On the 17th floor of the dungeon, a horde of Minotaurs could be seen running away.
"Quickly! Chase after them! Who knows what a group of monsters in a confused state might do!"
Riveria shouted, and the rest of the Loki Familia immediately deployed.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Tiona muttered, her fist sending a Minotaur flying and snapping its spine.
Ais unsheathed her sword and gave chase.
'There are other adventurers in this dungeon. If those Minotaurs aren't stopped...'
With a single slash, she bisected a Minotaur cleanly in two.
'Lower-level adventurers won't be able to handle them. They'll die.'
That horrid thought made a bead of sweat trickle down her face.
It was then they noticed something.
"Hey! Those Minotaurs—"
"Isn't that the stairway that leads to the upper floors?"
"No way! They're heading up!"
"Crap! The low-class adventurers above are in danger!"
The Loki Familia members shouted in disbelief and sped up their pursuit.
"We'll handle the ones on the 17th floor! The rest of you, chase after those that got away!"
Tione barked, realizing the danger they had unleashed.
"There are too many! Some of them have already escaped to the upper floors!"
"Everyone, spread out! Leave one person to guard each floor!"
Even amidst chaos, they managed to come up with a sound strategy on the fly.
"Die, you bull-headed bastards!"
Bete, the werewolf of the Loki Familia, snarled as he delivered a kick that instantly beheaded a Minotaur.
He paused, sniffing the air, picking up the lingering scent of several more.
"Is that... the Sword Princess?"
"The Loki Familia?"
"What the hell are Minotaurs doing up here?"
Other adventurers who witnessed the scene couldn't help but be stunned.
Ais, for her part, sliced through the monsters without mercy... moving from one floor to the next, relentlessly pursuing them.
The 16th floor—cleared.
The 15th—cleared.
The 14th... 13th... 12th... 11th... 10th... 9th... 8th... and 7th.
Like a monster-slaying machine, Ais annihilated every creature unfortunate enough to cross her path.
'Scary.'
Even the other adventurers who saw her couldn't decide who was more terrifying... the monsters, or her.
'Three left... they must be on the 6th floor.'
Ais thought, after slaying the final Minotaur on the 7th.
"Ais, I've caught their scent. Come with me."
Bete said as he sprinted forward, and Ais immediately followed.
...
Sixth Floor – Dungeon
A small two-person party could be seen... a frontline fighter and her supporter.
"Haap!"
Belle twisted her body and slashed with her dagger.
"Screee!"
The dying cry of a Dungeon Lizard echoed as its magic stone clattered to the ground.
"You really made quick work of these monsters, Miss Belle."
Lili smiled as she skipped over and collected the drops.
"Honestly, with your abilities, we could probably go as deep as the 8th floor without any trouble."
She continued, slipping the magic stones into her pouch.
"Well... I'd love to, but Miss Eina can be a bit of a worrywart."
Belle replied with an exasperated smile.
Just as the two were about to continue, they heard panicked screams nearby.
"!?"
Belle's eyes widened.
Without hesitation, she dashed toward the source.
"Wait... Miss Belle! Don't do anything reckless!"
Lili shouted, trying to grab her, but Belle was already gone.
"Ugh... fine!"
Lili gritted her teeth and chased after her.
"Ah! Help us!"
"Run! Run away!"
Belle skidded to a halt when she saw a group of adventurers fleeing in panic.
From their equipment, she could tell... they were beginners, just like her.
"What happened?"
She called out, making the adventurers pause for just a moment.
"Ah, damn it... she's just a rookie!"
"Forget it, just run!"
Seeing Belle's small frame and cheap gear, they dismissed her as another weakling and sprinted past.
"Wait—!"
Belle reached out, but the leader snapped at her in panic.
"There are Minotaurs! If you don't want to die, run!"
The words hit her like a hammer.
Belle froze, and when Lili arrived seconds later, the color drained from her face.
"Minotaurs? On the upper floors?"
As if on cue, deep, guttural roars echoed through the tunnel... followed by heavy footsteps.
Turning their heads, they saw them.
Three Minotaurs charged toward them... massive, muscular, and monstrous.
For beginners, their presence alone screamed certain death.
"W-why are there Minotaurs here? This doesn't make sense!"
Lili trembled.
This wasn't the first time Lili had seen these bull-headed monsters.
Though only a Level 1, she had years of experience exploring the upper and middle floors of the dungeon as a supporter for various adventurer parties.
"Miss Belle... let's get out of here!"
She grabbed Belle's arm, trying to pull her away.
"Miss Belle?"
But Belle didn't move.
No... she refused to move.
"Miss Lili... if we run, not only you, but even those adventurers from before will be in danger."
Belle muttered quietly, sweat forming on her brow.
She knew, just from a glance, that the speed of a low-level adventurer could never hope to outpace that of a Minotaur.
"They'll catch up to us quickly, and we'll all die... not to mention the adventurers on the floors above will also be in danger."
"Which means someone has to stay here and slow them down."
Belle muttered quietly as beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.
"What are you saying!? Miss Belle, don't be a fool! This is no time to be playing hero!"
Lili snapped and tried pulling harder.
"I'm sorry, Lili!"
Belle turned toward her and apologized before pushing her away.
Roar!
The minotaurs were already in front, charging headfirst with their horns as weapons.
Belle quickly grabbed the daggers from her hip.
"Lili! Run!"
Belle shouted at the top of her lungs as she engaged the minotaurs in combat.
"Miss Belle..."
Seeing this, Lili's body trembled, but she forced herself to stand back up.
"I'm sorry!"
She hesitated for a few seconds before running away.
Belle smiled as Lili's small frame disappeared into the distance.
Then, in the next second, the look in her eyes turned serious as she wiped the blood from her lips.
"Your opponent is me."
Her grip on the dagger tightened, her focus now completely on the monsters in front of her... unaware of the two figures who had just arrived at the scene.
"So bring it on!"
A drop in a bucket... small, insignificant... yet capable of creating ripples that reshape fate itself.
Just like this moment.
Destiny's threads have tangled... and the fated meeting has been rewritten.
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