Hephaestus wasn't the type to drag things out. That very day, she returned with a letter from Loki.
As long as Charles delivered that letter to Finn, the elites of the Loki Familia would naturally assist him with his plan.
With the letter in hand, Charles packed his gear and entered the Dungeon, heading straight for the 18th floor.
The 18th floor hadn't changed much since his last visit, but even without Phalna's warning, Charles could clearly sense the increasingly heavy presence of corrupted spirit energy in the area.
As expected, Evilus had accelerated their plans. But honestly, it was better for them to make moves than to stay hidden.
Charles wandered through the adventurer town of Rivira to confirm that the Loki Familia's expedition team hadn't returned yet.
So he decided to take the initiative and began tracking the corrupted spirit aura he had sensed.
Moving silently through the labyrinthine forest, Charles soon discovered a hidden encampment.
Perched quietly on a tree branch, the foliage gave him excellent cover to observe.
In a clearing surrounded by crystal clusters and wild grass, several figures in robes—faces covered with veils—were patrolling the area.
Though their robes were a different color, the style was exactly the same as those he had seen on the figures at the 24th floor's food vault.
Charles didn't know which evil god these people served, but he was sure of one thing: they were part of Evilus.
The corrupted spirit energy he had sensed was coming from the outskirts of their camp.
There was a simple reason why Evilus was operating here: this was the entrance to the artificial dungeon, Kronos, located within the main Dungeon.
Through this route, Evilus had been transporting the embryo-like monster cores from the Dungeon to the surface.
The new breed of monsters stationed outside was clearly meant to deal with any intruding adventurers.
Once Charles had fully scouted the camp, he turned into a shadow and leapt from the tree.
One of the robed figures seemed to hear something and instinctively turned toward the sound—only to see nothing but swaying grass.
As he turned back around, Charles was already standing in front of him.
Before the man could even scream, Charles delivered a precise knife-hand strike to his throat, crushing his vocal cords and trachea in one silent motion.
He gently laid the man down and immediately moved on to the next target.
Like a ghost, Charles executed a flawless assassination, eliminating all five Evilus members in the camp without making a sound.
He gathered their bodies in one place and began looting them for anything useful.
Just as he suspected, these lunatics were all strapped with Firestones—essentially magical explosives with power equivalent to high-grade dynamite. The amount they carried was enough to flatten a small mountain.
Clearly, they were prepared to self-destruct if discovered.
These guards weren't just protecting the entrance—the real entryway to the artificial dungeon was still well hidden. The guards were merely the second line of defense.
After a thorough search, Charles finally found the entrance, concealed beneath a magical barrier.
He also discovered the true prize he had hoped for: a spherical device encased in a metallic frame, with a gemstone-like core.
Strangely, the core resembled a human eye, complete with iris patterns and a faint "D" symbol etched onto it.
It was a magic tool, and its material wasn't monster-based—it was made from a human organ.
This was the Eye of Daedalus, a magic item crafted from the eyeball of someone who inherited the bloodline of Daedalus.
Its function was simple: it served as a key to control certain permissions within the artificial dungeon Kronos.
In the original storyline, the Loki Familia suffered massive casualties during their first assault on Kronos, primarily because Evilus was able to manipulate the dungeon's traps.
To neutralize that home-field advantage, this item was absolutely essential.
Now that Charles had what he came for, he turned to leave—but not before disposing of the Evilus bodies by tossing them into the area where the new breed of monsters were kept.
It was a hidden pit beneath the grass, and as the corpses fell, the sound of liquid echoed below.
Charles saw clearly how the skeletal remains dissolved slowly in a transparent fluid, and how a massive man-eating plant began to stir within.
With all evidence erased, Charles returned to Rivira, and two days later, he finally saw the returning expedition team.
They looked exhausted, but their faces were full of excitement.
Finn immediately spotted Charles waiting outside town. Before he could say anything, Tsubaki ran over, waving.
"Charles! What are you doing here? Did you come all this way because you were worried about your senpai and wanted to greet me personally?"
Charles glanced at her, equally travel-worn, and said, "Worried? Not even close. With your strength, it'd be weird if anything went wrong."
Tsubaki frowned. "I should be happy that you have so much faith in me, but somehow it just feels annoying!"
Ignoring his eccentric senior, Charles walked up to Finn. "You've probably guessed why I'm here."
Finn gave a tired smile. "I figured as much. I was hoping to get some rest after the expedition, but it looks like we've got work to do again."
Charles nodded. "A lot happened while you were away. Let's find a place where I can explain everything in detail."
Finn agreed, and they went into Rivira to find an inn.
Inside one of the rooms, Charles recounted everything that had happened since their departure.
When Tsubaki heard that Ishtar's Familia had kidnapped Welf, she jumped up in outrage. When she learned that the Ishtar Familia had been utterly destroyed, she kept muttering things like "Serves them right" and "Justice is done."
Then Charles described the intelligence Ishtar had revealed before being sent back to heaven, and what he had "discovered" through his investigation.
Everyone was stunned. The expedition had indeed taken a while, but it felt like the entire world outside had flipped upside down in their absence.
After reading the letter personally signed by Loki, Finn handed it to Riveria and said, "So that's Loki's decision… Got it. You can count on us—we'll help you with everything you've planned.
So your next step is a surprise attack on the Dionysus Familia?"
Charles nodded. "All the evidence points to that god being Enyo's true identity. Whatever he's planning, eliminating him now is the safest course.
Once he's dealt with, we can move on to conquering the artificial dungeon with much higher odds of success.
I'll take care of the White Witch—Filvis. As for Dionysus and the rest of his Familia, I'll leave them to you."
Finn extended his hand. "It's an honor to fight by your side again."
Charles shook his hand firmly. "Let's make it another successful collaboration."
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