The Dungeon's fifty-ninth floor was a cavern of gray-black stone, dimly illuminated by scattered magic-stone lamps embedded in the walls.
The air was thick with damp decay, mingled with the stench of monster blood and the scorched odor of magic stones.
Genichi stood in a wide clearing surrounded by shattered rock and debris. Dozens of monster corpses lay sprawled around him: Hellhounds, Manticores, Wyverns, and several mutated species he couldn't even name.
Their bodies were slowly dissolving into black ash, leaving behind magic stones of various sizes that glimmered faintly across the ground.
The shadow beneath his feet stirred, then suddenly erupted into countless dark figures that scattered in every direction.
They moved at astonishing speed, racing through the dim Dungeon and tearing apart every monster still wandering in the distance. One after another, the creatures were devoured and erased from existence.
Whenever a monster died, a faint trace of power flowed back into Genichi through the shadows. It wasn't magic power, but an increase in his stats.
The gains were tiny, but they added up over time.
Genichi crouched and picked up a magic stone.
It had dropped from a Level 5 monster. The stone was as large as his fist, completely black, and radiated faint waves of magic power.
Closing his hand around it, he activated his Devouring Power and drained every last trace of energy from the stone.
The magic stone crumbled into powder and slipped through his fingers.
He felt his stats increase by another tiny amount.
It wasn't much, but at least it was faster than killing monsters alone.
Genichi sighed and rose to his feet. As he watched his shadows hunt down the remaining monsters, an indescribable weariness welled up inside him.
It wasn't physical exhaustion.
It was exhaustion of the soul.
He had been living like this for an entire fortnight.
Every day, he entered the Dungeon before dawn and continued grinding until late at night. Then he dragged his exhausted body back to the Demeter Familia's home, collapsed into bed, and immediately fell asleep.
The next morning, he repeated the same routine.
Day after day, over and over again.
Genichi didn't enjoy this kind of life.
To put it bluntly, he absolutely hated this dull, repetitive existence that offered nothing new.
Most of the work was handled by his shadows. All he had to do was follow behind them, collect the magic stones, and absorb their energy. Even so, the mechanical repetition was driving him insane.
But he had no choice. He had made a promise to Ouranos.
He needed to resurrect the members of the Zeus and Hera Familias, the legendary heroes who had once challenged the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
Every resurrection reset Genichi's stats to zero.
That meant he had to grind them back up after every resurrection. Once they reached their maximum again, he could resurrect the next person, after which the entire cycle would begin anew.
By now, he had resurrected more than a dozen heroes.
Every one of them caused his stats to plummet from SSS 1499 to 10. Each time, he had to grind inside the Dungeon without rest for a day or two before he could max them out again.
Those heroes had possessed exceptionally high Levels. Some had been Level 6, others Level 7, and a few had even reached Level 8.
There had even been the Level 9 Empress.
Naturally, Genichi's old acquaintance Alfia was among them.
In fact, Alfia had been the very first person he resurrected.
Bringing them back required far more magic power than resurrecting ordinary adventurers.
If Genichi hadn't already advanced into an Ultimate-Class Devil, increasing his reserves tens of thousands of times beyond those of a Low-Class Devil, he might not have been able to complete this assignment at all.
"Shadows."
Genichi spoke softly.
The darkness beneath his feet stirred. Every shadow that had been hunting monsters stopped instantly and returned to his side without a sound.
Monster blood and torn flesh covered their bodies, filling the area with a suffocating stench. Yet they showed no exhaustion or resentment. They merely stood there in silence, awaiting their next command.
"We're going deeper."
Genichi pointed below.
"The sixtieth floor."
The shadows nodded soundlessly. Transforming into streaks of black lightning, they surged toward the staircase leading further into the Dungeon.
Genichi followed with light steps, though his eyes were filled with exhaustion.
He had spent half the day grinding on the fifty-ninth floor, yet his stats were only halfway back to their maximum. At this rate, he would need at least another half day to finish.
Then, once they were maxed out, he still had to resurrect the next hero: the former captain of the Hera Familia, a Level 9 adventurer.
After resurrecting her, his stats would return to zero, and the cycle would begin all over again.
Genichi shook his head and pushed those thoughts aside.
He quickened his pace and caught up with the shadows.
The entrance to the sixtieth floor waited ahead. The pitch-black opening resembled the gaping maw of a colossal beast, ready to swallow every living thing that dared enter.
Genichi stepped inside without hesitation.
Half a month passed amid those same dull, repetitive, and utterly monotonous days.
Genichi stood in the courtyard of the Demeter Familia's home and gazed up at the sky, releasing a long breath.
The final hero, the former captain of the Zeus Familia and a Level 8 adventurer, had been successfully resurrected yesterday.
His stats had been reset to zero once again, but he no longer cared.
The assignment was complete.
He didn't need to grind his stats anymore.
At least, not for the time being.
Ouranos was extremely satisfied with Genichi's efficiency.
He had originally expected the resurrection of every hero to take at least a month. Instead, Genichi had completed the entire task in only half that time.
The ancient god had even shown a rare smile.
"Genichi, you've done well."
Ouranos's voice was deep and imposing, yet carried an uncommon trace of warmth.
"Orario will remember your contribution."
Genichi merely nodded without saying anything else.
He didn't need Orario to remember him.
All he needed was the favor Ouranos owed him, Loki's divine authority, and Artemis's divine authority.
Nothing else mattered.
As for the resurrected heroes, Ouranos had secretly sent them away from Orario immediately after their return.
No one knew where they had gone. No one knew when they would return. No one even knew they were alive.
Ouranos's reasoning was simple. If those heroes revealed themselves too soon, Orario's current generation of adventurers would lose their drive to improve.
The resurrected heroes were simply too powerful. Their strength alone was enough to crush the spirit of any young adventurer.
If they remained in Orario, the younger generation would inevitably grow dependent on them. They would begin thinking, "The heroes are here, so there's no reason for us to push ourselves so hard."
Ouranos refused to allow that.
He chose to keep the heroes hidden, only allowing them to return when they were truly needed.
Genichi had no opinion on the matter.
Whatever Ouranos decided to do was his business. It had nothing to do with him.
(End of Chapter)
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