Chapter 353

Chapter 353: Chapter 353

"D-Did we actually win?"

When the final Corrupted Spirit clone was destroyed, many of the adventurers stood frozen in disbelief, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Then the realization finally sank in, and overwhelming joy swept through the expedition.

They had survived!

They had made it through a battlefield filled with Level 7-class monsters, an absolute meat grinder of a battle on the 60th Floor.

Most of them had only been responsible for holding back enemy reinforcements and preventing ordinary monsters from interfering with the main battles, but even those assignments had demanded more from them than any previous expedition.

Nearly everyone had been fighting with their lives on the line.

After an experience like this, many of them would undoubtedly see enormous improvements in their Status.

Quite a few might even have achieved the feats necessary to level up.

How could they not be delighted?

"Those three women... they actually pulled it off."

Allen leaned heavily against his spear as he struggled to his feet.

His body was covered in wounds, with cracked and torn flesh in several places.

He looked as though he had just climbed out of a pool of blood.

"Looks like we need to pick up the pace ourselves," Hedin remarked, adjusting his glasses. "We’ve been getting comfortable for far too long."

"Indeed, my eternal rival." Hogni was still breathing heavily. "Only through even harsher trials shall we sharpen our blades and transcend our limitations."

Ottar, meanwhile, was watching Kiriya. A fierce desire for battle burned in his eyes as he recalled the young man’s performance.

Now that was an opponent worth fighting.

Nevertheless, Ottar understood that this was neither the time nor the place.

He forcibly suppressed his excitement and turned his attention back to the expedition.

...

"So, what did you think of that last attack?"

Esdeath practically rushed over to Kiriya after rejoining the group, her expression filled with excitement.

"A beautiful finish."

Kiriya was generous with his praise and reached out to pat her head.

Her long ice-blue hair felt wonderfully soft and silky beneath his fingers, and the pleasant sensation tempted him to stroke it several more times.

"Hm?"

Esdeath initially looked somewhat bewildered by the unexpected gesture.

However, she quickly relaxed under his touch, eventually narrowing her eyes in obvious enjoyment.

Kiriya was just beginning to appreciate how unusually cooperative she had become when he sensed two particularly intense gazes directed toward him.

Turning his head, he found Jeanne looking distinctly envious, while Ryuu had conveniently turned aside and appeared to be admiring some distant scenery.

He smiled and extended his hands toward them as well.

Neither girl managed to maintain her composure after receiving the same affectionate treatment. Both blushed, making an already beautiful pair look even more charming.

"Is everything finally over?"

Ryuu caught Esdeath giving her an openly teasing look and hurriedly changed the subject before her embarrassment became unbearable.

"Of course not." Kiriya sighed. "Those things were only the advance troops. The real final boss is still waiting for us farther down."

The main body of the Corrupted Spirit had survived for more than a thousand years.

It possessed the ability to invade and transform the Dungeon’s deeper floors while producing seemingly endless armies of monsters.

At this point, its strength could no longer be measured accurately using ordinary adventurer levels.

"Those monsters were only advance troops?"

Ryuu drew a sharp breath.

The enemies they had just defeated were all comparable to Level 7 adventurers.

Working together, they could even perform the Sixfold Spirit Ring, a ritual capable of annihilating Orario.

If Kiriya had not possessed an intelligence advantage and assembled the elite forces of the three strongest Familias to eliminate them, those clones alone would have been enough to devastate the city had they ever reached the surface. Countless lives would have been lost.

Yet they were nothing more than disposable pawns serving a greater existence.

Just how powerful was the creature controlling them?

Level 8? Level 9?

Or perhaps... Level 10?

The possibilities sent a chill through the three women.

"Wait a moment."

Jeanne suddenly noticed something that did not quite add up.

"If the main body is really that powerful, why doesn’t it simply appear and crush us right now? We’ve just finished an exhausting battle, so this should be the perfect opportunity to attack while we’re weakened."

Ryuu and Esdeath immediately realized the significance of her question and turned toward Kiriya.

"That’s a good question."

Kiriya gave Jeanne an approving thumbs-up.

"It’s not that the creature doesn’t want to attack us. It simply can’t. Its main body has completely fused with one of the floors below us. That fusion has made it incredibly powerful, but it has also severely restricted its ability to move."

"I see."

Ryuu nodded thoughtfully.

"So even if it wanted to attack us, it could only send its subordinates, which would be Level 8-class monsters at most. Enemies of that caliber wouldn’t be capable of inflicting any meaningful damage on you through a surprise attack. Instead, they would only warn us that something was coming."

"Which means we’re relatively safe as long as we don’t enter the floor where its main body is located."

Esdeath rubbed her chin, a faint smile gradually appearing on her lips.

"Kiriya, I have an idea."

"What a coincidence. So do I."

Kiriya exchanged glances with the three women, and they all smiled in mutual understanding.

...

"What? You’re planning to stay down here and continue the expedition?"

Back on the 50th Floor, the Hestia Familia had established a temporary camp in the safe zone.

Finn, Riveria, and Ais had stopped by to catch up with Kiriya and the others, only to find themselves staring at him in disbelief.

They had just survived an enormous battle against multiple Level 7-class enemies, yet these people were already thinking about another expedition.

Just how much energy did they have?

"Yep. We used up a fair amount of stamina during that battle, but our supplies are still in excellent shape, so we figured we might as well stay a little longer."

Kiriya flashed them a broad grin.

"We finally made it all the way down here. It would be a waste to go home without enjoying ourselves properly."

At those words, Ais’s eyes shifted slightly, as though she had suddenly reached a decision.

"Finn, Riveria... I want to stay too."

After a brief silence, she continued with quiet determination.

"Everyone covered for me during the battle, so I didn’t actually suffer many injuries. I want to take advantage of this opportunity to train myself properly and become stronger."

"You can take our injured companions back to the surface first."

Finn and Riveria exchanged glances, both wearing expressions that practically said they had seen this coming.

Considering Ais’s relentless desire to grow stronger, it would have been more surprising if she had not made such a request.

Faced with the girl’s unwavering gaze, they both sighed.

They understood her stubborn personality too well. If they forcibly denied her request, there was no telling what dangerous adventure she might attempt on her own afterward.

Finn considered the situation for a while before finally nodding.

"Very well. But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

Ais struggled to contain her excitement.

Rather than answering her directly, Finn turned toward Kiriya.

"Would you mind keeping an eye on her? We can leave you a supply of our highest-grade healing elixirs as compensation. I imagine they’ll be useful if you’re planning to explore the Deep Floors."

"Huh?"

Kiriya blinked.

’Seriously? You trust me that much?’

Were they not even slightly concerned that he might lead their precious Sword Princess into trouble?

Riveria noticed his reaction and apparently concluded that Finn’s offer was not quite sufficient.

After taking a deep breath, she spoke again.

"I’ll include a Grimoire as well."

Everyone inhaled sharply.

Even Finn looked surprised.

Kiriya, in particular, stared at Riveria as though he had just discovered that she was secretly the most generous person in Orario.

’Wait, you’re offering something that valuable?!’

That was a Grimoire!

It was an extraordinarily precious magical item capable of awakening new Magic in adventurers who possessed an available Magic slot.

A single copy could be worth hundreds of millions of valis, and even then, finding someone willing to sell one was another matter entirely.

If word spread that a Grimoire was available, adventurers from all over the city would practically tear one another apart trying to obtain it.

"Deal!"

Kiriya accepted immediately, without the slightest hesitation.