Boom!
Before anyone could react, a silver broadsword was hurled through the air like a supersonic projectile, aimed straight at the masked figure in the darkness ahead!
"Ugh!"
The masked figure let out a muffled groan before vanishing from sight in a flash.
"Did it hit?"
Finn snapped back to reality, casting an inquisitive glance at Eiji.
"Most likely."
Eiji nodded.
Though not fatal, the strike had definitely connected.
"Alright, the rest is up to you guys!"
Loki clapped her hands together enthusiastically, flashing Finn a radiant smile.
"Come back alive, you hear?"
Beneath that smile lay a quiet, somber hope.
"I have no intention of letting my Familia fall here!"
Finn returned the smile, using it to dispel the creeping sense of dread within.
"Raul, bring the white adamantite!"
"On it!"
From the crowd, the honest-faced young man who served as the second-string's mainstay struggled forward, pushing a massive white columnar rock with visible effort.
Under Finn's direction, Raul positioned the white stone pillar directly beneath the Orichalcum gate.
"Whew... this thing's heavy!"
Raul wiped sweat from his brow.
"Heavy is good—it needs to hold that Orichalcum gate!"
Finn laughed heartily before raising his twin gold and silver spears.
"Charge!!"
"Oorah!"
The call was met with a thunderous response.
Dozens of figures followed their leaders, transforming into a tide of humanity that surged proudly and resolutely into the darkness.
Loki remained outside, watching over her children as they disappeared into the black.
"Damn... why do I have such a bad feeling about this?"
...
The passageway split into three forks at its end.
Every surface—floor, walls, ceiling—was lined with stone slabs, forming a true labyrinth with unmistakably artificial construction.
Thud!
Gareth punched the wall.
The stone shattered instantly, revealing the thick metal beneath.
"No mistake—this is ultra-hard metal!"
Gareth's expression darkened as he observed the mere white mark left on the metal surface.
"The gate's orichalcum, the walls ultra-hard metal..."
Finn frowned deeply.
Ultra-hard metal, while inferior in hardness to orichalcum, was still incredibly durable. Gareth's punch—though not his full strength—had left only a faint scratch, which spoke volumes.
Meanwhile...
Eiji retrieved his broadsword from the ground, its tip still stained with blood.
"Did he escape down this path?"
Ais moved closer, her golden hair swaying into view.
"Seems that way at first glance."
Eiji scanned the floor with calm precision.
"But why isn't there a single drop of blood on the ground?"
Ais blinked in realization.
True.
Given the force of that strike, the masked figure should have been bleeding heavily. If he'd fled down this path, traces would remain.
"Bete, sniff it out."
"Stop ordering me around!"
Bert shot him an irritated glare but stepped forward nonetheless, nostrils flaring.
"The scent... it's gone?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Just... vanished?
How?
Could that masked man really teleport out of thin air?
Everyone was baffled, and Eiji also frowned in confusion.
"Let's keep going deeper. I believe the answer will reveal itself."
Finn summarized the current intelligence and made the final decision.
No one objected, and the group resumed their march.
The total number of people breaking into this artificial labyrinth exceeded thirty, making it comparable in scale to an expedition. Apart from the executives, there were also numerous Level 3 and Level 4 adventurers, along with a few Level 2s like Line.
In the roughly five-meter-wide passage, the group had no choice but to stretch into a long line.
"Stairs?"
After quickly exploring several passages, they eventually found a staircase leading downward.
"Feels a bit like the Dungeon, doesn't it?"
"Exactly! It really has that unexplored floor vibe!"
The group murmured in awe.
For a moment, they even developed considerable interest in this labyrinth.
"What weird statues."
Beside the stairs, Tiona noticed two peculiar statues.
Jet-black and carved into monstrous forms, they looked incredibly lifelike yet radiated such intense malice that no ordinary person would dare collect such things.
Swish!
Eiji's brows furrowed as he suddenly shot out a flying sword.
Crack!
The statue's head shattered instantly.
"Whoa! What was that for? Why destroy the statue all of a sudden?"
Tiona exclaimed in surprise.
"I felt like we were being watched."
Eiji narrowed his eyes, his expression deadly serious.
No one thought he was making trouble for no reason. Everyone deeply trusted his instincts, eyeing the monstrous statues with wary expressions.
Riveria stepped forward and retrieved two flower-like crystals from the shattered statue head.
"Crystal flowers... specially processed, it seems. Could the enemy be using these to monitor distant movements?"
"Still feel anything?"
Finn destroyed the other statue and turned to Eiji.
"Gone."
"Seems these monster statues are used to monitor the labyrinth's interior. Hiding devices inside statues is indeed hard to guard against. Everyone, destroy any suspicious statues on sight!"
Finn issued rapid orders, then barked: "Lakta, focus on mapping! Rear guard, ensure the spider thread connects from the entrance to here—don't let it break!"
"Yes!"
Led by the executives, the assault team descended the stairs into the labyrinth's second level.
But like the floor above, this level was completely empty—not a single person, nor even a monster. Only cold passages and branching paths remained, though the scale was over twice as large as the upper floor.
Then came the third level, the fourth level...
Three hours later.
After continuously descending deeper and deeper, with nothing but passages and forks stretching endlessly before them, the group's enthusiasm for exploration had completely worn thin.
A full three hours had passed. They'd lost count of how many levels they'd descended, yet encountered absolutely nothing.
Only the shattered remains of various monster statues along the way proved they'd ever been there.
Ordinary members were growing bored, and even the executives' fighting spirit was waning.
Except for Finn.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
"Riveria, how many levels have we descended?"
"Unknown."
Riveria closed one eye, her face equally troubled.
"All I can say is that if we compare this to the Dungeon, we've likely reached mid-level territory by now."
This was the intuition of an adventurer who had explored the dungeon for years.
"At least down to the teens?"
Finn took a deep breath and bit down hard on his thumbnail.
"From the first floor downward, each level grows larger in scale. By this floor, I've calculated that even just the areas we've passed through could rival an entire city block of Orario!"
"Finn, I smell people!"
Just then, Bete suddenly spoke up.