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Chapter 306: Finn's Speculation
At the other end of the Twenty-Eighth Floor, within a hidden cavern carpeted in dense, faintly glowing blue moss, the atmosphere was suffocating.
The cavern was dark and damp. Water droplets fell slowly from the jagged stalactites overhead, splashing into the puddles below with faint ripples. Drip, drop. In the silence, the sound echoed like a death knell tolling for the defeated.
Gareth sat in utter silence on a relatively dry rock.
His heavy armor, forged from the highest grade of metal, was marred by hideous cracks and deep craters, looking as if he had just survived a direct meteor strike. He stroked his thick beard, his gaze sweeping over his fallen comrades scattered across the ground.
A short distance away, Finn leaned weakly against the cold, wet rock wall.
His clothing was torn to shreds, and his short golden hair was plastered to his forehead in clumps of sweat and grime. His face was entirely drained of color.
Yet, his blue eyes remained bright—perhaps even deeper and sharper than ever before.
Deeper within the cavern, the three core fighters of the Loki Familia's younger generation lay motionless on the ground, trapped in deep comas.
Even though Finn had immediately administered several priceless Elixirs the moment they crashed onto this floor, their injuries were simply too severe.
After all, during their desperate battle against "Childe" just moments ago, all three of them had unhesitatingly pushed themselves to the absolute brink of death. They had burned through their limits, unleashing their strongest skills and magic without holding anything back in that deathmatch.
Add to that the apocalyptic final strike, and the terrifying impact of being blasted down from the Twenty-Seventh Floor alongside a torrent of collapsing rock and roaring floodwaters… The fact that they were even alive was a miracle in itself.
It would likely be a while before they woke up.
"Finn… what's our next move?"
Gareth shook his still-damp cape, his voice raspy.
During the disaster, he had sustained the lightest injuries and recovered the fastest.
When that world-swallowing Celestial Voyager fell from the sky, Finn had immediately unleashed his strongest throwing spear magic—Tir na Nog—an attack he could only use once a day. Pitting his spear against the colossal whale, he had significantly blunted its terrifying destructive power.
Immediately after, Bete, Tiona, and Tione had burned their lifeforce and mana to the absolute limit, fighting desperately to mitigate the remaining shockwave.
It was only because of their sacrifices that Gareth had been able to use his own sturdy body as a meat shield at the very last second, forcefully enduring the final aftershocks and managing to drag them out of the devastation.
Even so, they had been swept away like autumn leaves in a hurricane, slammed ruthlessly into the lake of the Twenty-Seventh Floor by an irresistible force. Then, as the entire floor collapsed, they were battered by endless debris and raging rapids until they finally crashed onto the solid ground of the Twenty-Eighth Floor.
Faced with Gareth's question, Finn merely raised his hand slowly. He placed his thumb into his mouth and bit down gently.
Then, in a weak but unnervingly calm tone, he spoke only a single word.
Gareth wore an expression that said he had expected as much, and he nodded.
"Sigh… We really took a massive fall this time."
He let out a heavy sigh, his weather-beaten face showing a mix of confusion and deep wariness. "Just who the hell is that guy calling himself 'Childe'? I've never even heard of a powerhouse that terrifying."
"The Fatui. The Eleventh Harbinger. Tartaglia, 'Childe'…"
Finn slowly chewed over the names and titles they had gleaned from their enemy, his mind racing at lightning speed.
"I don't know what metric they use to rank these 'Harbingers.' If… it's based purely on combat strength…"
Finn didn't finish the thought, but Gareth already understood, and his expression instantly turned even uglier.
If it was truly a ranking of strength, didn't that imply there were at least ten other monsters in this "Fatui" organization who were just as strong, if not stronger, than Childe?
Just the thought of it made even a seasoned veteran like Gareth feel a chill creep down his spine.
"Even though our Loki Familia primarily operates within Orario and rarely leaves the city, we are still very well-informed about the outside world."
A contemplative light flickered in Finn's eyes. "Whether it's the Magic Nation or the Kingdom of Rakia, neither of them possesses the capability to foster a powerhouse of Childe's caliber. And it's even less likely that an organization called the 'Fatui' could exist without us ever hearing a single whisper about them."
"Furthermore, the School District travels the entire world and returns to Orario every three years to exchange the latest global intelligence with the Guild. As Orario's top Familia, we have the clearance to access almost all of the Guild's classified intel. But… there isn't a single record of the 'Fatui' even in the School District's database. Nor is there any information on this 'Childe'."
"Therefore, this entire situation is highly irregular."
Finn paused, proposing a bold yet entirely logical deduction.
"Unless… Childe is merely a fictional persona fabricated out of thin air by the Dungeon. It's possible that his memories, his personality, his very existence—everything was granted to him by the Dungeon itself."
"But…" Finn's tone shifted, a sharp gleam flashing in his blue eyes. "My intuition tells me that the original 'Childe' must actually exist somewhere. That pure, unadulterated fighting spirit and madness… that isn't something a mere fake puppet could imitate."
"And encountering Alise, as well as the other 'Flamescion,' indirectly supports my theory. Even if they are humanoid monsters created by the Dungeon, an original template must exist for them to be based on."
"Once we return to the surface, I'll have Loki look into it thoroughly."
Finn shook his head, temporarily casting these complex deductions aside. "For now, our top priority is recovery. We cannot pin all our hopes entirely on our reinforcements. We must regain our combat capabilities as quickly as possible."
With that, he cast his gaze toward the depths of the cavern, looking at the three young adventurers who were still unconscious.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Hey, how much longer are you three going to sleep?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated like thunder.
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