Barren land, dark red sky.
At the entrance to the 59th Floor, Lu Qiming and the others sat in a circle.
"Although we got separated by an unexpected incident along the way, we still made it through a floor we'd never reached before: the 58th."
Riveria looked at the group and began analyzing the expedition.
"As long as it's not something we've never seen before, there's always a way to deal with it."
"Weren't you gasping for breath just now?"
Tiona grinned at Bete and teased him.
"That was you!"
Bete froze, then immediately retorted.
"No, you really were out of breath."
Gareth turned and flatly called Bete out.
"You're so annoying, you old geezer!"
"Who are you calling an old geezer?!"
Gareth grabbed Bete by the collar and glared at him.
Lu Qiming watched the two arguing, while Tiona stood nearby, not trying to stop them but egging them on instead. A trace of envy showed on his face. This sort of thing only happened between true family.
Just then, Lu Qiming noticed Finn beside him. Finn was staring solemnly at the entrance to the next floor, lost in thought.
"Finn, what's wrong?"
"According to the records left by the Zeus Familia, the 'Glacier Domain' begins on the 59th Floor."
Tione glanced at Lu Qiming and explained.
"Since you haven't joined a Kin, Qiming, you probably don't know. According to the records the Zeus Familia left behind, the 59th Floor is supposedly full of Ice Erosion Lakes, making it difficult to advance. The frigid air also slows your movements."
"Is that so?"
Lu Qiming turned to look at the entrance to the 59th Floor. In his memory, the Loki Familia had only reached this floor on their next expedition, and once they entered the 59th Floor, they found an environment much like the forest on the 24th Floor.
If there was nothing wrong with the Zeus Familia's records, then the environment of the 59th Floor must have been forcibly changed over the years to help the Corrupted Spirit's clone grow.
"Yeah. That's why we prepared a Fire Spirit Cloak for everyone, based on the Zeus Familia's records."
Raul came over from the side and took a pile of robes with fiery red patterns from his backpack.
Finn looked at the Fire Spirit Cloaks in front of him, then turned and pointed toward the entrance to the 59th Floor.
"If that's the case, why hasn't the cold reached us here?"
The others heard Finn and looked toward the entrance to the 59th Floor, noticing the discrepancy with the records. If the 59th Floor really was a Glacier Domain, then at the very least, the air blowing from the entrance should be freezing cold.
But there was no cold air at all. Instead, a warm breeze drifted out.
"Are you saying something's wrong?"
Bete sat up and looked at Finn.
"I'm not sure, but I doubt the Zeus Familia exaggerated their description."
Gareth also gazed at the entrance to the 59th Floor as he spoke.
Just then, Finn suddenly licked the thumb of his left hand and looked down the passage to the 59th Floor.
"We'll discuss this later. An enemy's coming!"
As soon as he spoke, the ground inside the passage began to tremble, as if some enormous monster were swimming beneath it.
The others quickly got to their feet and grabbed their weapons, ready to fight.
Suddenly, the trembling in the passage stopped.
"What happened?"
Lefiya stood among the group, staring at the passage in confusion. Had the monster left?
"It's underground!"
Lu Qiming shouted and immediately grabbed Lefiya, leaping into the air. The others quickly moved away from where they stood.
Boom!
The ground where they had just been standing split open. A massive, emerald-green body like a giant python burst from the earth, and a gigantic flower opened atop the monster. It gaped at the group, baring its saw-toothed fangs, and roared.
"Roar!"
The next second, dozens of vines shot from the monster's body toward the group.
"Tch!"
Bete stomped hard, darted forward, and kicked a vine coming at him, sending it flying.
"Take this! Die!"
Tiona appeared above the monster. Her greatsword spun rapidly in her hands as she brought it down on the Man-eating Flower Monster.
Thud!
The Man-eating Flower Monster's head fell with a single blow. Its body crumbled into black ash, leaving behind a strange Magic Stone.
"Ha! This is definitely the most satisfying way to cut them down!"
Tiona swung her greatsword, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Hey! What are you spacing out for? The enemies are here!"
"Huh?"
Hearing her sister, Tiona quickly looked around.
The ground kept breaking apart, and hundreds of Man-eating Flower Monsters like the one from before were attacking the group. More and more continued to emerge, attacking without pause.
"This is such a pain!"
Tiona complained as she raised her greatsword and charged toward a monster attacking Riveria.
"Tch! Where did these monsters come from? They're all new species we've never seen before!"
"Tione, forget about that. Go help Tiona and buy Riveria and Lefiya time to chant."
Finn hurled his spear, piercing three monsters, then turned and shouted to Tione.
"Yes, Captain!"
Elsewhere, Lu Qiming had also noticed Tiona and the others. He kicked the Man-eating Flower Monster in front of him and sent it flying. For some reason, most of the monsters that had appeared were attacking him, and he was still holding Lefiya in his arms, so he didn't dare use his full strength.
"Lefiya, I'm going to throw you over to Tiona and the others. Get ready!"
With that, Lu Qiming stomped hard on the ground and leaped out of the monsters' encirclement.
"Throw me?"
In Lu Qiming's arms, Lefiya was just about to ask him to find another way to get her over there, but before she could speak, he jumped with her.
"Tiona, catch!"
In midair, Lu Qiming shouted, lifted Lefiya above his head, aimed toward Tiona, and hurled her forward with all his strength.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Lefiya!"
Tiona was clearing away the monsters around Riveria when she heard Lu Qiming shout. She quickly turned and saw Lefiya flying toward her with a scream. She leaped into the air and caught her.
Then Tiona set Lefiya down beside Riveria and turned back to clear away the monsters. Like the new Furry Green Worm monsters they had encountered before, these monsters reacted to attempts to use magic.
"Lefiya, start preparing your chant!"
"Yes!"
Lefiya hurried over to Riveria, gripped her staff, and began to gather the Magic Power within her body.
"Honestly, wouldn't it be better if you just died quietly? Why resist the great 'her'?"
A voice filled with madness rang out behind Lefiya and Riveria. A mother monster, far larger than all the others, emerged from the ground behind them. Above it stood a man in a white robe and a ram's-head mask, staring intently down at the two women.
"Go on, die! Giant Flower!"
The white-robed man waved his hand and shouted. Beneath him, the enormous monster roared and lunged at Lefiya and Riveria.
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