Against Goliath
**Asuna**
Level 1
*Strength*: S - 900 → S - 999
*Endurance*: A - 880 → S - 950
*Dexterity*: S - 999 → SS - 1199
*Agility*: SS - 1199 → SSS - 1250
*Magic*: A - 850 → S - 999
**Development Abilities**: none
**Skill**:
**Swordmaster's Grace**
(This skill increases the speed and accuracy of sword attacks, allowing Asuna to easily dodge enemy attacks.)
**Vermilion's Blessing**
(A blessing granted by the god Vermilion that doubles the benefits of Exilia.)
**Magic**:
**Tempest Creatio**: An ultra-short magic that allows the user to create a storm around their body. The storm can also be controlled to attack by attaching it to a weapon.
---
**Yui**
Level 1
*Strength*: B - 750 → B - 799
*Endurance*: B - 790 → A - 869
*Dexterity*: S - 950 → S - 999
*Agility*: B - 799 → A - 870
*Magic*: SSS - 1350 → SSS - 1400
**Development Abilities**: none
**Skill**:
**Healing Touch**
(A skill that allows Yui to heal minor wounds and accelerate the healing process for her friends.)
**Vermilion's Blessing**
(A blessing granted by the god Vermilion that doubles the benefits of Exilia.)
**Magic**:
**Lux Sancta**: Creates a shield of light around the target that can withstand enemy attacks.
---
**Yuuki**
Level 1
*Strength*: SS - 1150 → SSS - 1300
*Endurance*: SSS - 1350 → SSS - 1400
*Dexterity*: S - 940 → S - 999
*Agility*: S - 970 → S - 999
*Magic*: I - 0
**Development Abilities**: none
**Skill**:
**Abnormal Resistance**
(A passive skill that grants immunity to all abnormal status effects.)
**Vermilion's Blessing**
(A blessing granted by the god Vermilion that doubles the benefits of Exilia.)
**Fury**: When used, this skill doubles the base speed.
---
Noah handed three sheets of Falna status to them, allowing them to see the results of his hard work over the past month.
"Your Falna status has reached its limit; you need high-level Excelia to rank up," Noah said firmly.
High-level Excelia is used by gods to rank up their followers once enough has been accumulated. High-level Excelia is obtained by completing challenges that would even impress the gods, such as defeating stronger foes.
"But what kind of high-level Excelia do we need to rank up? Even a minotaur can't be considered high-level Excelia for us," Yuuki said, frustration in her voice.
"We will challenge the Monster Rex, Goliath," Asuna said seriously, believing that defeating Goliath, who is level 4, would yield high-level Excelia.
The Monster Rex is an especially powerful monster that only appear on certain floors. The stronger the Monster Rex is, the longer it takes for it to respawn. A Monster Rex can also be referred to as a Floor Boss.
"Noah... Noah!... Look, I have my own Familia!" Hestia exclaimed, pulling Bell into Noah's house.
Noah looked at Bell and Hestia in surprise. He didn't expect Bell to remain with Hestia's Familia.
"Hey, Noah, can I ask for your help? You see, my Familia doesn't have any senior members and only has Bell. Can I ask your Familia members to guide Bell through the Dungeon?" Hestia asked shyly.
"But Hestia, Asuna and the others are going to floor 17. It wouldn't be possible for them to guide Bell right now," Noah shook his head.
"Noah, please," Hestia said with hope.
"Alright... alright... I'll ask Lily to guide Bell. Don't worry, even though Lily doesn't have combat strength, her experience in exploring the Dungeon is more than enough to teach Bell," Noah replied.
"Thank you, Noah, I knew you would help," Hestia said cheerfully.
---
After that decision was made, the atmosphere in the house became more cheerful. Hestia looked more spirited, and Bell appeared a bit more confident knowing he would receive guidance from a member of the Vermilion Familia.
On the other hand, Asuna, Yui, and Yuuki were preparing for their journey to floor 17. They knew the challenges that awaited them would not be easy, but their spirits were unshaken.
"Before we go, let's make sure all our preparations are complete," Asuna said while checking their equipment.
Yui nodded in agreement. "I have prepared healing potions and some magical tools. We must be ready to face whatever may come."
Yuuki, looking more enthusiastic, added, "And don't forget, we should also bring Teigu."
Asuna smiled. "Right, in case of any unexpected situations."
After all the preparations were complete, they set off towards the Dungeon. The closer they got to floor 17, the tenser the atmosphere became among them. However, their enthusiasm and desire to move forward did not fade.
Upon arriving at floor 17, they were greeted by a darker and more terrifying atmosphere. As they reached the boss room, a heavy silence enveloped them.
...crack..crack...
The sound of cracking echoed as the dungeon walls began to fissure, and the shadow of Goliath emerged from the wall.
Accompanied by a rumble, Goliath appeared from the cracked dungeon wall.
"roar!!!"
Goliath roared as if announcing its arrival. Its red eyes fixed on Asuna and the others.
"We need to move quickly," Asuna said, her voice firm. "Yui, make sure you're ready with Healing Touch and Lux Sancta."
Asuna and Yuuki quickly moved forward, approaching Goliath. Goliath raised its right hand and punched towards Asuna, who easily dodged, the punch's wind blowing her hair back.
Asuna ran along Goliath's right arm, but Goliath, seeing Asuna running on its arm, quickly swatted her away. Asuna had no choice but to jump back.
Yuuki, seeing Goliath's defense open, attacked with all her strength, her sword slashing across Goliath's chest and making it roar in pain. Goliath slammed the ground with both arms, causing dust to obscure their vision.
Unbeknownst to Asuna and Yuuki, Goliath opened its mouth and a ball of light condensed in its mouth before firing it like a cannon at high speed.
Sensing the danger, Yuuki tried to evade, but Goliath's attack speed was too fast.
"Holy light, come to me, create an impenetrable shield, keep darkness from my path."
Just before Goliath's attack hit Yuuki, a shield of light appeared to protect her. However, the shield cracked and shattered after blocking the attack, the impact sending Yuuki several meters back. Blood dripped from her mouth, indicating that she was injured despite being protected by Yui's magic.
"Yuuki! " "Yuuki-neesa! "
Seeing Yuuki injured, Yui used Healing Touch to heal her. At the same time, Yuuki also drank a healing potion to speed up her recovery.
"I'm fine; thankfully, Yui's magic was right on time," Yuuki said, smiling to ease their worries.
"Let's attack again!" Yuuki shouted enthusiastically and charged at Goliath again.
Not to be outdone, Asuna used **Swordmaster's Grace** to attack rapidly, while Yuuki activated **Fury** to double her speed.
Although their attacks hit Goliath, it quickly recovered due to its strong regeneration.
.....
Meanwhile, on floor 18, a simple town stood—the town of Rivira, a town built by adventurers located in the Dungeon's floor 18. Rivira is operated by adventurers.
Trade of goods is common in Rivira, which also features an inn and a bar. Although the prices for goods, accommodations, and drinks are high, adventurers still frequent these establishments.
Rivira has been rebuilt 334 times after monster attacks. The guild is not affiliated with Rivira, and items banned on the surface are common commodities here.
The name Rivira is derived from the adventurer woman Rivira Santilini, who founded the city. In addition to clearing out the occasional monsters that appear on this floor from floor 19, the adventurers in Rivira also routinely hunt the Monster Rex or the floor boss Goliath. This is done so that adventurers can reach Rivira; if Goliath is not defeated, mid-level adventurers will not be able to arrive in Rivira, leading to a decrease in income. Additionally, the magic stones and drop items obtained after Goliath's death are expensive, with magic stones fetching millions of Valis, not to mention the rarer drop items.
"Bors... Bors...!!!" Villy ran quickly toward Bors's house. Bors is a tall, muscular man with black hair and bluish-green eyes, wearing an eye patch over his left eye. He is the strongest adventurer in the city of Rivira.
"What's the matter, Villy?" Bors asked impatiently.
"Bors, Goliath has just spawned, and there are adventurers currently challenging it," Villy reported.
"Oh? Do you know which Familia they are from?" Bors asked, curious.
"It seems they are from the Vermilion Familia, if I'm not mistaken," Villy said hesitantly.
"Hah???... Don't joke with me; as far as I know, they are a new Familia that was just established," Bors said, shocked and in disbelief.
"But that's the truth. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself; they are still fighting Goliath right now," Villy said angrily, annoyed that Bors doubted his words.
"Then let's go; I want to see if what you said is true," Bors said, walking toward the stairs to floor 17, still uncertain.
...
Despite Goliath putting up a fierce fight, the excellent coordination between Asuna, Yui, and Yuuki, along with their ability to protect each other, kept them going. They were not only faced with the terrifying physical strength of this monster but also its incredible regenerative abilities.
Asuna, with her extraordinary speed and agility, ran around Goliath, trying to find a gap in its defenses. Meanwhile, Yuuki moved nimbly, dodging every threatening attack from Goliath.
"Asuna, I'll keep Goliath busy! You prepare the final attack and aim for the magic stone!" Yuuki shouted as she jumped to the side to dodge Goliath's fist, which struck the ground with a loud thud, sending dust flying and shaking the room.
"Alright. Be careful," Asuna replied, carefully observing Goliath's movements. She knew that Goliath was a powerful and dangerous creature. Every attack had to be perfectly planned.
Quickly, Yuuki used her speed and agility to close in on Goliath. She slashed with high speed, creating wounds on the massive body of Goliath. Goliath roared angrily, trying to fight back, but Yuuki was too nimble to be caught.
Asuna kept a close watch, looking for an opportunity to strike. She knew that Goliath had a magic stone in its chest, and that was the target that needed to be destroyed to stop this monster. She waited patiently, planning her every move.
When Yuuki saw Goliath starting to falter, she jumped high, diverting Goliath's attention with a quick and powerful attack, fully drawing the monster's focus.
"Rise up!"
Seeing the opportunity, Asuna wasted no time unleashing her most powerful attack. When her magic activated, a storm gathered at the tip of her rapier, making it resemble the legendary spear Rhongomyniad. Magical energy flowed through her body, and the storm granted her unmatched strength and speed.
"...Swosh....crack....boommm...."
Asuna's rapier pierced through Goliath's chest with a force that shook the room, shattering the magic stone within. A large hole opened in Goliath's chest, nearly splitting the monster in two. Goliath roared in pain, the sound echoing throughout the room, and its body began to wobble.
Asuna was panting after delivering the attack with all her strength. She felt an overwhelming fatigue seep through her body and finally collapsed to the ground.
Yuuki and Yui were not much better; they were also exhausted. Yuuki, who had expended a lot of energy attacking Goliath, staggered before finally dropping to her knees. Yui, who had been doing her best to maintain their stamina with Healing Touch, felt the toll of the intense battle.
With Goliath's death, the room fell silent. Their heavy breathing replaced the noise of the battle that had just taken place. Finally, Goliath fell with a thunderous crash, its massive body slamming to the ground and sending up a cloud of dust before dissipating into black smoke, leaving behind the magic stone in several shattered pieces.
Asuna, Yui, and Yuuki exchanged glances, feeling a mix of relief and exhaustion. Although they had managed to defeat Goliath, the struggle had been incredibly draining, sapping all their energy.
"Did we... really do it?" Yuuki asked, her voice weak but filled with gratitude. She looked exhausted, but a small smile appeared on her face.
"Yes, we did," Asuna replied, trying to smile, though her body felt heavy. "We should rest for a moment on floor 18."
Yui nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "My Healing Touch has drained a lot of energy. We need to recover before heading back."
They slowly walked toward the stairs to floor 18. They planned to rest and regain their strength before returning, knowing how dangerous it would be to go back in their current condition, unaware of what other challenges the Dungeon might throw at them while they were exhausted.