"..."
As the scene of Riezel confronting Revis fell into the sight of Ais and the Hermes Familia, it was nothing short of a nightmare.
A voluptuous red-haired woman stood there, her entire body drenched in blood, yet around her, countless man-eating flower monsters twisted and writhed, swaying their tendrils as if they were honoring their queen—surrounding her and protecting the wounded woman at their center.
A woman standing with monsters.
Monsters protecting a woman.
It was an unbelievable sight, an incomprehensible event.
It was only natural, for in this world, monsters were the enemies of every intelligent humanoid race—the calamity of the Lower World, the embodiment of evil that threatened all life.
Simply put, they were like the demons of the world of Demon Slayer, irreconcilable and destined to be mutual foes.
In the world of Demon Slayer, demons devouring humans was common sense, and Demon Slayers killing demons was an act of righteous defiance against such atrocities.
Likewise, in this world, monsters slaughtering life was common sense, and the humans, demi-humans, and beast-humans hunting and exterminating monsters was a righteous act of resisting their violence.
Yet here in the Dungeon, monsters were protecting a human, fighting alongside one.
Such a sight was beyond anything anyone could ever imagine.
'A tamer?'
It was the only explanation that came to everyone's mind.
People could only associate what they were seeing with that particular profession, trying to make sense of the impossible sight before them.
However, the red-haired woman was by no means an ordinary tamer—at the very least, neither Ais nor Asfi had ever heard of a tamer capable of controlling so many monsters at once.
And that was not the only thing that left them shaken and speechless.
At this moment, the red-haired woman—her body torn and covered in blood—was actually healing right before their very eyes.
Yes, the red-haired woman, Revis, was rapidly recovering, not by using healing magic, nor by drinking any healing potion, but simply by standing there as faint wisps of steam rose from her wounds.
In just seconds, those wounds vanished, completely gone as if they had never existed—only traces of magical energy lingered, forming fine particles that drifted off her skin.
Just like that, her injuries had completely healed.
"Wha-What is that?!" Lulune, standing among the stunned members of the Hermes Familia, screamed.
"A powerful self-healing ability...?" Asfi muttered, feeling a chill run down her spine.
"!!!"
Seeing Riezel confronting Revis, Ais's breath caught.
She wanted to go help him, but unfortunately, she found herself surrounded by more man-eating flowers, forcing her to raise Desperate and continue fighting.
Meanwhile, Riezel narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Revis fully recover.
"As expected, it wasn't going to be that easy to end." Riezel remarked calmly, as though he had anticipated it all.
"Level 5..." Revis gave him a cold glance, flexing her freshly regenerated hand as she spoke without emotion. "No, judging from your strength, you must be a Level 6 First-Class Adventurer, right? Tch, that useless man claimed the Sword Princess was the most troublesome enemy, but clearly, you're the real problem."
"Thanks for the compliment. You're not bad yourself." Riezel said meaningfully. "Judging purely from combat power, you're around Level 6—and you seem to have abilities that others don't. Mind introducing yourself?"
His words immediately set off another uproar among the Hermes Familia.
"L-Level 6?!"
"No way! Aren't there only a few Level 6s in all of Orario?"
"Who's she? She doesn't match any of them!"
"Is she newly leveled up? Or someone from outside the city?"
"No, she's a total stranger! It makes no sense. If she were really at that level, people would've heard of her by now!"
All the members of the Hermes Familia spoke among themselves while fending off the attacking monsters, their disbelief steadily growing.
A First-Class Adventurer above Level 5 was rare across the entire world.
Any stir such an existence caused would spread like wildfire, making it nearly impossible to stay hidden, and adventurers of that level were almost always well-known figures.
An unknown First-Class Adventurer was practically unheard of, yet now one stood right before their eyes—no wonder they were in chaos.
"You're the mastermind behind the irregular monster outbreak on the 24th Floor, aren't you?" Asfi directly questioned. "You were also the one who killed the member of the Ganesha Familia on the 18th Floor, weren't you?"
Hearing this, Revis merely glanced at Asfi, then looked away, clearly uninterested and unwilling to dignify the question with a response.
Seeing her indifference, Asfi and the others couldn't help but seethe with anger.
"I have no name to give to an adventurer." Revis said coldly to Riezel. "Likewise, I have no interest in yours. Enemies destined to die don't need names."
"Quite a big mouth you have there..." Riezel said calmly, completely unbothered. "Too bad your skill doesn't live up to it."
A flicker of rage finally appeared in Revis's eyes.
"I told you, didn't I?" Revis growled, then screamed. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!"
In the next moment, she dropped to one knee and thrust her hand into the ground.
Instantly, the green, flesh-like floor beneath her began to writhe violently, as though something was being born within it, and then, with a powerful pull, a gush of crimson liquid burst forth like blood.
From that liquid, Revis drew a sword.
It was a grotesque sword, like living flesh poured into a mold and forged into shape—it had no guard or decoration, only a crimson sword that looked anything but sharp.
"I-Isn't that a nature weapon?!"
"No way!"
"How is that even possible?!"
In an instant, the members of the Hermes Familia were thrown into an uproar—even Ais and Asfi's faces stiffened in shock.
Nature Weapons, also known as Landforms, were things that existed only within the Dungeon—things that monsters were able to use as weapons as part of the Dungeon's granted blessings.
Given that the Dungeon could give birth to monsters, generate the nutrients that fed them, and even create irregulars such as monster outbreaks, it naturally could also grant them power.
And nature weapons were part of that.
Born from the living Dungeon itself, they were wielded by the monsters that roamed within—some were clubs made of hardened wood, others were spears or axes formed from stone.
For example, the Lizardmen in the Large Tree Labyrinth used flower petal blades and shields, which were also landforms created by the Dungeon.
When a monster equipped one, even a weak one could transform into a deadly threat capable of challenging high-level adventurers.
And now, before everyone's eyes, this red-haired woman had seemingly been granted one by the Dungeon itself—drawing it straight from the flesh-like floor.
A non-monster receiving a weapon from the Dungeon—the shock was unimaginable.
*BANG!*
As the others stood frozen in disbelief, Revis suddenly stomped down, shattering the ground beneath her as she shot forward like a fired cannonball, charging straight at Riezel.
*DING!*
Before anyone could react, Revis's crimson sword crashed heavily into Riezel's thin, crystal sword, the collision ringing out like thunder.
A shockwave exploded from the clash, scattering firelight and blasting air outward as one of the two was sent flying.
"Riezel!" Ais shouted instinctively as she saw that the one who had been knocked back was Riezel.
Feeling the numbing tremor in his arm from the impact, he steadied himself midair, his gaze fixed firmly on Revis.
"What a strength…"
Riezel muttered as he felt that Revis's raw power might even surpass Lizbeth's.
"WE'RE NOT DONE YET!"
Revis shouted, her eyes gleaming with wild ferocity as she stomped again, launching herself forward like a beast on the hunt, her sword crashing down with brutal force.
However, this time, Riezel did not meet the blow head-on.
Midair, he twisted his body, planting his feet against the wall behind him before kicking off sharply and vaulting upward.
*BOOM!*
Revis's strike smashed into the wall, blasting it apart as though it had been struck by artillery.
"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"
Having missed her mark, Revis burst through the storm of debris and shredded flesh, soaring upward in pursuit like an arrow.
*DING!*
Riezel, seemingly having foreseen the angle of Revis's next strike, slashed first, intercepting her attack mid-swing—their swords collided again and rebounded violently.
Revis attacked again and again, pouring her monstrous strength into each swing, but every time she did, Riezel read her movements perfectly—cutting in at just the right moment to block her strikes before she could release their full power.
"You bastard!"
Fury burned hotter in Revis's eyes.
Again—the same pattern!
In her eyes, this infuriating adventurer—ever since the start of their battle—had somehow seen through her monstrous strength, countering her every move with impeccable timing.
Each time she tried to unleash her full power, he intercepted her mid-swing, leaving her strength bottled up inside with nowhere to go.
If not for that, she wouldn't have been overwhelmed earlier, caught off-guard when he broke through her monsters and attacked directly—she wouldn't have been pushed back so easily, nor nearly defeated outright.
It was because he had seen through her strength and restrained her with technique that she had been forced into such a miserable position.
Even though his precision and swordsmanship amazed her, the frustration of being unable to unleash her full might only stoked her fury further.
"LET'S SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN KEEP THIS UP!"
With a furious scream, Revis lunged again, her crimson sword clashing violently with Riezel's thin, crystal sword.
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
In that instant, the ceaseless ring of metals filled the air, sparks bursting so rapidly that the eye could hardly follow.
Riezel and Revis—one above, one below—kicked off the Dungeon's walls as they fought, their swords flashing faster and faster.
Cold arcs of light streaked through the air as crystal and crimson swords danced in deadly rhythm.
While the crystal sword traced intricate paths through the air, the crimson sword howled with wind and sonic booms—each clash sent another shockwave rippling outward, their speed escalating with every heartbeat, their battle burning hotter and hotter.
It was a fight where few First-Class Adventurers could even follow.
For the members of the Hermes Familia, watching was like trying to track lightning—blinding flashes of swordlight and afterimages filled their vision until tears welled in their eyes.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Eventually, the sounds of metal gave way to thunderous shockwaves as fists and feet joined the fray—Riezel and Revis clashing in close quarters with every limb they had.
Now, their fight was no longer a mere battle, but a life-and-death one—wild and relentless, shaking the Dungeon itself.
Riezel blocked a ferocious slash, then lashed out with a kick aimed at Revis's face.
However, this time, having learned from before, she caught his foot with her hand and deflected it effortlessly—countering instantly as she pressed in close while their swords locked, then drove her knee toward his abdomen.
Riezel twisted away at the last second, retaliating with a sharp elbow aimed at Revis's neck, but she caught it with her arm and swung her crimson sword, forcing him back.
It was no longer a duel—it was a death match.
*Clang!* *BOOM!* *Cling!* *BOOM!*
*Clang!* *BOOM!* *Cling!* *BOOM!*
As the sounds of metal and explosions echoed endlessly, shockwaves ripping through the crumbling walls around them, Riezel and Revis fought on, their figures darting through falling rubble and clouds of dust, determined to keep fighting until the Dungeon itself collapsed.
Watching their battle—where even a single mistake could mean instant death—the only person capable of following their movements, Ais, finally decided she could no longer remain a mere spectator.
"Huhhh… Hahhh…"
Surrounded by man-eating flower monsters lashing out with countless tendrils, Ais began to breathe.
Her breaths flowed like the wind—as gentle as a breeze, as fierce as a gale, as wild as a storm, and as unstoppable as a hurricane.
"Wind Breathing - Fifth Form..."
Ais's quiet murmur echoed through the green, flesh-like passage.
"Cold Mountain Wind!"
*Whoosh!*
In the next instant, a massive whirlwind roared forth, unleashed by the swing of her sword—the howling slash spiraled into a storm, cutting down countless tendrils and man-eating flower monsters in an instant.
*SCREEEEEECH—!!!*
As every last one of them was cleaved apart, their screeches echoed out, lingering until their bodies were reduced to dust.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next chapters early at: patreon.com/VALRRR]