With a flash of magic, the Loki Familia reappeared on the fiftieth floor of the Dungeon.
Black smoke still lingered in the air.
The camp was in ruins.
But there was no trace of dejection.
Instead, an intense excitement filled everyone's hearts.
After all, how could anyone remain calm after witnessing such a heroic, almost absurdly epic battle?
Eyes gathered on the tall figure standing amid the wreckage.
Admiration.
Awe.
In the next instant, cheers erupted, echoing across the floor.
"...Is this the price of showing off?"
Feeling the damage inside his Unlimited Blade Works, Shirou winced.
Under the corrosive effects of that liquid, hundreds of projected weapons had been directly erased.
Every single weapon in Unlimited Blade Works had been accumulated little by little. Whenever he had spare magic and free time, he would project more, slowly filling that inner world.
And yet-
Hundreds were gone in one shot.
That hurt.
Though, strictly speaking, this still wasn't his worst loss.
Back when he fought "Fake Gilgamesh," Angelica, Ea had shattered everything he had accumulated up to that point.
Every weapon.
Gone.
The Unlimited Blade Works he possessed now had all been rebuilt from scratch during this period.
Even with the name "Unlimited," it only held a few thousand weapons at most.
Losing hundreds in one battle was still painful.
Objectively speaking, that "Myriad Swords Returning to One" wasn't the most optimal choice.
The best option would have been to avoid pulling in any Loki Familia members, isolate only the monsters, and then fire off several super-grade Broken Phantasms to wipe everything out cleanly.
That would've been efficient.
But-
That wouldn't have been cool.
Strength is temporary.
Cool is forever.
He had always wanted to repeat the lines he spoke when "Shirou the Great Hero" fought "Fake Gilgamesh."
Even though that was him, those memories awakened too late. Watching it now felt like watching a movie, with zero immersion.
After all, the current Shirou wasn't just "Shirou the Great Hero."
He was a fusion-his original self and the memories of a transmigrator.
And if it really came down to watching movies, he'd already seen Oath Under Snow more times than he could count.
"...Forget it."
"It's done."
"I'll just project them again over time."
Letting it go, Shirou turned his gaze toward the distance.
His mood improved instantly.
Right now, he was enjoying some very high-quality slacking.
"Brother, did you find the ingredients?"
Hearing Lefiya's voice, Shirou replied immediately.
"Found them. Let's head back."
Leading Lefiya through the rebuilt camp, Shirou was constantly greeted by passing Familia members.
"Shirou, good morning!"
"Morning."
"Shirou, you worked hard!"
"It was nothing."
"Shirou, want to try the fruit I just picked?"
"Later. Lefiya and I still need to deliver ingredients."
Replying one after another, Shirou could clearly feel it.
Eyes.
Lots of eyes.
Watching him from all directions.
"You're really popular, Brother."
Hearing Lefiya's comment, Shirou could only give a bitter smile.
This kind of situation had started the moment he saved everyone yesterday.
Among the male Familia members, it was fine. Their respect had simply risen another level.
The female members were different.
They would sneak glances at him.
Then gather together.
Blushing.
Whispering.
Of course, some still greeted him openly, just like before.
But the atmosphere had definitely changed.
"...Is this some kind of 'naturally attracts women' curse that comes with being Shirou?"
"Did I unknowingly pole-vault my way into conquering the entire Familia?"
"No, no, no."
"This is not what I want."
"Loki will kill me."
Just imagining accidentally turning Loki's harem into his own made Shirou's eyelid twitch.
He immediately quickened his pace and led Lefiya away.
After handing the ingredients over to the designated personnel, Shirou was just about to find an excuse to disappear when a shout rang out.
"Shirou! Lefiya! The Captain wants you at the meeting!"
"Got it!"
Hearing that Finn was calling for a meeting, Shirou immediately headed toward the central tent.
The moment he entered, he felt it.
Teasing gazes.
"So, the great hero finally arrives."
"...Can you not call me that? I just did what I could."
Besides, the title "great hero" felt ominous.
"This old man noticed something, you know," Gareth said leisurely. "All the young ladies have been staring at you nonstop."
"You're a great hero in their hearts now."
"Please stop. Loki will seriously kill me."
"Hahaha!"
The exchange between Gareth and Shirou drew laughter from everyone present.
Several young women in the tent turned red, which only made the teasing looks intensify.
Just as Shirou was starting to feel genuinely uncomfortable, Finn spoke.
"Alright."
"Time is tight. We need to make use of every second."
"Save the jokes for after we return."
The atmosphere instantly shifted.
Now seated in the tent were the Loki Familia's LV.5-and-above executives, along with core second-unit members like Raul.
"After the New Species attack," Finn continued, "our supplies were heavily consumed."
"If Shirou hadn't wiped out the monsters in time, we would've been forced to retreat immediately."
"But as things stand, our remaining supplies are enough for one more day."
"We need to use that time to stop our losses."
Previously, in order to keep momentum, the Familia hadn't bothered collecting many monster drops or magic stones.
Those from above the fiftieth floor were simply worth more.
On top of that, several key members-Tiona especially-had suffered weapon damage.
They now needed a large amount of Valis.
Looking at the thoughtful expressions around him, Finn continued.
"After breakfast, we'll split into two teams."
"Riveria, Gareth, and I will lead the others to the forty-ninth floor."
"The remaining executives will take Shirou and Lefiya to the fifty-first floor."
"Do not proceed to the fifty-second."
"It's unsuitable for gathering spoils."
"Understood!"
From the fifty-second to the fifty-eighth floors lay the Dragon's Goblet.
Those floors ignored normal progression rules.
Dragon-type monsters on the fifty-eighth floor could fire breath attacks upward, reaching all the way to the fifty-second.
Once you entered the fifty-second floor, you had to keep moving constantly to avoid attacks from below.
After hearing Finn's assignments, Shirou found them extremely reasonable.
For large-scale advancement, Finn's command, Riveria's Elf Force, and Gareth's defense were indispensable.
That ensured the safety of the main force on the fifty-ninth floor.
As for the elites heading to the more dangerous fifty-first floor-
With Shirou present, even encountering New Species could be handled.
It was a clean division.
Maximum efficiency.
Maximum profit.
Thinking about it, Shirou's eyes lit up.
"Making money?"
"Who doesn't like that."
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter