In a certain dungeon floor, a desolate land where not a blade of grass grew.
It was a vast expanse composed of rocks and gravel, everything tinted in shades of reddish-brown.
The flying sand pervaded the barren earth.
The turbid air expanded in the space.
In this floor that looked like it had been deserted for ages and where people basically never set foot, a war erupted.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
Accompanied by chilling roars, a horde of monsters, stepping with footsteps heavy enough to stir the ground, charged like a stampeding herd. They raised dust as they advanced, launching an attack.
These monsters had two twisted horns, reminiscent of goats, necks swollen with ugly horse-like faces, their size easily surpassing that of an adult. Muscles bulged, bodies were robust, and in their hands, they wielded club-like objects resembling fossilized bones, much like the appearance of savage barbarians.
They were at least Level 3, and their numbers were vast, resembling a barbaric tribe dwelling in the wilderness. The momentum of their charge was as intimidating as a vast army, instilling fear in anyone who witnessed.
Their target was the intruders who had abruptly entered this floor.
"Release!"
A Pallum, situated in the rear, commanded in this wilderness.
At his command, the rearguard, already holding bows and arrows, simultaneously released their stretched bowstrings. Arrows made of refined iron formed a rain of arrows, slicing through the space and pouring down onto the oncoming horde of monsters.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
In the next moment, arrows effortlessly pierced through the bodies of monsters, either penetrating their heads or penetrating their torsos, causing them to scream in agony, falling one by one, turning into dust.
On this desolate land, chunks of not-insignificant magic stones appeared, but they didn't catch anyone's attention.
The monsters, completely disregarding their fallen comrades, some with several arrows sticking out of their bodies, continued to charge forward, snorting and roaring in anger, their crimson eyes wide open, heading towards the intruders with even more astonishing power.
Facing such a fearless charge, many monsters eventually end up in front of the Loki Familia expedition party.
Seeing this, the Pallum remained calm, issuing orders with a calm demeanor.
"Vanguard, raise your shields! Hold them back!"
"Midguard, spread out! Look for opportunities to support!"
"Rearguard mage, get ready to chant!"
Finn's voice incredulously reached everyone's ears, wiping away the tension and unease, prompting everyone in the expedition party to display determined expressions and start executing the orders.
The dwarves and beastmen, wielding massive shields, took decisive steps forward, forming a shield wall and courageously facing the onslaught of the vicious monster army.
The midguard, consisting of humans, pallums, and amazoness, tightened their faces and scattered in all directions.
The exceptionally beautiful elves began gathering one by one around each other and led by Riveria, they started chanting their magic.
"Lefiya! Stay focused! Pay attention to your chant!"
Riveria, in a supportive position, cautioned Lefiya at her side.
"Yes!"
Lefiya responded and took a deep breath, tightened her staff, and began chanting magic alongside her fellow adventurers.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Meanwhile, at the vanguard, monsters had already clashed with the Loki Familia. Wielding heavy clubs, they roared and attacked, causing the dwarves and beastmen with massive shields to repeatedly retreat, their faces turning red.
"Get lost!"
Gareth, on the other hand, not only didn't retreat but charged forward like a small tank. Wherever he went, monsters were sent flying like soccer balls, an anomalously awe-inspiring scene.
The midguard, responsible for support, also made their move.
"HAAHHH!"
Tione wielded a pair of curved knives, her black hair dancing in the wind. Like brown-colored lightning, she flew back and forth, each graceful rotation of her slender arms precisely slicing through the chests of monsters one by one, destroying their core.
"HYAAA!"
Tiona, with an equally fierce shout, charged towards another group of monsters. In her hands, she held an exaggeratedly large double-bladed sword, spinning like a windmill, transforming into a ferocious meat grinder, cutting all the monsters in her path in half.
"Come on!"
The werewolf youth, Bete, had a ferocious expression on his face. He unleashed his speed to the fullest, faster than Tione, more vicious than Tiona. He had no weapons in his hands but wore a pair of iron boots on his feet. His figure on the battlefield often went unnoticed until, in the blink of an eye, a monster was sent flying by his kick, creating muffled sounds around everyone like thunder.
Such intense fighting, such a death battle, could only be described as war.
Among Loki Familia's adventurers present, only three hadn't joined the fray.
One was naturally positioned at the rear, issuing commands as the captain—Finn.
The other two were a swordsman and a swordswoman.
The swordsman had black hair.
The swordswoman had golden hair.
They stood on either side of Finn, like bodyguards, their eyes tightly focused on the battlefield.
"It's time."
Finn's incomparably calm voice resonated at a certain moment.
"Riezel, Ais."
When this call came from Finn's mouth, the two sprang into action.
*BANG!*
In the sudden burst of powerful wind, Riezel and Ais, like bullets being fired, charged out. The air stirred around the bodies of the two and whirlwinds came out of nowhere.
Riezel and Ais, like two hurricanes, fearlessly and without hesitation, crossed everyone present and plunged into the midst of the monster horde.
All those present only felt a gust of wind blowing past them, and in the blink of an eye, the two had arrived amid the monster horde.
*Scwing!*
Their sword was drawn in the nick of time.
*Whoosh!*
Without mercy, their swords swung down.
As Riezel and Ais charged into the monster horde, sword flashes erupted with each ruthless strike.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
In an instant, monsters were sliced open, their bodies severed in half.
A vast amount of blood sprayed into the sky.
Anguished howls belatedly echoed.
Riezel and Ais turned into storms of sword edges, their expressions were cold to the point of heartlessness, unleashing countless slashes that cut down each monster without mercy.
Slash after slash.
Swing after swing.
Not a single monster could react in time.
Not a single person could sense the shiver rising in their hearts at that moment.
At this point, Riezel and Ais were genuine war machines, reducing any monster in their path to fragments, cruel yet beautiful.
"Amazing...."
Someone had unconsciously halted their movements, gazing at the slaughter scene, muttering in fascination or perhaps daze.
"Tch..." Bete clicked his tongue, seemingly annoyed by something.
Everyone held a mixture of awe and, unbeknownst to themselves, admiration, transfixed by the two swordsmen employing identical swordsmanship, relentlessly harvesting the lives of the monsters.
Until—
"Retreat!"
At Finn's command, everyone snapped back to reality, collectively and decisively withdrawing from the battlefield.
Riezel and Ais also came to a halt, showing no reluctance to leave, and promptly retreated.
In that split second, a massive magic circle appeared on the ground.
Led by Riveria, every elf mage stepped into her magic circle, an unusual air swirling around them, making their dresses dance elegantly and beautifully.
"Rea Laevateinn!"
Riveria's voice faintly echoed, and one by one, every elf mage around her also invoked the names of their magic, awakening supernatural miracles.
Thus, pillars of fire erupted.
Thus, arrows of flames descended.
It was a pure fire element wide area annihilation magic, a calamitous force with wide-ranging destructive power.
They summoned this power, causing flames to either burst radiantly or rain down like a storm.
For a moment, the monsters were ruthlessly covered by flames, their bodies engulfed, roars replaced by thunderous explosions, gradually vanishing amid the scorching heat.
The desolate land was enveloped in hot air, lingering for a long time.
===
Several hours later.
A campsite sprung up on the ground, nestled in the wilderness.
Amidst the noisy commotion, the sounds of metal scraping and casual chatter filled the air.
Adventurers carried various equipment; some drove iron stakes into the ground, others ran around delivering messages, and some prepared food, lighting campfires, creating a lively atmosphere.
This was Loki Familia's expedition camp.
On a floor that seemed far from the depths of the underground, the Loki Familia expedition party had built this camp as their base, gathering together.
"You're really amazing, Riezel!"
In one corner of the camp, Tiona danced with excitement.
"They're fomoires, y'know?! Level 4 monsters that are seriously tough to handle alone. And what'd you do? You sliced them up like it's no big deal! You're not Level 4; you're totally a Level 5 top-tier adventurer with that kinda strength!"
Tiona was genuinely impressed, and even Tione, standing nearby, eyed Riezel with a strange look as if he were a humanoid monster.
Meanwhile, Ais and Lefiya exchanged bewildered looks as they watched him surrounded by the excited girls, their thoughts in turmoil.
'Mr. Riezel is really getting stronger...' Lefiya's gaze was complicated.
'He's getting stronger again...' Ais silently pondered, feeling a bit restless.
Surrounded by the enthusiastic group of girls, Riezel chuckled, not sure how to react. He lifted his head to gaze at the high ceiling.
This was the dungeon's 50th Floor.
Now, it had been almost two weeks since the Loki Familia expedition party ventured into the dungeon.
He had overcome many challenges, finally reaching this floor.
'This expedition really turned out to be the right choice.'
Reflecting on the journey, Riezel smiled with contentment.