Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

Everyone sat together in a circle. The area had just been cleared by Farr, so no new monsters would appear for a while.

Finn looked at Charles and said, "So, Charles, you've formed a contract with a spirit, just like the heroes in the stories."

Charles stroked his chin. "Though there are some differences, you could put it that way."

Finn continued, "And your ability to sense those new-type monsters—is that also thanks to the spirit?"

Charles nodded. "The power of those new types is similar to a spirit's, but completely corrupted. So the source of the new-type monsters is likely a spirit that has already fallen into monstrosity."

Finn licked his thumb, his expression turning bitter. "This just keeps getting more troublesome… A divine spirit fragment becoming corrupted—what kind of secret lies behind that?"

Charles added, "Farr can sense a particularly powerful presence on the fifty-ninth floor. Even if it's not the main body, it's definitely an avatar of the fallen spirit."

Riveria glanced worriedly at Ais, then said, "Finn, it's your call. Do we keep going?"

Finn shook his head. "No. In our current state, facing such a powerful creature would be too dangerous. According to Charles, it's no longer a spirit that aids heroes in their great feats. It's a corrupted monster now. We can't hope to negotiate. We must be prepared for battle."

Everyone fell silent, even Ais—who had been most eager to descend to the fifty-ninth floor—said nothing.

Though thanks to Charles's timely support, Bert and the Amazon sisters still had some combat power left, the three of them were far from fit for another high-intensity fight.

As for Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Ais, they were in better shape—but the bigger problem was that supplies were nearly exhausted.

Most critically, the team had brought four elixirs. Three had already been used. If they encountered another powerful enemy, it could be fatal.

Finn sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, this expedition ends here. Let's return to the fiftieth floor and regroup with the main force."

No one objected, and they all began gathering their gear to return.

Unfortunately, the hole blasted open by the cannon dragon had already been repaired, or else Farr could have flown them directly back to the fifty-fourth floor.

Still, maybe that was for the best—it gave Charles a chance to experience what regular deep-floor exploration was like.

On the fallen spirit's end, the white-haired demon, the giant flower, and many man-eating flowers and worms had all been destroyed. The dungeon also had to replenish its monster population after the monster party and repair the floor damage caused by the cannon dragon. So neither side was able to make any further moves.

The group made it back to the fiftieth floor smoothly, encountering very few monsters along the way.

Back at the base camp, everything was in order. Once the squad returned, the whole force began their withdrawal toward the surface.

Soon, the main group reached the middle floors—only to run into a swarm of Minotaurs.

Faced with this absurd timing, even Charles was at a loss for words.

In the original story, the Loki Familia had turned back at the fiftieth floor after encountering worm monsters that could corrode equipment.

But because of Charles, their actions had changed. This time, the Loki Familia had stayed in the deep floors three or four days longer than originally.

And still, the Minotaur outbreak had happened.

In the original plot, this very outbreak led to Bell's life-or-death crisis. He was saved by Ais, awakening the skill "Realis Phrase."

This time the outbreak felt even more suspicious. The sheer number of Minotaurs was enough to qualify as a monster party, seemingly triggered deliberately by the Dungeon.

Yet compared to the Loki Familia's expedition force, this level of monster party was trivial.

Why would the Dungeon create such an ultimately meaningless anomaly? Aside from Bell's protagonist aura, Charles couldn't think of any reasonable explanation.

As expected, during the Loki Familia's sweep, several Minotaurs escaped upward.

Being born of the Dungeon, monsters inherited its malice toward adventurers, making their relationship one of unending hostility.

Even someone as experienced as Finn hadn't expected the monsters to flee.

The Familia immediately sent members to hunt down the escapees. These Level 2 monsters were death incarnate to adventurers in the upper floors—none could be allowed to escape.

Watching Ais and Bert give chase, Charles couldn't understand how Minotaurs—creatures not known for speed—had managed to make it all the way up to the seventh floor under pursuit from those two.

Still, Charles had no interest in meddling in matters that didn't concern him, so he returned to the surface with the main group at a leisurely pace.

When they exited the Tower of Babel, it was midday.

The Loki Familia, of course, returned to Twilight Manor, while the blacksmiths took their share of the loot back to their forges.

Charles, having made a significant contribution to the expedition, received a hefty reward.

He exchanged his share entirely for drop items and gathered ores. Backpack full, Charles was about to head out when Finn approached him.

"We've reserved a celebration tonight at the Hostess of Fertility," Finn said. "Come join us, Charles."

Charles nodded. "Then I'll happily accept. See you tonight!"

With the time settled, Charles returned to his workshop. He had just sorted all his loot when someone knocked on the door.

Surprised—he'd only just returned—Charles wondered who it could be. It clearly wasn't Chigusa; she was never this polite.

Opening the door, he found none other than Hephaestus herself.

"Lady Hephaestus? What brings you here?"

Hephaestus stepped inside his workshop. "Zagd has briefed me on the expedition. Now tell me—just how much did you reveal to the Loki Familia?"

She had already prepared for this when negotiating with Loki about the dark factions, but after reading Zagd's report, she realized that the Loki Familia was paying special attention to Charles.

Not only had the Braver and Sword Princess acted oddly toward him, they had also included him in the elite team that explored the fifty-second floor.

Charles replied, "I had no choice. Finn is too perceptive. I don't know exactly what he's figured out, but so far, he's only seen the magic swords and Farr. Nothing more has been exposed."

Hephaestus rubbed her forehead. "Good thing it's the Loki Familia—no need to worry for now. But since you've been partially exposed, be prepared. Things might get messy in the future."

Charles nodded. "Understood. Sorry to trouble you. But leave it to me—some minor trouble won't bring me down."

Hephaestus smiled. "You really are reliable."

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