The 50th Floor of the Dungeon.
Lying near the steep slope that resembled a cliff, Shirou narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt the gentle breeze brush against his face.
It had been two days since the battle to defeat the floor master, Balor.
According to the available information, the Loki Familia in the original timeline had never encountered any trace of Balor; his appearance now was the result of the butterfly effect Shirou himself had caused.
Shirou reached this conclusion because the Loki Familia, after defeating Balor, had been forced to rest on the 50th floor for an entire day.
Which meant they wouldn't venture deeper until the following day.
This was not only necessary to restore the strength and stamina of the executives, but—more importantly—to maintain their weapons.
Under such circumstances, every single one of their weapons and pieces of armor was heavily damaged and required repair.
Of course, there were several other reasons why the Loki Familia was compelled to remain there.
And that was also why Shirou had time to enjoy the view on the 50th floor.
Unlike the previous two times he had relaxed while collecting ingredients, this time Shirou was resting openly.
After all, the executives were exhausted from yesterday's battle.
They also needed to explore deeper floors the next day, which allowed Shirou to relax for once.
"It really was an exhilarating battle."
As he recalled yesterday's fight, Shirou couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Balor, classified as LV.7 by the Guild, was incredibly powerful.
Even someone as strong as Gareth had struggled to withstand its attacks, forcing the group into several close brushes with death.
Among the participants, Ais stood out the most. Her LV.6 basic abilities, combined with her magic and her talent for fighting opponents above her level, pushed even Balor back.
In fact, she played a major role in defeating him.
Naturally, Shirou's performance was as flashy as ever.
The mushroom-shaped cloud that formed in the sky and the shockwave unleashed after he used Caladbolg left a deep impression on everyone.
Just as he had hoped, Shirou gained enough high-level experience to level up.
Of course, he paid a heavy price.
To inflict the utmost damage, Shirou didn't attack from afar alone—he projected Kanshou and Bakuya, rushed the monster head-on, and only then unleashed Caladbolg.
Though that first strike dealt massive damage to Balor, it wasn't until he used Caladbolg that the monster was finally defeated.
"The level gap is just too great. There's no way I can take on a floor master of that caliber in close combat yet…"
Remembering the scene, Shirou sighed.
Floor masters weren't just enormous; their strength, speed, durability, and agility far surpassed his.
And if they could use magic, defeating them would be nothing but a dream for ordinary adventurers.
But monsters that could use magic did exist.
Creatures that dangerous not only existed—they were the ultimate targets of this entire journey.
The Demi-Spirit.
Although the Guild and Balor classified them as being "on the same level" in terms of stats, their combat capability was far superior.
If Balor could be compared to Gareth, then the Demi-Spirit was equivalent to all three leaders of the Loki Familia combined.
They were Level 6, yet the Demi-Spirit possessed the strengths of all three.
Imagine an enemy with immense durability, superhuman combat intelligence, and the ability to unleash large-scale annihilation magic at will.
That was the kind of monster they would soon face.
Thinking about the enemy ahead, Shirou couldn't help but sigh.
"Even though I don't trust the information from my previous life anymore… I still hope it's accurate, and that there won't be any more unexpected incidents."
But remembering his experience on the 24th floor a few days ago, Shirou felt that was unlikely.
"Forget it. Let's head back…"
Standing up from the lush green grass, Shirou gazed into the distance before turning around to return.
The moment he reached the camp, he heard the constant ringing of metal nearby.
It was the skilled smiths of the Hephaestus Familia working on repairing and maintaining everyone's equipment.
Thanks to them, the expedition didn't need to bring a large number of spare weapons, leaving plenty of room for healing items.
As everyone knew, healing items were extremely scarce during boss battles.
Expedition forces often ran out of them on the return trip, having used everything during the fight.
Under normal circumstances, with the Loki Familia's usual stock of healing items, they would have had to turn back after fighting Balor.
But judging from the amount they carried this time, it was enough to continue all the way to the 59th floor.
Quietly avoiding the direction of the forge, Shirou had no desire to be dragged into work by Tsubaki.
Though he enjoyed his days as a blacksmith, right now he wanted to rest.
He was no longer the overly kind person who never cared about himself and only thought about helping others.
Moving aside, Shirou quickly spotted Ais.
She was holding a wooden sword, practicing her swings.
Her movements were as precise as ever, but Shirou sensed a certain restlessness in them.
"Why don't you rest a bit more? I remember you were injured just as badly as I was yesterday."
Looking at Ais's determined back, Shirou asked with a gentle smile.
Hearing his voice, Ais stopped mid-swing, hesitated, and answered with a hint of embarrassment:
"I'm fine now… That's why I feel a little restless."
During the battle with Balor, Tiona and the others were the most severely injured.
As the team's offensive vanguard, they were two levels below Balor; under the monster's relentless attacks, they were knocked down repeatedly, barely escaping death thanks to Shirou's constant intervention.
However, the healing effects of elixirs and magic brought them back into the fight each time.
Thus, nearly all of the executives were seriously injured after the battle, but they survived thanks to the vast number of elixirs consumed.
At that moment, Ais's wounds had been nearly as severe as Shirou's.
"It's true. With healing magic and our sturdy bodies, recovering quickly is normal—but Lefiya and the others are in terrible condition," Shirou said.
Indeed, Lefiya was in bad shape.
No—all the elf mages were in terrible condition.
Excessive magic use had left them mentally exhausted.
Even Riveria, although not as bad as the others, was clearly fatigued.
That was why the Loki Familia needed a day of rest.
If the mages—their most vital asset—weren't in good condition, the team would be in danger.
Watching the silent Ais, Shirou suddenly said:
"Don't worry, Ais. The fifty-ninth floor isn't far. This time, we'll reach it. You can count on me."
Hearing Shirou's reassurance, Ais—who had been anxious—relaxed as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
After a moment, she smiled warmly at him.
"I believe in you, Shirou!"
(End of Chapter)
Sorry for the lack of chapters, I had a commitment that consumed my time these past two days