After a day of rest, the officers of the Loki Familia had quickly recovered their combat strength.
During that time, Riveria—one of the three leaders of the Loki Familia—had also regained her condition and was ready to continue the expedition.
That night, after dinner, Finn looked at the Familia members gathered around the campfire and began the pre-battle briefing.
"Tomorrow's exploration will proceed as planned. A small number of elite members and a few strong supporters will form teams and head to the 51st floor, while the rest will defend the camp alongside the Hephaestus Familia."
From the 51st floor onward, even supporters needed proper combat skills.
The larger the group, the more troublesome and time-consuming the command structure became.
Thus, the Loki Familia always used this method when venturing beyond the 51st floor.
"The main team will be Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Shirou, and me."
Finn scanned the area, his gaze passing over each officer before finally settling on Shirou.
"So, Shirou, will you be able to reach Level 5 before we reach the 59th floor?" Finn asked.
"Don't worry. I estimate I'll level up before the 58th floor." Shirou replied.
Hearing Shirou's confident answer, Finn nodded in satisfaction.
Shirou's attack style was extremely efficient in combat and exploration, and every increase in his strength provided a significant boost to the entire team.
This was why Finn had placed Shirou—despite only being Level 4—into the main battle formation.
"As for support, we have Raul, Narvi, Alicia, Cruz, and Lefiya."
The five support members participating in this expedition were all Level 4 adventurers.
"Those staying at the camp, if those new monsters appear, engage them from a distance."
"The guards must remain vigilant at all times and prevent monsters from getting close. Anakity, command is in your hands!"
"Yes!"
Finn continued explaining the defensive measures, the methods to handle the caterpillar-type monsters, and the camp's command structure.
Replacing Raul, who was accompanying the main party as support, the cat-woman was appointed leader and stood up to accept her assignment.
"At the same time, I hope Tsubaki will come with us as well."
"Hmph, no problem." Hearing Finn's plan, Tsubaki not only offered no resistance but seemed eager to participate.
After all, she was no ordinary smith—she was Orario's greatest blacksmith, and also a Level 5 adventurer.
She often explored the Dungeon to test her weapons.
For that reason, Tsubaki was deeply interested in the deeper floors, which were rich in high-quality materials.
A short while later, after all preparations had been settled, Tsubaki—who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground—stood up and shouted loudly:
"All right, let's hand out the commissions!"
At her call, the blacksmiths of the Hephaestus Familia retrieved several weapons wrapped in white cloth from a bundle beside them.
With the exception of Ais, Riveria, and Shirou, each of the other adventurers received one—five weapons in total.
"These are the weapons you commissioned—indestructible-property weapons."
"Oh? So this is the Roland series you mentioned, Master Tsubaki?"
Among the five weapons Tsubaki distributed, Shirou casually picked up one of Bete's twin blades to examine it.
Under Bete's murderous glare, Shirou couldn't help but frown.
Shirou's projection magic could not create weapons with indestructible properties.
No matter how realistic his projected replicas were, at their core they were constructs made of magical energy.
Even as his projection magic advanced with his level, this fundamental truth remained unchanged.
Of course, his projected "indestructible" weapons were not without advantages.
Though they broke, they possessed high hardness and strong resistance to status abnormalities.
When facing the caterpillar monsters, Finn's sword had not melted immediately, even though he was using a projected blade from Shirou.
Among the main combatants, Ais already possessed an indestructible weapon, and Riveria, being a mage, did not require one.
As for Shirou?
If his weapon broke, he could simply project another.
Therefore, out of the eight main fighters, only five actually needed indestructible weapons.
Finn wielded a spear, Gareth a large axe, Bete a pair of blades, Tiona a greatsword, and Tione a halberd.
Finn nodded in satisfaction as he inspected the spear.
"As expected of Orario's number one blacksmith!"
After a brief moment of admiration—while the other adventurers grew excited over their new weapons—Finn announced, "All right, you may disperse. The guards will rotate every four hours."
"Yes!"
Following his command, the members dispersed.
Watching Ais walk away and Tsubaki chase after her, Shirou glanced at them before returning to his tent.
---xXx---
"A pair of 3s!"
"A pair of queens!"
"A pair of 2s!"
"Flush!"
Meanwhile, inside Shirou's tent, he was playing cards with his Familia companions.
As frequent residents of the 50th floor, everyone there was well-versed in finding ways to pass the time.
But now, even those who were playing cards were beginning to lose focus.
On one side of the tent, Raul was sitting in a corner chair, legs shaking uncontrollably.
"Hey, Raul, cheer up!"
"Anakity…"
The cat-woman, checking her weapons, looked utterly helpless.
Even though she was somewhat used to Raul's pitiful state, she still felt exasperated.
"It's not like you've never been to the fifty-first floor before. You've always come back alive, haven't you? Have a little confidence!"
Hearing the cat-woman's harsh tone—but noticing that she was still encouraging him—Raul was momentarily speechless.
Like Raul, Anakity was a Level 4 adventurer.
Since her name was difficult to pronounce, those close to her called her Aki.
As an adventurer recruited by Loki, Aki naturally had a pretty face and a good figure.
As an adventurer Finn trusted, she frequently took command whenever the front-line officers weren't present.
"But I almost died to those new monsters last time, and I might really die this time. Aki, if I don't make it back, I hope you can send the savings in my room to my hometown." Raul said.
"There you go again!" Anakity snorted.
As a close friend and key member of the second group, Aki was well aware of Raul's old problem—
He had absolutely no confidence.
Hearing their conversation, Riine—who was nearby—timidly raised her hand and asked, "Are the floors below the 51st really that dangerous?"
The moment she asked, everyone turned to look at Shirou.
After all, compared to Raul, Shirou was someone firmly prepared for battle.
"Don't look at me, I'm a newbie too."
Shirou opened his hands helplessly, then reassured Raul: "Raul, believe in yourself. You'll definitely make it back alive."
"But…"
"No 'but'! Even if you don't believe in yourself, you have to believe in the captain! The captain will definitely bring you back. Raul, don't tell me you don't trust him?"
"Trust… the captain…"
Raul paused, recalling Finn, and then shouted loudly:
"I'll always believe in the captain!"
"That's right, that's the spirit!"
Watching the newly inspired Raul, Shirou couldn't help but smile.
As expected of you, Finn.
(End of Chapter)