"Huh? Finn just killed it already?"
Tiona blinked, dumbfounded. She'd honestly thought she'd get a shot at the floor boss this time.
"Idiot. Think about why the Captain stepped in right away."
Compared to her overly optimistic sister, Tione saw the situation much more clearly.
"That Goliath was obviously different. The wounds Finn dealt healed almost instantly. And from how his spear barely pierced it, that thing's hide must've been ridiculously tough. Even a first-tier weapon struggled to break through."
"A hide that hard, plus regeneration? The only way to kill something like that is to hit it with overwhelming force. You, me, and Bete together wouldn't be enough."
Bete's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't argue. Tione's analysis was dead on. That mutated Goliath had power well beyond Level 4—it wasn't just tougher; its regeneration made it practically unkillable by anyone short of a top-tier Adventurer.
"Riveria, what do you think?"
Gareth stroked his beard and turned to the elf beside him.
"It evolved to a level far more dangerous than expected. To bring it down, at least Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Ais would've been needed. Without Ais, the combined firepower of the other three wouldn't have been enough to land a fatal blow."
This "abnormal situation" was becoming alarmingly precise in its escalation. Even Riveria had to admit that she and Gareth wouldn't have handled that monster easily.
"Finn's quick decision was the right one," she murmured.
Riveria couldn't help but praise him. If Finn hadn't acted immediately to finish it off, the fight might've dragged on to disastrous results.
"Let's move. We're heading straight across the Great Waterfall. If the Goliath was affected, there's no telling if the Amphisbaena has been as well."
"Alright, you heard her! Move out!"
The Loki Familia mobilized instantly.
All of the Goliath's Drop Items were collected by the transport team. There was no need to hide them. Their next destination was the safe floor of the eighteenth level—Rivira.
The group entered Rivira openly, without bothering to conceal their presence. Once, the settlement had been a bustling hub of trade—a haven for Adventurers and the Dungeon's largest underground marketplace. Deep-floor materials that couldn't be brought to the surface were sold there, albeit at steep losses. Still, without those trades, Rivira would've vanished long ago instead of being repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt.
But now, the place was a wreck.
The stone streets were shattered, many buildings full of gaping holes patched with rough wooden planks. Adventurers lined the streets, hammering away at makeshift repairs. The progress was... underwhelming, to say the least.
No wonder Rivira hadn't been able to organize a team to deal with the Goliath. The whole safe floor still reeked of destruction. Given how the Dungeon's "abnormal situation" had been progressing, Rivira's collapse might have been the only reason anyone here had survived. If they'd actually sent a team to fight that mutated Goliath, they would've been slaughtered.
Even Finn had been forced to kill it in one decisive strike. Ordinary Adventurers—most of them weaker than Tiona—wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Loki Familia! It's the Loki Familia!"
Their arrival caused an instant stir. Adventurers nearby quickly noticed the distinctive group—and the massive Magic Stone loaded onto one of their wagons.
"That noise earlier must've been Goliath. Figures it'd be them—only the Loki Familia could take it down that fast."
The tremors from Goliath's rampage had reached all the way to the safe floor; there was no hiding an event like that.
The onlookers' gasps and cheers washed over the group. Everyone in the Familia felt it—that flicker of pride and heat in their chest. They weren't the ones who'd struck the killing blow, but they shared in the glory all the same. That glory was part of what drove the Loki Familia forward.
An endless climb, fueled by pride and the pursuit of strength.
Tsuna's gaze swept across the smiling faces around him. Every member looked proud, radiant with excitement at being part of the Loki Familia. It reminded him—people became Adventurers for different reasons, and those reasons shaped the paths they chose.
The Loki Familia's path was one of ambition—drawing in the capable, pushing ever upward toward the summit.
"Yo, been a while, Finn."
A gruff voice cut through the noise. Tsuna turned toward it, spotting a one-eyed Adventurer stepping forward to block their path. Judging by the familiarity in his tone, he and Finn knew each other.
"Bors. Yeah, it's been some time," Finn replied, smiling faintly. "Looks like things have been rough here. Rivira still short on manpower?"
"Plenty short," Bors admitted. "But thanks to you lot, we won't have to worry about that Goliath anymore."
Finn caught the subtle tone in his voice and raised a brow. "Sounds like you already knew about the Goliath's condition."
"I did," Bors said, not bothering to deny it. He took a deep breath, then added, "There's something you should hear."
Finn's expression hardened immediately.
"The Dungeon's been getting more unstable lately—especially deeper down. Maybe it's not as obvious up top, but the middle floors have been a nightmare. Rivira was overrun because of it. Monster numbers spiked like crazy."
He paused, voice grim. "It started about a week ago. At first, we managed. But then, during the next two outbreaks, the numbers doubled. We realized we couldn't hold out and had to fall back to defense. That's why Rivira fell again."
Finn nodded slowly. "That was the right call."
It truly was. Trying to hold their ground against such an unnatural surge would've been suicide. Retreating preserved what little strength Rivira had left.
Bors shook his head. "No such thing as a 'right call.' We just did what we had to in order to survive."
He straightened, his one good eye meeting Finn's. "And I'm not joking around when I say this—listen carefully. About a week ago, one of our groups went to the Great Waterfall on a collection job. While they were there, they found something... something that shouldn't have been possible."
Finn's stomach dropped even before the words came.
"That thing," Bors said quietly, "looked like it had come back to life."
Finn's face went pale. The words hit him like a hammer.
The worst possible news.