He sheathed the Immortal's Edge.
With a disappointed sigh, he frowned. The enemy had proven far too weak.
True, this giant monster's strength far exceeded those on the 29th floor and even surpassed an average Level 5 First Class Adventurer. Yet against him, it hadn't stood a chance.
Thanks to his X-ray ability, Adam was its natural counter, defeating it with a single strike. He hadn't even needed to use his innate skill〚Last Hope〛. The enemy had fallen before he could truly exert himself.
One thing was certain though — with the blessing of Great Deed, he could now advance to Level 2 if he chose not to pursue breaking his limits. He had reached that threshold!
Adam pondered this revelation.
At that moment, the tentacles spread throughout the 18th floor crumbled to dust along with their main body, dissipating into the air. Only ruins and ravaged ground remained where they had struck.
The monster's attack had claimed at least one-third of the Adventurers on the 18th floor. Some died buried under rubble in their sleep, others fell fighting heroically, many were caught in powerful attacks, and several perished from delayed treatment.
This was nothing like the heroic tales!
But such was the reality of the dungeon. Death was commonplace.
While Adam contemplated this, the surviving Adventurers expressed deep gratitude for their salvation. Not only were they relieved to be alive, but some quietly sought information about their young savior.
The trio who had earlier discussed the dead at the tavern had fortunately survived and regrouped, whispering among themselves.
"We survived? We survived?! It's so good to be alive!"
"That young man, he's incredibly strong!"
All three marveled at Adam's strength.
Bors, standing nearby, turned to the muttering trio with a knowing smile, "Isn't that obvious? Anyone who can defeat such a troublesome monster alone — every Adventurer here should understand how strong he must be."
Another Adventurer asked, "Which familia does he belong to? Seeing how close he is with the Loki Familia people, could it be—"
"No, he's not." Bors said, shaking his head, "He's not a member of the Loki Familia, I can guarantee that."
His words contradicted the other Adventurers' private speculations.
"But they were just—"
"Ahem, you lot, quiet down." Bors cut off their questions with a stern warning, "Still want to dig deeper into a strong one's information? Aren't you afraid of never leaving this Dungeon? Are you all tired of living?"
The scolded trio fell silent, abandoning their gossip.
As Bors had warned, they feared being trapped forever in the dungeon for offending the strong one. In the Dungeon especially, one must never let others know their weaknesses!
Their lives could be forfeit otherwise. Some strong ones would mercilessly kill those who dared inquire about them.
"Hey! Stop standing there dazed, get moving!" Bors scolded the frozen trio.
"Y-yes!!!" All three answered loudly.
They quickly ran off to help rescue other surviving Adventurers.
Meanwhile, Finn worked to stabilize the situation. Under his command, the town organized rescue efforts for the wounded while posting guards at key points to prevent monsters from other floors from entering.
After making these arrangements, he approached Adam.
"Adam, you saved us all, thank you so much!"
As the Loki Familia captain and First Class Adventurer known as the Braver, he had the authority to represent all Adventurers. Such gratitude from a renowned figure would have satisfied anyone's pride.
But Adam remained modest, saying simply, "Not at all, I only did what needed to be done."
"But you did save us, didn't you?"
"In that situation, I was the only one who could do it." Adam waved his hand dismissively, "Besides, wouldn't you have handled it, Finn? I'm sure the Braver wouldn't have stood idly by."
"Ha, though it might sound like an excuse, I truly couldn't have done it alone." Finn replied with a bitter smile, "My magic has major drawbacks — I absolutely won't use it unless there's no other choice."
"I see." Adam was extremely embarrassed.
He had been exchanging modest words with Finn, but the Pallum's candid response left him at a loss.
"Hey! Captain! Adam!"
Fortunately, Tiona's loud call broke the awkward atmosphere between them.
"Ahem, Tiona, what is it?" Finn cleared his throat, assuming his captain's dignity as he turned to the approaching Amazon, "Did something happen? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Captain, most of the Adventurers have been rescued, the rest are—" Tiona's unfinished report needed no completion; all three knew those people likely hadn't survived.
"I understand." Finn said calmly, showing no sadness, "Confirm the list of fallen Adventurers, then have Riveria handle reporting this incident to the Guild along with the list."
"Yes, Captain!" Tiona straightened up at the order.
When she spotted Adam, her eyes lit up, and she gave him a thumbs up, "Hey little bro, I can't believe you saved Lefiya again, well done!"
She clearly had quite a good impression of him for saving their elf companion.
No, given her lively nature, she probably liked everyone. After all, when they first met in the Dungeon, she had warned him not to venture deeper, concerned about the dangers below.
"Mm." Adam shook his head lightly, indicating it wasn't worth mentioning.
But Tiona clearly misunderstood.
With an inexplicable grin on her face, she whispered in his ear, "Our elf is quite open-minded, unlike other elves who don't like being touched, so you've got a good chance, little bro — better act fast!"
"…" He was speechless.
Just as he was about to say "You've got it wrong! That's not what I meant at all!" Finn interrupted, scolding the impulsive Amazon and ordering her to leave.
"Tiona, hurry and relay what I just said to Riveria."
Receiving another order, Tiona could only hang her head dejectedly and walk toward their vice-captain.
Though as she left, she gave Adam a secret thumbs up, still encouraging him to pursue the matter.
"That Tiona." Finn shook his head helplessly, then turned to apologize, "She's just a bit mischievous, I hope you don't mind."
His middle-aged uncle-like tone showed clear indulgence toward her childish nature.
It made sense — though Finn looked young, as a Pallum he was over 40 years old, so naturally he'd treat Tiona like a playful little girl.
"I know, I don't mind." Adam shook his head, indicating he wasn't angry.
"Mm, that's good." Finn nodded slightly, then added, "Well, I still need to arrange the personnel, so I'll take my leave for now."
"Alright, please go ahead."
Then the two said goodbye and parted.
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