy loads.
Seeing Rayleigh's group gathered around the Magic Stone, an Adventurer from Rivira had an idea and approached them.
"Hey—I mean... hello there."
"Looks like you don't want to lug that huge Magic Stone all the way back. How about selling it to us?"
Rayleigh turned to them, considering the offer.
Rivira was a settlement on the 18th Floor, a Safe Floor built by Adventurers.
Its original founder was a highly respected female Adventurer.
Although monsters don't spawn on the 18th Floor, creatures from other floors occasionally wander onto this level and attack the town.
As a result, Rivira has been rebuilt countless times.
Most of the people who gather here now are those who can't operate openly in the city—a haven for rogue soldiers and thugs.
The people here have one principle when doing business: be ruthless.
They buy at half the market price and sell for double or even triple.
When you deal with them, you're guaranteed to lose your shirt, they never take a loss!
"How much are you offering?"
"Uh... well, how about three million Valis?"
Rayleigh frowned and countered, "Four and a half million Valis."
The Adventurers' smiles froze.
A few of them felt their faces twitch.
If this were their turf, they would have started shouting at him already!
But...
The image of Goliath being crushed was still seared into their minds.
Frankly, they wanted no trouble with this monster.
"Four and a half million is too high."
Seeing them trying to haggle, Rayleigh cut them off. "You'll save all the supplies you stockpiled to fight Goliath. Four and a half million is already a great deal."
"..."
"But since Goliath has already been defeated, we'll have to sell these supplies at a discount."
Seeing the man stammer, Rayleigh released his spiritual pressure and spoke with a cold tone.
"Let's not even mention that I couldn't care less about that. But you're talking about a discount?"
The crushing pressure made the Adventurer's muscles tense, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
He felt his heart pound, his blood surging as if he were about to be crushed.
"You'll just jack up the prices and squeeze double the amount from your 'fat sheep,' won't you? Am I wrong?!"
Boom!
The soul-level oppression became unbearable, forcing the Adventurers to their knees!
"We... we understand! Four and a half million Valis! We'll buy it!"
At that moment, the Adventurers of Rivira were too terrified to feel resentment.
The oppressive sensation was horrifying, they had never experienced anything like it!
Unlike the vast divine power of the Gods, this pressure felt like Gravity Magic cast directly upon their minds.
This wasn't an exaggeration since they felt death looming upon them.
If that unknown power continued to press down on them, they might die from shock!
"Excellent. I'm pleased our deal went through smoothly."
The spiritual pressure vanished.
A friendly smile spread across Rayleigh's face as he shook hands with the leader of the Rivira Adventurers.
Afterward, the Rivira group handed over the bags of Valis and hauled away the Magic Stones.
Rayleigh and the girls then returned to the surface with the four members of the Loki Familia.
Including the Magic Stones collected along the way, this expedition earned each of the six of them an average of 1,050,000 Valis—a respectable income.
However, seventy percent of that came from Goliath, and Floor Bosses weren't a daily occurrence.
Rayleigh decided it was time to advance to the Lower Floors.
Finn spoke up. "Rayleigh, could we talk about your Zanpakuto?"
"If you'd like to hear about it, I have no problem," Rayleigh replied.
Seeing his agreement, Finn said, "In that case, could we invite you to Twilight Manor tonight at six for dinner?"
"Understood. I'll be there on time."
'Looks like a big deal is coming my way!'
..
Rayleigh reported to his Goddess, Hephaestus, that he intended to meet with the Loki Familia.
She told him to do as he pleased.
"The Familia has no right to bind you," she said. "You're free to follow your own heart."
Rayleigh felt the Goddess's care.
It wasn't something he needed to glean from specific words or actions, he understood her heart through the essence of her speech.
Hephaestus would never demand he sacrifice himself for the Familia.
Instead, she hoped the Familia—their family—could provide the strength he needed to achieve his dreams.
'Joining this Familia was the right choice,' Rayleigh thought, sighing in gratitude for what felt like the hundredth time.
...
Dusk settled over the city.
Just before six o'clock, Rayleigh arrived at Twilight Manor.
As he reached the entrance, he spotted Alicia, the blonde Elf girl he'd met earlier.
"Rayleigh-san."
"Ah, hello, Alicia."
"Hehe, I'll show you the way."
"Thank you."
It had been half a year since he'd come to this world. He never imagined he'd one day set foot inside the Loki Familia's headquarters.
Led by the Elf girl, Rayleigh followed her across the courtyard and into the depths of Twilight Manor.
Along the way, many members of the Loki Familia turned to watch him with curious gazes, their eyes lingering before he passed.
This was especially true for the girls.
Alicia noticed this and teased, "Rayleigh-san, you'd better not make a move on any of the girls in our Familia. They'd fall for you in a heartbeat."
Rayleigh broke into a cold sweat. "I wouldn't do that."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right," she mused. "After all, the girls you're already surrounded by are all exceptional."
The Astraea Familia is a familia full of young women.
Because their patron, the Goddess Astraea, was a god of justice and purity, the Familia didn't accept male members.
As a result, every member was a beautiful young woman in the prime of her youth.
Then there was Ardi, who was practically an idol within the Ganesha Familia.
However, with Shakti around, no man dared to make a move on her—they wouldn't even risk sending a love letter.
Thinking about it, Rayleigh realized he was in a position that would make countless men burn with envy!