1027. Mutated Monsters / 1028. Shirou and His Team Fall into Disagreement

"Oh, Tione, is this sheath your reward? Let me see it too. Hurry, hurry!"

"You're so noisy! It's so hot, don't come any closer!"

"Hey~ Hey~ Tell me quickly~!"

Upon entering the main hall where the clan was active, the others ignored Loki's interrogation of Tione and went about their own business. Their casual attitude towards her revealed no trace of reverence; it was clear that no one treated her with the awe and respect due to a goddess.

Her omniscient and omnipotent powers are sealed away; she neither ages nor grows old, making her a being beyond human intelligence. Facing this goddess, people feel a sense of security akin to that of family.

Although this goddess can be a bit too unruly at times, it's only natural for a child of the Familia to indulge the goddess's every whim.

For example, Ais's outfit. Normally, the introverted Ais would not choose such a thin outfit, but because Loki said that if she didn't wear it, she would bite her tongue and commit suicide, so she had no choice but to change into a thin vest that was basically just a single piece of fabric covering her chest. It used very little fabric and could be considered a bellyband. A hole was cut out at the back of her neck, extending all the way to her lower back.

If the armor were removed, the fair skin behind her and the curves of her body would be fully revealed.

The beauties in the clan all had some subtle makeup and accessories, which were things Loki was interested in.

Like the Amazon who don't care about exposing their skin, they naturally fit Loki's good ball belt.

However, for elves who are very shy and try to avoid showing their skin, Loki also enjoys teasing them.

In the evening, the members of the clan gathered at the restaurant for dinner.

Leading the group was a Little Folk -haired dwarf boy named Finn Demna, leader of the Loki Familia, a wise and brave lancer, level six, whose title was 'Hero,' and who was an outstanding figure unanimously recognized by all the gods.

He possesses a thumb that can foresee parts of the future and bring good fortune. Licking his thumb grants him wisdom, while it stings when facing great danger. It is because of his leadership that Loki Familia has been able to escape danger multiple times on the front lines of conquering dungeons.

Next to enter was an elf with long emerald hair and a white-based Magecraft attire, holding a silver staff slightly at eye level. She possessed unparalleled beauty and had long, pointed ears. Her name was Ria Rios Alfre.

She is known as the 'Nine Demon Princesses', a veteran among level six mages, and also the strongest mage in Orario. She comes from a very noble Elf royal family, and is respected by the Elf Race in the city.

The wand she wields is known in this world as the Magna Elvis, one of the Five Supreme Wands, and is inlaid with nine top-level True Magic stones.

There was also the burly dwarf uncle Grace Landrock, with a full brown beard and sideburns, also a level six, whose title was 'Heavy Master'.

He possesses the legendary strength of a giant, usually carrying a bunch of large shields to stand at the forefront of all his clansmen, protecting them from the wind and rain. In battle, he switches to two large axes, capable of cleaving the Dragon King, the leader of the monsters, in two from head to tail.

These three are the three pillars that led the Loki Familia to glory. Now, in addition to being active on the front lines, they are also responsible for nurturing the younger generation of Familia members like Ais.

Then there was the orc youth with animal ears on his head and a tail around his waist, who revealed a cold gaze. He had sharp fur on his ears and tail, which were the characteristics of a werewolf, and his face was covered with lightning-shaped tattoos. He was Bert Roca of the Beastkin, a martial artist full of bad air, who relied on his swift and powerful legs to attack, and fought wearing steel boots that could absorb True Magic and increase damage.

"Everyone! I have something to report." Tione stood up and said to her fellow members of the Familia.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at the girl in surprise.

"What's the matter?"

"That's really rare."

"Doesn't she usually act like a good girl in front of the leader?"

"Did something happen to Tione today?" Finn, the leader of the Familia, asked. He appeared to be a blond boy, but he was actually Little Folk and was over forty years old.

Tione nodded and said seriously, "Yes, Captain, regarding the request from the Demon Sword Blacksmith to our clan, the difficulty level is set at the highest level outside of the three major missions, and the reward is 600 million faeries. Mr. Shirou has agreed to pay half of the reward in advance."

"Pfft?! Six hundred million!!! That kid made that much money in just a few days?!" Loki, who was drinking red wine, spat it all over the table and shouted loudly.

"That's not the problem!" said the elven princess, who had been caught in the crossfire, wiping her face with a handkerchief.

"What is the mission? It's such a difficult request." Finn asked with a serious expression. In an era where the three major missions had been shelved, this was the highest level of mission.

"A prepayment of 300 million should be enough for us to go on another dungeon run. Maybe we can even solve the problem we encountered last time," the dwarf uncle said, calculating.

"Hmph! That's perfect! I've been wanting to get revenge on those bugs for ages! Of course, it would be even better if none of these random bastards were getting in the way." Bert, a young werewolf, said with a smirk.

"That's not fair, Bert. He's an important employer," Tiona scolded.

"Enough with the chit-chat! Anyway, I don't care about that weakling. Wild girl, if you like him, then you'd better protect him." The werewolf snorted.

"What! You stupid dog! People were trying to teach you out of kindness!"

"Ha! Who needs you to teach me! You silly girl!"

The two started arguing.

"Alright, you two, stop arguing! Everyone, what do you all think?" Riviera stopped the two and asked the other members.

The members of the clan looked at each other, reached a consensus, and spoke:

"Yes, we also think it's time to return to the dungeons."

"Loki, what do you think?" Finn finally asked, turning to the Supreme God.

"Hmm... hmm... forget it! It would be stupid not to make money! Let's take this job!" Loki hesitated for a while, then finally slammed his hand on the table and said.

"In that case, it's decided. Ais will inform the client that our Loki Familia has accepted this mission!" Finn said.

"Ooooooo!!!" The people in the clan raised their fists.

Chapter 1027 Mutated Monsters

At the blacksmith's shop, Shirou was tidying up his equipment when he said to the white-haired boy who had come to see him off:

"Bell, this mission is too dangerous, so I can't send you."

"I know... Big Brother." Bell was a little downcast, but he also understood that there was nothing he could do. He was still only level 1, and the highest level he had ever been to was the seventh level, so he couldn't be of any help at all.

"Don't be discouraged. In fact, you're improving very quickly, and I believe you'll advance soon. Sooner or later, we'll need your strength," Shirou said to the boy.

"Yes!" Bell answered loudly.

The boy clenched his fist inwardly, knowing that he had been wronged by Shirou. Perhaps it was because they shared similar ideals, or perhaps it was because they both admired heroes, but he would not remain a mere shadowy figure forever.

One day, I will become someone who can repay my older brother—no, I must become that person! Because that is the only way for me to realize my dream!

"Big brother! Have a safe journey! Please come back safely!!!"

"Okay! Do your best during this time." Shirou waved, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked inside.

Afterwards, Shirou joined forces with the Loki Familia and entered the dungeon.

Several hours later.

A silver flash appeared as it sped away.

"Daoooooooooooooh!?"

With a whoosh, a straight silver trail appeared from the top of its head to its crotch, and the skeletal monster roared with a deathly scream.

An ominous figure, its skeleton based on human features, is covered with armor-like bulges. It prides itself on its sharp shape and wields various bone weapons, ten times harder and ten times more ferocious than human bones. Shirou has seen such a figure before; those are the Dragon Tooth Soldier summoned by the betraying witch.

The "deep layer" was designated as its sphere of influence, equivalent to a powerful monster at level 4, which was instantly killed in a flash.

The swordsman, who unleashed a strike that felt as chilling as a freezing night, suddenly pointed the tip of his sword at the ground, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.

Skeletal remains, skulls, vertebrae, limb bones—countless fragments of bone were scattered within sight. Those white remains, long since unrecognizable, were undoubtedly the final resting place of more than ten terrestrial beings.

The blonde girl stood silently in the center of the monster graveyard, like Valkyrie. Her face was calm and expressionless, and with each breath she took, she slew all the skeletal monsters. But even with such swift killing, she couldn't stop the endless stream of monsters.

"The atmosphere is definitely different... There are clearly more monsters in the dungeon now," said Riviera, the green-haired Elf royal family, frowning.

"I've paid you enough, so please do your job well," Shirou said.

"You really dare to say that! Be careful, don't get involved!" the werewolf Bert cursed.

"Please rest assured about that." Shirou had been hiding in the back the whole way, only collecting parts of some mutated monsters. The dungeon reacted fiercely to his infiltration.

His main observation was of the labyrinth master, who appeared every ten floors, as the strongest monster in each level and most likely to be affected by that being.

Crunch, crunch!

More Dragon Tooth Soldier emerged from underground.

"This is so annoying!! It's never going to end, these skeletons!" The sisters Tiona and Tione roared, smashing the Dragon Tooth Soldier to pieces with their weapons.

"We must find the source of the magic that created the Dragon Tooth Soldier! Everyone, hold on for three more minutes!" Riviera closed her eyes, sensing the magic around her as she chanted a spell. To deal with monsters of level 4 or higher, True Magic requires two stages of incantation to achieve a fatal effect.

"Please hurry up, Riviera!" someone complained.

"I'm here to help!" Leifya raised her staff, chanted a spell, and unleashed lightning that swept away the Dragon Tooth Soldier.

"Alright! Everyone, make way!" came the elven princess's voice from behind.

"Whoa!" The melee fighters quickly ran to the side.

"Elemental spirits... Glory bestowed by Freyr... --Laevatain!!!"

Centered on Riviera, a red Magic Circle appeared around her, covering an area of several tens of square meters, and spewed scorching flames at the Dragon Tooth Soldier that emerged from the ground.

The ground was blasted through, revealing a skeletal Magecraft wielding a staff and wearing a black robe, who was burned to ashes in the flames. The Dragon Tooth Soldier finally stopped resurrecting.

After fighting for more than half an hour, the attack was finally brought to a close.

"Everyone's worked hard! Let's rest for a bit and make lunch here," Finn said, clapping his hands.

"Finally, you've worked hard~! Ais ~! Did you bring any recovery potions? What about magic potions? How about some red bean and cream-flavored potato balls Ais's favorite!?" The younger sister of the Amazon sisters Tiona, approached the blonde girl with concern, after all, she had killed more than half of the Dragon Tooth Soldier.

"It's alright, Tiona. Thank you... for wanting the last one..." Ais said softly.

"Come to think of it, we weren't injured to begin with, so we didn't really need any medicine or anything," Tione remarked.

"But... is this really the 37th floor? It feels like it takes even longer than the 50th floor. And that skeleton Magecraft hiding underground just now, can monsters be that intelligent?" Tiona said.

"I thought today would be a relaxing trip, but it's turned out to be so troublesome. If we stay here too long, the monsters will keep popping up, which will be a real hassle. Shall we get going after lunch? What do you say, Captain?" Tione said worriedly.

"Anyway, after killing for so long, all the monsters on this floor should be taken care of, right? Time to rest, time to rest~!" The werewolf Bert leaned against the wall and lay down to rest.

Currently on the 37th floor. Deep within this dungeon, defined as the Deep Realm, [Loki Familia] has accepted Shirou's request and is about to head towards the 50th floor of the labyrinth.

There weren't many people present; the team consisted of twenty-seven people, including supporters. Among them, there were three leaders of the Loki Familia and four werewolves named Bert, while the fifth-ranked team was led by Ais Wallenstein and included the two Amazon sisters. There were also seven first-rank adventurers.

For them, the area up to the fiftieth floor was merely an appetizer, which is why they dared to make such bold claims as "playing around." Their strength was on a completely different level from that of other adventurers.

Although they didn't say it aloud, they all felt they had gotten a great deal from Shirou's request, never imagining that it was actually much simpler than they thought.

"Isn't it time to tell us what you're looking for, Mr. Shirou?" Finn asked.

All eyes were fixed on Shirou was repairing the damaged weapons.

Chapter 1028 Shirou and his team have a disagreement

Loki Familia entered the dungeon with Shirou. At first, everything was peaceful, but as they went deeper, things began to change.

Initially, they were pack Demon Wolf. Generally, even with cubs, a wolf pack would not exceed twenty members. Once they reached that point, they would be separated to live in another piece of land, otherwise, the supply of prey would be insufficient, and they would not be able to survive. However, there are hundreds of Demon Wolf here.

Then came the giant Minotaur, wreathed in flames—the same giant Minotaur that had attacked Ais before—which reappeared.

Next are the endless Dragon Tooth Soldier. Dealing with these monsters is becoming increasingly difficult. The mutated monsters are at least ten levels more troublesome, almost reaching the level of the floor master.

If such mutated monsters appear on the fortieth floor, they are very likely to be monsters from the fiftieth floor.

Finn had to be responsible for the members, so he asked Shirou a question.

"I can't explain the specifics, but I sensed some kind of anomaly happening in the dungeon. I came down here to confirm the details of this anomaly," Shirou said, looking at the group.

"Then tell us everything you can explain clearly. If it's not clear, we can't proceed with this commission," Finn said.

"It will be difficult, but it's not impossible, right? If even the Loki Familia can't do it, then no one in Orario can. It won't be a loss for you, will it?" Shirou said, looking at the tontatta Little Folk who had borrowed the name of a hero from Celtic mythology.

The collection of Magic Stone was left to the supporters, and Ais had taken care of the previous battles. The two LV.3 supporters collected a lot of Magic Stone and materials along the way, Shirou was very understanding of their actions in handling other tasks at the same time.

However, it now seems that this favor is still not enough to make the other party give in and take the risk.

"Mr. Finn, I've heard that your ambition is to become a hero who conquers dungeons and revive the Little Folk, right? Are you going to back down just because of this level of danger?" Shirou asked.

Despite Shirou's obvious provocation, Finn smiled and replied, "Even so, I can't risk the lives of my clan members. To be honest, I felt a slight discomfort in my thumb the moment I entered the dungeon, and it's starting to hurt now."

"In that case, how about we let those who are willing to take the risk accompany me? If we feel that some of them are not strong enough, then let them go back first," Shirou suggested.

"This..."

The team members exchanged glances. For those below level five, it was indeed becoming increasingly difficult, especially for the level three supporters. If they were facing powerful monsters, their only option was to accept protection.

"I'll protect myself. If I die, then you've completed your mission, and you can just go home and collect your reward. But if you back down now, you won't achieve the result you want. Miss Ais, you also want to challenge yourself and become stronger, right?" Shirou said, looking at the blonde girl.

"..." Ais was somewhat persuaded by Shirou. Indeed, her rate of growth was getting slower and slower. Even with the new scabbard that greatly increased her explosive power, it was still not enough for her.

"No! Since this is the captain's order, then we will all obey. The elemental spirits are also warning me that it is very dangerous ahead... Everyone, we must retreat!" said Liviera, a fairy surrounded by an aura of transcendence.

The Amazon sisters, with their tanned skin, nodded in understanding, while Ais ate her potato balls in silence. Only her favorite potato balls could offer her any comfort now.

"Hmph! Now that I'm here, I don't want to go back like this. If you think you're too weak, then hurry up and get back here!" the werewolf Bert said with annoyance.

"Bert is so annoying, all that pretentious chatter is just plain stupid," Tiona said.

"Ha! Stop nagging!!! You wild girl! If you're scared, go back." the werewolf yelled.

"What! Who are you calling a coward?!" Tiona roared, furious.