The 28th floor

Finally, we arrived at this damn floor.

There should be one more chapter focused on Silver's progress as it has been a while since we had any status updates.

And after that, I'll post a side chapter focusing on his interactions in the rest point.

After that, we'll advance to the Floor Boss and bla bla.

You heard this a few times already

This chapter has 3.5 K words, I hope you like it.

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/Tremble…/

/Crack…/

"What is going on?" Raul asked with a twisted expression as he looked at Silver

Give me a break...

...

/Back in the frontlines…/

'The source of the trembling wasn't hard to discern, everyone knew who was the culprit behind it.'

'Albeit they haven't realized it yet, they had already grown somewhat used to his out-of-the-norm occurrences, and with his personality, they also grew to understand most of his intentions, though if that was trust or not, it would depend on who you asked.'

"There he goes…"

"Things are getting hectic again."

What is he doing this time?

'With a frown, Finn and Gareth looked at Silver, followed by Riveria who was more preoccupied with analyzing the Magic Power fluctuations around him than at anything else.'

'And as expected, she understood nothing, frowning in frustration.'

'Silver's hand was glowing in faint gray light as he pointed at the Dungeon wall, and this was exactly where her eyes were locked at.'

'First, it was a small rock that fell from the wall making a small hole, but over time, this hole increased in size until a lengthy tunnel formed.'

'It was a path, a path that went straight through the Dungeon.'

"Wh… Did you just do what I think you did?" Raul asked as he pointed at the hole, his eyes fixed on Silver

'It was rather comical, Raul's exaggerated reactions were always somewhat entertaining to see, just as much as Lefiya's embarrassed, and clumsy responses.'

"You mean the hole?" Silver asked as he closed his hand

"Yes, dammit!"

'He then shrugged, saying:'

"I guess I did."

"You… Sigh, you tire me, guess it's time to do what I'm best at…"

Clear my mind... Focus on the path and on the task at hand...

And...

'Raul looked at the hole as his expression went back to normal.'

"Not care."

"..."

"..."

'The girls looked at Raul with mixed expressions, was this the attitude a Level 4 should have?'

'But oh well, they couldn't blame him, everything Silver does is hard to swallow with their common sense…'

'Once is okay. Twice is bearable, thrice is still within the 3 magic rule…'

'But 4, 5, 6 times… Each and every time he goes beyond said limit makes them shudder, not in fear, but in some indescribable feeling.'

'It was a similar feeling to when they met Lefiya for the first time, it took them a good while to get used to the fact she can cast 1000 different forms of Magic, and that her potential was immense, allowing her, despite being Level 3, to wound even Level 5 monsters with her Magic, perhaps even Level 6 if she concentrated enough.'

'Even so, in her case, she takes an entire minute or so preparing to cast it, creating a Magic Circle, gathering strength and concentration as she focused on it...'

'So she has a method to follow, one they understood, it somewhat made her seem more "normal"...'

'Especially in comparison to the man in front of them right now.'

"A tunnel… Now, isn't that your dream Gareth?" Finn said with a half smile

"Heh..."

'The dwarf exhaled in displeasure, looking at the Pallum with a stern smile.'

"What are you blabbering on about Finn?"

"Well, don't you all complain that we should just dig holes instead of moving through the Dungeon?"

"You even gave the idea of creating an extensive Mine shaft to facilitate movement..."

"That… That was 20 years ago…" He said with a twitching expression

'Gareth looked haughty as he crossed his arms.'

I still think that idea has some merit, unfortunately, digging isn't the problem, it's maintaining it.

When the very walls around you work day in and night to repair themselves to their original state, even an experienced Miner like me will shudder and give up.

If that wasn't enough, talk about the monsters that may appear at any moment...

'Riveria approached the two, saying:'

"It feels just like yesterday to me though, I remember Gareth complaining and trying to formulate a sketch, and even..."

"You're a High Elf!" Gareth muttered in anger, almost implying that she was old

"And you're a Dwarf." She replied with a dangerous tone

'While the Dwarf ground his teeth, the Elf raised one of the corners of her lips very so slightly, amused.'

'Getting her smile wasn't impossible, but it sure was a difficult thing to see.'

'For now, the mood seemed good, but that didn't resolve the issue at hand.'

'Finn was thinking about what he should do next.'

'Yes, moving across the hole would cut down a lot of time, but they had a schedule and plan, one they repeated several times over the years.'

'They were used to it, they were good at it if something bad happened their brain and reflexes would be ready to react as they were familiar to the environment around them…'

'If they went off the path, this could dysregulate their rhythm, and there was a chance they… He wouldn't be able to lead them properly was a problem to arise.'

"Are you worried, Finn?" Riveria asked with her usual stern gaze

"I… No."

What am I even doing?

'Finn hesitated for a moment, but he then realized, what was there to fear?'

'If he stopped here, too fearful of such a small change, how was he supposed to improve?'

'Had he grown complacent of his position to the point he had forgotten what being an adventurer was actually about?'

'He has to strive for more, and everything starts with a single... Step.'

"We move forward!" He exclaimed loudly

'Without realizing it, Finn received a life lesson here, a routine is something good to have, but relying too much on it isn't his style.'

'He was the Braver, and he excelled at thinking out of the box and outwitting his opponents, how can he trap himself like this?'

'The Finn of the past wouldn't have hesitated towards such a minor thing, as someone that has the entire map and the paths memorized, he would've understood where he was and given appropriate orders no matter what.'

'Now that he understood more about his temporary companion, he would've made use of this new ability to cleave through the Dungeon at record speeds…'

'But here he was… Hesitating… Pathetic, he thought to himself.'

"..."

As always, he's being too strict with himself…

You can always ask for help you know?

'Riveria knew exactly what was going on inside the mind of that tiny Human.'

'Despite how complex it was, there was a certain simplicity to it, one she had grown to understand over the years they spent together, be it in the peace of their Home, or in the Chaos of the Dungeon.'

'And at the same time, as they walked, she turned her face to the back to look at a certain someone, Silver, who was now talking eagerly with the other people of the rear.'

'She wanted to understand it, but no matter how many times she tried to, she couldn't.'

'And this made her confused… And even more interested.'

'It wasn't like what he just did so far was inconceivable, all of his Magics were founded on something she had already seen, heard, or read off before.'

'But doing it was something different, for her, what he just did was still borderline impossible.'

'If Riveria wanted to, she could cast a strong impact magic, cleaving a tunnel through the rock just the same, if she wanted to, she could cast ice magic to create a bridge and walk to the clouds…'

'But who was she? The Elven Sage? The strongest Wizard in the world? Her Titles were many, perhaps as long as her almost triple-digit age…'

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong Riveria?"

"I… Nothing, let's proceed…"

'Perhaps she was… A bit too sensitive about her age…'

…

'But then again, you can't use her as a base for these sorts of circumstances.'

'Even with her prowess, making a hole through the Dungeon just so a party can save 30 to 60 minutes or so of time is a massive waste of resources, especially when you consider that the walls of the Dungeon get stronger and thicker the deeper you go.'

'And so does the danger of doing so become.'

'The only times she used her magic like this were when she was still below First Class, using it to flee from enemies or in intense and extreme situations…'

'But that was long ago from a time she would rather forget…'

'A time that sometimes, makes her turn back and remember her memories with a slight smile.'

'Even the times of extreme distress of the past were now merely good memories of an era where her only worry was to Level up and everything around her was new and interesting.'

'Since for her, for the first time in her 70+ years of life had seen something apart from the monotonous forest she used to live in, trapped inside by her father's fear.'

'And despite thinking she had seen it all, life always finds its way to show her that there was more to the world, first in the form of a certain blond-haired girl that was like a doll…'

'Then in the form of children with untold potential, one she took directly under her wing…'

'Disasters that left many alone, she had now seen it all, something completely different from the 'peaceful' life in the forest.'

'And now in the form of a man that can seemingly affect the world at will…'

'Sometimes, given her nature as an Elf, she finds it overwhelming.'

'In her many years of life ahead of her, what else would she witness?'

…

'In any case, with many questions on their lips, and impressed once again with Silver's resourcefulness, the Loki expedition party made their way through the Dungeon with renewed spirit and speed, mowing down all of the unlucky monsters on their way.'

'Together with the help of Silver who continued to open the path ahead through a myriad of ways, such as freezing the water of the swamps so they could pass by, or by moving everyone across a Chasm so they didn't have to go around it...'

'Not only by affecting the environment, but also themselves…'

'As Raul put it: He felt that Silver wasn't pleased with what he did, so he decided to show off by displaying other applications of his magic, like erasing their smell and sounds to healing their mind and exhaustion…'

'Raul's first thoughts were how good he must be at sneaking into baths… Unknowingly touching into a great secret Silver wanted to keep a secret…'

'But being the more reserved man he is, he kept it to himself, letting his imagination run wild at the adventures of the "Invisible bath invader"…'

'It is a no-brainer that all of this greatly increased their speed.'

'And despite the fact that he didn't help at all when it came to the fights, Silver still did his best in helping the rear whatever way he could such as pushing monsters aside, or helping the archers secure Kills and recover their arrows...'

'And asking questions about magic with Lefiya, who, at first wasn't that keen on talking, yet eventually gave in due to her boredom, just so they could pass time'

'Still, the very thought that Silver could be there, so deep in the Dungeon, was already shocking enough for them, and after seeing him act and fight with them, it was clear that he had the right to be here...'

'And that made them think... Quite a bit.'

'For Silver, helping them wouldn't take much energy, but did they need it?'

/Crack!/

'With the sounds of another monster's skull breaking beneath Bete's boots, the answer was a solid no.'

'Yet, as he grabbed all of the Magic stones on the ground with a snap of his fingers, gathered all of the fallen arrows in the blink of an, handling it all to their respective owners, everyone had the same thought in mind:'

He's the perfect Supporter.

'Even if Silver were to remain silent and not say anything at all, the sheer amount of logistic help he could provide was out of this world.'

'He moved without speaking most of the time as if he could hear what they wanted...'

'And they didn't know he could store items in a pocket space and teleport them out of the Dungeon whenever he wished if they knew that as well and relayed this to Loki…'

'There was a big chance Loki would've just kidnapped him on the spot.'

"..."

Is it... Not enough?

'While everyone focused on their abilities, Ais looked at her bloodstained sword.'

'Despite her meteoric growth in these past few months, how could it be comparable to his?'

'How did he, in the span of half a year, go from a nameless adventurer to someone capable of fighting on equal foot against Level 4 monsters?'

'No, he went beyond that, they may not have seen it, but Ais could tell that just before they met, he went on an 'adventure'.'

'And this meant that now, he would become even stronger upon returning home.'

'For him, her current growth could very well be at the pace of a turtle...'

'It wasn't about their difference in Levels, it was about their attitude.'

'It was time for her to seek her own adventure...'

/Grasp.../

'She grasped her sword, swinging it to the side as she cleaned the blood on it.'

"What are you thinking about Ais?" Riveria asked as she approached her

"Hm?... Nothing really."

"So you mean that you stared at your sword for a good minute without thinking about anything at all?"

"Ah...!"

'Ais looked at the side, slightly embarrassed.'

'She struggled with her thoughts for a while, looking a the wall before asking:'

"I... Am I strong?"

'The Elf raised one of her eyebrows, resting her staff on the ground.'

"Just what sort of question is that? Of course, you are."

"But... Why are you comparing yourself to the boy?"

'Riveria looked at the conflicted girl, still a young child in her eyes.'

'Her eyes seemed to smile, amused.'

'She turned to the side, gazing at Silver as he sat upon a rock, discussing something with Lefiya.'

'Surprisingly, that girl was talking nonstop about many magic topics, things that would bore all non-wizards at this party...'

'Yet he listened without shying away at all, asking and replying to her words, fully connected in her conversation.'

'He was a very good listener.'

"Well, if this continues, I guess he'll indeed surpass you."

/Pout.../

'Ais pouted a little, feeling frustrated.'

"Hm?"

"Ais? Where are you going?" She asked with a serious expression

'For some reason, the moment she thought of the possibility of being surpassed, the thoughts of when she met him in his home for the first time passed through her mind.'

'She remembered how she was thrown on the ground like a sac of sand, despite the overwhelming difference in Level.'

'It didn't matter how proficient he was and how many years of training he had beforehand.'

'Albeit she showed her strength later, it didn't feel right.'

'She still lost to a newbie despite being Level 5 herself.'

'And thinking about how she'll never be able to get back at him if he does reach her Level made her a bit...'

'What was the word? Pissed off?'

'So she bolted to the frontlines again, being at the forefront with Bete.'

"... Looks like I went too far..."

"Ohoho... Even a Sage commits mistakes from time to time." Gareth joked from the side

"Shut it, I don't want to hear it from the man that used to throw himself at the Minotaurs in the Middle floors without a single thought." Riveria replied as she closed her eyes

"That was 20 years ago!" Gareth replied, his face becoming a bit red

"..."

A bit less... 19 or so....

'Her eyes relaxed a little, though they returned to their strict state not so long after.'

…

/8 or so hours later on the only Safe point of the Lower floors, the 28th floor…/

"We… We actually arrived so fast…" Tione said with a dumbfounded expression

Even with the cuts we did along the way, I was expecting at least half a day to a full day of walking, excluding a few short stops to rest, but we moved on without stopping…

'Tione suddenly trembled with excitement at the thought of letting herself go in the waters that fell from the waterfalls around this floor…'

This means… A bath! Finally!

'She took her first step, her destination, any freaking laky nearby!'

/Grab…/

'But something touched her shoulder, holding her in place.'

"Huh?..."

'She turned her face slowly, looking at the bastard that dared to stop her.'

"Sis, are you going to take a shower without grabbing some spare change?"

"Ah? I…"

"What about Soap?"

"I…"

"And a towel?..."

"..."

'In the end, Tione was forced to make her way to the side, moving to the camp located near the Adventurer city located on the 28th floor, her expression cloudy.'

'The reason why the Loki Familia didn't directly camp inside the city was because of the monstrous price that followed it.'

'Yes, the city's inhabitants weren't dicks like the ones on the 18th floor, but the prices of everything here apart from the local products and water were still exorbitant.'

'Housing was simply ridiculous, and despite being just in the ratio between price/condition compared to the 18th floor, it was still too much for them.'

'It was much better to have a few dozen more supporters carry extra supplies so they can camp outside than to book a place to stay there.'

'While Tiona simply observed her sister as she walked dejectedly to the camp.'

"..."

If she was that eager, she should've just asked for his help…

/Blushes…/

"Perhaps not."

'As for Tiona, she wondered why she was like that, if she wanted a bath so much, she could've just asked to be showered as Raul had been, but upon thinking of what she experienced inside that water ball, she thought otherwise.'

'Not only for herself, but also for their guest's safety, she was fearful of what her sister might do in a moment of blind anger.'

"Hm…"

I wouldn't mind a proper bath either.

'Still, it had been a while since she had a proper bath as well.'

'There were only 3 things on her mind right now.'

'Take a bath.'

'Eat something.'

'Sleep.'

'Everything else could be left for later...'

"Hehe!"

"Hm?!"

"Let's go Aisu! I'm sure you want a bath as well."

'So without hesitation, she jumped at Ais, grabbing her hand as she pulled her towards the camp.'

"I…!"

/Sniff.../

'Overwhelmed, Ais couldn't do much apart from nodding, but as she sniffed herself, her little bit of resistance disappeared as she walked forward, holding Tiona's hand.'

"Wait for meee! Ais-San, Tionaaaa..."

'And as always, they were followed by a clumsy Elf.'

"There they go again..."

'The other girls watched as the 4 girls went ahead…'

"What do you all think?" One of them asked with a stretch

"Count me in, can't stay a minute more in these soggy clothes…"

"Don't forget about me!"

"Well, since everyone's going… Raul, let's carry these bags already." Anakitty said as she started walking

"What? I… Hey! We're supposed to organize all of this first!"

'She turned around and did a cute gesture:'

"Do it for me?"

'She seemed to be sparkling…'

"No." Raul sternly replied with a sharp expression, albeit his face was flushed

"... Ot…"

"What did you say?!"

"I said you are an idiot, humph!"

"You!"

'Raul expression was red.'

…

"Sigh… I'll go with them, I also need a bath."

"Oh? That's rare coming from you, I thought you never bathed." Gareth said with a smile

"What? I'll not even reply to that." Riveria said, a bit frustrated

Humph!

'She merely walked forward without looking back.'

'Finn, Gareth, Silver, and the other guys watched as the girls made their way to the camp in silence.'

"We… We should go already." Crux said as he rested his spear on his shoulder

I need some sleep, but only after a proper meal and shower.

"Same place?" Gareth asked

"You can all go ahead, I first need to…"

/Slap!/

'Gareth approached Finn's back, slapping it with a smile.'

"Whatever work you can do, first take a shower, no one will blame you for jumping a few minutes of work."

"But it's really fast I just need to check on them… And give a few orders here and there..."

"No can do, no compromises…"

"Sigh, fine…"

'Finn turned to Silver.'

"Wanna come with us? We'll introduce you to the rest after we're back."

"I… No thanks, I'll just walk around and wait…"

'Gareth shrugged.'

"Not a big fan of public baths, or too afraid to show yourself?"

"Heh." Raul chuckled on the side

"..."

'Silver maintained his expression, but he felt offended somewhat.'

'But he had nothing to prove to these guys, the only people that needed proof of his "prowess" was Hestia and in the near future, Artemis.'

'So with a dark expression, he turned around and made his way to the camp.'

"Heh, I knew it, the world is fair, if one is born with many talents, nature will balance things around and take some others..."

'Silver had enough of Raul's ramblings.'

"4.4 inches."

"Hm?"

'Finn was confused.'

"What does that mean?"

'Gareth scratched his beard.'

"?!???!???!"

'Raul's soul seemed to have jumped out of his body...'

"..."

'Finn narrowed his eyes, eventually face palming, Gareth continued to scratch his beard, trying to figure out what Silver meant by those words...'

"BUWAHAHAHA!"

'Until he did...'

'Of course, the one most impacted by this was Raul himself, who was now kneeling on the ground his face ashen.'

"Be mindfully of who your provoque."

"M-My apologies..."

'Silver walked away with his hands on his back, while Raul cried silent tears as he was patted in the back by Gareth.'

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