A new kind of monster

On Floor 50, gray trees towered high, covering the ground with their lushness. This floor was more than twice the size of Orario, and in its center flowed a long river that never stopped. Floor 50 was a safe point where monsters would not appear, although threats lingered, just like on Floor 18; monsters could come from above or below.

In the vast open space, the Loki Familia tent stood firm. Adventurers busily checked their gear—weapons, armor, food, and potions. They had been exploring the Dungeon for over half a month, and now they could finally rest on this floor before continuing their journey ahead.

They were waiting for Raul, who was leading several level two adventurers from Loki Familia on their mission. As a Familia focused on dungeon exploration, they not only ventured into uncharted floors but also accepted missions from other Familias. These missions typically involved gathering plants or specific materials. Many Familias could not venture deeper into the Dungeon, so they sought help from exploration Familias like Loki Familia to carry out such tasks.

The mission Loki Familia had accepted this time was to collect Cadmus spring water on Floor 51. To expedite the process, Finn requested Raul to bring along several level two adventurers so the journey could be more efficient. Too many people would only slow down the expedition and deplete supplies.

However, while Finn was discussing with the other Familia members, a bad feeling enveloped his heart.

"I have a bad feeling," he murmured, sensing pain in his right thumb. This was a signal he always felt before bad things happened.

...

On the other side, Ais was fighting against a strange giant worm monster that was green in color. This monster had the ability to spray corrosive liquid that could dissolve weapons and armor. Raul, who had been directly battling the monster before, was unaware of the lurking danger.

"Argh...!!!!"

Without warning, Raul was hit by a spray of corrosive liquid from the monster. In an instant, his armor and weapon began to corrode, and even his skin suffered. Raul had lost his ability to fight and was carried by another member.

Like a storm dancer, Ais cut down the monsters blocking their path, as her sword of despair had indestructible attributes, allowing her to fight without worrying about her weapon breaking. A fierce wind enveloped Ais, protecting her from the corrosive liquid.

Under Ais's protection, they finally reached the entrance of Floor 50, where their Familia had set up camp. As they entered the floor, they discovered that their camp had also been attacked by these strange monsters.

...

"Argh!"

Suddenly, Raul's scream shattered the tension.

The sound echoed through the trees, startling Finn and the others.

Finn quickly rushed out of the tent, followed by Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Riveria, to see what was happening.

As soon as they stepped out of the tent, they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of giant green worm monsters they had never encountered on this floor.

"A new type of monster?" Finn muttered, feeling his bad premonition intensifying with the appearance of these creatures.

Tiona, unable to contain her impatience, rushed forward to attack the monster. She swung her Urga with full force, creating a strong gust of wind.

What she didn't expect was that her Urga easily pierced the monster's defenses. Tiona was puzzled because these monsters were so weak. Every monster that appeared on this floor usually had a minimum level of 4, so even for Tiona, it was impossible to kill one so easily with just a single slash.

Before Tiona could ponder this, the monster's corrosive liquid dissolved her Urga.

"Ah… My weapon!" she screamed in panic. Her weapon was a class one weapon, unattainable without spending hundreds of millions of Valis. But now, that powerful weapon was dissolving in mere moments. One could imagine Tiona's heartbreak at losing something worth hundreds of millions of Valis.

"Tiona, get away from that monster!!!"

Finn shouted as he sensed something strange about the creature and commanded Tiona to retreat without hesitation.

Though she was heartbroken over losing her weapon, Tiona immediately jumped back. As she retreated from the monster, the previously wounded creature suddenly swelled before exploding into corrosive liquid.

Both the ground and the dungeon ceiling were now covered with monsters. The liquid sprayed everywhere, hissing and dissolving whatever it touched, just like Tiona's Urga.

"Hey, what kind of monster is this? I've never seen it before," Tiona said, frustrated.

"Be careful, don't attack that monster up close. It has corrosive liquid that damages weapons," Finn said seriously.

"We can only attack from a distance using magic. Riveria, we will rely on you and Levia," Finn continued.

Riveria nodded and began preparing her magic.

While they were discussing, hundreds of the monsters drew closer, the ground and ceiling of the dungeon now teeming with them. They sprayed corrosive liquid toward the Loki Familia.

"Dodge!" Finn's command echoed across the entire floor.

Without hesitation, the members of Loki Familia evaded, but due to the sheer volume of corrosive liquid, some were still hit. Seeing there was no way to avoid it, they braced large shields in front of them to block the corrosive liquid, if only for a moment. Fortunately, thanks to the shields, they managed to save their lives. But one could imagine the losses Loki Familia would incur because of this.

As Ais and the others approached the camp, Finn and the others also spotted them.

"Ais! Be careful!" Finn shouted, noticing how badly Raul was faring.

With swift strikes, Ais sliced through the monsters using her sword of despair.

With Ais at the forefront, they quickly rushed, trying to avoid the explosions that would release the dangerous liquid and join Finn and the others.

"The flames will soon be unleashed.

The war that is happening, the destruction that cannot be avoided. The war horn sounds loudly, the brutality of conflict will envelop all. Come, red fire, the cruel hell. You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep clean, close the great war. Burn them, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf."

Riveria's incantation echoed amidst the chaos of battle.

"Fall back!!!"

Finn commanded as he saw that Riveria's spell was nearly complete.

Without hesitation, the Loki Familia quickly distanced themselves from the battlefield.

"Rea Laevatein!!"

Finally, Riveria completed her spell, red lines like fire filled the entire floor and ceiling before countless pillars of fire shot up from the ground, incinerating the monsters, turning the entire floor into a hellish scene of blazing flames.

.....

"After treating the injured and packing the remaining supplies, we will immediately retreat" Finn ordered firmly looking at the condition of his members and their supplies.

"ehhh?!! Withdraw?... Even though it's already this far" Tiona exclaimed after hearing Finn's decision.

"We have no other choice, many of our weapons and supplies are damaged. It is impossible for us to continue exploration with our current condition" said helplessly, he was also reluctant to return like this, the rope as he said, their current condition was not possible they continued to go deeper into the Dungeon.

After the healing and packing process, they walked home feeling depressed thinking about the losses of this expedition, especially for those whose twilight was damaged like Tiona.