Red flame patterns erupted from the ground, pillars of blazing fire shooting straight into the sky, turning the monsters to ash in an instant.
At the moment Riveria's magic completed, everyone present instinctively stepped out of the attack's radius without a word. It went without saying that the Loki Familia had forged a strong, unspoken coordination through years of fighting together.
Alise and the others had also fought alongside the Loki Familia during the Dark Age. Though their bond wasn't as tight as that between the Loki Familia members and Riveria, they still moved in sync without any fear of accidentally getting caught in Riveria's magic.
With tacit cooperation in place, the group began to sweep across the entire 58th floor. Within just one hour, all the monsters on the floor were wiped out.
As before, once the cleanup was complete, everyone sat down to rest before the passage leading to the 59th floor.
"I don't feel the cold, but it's a bit stuffy. Looks like the situation on the 59th floor remains the same as last time." Finn murmured softly, standing before the passage and sensing the stagnant breath flowing from within.
Guild records described the 59th floor as a frozen world, thanks to the demi spirit, which transformed the 24th floor into a similar icy domain.
Finn had assumed that once the demi spirit was eliminated, the 59th floor would revert to its original frozen state. But apparently, that change had yet to come.
"I wonder what kind of monsters are naturally born on the 59th floor." Leon added, standing beside Finn.
"It hasn't changed back. It's still the same as before."
"I think it's probably similar to the tree labyrinth." Finn said thoughtfully after a moment, glancing down at his thumb.
"Well, I don't feel any pain at all, so it should be fine."
"Come on, I'm here. What could possibly go wrong?" Leon rolled his eyes at Finn's expression, a trace of amusement in his voice.
He'd been channeling Gate of Heaven to train his magic the entire time. With its protection, everyone fought freely, without burden or worry.
With Leon around, how could anything go wrong?
Unless, of course, every monster on the 59th floor was Lv. 7, then that might get complicated.
"Haha, that's right. It really makes me feel at ease having you here." Finn smiled warmly and praised him sincerely.
Then, he glanced once more at the passage and returned to the group, digging into the food Leon had prepared and beginning to recover.
Leon, however, didn't join them. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the dark entrance and narrowed his eyes.
In the next moment, the shadow beneath his feet quivered and stretched toward the passage.
The dark shadow melded seamlessly with the passageway as Leon sent it in to scout the 59th floor. Soon, he felt the situation there.
'It's no different from before, but the monster presence has increased.'
'Their strength is mostly above Lv. 5, with many reaching Lv. 6. It looks like there's a clear boundary between the 58th and 59th floors.' Leon murmured quietly.
"How is it?" Riveria's voice sounded beside him.
"There's a clear boundary between the 58th and 59th floors, an excellent place for you to train." Leon replied with a smile, turning to look at her.
The dungeon floors were divided based on the strength of the monsters there. Upper floors were teemed with Lv. 1 monsters, middle floors Lv. 2, and lower floors Lv. 3.
The deep floors began at the 37th floor and Lv. 4 monsters were common there, stretching from the 37th to the 49th floor.
Starting from the 51st floor was a new territory, still considered deep floors, but essentially a new world.
From the 51st floor on, monsters were mostly Lv. 5, with almost no Lv. 4 monsters remaining. There was even a lone Lv. 6, the Valgang Dragon King on the 58th floor. Up to that floor, only one Lv. 6 monster had appeared, the Dragon King.
Now, on the 59th floor, Leon sensed many monsters with auras comparable to the Valgang Dragon King. This meant the 59th floor was another new boundary, a Lv. 6 monster world. Of course, Lv. 5 monsters were still present.
This level suited the current Loki and Astraea familias perfectly. That was why Leon called the 59th floor a rare training ground.
After a brief rest and replenishing their supplies, the team set off once more and entered the passage leading to the 59th floor.
"By the way, you've been to the 59th floor before, right? What's it like?" Alise asked curiously as they advanced through the dark passage, guided by light sources.
"When I was here before, the floor was occupied by demi-spirits. Only demi-spirits and new monsters were present, no other monsters."
"According to what Leon said earlier, things have changed, this abnormal phenomenon should no longer exist." Finn smiled, shaking his head before answering.
"Is that so?" Alise raised an eyebrow.
"Leon said there are now many monsters on the 59th floor comparable to the Valgang Dragon King—that is, Lv. 6 strength."
"The next battle will be fierce." Riveria said seriously. "But risk brings opportunity."
"As long as the 59th floor is conquered, I believe the Gareth here will get much stronger."
"That's true."
"The reason the Zeus and Hera familias advanced so quickly is because they stepped into deep floors and fought strong monsters."
Alise nodded thoughtfully. "By the way, how many members of the Zeus and Hera familias were above Lv. 6 when they started?"
"Finn, you've been in Orario for almost 30 years. You should know, right?" Alise asked suddenly.
Tione, who had been quiet, now spoke curiously. "Yeah, I want to know too."
"When I arrived in Orario, the Zeus and Hera familias had already disappeared." Tione added.
At this, everyone present grew curious.
Among them, only Finn, Gareth, and Riveria had extensive contact with the Zeus and Hera familias.
What connections did the others have with those familias?
Though Alise had encountered both Alfia and Zald before, she didn't know much about the others.
To be honest, Leon was very curious too.
In his previous life, he had only learned bits and pieces through novels and games, just a few words, a one-sided understanding at best.
"What about Zeus and Hera?"
"They're just monsters." Riveria said flatly. "They went straight to attack the 71st floor."
"If the Guild hadn't tasked them with handling the three great quests, they probably would've kept attacking relentlessly."
"At that time, Zeus' familia had two Lv. 8s, Maxim and Zald, while Hera's had a Lv. 9 Empresses."
"Besides, both familias had several Lv. 7s, dozens of Lv. 6 members, and even more Lv. 5s."
Hearing this, everyone except Finn and Leon was shocked.
They hadn't expected the Zeus and Hera familias to be that powerful. Not just two Lv. 8s, but even a Lv. 9, and a whole lot of Lv. 7s.
In today's Orario, excluding the cross-level combat power of Leon and Ais, there were only four Lv. 7s.
That was already the top-tier familias of Orario now.
Imagining how terrifying the Zeus and Hera familias had been in their prime made everyone feel stunned all over again.
And yet, such a force was wiped out by the Black Dragon?