The silent air permeated the vast space, adding a tangible dread to the fear brought by the darkness.
A faint phosphorescence cast down from the ceiling, revealing a long and massive hall before Leon's eyes.
Indeed, it was a hall, not a cavern.
Unlike the irregularly shaped caverns found on the previous floors, this space formed a smooth, rectangular cuboid. The entrance was a large, circular tunnel, spanning about two hundred meters from where he stood to the deepest part of the hall, with a width of roughly one hundred meters and a ceiling nearly twenty meters high. It was much larger than a football field.
If this place was still considered a cavern, it was by far the largest one Leon had ever seen. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of rough rock formations, with only the left wall structured differently. It looked as though someone had meticulously polished it; it was completely devoid of indentations or crevices, stretching all the way from the entrance to the furthest depths. The entire surface was as smooth as a mirror, bearing a resemblance to crystal-clear ice walls, evoking an unnatural beauty.
"Is that the Big Wall of Grief?"
Leon ignored the small opening below the deepest part of the cavern, keeping his gaze locked onto that crystalline wall.
The Big Wall of Grief was renowned as the final barrier of the 17th floor, named by the adventurers who had managed to reach it and return alive.
It was common knowledge that most monsters in the Dungeon were born from the walls. To a monster, the Dungeon's walls were like a mother's womb, an eggshell capable of incubating life.
The Big Wall of Grief was no exception, save for the fact that it only gave birth to a single, unique monster.
Leon stared at it for a long moment. Then, like a warrior marching into battle, he took a step forward and began walking slowly toward the wall.
Not long after, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Line arrived together.
They stood right at the large circular entrance, refraining from entering the hall. They simply watched Leon's gradually receding back, the playful demeanor they usually shared completely vanishing from their faces.
"It's about to begin."
Tione crossed her arms, already shifting into a spectator's mindset.
"Goliath, huh? It feels like it's been ages since I last chopped one of those down," Tiona remarked, her tone a mix of anticipation and nostalgia.
"Its spawning interval should be up by now, right?" Lefiya asked in a low voice, turning to Line beside her.
"Yes, it is," Line replied quietly. "Mr. Leon went to the Guild to confirm it yesterday. The last recorded subjugation of the 17th floor's Floor Boss, Goliath, was two weeks ago."
Goliath's spawning interval was exactly two weeks.
Since it had been defeated precisely two weeks ago, a new Floor Boss was due to be born at any moment.
"——It has already noticed Leon."
Ais, who had been completely silent until now, suddenly spoke, causing everyone to hold their breath.
No one doubted her words. Ais had always been exceptionally sensitive to the presence and appearance of monsters. Sometimes, even adventurers with scout-type abilities could not detect a monster's presence faster than her. Having fought alongside her numerous times, the girls trusted her instincts implicitly.
They all turned their attention back to the Big Wall of Grief, as if they could already picture the colossal creature opening its eyes prematurely within its womb, its gaze locking directly onto Leon as he approached.
But just as they were entirely focused on watching, a sudden commotion came from behind them.
"It seems we didn't arrive too late."
When a calm, smiling voice echoed from behind, Ais and the others froze in surprise.
"Captain!"
Tione was the first to react, her voice instantly becoming sweet and affectionate, nearly throwing herself toward the person behind them.
"L-Lady Riveria!" Lefiya cried out in shock.
"Gareth? And everyone else?" Tiona was equally stunned.
"W-Why are you all here?" Line could not help but ask in bewilderment.
Looking closer, a large group of adventurers had approached behind Ais and the others without anyone noticing.
Leading the group were Finn, Riveria, and Gareth. The person who had just spoken was Finn. Even Raul followed behind, fully armed. Every single adventurer present was a member of the Loki Familia, which deeply astonished Ais and her companions.
"What? Are you saying we old-timers aren't allowed to come and watch?" Gareth rubbed his beard, laughing heartily.
"——I tried to dissuade them." Riveria, who clearly disapproved of this excursion, let out a sigh.
"Miss Ais, Miss Tiona, Miss Tione," Raul said, scratching his head like a hardworking laborer, offering a somewhat meek and sheepish smile. "We were all just really curious about Leon's upcoming fight, so we couldn't help but——"
Some of the others smiled, some sheepishly avoided Ais's gaze, while others were already peering into the hall.
After finding out that Leon intended to solo a Floor Boss, they had all been overcome with curiosity. One after another, they arrived here by unspoken consensus, eager to witness the battle with their own eyes.
As for how they found out——it could only be said that when too many people know about something, it naturally ceases to be a secret.
When Tiona and the others were discussing coming to watch, they had not bothered to look for a soundproof or secluded place. They had not even controlled their volume. In fact, Tiona had been so excited that she was jumping up and down with joy. It was hardly surprising that someone passing by had overheard them. Not to mention, the way they had gathered in the central courtyard this morning to wait for Leon was bound to draw a lot of attention.
And so, things turned out like this.
Finn and the other two leaders had only guessed what was happening when they noticed members leaving the headquarters one after another, secretly tailing Leon's group. By then, it was already too late to stop them.
Consequently, the trio decided to tag along to ensure that such a large crowd would not cause any chaos along the way.
"Don't worry, there are still people guarding the home base, and the preparations for the expedition are almost complete. It's fine to relax a bit today," Finn said with a smile. "This is a rare opportunity. Let us see what kind of astonishing performance the future backbone of our Familia will display."
The moment those words left his mouth, they were cut short by a cold snort.
"It'll be good enough if he doesn't end up embarrassing himself in the end."
As soon as this voice appeared, many members of the Loki Familia shut their mouths, not daring to speak further.
Tiona, however, snapped out of her shock and glared at the newcomer.
"Why did you come along too, you mangy wolf?"
Amid Tiona's hostile words, a werewolf with lightning-bolt tattoos on his face walked out with his hands in his pockets. He glanced at Leon, who was walking toward the Big Wall of Grief, before looking back at Tiona expressionlessly.
"I came to see if a certain Level 2 small fry who dares to challenge a Floor Boss alone actually has the skills, or if he's just completely lost his mind," Bete said mockingly. "If we have to step in and save him in the end, it will only prove that he's nothing special after all, won't it?"
"Hmph, I knew you didn't have good intentions, you mangy wolf. You just came to see Leon fail," Tiona countered, placing her hands on her hips. "At least Leon has the guts to come here and solo a Floor Boss at Level 2. When you were Level 2, I bet you found it exhausting just to deal with a single Minotaur, didn't you?"
"Who couldn't handle a Minotaur?!" Bete's eye twitched, veins popping on his forehead as he snarled in anger. "At Level 2, I could kick those things to death with one blow!"
"Then I could kill two with one punch!" Tiona barked back, refusing to back down.
"Then I could kill three with one kick!" Bete snapped back without thinking.
"I——"
Tiona wanted to say more, but Tione chopped her on the forehead.
"Why waste your breath on that stupid wolf? Did you come here to fight with him?"
Tione spoke thoroughly annoyed, leaving both the dubbed 'stupid wolf' Bete and the scolded Tiona looking deeply irritated.
"You guys, what time do you think it is to be arguing here?" Riveria said, losing her patience. "Since we're already here, focus on the battle. Keep your eyes on Leon and be ready to step in to save him the moment his life is in danger."
"Did you all hear that? Sharp out!" Gareth also turned to look at the crowd of members behind him, adding, "We aren't the only ones watching this battle. Look around; plenty of people are watching."
Prompted by Gareth's words, the group noticed that people who did not belong to their Familia were beginning to appear around them.
These people seemed to be adventurers heading down to the 18th floor or deeper to raid, each of them fully equipped for battle.
They noticed the presence of the Loki Familia members and saw Leon walking slowly toward the Big Wall of Grief, prompting them to whisper among themselves.
"Isn't that the Loki Familia?"
"Why are so many of them standing around here?"
"The Braver, Nine Hell, Gareth (Elgarm), Vanargand, Amazon Sisters——even the Sword Princess is here?"
"Holy cow, almost all of the Loki Familia's first-tier adventurers and the core members of their second squad are here?"
"Who is that walking toward the Big Wall of Grief?"
"Looking at him... could he be planning to take on the Floor Boss?"
"Why is he going alone?"
"What on earth is going on?"
Similar whispers and discussions began to spread, causing a minor stir around the large circular entrance.
"W-Why are there so many people?" Lefiya asked, staring wide-eyed.
"Well, this is the only path leading to the 18th floor——" Line could understand the situation well enough.
"See that? With so many outsiders watching, if that kid ends up failing miserably, it'll be the entire Loki Familia losing face," Bete clicked his tongue. He then looked at Ais and added, "He's the small fry you brought back, Ais. Don't you have anything to say?"
Ais did not speak. In fact, she did not even spare Bete a single glance.
At this very moment, her eyes were fixed solely on the silhouette walking toward the Big Wall of Grief. Her hand rested tightly on the hilt of the sword at her waist, her entire body tense, looking ready to sprint forward at any second.
Seeing this, Bete grew even more annoyed. Just as he was about to speak again, Finn stopped him.
"Alright, that's enough." Finn licked his thumb. "My thumb is giving off a slight throbbing sensation. It should be starting soon."
Just as Finn's voice faded, everyone present heard it.
They heard an anomalous sound.
Crack.
It was a rather loud sound of something fracturing.
The sudden crack caused Leon to halt his steps, and it instantly silenced everyone at the large circular entrance, their eyes fixed firmly ahead.
Crack——Crack, crack——
Under everyone's watchful gaze, a massive fissure resembling a bolt of lightning ripped across the crystal-clear wall, accompanied by the continuous sound of splitting stone.
The noise grew louder and louder, like the groans and painful cries of the Dungeon giving birth to a child. It unleashed a cascading avalanche of sound waves through the entire hall, causing everyone's eardrums to ring as the ground began to shudder.
For a moment, the earth rumbled, and debris and dust rained down continuously from the ceiling. The cracks on the crystalline Big Wall of Grief multiplied rapidly.
BOOM!!!
Finally, a tremendous shattering sound echoed out. The entire Big Wall of Grief seemed to detonate, bursting completely apart.
Colossal boulders were sent flying, crashing down onto the ground with a thunderous roar, among which were massive fragments of the wall itself.
Amidst the debris, a gargantuan figure emerged, slamming heavily onto the ground and triggering a massive shockwave.
Like a fruit ripe for the picking.
Like the settling of dust.
Within the billowing clouds of dust, an overly massive silhouette gradually revealed its full form, imprinting itself into the eyes of everyone present.
It was a giant.
A titan standing over seven meters tall, its entire body covered in grayish-brown skin.
The giant possessed a thick neck, broad shoulders, powerful arms, and sturdy legs. From the back of its head grew a massive mane of greasy, glossy black hair that reached down to the base of its neck. Yet, it was nowhere near as striking as the blood-red eyeball on its face, which was as large as a human head.
That eyeball rolled around lazily before locking onto Leon, reflecting his reflection.
"Oooh..."
The giant opened its massive maw slightly, letting out a low rumble.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The sound steadily grew, finally erupting into a mountain-shaking, ocean-parting roar of fury. The sonic boom transformed into a violent gale, instantly blowing away the surrounding boulders, wall fragments, and vast amounts of dust.
Leon's figure was instantly bathed in the massive sound wave of the roar, his cloak flapping violently against the wind.
However, his eyes remained fixed squarely on the largest monster physique he had ever seen, not daring to look away for even a fraction of a second.
At this moment, he felt a terrifying pressure.
In this very second, he experienced a sensation that made his entire body tremble.
An unprecedented sense of danger surged violently within his heart.
There was no helping it. The titan before him was undoubtedly the strongest monster he had ever encountered since becoming an adventurer.
This was the Floor Boss of the 17th floor, the Monster Rex of the labyrinth.
"——'Goliath'."
The titan roared toward the heavens before the young boy, exuding a terrifying malice.
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