Anime: Passive Inheritance System

A shower of light filled the space. Beautiful, yet something about it unsettled Kai.

This development had completely diverged from the original plot. It was disturbing.

Was something about to happen? Or was he just being paranoid?

"Kai-kun!"

Just as Kai stood deep in thought, Hestia burst from the crowd and leapt into his arms.

"Uh... Lady Hestia?"

Seeing her rubbing against his chest affectionately, Kai stiffened awkwardly. As a loner otaku in his twenties, he was tempted to return the hug and feel the warmth of a goddess. But with everyone watching, and her being his patron deity, he hesitated, hands frozen mid-air.

"That was amazing, Kai-kun! Even I was scared!"

Hestia clung to him tightly, rubbing her head against his chest with admiration.

"That thing just now...?"

"You know, the 'whoosh—bang bang bang, boom' thing! It was incredible!"

Hearing her sound effects, Kai couldn't help but smile. He raised a hand to pat her head like a child, about to say something—when suddenly...

Crack—

A familiar breaking sound came from above.

"Huh...?"

As it echoed, the ground began to tremble.

Not just the ground—the entire eighteenth floor was shaking, groaning... as if the massive dungeon walls were collapsing in pain.

"No way..."

Kai instinctively hugged Hestia tightly to steady her, a terrible suspicion flashing through his mind.

"Is... is this an earthquake?"

"Waaah—! I almost fell!"

"The dungeon... is trembling?"

The onlookers who had gathered around the clearing began to panic, their calm shattered by the sudden quake.

As the tremors intensified, Kai's fears grew. He snapped his head up toward the ceiling.

"You've got to be kidding..."

"What is it?"

Hearing his voice, Hestia also looked up—and her face froze.

"No way... this can't be real..."

The massive crystal ceiling above the entire eighteenth floor—and especially the central white crystal—was covered in cracks.

Beneath the surface, massive shadows were descending.

Dozens? Hundreds?

Impossible to count. They overlapped, pressing toward the lowest layer of the crystal barrier.

Crack—crack—

The cracks spread rapidly. The ceiling looked like poorly glued pottery, about to shatter at the slightest touch.

So this was it...

Watching the sky fall, Kai understood.

The glowing rain wasn't some pretty visual effect—it was the dungeon's malice made manifest. Dust from the crystal ceiling's internal collapse.

From the moment they entered the eighteenth floor, the glowing specks had been signaling danger. But no one paid attention. Not even Kai, who had read the original story. He knew about the possible event of a mutated floor boss invading the safe zone—but since Hestia hadn't unleashed her arcanum like in the canon, he'd let his guard down.

Once again—he'd been too careless!

Clink...

A crystal shard from the most cracked part of the ceiling sparkled briefly before falling and shattering on the ground.

That sound snapped everyone to attention. They all looked up—and saw it.

Clink, clink...

More shards fell. The creatures inside the crystal drew closer, revealing their true forms.

"...Goliaths?"

"No way! This is a safe zone—why would a floor boss appear here!?"

Panic erupted. Some adventurers screamed uncontrollably. But it was too late. The cracks continued to spread. The final barrier was giving way.

"Hey! White-haired brat! Lili! Over here!"

Seeing that the monsters inside the ceiling were far larger than standard Goliaths, with even a few enhanced variants covered in red scales, Kai turned and shouted to Bell and Lili, who were frozen in place.

The two snapped out of it and ran to Kai's side, drawing their weapons.

"Listen up, white-haired brat..."

Kai slowly unsheathed his simple iron sword and looked Bell straight in the eyes.

"I may call you a brat, but you're the only other man in the Hestia Familia. So no matter what danger we face—you are not allowed to run away like a coward. Protect Lady Hestia and Lili. Got it?"

"..."

His tone wasn't forceful or dramatic—but it hit Bell like a hammer.

To protect... was to shoulder responsibility.

To accept that, he had to face monsters that terrified him.

Fear was natural. Any low-level adventurer would fear a Goliath.

But...

He remembered Kai, covered in blood, sword swinging like rain on the seventeenth floor.

Despite the wounds, he shone like a hero from a legend.

He couldn't say no.

Terror gripped his legs, but he couldn't refuse.

It was like a fire ignited within him—coursing through his entire body.

Following that soul-shaking impulse, Bell tightened his grip on his short sword. It gave him the courage to stop trembling.

"Yes, senpai!"

"Good."

Kai nodded, seeing the fire in Bell's eyes.

Then—

Boom—

A thunderous crash echoed across the floor.

The ceiling... had collapsed.

The glowing rain stopped. Crystal shards no longer fell.

There was no need for them anymore.

"Haa... haa..."

Heavy breathing replaced the sound of shattering crystals.

From above—the monsters had arrived.

At the same time, as if their hearts were linked, everyone turned their gaze upward.

Like rice seedlings planted in a field, countless giant heads emerged from the crystal above. Their crimson eyeballs rolled constantly, scanning and glaring down at the floors below.

As their upper bodies fully pushed out of the crystal, these monsters seemed eager to escape. They pressed hard against the crystal with their hands, trying to pull their bodies free, while unleashing furious roars.

"AIOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"AIO! AIO! AIOOOOOO!!!"

No one could understand what those roars meant—whether they carried meaning or were simply the howls of beasts. But the moment those roars echoed out... panic swept through the people.

Monsters like Goliath, high-tier floor bosses, were always tagged as "hard to conquer" or "team challenge required." Now, faced with dozens of Goliaths, both solo and team adventurers lost their will to fight. Everyone started running toward the vertical ladder passages connecting floors.

As for the strong members of the Loki Familia?

Yes, they each had the strength to take down a Goliath on their own. But even they could only handle one or two at a time. With dozens of Goliaths emerging, even if they had three heads and six arms, they couldn't kill them all.

The panicking adventurers shouted curses, prayers, and cries of anger while the Goliaths roared violently. Bell and Lili stayed close to Kai, watching the black-clad man's composed stance. Their nervous hearts began to calm.

Held in Kai's arms, Hestia suddenly wriggled slightly. This god who had lived for over a million years actually felt shy.

"...Kai-kun, you're really dependable."

Hearing Hestia's soft whisper, Kai glanced at her slightly flushed cheeks and allowed a faint smile to appear on his serious face.

"Of course. I'm the big brother of the Hestia Familia. I have to stay composed in times like these."

He let go, gently nudging Hestia between Bell and Lili, then stepped forward alone. The blade in his hand shimmered faintly red like the petals of a mandala flower, silently blooming.

Boom—

A thunderous explosion erupted nearby. Smoke and dust engulfed the ground. Moments later, the dust settled, revealing a towering monster.

"AIOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Taking a deep breath, the newly born Goliath on this supposed safe floor—beyond the bounds of the 17th level—raised its head high and unleashed a roar that shook the entire level.

The roar of the first Goliath hadn't faded when a second erupted.

Then a third, fourth, fifth...

Instead of a rain of light, the sky was now filled with a "storm" of monsters.

Witnessing this scene beyond comprehension, adventurers broke into total panic after a brief silence.

The monsters' roars mixed with the adventurers' screams, creating a chaotic, nightmarish painting of the underworld.

Kai stared coldly at the chaos. The red sword energy swirling around him darkened, deepening in color. It circled him, starlight condensing onto the iron blade.

In the next instant, he lowered his stance. His sword dragged a long trail of light as he charged at the nearest Goliath...