Once inside the Dungeon, the executives of the Freya Familia demonstrated the terrifying efficiency of what it meant to be the "pinnacle of Orario."
They sprinted through the labyrinth in a manner that practically ignored all terrain and obstacles.
The scenery blurred past them, dissolving into streaks of light.
Leading the charge was the Fastest in the City, Allen Fromel.
He moved like a bolt of black lightning. Any blind monster blocking their path, be it a Goblin or an Orc, was skewered by his spear before it could even utter a cry of pain, exploding into scattering black ash and clattering magic stones.
Those monsters couldn't even catch a glimpse of their enemy's shadow before their lives were brutally extinguished.
Occasionally, they brushed past adventurer parties exploring the upper floors.
Those adventurers only felt a violent gust of wind that nearly blew them off their feet roar past them, followed by absolutely nothing.
"Wh-What was that? Wind?"
"I don't know... but since when does the Dungeon have winds this strong?"
This was the unbridgeable chasm between top-tier adventurers and the rest.
They couldn't even track their movement trajectories, chalking it up instead to some incomprehensible, bizarre phenomenon.
And Aiden, despite having the lowest level at Lv.4, was quietly shocking the Freya Familia executives with his performance.
His speed was barely lagging behind these Lv.6 First-Class Adventurers.
While there was still a gap between him and Allen's inhuman velocity, he kept pace with the overall group effortlessly.
This prompted Hedin's gaze, hidden behind his lenses, to linger on him for a few extra seconds without giving anything away.
Hogni, who had been silently keeping an eye on him, had initially worried that his newly dubbed "Ally" wouldn't be able to keep up and deliberately hung back half a pace, ready to lend a hand at any moment.
But upon realizing that Aiden was not only keeping up but breathing evenly and moving with ease, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.
He cared a great deal about this new friend who could actually understand his words.
Without wasting much time, this elite squad smashed through every obstacle with overwhelming momentum, arriving at the 17th Floor.
However, the moment they entered the cavernous expanse of the 17th Floor, a familiar cacophony of battle and roaring washed over them.
They realized that the area was... unusually lively.
The Floor Boss of the 17th Floor, the massive giant standing over seven meters tall—"Goliath"—was locked in fierce combat with a group of adventurers.
When Aiden got a clear look at the adventurers, the knot of anxiety that had been tight in his chest finally loosened a fraction.
Thank goodness... Lefiya was safe.
Amidst the bloodied, fighting figures, he spotted Raul, Anakitty, Alicia, and that adorable elf girl.
He had been worried sick that the Loki Familia, having faced "Childe" and that imposter "Aiden," had suffered irreversible casualties.
If anyone he knew, like Lefiya, Ais, or Tiona, had been hurt, he would have been devastated.
At present, the battlefield was locked in a stalemate.
A group of adventurers led by Raul and Anakitty were desperately holding the front line, engaged in a bitter struggle with the Goliath.
Behind them, mages like Lefiya and Alicia were frantically chanting.
Dazzling magic circles unfurled before them, firing potent magical bombardments that relentlessly blasted blooms of fire and frost against Goliath's rock-hard body.
Normally, the Loki Familia's second-string team, even if understaffed, could subjugate the Goliath with relative ease.
But right now, every single one of them was injured, far from their peak condition.
Though they had consumed massive amounts of precious Elixirs during their retreat, it had merely saved their lives and restored basic mobility.
Their physical stamina and mental energy were severely depleted.
In their desperate rush to quickly slay the Floor Boss blocking their path and return to the surface for help, their haste had trapped them in a grueling deadlock.
Just then, the Loki Familia member designated to keep watch on the perimeter of the battlefield, the girl known as Clown's Grimoire, Elfy Colette, was the first to spot Aiden's group emerging from the tunnel.
The instant she saw Aiden's face, her pupils contracted violently. She let out a terrified scream, instinctively raising her staff.
But she quickly caught herself.
The Aiden standing before her didn't possess that spine-chilling, murderous intent.
More importantly, the figures standing beside him... were incredibly familiar to her.
They were the executives of the Freya Familia—the Warlord, the Chariot, and the legendary White and Black Knights.
Hearing Elfy's short, sharp scream, Lefiya and the other mages in the rear immediately turned their heads toward the tunnel entrance.
And then, they too saw Aiden and his group arrive.
"The Freya Familia... and... Flamescion?"
Alicia's expression twisted into a knot of complex emotions.
Seeing Aiden's face inevitably forced her to recall the terrifying "Aiden" who had slaughtered their comrades like a demon god down on the 27th Floor.
That bone-deep terror made the hand gripping her staff tremble.
At the front of the battlefield, Raul seized an opening in Goliath's attack, executed a nimble roll, and arrived at the giant's left foot.
The longsword in his hand carved a precise arc, viciously slashing into Goliath's ankle joint.
Squish! A massive amount of blood sprayed out. Goliath unleashed a roar of agony, stumbled, and dropped to one knee.
The rest of the Loki Familia instantly seized the opportunity. They swarmed the giant, unleashing a barrage of attacks onto its temporarily immobilized, massive frame, inflicting tremendous damage.
Raul used the opening to disengage. He sprinted a few steps back to the rear, his eyes locking grimly onto Aiden's group, his expression shifting rapidly.
Their mission was to return to the surface and call for backup, even if it cost them their lives.
And in his judgment, the only force in all of Orario with the capability to rescue their captain and the others was the Freya Familia.
Yet now, before they even reached the surface, before they even found Loki, they had directly run into the highest executives of the Freya Familia and the Focalors Familia's Flamescion.
Was this... a coincidence? Or...
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