The Floor Boss of the Thirty-Seventh Floor, Udaeus, died without much ceremony.
Under the stimulation of the elf troops, Shirou also erupted with terrifying brilliance. The destructive power of three consecutive super Fantasy Breakdowns nearly swept up his own allies as well.
For that, Finn gave him a thorough reprimand.
And Shirou accepted it.
He knew he had gone too far.
Somewhere along the way, he had become overly aggressive. It felt slightly different from how he used to be. Perhaps it was the environment. After all, a person's mindset was inevitably shaped by their surroundings.
But regardless of the reason, one thing was certain.
He could not become someone who disregarded his teammates.
From that point on, Shirou deliberately shifted his focus toward close-quarters combat. Finn, who understood his temperament well, did not force him to remain in the rear providing ranged support.
Against monsters with LV.4 abilities, even Shirou felt pressure.
Even if all of his stats were already capped, the qualitative leap brought by leveling was still undeniable.
That said, the real issue wasn't individual strength.
It was numbers.
There were simply too many monsters.
And yet, Shirou enjoyed battles like this.
Life-and-death struggles.
Every swing drawing blood.
Every mistake punished immediately.
That suffocating pressure ignited something deep within him.
Under such intensity, his various stats rose at an astonishing pace.
This was the true meaning of Self-Forging from Sharpening.
The harsher the battle, the greater the improvement after surviving it.
As if all external pressure existed for a single purpose-
To forge.
To forge the sharpest blade.
That blade named Shirou.
-
Deeper.
And deeper still.
As the Loki Familia advanced, the obstacles ahead grew increasingly formidable. Even so, nothing truly stopped their momentum.
Not until the Great Wilderness of the Forty-Ninth Floor.
This was the first floor of the Deep Levels.
Every monster here possessed LV.5 abilities.
When swarms of Fomorians surged forward, the previously unbreakable vanguard was torn open in an instant of carelessness.
The overwhelming difference in raw stats turned every engagement into a razor's edge.
Even with Finn's exquisite command, the danger was constant.
But-
With the executives reinforcing the front lines.
With concentrated bombardment from the magic units.
With Shirou's relentless archery support and precise Fantasy Breakdowns.
They stabilized the situation.
Barely.
-
Dungeon, Fiftieth Floor.
Safe Zone.
After finally arriving, the Loki Familia immediately began setting up camp.
Rest was mandatory.
After all, their true objective lay even deeper.
The Fifty-Ninth Floor.
At this moment, Shirou had been assigned to gather ingredients.
Instead, he was indulging in rare, well-earned laziness.
"So this is the Fiftieth Floor..."
Lying near the edge of a cliff, Shirou rested one arm beneath his head and let the breeze wash over him.
"What a peaceful view."
"A safe zone like this always feels strange, no matter how many times I see it."
The scenery was tranquil.
Almost unreal.
"In that case," he muttered, "next comes the exploration of the Deep Levels."
Reaching the Fiftieth Floor should have been nothing but exhilarating.
Yet Shirou felt uneasy.
On the Fifty-Ninth Floor, when the Fomorians broke through the vanguard, Ais annihilated them-but then ignored Finn's orders and charged alone into an unengaged Fomorian force.
That incident was etched clearly in his memory.
What concerned Shirou wasn't Ais's disobedience.
She was a well-known problem child.
Once she got swept up in battle, that kind of thing happened often.
What worried him-
Was what came after.
That incident marked the arrival of the main storyline.
The appearance of new species.
The corrosion of equipment.
The forced premature end of the expedition.
The opening act of Sword Oratoria.
"...What a headache."
Shirou exhaled slowly.
"There's no way to stop it in advance."
"I'm still just a newcomer. I don't have access to information about the Deep Levels."
He shook his head.
"Forget it."
"No casualties came from it anyway."
"Let nature take its course."
Besides-
"I've already gotten what I needed."
Thinking of his gains, Shirou's mood lifted instantly.
The high-level experience required for him to advance to LV.4 was already sufficient.
After subjugating two Floor Bosses consecutively, Shirou-who had served as a core combatant and already had all basic stats at A-could level up at any time.
But he wouldn't.
His goal was clear.
All stats at SSS.
How could he level up now?
The great feat requirement was already met.
All that remained was waiting for his basic stats to reach their absolute limit.
Then-
He would level up.
The pace of this progress felt comfortable.
Almost too comfortable.
"Brother, where are you? It's time to go back!"
Hearing Lefiya's voice, Shirou quickly stood up.
"I'm here! I've already gathered everything. Let's head back."
"Mm!"
-
"Cheers!"
"Even if it's just soup, we still need to set the mood!"
Having finally reached the Fiftieth Floor, the Loki Familia's members were visibly relieved.
Their spirits were high.
After the Fortieth Floor, even with their strength, progress had become extremely difficult.
Again and again, it was Finn's command that turned danger into safety.
That alone highlighted his importance.
But starting from the Forty-Ninth Floor, even Finn's command could no longer fully compensate.
Not because his decisions were wrong.
But because the strength of the Familia members could no longer keep up.
Unlike other Familias that adopted elite-only strategies in the Deep Levels-advancing solely with LV.4 adventurers-
The Loki Familia was different.
Because of Finn.
Because of his command.
Even LV.2 members had made it this far.
It wasn't until after the Fiftieth Floor that the Loki Familia would truly consolidate its elite forces for deeper breakthroughs.
The rise of the Loki Familia was inseparable from Finn's existence.
Under his leadership, countless members grew rapidly through expeditions.
The Freya Familia's strength came from Goddess Freya's unique ability.
She could always discover gems among hidden talent.
That was why they possessed one LV.7, four LV.6, and four LV.5 adventurers.
And the Loki Familia?
Before long, after the battle with the Corrupted Spirit's clone-
They would have seven LV.6 members.
Levels were influenced by talent and effort.
But environment mattered even more.
Under Finn's command, these adventurers were given an ideal environment to grow.
And that-
Was Finn Deimne.
The irreplaceable Pallum hero.
Within the Familia, Finn was the leader trusted without reservation.
So the joy filling the camp wasn't because they could finally stop adventuring.
It was because they no longer had to hold Finn and the others back.
They knew their limits.
From here on, the path ahead belonged to the elites.
They might never witness that unknown realm themselves.
But the Loki Familia would.
And if even one member saw it-
That glory belonged to them all.
This was Orario's strongest corner.
The united Loki Familia.
"Everyone," Finn's voice rang out, firm and clear, "reaching this place is the result of all our effort and struggle."
"Be proud of yourselves."
"Let us cheer for ourselves!"
"Ooh!"
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter