Before long, everything finally returned to tranquility.
All the worm monsters had been entirely eliminated, leaving not even a magic stone behind. The fragments of their disgusting yellow-green bodies turned to ash and vanished, leaving behind a field covered in signs of corrosion from the digestive fluid. Aside from countless large and small craters across the stone platform, almost every other spot was dominated by these charred-looking chemical burns.
"It's finally over—"
The members of the Loki Familia, who had been extremely tense, all breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their weapons. The shield-bearing vanguards, led by Gareth, tossed aside their severely corroded shields before gathering around Finn.
"Is everyone alright? Are there any casualties?"
Finn was the first to check the casualty rate.
"Some were injured by the digestive fluid at the very beginning because they were completely off-guard. Other than that, we're mostly fine—no one died, and we haven't lost any members." Report while reviewing the situation, Riveria let out a sigh and added, "However, the consumption of supplies is significant, particularly weapons and shields. Not to mention the equipment originally issued to the members, even the spare arms prepared for the expedition have been mostly depleted."
Hearing this, Finn and the others looked around, immediately spotting the remaining parts of dissolved weapons and the shards of shields, arrows, and armor.
"Waaaah, my Urga—"
Tiona held her large double-bladed weapon, which had been dissolved to less than half its size, crying out in a tearful voice.
"Shut up, you're annoying."
Nearby, Tione stood with a blanket draped over her, speaking with a thoroughly displeased expression.
Her kukri knives were entirely ruined as well, and even her clothes had been dissolved away. Because she had fought far too recklessly, almost no patch of her skin was left unmarred by the end of the battle; her entire body showed signs of corrosion. Her wretched appearance had turned the faces of the nearby members pale with shock. It was Lefiya who had frantically brought over Elixirs and poured them over her to allow her skin and flesh to grow back, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to show her face in front of her beloved right now.
Bete, on the other hand, had his metal boots intact and his body free of any digestive fluid thanks to the protection of Ais's wind. Still, looking at the shards of weapons and armor covering the ground and the members sitting around to heal, his expression wasn't pleasant either.
"So many of you, yet you still couldn't take care of those clumsy sitting ducks. Truly pathetic."
Bete displayed his usual foul-mouthed habit, drawing furious glares from many Elven members.
Who told this werewolf to insult the Elven royalty they so highly respected?
Was this not explicitly blaming Riveria for being incompetent?
"—This is indeed my responsibility, I have nothing to say in my defense."
Riveria did not argue either, directly taking the blame.
She was the primary person in charge of the camp. With such a massive incident occurring here, she felt she could not escape accountability.
However, others could not bear to listen to this.
"Lady Riveria was already highly vigilant. Right after you all set out, she immediately tightened security. Because of that, we were able to detect those worm monsters the very moment they appeared and organize an effective defense. If not for Lady Riveria's directions, we might have been completely wiped out before you returned."
Standing closest to Riveria, an Elf with radiant blonde hair spoke up with a strong, assertive tone.
Her name was Alicia Forestlight, a core member of the Familia's second tier just like Raul. Not only was she an excellent mage skilled in concurrent chanting, but she was also quite adept at archery and could use a sword for close combat. Consequently, she was frequently chosen to serve as a support role for the elites of the first tier during battles. She was a person who was not only highly capable but also gentle and tolerant, deeply trusted by her companions.
Her level was Level 4, and her alias was [Elysium]. Unlike the somewhat unrefined Lefiya, she was a very traditional Elf. As such, she deeply admired Riveria, who was of royal blood, being Riveria's most loyal supporter. When someone insulted Riveria, she would instantly drop her gentle and tolerant demeanor and fly into a tremendous rage.
"Exactly, Lady Riveria has been extremely dutiful. If she hadn't deployed us in advance, the casualties would definitely have been far worse."
The next to speak up was a beastman girl.
She was a cat person with shoulder-length black hair, matching cat ears and a tail, a slender figure, and beautiful features.
Her name was Anakitty Autumn. Like Alicia, she was a core figure of the second tier and an old-timer who had joined the Familia during the same period as Raul. Not only was she a Level 4 second-class adventurer, but she was also considered to be of the absolute highest caliber among the Level 4s in the entire city. Furthermore, she was calm, collected, and exceptionally courageous. When the first-class adventurers of the Familia were away, Finn would generally appoint her as the commander-in-chief of the base. For this reason, she was considered the member closest to reaching Level 5 within the Familia.
This talented and beautiful cat girl enjoyed extremely high popularity even among the gods, being praised by them as a noble feline breed. Thanks to this, the gods bestowed upon her the alias [Aki], using it to highlight her noble demeanor.
Now that even she had spoken up, it demonstrated that Alicia was not simply being biased toward royalty; Riveria had truly done her absolute best.
"Yeah, it's all thanks to Lady Riveria that we managed to hold off that horde of worm monsters."
"Aside from the initial phase when we didn't understand the monsters' abilities, which led to some people getting hurt by the digestive fluid, once Lady Riveria adjusted our strategy, practically no one got injured afterward."
"I-I can testify to that!"
"Me too!"
The members who had stayed behind to guard the camp spoke up one after another, including Line, who was helping treat the wounded.
"Um—everyone, please don't get so worked up, calm down, calm down."
Seeing the atmosphere turn somewhat confrontational, Lefiya swallowed hard and nervously began to intervene.
"..."
Ais said nothing, merely looking at Riveria with a worried gaze.
"Hey, stupid wolf, is it impossible for you to go a single day without being foul-mouthed?"
"Kicking someone when they're down at a time like this, are you even human?"
Even Tione and Tiona could no longer stand it, frowning as they began to scold Bete.
Bete merely looked at it all with a cold face, completely unbothered even as he became the target of public criticism.
"Alright, everyone save your breath."
Gareth barked out, preventing the atmosphere from deteriorating any further.
"A few supplies are nothing; losing them is fine as long as no one died."
Finn, completely unfazed from beginning to end, took in all the statements and comments before making a final summary.
"This is all thanks to Leon." Riveria did not take the credit for herself, stating, "Before setting out, he specifically warned me that he had a bad premonition and that something terrible might happen. That is why I tightened security."
"If not for his advance warning, the situation might truly have turned out much worse."
Hearing Riveria say this, everyone present was instantly taken aback.
"Speaking of Mr. Leon—"
Line, who had finished treating the members, spoke up with a somewhat puzzled expression.
"How come he isn't anywhere to be seen?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd froze again.
Only now did Finn and the others suddenly realize that, at some unknown point, Leon had gone missing.
Ais, as if suddenly sensing something, abruptly snapped her head around to look in a certain direction.
"Boom!!!"
At that exact instant, a deafening explosion resounded.
An explosion far grander in scale than any previous blast abruptly erupted within the gray forest of the 50th floor. It occurred right below the stone platform, sending flames soaring into the sky and thick smoke rising everywhere, shaking the entire camp.
"What?!"
"Where did that massive explosion come from?!"
"Could there be more monsters?"
"Get on guard, quickly!"
The expressions of the camp personnel changed drastically as they cried out one after another, raising the weapons they had just lowered.
Ais had already dashed out, reaching the edge of the stone platform in an instant to look down.
With that single glance, Ais's pupils shrank sharply.
Right below the stone platform, at the location where the massive explosion was raging, a colossal figure emerged amidst the flames and smoke.
The figure stood roughly six meters tall. Like the previous worm monsters, it possessed a yellow-green body and flat arms, inheriting the general shape of those worm monsters. However, its overall design was vastly different, and the individual was a whole size larger.
Its lower half was a worm, but its mountain-like, protruding upper body possessed smooth curves, resembling the upper torso of a human female. It looked like both a manta ray and a fan. The flat upper arms, which lacked thickness, formed pairs on the left and right, with two segments each. Several tubular organs hung from the back of its head. Its yellow-green skin looked as if it had been splashed with multicolored paint, the colors across its entire body devoid of any order, making it appear as though it were being eroded by a toxic substance of unknown origin.
This heavy coloration extended all the way to its facial area. Its face lacked a nose, eyes, or a mouth. While its bodily silhouette certainly brought a female form to mind, its massively distended abdomen ruined all feminine elements, rendering it utterly hideous.
"6—"
"iii-eee-eee-eee-eee—"
A piercing shriek erupted from its mouth, blowing away the smoke and flames.
In front of this female-type worm monster, Leon, who had previously been unaccounted for, stood right there, confronting it.
"Leon!"
Ais could not help but call out.
"W-What is that—?!"
Finn and the others rushed over one after another. Seeing the female-type monster confronting Leon, they turned pale with shock.
At this moment, the female-type monster slowly moved, spreading its four flat arms.
Along with its movement, a stream of pollen-like, seven-colored particles drifted toward Leon like dancing lights.
"!"
At this moment, a chill simultaneously arose in the hearts of everyone, including Ais.
The sharp intuition of adventurers flared at this instant, letting them immediately understand that the seemingly beautiful pollen was, in reality, something incomparably hazardous.
This premonition was validated in the very next second.
"Rumble!!!"
After flickering a few times, the pollen drifting toward Leon suddenly exploded in succession, triggering a world-shaking blast. The flames and shockwaves instantly swept across the entire area, surging up to the stone platform and sweeping past everyone.
Some shrieked, some roared in anger, some cried out in surprise, and some wailed. The elite members of the Loki Familia had their mental defenses shattered by this sudden, massive explosion. They either collapsed along with the hot air and shockwave or barely raised their arms to resist, coming just short of being completely sent flying.
Only then did everyone understand why a chill had risen in their hearts when they saw that pollen appear.
That wasn't pollen at all; it was a terrifying bomb.
"Everyone! Retreat!"
Finn roared at the top of his lungs.
The scale of that explosion could actually affect them even though they were positioned at a high altitude. Its power was probably no less than a wide-range annihilation-type powerful magic.
Under such circumstances, gathering together was absolutely a foolish course of action.
They had to retreat; they had to disperse.
"B-But what about Mr. Leon—?!"
Line let out a tearful cry from within the crowd, causing the expressions of Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and the others to change drastically.
They had seen it too—Leon, who was confronting the female-type monster, had been swallowed up by the massive explosion.
"Wait! Ais—?!"
Riveria shouted.
Because Ais had already charged out, or rather, she had leaped directly off the stone platform. Wind enveloped her body in an instant as she drew her sword and skimmed toward the female-type monster.
Seeing this, Tiona, Tione, and the others wanted to follow, but they were immediately stopped by Finn.
"Don't go!"
Finn's tone was more serious than ever before.
"Look at that monster's belly. I can guarantee that it's entirely filled with digestive fluid. You absolutely cannot go near it!"
Hearing this, everyone's faces twisted slightly.
Looking at the massive, purplish-black abdomen of the female-type monster, as well as its size that far exceeded the worm monsters, everyone had reason to believe that once it was defeated, the digestive fluid sprayed out would be an unprecedentedly massive amount.
If it were like those worm-type monsters and chose to self-detonate the moment before being defeated, the vast amount of digestive fluid sprayed out would instantly corrode everyone in its vicinity to nothingness.
Furthermore, there was that explosive pollen comparable to wide-range annihilation magic. Taking a direct hit from that bombardment would likely strip away a layer of skin even if one survived.
Under such conditions, anyone who lacked magic to protect their body, unlike Ais, would face extreme danger when going against that female-type monster.
Even Level 6s like Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, or Level 5s like Tiona, Tione, and Bete, were no exception.
This caused everyone's expressions to turn exceptionally grim.
Meanwhile, Ais, her entire body enveloped in wind, had already engaged the female-type monster.
"Pfft!"
A lightning-fast slash cut across, landing on the body of the female-type monster. However, it wasn't as effective as before, failing to slice it in two instantly. Instead, it merely cut open a wound, causing the digestive fluid inside to spray out.
"6—"
"iii-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke—"
The female-type monster unleashed a cracked, piercing shriek that was either a cry of pain or a roar of anger. With a swing of its flat arm, it actually carried the howling sound of the wind, heavily slapping the airborne Ais and sending her flying backward.
"[Meteor Dance]!"
Suddenly, several thick meteors flew over, blasting into the body of the female-type monster one after another, causing it to shriek and retreat under the bombardment.
Leon's figure slowly emerged amidst the flames. His appearance was in disarray, but the hand gripping the Jade Staff remained incredibly steady, and his eyes were exceptionally sharp.
One meteor after another encircled him, leaving his entire body bathed in starlight.
Resplendent and dazzling.
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