After the short banter, all of us made our way back to the 17th floor. Arriving on the 17floor, I again looked at the crystal wall on one side of the floor. The atmosphere in the group has long since turned serious. Everyone was focused on the fight ahead.
"It's about time." Right when Lyra said it. I was able to see cracks appearing on the crystal wall and a humanoid face peeking through the crumbling wall.
"GRAAAAAOOOHHHH!!"
The entire dungeon trembled as Goliath let out a monstrous roar—deep and guttural like a mountain groaning in agony, echoing through the stone halls with a force that rattled bones and froze the soul.
Even when I have already seen it in the anime, seeing the reality of the monster king of the 17th floor is a different story altogether.
It towered above us like a living monument to destruction, easily seven meters tall with shoulders broad enough to block out entire sections of the ceiling. Its skin looked like polished granite, dark gray with veins of deeper shadow running through it like cracks in a mountain face. Muscles bulged beneath that stone-like hide, each one the size of a tree trunk, promising devastation with every movement.
But it was the eyes that truly captured the essence of a nightmare. Twin orbs gleaming like molten crimson, scanning our group with malice. It was just so eerie that I felt my heart go into overdrive with an adrenaline rush. After all, it was my first time seeing a monster so massive.
"Stay calm, Arin-san," Ryuu said quietly, her voice bringing me the needed calm.
After I calmed down and observed the monster again, I was able to tell. It was not a threat that we had to fear. Because our combined strength far surpasses that of Goliath. Besides, we have a plan.
Right. The plan. We'd gone over it dozens of times during our descent. Ryuu, Kaguya, Alise, and I, the three of us, engaged in close combat, using hit-and-run tactics to wear the monster down. While the rest of the girls will provide support from the rear.
"Everyone moves as planned." Alise conveyed.
Goliath's attention was fixed on Alise, her magic sword blazing with golden fire. The creature's head tilted slightly, almost curiously, before its lips pulled back in what might have been a grin, revealing teeth like broken tombstones.
For something so massive, its speed was absolutely terrifying. One moment it was standing motionless among the crystal debris; the next, its enormous fist was cutting through the air toward Alise with the force of a falling boulder.
She dove aside at the last possible second, the impact where she'd been standing creating a crater in the stone floor and sending shock waves through the ground that nearly knocked me off my feet. Fragments of shattered stone peppered the air like deadly hail.
The battle erupted into chaos as our formation scattered to avoid Goliath's devastating opening strike. Dust and debris filled the air, but there was no time to catch my breath.
"Ryuu, left flank!" Alise shouted, already moving to circle around the monster's right side. Her rapier left trails in the air as she struck at Goliath's knee joint, the blade managing to score a shallow cut across the granite-like skin before she retreated.
Ryuu moved like a shadow, swinging her wooden sword, as she darted in from the opposite side. Each strike was precise, targeting joints and pressure points, but retreating before doing it more damage. It was more of a practice for me. Since I have told my plan of defeating Goliath alone, next to level up. Normally, no one would believe that someone who has just become a level 2 would fight a goliath alone to level up so soon.
But they have seen enough of me to not reject that possibility. So this fight with Goliath is more of a training for me.
"Arin, watch the left arm!" Kaguya called out, deflecting a chunk of crystal that Goliath had hurled in my direction.
I rolled away from the projectile, feeling the wind from its passage ruffle my hair. My own sword felt almost pathetically small against this mountain of flesh and stone, but I pressed forward anyway, striking at the monster's ankles and calves whenever an opening presented itself.
From the rear, magical support rained down in coordinated waves. Striking Goliath's head and shoulders in brilliant flashes
After a little back and forth. It was becoming clear to me that conventional tactics would take far too long. As its stamina seemed virtually limitless. I thought of ways to take it down quickly.
The monster let out another earth-shaking roar and changed tactics, abandoning its measured strikes for a berserker's fury. Its massive fists pounded the ground in rapid succession, each impact sending shock waves that threatened to knock us down. Chunks of the ceiling began to rain down as the entire dungeon floor shook.
That's when I knew it was time.
"Ryuu, Kaguya, Alise—when I make my move, be ready!" I called out, my voice carrying clearly despite the chaos.
The three of them nodded without question.
Immediately, the world transformed around me as I activated Astrum Cordis. Luminous light erupted from my body—gold and silver intertwining around my whole body from my hands to my chest.
My muscles sang with newfound power, my reflexes sharpened to another level.
Goliath's attention snapped to me immediately, those molten red eyes focusing on me. For the first time since the battle began, I saw something other than malice in that gaze—I saw wariness.
I launched myself forward with speed that defied my level, the stone floor cracking beneath my feet from the force of my acceleration. The world blurred around me as I closed the distance in a heartbeat, my enhanced perception allowing me to track every detail of Goliath's massive frame.
The monster tried to intercept me with a downward strike. I jumped in the air, landing on its hands and running up its arm, dragging my sword on its arm along with me. And finally landing behind the goliath massive frame.
My target was clear: the thick tendon running behind Goliath's ankle—its Achilles heel. One precise cut with my enhanced strength would bring this giant crashing down.
I again used 'Matataki (Blink)'. My sword bit deep into the monster's tendon. The blade sliced through the granite-like skin and tough sinew as if they were paper, severing the crucial connection in one perfect strike.
"GRAAAAGHHH!!"
Goliath's agonized roar shook dust from the ceiling as the monster's leg buckled. The giant swayed for a moment, its arms windmilling as it fought to maintain balance, before toppling forward like a felled tree.
The impact when it hit the ground was tremendous, sending vibrations through the entire floor and cracking the crystal formations that lined the walls.
"Now!" I shouted, the golden-silver light fading from my body as I deactivated my magic.
The girls needed no further instruction. They moved as one, their combined assault focused on the monster's exposed neck and vital points. Alise's magic sword carved deep furrows through Goliath's throat, while Ryuu's strikes found the gaps between armor-like skin plates. Kaguya's katana descended in a deadly arc, adding her own precise cuts to the fatal combination.
The chamber filled with the sounds of steel finding its mark.
Within moments, it was over. The great Goliath of the 17th floor lay still, its crimson eyes finally dimming as life fled from its massive frame. As it turned into ash, leaving behind a massive magic stone and a drop item, the Goliath tooth.
"Wow! It is my second time seeing it, but your magic is still amazing." Alise said as all of us started to regroup near the magic stone.
"Yes, it is also a beautiful magic," Ryuu said in an admiring tone.
"Your Iai is still terrible." Kaguya, as always, has something snarky to say.
"Then why don't you teach it to me, woman?" I asked her. Since she has far more practice with eastern swordsmanship than me.
"Man, we are rich! This drop item is going to fetch a good price." Lyra ignored everyone and walked straight to the item drop. Her voice interprets our discussion.
"And how much do you think it would sell for?" I also walked closer to her. It was money we were talking about after all. I can ask Kaguya later to teach.
"Hm?" Lyra looked up at me. "Oh! Arin, I did not expect you to be so interested in money."
"Why would you think that? It is money that solves 90% plus problems from our lives." I told her in a matter-of-fact voice. Her eyes shone.
"So, you are one of my kind, who knows the value of money."
"I think everyone knows the value of it, though?"
"You'd be surprised," Lyra chuckled, carefully examining the Goliath tooth. "Some adventurers are so focused on glory and heroics that they forget practical matters. But this beauty here..." She held up the massive fang or tooth. "This could easily fetch five million valis, maybe more if we find the right buyer."
"Five million?" I whistled low. That was more than most adventurers made in a year.
"The tooth of a floor boss is incredibly rare," Ryuu explained, walking over to join our impromptu appraisal session. "It can be used to craft weapons of exceptional quality, or sold to collectors who prize such trophies."
Alise also walked near us, putting her hand behind her head."Not to mention the magic stone. That's another hefty sum right there."
"5 mil for the fang, 6 mil minimum for that stone—throw in hazard pay and emotional trauma, we're walking away rich." Lyra presented an estimate.
"You are not bullsh*ting me, right?" I asked, slightly shocked.
"Nope, after all, not many parties are capable of defeating the Goliath, you know," Alise explained.
"Now the question is, how do we distribute it?" Lyra said, getting to the main topic.
"Well," Alise grinned, "since you're the one who created the opening that let us finish it so cleanly, I'd say you deserve the biggest share. What do you think, girls?"
There were murmurs of agreement from the group, but I held up my hand to stop them. "That doesn't feel right. We worked as a team. And you let me join your team as well. Not to mention. Even allowing me to fight with the Goliath without too much risk."
"Then what do you suggest?" Kaguya asked.
"Before that, let me ask you, how do you usually split the reward?"
"It is split even among all of us, and thirty percent of the whole goes to our familia treasury," Lyra explained the dynamics.
"Then let's do it like this. Firstly, after receiving the reward, we will put aside the thirty percent you talked about, and the rest will be split evenly among us like you usually do." I think that is a good way.
"But it won't be fair to you, Arin-san," Ryuu interjected.
"I think it is more than fair for me. You know, I will be working with you girls for a long time now, and with you girls I will be able to go deeper in the dungeon, in comparison to when I should have been alone." I can tell they were not satisfied with that answer, and before Ryuu could say any more than that, I spoke first.
"You can even say I am already a kind of pseudo-member of Astraea familia now. Or do you not think of me as such?"
"Haaa… You sure know what to say to have things go your way, Arin. I am fine with this arrangement. What do you think, Alise?" Kaguya seems to have accepted it.
"Yup, I am fine with it as well. What about everyone else?" The other nodded as well. Ryuu also seems to accept my word as well, giving a small, warm smile.
"Good, then it's settled," Lyra said with satisfaction, carefully wrapping the Goliath tooth in a cloth as we started making our way up.
"Hey, Arin," Lyra called as we started walking toward the stairs. "Next time you want to do some solo training against a floor boss, give me a heads up, will you? I'd hate to miss out on the profit margins."
I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Though I think Kaguya might have something to say about my readiness for solo boss fights." Since she always complained about my technique.
"Damn right I do," came her voice from ahead of us. "You're not ready for solo anything until you can properly draw that sword of yours."
The banter continued as we made our way through the dungeon corridors. Arriving on the surface, the sunlight fell upon us as we walked towards the guild building