floor 18

Do you guys have any good books I should read? I need a source of inspiration and at a dead end

~~

- Xian's POV - 

The Goliath roared in pain from my strike, casting a glare filled with hatred in my direction.

"ROAR!" The Goliath launched a retaliatory strike, but I effortlessly leaped over it, landing on his arm. Swiftly, I dashed toward his shoulder, extending my ice blade and slashing his neck with precision, decapitating him with ease.

Gracefully descending, I observed the towering Goliath collapse to the floor, slowly disintegrating and leaving behind a giant magic stone. I redirected my attention toward Bell, who gazed at me with surprise.

"Bell, there is a thin line between bravery and recklessness. Taking on an opponent three times your strength is plain idiocy," I remarked and then turned to face the rescue team. Hestia rushed towards Bell with worried eyes, while the others checked on Bell's team for any injuries.

"Goddess Hestia! What are you doing here? And Ryuu?!" Bell reacted with surprise as many familiar faces descended.

"What?! Do you think disappearing on us for two days won't make us worry about you? I was worried sick when I heard the news of what happened," Hestia cried as she hugged Bell.

"Huh, news?" He finally took notice of three people he remembered, the one who passed paraded him and the one who caused all of them to resort to going down.

-

Arriving on the 18th floor, the environment seemed a far cry from the top, with a lush forest covering the entire floor and a giant tree towering in the middle. However, my attention was diverted as my senses picked up on someone familiar.

"Xian, where are you going?" Ignoring the confusion of my party, I walked toward the source of familiarity. Asfi questioned my actions, but I paid no heed and eventually came across Ais, who was wandering through the forest. She noticed my presence and looked surprised.

"Greetings, Ais. It seems our meeting is a bit unexpected for you," I greeted her, sensing my team following behind.

"Why are you here?" Ais inquired.

"Bell disappeared into the dungeon two days ago, so a rescue team was dispatched by Bell's goddess, and I am one of the members," I explained. Ais shifted her attention towards my team.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked, gesturing towards the back. "If not, you can temporarily recover at my familia's camp."

"Thank you for the offer, but we will be staying in the town," Asfi rejected the offer, and Ais was slightly sad but hid it well to not show.

"I will take the offer. It seems Ais has something to talk about with me," I intervened, surprising Asfi.

"Alright, we can split up. If you want to meet with us after you're done, just go to the giant tree, and there will be a town at the base," Asfi explained and departed with the rest of the team, leaving me and Ais alone.

"So, what do you want to inquire?" I turned my attention toward Ais, who was quietly staring at me. After a short silence, she opened her mouth.

"What level are you?" She asked the question she wondered for the longest.

"Level 1," I stated, surprising Ais, but her expression turned into a frown.

"Don't joke," She said with a frown.

"I did not jest. My level is truly level 1," I shrugged my shoulders as Ais's expression turned into a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Then, how are you so strong?"

"You think relying on a god's blessing is the only way to get strong, right? But you are truly mistaken. The human body is quite an intricate tool. Break the bones and muscles, and they will regrow and become tougher, but there is a limit to that. I overcame such limit on my own." An image of Kirion flashed into my mind, a curse in the guise of a boon who craved strength.

Ais thought about my words for a minute but came to a dead end, not able to figure out how I got stronger.

"Nevertheless, I would like to discuss something with your familia's captain," I said, and Ais nodded, leading me back to her camp where several giant tents were placed. We entered one of the tents, revealing three figures in the middle of a discussion—Riveria, Gareth, and Finn.

They all stopped and saw us entering. Finn was the first to greet, "Ais, it seems you brought a guest," turning his attention toward me.

"Welcome, what brought you here into our camp Xian?" Finn asked as Ais quietly walked to their side

"I would like to know something about the dungeon," I stated, intriguing Finn and the rest.

"Oh, what do you want to know?"

"Could you provide me information about an isolated floor in which there will be no adventurer and is big enough for monsters to spawn in hordes?" I listed out my requirements.

"A floor that spawns monsters in hordes and is very isolated from any adventurers," Finn thought for a second and replied, "Well, with that kind of requirement, you can just go deep enough so that fewer adventurers can come across you. But there won't be a guarantee that you won't run into any, because big Familias send out deep expeditions often," Finn explained.

"But I'm curious, why do you need to be isolated?" Finn inquired.

"It would be kind of you not to pry further," I said firmly.

"Alright, I won't pry, but I recommend not going deeper. You need rations and equipment to explore further," Finn cautioned.

~~

It's hard to make a chapter that is simultaneously not boring and still makes sense to read