Boom!
Alexander landed gracefully on the 58th floor, still holding Lefiya securely in his arms. As soon as they landed, Ais rushed over, her face filled with concern.
"Alexander, are you okay?"
"Of course, I'm fine. Something this small can't stop me," Alexander replied with a confident smile as he gently set Lefiya down. Lefiya quickly pulled away, her face flushed with embarrassment.
It was awkward enough being carried by Alexander, but even worse when he was her "rival in love."
Ais, relieved to see Lefiya unharmed, sighed softly. She trusted Alexander's strength implicitly, but Lefiya was less experienced and more vulnerable, making her safety a constant worry.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team had already engaged the Valgang Dragon inhabiting the 58th floor. These monsters were far stronger than any they had faced before, each one equivalent to a typical Level 4 adventurer.
In the dungeon, the strength of monsters scales with their floor:
Floors 0–9 feature monsters equivalent to wild beasts.Floors 10–19 contain monsters comparable to standard Level 1 adventurers.Floors 20–29 host creatures on par with Level 2 adventurers, and so on.
By the 58th floor, the monsters were as formidable as Level 5 adventurers.
Even so, despite their raw power, these beasts lacked the intelligence and equipment of seasoned adventurers. Against a well-trained party of top-level fighters, the dragons stood little chance.
"Wow! So much dragon material—this is amazing!"
Tsubaki, a blacksmith from Hephaestus Familia, was overjoyed, enthusiastically collecting dragon materials and stuffing them into her already bulging backpack.
However, as she struggled to fit more in, Finn spoke up.
"Tsubaki, leave the materials here for now. We can come back for them later. Reaching the 59th floor takes priority."
Tsubaki pouted, clearly torn. She knew the 59th floor was fraught with danger and unpredictable enemies, but the allure of dragon materials was hard to resist. After all, how often does one get such a haul?
"Ahhh, what a waste!" she lamented, reluctantly dropping a massive dragon tooth she had been holding.
Alexander chuckled at her frustration. "Don't worry, none of this will go to waste."
With that, he activated a series of glowing blue magic circles. In an instant, the dragon materials were sucked into the magical vortex, disappearing from sight like water flowing into a drain.
The group stared in shock, their mouths agape.
"This… is space magic!" Riveria, Orario's most accomplished mage, exclaimed. As a master magician, even she had never mastered such an advanced spell, and Alexander had cast it effortlessly.
Alexander smiled nonchalantly. "Don't worry. I'll give the materials to you once we return."
Tsubaki's face lit up, and for a moment, she looked as though she might hug him in gratitude.
"Alexander, you're incredible! Are you a warrior or a magician? You're so powerful! Honestly, if you joined our Familia, I'd hand over my position as captain without hesitation!"
Her excitement was infectious, but Finn, overhearing her, laughed.
"Don't get your hopes up, Tsubaki. If Alexander ever joined our Familia, I'd step down as captain myself. But, alas… he has no interest in changing allegiances."
What Finn didn't know was that Alexander had no need to "switch Familias." He hadn't told them that he was, in fact, their Familia's god.
Suddenly, a rumble echoed through the floor. A massive crack opened in the ground, emitting an ominous, oppressive aura. It was the path to the next floor.
"This is it—the 59th floor," Finn announced, his voice brimming with excitement. "Everyone, this is our chance to make history! Let's go!"
One by one, the group leaped eagerly into the abyss below.
Lefiya, however, hesitated at the edge, her face pale. "W-Wait! Can't you all just wait for me? I can't make it down by myself!"
Alexander approached her again, an amused look on his face. "Want me to help you?"
"I… um…" Lefiya stammered, torn between her fear and the mortifying idea of being carried by Alexander again.
"If you don't decide, I'll go without you," Alexander teased, feigning indifference.
"Don't leave me!" Lefiya cried, her pride crumbling under the pressure.
And so, Lefiya finally surrendered to her so-called "rival in love," allowing Alexander to carry her down once more.