Chapter 72 – The Return of Loki Familia from the Expedition!
Time was a strange and mysterious thing.
The string of serial murders that once shrouded Orario in fear had, over time, faded into distant memory. The tension that once gripped the city had loosened, and life slowly returned to its usual rhythm.
Never underestimate humanity's ability to adapt—yet at the same time, never put too much faith in its memory.
As long as something doesn't directly affect them, doesn't threaten their interests or safety, even the most terrifying of tragedies... will eventually be forgotten.
And amid all this, the mastermind behind it all—Shin Akira—remained unchanged.
Day in and day out, he moved between Orario and the Dungeon, pursuing a single purpose: to accumulate experience and raise his level as fast as possible.
In Orario, reaching Level 4 was already enough to be considered powerful. But for Akira, it was nowhere near enough.
His goal was to reach Level 10—an untrodden realm, untouched since the gods first descended and granted humanity their divine blessings.
Still, he was confident. Especially after learning a critical piece of information from Hephaestus—something that explained why his growth was so absurdly fast. That revelation gave him insight… and inspiration.
When he inherited a Template, Akira's original powers would be sealed. If he forcibly broke the seal, then he could no longer progress that inheritance.
But now, to advance his Template's level, all he needed to do was raise his Falna level. After all, the Falna was designed to record his accumulated experiences and convert them into stats—physical power, magic, endurance—and the all-important Feat of Achievement required to level up.
And here… was the loophole.
Even if his original powers had been unsealed and technically shouldn't affect Template progression anymore, the Falna still remained active. It still recorded his feats.
In other words—Akira could use his original strength to hunt down high-tier monsters, rack up major accomplishments in rapid succession, and then once the quota was reached, re-seal his powers and raise his level—thus pushing his inherited Template to new heights.
Technically speaking… it was a complete system exploit. A loophole no one else had noticed.
The highest official level in Orario's history was Level 9. So Akira wondered—if he managed to slay a god while at Level 9, would that count as a Feat worthy of Level 10?
To break free from the boundaries of the gods' Falna… perhaps the only way forward was to kill one and transcend them entirely.
Conveniently, his previous Template had been [Enkidu], wielder of the Chains of Heaven, a divine power especially effective against deities—especially those who had sealed away their godhood in the Lower World.
But that was a long-term plan.
For now, he had one priority: level up as fast as possible.
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Deep within the 39th floor of the Dungeon, a massive army of Shadowkhan moved like a dark tide, spreading out to dominate the entire region.
This floor resembled a thick, overgrown jungle. Giant carnivorous plants twisted among the trees. Gigantic blooming monsters with snapping petals loomed from the shadows. Everything here was flora-type—deadly and hungry.
Among the vines and foliage:
The Razor Khan slashed through enemies with deadly precision.
The Bat Khan glided above, maintaining aerial patrols.
The Sumo Khan stomped through the undergrowth, bulldozing everything in their path.
And the Ninja Khan cleaned up behind them—gathering loot drops and magic stones in perfect order, like an automated production line.
The operation ran like clockwork. Efficient. Ruthless. Seamless.
Akira's Shadowkhan Army had finally started to show its full strength—now numbering over two hundred and fifty.
Naturally, Akira himself was in the thick of it.
This wasn't a game where you could grind passively. In Danmachi, you had to fight directly to gain anything from the Falna. There was no auto-play feature.
The deeper the floor, the larger it became. And the 39th floor? It was enormous.
Suddenly, a group of voices echoed from the lower path.
"Whoa… are all of those Shin Akira's summons!? It's only been a few days since we saw him—how can he control this many already?!"
A party had just arrived on the floor—clearly shocked by the overwhelming presence of the Shadowkhan.
One of them stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
The rest of the group soon caught up and stopped in their tracks, stunned by the scene before them.
Just how many could he summon at once?
No matter how skilled a mage was, maintaining that many summons should drain an enormous amount of Mana.
Even Riveria Ljos Alf—known as the Nine Hells, one of the most powerful mages in all Orario—couldn't help but reveal a hint of shock.
Just then, several Sumo Khan stomped forward, their heavy footsteps shaking the jungle floor.
They were massive—hulking shadows resembling sumo wrestlers carved from obsidian fog.
Seeing them approach, Tiona instinctively tensed. A flicker of worry danced in her eyes.
Their party had only just returned from the deepest floors—battered and weary, with many supplies and weapons lost during an ambush. That was the only reason they came back early.
And now… this?
"Finn, what do we do?"
Riveria turned toward their leader.
These shadow beings clearly belonged to Akira. Attacking them would be tantamount to declaring war.
But doing nothing… what if the enemies struck first?
"Attack. If this causes trouble, I'll personally apologize to Shin Akira later."
Finn Deimne made his decision without hesitation.
As captain of Loki Familia, he couldn't afford to second-guess. Especially when his comrades' lives were on the line.
Besides, Akira was little more than an acquaintance. If forced to choose, his duty was clear: protect his own.
"Understood, Captain!"
Bete Loga grinned savagely and leapt into action, followed immediately by Tiona and Tione.
Meanwhile, Ais Wallenstein remained where she was, her hand tightening around the hilt of her sword, Desperate.
She hesitated.
Akira… had helped her once before. She didn't want to raise her weapon against him.
As the three charged in, the Sumo Khan braced themselves, muscles tensing under layers of spiritual darkness.
A thunderous impact rang out.
One of the Sumo Khan swung its massive arm—but Bete's counterattack struck first. The shadow giant burst into a cloud of smoke and vanished.
That was one of the weaknesses of the Shadowkhan. Despite their power, the Sumo Khan were still magical constructs. A strong enough hit would obliterate them instantly.
They weren't real beings. No blood. No flesh. No soul.
Just shadows—brought to life by magic. And when they took critical damage, they simply ceased to exist.
On the other side, Tiona and Tione also dispatched the remaining Sumo Khan with ease.
"Well, that was disappointing~" Tiona sighed, sounding a little bored. For their size, she'd expected a real challenge.
Back on the battlefield, Akira narrowed his eyes.
He'd just noticed several of his Sumo Khan vanish at once.
The battles on this floor were nearly finished. And yet… never before had so many of his shadow warriors been taken down simultaneously.
Something was wrong.
Had a Black Monster Variant appeared?
Or… was it a group of elite adventurers mistaking his Shadowkhan for Dungeon monsters?
Whatever the reason, one thing was clear.
Akira had to investigate—and fast.
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