DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

"As soon as Captain Finn receives news of the earthquake in the dungeon, he will immediately send out rescue teams, and everything will be alright soon."

"That's great!" Upon hearing this, Lefia breathed a long sigh of relief, her legs went weak, and she plopped down on the ground.

However, Ryu and Shirou's expressions remained unchanged.

Emiya looked at Alicia with a meaningful gaze.

'Sister Alicia, are you telling the truth?'

Alicia shook her head at a very slight angle, then glanced gently in Lefia's direction.

"It's fake. Tell Lefia to relax. Commander Finn won't be here anytime soon."

Emiya nodded, indicating that he understood. He slung the giant heavy bow [Pseudo-Shoot Hundred Heads (Nine Lives II)] over his back and closed his eyes to think for a while.

"The effect of the skill [Mind's Eye] is activated."

He raised his head and spoke.

"This should be the seventeenth floor."

"How did you make that judgment?" Ryu asked.

“I’ve never been to the middle level, but I’ve heard from my seniors in the Familia that the seventeenth level is higher than the other middle level labyrinths,” Emiya replied. “Besides that, it’s all about intuition.”

“I believe Shirou.” Ryu looked at Alicia.

As fellow high-level adventurers, they understand each other without words, with just a glance.

“I actually feel the same way. After all, this level is obviously a bit too high…” Alicia looked at the boy: “Shirou, you’ve used up the most physical and mental energy. Recover as soon as possible.”

Emiya nodded: "I just drank the high-grade elixir. I still have one dose of the elixir to restore my magic power and two doses of the high-grade healing potion. It will take some time for the elixir to take effect."

"Does the Hephaestus Familia really give so many high-grade potions to a Lv.1 newbie? Fine, you guys are rich and capricious..." Alicia couldn't help but complain.

Then she looked at Lefia and sighed softly: "Lefia, if we were to fight the giant Goliath, would you be able to participate?"

Upon hearing the name "Goliath," Lefia was completely stunned: "Go...Goliath, no, I...I can't..."

The giant Goliath wiped out Lefia's squad when she was still in the [school district], leaving the girl with psychological trauma that she has not yet fully recovered from.

“I understand... Then you stay close to Shirou and be careful to protect yourself. If the enemy is the Lone King of the Labyrinth, Ryu and I might not be able to help.” Alicia replied crisply.

"Wait, Sister Alicia, why are we suddenly going to fight Goliath?" Lefia asked hurriedly.

“Since the labyrinth has sent us to the seventeenth floor, it must be using Goliath to deal with us,” Alicia said rationally. “Even if Goliath hasn’t been resurrected yet, it will definitely force one to be created. This is the ‘malice of the dungeon’!”

"I'm afraid the path to the eighteenth level has also been blocked."

Ryu: "Although Goliath is always born in the huge room at the center of the seventeenth floor, it has the ability to break through walls and move to other rooms."

Back when she was with the Astrea Familia, Ryu had participated in the battles against the giant Goliath more than once, so she knew a lot about the Lone King of the Labyrinth.

The other rooms on the seventeenth floor will spawn Lv.2 monsters, such as Minotaur, Hellhound, Tiger Claw, etc. Once these monsters gather together, even high-level adventurers need to take them seriously.

Hellhounds, in particular, are considered one of the most threatening monsters in the mid-levels because the power of their fire breath can be stacked as their numbers increase.

The enormous room where the giant Goliath resides is where only the Lone King of the Labyrinth spawns.

“That’s right. Compared to other places, confronting Goliath at its birthplace is actually the best choice. No other monsters will be born in that empty room.” Alicia nodded.

"If Goliath weren't blocking our way, that would be perfect. As long as we can reach the safe zone on the eighteenth floor, we can breathe a sigh of relief for now."

She could only put Lefia aside for the time being. As the oldest among everyone present, she took on the responsibility of command and therefore did not have the extra energy to pay attention to Lefia's psychological problems.

If Lefia can cheer up, she will definitely become a useful combat force with her super-class firepower. At Lv.2, Lefia's single-target magical firepower is far superior to that of Lv.4 Alicia, and may even be no less than that of Ryu.

However, rather than gambling on the completely uncertain probability of whether the girl could pull herself together, she preferred to focus her efforts on command and deployment, to genuinely increase the chances of victory.

"The specifics are still uncertain, but in any case, we must be mentally prepared to fight Goliath," Alicia said.

She said this because, according to Alicia's judgment, with her and [Swift]'s strength, barring any unforeseen circumstances, defeating Level 4 Goliath wouldn't be too difficult.

This judgment is not arrogance, but a reasonable analysis of combat strength. Alicia is a strong Lv.4, while Ryu is even stronger than her. Although Emiya is only Lv.1, his extraordinary archery skills allow him to play a role that surpasses most Lv.2 adventurers.

If Lefia can overcome her psychological barriers and fully unleash her magical firepower, she could potentially contend with not only Goliath, but also the two-headed dragon Amphispina, the lonely king of the twenty-seventh floor labyrinth, as long as it's not a water battle.

(Two-headed dragon potential ability Lv.5, water combat difficulty Lv.6)

“Goliath the Giant is the Labyrinth King with super endurance. My ice magic is not very effective against him, so Ryu, you will be in charge of the main attack.”

"Shirou, please protect yourself and Lefia. If you have the chance, try shooting Goliath in the eye. That's where you might break through his defenses."

“Ryu, your magic…” Alicia looked at her fellow elf.

"My highest stats are agility and magic power. I have one light and wind attribute annihilation spell, and my chanting is of medium length," Ryu said, concisely stating his information.

"My primary weapon is the katana. I have a 'parallel chanting' technique that allows me to prepare magic while fighting. My magic can be chanted quickly when I am still, but the efficiency will be reduced if I chant in parallel."

Like Alicia, Ryu is an all-around warrior with both magic and melee abilities. Alicia is also skilled in archery, but against Goliath, she will likely have to take on the role of the vanguard.

"Ryu, Alicia, these are for you." Emiya took out six small gold and silver daggers from his satchel.

"These are... Demon Swords?!"

"Yes, the gold one is fire attribute, and the silver one is lightning attribute. Each one can be used two to three times, and its power is equivalent to the attack of a Lv.2 mage."

"You actually brought a magic sword worth millions of falis into the dungeon..." Alicia was increasingly envious of the wealth of the Hephaestus Familia.

No wonder you're the largest arms dealer in the city, just how rich are you guys!

Actually, Emiya didn't bring enough today. If he were exploring alone, he would have needed to bring at least a Lv.4 medium-sized magic sword.

Alicia and Ryu did not refuse, accepted the magic sword, and divided it among themselves.

"Shirou, can your projection create a magic sword?" Alicia asked after thinking for a moment.

Emiya replied, "It is possible to project a magic sword, but it consumes a lot of magic power. However, the projected magic sword is the same as a regular magic sword and can be cast instantly without consuming any magic power."

“In that case, Shirou, here are these two bottles of elixirs for you. You need spiritual power more than I do.” Alicia handed a small glass bottle to the boy: “I took a small sip from this bottle before. Don’t mind. I’m not as wealthy as you. You can’t drink a whole bottle of high-grade elixirs at once. I always take small sips.”

Ryu is alarmed: An indirect kiss?!

But judging from the serious expressions on Alicia and Shirou's faces, now doesn't seem like the time to think about these things.

"...Why don't I have any high-grade spiritual herbs on me?" Liu muttered to herself in a tiny voice that only she could hear.

Alicia: "Lefia, if you can't fight, give all the elixirs you're carrying to Shirou."

"Eh? Yes!"

As a mage, Lefia also had the habit of carrying potions with her, and two unopened bottles of potions ended up in Emiya's hands.

"Now, let's set off for the Wall of Sighs, where Goliath was born..."

Alicia looked up as the dungeon shook again, and the ceiling not far away cracked once more.

"Someone fell down again?"

Chapter 41 Aisha and Haruhime

The underground city has twelve levels.

Aisha punched a shelled armadillo to the brink of death. This monster had a hard shell, but its interior was quite vulnerable. Its defense was the highest in the upper levels, and an average Lv.1 adventurer could not defeat it single-handedly in melee combat.

Like the silverback ape, the hard-shelled armadillo is considered the strongest monster in the upper tiers. While the silverback ape excels in attack, the hard-shelled armadillo is strong in defense. For lower-level adventurers, the hard-shelled armadillo is less lethal, but more difficult to defeat.

However, in front of Aisha at level 3, the Armadillo's famously sturdy shell was like paper. After a series of punches, the Armadillo was only able to exhale and not inhale, and it was clear that it would not survive.

"Haruhime, come here quickly, I've brought the monster to the brink of death, you finish it off."

Aisha stood up and let out a long breath. Suppressing the urge to fight with all her might and patiently bringing the monster to the brink of death was as frustrating for her as spending an entire night getting ready only to have her first customer be an impotent woman.

In contrast, she would rather have a fierce fight with a monster that is also at level 3.

But there was nothing she could do; it was her turn to take the job.

The Ishtar Familia's party consisted of six members: two Lv.3, three Lv.2, and one Lv.1.

Three Lv.2 adventurers were responsible for keeping watch at a distance, preventing anyone from getting close, while two Lv.3 adventurers were responsible for capturing monsters from the maze and carefully crippling them.

The last Lv.1 girl's task is to "reap the rewards without sowing".

“Okay, thank you, Sister Aisha,” the girl named Haruhime said in a soft voice.

This is an extremely beautiful fox-woman girl. She has long golden hair, a pair of mesmerizing emerald-like eyes, and fox ears and tail covered with beautiful golden fur. Her tail is large and fluffy, enough to arouse the envy of all fox-people.

Although she was in an underground city, the fox-girl was still dressed in a kimono and wooden clogs. In contrast to her alluring and sexy appearance, her movements were unusually clumsy, giving her a charmingly naive appearance.

“Although we gain very little experience this way, there’s no other way,” Aisha said. “Hurry up, we’re running out of time!”

"Yes!" The fox-girl hurriedly ran over: "Um, Sister Aisha, what should I do?"

“Use a knife to stab this spot.” Aisha pointed to a crack on the hard-shelled armadillo’s shell that she had punched, her tone full of helplessness.

Chunji took out a small dagger-shaped knife from her bosom, took a deep breath, and then thrust the knife forward—

Hey, it hasn't been poked yet~

Chunji, fearing she might miss, withdrew her dagger and aimed.

She repeated this action three times.

Aisha felt her blood pressure rising and yelled, "Get to work!"

"Yes!" the fox-girl cried out, and thrust the dagger out with a whoosh. However, she instinctively closed her eyes.

Then, unsurprisingly, it went astray.

Even though Aisha had already smashed the armadillo's shell to pieces, Haruhime still managed to hit the remaining shell.

Not only did it fail to pierce, but the shock also made my hand go numb, and I almost dropped the knife.

At this moment, the hard-shelled armadillo, which had been tormented for most of the day, finally died with its eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Once again, half a day's work was for nothing.

Aisha felt the veins in her head throbbing. Chun Ji might achieve something unprecedented: she would literally drive a Level 3 advanced adventurer to his death.

"Haruhime, you... never mind..."

Looking at the trembling fox-girl, Aisha didn't want to say anything more.

"You really aren't suited for the dungeon. You should stay with your clan from now on," she sighed.

“...Yes.” Haruhime’s voice lowered.

Aisha wanted to pat the fox-girl's head, but her hand lingered in the air for a long time before finally letting go.

"Let's go, Haruhime, we need to go back. The Loki Familia's Garden of Purity is on the twelfth floor. To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's stop here for today."

The high-ranking adventurers of the Loki Familia put a lot of pressure on Aisha and her companions, and they carefully avoided them to prevent any accidents.

Unfortunately, Haruhime's existence is the biggest secret of the Ishtar Familia. If the Loki Familia discovers this secret, the Ishtar Familia might be wiped out.

Aisha didn't want to be killed by Finn the Hero with a single spear thrust. Although she felt it would be quite satisfying to be beaten up by a handsome little dwarf, her small, level 3 body probably couldn't withstand it.

"Yes." Chunji stood up with her head down. Just then, the ground suddenly shook, causing the girl to fall to the ground unexpectedly.

"What's going on? An earthquake? This is an underground city!" Aisha's expression immediately turned grim.

"This is an [abnormal situation], Haruhime, hurry, we must leave immediately!"

An unusual situation is a sudden occurrence in a dungeon that often challenges the common sense that adventurers have built up over time.

Thanks to the guild's management and the efforts of various exploration-oriented clans, Orario not only has a thorough understanding of the upper, middle, and lower levels of the dungeon, but also compiled the terrain, monsters, and other precautions for each floor into a booklet to teach other adventurers, thus greatly reducing the death rate of adventurers.

Even so, dungeons are still full of dangers. The self-aware dungeons will bare their fangs when adventurers are careless, causing "situations that would not normally happen", such as monsters that should not appear on the floor, monsters that have abilities they should not have, etc. These situations are collectively referred to as "abnormal situations".

The ground trembled more violently, and Aisha immediately reached out to try to grab Chunji, but she was too late.

The ground where Chunji had fallen shattered, and the girl, with a look of panic on her face, plummeted down.

Of all the "abnormal events," this is the worst—a [floor collapse] and a [vertical cave] that shouldn't have occurred on this floor!

Gritting her teeth, Aisha jumped into the hole in the ground.

"Damn it, this 'pitfall' doesn't lead to the thirteenth floor, but deeper! What on earth has the underground city gone mad!"

Aisha grabbed Chunji with all her might, holding the fox-girl tightly in her arms. She turned in mid-air, landing face down.

boom--