In the forest, strange plants and flourishing trees moved on their own without a breeze.
Fron, Ryu, Asfi, and Aisha quickly crossed through it, and then their vision suddenly opened up.
"This is-!?"
Sure enough, before their eyes were the members of the Ganesha Familia, who just a few hours ago had been brimming with vigor and confidence, now lying scattered across the ground in pools of blood.
One look at their battered and broken armor was enough to tell that a brutal tragedy had just taken place here.
"Shakti!"
Not far ahead, the blue-haired human female adventurer lay face down, eyes shut tight.
Compared to the others, her condition was somewhat better, at least there were no obvious external injuries, but she was unconscious.
Clearly, she had taken a heavy blunt strike from armed force, knocking her out instantly.
With their captain down, the subordinates she brought naturally could not escape their fate either, their bodies now strewn about in disarray.
Asfi's eyes widened. She hurried over to Shakti, knelt on one knee, and placed her finger under the woman's nose to check her breathing.
Feeling the faint airflow, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
"Shakti, taken out like this… it's unbelievable!"
Ryu and Aisha circled the battlefield once before regrouping with Fron, their expressions darkening.
"To knock out Shakti, a top-ranked Level 5… judging from her injuries, she must not have even had a chance to fight back. Otherwise, there would've been traces of battle on her body."
Asfi's reminder rang true, the others also noticed Shakti's condition.
"She was struck bluntly on the forehead… it was a head-on clash."
"…" At Fron's words, the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
"If even Shakti, the strongest of the Level 5s, was defeated, then the three of you definitely aren't a match for whoever did this. Leave the pursuit to me."
"The three of you stay here and guard the Ganesha Familia members. Once they wake up, leave. Remember, don't let them see you. We snuck into the Dungeon against orders."
"Be careful, Fron…" Seeing their worried faces, Fron gave a confident smile.
"Relax. Even if the opponent is a Level 7, I can hold them off for a bit, exchange a few blows. At the very least, if I want to run, they won't be able to stop me."
With that, he turned and vanished down the dim passage.
"..." The three of them placed complete trust in him.
Because they knew, when Fron said "exchange a few blows" or "hold off for a bit," it was just modesty.
This man was invincible among his peers, a monster who could even fight across tiers.
...
Darkness blurred past on both sides, retreating rapidly.
With an invisibility mask on his face, Fron's figure streaked swiftly through the passages of the man made dungeon, Knossos.
His speed twisted the light around him, making him look like a ghost of the darkness.
Blasting past the 18th floor's great hall without pause, he dove straight into the hidden passage Dix had opened toward the surface.
"The smell of blood… human?" Even without superhuman senses, the pungent stench was unmistakable.
Not far ahead, his peripheral vision caught a winding bloodstain smeared across the right wall, stretching forward endlessly until it disappeared from sight.
"Looks like Fels's kindness was wasted. Under that guy's berserk state, the Ikaros Familia probably met a miserable end."
He muttered to himself with a sly smile at the thought of their fate.
Did anyone really think Fron was a good person? No, soft-hearted people could never be adventurers, much less top-class ones.
Beyond strength, what an adventurer first needed was the resolve to strike without hesitation.
A mindset like his former life, weak, powerless, unable to even wring a chicken's neck, could never survive in this world, in Orario, or in the Dungeon.
That was why, as a rookie adventurer, Fron had needed time to adapt.
"Rumble"
Estimating the distance he had covered and the height he had climbed, Fron soon caught faint sounds of battle and destruction ahead. He knew, he was close to the exit.
Sure enough, after another three-way junction, light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
"Clang, clang, clang, "
"Dang, dang, dang, "
Bursting out from the hidden passage, emerging from the buildings used as cover, what met his eyes was a jet-black Minotaur warrior, clashing weapons fiercely with Bete and the Amazoness sisters.
From the corner of his eye, Fron caught a glimpse of a white-haired back disappearing around a corner. He raised his gaze slightly to the rooftop of a building across the street.
"Well, well, Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Ais."
Standing atop the rooftop, lying in wait on Daedalus Street, were none other than the four members of the Loki Familia.
Not a weakling among them, every one was Level 6.
Their presence suppressed the chaos in the street, bringing an overwhelming sense of pressure and security.
And after the Bell Cranel and rampaging Vouivre incident, the gathered residents and adventurers dared to poke their heads out, joining the crowd of onlookers.
"…Fron? You came out of there too? What happened!?"
"It's a long story. Maybe we should discuss it after… dealing with this situation first."
None of the people present were weak, they all clearly saw the Minotaur's terrifying potential.
"Level 7… is it?"
Finn leaned on his spear, casting a glance at the blonde girl at his side, who was itching to join the fray, then at the direction where the white-haired boy and Vouivre had vanished. His expression turned thoughtful.
"Looks like… things are about to get even more troublesome."
"Haha! Loki's premonition was right, so there's still more to come, huh?" Gareth stroked his proud beard and laughed heartily.
"Hey, you two. Bete and Tiona are about to lose." Riveria's brow furrowed as she snapped a warning.
"Don't worry. We're here to hold the line. Besides… something about this seems off. I'll need to investigate."
…
"Boom, boom, boom, " But the sound of three bodies slamming into buildings snapped Finn out of his thoughts.
On the battlefield, the Minotaur charged, ramming Bete away in one blow, then swung its arm with overwhelming might, smashing into Tiona and sending her flying after him.
Three versus one, and still no match. In single combat, it was hopeless, Tiona couldn't even last three exchanges before she and her massive weapon were blasted away.
Seeing the three downed adventurers unable to rise for the moment, Finn spoke.
"Ais, Fron, capture it alive."
"..." Fron rubbed his nose helplessly, then pointed at the opponent's weapon already raised high, twitching his lips.
"Dear Captain Finn, if I'm not mistaken, that's one of those super-magic swords forged by a top-class smith, right? A black-market piece, no less?"
Finn: "…"
Riveria: "…"
Gareth: "…"
Ais: "…"