Floor Boss Ymir, Witnessing History

"Was this the deepest point leading to the 59th Floor?"

With the Cannon Dragon, a being akin to a floor boss, dead,

the 58th Floor had effectively become an unusual safe floor.

This allowed the members of the Freya Familia to finally get a proper night's sleep after so long.

Early the next morning, everyone, including the outsider Falan, came here.

A silver-haired elf spoke up. "According to the records of the Zeus Familia, starting from the 59th Floor, the environment becomes like a glacier. Calling it a glacial maze would not be an exaggeration."

"According to the information provided by the Adventurer Guild, the entire 59th Floor, as far as the eye can see, is made up of frozen rivers and lakes. Even the ground itself is entirely composed of ice."

"The frigid temperature, like the depths of winter, does more than merely affect an adventurer's combat ability. Even the strongest captains and vice-captains among first-class adventurers may become severely sluggish once they enter."

"So aside from core members above lv5, everyone else should stay here and wait with me."

The members of the Freya Familia gradually shifted from their initial delight at exploring the unknown territory below to a heavy mood.

After all, exploring the unknown was probably a feeling every adventurer who entered the Dungeon experienced to some degree.

Now, they could not help but resent their own weakness and obediently began packing their things.

Because if the floors beyond the 59th were truly as Hedin, the silver-haired elf, had said,

then this expedition would soon be drawing to a close.

The prospect of returning, along with the safety of the 58th Floor, made the adventurers of the Freya Familia lively and boisterous once more. Only Falan left the group and came to the junction between the 58th and 59th Floors.

After coming all this way, would it not be a waste if he did not take a special look at the 59th Floor?

After leaving the others of the Freya Familia, he followed the trail left by those ahead of him and stepped onto the 59th Floor.

He could clearly feel the cold of the environment becoming more pronounced with every step he took.

A faint cold wind blew over him, making his body tremble slightly.

Falan took a deep breath, the urge to retreat rising in his heart. I really am still too weak.

Although the Freya Familia had filled Falan's "Backpack" with all kinds of supplies in order to set foot on a new floor and enter unknown territory,

including specially made equipment for keeping warm,

Falan was wearing it at that very moment. Yet the cold of this environment was already beyond what such equipment could protect him from.

Falan blinked and found his eyelids growing heavy, because frost had already formed on his eyelashes in the cold wind.

He could not help reaching up to peel it away, clutching his equipment tighter around himself.

As he followed the lingering traces ahead, he was surprised to find that no monsters attacked him along the way.

It felt almost like the 18th Floor, a safe floor with scarcely any monsters.

But it was only almost. After all, both the records left by the Zeus Familia and those left by the Adventurer Guild's accompanying members stated that the 59th Floor was home to a floor boss.

With the "Dragon Pots" from the 52nd through 58th Floors and the Cannon Dragon of the 58th Floor acting as "bodyguards" ahead, it was clear that the floor boss of the 59th Floor would not be simple, much less weak. As he continued onward, Falan gradually lost his sense of time.

The frigid environment nearly robbed him of his ability to think, leaving him with only two thoughts: continue following the trail, or turn back.

Go back, go back. Who knows how much farther away the floor boss is?

Keep going, keep going. I've already come this far. If I turn back now, I might freeze to death on the way.

The two voices in his heart left him unable to decide, but in the end, he continued forward.

After all, as an adventurer, one either advanced or fell behind—just like those seniors in the Soma Familia who had become slaves to Divine Wine.

Step by step, closely following the tracks left by the Freya Familia's core members, Falan finally saw light.

It was a giant covered from head to toe in frost, gleaming brilliantly beneath the Dungeon's illumination.

From the books he had obtained from the Wand of the White Elf—that was, from Hedin—Falan knew that this was the floor boss of the 59th Floor.

It was also the target of the Freya Familia's expedition: the floor boss, the Frost Giant Ymir.

(Many of DanMachi's settings draw inspiration from various mythologies. For example, Goliath, Udaeus, and Balor. The original novel also mentioned that the 59th Floor had glacial terrain. Since Greek Mythology and Celtic Mythology had already appeared, but Norse Mythology had not, it seemed quite reasonable for the 59th Floor to have a frost giant from Norse Mythology as its floor boss.)

At that moment, the Frost Giant was battling the adventurers of the Freya Familia.

Falan stopped. Not merely because of the freezing environment, nor merely because he had reached his destination, but because this colossal creature had overwhelmed him. He slowly raised a hand toward the scene before him.

"Is this the strength of Orario's strongest adventurers? They can even fight a floor boss they have never seen before like this."

He craved such strength as well. Only power could make him safer in this world.

[Ding! Congratulations on witnessing history. An unprecedented floor boss has been defeated.]

"???"

[Based on the achievement attained by 'Falan,' five rewards are available for selection.]

[First: restoration of memories from this world.]

[Second: evolve into a Child of the Dark Elf.]

[Third: lv2 development ability +1.]

[Fourth: buff 'Inspire': nearby allied forces will receive a temporary increase to all attributes.]

[Fifth: one Spirit Weapon.]

[Choose two out of five rewards.]

"???"

"What is this?"

Falan was deeply confused.

"Could this be my real cheat?"

"Restoration of memories from this world? Does that mean I transmigrated here from the beginning, but only recovered my memories three years ago?"

(Author: It means restoring your memories about this world and its various plotlines.)

"Child of the Dark Elf? Could it be related to my blessing of the dark elf?"

Falan felt that one was worth considering.

As for the latter three—development ability +1 and the buff "Inspire"—Falan thought they were both quite good.

On the other hand, he had absolutely no idea what a Spirit Weapon was, based on his current knowledge.

What he did not know was that this reward might have been the best one; he simply could not come into contact with it yet because he was too weak.

"Choose two out of five... How should I choose? Restoring memories seems rather useless, so I'll set that aside for now."

"Child of the Dark Elf... Is it something like a bloodline? It feels worth considering."

He also coveted the development ability +1 and the buff "Inspire," but if he chose either one, he would become far too conspicuous.

Even now, because he possessed special spatial storage magic, he was being carried around as a "Big Backpack."

If he possessed a second development ability at lv2 unlike anyone else, or an additional team buff like "Inspire,"

it was easy to imagine the outcome: all the Familias would compete to recruit him, while he came from nothing more than a declining medium-sized Familia.

He decided not to choose either of those two things, which would more easily draw others' attention.

"I choose the second and fifth."

[Ding. Based on 'Falan's' choice, he has evolved into a Child of the Dark Elf and received one Spirit Weapon, which has been placed in the Backpack.]

"..." It said he had evolved, but why did it not feel like anything had changed?

When he came back to his senses, Falan realized that the cold brought by the glacial surroundings

was gradually fading away. He could not help feeling surprised. Was this the Child of the Dark Elf?

Falan felt quite good now. After all, aside from the Upper Floors,

the Freya Familia had dealt with everything along the route. This time, he had practically gotten a free ride.

Getting the bloodline of a Child of the Dark Elf and a Spirit Weapon for free—

nothing could have made Falan happier than getting such benefits for free.