Chapter 21 - Slaying Goliath

Dungeon – Floor 18.

Somewhere in a corridor that leads to the upper levels...

Two Level 2 adventurers, carrying supplies on their backs, were on their way back.

One of them, a spiky-haired man, asked while walking,

"Miss Alicia... regarding the day-after-tomorrow's expedition, do you think any strong Familia will be joining us?"

This man—

Named Raul Nord, a plain-looking human with nothing particularly outstanding about him.

He was a Level 4 adventurer with the alias [Exceptional Commoner],

And a member of the Loki Familia.

"Hmm..."

The beautiful Alicia lightly shook her head.

"I'm not too sure either."

"But Lady Riveria issued the quest herself. I imagine some will take it."

Alicia Forestlight, a Level 4 elf with the alias [Pure Garden],

Brown hair and eyes, elegant figure, and a gentle demeanor like an older sister. She's 25 years old.

She also had impressive... proportions, and deeply admired the vice-captain, the [Nine Demon Princess] – Riveria.

As the two conversed—

Suddenly, the walls around them began to crumble, and twenty or thirty Minotaurs emerged with fierce momentum.

"GRRRAAAAA—!!"

"RAAAARR—!!"

The entire group of Minotaurs roared together.

Alicia immediately grew alert and drew her sword—the [Mage's Sharpblade].

At the same time, Raul also unsheathed his [High-Grade Luso Sword].

Exchanging a brief glance, the two charged forward with fearless resolve.

Meanwhile, on another path...

Alfia led Raven Eltharion effortlessly into a large rectangular chamber.

This place was different from the oddly-shaped caverns they'd seen before.

All around were neatly-placed square stone blocks.

But what stood out the most...

Was the left-side wall.

It looked polished to perfection—completely smooth with no bumps or joints—

Almost like a crystal-clear pane of glass.

It stretched from one end of the chamber to the other, dominating their entire field of view.

This was—

The Wall of Sighs, a unique structure found only on Floor 17.

From within this wall, only one monster would spawn:

The Floor Boss — the [Labyrinth Lone King] Goliath!

It's different from the Black Goliath, which is a powered-up version—

The standard Goliath was still extremely dangerous, but relatively weaker.

"So that's the Level 4 Goliath?"

Raven gazed at the massive figure behind the wall.

"If I can defeat it… I should be able to max out my experience, right?"

At present, his trained stats were nearly all maxed out.

But...

No matter how many monsters [Silence] killed—

His stats would always fall just short of full.

It was like something was deliberately holding back that last sliver.

Alfia calmly explained,

"Maybe that final push… is something you must accomplish yourself."

"So—what do you say?"

"Even while I'm summoned, can you defeat Goliath on your own?"

Raven gulped, then said,

"If it's just Level 4… yeah, I think I can."

He thought of his built-in passive, Shinra Tensei's Repulsion Shield,

And confidence surged through his voice.

A small, satisfied smile curved on Alfia's lips.

"Then go," she said softly.

"I'll stay hidden and awaken your potential from the shadows."

As soon as she said it, her body flickered—

And when Raven turned his head—

Alfia had already vanished without a trace.

Not even the sound of her departure was left behind.

Absolutely insane!

As expected of someone called [Silence]—not even the faintest noise remained…

Crack—!

Suddenly, a sound like glass breaking echoed into Raven's ears.

The crystalline surface of the wall began to crack—

A massive, thunderbolt-shaped fracture appeared.

Now wasn't the time to wonder where [Silence] went to observe from—

What mattered most…

Was taking down the boss—Goliath!

"It's coming!"

Raven's eyes lit up with fighting spirit.

He gripped his staff tightly and assumed a battle stance.

The cracking sound from the wall grew louder—

That noise—

Gradually turned into deep, heavy breathing, groaning, and sighing, shaking the entire chamber.

Then with a thunderous boom—

The Wall of Sighs shattered completely!

Crystalline shards burst outward and slammed into every corner of the room.

One shard even hurtled straight at Raven—

But was instantly repelled by a golden magic shield—his passive protection.

Then—

The giant Goliath, humanoid in appearance with gray-brown skin and a height of 7 meters,

Finally revealed its terrifying figure!

"RRRROOOOOOAAAAAHHH!!"

Goliath roared with ferocity.

Raven shouted back, "Come on! Hit me!"

Goliath didn't hesitate—

It raised its giant warhammer and smashed downward with devastating force.

But instead of becoming a blood pancake—

The massive weapon froze midair, exactly 30 centimeters above Raven's head.

No matter how much strength Goliath used—

It couldn't pierce his Repulsion Barrier.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A terrifying blast of repulsive force exploded outward from Raven.

The range was limited—

He was still too low-leveled to unleash a full-scale Super Shinra Tensei.

But the arm holding the hammer—

Was instantly disintegrated.

"ROOOAAAAARRRR!!"

Goliath stumbled back, howling in pain.

Without the Black Goliath's super regeneration—

It couldn't restore its arm.

For now, Goliath hesitated to attack again.

But without incoming attacks, Raven's passive shield couldn't counter either.

Just as he was thinking about how to bring it down—

[Silence] – Alfia reappeared behind him—

Holding an unconscious elven female adventurer.

On the ground beside her was a collapsed man.

Alfia gave him a silent look and said,

"Touch the elf. Let's see if it triggers your skill."

"Alright…"

Raven didn't hesitate.

He reached out and gently touched Alicia's cheek.

Suddenly—

His skill [Sanctum of Sacred Sorcery] activated—6th Passive Unlocked!

In that instant, Raven froze—

His blood felt like it ignited, boiling with power.

His whole being entered a state of ascension.

An immense buff effect covered him in a soft golden glow.

He had now reached Level 2!

The effect would last for 15 minutes.

Now fully powered up—he could finally cast offensive magic!

Raven raised his staff, focused his mind, and began chanting a time-based spell.

The staff surged with an incredibly radiant cobalt-blue light.

"—With the sigh of eternal earthfire, unseal the ice-bound gates."

"—From the origin of void to the end of chaos, follow the vow passed since ancient times."

Halfway through the incantation—

Two cobalt-blue clockwork magic circles appeared above and beneath Goliath.

Tick—

Tick—

Tick—

Mechanical clock-ticking sounds echoed louder and louder.

"—Defy the unchanging destiny of the stars, sever the chains of illusory fate."

"—Open the gate between truth and illusion. Traverse past and future, bend the moment into eternity."

"—Chrono Extinction!"

As the ultra-long incantation concluded—

Goliath was frozen in time.

Its entire body stiffened—

Its last expression locked in that final second.

Then—

A beam of pure energy like a blue diamond descended from the upper magic circle.

The sheer power of the attack made the entire floor tremble violently.

Ripples of time energy spread out visibly in concentric rings.

Goliath's enormous body—

Disintegrated completely into nothing.

When the magic faded—

Only a giant magic stone and a single bone fragment remained.