Danmachi: Strongest Familia

Although it was Tiona's first time acting as a supporter, she already felt herself becoming fond of the thrill of picking up treasures wherever she went.

"It's all money!" she thought excitedly.

"Alright, let's leave the treasures for later," Riveria said, gently dissuading Tiona. "We'll pack them up when we return. Carrying them now would be too inconvenient."

Tiona let out a small sigh, reluctantly putting down the materials in her hands. She then found a corner and carefully stacked them together.

She silently committed the location to memory, making sure not to forget to bring everything back when they returned.

"Check your equipment! Get ready to enter the 59th floor!" Riveria called out.

Despite the brief rest, they were still on the 58th floor, and the strength of the refreshed monsters here was considerable. It wasn't a good place to linger for long.

Riveria quickly took charge again, directing the group as they prepared to move forward.

As soon as they entered the passage leading to the 59th floor, what greeted them was a vast, green expanse. Tall trees stretched high into the sky, blocking out the sunlight. 

"It looks like a dense forest," Riveria thought, her brow furrowing. "This isn't what we expected…"

The promised glacier field had turned into a thick, sprawling forest instead.

The huge shrubs and dense foliage made it difficult for the group to see clearly. Their field of vision was very limited, and every corner seemed like a perfect hiding spot for enemies.

"Akali—find the path ahead!" Riveria ordered, signaling the team to slow down. She then discreetly ordered Akali to scout.

If it weren't for the risk of alarming any enemies, Riveria might have considered setting fire to the dense undergrowth to clear the way.

"Be cautious, watch your surroundings," she reminded them. 

The path they walked on now seemed strangely well-maintained—there was a narrow but distinct route that could accommodate the team. Who had left this trail, and for whom?

"When did the dungeon become so… considerate?" Riveria mused.

"Ahead of us are insect monsters," Akali reported after a short while.

Akali returned to the group after scouting the area. Leading them, she quickly guided the team to a large group of insects slowly wriggling across the ground.

The sight was truly horrific—there seemed to be an endless number of them, more than they had encountered during their invasion of the 50th floor.

The insects appeared to be moving in a coordinated manner, all heading in the same direction, seemingly drawn by some sort of calling.

Even when Riveria and the others drew near, the insects didn't turn to look at them. It was a strange behavior, different from any other monster they had encountered.

Sett moved forward cautiously, grabbing one of the insects and, with a forceful rip, tore it in half. To his surprise, the rest of the swarm continued moving forward, completely ignoring the fate of their fallen companion.

"Aren't they going to resist?" Sett muttered in disgust, though the absence of blood was thanks to Riveria's protective magic.

"We should deal with some of them now, to avoid getting splashed with their blood," Riveria decided quickly. 

Though these creatures weren't fighting back, they were still monsters, and it was better to control their numbers before they reached deeper into the 59th floor.

"Since something is guiding them, there could be a boss waiting for us deeper in the floor."

With Riveria's orders, the others sprang into action, carefully eliminating the monsters from the central area.

Everyone worked with caution, mindful of their safety. If they could fight without weapons, they did so.

Soon, the entire swarm of insect monsters was divided and dispatched by the group. The air was filled with the scent of magic as the insect bodies dissipated into smoke.

But there were simply too many insects. Despite their efforts, a large number of them managed to escape through the temporary defenses they had set up.

"The harbinger of the end, the white snow. Facing the twilight hour, wind up the closed light, the frozen earth blows snow all over the sky, three severe winters—my name is Alf," Riveria chanted as she cast her spell.

The monsters in the front were instantly turned into ice sculptures, frozen in place. The swarm's advance was momentarily halted, but the insects quickly adapted, crawling over the frozen bodies of their fallen comrades.

Their response was fast—almost like they were stacking their bodies to break through the ice.

However, what truly made Riveria and the others uneasy was what came next: behind the massive swarm, more insects were emerging, seemingly endless in number.

It felt as if the cleaning process had only just begun.

"How long is this line?" Riveria wondered, as the insects charged forward in droves, as if they were on a relentless march.

Akali, who had been tasked with estimating the number of monsters, hadn't returned yet, leaving the group in suspense.

Meanwhile, in a hidden part of the dungeon, a group of cloaked individuals, their faces obscured by masks, gathered around a screen displaying the video feed of Riveria's team battling the swarm.

"Where do these intruders come from?" one of them asked.

"It's the adventurer from Sol's familia. I heard they've started their expedition, but I didn't expect them to reach the 59th floor," another replied.

"Those Loki familia members wiped out Balor. What should we do about this?" a third one asked.

"Simple. We eliminate them. They're interfering with our plans."

"Don't be foolish. This team is strong—they won't be easily defeated in combat," a more cautious voice warned.

"We need to keep that thing hidden. She's not strong enough yet, and if Sol's familia finds out, there will be consequences."

"Let's do this instead. Let Sol's familia play with those bugs for a while," one suggested with a wicked grin.

"Haha, there are enough bugs here to keep them busy."

The group quickly reached a consensus, eagerly watching the screen, as if anticipating something.

Meanwhile, Riveria's team continued their fight on the 59th floor, unaware of the danger lurking behind the scenes.

But they soon realized that the insects they had been facing began to fight back fiercely. It was as if they had gone mad, wildly destroying everything in their path.

Despite being a high-level team, Riveria and the others weren't caught off guard by the sudden shift. However, the previously orderly swarm of insects had quickly descended into chaos.

Countless bugs began flooding out from behind, and Riveria was now fully aware of the scale of the infestation.

There were too many to count!