· The Attacking Monster

A desolate land, a dark red sky.

At the entrance to the 59th floor, Lu Qiming and his party sat in a circle.

"Although we were separated by an accident midway, we still managed to clear the 58th floor, which we hadn't reached before."

Riveria looked at everyone, analyzing the situation of this expedition.

"As long as it's not the first time we've seen it, there's always a way."

"Weren't you just panting for breath a moment ago?"

Tione looked at Bete with a grin, teasing him.

"That was you!"

Bete was taken aback and immediately retorted.

"No, you were definitely panting."

Gareth turned his head and calmly exposed Bete.

"Shut up, you old geezer!"

"Who are you calling an old geezer!"

Gareth grabbed Bete by the collar, staring at him intensely.

Lu Qiming watched the two arguing, along with Tione on the side who was fanning the flames instead of stopping them, a trace of envy appearing on his face; such things only happened among true family.

At this moment, Lu Qiming noticed Finn on the side, seeing him looking at the entrance to the next floor with a serious expression, wondering what he was thinking.

"Finn, what's wrong?"

"According to the records of the Zeus Familia, from the 59th floor onwards, it is the 'Glacier Domain'."

Tione, standing nearby, looked at Lu Qiming and explained.

"Qiming, since you haven't joined a Familia, you might not know. According to the records left by the Zeus Familia, it is said that from the 59th floor, the area is filled with Ice Erosion Lake, making it difficult to advance, and the extreme cold air will slow down physical movements."

"Is that so?"

Lu Qiming turned to look at the entrance to the 59th floor. In his memory, the Loki Familia only reached this point during their next expedition, and after they entered the 59th floor, it was actually a forest environment similar to the 24th floor.

If the Zeus Familia's records were not incorrect, then over these years, the environment of the 59th floor had been forcibly altered to facilitate the growth of the Corrupted Spirit's avatar.

"Yes, it is precisely because of the Zeus Familia's records that we prepared a Fire Spirit Cloak for everyone."

Raul also leaned in from the side, taking a pile of robes with fiery red patterns out of his backpack.

Finn looked at the Fire Spirit Cloaks in front of him, then turned his head to point at the entrance to the 59th floor.

"If that is the case, why hasn't that cold air reached us here?"

Hearing Finn's words, the others also looked toward the entrance of the 59th floor and discovered the discrepancy with the records. If the 59th floor were truly a Glacier Domain, there would certainly be cold air blowing from the entrance at the very least.

But now, not only was there no cold air, but the breeze blowing through was actually warm.

"Are you saying there's a problem?"

Bete sat up and looked at Finn.

"I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be an exaggeration by the Zeus Familia!"

Gareth also looked at the entrance to the 59th floor and spoke up.

At this moment, Finn suddenly licked his left thumb and looked into the passage leading to the 59th floor.

"We'll discuss this later, enemies are coming!"

No sooner had he spoken than the ground in the passage began to shake, as if some giant monster were swimming underground.

Seeing this, everyone quickly stood up and grabbed their weapons to prepare for battle.

Suddenly, the shaking in the passage stopped.

"What happened?"

Lefiya stood in the middle of the group, looking at the passage in confusion. Had the monster left?

"It's underground!"

Lu Qiming shouted, pulling Lefiya up as he jumped, while the others also scrambled away from their original positions.

BOOM!

The ground where they had just been standing split open, and a jade-green body like a giant python emerged from the earth. At the top of the monster, a massive flower bloomed, opening a maw filled with jagged fangs to hiss at the group.

"ROAR!"

The next second, dozens of vines shot out from the monster's body toward everyone.

"Tch!"

Bete stomped his feet hard, his body darting out to kick the incoming vines at high speed.

"Hah! Die!"

Tione appeared above the monster, her greatsword spinning rapidly as she aimed a strike down at the body of the Man-eating Flower Monster.

Bang!

The head of the Man-eating Flower Monster fell to the ground, its body dissolving into black ash and leaving behind a bizarre Magic Stone.

"Mm! As expected, hacking them like this is the only way to feel satisfied!"

Tione swung the greatsword in her hands, a look of exhilaration on her face.

"Hey! What are you spacing out for? Enemies are coming!"

"Huh?"

Hearing her sister's voice, Tione hurriedly looked around.

The ground was shattering continuously as hundreds of Man-eating Flower Monsters, identical to the one just defeated, were launching an assault on the group. Even more were emerging in an endless stream, relentlessly attacking them.

"What a pain!"

Tione complained, hoisting her greatsword and charging toward a monster that was attacking Riveria.

"Tch! Where are these monsters coming from? They're all new species I've never seen before!"

"Tione, ignore that! Go help Tione and buy some time for Riveria and Lefiya to chant!"

Finn threw his spear directly, piercing through three monsters, before turning his head to shout at Tione.

"Understood, Captain!"

On the other side, Lu Qiming also noticed the situation Tione and the others were in. He kicked a Man-eating Flower Monster in front of him until it exploded. For some reason, the majority of the monsters were swarming him, and since he was still holding Lefiya, he didn't dare to unleash his full power.

"Lefiya, I'm going to throw you over to Tione and the others in a moment. Get ready!"

With that, Lu Qiming stomped hard on the ground, his body soaring out of the monsters' encirclement.

"Throw?"

In Lu Qiming's arms, Lefiya had just intended to ask him to find another way to get her across, but before she could speak, Lu Qiming had already leaped into the air with her.

"Tione, catch!"

Mid-air, Lu Qiming shouted, hoisting Lefiya high and throwing her with all his might toward Tione.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"Lefiya!"

Tione, who was clearing monsters away from Riveria, heard Lu Qiming's voice and turned her head just in time to see Lefiya flying toward her while screaming. She leaped into the air and reached out to catch her.

Afterward, Tione placed Lefiya beside Riveria and turned back to clear the surrounding monsters. These monsters, much like the new species of Furry Green Worm, reacted to magic.

"Lefiya, start chanting!"

"Yes!"

Lefiya hurried to Riveria's side, clutching her staff and beginning to channel the magic within her body.

"Honestly, wouldn't it be better if you just died quietly? Why must you resist the great 'Her'!"

At that moment, a voice filled with madness rang out behind Lefiya and Riveria. A mother-body, far larger than any of the other monsters, emerged from the earth behind the two. Standing atop it was a person wearing a white robe and a goat-head mask, staring intently at the pair below.

"Just die obediently! Giant Flower!"

As the white-robed man waved his hand and shouted, the massive monster beneath his feet roared and lunged at Lefiya and Riveria.