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Merlin and Morgan didn't eat either; they only had a little water.Back when they were spirit bodies, they didn't need food or drink. But now that they had physical forms, they had to handle all the basic needs just like humans.
Once everyone was rested and fed, the group headed deeper into the floor.
The caverns on the seventeenth level were much larger, and the color of the rock shifted from pitch black to pale gray.
When they reached the so-called Wall of Sighs, the entire surface began to tremble. Cracks split across the stone. Huge chunks of rock broke off and crashed to the ground.
Alex and the others had to dodge quickly.
When the falling debris finally stopped, a giant more than seven meters tall stepped out from inside the wall.
It was the dungeon's first floor boss: Goliath.The Guild classified it as a Level 4 monster.
"What a huge one!" Merlin gasped.
"Hmph. Big doesn't mean strong," Morgan replied with her usual disdain.
"This thing isn't weak. Who's taking it?" Artoria asked.
"I'll go first. You three back me up," Alex said, and rushed forward before anyone could object.
A floor boss kill done solo would be an incredible achievement, and the boost to his stats would be massive.
Goliath saw Alex charging and let out a bestial roar. Then it swung a massive fist down at him.
That fist was basically a truck barreling straight at him.
But Alex didn't dodge. He casually summoned a projected greatsword and swung straight into the incoming punch.
A deafening boom echoed across the cavern.The projected sword shattered into fragments, but Goliath's fist split open as well.
Of course, as a floor boss, Self-Regeneration was one of its basic abilities. The torn flesh stitched itself back together as if rewinding time.
Before it finished healing, its other fist was already flying toward Alex.
This time he didn't take the hit. With a leap he shot into the air, dodging the strike.
"This life was born to become the blade!"
High above, he began chanting at incredible speed. A black bow and three arrows appeared in his hands. He drew the bowstring and released. The three arrows split into countless glowing shafts that rained down on Goliath like a storm.
The shots were powerful, sinking into its skin. But Goliath was simply too big. To a giant of that size, the arrows were nothing more than toothpicks. They pierced the skin but couldn't reach anything vital.
With its regeneration, all the damage healed almost instantly.
Alex landed and clicked his tongue. He hadn't expected much from the arrows anyway, so he kept going.
He began chanting again, this time invoking magecraft from the Type-Moon world—Einzbern alchemy. He had learned it from Irisviel herself.
The metal arrows scattered across the ground suddenly liquefied, turning into shimmering pools of quicksilver that slithered together and fused into thick chains.
The chains shot forward, wrapping tightly around Goliath and restraining its movements.
Goliath roared and struggled violently. Cracks formed along the chains; they wouldn't last long.
Alex didn't pause. He switched chants again, this time drawing on the Fairy Tail world's Word Magic.
He used his finger as a brush and quickly wrote four glowing characters in the air.
"Unbreakable."
The words turned to light and sank into the chains.In an instant the metal hardened far beyond normal steel. No matter how violently Goliath struggled, the bindings no longer budged.
A smile curled at Alex's lips.
"Time to end this."
Silver liquid surged into his palm and shaped itself into an arrow.Moon Cell Essence.
He let the arrow fly. It punched straight into Goliath's body.
Inside the giant, the essence spread through its bloodstream, ripping through its vitality and grinding its organs into pulp. Then it solidified into a membrane that wrapped around the magic stone at its core, cutting it off from its supply of mana.
A dungeon monster's life hinged on its magic stone. Without it, they were no different from a human without a heart.
Stripped of mana, its so-called infinite regeneration vanished instantly.
Alex gestured, and the Moon Essence slipped back out of Goliath's body with the magic stone encased inside.Goliath collapsed, completely dead.
"Fantastic!" Merlin clapped happily.
Alex's fighting style amazed even her. His overall power was below Goliath's, yet he'd taken it down cleanly using clever combinations of diverse abilities. Even legendary heroes wouldn't always manage such a clean victory against a stronger foe.
Morgan said nothing, but her eyes were full of approval.Artoria nodded with heartfelt admiration. "The captain's growth is too fast."
Alex smiled, retrieved the Moon Essence, and stored the massive magic stone—larger than a person—inside Unlimited Blade Works.
"Come on. Let's head to the eighteenth floor. You three should see something special."
The three women nodded eagerly.
Through a narrow tunnel they went, and after a burst of light, they emerged onto a sweeping field of lush green grass.
Beyond the grass stretched dense forests, endless and thriving.
It looked like a pristine ancient wilderness. The fresh air stunned the three women; they could hardly believe it.
"This is part of a dungeon?" Merlin said, wide-eyed.
"Where's the sunlight coming from?" Morgan looked up. A colossal crystal hung overhead, pouring warm, gentle light over the floor.
A soft breeze rolled through the meadow, carrying the scent of greenery and earth. It felt peaceful and alive.
"It's incredible. The craftsmanship behind this is unreal. It's beautiful," Artoria said with a bright smile. She was already in love with the place.
Alex collected himself and began explaining. "This is the 'Safe Floor'. Monsters here won't attack adventurers unless provoked. People use this place as a base camp for exploring the deeper floors, and they built a small town called Riviera here. Adventurers rest, trade, everything—though prices are way higher than on the surface. Anything adventurer-related is several times more expensive. Supplies are unstable down here, so even sky-high prices sell."
"This is nice… I kinda want to stay here awhile," Merlin said, crouching to run her fingers through the soft grass.
The air reminded her of Avalon—calm, gentle, healing.
"Why don't monsters attack humans here?" Morgan asked suddenly.
"No clue. But if something big happens, monsters still attack. Riviera's been destroyed and rebuilt hundreds of times. The one here is the 334th version." Alex remembered the final episode of season one of the anime—Hestia had used a trace of divine power to save Bell. The dungeon reacted instantly, sending Goliath to the eighteenth floor and evolving it into a black variant with strength near Level 5.
"So it's not truly safe after all," Merlin said in mild disappointment.
"Nowhere in the dungeon is absolutely safe," Alex agreed.
"Let's check out the town," Artoria suggested.
"Sure. It's over by that big tree," Alex said, heading toward the enormous trunk in the distance.
Riviera sat right beneath it.
Adventurers filled the small town, many of them strong. Reaching this floor required at least Level 2, though some lower-level members followed stronger familia companions.
The town was cramped and worn. Several buildings showed patches and repairs.A single dirt road ran through it, lined with merchants selling all kinds of supplies.
"It's lively. Should we stay the night?" Merlin asked.
"Better not. If we don't go back, Hestia and the others will worry. Maybe next time," Alex said.
"Fair enough," Merlin smiled.
After wandering for a bit, the group left Riviera and headed back to Orario the way they came.
It was already past nine at night when they emerged onto the surface.Hestia and the others had probably eaten by now.
They decided to grab dinner outside. But before that, they needed to sell their loot.
At the Guild exchange counter, Alex spotted the same employee from yesterday.
The man froze for a moment, then instinctively wiped sweat from his forehead.
Alex gave him a friendly smile and emptied the contents of Unlimited Blade Works—magic stones and monster materials of all kinds, including the enormous Goliath core.
A wave of clattering filled the exchange hall as the pile grew and grew.
The Guild staff weren't the only ones stunned. Nearby adventurers gaped as well.
"That's insane!"
"They even have a floor boss magic stone!"
"What familia is this?"
"Only Loki Familia, Freya Familia, or maybe Ganesha Familia could pull off something like that…"
"..."
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