Chapter 156

In the blink of an eye, another two months had swiftly drifted by.

The chill of winter was beginning to envelop the vibrant city of Orario, replacing the warm hues of autumn with a crisp, biting air.

The Bahamut familia had made commendable progress during this time, honing their skills and pushing their limits.

Despite the constraints imposed on their growth, Draco found himself once again approaching the threshold for a level-up.

He had almost completed his first grimoire, however seemed to be stuck at the last part, his mystery skill not giving a favorable reaction.

Meanwhile, his companions were a little over the halfway mark towards their next levels.

The looming threat of assassination from unknown adversaries and the increasing activities of the Evilus within the city had compelled Draco to remain close to his familia members, especially during their dungeon explorations.

While he was confident in their abilities to handle the monsters lurking between the 13th and 16th floors, he knew that they were still young and lacked his heightened sensory capabilities.

The painful memory of losing more than half of his family weighed heavily on him, fuelling his paranoia regarding the safety of those who remained.

Though they had grown stronger, the Bahamut familia was still relatively new and small, consisting of one peak level 3 adventurer and seven mid level 2 adventurers.

It was a bittersweet reality that Draco had to face.

He had anticipated a surge of new adventurers seeking to join their familia three months prior, but the expected influx never materialized.

The lack of applications left him feeling disappointed and angry, as it seemed that external forces were suppressing their growth.

Yet, there was a part of him that felt a sense of relief.

With fewer newcomers to manage, he could focus on preparing for the impending Evilus attack that threatened their city.

It was also understandable that adventurers, both new and experienced, would hesitate to join a new familia led by a group of young children.

Their only notable achievement was their rapid level-ups, and little was known about their true capabilities, at least publicly.

Additionally, Draco's display at the guild had likely left a negative impression, making their current situation somewhat understandable.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be a deeper plot at play orchestrated by another or multiple familia’s, but without evidence, it remained a mere suspicion.

Over the past two months, Draco had also begun to covertly sell off some of the items he had obtained from the bandit fortress months earlier.

He had stashed these treasures in a secret location outside Orario to avoid suspicion when entering the city.

Now, as the need for funds grew, he had made contact with the city's black market.

This was a necessary step to ensure the safety and stability of his familia, especially after the financial strain caused by the commission he had made to Hephaestus.

Hephaestus had gone above and beyond in crafting the finest items from Draco's old horns, utilizing an array of expensive materials as enhancements.

The results were astonishing: with the unique properties and size of Draco’s horns, Hephaestus was able to create two magical items: a dagger and a spear.

The dagger was a permanent magical item, perhaps the first of its kind, crafted primarily from his horn.

The spear, however, had a limit on its uses; only the spearhead was made from his horn, while the shaft was constructed from a combination of Damascus steel and Mithril.

The dagger boasted an ability called "Echo Strike," which allowed it to create a delayed duplicate of any attack made by the user.

While the spear possessed the ability known as "Elemental Shift," enabling it to change elemental damage types based on the enemy's weaknesses.

However, it could only switch between the four basic elements.

These newly forged items exceeded Draco’s expectations, yet their immense value posed a dilemma.

The dagger and spear were far too precious for the current Bahamut familia, leading him to decide to keep them hidden until their true need arose.

The price tag of over 60 million Valis nearly made him keel over; even with Hephaestus’s generous discount, the sum was staggering.

In hindsight, he slightly regretted not accepting the items for free, but he justified the expense as a necessary investment in a relationship with one of the greatest smithing goddesses in Orario.

……………………………………………….

“Draco nii, do we really have to go deeper now?” Michalis complained, his voice tinged with reluctance.

Michalis wasn’t the only one who felt like this.

They had just gotten comfortable in farming the 13th through 16th floors, yet Draco was about to put them through hell on the deeper floors.

“Yes, you all have been having it way too easy for a while now,” Draco replied.

Currently, the Bahamut Familia was making their way to the 19th floor of the dungeon.

Draco had been putting off this descent for some time, worried about the current state of the 18th floor and it’s inhabitants.

The 18th floor was home to a city called Rivira, a popular stop for adventurers wanting to descend deeper into the dungeon.

Where many adventurers gathered, trouble was sure to follow, however this wasn’t his biggest concern.

When he had scouted ahead weeks earlier, Draco had noticed an increase in the number of shady dealings and conflict on the 18th floor.

Casualties from the 19th floor down was weirdly increasing, putting Draco on edge.

There was something brewing, and Draco believed that it had something to do with the evilus.

Even though he was strong, Draco wasn’t confident in his ability to protect his familia from any group of level 5 adventurers or above.

He understood that the rapid progress of the Bahamut Familia irritated various forces, and he was certain that the evilus was no exception.

Thus, he had to make preparations.

During the months since his last level-up, Draco had discovered another significant flaw in his "Raging Ascension" skill.

It only boosted his current stats by a percentage rather than scaling with his level.

For instance, if his strength stat was 300, the first stage of the skill, which provided a 50% boost, would only increase his stats by 50% of 300—a mere 150.

This meant that the lower his stats were for each level, the smaller the boost provided by the skill.

To utilize the skill at its maximum potential, he needed to wait until his stats approached the limit of his current level, but that came with its own set of complications.

Nonetheless, it remained a useful trump card in dire situations.

Before long, the Bahamut Familia arrived at the 17th floor, which was characterized by a vast room.

To the left stood a colossal wall known as the Wall of Grief, the spawning ground for the monster Rex, Goliath.

The sight was rather intimidating, as one could easily imagine the size and strength of the Goliath simply by looking at the wall.

“Draco nii, are you sure it won’t spawn?” Eleni asked, stepping closer to him, her voice tinged with concern.

“It won’t, not for another two weeks. Even if it did spawn, I can handle it,” Draco reassured her, trying to instill confidence in his familia.

“Scaredy cat,” Michalis muttered, only to receive a swift smack to the head from Eleni.

“What did you do that for?” Michalis complained, rubbing his head, but Eleni ignored him, her focus solely on Draco.

Draco sighed inwardly, wishing Michalis could just act normal sometimes.

He felt slightly relieved that he hadn’t given Michalis the magic dagger yet.

Clair, observing the exchange, shook her head, lost in thought about something.

In a few minutes, the Bahamut Familia reached the entrance leading to the 18th floor, and as they entered, they were captivated by the surreal sight before them………