"Careful! Ahead is the floor boss' chamber. Everyone, take out your weapons!"
The people from Rivira quickly drew their weapons and advanced cautiously toward the seventeenth floor. Once they passed through that opening, they would see the floor boss' room.
"So bright..."
The adventurers of Rivira normally operated on the eighteenth floor, while Goliath resided on the seventeenth—separated by only a single wall.
As merchants and long-time residents of Rivira, they could be said to know Goliath better than anyone in Orario.
Promising adventurers continuously improved their ability values. Once they reached a certain level of strength, their focus shifted to deeper floors.
Thus, although Goliath was a floor boss, it never truly entered the sights of the strongest elites.
The people of Rivira were neither especially strong nor especially weak. But there was one crucial point.
Almost everyone here had defeated Goliath at least once. Some seasoned adventurers had even slain it more than thirty times.
They were incomparably familiar with this giant floor boss.
Yet the disturbance that had come from the seventeenth floor earlier was something they had never experienced before.
What did that mean?
Had some kind of abnormal change occurred within the Dungeon?
If this issue were not resolved, it would become a major problem for Rivira's future development.
So no matter how dangerous this operation might be, they had to come. Otherwise, if they could not even return to Orario, they would simply die within the Dungeon.
Finally, when everyone stepped into the light, they were at last able to see what lay before them...
It was a "beautiful sight" they had never witnessed in all their years of exploring the Dungeon.
The Great Wailing Wall of the seventeenth floor lay shattered, rubble scattered across the ground. Yet the destruction did nothing to diminish its brilliance. It remained dazzling and multicolored.
Light from within the walls refracted through the broken stones, illuminating the entire seventeenth floor in prismatic radiance.
Though undeniably beautiful, that was not the true focus.
The true focus was the enormous crater in the ground.
At the center of the pit lay a massive magic stone. Under the surrounding rainbow glow, it appeared exceptionally resplendent. Faintly, an indistinct golden fluctuation pulsed from around it.
This must have been what the floor boss Goliath left behind.
Since the magic stone was already visible, then the one who defeated the floor boss... was here.
Above the magic stone stood a white-clad figure, her back facing the adventurers.
Who was she?
For a moment, whether adventurers or Rivira's merchants, all found themselves pondering her identity.
Was there some famous female adventurer in Orario capable of defeating a floor boss alone?
And not only that—defeating it while preserving its magic stone intact?
Even the people of Rivira, when challenging a floor boss, had to choose to shatter the magic stone as a condition for victory. Otherwise, they simply could not win.
If the magic stone could be preserved, who would remain merchants in Rivira? They would have long since returned to Orario to enjoy a comfortable life.
To kill a floor boss without damaging its magic stone was no feat an ordinary adventurer could accomplish.
Unless it was a member of one of the great familias—such as the two rising powers that drove out the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia three years ago—
The Loki Familia and the Freya Familia.
Yet none of them had ever heard of such a person within those two groups.
That made things strange.
Could she be some hidden trump card of a certain familia?
Or perhaps a newly arrived powerhouse from outside Orario?
"Wait! I remember now!"
Suddenly, one adventurer's voice shattered the silence, drawing everyone's gaze.
"That book! Don't you remember it? The Saintess Who Saved the Kingdom!"
"It was said that the Saintess in that story possessed the power to crush ancient monster hordes! And judging by the timing, she arrived in Orario only recently!"
"It has to be her!"
His excited voice reached everyone present, and the white figure kneeling atop the magic stone slowly lifted her head.
"Now that you mention it, I remember too!"
"That saintess seems to be a member of the Astraea Familia! They say she only received the gods' blessing a few days ago. Even counting from when she arrived in Orario, it couldn't have been more than ten days!"
"So you're saying... an adventurer who received the gods' blessing less than ten days ago managed to kill Goliath while preserving its magic stone? Are you joking?"
"And judging from her appearance, she doesn't look like she—"
Like she had taken any damage at all.
Yes. After slaying Goliath, Elise's clothes remained perfectly neat and unblemished. That alone was deeply thought-provoking.
"Is someone there behind me?"
A clear, ethereal voice drifted into the adventurers' ears. Instantly, they fell silent and turned toward the white-clad woman standing upon the massive magic stone.
As she slightly turned her head, they finally saw her face clearly.
Fair, flawless skin. Golden hair cascading down her back. A figure beyond reproach.
Under the prismatic glow, her beauty became even more captivating.
It lent her an air of sacred elegance.
"So beautiful..."
"With that face, she could rival the gods themselves..."
"She really is the Saintess from the rumors!"
Countless thoughts surged through their minds—some good, some ill.
But in the next moment, every thought was cut short as the radiant saintess spoke again.
"I'm sorry. I seem to have made quite a mess of this place... but the Dungeon will repair itself afterward, won't it?"
"Ah, yes... it does repair itself..." one adventurer replied hesitantly.
"I see? That's wonderful!"
"Thank you!"
At that instant, the Saintess revealed a gentle smile. Warmth flooded the hearts of every adventurer present.
Scales of Judgment!
All of you here—regardless of your good or evil—become good.
"What a strange feeling... I feel like I've grown stronger?"
"Yes, just looking at that saintess makes me feel invincible!"
"She is both powerful and beautiful!"
Just then, a sudden breeze arose from nowhere, lifting the Saintess' golden hair. Countless motes of golden light drifted from her body, intertwining with the surrounding rainbow glow to form yet another breathtaking scene.
But the adventurers were no longer paying attention to that.
They stared blankly at the golden figure before them, utterly transfixed.
The wind blew away the Saintess' blindfold, revealing features sculpted as if by a master craftsman.
Though her eyes remained closed, her beauty was undeniable.
A beauty that seemed both human... and divine.