Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse

"Floating Crystals—frontline, brace for defense!"

Following Finn's command, the vanguard quickly formed up, intercepting the monster's attacks.

After spending a night resting on the 18th floor, the expedition party resumed their journey and soon entered the lower levels—reaching the 27th floor, the deepest Charles had ever gone.

He had already encountered most of the monsters here before. Floating Crystals that could fire beams of light, half-merfolk wielding natural weapons—they all appeared in succession.

There had even been a pack of Flash Swallows, monsters boasting the highest speed among lower-floor enemies, darting like bullets when at full speed.

But for the Loki Familia, whose goal was the unknown depths beyond the 59th floor, these were no more than minor inconveniences.

What surprised Charles, however, was that as soon as they entered the Water Labyrinth, Ais suddenly tensed up.

The Sword Princess—Ais Wallenstein, a genius who reached Level 2 at the age of eight, the brightest star in the Loki Familia and all of Orario—was afraid of water.

Charles watched her deliberately keep her distance from the edges of the water, and couldn't help finding it amusing. This doll-like girl finally showed a human emotion.

Soon, the expedition broke through the Water Labyrinth and Ais returned to normal.

Finally, they passed the 36th floor and entered the deep levels. Here, all Loki Familia expedition teams merged.

Finn went to coordinate with Riveria and Gareth to confirm personnel and inventory, while the others began setting up camp.

Camping in the deep levels was dangerous, but rest was necessary for further progress.

Fortunately, adventurers had discovered a certain pattern in the dungeon's behavior.

The dungeon had a self-repair mechanism, and it prioritized repairing damage over spawning monsters. So as long as someone kept damaging the dungeon walls, monster generation could be suppressed.

To ensure everyone got some rest, night watch duties were divided into rotating shifts, with members from both Familias.

Charles drew the first watch—and he strongly suspected Finn had rigged the draw, since he ended up paired with Ais.

The two of them sat beside a magic stone lamp. With no one else around, Ais's constant staring made Charles even more uncomfortable.

Just as he was starting to get overwhelmed by the awkward atmosphere, Ais suddenly spoke. "Why?"

Charles blinked, caught off guard by her abrupt question.

"Why aren't you afraid, even though it's your first time in the deep levels?"

In the original story, Ais hadn't even dared to tell Bell the truth about the deep floors—only saying "you'll understand when you see it."

To Ais—and indeed to all adventurers who had set foot here—the deep levels were like hell itself: dangerous and merciless.

Even seasoned explorers couldn't shake the sense of dread each time they returned.

But Charles was different. Ais hadn't sensed even a hint of fear from him.

Why was he so calm? Why didn't he tremble with terror like others? She desperately wanted to know.

But it wasn't an easy question to answer.

Charles's calmness came from confidence in his own strength—this level of threat simply wasn't enough to scare him.

But he couldn't just say that. He was still posing as a rookie adventurer. Where would such confidence come from?

Just as he was struggling to come up with a proper answer, he noticed a wall nearby beginning to self-repair.

Grabbing a pickaxe, he said, "Later. I need to take care of the watch."

He walked over and began tapping rhythmically at the wall, disrupting its healing process.

He didn't need to turn around to feel the distinct shift in Ais's gaze—now tinged with… frustration?

After enduring the oppressive tension, Charles finally made it to the end of his shift and practically fled back to his tent.

The next day, the expedition resumed. With danger all around, Ais reverted to her usual professionalism and kept her attention on their surroundings instead of Charles.

Which was a relief—compared to the deep floors' monsters, Ais's persistence was far more exhausting.

But Charles was amazed. The resources in the deep levels were far richer than he'd imagined.

The obsidian fragments dropped by Obsidian Soldiers were ideal materials for anti-magic gear. Great stuff.

The pelts of Wolf-Faced Men made excellent armor. Good stuff.

The hide of Bone Rams—rumored to be useful for stealth gear, though they required the "Mystery" development ability to utilize—was still good stuff!

And it wasn't just monster drops. Along the way, Charles also spotted many rare ores.

They found several pieces of Adamantite Ore—rare even in the lower levels.

Charles even discovered a vein of White Holy Stone and managed to extract a decent chunk.

This material was excellent at channeling magic power and ideal for crafting staff shafts.

Lefiya's staff, Forest's Teardrop, was made from White Holy Stone and embedded with the Millennial Tree's Dewdrop. It wasn't quite on par with the Five Supreme Staves, but it was still top-class.

By the way, rumor had it that Riveria's noble family had stairs made entirely from White Holy Stone—sheer extravagance.

This was what an expedition meant: great risk and even greater reward. The spoils from a single expedition were beyond the imagination of most adventurers.

And so the party made their way to the 50th floor.

The 50th was one of the rare safe zones. After reaching it, Finn decided to rest before pressing deeper.

Charles got to work repairing the Loki Familia's gear.

Of course, Ais resumed her old habit—glaring at him as if trying to decipher all his secrets.

At that moment, a silver-clad werewolf boy walked over and stepped onto Charles's anvil, planting a boot on the longsword Charles was polishing.

"Hey, you damn scrub—what makes you worthy of Ais's attention?"

Charles released the sword and sat up, calmly looking at the werewolf.

Bete Loga, the Fierce Wolf.

Charles already knew from the original story that beneath Bete's abrasive nature lay some decency—but seeing him in person, he found the guy just as unpleasant.

This was the same idiot who'd nearly caused internal conflict in the Familia with his big mouth.

Watching the werewolf's fur stand on end, Charles said blandly, "So… you're picking a fight because you're jealous?"

It was obvious that Bete had a thing for Ais. But picking a fight over it? That was just pathetic.

"The hell did you say?!"

Bete, never one to control his temper, lunged forward and grabbed Charles by the collar.

Even Ais was caught off guard—she'd never expected Bete to actually get physical. She stepped forward, but Charles raised a hand to stop her.

"Fierce Wolf, right? Let me give you some advice—think carefully before you speak or act."

Bete opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly froze.

He saw Charles's pupils shift—becoming vertical slits—burning with something like fire.

The words died in his throat. Even when Charles peeled his hand away, he didn't resist.

Several seconds passed before Bete snapped out of it, his whole body trembling with shame and anger.

To him, being cowed by some no-name nobody was the ultimate humiliation.

He was about to explode—

—but before he could, Charles turned away, his face growing serious.

"Ais. Go notify Finn. Something dangerous is coming."

Without waiting for a response—nor giving Bete the chance to mouth off—Charles rushed in the direction he'd sensed the threat.

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