At the large platform nearest to the passage on the 51st floor, the team settled in. Everyone busied themselves setting up camp.
Leon, traveling alone, only needed to pitch a single tent. Thus, he quickly finished and found himself free before the others.
Glancing at those still working on tents, he made no move to help. Instead, after a brief look around, he slipped away from camp and headed into the forest below the platform, searching for a lake to wash up.
Midway through his cleansing, Leon paused, settling himself into the shallow water. His gaze drifted toward the edge of the forest, where a figure slowly emerged.
"Riveria, I didn't know you liked to sneak around." Leon teased gently from his seat in the lake.
It was Riveria.
Before washing up, Leon had set a warning barrier, alerting him to her approach.
Riveria said nothing, instead fixing her eyes quietly on Leon. He noticed her gaze was slightly distant, almost dazed. Understanding she must have something important to discuss, Leon remained patient, refraining from pushing her.
After a long moment, Riveria's expression cleared and she met his eyes.
"Leon, how did you resurrect Alise and the others?" She murmured, voice low, almost as if speaking to herself.
Leon was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Riveria's visit to be about this. But suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.
"Riveria, do you want me to resurrect your mother?" He asked cautiously.
Shock washed over Riveria's face, and she fell silent. After a pause, she nodded slowly. "Yes. I want to ask you to resurrect my mother."
"My resurrection magic is limited." Leon explained calmly. "I need a deep understanding of the person I want to bring back. To resurrect your mother, you must organize your memories and knowledge about her past."
"And even then, resurrection isn't guaranteed."
Leon didn't refuse. Helping a friend was no trouble, especially since this wasn't a complicated case like Artemis.
Riveria was stunned but a rare spark of hope lit her calm features.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Leon. I'll prepare everything. When the time comes, please help me. I'm willing to offer any reward you ask for."
"You're welcome." Leon replied warmly.
...
After spending one night on the 50th floor and selecting the candidates to advance, Leon and the others prepared to move onward the next day.
Those who were not chosen stayed behind on the 50th floor, waiting for Leon and the rest to return.
For this expedition, Finn and the others had prepared a large stockpile of first-class firepower magic. Two-thirds of it was left with the stationed members, while the remaining third was carried along by the advancing group.
It was unavoidable. Even though Dionysus had ascended to heaven, the threat of new monsters still lingered.
Except for Lefiya, everyone who ventured forward was a first-class adventurer, capable enough to handle the Valgang dragon's sniping attacks. And as for Lefiya, who struggled somewhat against that threat, Leon brought her along personally, so there was nothing to worry about.
This time, Leon and the team decided against using the vertical channel blasted open by the valgang dragon as before. Instead, they fought their way down floor by floor from the 51st floor.
Leon did not engage directly like before. Instead, he simply used Gate of Heaven and watched as others tore through the monsters.
The reason was the same as always, these monsters offered no training value to him. Besides, they were simply too weak to warrant his involvement.
After the 51st floor, monsters appeared at a much faster rate than before, and their numbers increased significantly. But this time, the formation Leon and his team formed was so dazzling that the monsters barely had a chance. Almost as soon as they appeared, the monsters were torn apart by the combined might of everyone.
Riveria didn't even get an opportunity to strike. Lefiya managed to snatch one or two kills from others' hands.
Thanks to the instant magic she learned from Leon, her casting speed was unmatched. Riveria, on the other hand, relied on long incantation spells that she couldn't shorten enough to keep pace.
Under these conditions, the team fought their way steadily downward.
51st floor... 52nd floor... 53rd floor... all the way to the 58th floor.
"This is amazing. It's the first time I've had such a refreshing experience. This is the deep floors." Alise shouted excitedly as they approached the passage leading to the 58th floor. She had never been this far before.
Suddenly plunging so deep and facing such intense battles was beyond anything Alise had imagined and she was ecstatic.
"Don't underestimate the Dragon's vase."
"It's because you're following us and the team is strong that we can advance so easily."
"If you plan to attack these floors alone later, be cautious and never careless." Finn reminded kindly, eyeing Alise.
He worried she and the others might take the floors after the 50th too lightly, given how smooth this expedition went. Such carelessness would almost certainly lead to death.
Even the Loki familia had been cautious when fighting these floors before Leon joined.
"I know, don't worry. I won't underestimate these floors."
"By the way, the real Dragon's vase starts next."
"I heard there's a Valgang Dragon King on the 58th floor with Lv. 6 strength. Can I take it on later?" Alise asked seriously after Finn's reminder, her earlier excitement giving way to gravity.
"I have no objection. What about you guys?" Finn shook his head lightly and looked toward the others.
"No objection here. If you want it, it's yours, Alise." Tione shrugged indifferently.
"I have no objections either." Gareth nodded firmly. At Lv. 7 now, fighting a Lv. 6 Dragon King was hardly a challenge, it was more like bullying a monster.
Since Alise wanted the task, it made sense to let her have it.
Others nodded in agreement, except for Bete.
"I want to have a go at that guy too." Bete said coolly.
"Then let's take him down together." Alise smiled, not intending to monopolize the challenge.
"Tsk!" Bete only gave a light noise of discontent but raised no objection.
Leon quietly watched the exchange without interrupting.
Soon, the group passed through the passage and stepped onto the 58th floor. The 58th floor was a vast, desolate expanse.
As they emerged from the passage, they immediately spotted dense clusters of red dragons, various other monsters, and flying dragons swooping down from the vertical passage blasted open by the Valgang Dragon. Fortunately, no sign of the new worm monsters appeared.
"It's good those new monsters aren't here." Finn breathed a slight sigh of relief at the absence of their colorful forms.
Those new monsters were a real nuisance to fight, especially the liquid ones. Plus, their strength was low and the magic stones they dropped were special, worthless for Valis exchange, making battles against them a poor investment. Finn hoped to avoid them as much as possible.
Leon and the others' arrival instantly drew the monsters' attention. In an instant, countless valgang dragons fixed their gaping maws on them.
"Go!" Finn commanded, and everyone exploded outward in all directions, launching a brutal hunt against the monsters.
Only Leon, Lefiya, and Riveria remained still.
Leon cast a defensive magic barrier around the three, undaunted by the bombardment of valgang dragon fire. Moreover, as the others charged forth, the dragons ceased their bombardment.
Within the protective shield, Riveria finally released her magic. Having done little throughout the descent, she felt pent-up energy building.
Now with a battlefield to unleash her full power, Riveria wasted no time. Her super-long chant poured from her lips at an incredible speed, nearly matching the corrupted spirit's legendary chanting velocity.
In just half a minute, Riveria's magic was complete.