Having unleashed its final strike, the [Giant Goblin] was left defenseless; its head was severed with ease, and it fell dead.
Ah.
What a hearty battle that was.
[Damn it, got greedy.]
Isagi stretched his body and sheathed the long blade in his hand back at his waist.
He had actually spotted the goblin's final delayed attack timing just now, but in a moment of impatience, he tried to force the kill and got countered instead.
Tsk.
Truly a taboo. Must be careful next time—absolutely no more getting greedy with attacks!
While reflecting,
Isagi skillfully fished a small knife from his bosom, plunged it directly into the chest of the headless goblin on the ground, and dug out a large handful of fragmented magic stones. Only then did the monster's body turn to ash and vanish.
Compared to ordinary goblins, this guy's drops were significantly more plentiful, but Isagi knew this wasn't because it was some "rare monster," but because of his own Skill—
[The Hated Otherworlder
·Active only when inside the Dungeon
·Hated by the Dungeon
·Will alter surrounding terrain at any time, and encounter special monsters]
It looked entirely like a negative Skill, but that wasn't actually the case. For instance, the special monsters encountered had rich drops, not just in terms of magic stones.
Isagi also conveniently picked up the katana the goblin had just been using.
Even if he just took this thing to a Hephaestus Familia equipment shop to sell for scrap, it would fetch at least tens of thousands of Valis. If melted down and reforged, it could yield some pretty decent gear.
Among ordinary Level 1 adventurers, this would be considered quite a masterpiece!
Big harvest, big harvest.
But having already "died" once, Isagi didn't intend to stay in the Dungeon any longer. Who knew what kind of "special monster" might spawn next?
Besides, it was getting late. Time to go back.
It was right at this moment, as he turned his head, that Isagi noticed the golden-haired girl standing not far away.
So beautiful.
That was the honest truth. The girl, with her exceptionally exquisite features, stood there silently like a porcelain doll, seeming entirely out of place in this dim cavern.
Her eyes, as bright yellow as her hair, shone dazzlingly like tiny suns.
She wore a pure white dress, adorned with a few blue ribbons, which bound her light breastplate and arm guards tightly to her petite and slender frame.
Paired with matching blue boots, they accentuated the length of her legs even more.
One hundred points.
Isagi gave this honest evaluation in his heart, then turned and walked away.
After all, they didn't know each other.
She looked like she might be one of those famous adventurers, but since he had only been in Orario for a few days, he didn't recognize her at all.
Since they were strangers, there was nothing to say. Better to hurry back.
However...
...
"Watch out for the corner."
From a distance.
Ais heard the boy shout back at her as he turned.
Huh?
Completely failing to understand what he meant, Ais blinked. The girl, lacking in social skills and the ability to communicate, had absolutely no idea what to do when faced with a strange boy.
He had already left, so she should go too, right?
Thinking this, Ais turned around as well, preparing to follow her original plan and head deeper into the Dungeon.
But she hadn't taken more than a few steps.
She arrived right at a ninety-degree corner—the 1st through 12th floors of the Dungeon were crisscrossing caverns, so such corners were quite common.
Ais usually paid them no mind, but this time, an unusual accident indeed occurred, and that was...
"!!!"
A gray goblin was actually clinging to the walls, silently waiting for the moment she appeared to launch a sneak attack with the short blade in its hand!
The monster's movements were completely silent, as if it were a trap laid specifically for her.
Shhhk!
A cold light flashed. In merely the blink of an eye, Ais easily slew the goblin that had just ambushed her. Her speed was so fast that the longsword in her hand was already sheathed before its body could sever and hit the ground.
Is this also a special monster?
Ais tilted her head slightly, as the goblin that ambushed her indeed looked different from its kin.
It was dark gray overall, almost blending in with the cavern colors, and was much shorter. However, the muscles on that tiny body were highly developed, completely unlike the scrawny appearance of ordinary goblins.
Ais also skillfully used a small knife to pick the magic stone out of the goblin's chest.
So many.
Much more than what typical Upper Floor monsters yielded.
The girl silently tucked it into her bosom and continued walking forward, though she never again encountered a fellow that would ambush her at a corner like that one.
[Is it because he walked away?]
Ais thought of the boy from earlier. The appearance of special monsters probably had something to do with him personally, or perhaps his Skills?
How unique.
Loki had said that adventurers' Skills came in great variety, and there could even be rare Skills that not even gods could decipher, so no matter how "strange" it was, it wasn't strange.
But how interesting!
If even Upper Floor goblins could be strengthened to that extent, what kind of situations would arise if he went to the Lower Floors or even the Deep Floors?
The girl suddenly felt an itch to try it out.
Fighting powerful monsters, honing her techniques, raising her Status and Level—this was what she pursued.
However...
"Oh no!"
Ais let out a small cry of surprise; the somewhat airheaded girl finally remembered the most important thing.
That was, she forgot to ask for the boy's name just now!
Come to think of it, she didn't even know which Familia he belonged to. With such a special Skill, which deity was he contracted with...?
...
The spring night stars were brilliant.
After Isagi returned to the surface, he walked straight from the Dungeon entrance located in the center of the city—also beneath the cloud-piercing Babel—towards the East Main Street.
He then quickly turned into the slums of the Third District, eventually arriving at Daedalus Street located deep within.
This was Orario's poorest and most topographically complex district.
The roads were narrow, extending in all directions like a spiderweb, yet potentially cutting off at any moment. There was no rhyme, reason, or planning; houses were piled up everywhere, high and low, with absolutely no memorable landmarks to speak of.
Even so.
Isagi navigated the way home with ease and familiarity, finally arriving in front of a small, cramped single-story house, and pushed the door open.
"I'm home."
Even though it was approaching midnight, the room was still lit with orange lamplight.
A beautiful Goddess with a slender figure was sitting at the long table, quietly mending clothes while waiting for his return.
"Welcome home."
The Goddess lifted her face, smiling slightly. Beneath her soft walnut-colored long hair, her azure eyes were as bright as the starry sea.
Astrea.
The Goddess of Justice and Stars, who had left Orario a year ago, had quietly returned to this city just a few days ago. And the instigator behind all this was, of course, Isagi himself...
...
___
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