The 58th floor.
So far, this was the deepest floor the Loki Familia had reached.
In the past, faced with constant bombardment from the Valgang Dragons and the powerful monsters from the 52nd floor and below…
They would always come out exhausted and injured.
However, through these failures, they accumulated experience, developed strategies, and grew stronger each time until they finally gained the courage to challenge the 59th floor.
By this point, there was no longer any room for debate.
In the current era, the Loki Familia reigned supreme as the deepest-reaching exploration familia in Orario... a title that not even the Freya Familia, for all their fearsome reputation, could contest.
With the sole exception of the Zeus and Hera Familias, of course.
"Judas, well done."
Finn offered his praise. Judas gave a quiet nod.
"Finally… we're back, you crappy dragons."
Remembering their past struggles, Bete spoke with venom in his voice.
"Everyone, don't let your guard down. More monsters are coming from every direction."
Finn said as he scanned their surroundings.
The party found themselves surrounded.
And it wasn't just Valgang Dragons.
Wyverns flew in through the holes carved by the dragons, while Virgas, the acid-spewing caterpillar monsters, poured in like a living tide.
"They just keep coming."
Tione muttered, looking around.
『Physical Boost』
『Strengthening Magic』
A faint glow washed over everyone present.
They glanced at Judas and nodded in appreciation.
At that moment, a Valgang Dragon swung its massive tail toward them.
Judas could tell it carried enough force to knock out, or even kill, a first-class adventurer.
Gareth stepped forward and caught it with both arms.
"Argh."
The dwarf grunted and skidded back several meters, heels digging deep into the stone and sending cracks spiderwebbing across the floor.
But he held on.
"Haaaa!"
Gareth roared, every muscle in his body tensing at once, veins bulging visibly across his thick skin.
What followed was a sight that left everyone momentarily speechless.
Gareth lifted the dragon clean off its feet, spun once, twice, then hurled it directly into another Valgang Dragon.
The collision sent both of them crashing to the ground.
Everyone stared in awe at Gareth's sheer strength.
"...Gareth, could you just solo this floor by yourself?"
Tiona asked, genuinely unsure of the answer.
"Don't be ridiculous. You think I can pull something like that off more than a couple of times?"
"With Judas' buff, maybe two or three more times, but that's it."
Gareth replied with a huff.
"Incoming!"
Finn's shout snapped every head upward.
A group of wyverns was diving toward them at breakneck speed.
"I'll handle the ones in the air."
Judas said as he took to the sky on his flight magic, engaging the wyverns head on.
Magical explosions bloomed above the party in rapid succession, lighting up the ceiling of the 58th floor.
"Understood."
Finn turned back to the ground.
"Everyone push forward! No mercy!"
"Tempest!"
The battle that followed felt like a marathon.
There were even moments when they had to abandon rare drop items because retrieving them was too dangerous.
But after a series of relentless fights, they cut through the horde of monsters until the stairway leading to the 59th floor finally came into view.
"There it is..."
Tiona breathed.
"Yeah, we see it too."
Finn said with a quiet smile as the party moved toward it.
"But first, let's clear out the remaining monsters."
A few more minutes of fighting, and the 58th floor fell silent around them.
Piles of ash and shattered magic stone and some item drops were all that remained of the horde.
"Oh! Valgang Dragon fangs and scales! These are premium materials!"
Tsubaki exclaimed, rushing over and scooping up the drop items with barely contained excitement.
"We made it."
Lefiya said with a tired exhale before reaching for a potion to replenish her mind reserves.
『Heal』
Judas cast the spell across the entire party.
"That feels good."
Ais murmured, eyes closing as the soft green light settled over her.
The ache in their muscles, the sting of their injuries... all of it faded quietly.
The party rested for a while, recovering their stamina and mind before taking the final step into unknown territory.
'Hm?'
Judas turned his head.
Finn was crouched beside the stairway with a frown on his face.
The 59th floor.
A region of the dungeon left untouched since the Zeus and Hera Familias had been destroyed fifteen years ago.
To gather any information, they had to rely on old records preserved by the Guild.
From those records, they knew that the 59th through 65th floors formed a region called the Glacier Territory... vast glacial lake streams, biting cold and ice covering everything as far as the eye could see.
Which was why they had brought specialized gear to protect against such temperatures.
However...
"Something is wrong."
Finn said, pressing his palm flat against the ground.
"Why isn't it cold? We're right at the threshold of the 59th floor."
Everyone turned toward him, finally noticing the anomaly.
"Did the guild give us inaccurate information? Or did the Zeus Familia falsify their reports?"
Riveria questioned as she stepped closer.
"That's highly unlikely. There's no benefit in doing that, and neither the Guild nor the Zeus Familia would resort to such things."
Finn replied with a serious expression.
"Then that means..."
Gareth said slowly, his brow furrowing.
"Exactly. Fifteen years is a long time. Something down there has changed."
Finn said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the stairway.
"We move out once everyone is ready."
...
"It's not cold at all. If anything, it's hot and humid."
The party descended the staircase and spotted a faint light at the end.
When they stepped through and set foot on the 59th floor for the first time, what greeted them was nothing like what the old records had described.
"It's a jungle?"
Tione said, looking around in confusion.
The entire floor had been overtaken.
Thick moss, twisted plants and towering trees had consumed the terrain, replacing what had once been a frozen wasteland.
But surprising as this was, something else caught their attention.
"What is that?"
"Another one of those mutated jewel monsters?"
In the distance, rising above the canopy, something enormous loomed.
A Demi Spirit.
Then Judas' eyes moved slightly to the left.
"There are two of them."
He said quietly, his frown deepening.
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