Chapter 51 – Reunion with Ais
On the 33rd floor of the Dungeon, a dark tide swept across the battlefield—Shadowkhan Ninjas, cloaked entirely in black, filled the cavernous space.
Some of them resembled ordinary humans, though their entire bodies were wrapped tightly in tactical black garb, blending seamlessly with the shadows. But among them, two special variants stood out.
One type had claws like savage beasts, jagged and gleaming. The other bore wings—dark, leathery appendages that spread from their backs like demonic silhouettes.
Regardless of type, all of them were exceptionally powerful. With silent precision, they hunted and slaughtered monsters around them like a merciless storm of darkness.
And to make matters worse, the Dungeon was spawning monsters at an abnormally high rate. They poured in from the walls and floors, as if the labyrinth itself was spitting them out without pause.
"…Oi, oi, oi. You've gotta be kidding me," muttered Bete Loga, eyes narrowing at the unreal scene before them.
Even if he didn't want to admit it, this wasn't just a battle. This was a one-sided purge—total domination.
But something felt off.
Finn and Riveria exchanged subtle glances. Both of them recognized the jet-black silhouettes moving with such fluid discipline—Shadowkhan, the summoned warriors they had seen once before, created by one person: Shin Akira.
Judging from their numbers and control, it was clear. He was summoning them again.
Ais and Lefiya recognized them too. The memory of their previous encounter with Akira lingered strongly, especially for Ais.
His training methods had pushed her beyond her limits—boosting her abilities by leaps and bounds in mere days. Gains that would have taken months under normal conditions had been achieved in record time.
"There," Ais whispered sharply.
Without another word, she launched forward like a bullet of golden light, her eyes fixed on a lone figure standing atop a towering wall of stone in the distance.
She had seen him.
Shin Akira.
"Ais! What are you doing?!" Finn called out first, alarmed by her sudden movement. They were in the middle of an official expedition—breaking formation without orders was a serious violation.
"Ais!" Riveria shouted after her.
"Lady Ais!!" Lefiya called out too, panic creeping into her voice.
"Where's she going?" one of the other members muttered in confusion.
But then Lefiya saw it too—the young man standing on the high ridge. That calm expression, the silent strength in his stance. The same man who had left her flustered and embarrassed during their last encounter.
There was no mistaking him.
It was definitely Shin Akira.
— — —
Atop the ridge, Akira quietly observed the battle below as his Shadowkhan continued to annihilate the monsters. From this height, the battlefield looked like a black sea moving with coordinated, deadly rhythm.
But his gaze flickered.
A golden blur was rapidly approaching.
He noticed Ais.
And not long after, he saw the familiar figures of Finn and the rest of Loki Familia following not far behind. Judging from their equipment and formation, it seemed like another full-scale expedition.
Didn't they just finish one recently?
Akira recalled how Loki had met with Hephaestus not too long ago to discuss a major collaboration. This must be the result—an expedition equipped with fresh gear and divine-forged weapons.
"…H-Hi," Ais said, breathless as she stopped before him.
All the eagerness and nerves she'd built up suddenly vanished, leaving her frozen for a moment. Her eyes darted slightly as if trying to find the right words, the right tone.
She wasn't good at this. Talking to strangers was never her strong suit. All her social interaction so far had been limited to her Familia.
"Hey," Akira replied calmly, offering a small nod. "I heard from Hephaestus. Lady Loki already conveyed her thanks to me. Looks like you've grown even stronger, huh?"
"Yes. Thank you… very much. Thanks to your training method, my strength improved a lot," Ais said, her voice steadier now.
Akira studied her briefly.
"From the way you carry yourself, I'd guess you're just one major achievement away from Level 6, right?"
"You're correct. Loki said the same. But… achieving a Great Feat isn't easy."
Great Feats—epic achievements required for level-ups—were named that for a reason. The higher one's level, the more extreme the challenge.
Every Level 6 adventurer in Loki Familia had fought through deadly trials, legendary monsters, and countless near-death encounters to reach that point.
Take Ottar, for example, from Freya Familia. To rise from Level 6 to Level 7, he had to challenge some of the strongest fighters from the now-destroyed Zeus and Hera Familia, and lead campaigns against the remnants of dark factions that once plagued Orario.
Only after all of that… did he ascend.
But now that Zeus and Hera Familia had collapsed, there remained only one known adventurer at Level 7.
There were a few who'd made it to Level 6—but all of them now stood before an invisible wall between Level 6 and 7.
To climb further, one needed a true feat worthy of legend.
"If you want a worthy challenge… the floor boss on Floor 37, Udaeus, is a Level 6 opponent. If you defeat it solo, that could very well count as your Great Feat."
"Udaeus…?" Ais echoed, her eyes narrowing.
She knew that name well. She'd fought that skeletal giant before.
Udaeus wasn't like ordinary monsters. As a floor boss, it had terrifying strength, ironclad defense, and a massive frame. It was a true king of the labyrinth's depths.
Even for someone like her, the idea of soloing it was daunting.
"If you try, have your team stay close—but not interfere. Let them support from a distance, just in case. If anything goes wrong, they can pull you out," Akira advised gently.
"…Understood. Thank you for the suggestion," Ais said firmly, her golden eyes gleaming with resolve.
They were now on Floor 33. Just four more floors until Udaeus.
If they were lucky and the boss had respawned, she'd go for it.
The last time Udaeus was defeated was nearly three months ago. It could reappear soon. But no one could say for sure—the Dungeon's rules were ever-changing and cruel.
As their conversation continued, the battlefield below grew quiet.
The last of the monsters had fallen. Not a single new one appeared from the walls.
The fight was over—for now.
What Akira didn't notice, however, was the faint green-black shimmer of a jewel-like mark on the back of his hand—pulsing silently, absorbing ambient energy from the Dungeon.
— — —
"We meet again, Shin Akira," said Finn, stepping forward with the rest of Loki Familia.
"Captain Finn," Akira greeted with respectful calm.
Tiona, Bete, and the others looked at him with mixed emotions—curiosity, awe, confusion. Who exactly was Shin Akira?
He'd only been in Orario for a few days. Barely half a month since he first stepped into the Dungeon.
And yet now, he was here… alone… fighting on Floor 33… summoning armies of Shadowkhan with terrifying precision.
It defied everything they thought they knew about power.
Almost impossible.
Almost unreal.
But undeniably… real.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 130+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
✅ Be among the first readers to experience Arc 3 and the new season before anyone else!
📖 The first chapter of Arc 3 is now live!
You can read it right now on Patreon~
🌙 Note: Sunday is a rest day, so there will be no updates tomorrow. Regular uploads resume as usual on Monday.
Thank you all so much for your amazing support 💖
Your encouragement keeps this story alive and growing stronger every single day! 🌟
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —