Monster in the Standoff

Soon after, everything returned to calm.

All the worm monsters had been wiped out, leaving not even Magic Stone. The disgusting yellowish-green body fragments had turned to ashes and disappeared, leaving only traces of corrosion from the dissolving liquid on the ground. Apart from countless pits of all sizes, the entire rock platform was almost entirely covered by these charred, corrosive marks.

"It's finally over----"

The Loki Familia members, who had been on edge, breathed a sigh of relief, put down their weapons, and the shield-bearers, led by Gareth, even threw away their severely melted shields before gathering around Finn.

"Is everyone alright? Are there any injured people?"

Finn was the first to take stock of the casualty figures.

"Some people were injured by the dissolving liquid because they were caught off guard at the beginning, but otherwise they're all fine. No one has been killed or lost," Riveria reported while sighing. "However, the loss of supplies is considerable, especially weapons and shields. Not to mention the original equipment the team members were equipped with, even most of the spare weapons prepared for the expedition have been used up."

Upon hearing this, Finn and the others looked around and immediately saw the remaining parts of melted weapons, as well as fragments of shields, arrows, and armor.

"Waaah, my Ullr ----"

Tiona, holding the massive double blades that had been melted down to less than half their original size, cried out in despair.

"Shut up, you're annoying."

Beside him, Tione, draped in a blanket, spoke up with a disgruntled expression.

Her recurve swords were all destroyed, and even her clothes were dissolved. Because of her reckless actions, almost no part of her skin was intact when the battle ended. Her entire body bore traces of dissolution, and her miserable appearance terrified all the members of the group, turning them pale. It was only thanks to Lefiya Viridis's frantic efforts that Elixir was brought to her and poured on her that her skin and flesh began to grow back. Otherwise, she wouldn't dare show her face in front of her beloved.

Bete Loga, on the other hand, was protected by Ais's wind; his metal boots were intact, and he wasn't covered in any dissolving liquid. However, looking at the weapon fragments scattered all over the ground and the team members slumped around healing their wounds, his expression wasn't very good.

"You lot, and you still can't take down those clumsy, live targets? What a disgrace!"

Bete Loga, true to form, displayed his foul mouth, earning him glares from many of the elf members.

Who told this werewolf to insult the elven royalty they respected?

This is clearly accusing Riveria, isn't it?

"----This is indeed my responsibility, and I have no words to say about it."

Riveria did not object and directly took responsibility.

As the main person in charge of the camp, she felt she couldn't escape responsibility for such a serious incident.

However, others couldn't stand it anymore.

"Lady Riveria was already very vigilant. She immediately increased the alert level after you set off. It was because of this that we were able to discover those worm monsters the moment they appeared and organize an effective resistance. If it weren't for Lady Riveria's instructions, we might have been wiped out before you returned."

An elf with bright golden hair, standing closest to Riveria, spoke with a strong assertive tone.

Her name is Alicia Forrestleite. She is a core member of the Second Army of the Familia, just like Raul. Not only is she an excellent Mage proficient in parallel Parallel Chanting techniques, but she is also quite skilled in archery and can use a sword for close combat. Therefore, she is often chosen as a support role for the elite members of the First Army in battle. She is not only highly capable, but also kind and tolerant, and is deeply trusted by her comrades.

Her level is Lv.4, and her title is [Chaste Garden]. Unlike the easygoing Lefiya Viridis, she is a very orthodox elf, so she greatly admires Riveria, who is of royal lineage, and is Riveria's most loyal supporter. When someone insults Riveria, she will change her gentle and tolerant demeanor and fly into a rage.

"That's right, Lady Riveria has done her job very well. If it weren't for her prior arrangements, the casualties would have been much worse."

The next person to speak was a cat-woman.

She was a cat-woman with long, black, shoulder-length hair, matching cat ears and a cat tail, a slender figure, and a beautiful face.

Her name is Anakitty Ottom. Like Alicia, she is a core member of the Second Army and a veteran member of the Familia who joined at the same time as Raul. Not only is she a Level 4, a second-tier adventurer, but she is also considered to be of the highest level among all Level 4 adventurers in the entire city. In addition, she is calm, collected, and exceptionally courageous. When the Level 1 adventurers of the Familia are absent, Finn usually appoints her as the commander-in-chief of the base. Therefore, she is considered to be the member of the Familia who is closest to Level 5.

This talented and beautiful cat-woman is even very popular among the gods. She is a noble cat breed praised by the gods, and as a result, the gods bestowed upon her the title of "Madame Cat" to highlight her nobility.

Now that even she has spoken up, it means that Alicia is not simply favoring the royal family, but rather that Riveria has indeed done her best.

"Yes, it's all thanks to Lady Riveria that we were able to hold off those worm monsters."

"Aside from the initial lack of understanding of the monsters' abilities, which led to some people being injured by the dissolving liquid, Lady Riveria later adjusted the countermeasures, and basically no one was injured anymore."

"I... I can testify!"

"Me too!"

The members who remained at the camp spoke up one after another, including Lefiya, who was treating the wounded.

"Um—everyone, please calm down."

Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Lefiya Viridis swallowed hard and nervously began to try to mediate.

Ais didn't say anything, but looked at Riveria with a worried expression.

"Hey, you stupid wolf, you can't stand a day without spewing filth, can you?"

"To kick someone when they're down like this, are you even human?"

Even Tione and Tiona couldn't stand it anymore and started cursing at Bete Loga with furrowed brows.

Bete Loga simply watched all of this with a cold face, completely unconcerned that he had become the target of everyone's criticism.

"Alright, all of you, keep quiet."

Gareth reprimanded him, preventing the atmosphere from escalating further.

"A few supplies are fine, as long as there were no casualties."

Finn remained unfazed throughout, accepting all the comments and evaluations without question, and then offered his own summary.

"It's all thanks to Leo," Riveria said, not taking credit for herself. "Before we set off, he specifically told me that he had a bad feeling that something bad might happen, so I increased my vigilance."

"If he hadn't reminded us beforehand, the situation might have really gotten much worse."

Riveria's words startled everyone present.

Speaking of Mr. Leo—

Lefiya, who had already healed the group members, made a strange sound.

"Why can't I see him?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned once again.

Only then did Finn and the others realize that Leo had disappeared without a trace.

Ais seemed to suddenly realize something, and abruptly turned her head to look in one direction.

"Boom!!!"

At that very instant, a deafening explosion rang out.

A massive explosion, far exceeding any previous one, suddenly erupted in the Gray Forest on the 50th Floor, right beneath the rock platform, sending flames soaring into the sky and billowing smoke, shaking the entire camp.

"What?!"

"Where did that big explosion come from?!"

"Could there be monsters?"

"Get on alert!"

The people in the camp paled and gasped in surprise, raising their weapons again as they had just put them down.

Ais had already rushed out and instantly arrived at the edge of the rock platform, looking down.

Upon seeing this, Ais's pupils contracted sharply.

Below the rocky platform, at the site of the massive explosion, a colossal figure emerged, bathed in firelight and smoke.

The figure was about six meters tall. Like the previous worm monster, it had a yellowish-green body and flat arms. Its appearance also inherited the shape of that worm monster, but the overall shape was very different, and the individual was a whole size larger.

Its lower body is that of a worm, but its upper body, which is raised like a small hill, has smooth curves, like the upper body of a human woman. It resembles both a manta ray and a fan. Its flat upper arms, which have no thickness, are paired on both sides, with two arms on each side. Several tubular organs hang down from the back of its head. Its yellowish-green skin looks like it has been splashed with colorful paint. The colors of its entire body are completely disordered, making it look as if it has been eroded by a deadly poison of unknown origin.

The intense color extends all the way to its face, which lacks a nose, eyes, and mouth. While the body outline does evoke female features, the prominently protruding abdomen ruins all feminine characteristics, making it utterly ugly.

"Iii The ear-piercing scream burst from its mouth, sending up clouds of smoke and flames."

In front of this female-shaped worm monster, Leo, who had been at a loss earlier, stood facing it.

"Leo!"

Ais couldn't help but call out.

"What... what is that?!"

Finn and the others rushed over and were horrified to see the female monster confronting Leo.

At this moment, the female monster slowly began to move, spreading out her four flat arms.

As it moved, a stream of seven-colored, pollen-like particles, like dancing rays of light, drifted towards Leo.

!"

At that moment, a chill ran through everyone, including Ais.

The adventurers' keen intuition kicked in at that moment, making them immediately realize that the seemingly beautiful pollen was actually extremely dangerous.

This premonition was confirmed the very next second.

"BOOM!!!"

After flickering a few times, the pollen drifting towards Leo suddenly exploded one after another, triggering a tremendous explosion that sent flames and shockwaves sweeping across the entire area, engulfing the rock platform and obliterating everyone present.

Some screamed, some roared, some cried out in alarm, and some wailed. The elite members of the Loki Familia were all caught off guard by the sudden explosion. Some collapsed with the heat and shockwave, while others barely managed to raise their arms to defend themselves. They were just short of being knocked down.

Only then did everyone understand why the sight of the pollen sent chills down their spines.

That wasn't pollen at all; it was a terrifying bomb.

"Everyone! Retreat!"

Finn roared loudly.

The scale of the explosion was so great that it directly affected them, who were at a high altitude; its power was probably no less than that of a powerful spell capable of wide-area annihilation.

In such a situation, it would be absolutely foolish for everyone to gather together.

We must retreat; we must disperse.

"But... but Mr. Leo, he—!?"

Lefiya, standing in the crowd, let out a sound like she was crying, causing Tiona, Tione, Lefiya Viridis, and the others to change color.

They also saw that Leo, who was confronting the female-sized monster, was swallowed up by the explosion.

"Wait! Ais ----?!"

Riveria called out.

Because Ais had already rushed out, or rather, jumped directly off the rock platform, her body instantly enveloped in wind, and drew her sword to strike the female-shaped monster.

Seeing this, Tiona, Tione, and the others were about to follow when Finn immediately stopped them.

Don't go!

Finn's tone was more serious than ever before.

"Look at that monster's belly! I guarantee it's full of dissolving liquid. You absolutely mustn't go in!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces contorted slightly.

Looking at the female monster's enormous, purplish-black abdomen and its size, which was far larger than that of the worm monster, everyone had reason to believe that once it was defeated, the amount of dissolving liquid that would spray out would be an unprecedentedly large quantity.

If it were like those worm-like monsters, self-destructing just before being defeated, the massive spray of dissolving liquid would instantly corrode everyone in the vicinity.

And then there's the explosive pollen, comparable to wide-area annihilation magic; if you were hit head-on, you'd be lucky to escape with your skin intact.

In such a situation, those who, unlike Ais, possess magical protection for their bodies would be in great danger facing that female-sized monster.

Even for characters like Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, who are at level 6, or Tiona, Tione, and Bete Loga, who are at level 5, it's the same.

This made everyone's faces turn extremely ugly.

At that moment, Ais, her body wreathed in wind, was already facing off against the female-shaped monster.

"Pfft!"

The lightning-fast slash landed on the female monster, but unlike before when it was invincible and could instantly cleave her in two, it only cut a wound, causing the dissolving liquid inside to splatter out.

The female monster let out a shrill scream that was hard to tell if it was a pained howl or a roar. With a swing of its flat arm, it struck Ais, who was floating in the air, with great force and a whooshing sound, sending her flying.

"[Meteor Dance]!"

Suddenly, several thick meteors flew in and struck the female monster in succession, causing her to scream and stagger backward.

Leo's figure slowly appeared in the firelight, his appearance disheveled, but his hand holding the Emerald Staff was incredibly steady, and his eyes were extremely sharp.

Shooting stars circled around him one after another, bathing him in Starlight.

Brilliant and dazzling.