Chapter 29: Break Time on the Way!
49th Floor,
A vast barren land where not a single blade of grass grows.
The sky, the sand, and everything in sight were dyed a reddish-brown color in the vast space.
With a roar, a group of monsters suddenly appeared in front of the Loki Familia team.
The monsters had two large horns protruding from their heads, similar to those of a goat, with ugly faces attached to their necks, and they wielded thick clubs in their hands.
Their bulging red eyes scanned the surroundings in search of prey, while their heavy, nasal breaths synced with their movements.
These are the Fomoires, monsters that appear only on the 49th floor.
"Raise your shields."
As Finn gave the order, countless clashing sounds filled the air.
The dwarves, who were all Lv3, used their strong muscles to block the Fomoires at the outermost edge.
However, Lv3 strength wasn't nearly enough to stop these groups of Lv4 Fomoires.
Under the Fomoires' continuous attacks, the dwarves' shields slowly began to cave in, and their bodies were gradually pushed back.
"Front line adventurers, don't let the formation break."
"Rear line adventurers, focus on attacking."
"Tiona and Tione, go support the left flank."
Amidst the fierce battle, Finn relayed his commands to each member of the party in an orderly manner.
The elves in the back started gathering together to chant magic.
Meanwhile, Tiona and Tione, who were responsible for skirmishing, quickly rushed towards the left flank.
"There's too many of them—"
Tiona's large double-bladed sword became a meat grinder as she spun amidst the monsters, causing blood to spray like flowers wherever she passed.
"Riveria! Are you done yet?!"
Tione shouted towards the rear while holding two kukri knives in her hands, after piercing one of the Fomoires' chests and crushing its magic stone.
"Bete, fill the gap!"
A hole was punched through the defense line, and the werewolf who was in charge of it immediately rushed towards the gap, but it was still a step late.
A few Fomoires broke through the defense and charged towards Lefiya, who was chanting magic.
"Lefiya!"
[Unleash a streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow.]
A shout reached Lefiya's ears, and she could feel the approaching Fomoire's heavy breath on her skin.
The bloody smell coming from the monster kept drilling into her nose, as if her whole body was being tightly bound by chains, unable to move.
A sense of suffocation enveloped her body, turning her into a block of ice, ready to shatter with just a slight touch.
However, even so, she didn't stop chanting.
[Shoot, sniper of the fairies.]
Just as the monster's club was about to hit Lefiya.
Two sword lights flashed across the monster's body, dividing it into several pieces that crashed to the ground.
Two reassuring figures appeared in front of Lefiya.
[Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy.]
Not only Lefiya but the other elves had also finished their chants, and a huge amount of magic power was continuously gathering in the back.
"Retreat!"
The vanguard in front and the werewolf who was supporting from the side all jumped back one after another.
Numerous magic circles appeared on the spot they left.
Then, a pillar of fire erupted.
Amidst the deafening explosion, the monsters were engulfed in flames.
Their cries of misery echoed through the 49th floor.
...
50th Floor,
The sounds of metal rubbing and sporadic chatter mixed together.
There were many people coming and going, busy with various tasks: some were taking out potions and handing them over to the wounded, some were recording the results of their exploration so far, and others were setting up tents by hammering stakes into the ground, each with their own duties to perform.
It was the sight of a medium-sized encampment.
Shiro was also setting up tents for the night, just like the others.
This expedition had been quite fruitful for him so far.
He had defeated quite a few Goliath-class monsters alone.
Although the excelia/experience points he gained weren't as much as before due to his increase in level, quantity could sometimes lead to a qualitative change.
The excelia he had gained this time might even be enough for him to upgrade to Lv3.
Just as he hammered the last stake into the ground, Lefiya's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Torajirou-san..."
Turning around, he saw that Lefiya's hands were nervously intertwined, her two index fingers constantly tapping each other.
Shiro simply put down the hammer in his hand and waited for her to speak.
"Thank you for saving me before!"
Lefiya abruptly closed her eyes and bowed deeply.
As a Lv3 senior, Lefiya felt somewhat embarrassed being saved by a Lv2 junior.
Listening to Lefiya's sincere thanks, Shiro subconsciously reached out and gently patted her head.
"We made an agreement before, right? You just need to focus on chanting and leave your life's safety in our hands."
"Lefiya, you did a great job this time. Finn and the others probably won't have anything to criticize now."
Lefiya straightened up and placed her right hand on the spot where Shiro had just patted her head, then nodded heavily.
"Yes, we did make a promise. I also need to thank Ais-san too. Torajirou-san, do you know where she is?"
He pointed his finger at the tent where Finn was staying.
"Ais is currently being scolded by Riveria in the tent for running around during the fight with the Fomoires earlier. She should be out soon."
As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, Ais walked out of the tent where Finn was staying with her head lowered.
"Ais-san!"
Lefiya ran towards Ais from Shiro's side.
Hearing someone calling out her name, Ais raised her head and looked at Lefiya, who was running towards her, and opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm sorry..."
Recalling the words Finn and Riveria had said in the tent just now, Ais' expression became somewhat frustrated, and her golden hair, which should have been radiating a golden glow, also dimmed slightly.
Seeing Ais' expression, the elf with honey-colored hair was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
However, at this moment, Shiro watched from behind Lefiya and his gaze met with Ais' golden pupils.
"Ais, did Riveria scold you?"
"Yes..."
"Well, don't worry about it; Riveria is just that kind of person. She's not really concerned about you killing monsters all the time; what worries her is that you might get hurt in the future if you continue like this."
"I know..."
Seeing that Ais was still looking at the ground with her head lowered, Shiro knew that she hadn't taken his words to heart, so he pulled out his trump card.
"How about this, when we get back to the surface, I'll treat you to a Jagamarukun Azuki Cream Flavor, okay?"
This time, Ais finally reacted and raised her head.
Seeing the slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, he finally felt relieved.
As it was soon nighttime, the crystals on the ceiling began to dim.
By this time, Loki Familia members had already completed their tasks and gathered around the campfire.
A pot was placed over the fire, emitting a gurgling sound.
Shiro took out some meat and other food items from his Gift card and threw them into the pot one by one, while some members took out wild fruits they had picked in the dungeon.
Everyone sat around the pot with bowls and spoons, chatting while eating, and from time to time, they would exclaim in admiration at the convenience of Shiro's magical storage prop.
Riveria sat to Shiro's right side with a bowl in her hand.
Her already exquisite face became even more gentle under the warm glow of the fire.
"Thank you for Ais's matter."
The elf princess could be said to have put her heart and soul into the familia, but some members of Loki Familia were stubborn and problematic, often refusing to listen to her.
After swallowing his soup, Shiro replied to her.
"There is no need to use reprimands every time to educate Ais. Have you tried using rewards instead?"
Riveria turned her head and stared at Shiro quietly.
"Do you know what the best reward for Ais is?"
"Jagamarukun with red bean cream flavor, I guess?" Shiro hesitantly replied.
Mama elf sighed after hearing this.
"Unfortunately, no. For her, the best reward is killing more monsters."
"..."
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