Only after truly stepping into the room did the entire "boss room" finally reveal itself to Sushang.
Unlike the bizarre, misshapen rooms she had passed through before, this space was structured like a perfect rectangular prism.
It stretched about two hundred meters from the circular entrance to the deepest part of the room, with a width of approximately one hundred meters and a ceiling height of roughly twenty meters.
Both the walls and the ceiling were composed of craggy, raw rock, save for the wall on the left.
It looked so polished that one might mistake it for the handiwork of a master craftsman; the surface was completely devoid of bumps or ridges. It stretched from one end of the room to the other without a single fissure, standing out in stark contrast to the rest of the cavern.
There was a strange, eerie beauty to that wall. Merely gazing at it felt as though one's line of sight were being warped.
So, this is the [Wall of Lamentations]...
It was the name given by the adventurers who had reached this massive chamber and managed to return alive, marking the final barrier of the seventeenth floor.
It was a massive wall capable of spawning only one specific monster, known as the [Goliath] or [Floor Boss].
Before Sushang could finish surveying her surroundings, a massive tremor surged from beneath her feet... or rather, at this very moment, the entire [boss room] was vibrating due to the movements of a certain entity.
"Bang!"
The sound of rock shattering, accompanied by the crash of massive boulders hitting the floor, drew the young girl's gaze instantly.
First came a pair of hands as large as two people, then long, flowing black hair, and finally, a pair of violent, crimson-black pupils flickering within the cracks of the stone.
"ROAR—!"
A hoarse, guttural cry echoed from the rock wall, reverberating deafeningly throughout the chamber due to its structure.
As the entity struggled with increasing intensity, the stone wall could no longer withstand the giant's strength, and a humanoid monster with pale brown skin, standing over a dozen meters tall, finally revealed itself.
In many cases, physical size is a direct indicator of power, and this giant monster, known as Goliath, perfectly exemplified that.
Standing at the equivalent of Level 4—with raw offensive power bordering on Level 5—this giant was exactly why this place was called the [Wall of Lamentations].
"Let's play around with it at a Level 1 intensity."
Ever since entering the dungeon, for the sake of an immersive experience, Sushang had been keeping her stats comparable to Furina's.
After all, even the developers of the Musou series realized how dull constant power-leveling could be.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she reined in her stats, as long as her mastery of the Edge of Taixuan remained, she was still effectively cheating.
The giant's massive palm descended as if trying to swat a fly. However, with the girl's lithe frame and keen eyesight, she easily sidestepped, ending up right between its fingers.
Before Goliath could even register that it had failed to crush her, Sushang transformed her fingers into blades, effortlessly slicing off the two fingers that had nearly grazed her side.
"Just like cutting butter," she remarked.
Although it was rated as having Level 4 strength, that rating seemed inflated by its abnormally high offensive capabilities.
After all, judging by Goliath's movements just now, not only could she dodge it, but even Furina could have evaded it.
Even if she didn't choose to dodge in such a 'showy' manner, taking it down wouldn't have been a problem at all.
But Sushang wasn't being deliberately 'showy'—these movements were truly the most efficient path for her, utilizing technique to minimize the waste of stamina.
Everyone knows that sidestepping is far easier than diving and rolling, doesn't it?
As for the tremors beneath her feet, they could be ignored as long as one possessed a sufficiently strong and flexible stance.
Stung by the pain, Goliath let out a roar. Infuriated, it didn't even bother to lift its arm, opting instead to swing its palm horizontally toward Sushang.
The girl leaped lightly, flipping through the air to evade the sweep. She landed gracefully on the giant's thumb, and, ignoring the shaking of Goliath's arm, ran up its limb and onto its shoulder as if it were nothing.
"Hey!"
A whip-kick, imbued with immense force, slammed into Goliath's cheek. The humanoid giant was sent reeling, its head forced to turn, and the blow to its jaw left it dazed and disoriented.
"ROAR—!!"
Unable to control its own body, Goliath toppled toward the ground.
"BOOM—!"
The impact of its massive frame sent a deafening roar echoing through the room.
The Loki Familia, currently walking through a dark passage, naturally heard the sound reverberating from afar.
"This is... someone is battling the Floor Boss," said Lefiya, the green-haired elf walking in the front, her expression one of surprise.
"Ah, while it's a bit of a pity, it certainly looks like that," Gareth, a dwarf and a Level 6 member of the Loki Familia like Lefiya, habitually reached to scratch his head, only to be met by his cold helmet.
In the eyes of most adventurers, Goliath was a formidable Floor Boss. But to the Loki Familia, it didn't pose any real danger. The so-called [Dungeon Solitary King] was more like a renewable resource, a monster for lower-level adventurers to group up and earn their glory.
The reason they had assembled their full team was to give those lower-level adventurers time to recover their stamina and face Goliath at their best.
"A step too slow, huh."
Finn, the Level 6 Pallum and captain of the Loki Familia.
His expression was undoubtedly more relaxed than the others; maintaining an air of effortless composure was his responsibility as captain.
"Since another party beat us to it, it can't be helped. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, let's wait here for a moment," Finn instructed with a smile.
While Goliath was indeed an experience package worth farming, as one of the two great familias in Orario, there was no need for them to compete over every minor thing. Demonstrating goodwill and the poise of a major familia was more important to them.
"Ehh~? So boring!"
Tiona pouted, clearly unhappy. "We only ever get to watch others fight, and now we don't even get that chance."
Since it was an opportunity for others to earn their glory, it naturally wasn't their turn as Level 5 combatants to step in.
"Since it's the captain's order, we will naturally comply." Tione, standing beside her, shot her younger sister a glare for her lack of respect, then promptly responded.
"I'm not saying I won't comply! I just want to go look. Isn't everyone curious about who is challenging the Floor Boss?"
Tiona had a sudden inspiration and added her justification: "Besides! If those people end up in danger, wouldn't it be perfect for us to take over? They might get killed by Goliath!"
"Tiona!" Tione's gentle smile took on a menacing edge.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look, but make sure not to be discovered." Finn had long ago guessed that Tiona wouldn't be able to sit still—he understood the 'broken window effect' well enough.
Looking at the Amazon girl, who beamed with delight at his nod, Finn laughed. "If you disturb their quest, you'll have to compensate the other party with your earnings from this run."
"Ehh!? No way!?"
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL