CHAPTER 51: 051 ’THE 50TH LAYER

The underground city, a barren land where not a single blade of grass grows.

This is a vast space composed of rocks and gravel, all in shades of reddish-brown.

Flying sand pervades the desolate land.

The murky air also expands throughout the space.

In this world that is clearly untouched by man, where people would never be found on any ordinary day, a war has erupted.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

Accompanied by intimidating roars, a group of monsters with footsteps heavy enough to cause the ground to tremble charged forward like a stampeding herd of beasts, kicking up sandstorms as they launched their assault.

The monsters, with two twisted horns like those of a goat’s, swollen necks topped with ugly, horse-like faces, easily stood taller than a grown adult. Their muscular bodies, brandishing clubs that resembled fossilized skeletons, made them look like wild men of grotesque appearance.

Such a group of ferocious monsters were clearly powerful, far surpassing the creatures from the upper and middle levels of the underground city. Ranked at least at Lv.3 and above, their vast numbers resembled a barbaric tribe dwelling in the wilderness. The momentum of their charge was no less intimidating than that of a formidable army, enough to instill fear.

Their target was the group of intruders who had brazenly entered this level.

"Fire!"

Positioned at the rear, the dwarven leader sounded his command within this wasteland.

Following his order, the readied archers all released their drawn bowstrings in unison, sending a rain of arrows forged from fine steel across the space, falling upon the charging horde of monsters like a downpour.

"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"...

The next second, arrows easily pierced through the bodies of the monsters. Some buried into their heads, others deep into their bodies, eliciting pained howls as they collapsed one after another, bursting into clouds of dust.

On the deserted land, chunks of sizable magic stones appeared, yet no one paid them any heed.

The monsters continued their charge, heedless of their fallen comrades, some even with several arrows stuck in their bodies. With angry snorts and blood-red eyes, they roared furiously, charging at the intruders with even greater ferocity.

Such reckless and fearless charging ultimately brought quite a few monsters face to face with Loki’s kin, the adventurers.

The dwarven leader remained calm, issuing commands with composure.

"Vanguard, raise shields! Block them!"

"Center guard, spread out! Look for opportunities to support!"

"Rear guard, Magic Guides, prepare your incantations!"

Finn’s voice incredulously reached everyone’s ears, washing away the tension and unease in their hearts, prompting the stalwart expressions on the faces of Loki’s kin to execute the orders.

The dwarves and orcs, wielding massive shields, stepped out without hesitation, forming a shield wall to confront the ferocious enemy head-on.

The humans, dwarves, and Amazons making up the center guard tensed their faces and dispersed.

The ethereally beautiful elves gathered beside the royal family, beginning to chant spells under their leadership.

"Rephia! Don’t get distracted! Focus on your incantation!"

Revilia, in a protected position, admonished the elven girl beside her.

"Yes!"

Rephia took a deep breath, gripping her magic wand firmly, and joined the royalty and her kin in chanting the magic incantation.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

Meanwhile, at the vanguard position, the monsters had clashed with the adventurers of Loki’s family. Wielding heavy clubs, they roared and attacked, forcing the dwarves and orcs with their giant shields to stumble backward, their faces flushing red.

"Get out of the way!"

Only Grace, instead of retreating, charged forward like a miniature tank. Wherever she went, all the monsters were sent flying like balls, creating an awe-inspiring scene.

The center guard responsible for support had their moment of action.

"Haah!"

Theone, brandishing a pair of curved blades and dancing her black hair, moved like a brown bolt of lightning, streaking back and forth. With each elegant twirl of her arms, her blades cleanly sliced through a monster’s chest, destroying their vital parts (magic stones).

"Yah!"

Theona, too, let out a war cry as she charged another group of monsters, wielding an exceptionally large double-edged sword. Like a windmill, it spun fiercely, transforming her into a voracious meat grinder, cutting all monsters in her path in half.

"Come at me, monsters!"

The young werewolf Bert’s face contorted fiercely with unleashed speed, outpacing Theone and even more ferocious than Theona. Without a weapon in hand but iron boots on his feet, he filled the battlefield with his intimidating presence. Often before anyone could react, another monster was already kicked sky-high by him, filling the surroundings with thunderous sounds.

In the midst of this intense battle, a fight so deadly it could only be called a war, only three of the adventurers of Loki’s family had yet to engage.

One, of course, was Finn at the rear, issuing commands as the captain.

The other two were a male and female swordsman.

The black-haired male swordsman.

The blonde female swordsman.

They stood to the left and right of Finn, like guardians, eyes fixed intently on the battlefield ahead.

"The time has come."

Finn’s voice, calm and composed, resounded in a moment.

"Reiger, Ais."

When Finn called out, the two swordsmen moved.

"Wham!"

In a sudden burst of wind, the male and female swordsmen shot out like cannonballs.

The atmosphere churned around them.

Whirlwinds appeared out of nowhere, howling in.

The two swordsmen, like two raging tornados, fearlessly and without hesitation charged past everyone present, surging into the throng of monsters.

The onlookers only felt a gust of wind blowing by, and then the male and female swordsmen had charged into the horde.

"Clang!"

The hairbreadth’s draw of the sword.

"Swoosh!"

The merciless slashing.

Upon the first moment of rushing into the group of monsters, two swordsmen launched their attacks, letting streaks of sword light flash into existence.

"Splurt!" "Splurt!" "Splurt!"...

Instantly, monster after monster was gutted and cleaved in two.

Great swaths of fresh blood were scattered across the sky.

Screams of agony belatedly rose.

Reiger and Ais became twisters of sword blades, with expressions so calm they could be called heartless, wielding countless slashing strikes to slaughter monster after monster.

Slash after slash.

Sword light after sword light.

Not a single monster could react in time.

Not a single person could realize the trembling that gradually rose in their hearts at first glance.

At this moment, Reiger and Ais were veritable war machines, turning any monster that appeared before them into shreds, cruel yet beautiful.

"So impressive....."

Some, already unable to help themselves, stopped what they were doing and gazed at the scene, muttering in either fascination or stupor.

"Tch..."

The werewolf youth Bert clicked his tongue, seemingly annoyed by something.

Everyone held a sense of reverence, along with an admiration they themselves hadn’t realized, entranced as they watched the two swordsmen wield identical sword techniques, endlessly reaping the lives of the monsters.

Until—

"Retreat!"

At Finn’s command, everyone suddenly snapped back to attention and retreated collectively without hesitation, pulling out of the fray.

Reiger and Ais also stopped, showing no reluctance to continue fighting and decisively backed away.

And at that moment, a massive magic Array appeared on the ground.

Elf mages, led by the elven royal family, stood upon the Array, the air swirling around them, causing their dresses to flutter elegantly, a sight of incomparable beauty.

"[High-level Victory Sword]."

Revilia’s voice spread hauntingly, as the surrounding Elf Mages each called out the name of their magic, awakening the supernatural miracle.

Thus, fire pillars erupted.

Thus, flame arrows fell.

It was pure fire-attribute area-of-effect annihilation magic, a calamitous power for large scale group attacks.

The Elf Mages conjured up this force, allowing flames to either radiate out in a blast or descend like torrential rain.

For a moment, the monsters were mercilessly covered in flames, their massive forms swallowed, and their roars replaced by the thundering sounds, gradually disappearing in the scorching burn filled with intense heat.

The barren land was enveloped in the hot air, which lingered on.

...

The scene shifted, and the barren land was no more.

A campsite sprung up from the ground, situated in the wilderness.

Noisy clamor constantly reverberated within.

The sound of metal clashing and the jumbled noise of casual conversation also intertwined.

Adventurers were either carrying some kind of equipment, driving metal stakes into the ground, running about relaying messages, or preparing food, lighting campfires, creating a lively scene.

This was the Loki Familia’s expedition campsite.

In this floor deep underground, which didn’t look like the lower levels of the underground city at all, Loki Familia’s adventurers had constructed a campsite, using it as their base and gathering together.

"You’re really amazing, Reiger!"

In a corner of the camp, Theona was dancing with excitement.

"That was a Fomor, a monster that normally even a Lv.4 adventurer would struggle to face alone, but what happened?"

"You chopped them up like they were vegetables, so—easily dispatched so many Fomors!"

"You, what are you doing as a Lv.4? That’s clearly the strength of a first-tier Lv.5 adventurer!"

Theona was thus excited, it was clear she was truly shocked.

Not just Theona, even the nearby Theone eyed Reiger with a strange look, as if she was gazing at a humanoid monster.

Even Ais and Rephia looked at each other, their gazes falling on Reiger who was surrounded by everyone, a torrent of mixed thoughts in their minds.

"Reiger has really become stronger and stronger....."

Rephia’s gaze was complex.

"He’s gotten stronger again....."

Ais also murmured silently in her heart, her thoughts in disarray.

Reiger, surrounded by the overwhelmingly excited women, smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to react, while also lifting his head to look at the high ceiling.

This was the 50th floor of the underground city.

By now, it had been almost two weeks since Loki Familia’s expedition entered the underground city.

Reiger had overcome many adventures and finally arrived at this floor.

"This expedition, it really was the right decision," he thought with a smile.