The next floors fell like dominoes.
Thirty-nine.
Forty.
Forty-one.
No slowing.
No injuries.
No wasted motion.
When they stepped onto Floor 42, Jax paused briefly.
Carved into the ice wall near the entrance were names.
The Argent Vanguard — Floor 42.
Stormbound Covenant — Floor 38.
Obsidian Crown — Floor 40.
Legends.
Benchmarks.
Jax remembered the wall at the start.
"Good," he said quietly.
"We are on par with the rest."
Floor 42 — Frozen Cathedral
The cavern opened into a vast frozen cathedral of jagged crystal pillars.
Dozens of Ice Wizards hovered across elevated platforms, chanting in unison. Snow spiraled violently. The floor slicked over with enchanted frost.
The previous parties had struggled here.
Jax's group did not.
"Forward."
The Shadow Army surged first.
Grim and Steed crushed the first wave.
Ice magic blasted downward in cascading torrents — but the Vixens' upgraded armor reduced the damage to nearly nothing.
Jax and Bunny air-walked above the frozen ground.
Llandra's arrows pierced through chanting mages before they could complete spells.
Requiem flashed blue-white in Jax's hands.
Ice Wizards fell mid-incantation.
The floor was cleared in minutes.
Jax collected several of the higher-tier mages.
More soldiers for the future.
Then they advanced.
Floors 43–49
Stronger monsters.
Denser formations.
Traps.
Ambushes.
By Floor 45, Jax had deployed lower-ranked shadows to begin mining operations behind them.
By Floor 48, additional Ice Beasts were added to the army.
By Floor 49, the dungeon had stopped pretending.
Then they reached it.
Floor 50
The golden door.
Sealed.
Waiting.
Only living beings could open it.
Jax stepped forward and placed his hand against it.
The seal dissolved.
The doors groaned open.
The Throne Chamber
The room was colossal.
A dimensional palace carved from ice and stone.
Thrones lined the far end.
And seated upon them—
Five Frost Giants.
Thirty to forty feet tall.
Ancient.
Still.
Watching.
The central giant — crowned in frozen bone — leaned forward.
"So," the King rumbled, voice echoing like cracking glaciers,
"You have come to claim the cave."
Jax walked forward alone.
"Yes."
The Frost Giant King smiled, revealing tusk-like fangs.
"You are mortal. We are eternal."
"We are infinity."
The giant rose dramatically from his throne.
He extended his arm, summoning swirling orbs of blizzard energy. Frost magic gathered, spiraling around him in a spectacular display of overwhelming power.
The chamber trembled.
The other giants stood.
The air vibrated with magic.
The King lifted both arms.
"I SHALL—"
BANG.
A single shot echoed through the cavern.
The Frost Giant King's neck exploded.
A clean circular hole.
For half a second, the magic still swirled around him.
Then his massive body swayed.
And his head separated cleanly from his shoulders.
It hit the floor.
Rolled.
Stopped.
Silence.
Jax spun one Requiem around his finger and holstered it.
"…You talk too much."
Indiana Jones would have approved.
The Room Erupts
The remaining giants roared in fury.
But fury is slower than preparation.
"Bind."
Llandra's enchanted arrows struck.
Chains of luminous energy wrapped around two giants instantly.
"Boost!"
Zee amplified Bunny and Nyxian simultaneously.
Bunny air-walked upward—
Then descended.
Her hammer struck the ground in front of them.
The shockwave shattered the frozen floor.
The giants staggered.
Nyxian lunged forward.
Lilith's Kiss lashed out — ensnaring two massive wrists.
She yanked with supernatural strength.
The giants lurched forward—
Right into Jax.
He vanished.
Reappeared midair.
Peacemaker flashed once.
Two heads fell.
Clean.
Efficient.
The last two giants panicked.
One bolted toward a shimmering tear in the cavern wall.
Jax noticed instantly.
That's how one escaped.
"Get 'em."
The Shadow Army descended.
Hundreds.
Ice beasts. Yeti constructs. Grimsteeds. Fang. Newly captured wizards.
The final two giants were buried under overwhelming force.
Within seconds—
Silence again.
System Notifications
Experience gained.
Level increases.
Skill improvements.
The Vixens stood breathing steadily.
Not exhausted.
Just focused.
Then Jax's system appeared.
CAVE BOSS DEFEATED
Reset in: 47 Hours 59 Minutes 59 Seconds
"Only fifty floors," Jax murmured. "New dungeon."
Makes sense.
Arise
He approached the Frost Giant King's body.
"Arise."
Shadow engulfed the corpse.
It rose again.
Larger.
Darker.
Eyes glowing.
NAME YOUR SHADOW
Jax smirked slightly.
"Loki."
The shadow giant bowed.
A-Rank.
Barrier specialist.
Elemental controller.
Arrogant in life.
Silent in death.
The remaining giants were converted as well.
More power added to the legion.
New Skill
NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: SHADOW DEPLOYMENT
Shadows may reside within another's shadow for stealth or protection.
"Yes."
Now his allies would never be unguarded.
Ever.
The Vault
A new chamber opened — filled wall to wall with high-grade crystals.
Mana so dense the air shimmered.
Jax summoned every shadow available.
Hundreds filled the cavern.
"Excavate."
The army moved with mechanical precision.
The dimensional tear sealed itself as the dungeon stabilized.
No more beasts escaping into the mountains.
Mission accomplished.
The Record
Nine hours.
Forty-one minutes.
Thirty-seven seconds.
They stepped back outside.
Snow fell gently across the plateau.
Jax approached the carved wall.
He inscribed calmly beneath the others.
Jax and the Vixens — Floor 50 Complete — 9:41:37
He stepped back.
Didn't gloat.
Didn't announce.
Just nodded once.
"All in a day's work."
Behind them, the Shadow Army continued mining with tireless efficiency.
They had two days before reset.
And more wealth than Frostveil had ever seen.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The most important thing was this:
The Argent Vanguard had stopped at 42.
Jax didn't just pass them.
He erased the ceiling.