"I'm not your enemy—!"
At the sight of Roy activating his magic, the beautiful mermaid monster was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes.
Hearing her broken, stammering voice, Roy was briefly taken aback before quickly understanding.
The golden lightning in his palm dissipated. He stepped to the riverbank and asked, "You're an Xenos, aren't you?"
"I'm Marie, la la la la~"
Mari's eyes lit up as she peeked her small head out of the water. Her upper body was human, her lower body a fish's tail. Pale green, silky hair framed her delicate face, and an exquisite seashell ornament covered her chest.
As she spoke, she hummed a gentle, melodious tune.
Unlike the enhanced species' enchanting, sinister song, Marie's voice was clear and pure, as though it could cleanse evil from one's heart. Especially when she sang—her slightly dazed, innocent expression made her look easy to fool.
A trace of kindness appeared on Roy's face.
Born within the Dungeon, intelligent monsters were rejected by both sides—neither recognized as kin by monsters nor accepted by humans. They were heretics abandoned by two worlds.
Roy held a favorable impression of the Xenos. Without comparison, there would be no contrast. Compared to the scheming adventurers or the gods who sought only amusement, the Xenos were far simpler—repaying hatred with hatred, kindness with kindness.
Unlike other Xenos, Marie was a mermaid. She could only remain within the "Water Capital of Labyrinth."
Roy said, "Mari, I'm going to kill that monster. Can you help me find it?"
Marie's humming abruptly stopped, her face filling with fear. "Don't go. That one… that one is very scary."
Roy frowned. "Do you know how that enhanced species came to be?"
Marie pressed her lips together. "A long, long time ago, a group of humans captured her. When she came back… she became very scary. She kills other monsters, eats their magic stones, and becomes stronger."
She gestured animatedly, trying her best to describe those adventurers' features—awkward in a way that was oddly adorable.
Listening to her explanation, Roy quickly pieced together the truth.
As expected—it was that madwoman.
Members of the Freya Familia had captured this mermaid and taken her to the surface. Using charm, Freya forced the monster to devour magic stones, artificially turning her into an "enhanced species."
Faced with such a ferocious "kin," Marie—who lived on the same floor—had been terrified. So when Roy charged in earlier, heading straight for the creature, her curiosity overcame her fear. She secretly followed him, observing from the shadows.
"Trust me. I'll definitely defeat her."
Roy placed a large hand gently on Mari's small head.
Marie's cheeks flushed. He was the first human to touch her. Roy's confidence and strength stirred her heart—especially when that brutal "kin" had fled in panic before him.
"Mm-hmm!"
She nodded vigorously.
Roy connected his mind to his spatial ring and lightly brushed it with his right hand. A pale blue protective cloth appeared, which he tied around his waist.
It was a Water Spirit Guard Cloth purchased before the expedition, imbued with the magic of water spirits. It granted resistance to flames and enhanced swimming speed, among other special effects.
Roy leapt into the water, following Marie.
Though Marie was only Lv. 2, her swimming speed surpassed even Roy's, despite his equipment.
Guided by her, they swam swiftly through the river. After about seven or eight minutes, they entered a vast cavern.
Most of it was submerged as a lake.
Inside, the injured enhanced mermaid was hunting monsters, devouring their magic stones to repair her wounds and grow stronger.
Whoosh!
Lightning formed into a spear in Roy's hand. He hurled it directly, slicing through the air like a thunderbolt aimed at the enhanced mermaid.
Hearing the disturbance, she hastily dodged, narrowly avoiding the lightning spear. Having already suffered under Roy's magic earlier, she dared not take another hit.
"Took me long enough to find you."
Golden lightning crackled in Roy's palm.
Upon seeing him, the enhanced mermaid's face twisted viciously, her teeth grinding with a sharp screech.
"La la la la~"
Her expression suddenly calmed, and a bewitching melody flowed from her lips.
Ordinary mermaid monsters could only lure others—their charm was weak. But this enhanced species could manipulate both people and monsters through her voice.
Blue crabs, ambush fish, blackwater serpents—monsters surged from every direction.
It was like a banquet of monsters.
The difference was that this feast was under her control. In mere moments, over two hundred monsters surrounded Roy, eyes gleaming with hostility.
"Roy—"
Marie trembled behind him.
"It's okay."
Roy gently patted her shoulder, soothing her with a calm voice.
If he were still Lv. 2, being surrounded like this would have meant certain death. But now he was Lv. 3—a second-tier adventurer recognized throughout Orario.
To clear this many monsters, he needed large-scale destructive power—and he had few such options.
Light of the Wind required chanting. With his half-baked concurrent chanting ability, he would likely be torn to pieces before finishing.
That left only one choice.
Roy brushed his ring again.
A plain, unremarkable sword appeared in his hand. Three shaku long and four fingers wide, it looked utterly ordinary—even rusted. Anyone else would have dismissed it as scrap iron.
Now that Roy had reached Lv. 3, he could finally activate this legendary weapon. The moment he gripped the hilt, it felt as though their bloodlines were connected. The slender blade trembled softly, releasing a crisp ringing hum.
The rust vanished. Brilliant light erupted from the blade, revealing mysterious spirit runes engraved along its length.
Its sharp radiance was blinding.
"Yee—!"
Sensing the immense danger from the weapon Roy had drawn, the enhanced mermaid shrieked.
As if responding to a signal, the more than two hundred controlled monsters launched a full charge. The ground trembled under the thunderous advance.
Burn the Heavens!
Roy activated the Spirit Holy Sword's special ability.
In that instant, the surrounding air shifted. Within a one-kilometer radius, magical energy went berserk, surging toward him like a tidal wave.
It almost became tangible—threads of energy flowing into the Spirit Holy Sword.
The blade's brilliance intensified—
Boom!!
Roy felt the sword growing heavier and heavier in his hand. With a mighty swing toward the advancing horde, flames wrapped around the blade erupted outward, roaring like a dragon sweeping across the world.
Wherever the flames passed, monsters turned instantly to ash—no resistance, no struggle.
The more than two hundred monsters under the enhanced mermaid's control were annihilated in a single stroke.
Not even fragments of magic stones remained.
Everything was reduced to nothing by the terrifying inferno.