1029. The Girl's Resolve / 1030. A Lord-Class Mutant ...

"... Finn, Liviera, I want to stay," Ais said.

The two people whose names were called showed different expressions. Finn widened his eyes slightly, while Liviera kept one eye closed without changing her expression.

Ignoring Tiona and Tione, who had abruptly stopped, Ais continued to state her position calmly.

"You don't need to share any food with me, I just don't want to trouble everyone. Please."

"Wait, wait a minute! Ais, you've already caused us trouble the moment you said that! We can't rest easy leaving Ais alone with the employer in a place like this!"

"I'm the same as Tiona. Even if Ais is strong, it's impossible for her to reach the fiftieth floor alone. I can't abandon my companions in the deep layers. It's too dangerous!"

Tiona put her hands on her hips and brought her face close to Ais's, their noses almost touching.

"..." Ais lowered her eyebrows slightly, revealing a confused expression. She was also unable to resist the girl's help, but she was more stubborn than anyone else, and simply lowered her head in silence.

"Ha! Well said! Ais, I'll go with you to the fiftieth floor! As for that guy who's just a burden, he said we don't need to worry about his safety. It's okay to take his corpse to the fiftieth floor, right?" the werewolf Bert said with a sneer.

"Don't worry, even if you all retreat, I will still keep moving forward," Shirou said stubbornly.

"Don't cause trouble for Shirou, Bert!"

"Mr. Shirou! Stop talking!"

Tiona clutched her head in frustration, saying that if she could, she would have knocked Ais and Shirou unconscious and taken them back with her.

"Why is Ais so obsessed with fighting? Ais is such an amazing beautiful girl, what a waste! She should be more girly! As for me, Amazon, I'm more interested in dressing up!"

"For me... that kind of thing, let's just forget about it..." Ais said softly, "Everyone... I still hope we can move forward."

Bert the werewolf is always a lone wolf, doing things his own way, extremely arrogant, and doesn't care about anyone's opinions.

Shirou also seemed determined not to give up until he reached his destination.

Chapter 1029 The Girl's Perseverance

Seeing Ais stubbornly keeping her head down, Liviera, who was watching from a step away, sighed and turned back to Finn to speak.

"Finn, I'm begging you too. Please respect Ais's will."

"Liviera!?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise. What had happened to the usually composed and meticulous wise woman?

"Hmm...?" The Little Folk leader, shorter than anyone else present, looked up at Liviera as if asking for her true meaning.

"This child has this stubborn, obsessive personality; I hope you can accept my advice," Riviera said, looking at Finn.

Finn took a breath and said, "This kind of... parental affection, like that of protecting a child, will only backfire. What Liviera and Tiona said makes more sense. As the team leader, I cannot allow it."

"I'm aware that I'm spoiled... but..."

Liviera glanced at Ais and saw the girl, who rarely showed any emotion, looking at her with a guilty expression. She sighed again.

She was acquainted with Ais's parents. After her parents sacrificed themselves to complete an impossible challenge, Riviera took Ais in and became her guardian.

However, from that day on, Ais lost the innocence and carefree nature that a child should have, and became an exquisite doll, single-mindedly focused on becoming stronger. In battle, she always charged to the front line, using weapons and her own body in a way that was even more brutal than that of a berserker. Many times, she ended up covered in wounds.

"I'll stay too!" Riviera said.

Finn, peering into her pupils, placed his hand on his chin and slowly nodded with an air of seriousness, saying:

"I understand. Since it's only your judgment, Riviera, then let's stay."

"Hey, Finn, you should try to convince them!" Tiona complained.

"If we all stay, even if something unexpected happens, it shouldn't be a big problem, right? On the contrary, if we go back in batches, reducing our fighting strength, we might encounter danger on the way," Finn said.

"It's alright. I've actually thought this through carefully. At fifty layers, it should be enough for the Loki Familia to handle," Shirou said.

"No, no, in our opinion, Mr. Shirou is quite Sparta." Tione said, her expression changing slightly. She recalled how Shirou had gently defended them when the eldest sister was angry.

But they seem to genuinely believe that they should work themselves to the bone, just like other Amazon, without pay, without holidays, working 24/7, all for the sake of serving the people.

Okay, while it's not quite that exaggerated, this person seems to have some misunderstanding about human limits. Perhaps he himself doesn't think it matters, but some people do die from overwork.

"Hmm?" Shirou looked at the girl in confusion. He shouldn't have done anything to scare her, right?

"Mr. Shirou, if you encounter any monsters you're struggling against later, please take care of yourself. I'll be running away with my familiars and won't be able to help you," Finn warned Shirou.

Although he harbored a desire to restore the glory of the Little Folk, it was precisely for this reason that he had to ensure his survival and proceed with extreme caution. He was truly finding this dungeon adventure increasingly incomprehensible.

What is this human boy searching for? What is he doing all this for? What could possibly drive a free man who hasn't become a member of the gods' kin to so desperately venture into the depths of the labyrinth?

Finn simply couldn't understand it.

Shirou nodded and agreed, "I know, and I have no complaints about that. Of course, please be careful, and let's all go back safely."

Shirou understood that his actions were somewhat forced, but he had no choice but to do so. Without evidence, no one would believe him even if he spoke of the danger he foresaw that would bring about the destruction of the world.

"And... there might be tough battles ahead, so I'm counting on you to maintain everyone's weapons," Finn said to Shirou.

"Well, leave the equipment to me. It'll be just as good as any blacksmith's. Oh, and why don't we write down the dimensions of your weapons now? I can custom-make sheaths for all of you when we get back, and I can give you a 20% discount." Shirou said with a smile.

"Then it's decided. Everyone, rest for another twenty minutes and then prepare to go to the next level." Finn turned around and instructed his fellow members of the Familia.

"Yes~! Yes~! I understand." Tione changed her previous resistant attitude and agreed sweetly with a smile.

"There's nothing I can do, since... the captain said so," Tiona said helplessly, her hands behind her back.

"Tsk, it wouldn't matter if you didn't come along," the werewolf Bert said unhappily.

"Thank you, Miss Liviera." Shirou thanked the Elf Race princess. If they couldn't reach deeper into the area, then this exploration would have been a waste.

So far, the mutated monsters we've encountered have only dropped some special materials, which undoubtedly come from powers in other worlds. However, we haven't encountered any crucial entities yet. The mindless monsters, the mastermind behind them, the source of the energy—everything remains a mystery.

"No, after all, we accepted the commission first," Riviera said softly, then looked at the blonde girl who was huddled up to the side and walked over to her.

"I was originally looking for an opportunity to talk to you, and now that situation is even more so. I won't interfere in your affairs, but at least let me complain a bit," Riviera said, looking at the blonde girl with a hint of helplessness.

This is perhaps the feeling of parents who are heartbroken and helpless when their children go through a rebellious phase, unable to reason with them no matter what they do.

"...I'm sorry." Ais, her hands behind her back and head bowed, like a child being lectured.

As they went deeper, they were enveloped in a thin gloom that was completely different from the floors above. The space above seemed bottomless, soaring so high that the ceiling could not be seen with the naked eye; it was filled with a despairing darkness. The pale white walls emitted light intermittently, and they could only rely on the faint glow of candlelight to ensure their vision.

He stood there motionless for a moment, until a look of surprise appeared on Liviera's face.

As if sensing something, Ais was walking in front, drew her sword.

"They're here!"

"Found it!!!" Shirou sensed something too, his eyes gleaming. He had finally found it.

In the dimly lit space, something enormous surged out from deep underground.

Chapter 1030 Lord-level Mutant

"What?" Everyone looked at Ais, whose beautiful face was slightly tense, and then at Shirou around them.

Just as they were about to ask what was going on, everyone quickly noticed the unusual situation.

Although it was dark around us, with the only light source being the phosphorescence on the walls, the underground city floor we were standing on was shaking violently.

"No way..."

"What big guy is coming?"

"We haven't even reached the next floor yet, and we're here again?" everyone complained.

As if in agreement with this whisper, Ais's gaze fell upon the center of the vast room, which was gradually rising.

The earth was torn apart in the next instant.

Buried under a large amount of soil, an unprecedentedly huge shape poked its face out of the ground.

"Wait, this doesn't feel like... an ordinary monster," the knowledgeable Riviera reminded the group.

A series of crackling sounds echoed all around, the grating noise of sand and dust crackling across the ground. As the object was swept up, it slowly rose, then roared and cascaded down to the ground like a waterfall.

Skull, collarbone, ribs, pelvis. The black skeleton, exposed directly from the ground, reveals its entirety.

The vibrations reached their peak, and the entire floor began to shake.

It was as if the dungeon was paying the price for childbirth; the dungeon emitted a **.

"Roar! Aaaaaaah! Waaaaah!"

A ferocious wail shot upwards. The skeletal monster that howled to the sky was enormous, at least ten meters tall. Its entire body was stained black, a colossal skeleton. Its lower body was still buried in the ground, making it look like a giant monster enlarged to scale from a human. Two protrusions grew from its head.

Deep within the dark eye sockets, tiny, crimson lights, like fire powder, flickered. Then, inside the chest cavity, as if protected by ribs and sternum, an unusually large Magic Stone floated in mid-air.

"Watch out! It's the floor master!" the dwarf uncle shouted, raising his shield.

"Members below level four, retreat! Send one person to protect them, at least twenty meters away from the battlefield," Finn ordered.

"Yes!" Someone quickly led the lower-ranking members to retreat.

After all, the monster is huge and armed; if you don't keep a safe distance, you could be killed in no time.

"I see. Three months have passed, it's time for the floor master to resurrect, and it just so happens to be today..." Riviera said through gritted teeth, secretly calculating the time.

The giant skeleton monster that crawled out at this moment looked rather strange. Normally, if any adventurers appeared within the dungeon, the dungeon master would hunt them down and wouldn't stop until they were killed. The only way to escape was to reach the next or next level.

"Everyone! Be careful, something's strange!" Finn shouted, his thumb throbbing with pain.

At this moment, molten lava-like flames surged up from underground, chasing after the master of the maze.

Scorching flames burst forth from the earth, spewing magma like a fountain, turning the ground red-hot. The dim underground city instantly turned crimson.

"Roara..."

The team members were stunned; the monster that had terrified them had been engulfed by unknown flames.

Generally speaking, the number of monsters appearing in each tier is determined based on each type.

Once a certain number is exceeded, the number will stop increasing; if it decreases, new monsters will be spawned from the dungeon walls. Although the time interval between the spawning of the next monster varies for each floor, the longest is only about a day.

There are also monsters that will not reappear temporarily after death and require a certain period of time to regenerate.

It might take weeks, or it might take months.

These special monsters exist in a fixed tier, one at a time. They have different habits: some sleep in caves, some roam throughout the labyrinth, some stand aloof on mountaintops to avoid other monsters, and some wantonly destroy and prey.

As for why they possess such characteristics, adventurers have no idea. Is it because of their power, or because of their sheer size? The reason is currently unclear. The only certainty is that only one is allowed to exist in the stratum in which they are born.

Guilds that have survived since ancient times have always referred to these special monsters as the 'Lone King of the Labyrinth' or the 'Master of the Floor'.

They are formidable enemies that adventurers must face, dangerous entities that must be defeated as quickly as possible by gathering manpower once they appear. However, they are also targets that adventurers prefer to challenge alone, as this is the way to obtain upgrade certificates.

"Liviera! Finn! Don't interfere! I'll handle this monster," Ais said.

If they feel their combat strength is insufficient, then she should become stronger! Once she becomes stronger, the clan won't have to worry so much.

All the "Lone Kings of the Labyrinth," with their unique intervals and diverse forms, share one thing in common: they are all incomparably powerful.

The level of this special monster is estimated based on the tier, plus '2' or higher. This means that the floor master that appears in the latter half of the thirtieth floor, which can only be reached by adventurers of level four, will only be level five or higher. It is a monster that can only be dealt with by teamwork.

Now, this monster has mutated, and was caught by the living flames emerging from the ground. In the end, they merged together and became a giant, burning humanoid skeleton.

"Ais, are you really planning to do this alone?" Liviera questioned with a stern look in her eyes.

Ais, carrying a scabbard and with one hand on the hilt, calmly approached the roaring, flame-engulfed monster 'Udaios,' and answered with composure:

"No problem!"

The monster, hailed by the gods as a 'leader-level' creature, had bones that radiated a sun-like light. Molten lava, like its blood, flowed through its glowing bones instead of its marrow. The monster's roars were like a stirring string symphony, a hymn of praise for the maiden.

"Ais, be careful," Shirou said. He also wanted to watch the battle closely and glean some clues from this boss-level monster. The ordinary monsters from before, although they had also mutated, were ultimately too weak, and once they died, they left behind very little.

"It'll be over soon!" Ais encouraged herself, raising her sword to challenge the mutated dungeon master.

"Roarooooo!!!" The monster 'Udaios', which had completely mutated, turned its gaze to the blonde girl, gripping its huge bone sword and sweeping it towards Ais.

Chapter 1031 The Valkyrie

Ais watched the bone sword approaching, then gently raised the hilt, allowing air to flow into the scabbard. Concentrated magic circulated within, sensing the external pressure and quickly adhered to the blade, causing the edge to gleam with a blue light.

'Mini Gale--!'

Ais dodged the bone sword's strike by sidestepping, then drew the Sword of Despair, unleashing her fastest speed as she charged toward the Giant Skeleton Udaios, delivering her most powerful thrust.

Those on the periphery held their breath for the girl. When the seven- or eight-meter-long bone sword fell, a large amount of Black Mud and dust was kicked up from the ground. However, before the dust could soil the blonde girl's clothes, she had already transformed into a golden-blue blur and thrust towards the Giant Skeleton's head.

"Roar roar roar ooh ooh ooh ooh!!!"

The Giant Skeleton stared blankly at the girl with its sunken eye sockets, clearly not expecting this scene at all.

The sword, radiating a cyan light, pressed against the Giant Skeleton's forehead the instant it charged forward.

Then he unleashed his second ultimate technique.