Guede fought a brutal holding action against two juvenile dragons, using his Observation Haki to keep track of the third dragon's position—the one chasing a girl—then deliberately drew the battlefield in that direction.
In a zone where traps could spawn at any time, having to tank two juvenile dragons and relocate the fight was far harder than he'd expected. It took longer than he'd anticipated.
If not for the girl's fierce will to live, she never would've lasted until he arrived.
When Guede finally reached her, Observation Haki gave him a clear view: a girl down in a pit, face smeared with mud, tears streaming so hard she was practically drenched in them.
And just as clearly, he felt that intense, burning desire to survive.
"Adventurer big brother, please save me! Please save Liliruca Arde—!!!"
Her voice was choked with sobs, but it carried a bone-deep desperation.
It was life itself screaming.
Liliruca Arde might be a thief—but theft alone wasn't a capital crime.
Just like how Mama Mia would personally step into the kitchen when she saw Guede hungry—
when Guede saw Lili begging with both action and voice, what he had to do didn't need saying.
RUMBLE—!
"Aoowoo~~~!"
Guede lifted his sword and flicked up with the blade, redirecting a diving juvenile dragon. The beast smashed into the one at the pit's edge—the one with a crossbow bolt stuck in its eye—forcing it back.
The last juvenile dragon, having already had its "reverse scale" pierced earlier, hesitated and didn't dare commit to an attack.
Lili seized the opening instantly. She left her backpack in the pit and bolted away from the battle:
"Thank you, adventurer big brother! There are five healing potions in that bag! I'm going to the surface right now to bring reinforcements—please, you have to hold on!"
She didn't waste another second, sprinting toward the upper floors.
Even with her ability, facing the 11th Floor alone would likely be a challenge.
But if she owed someone her life, then she had to stake her life to repay that debt.
When Lili's silhouette finally vanished, the three juvenile dragons readjusted their posture. Through the white fog, their golden eyes glinted like blades.
Guede pulled out a second, intact sword from his back and squared up—now with nothing left to protect, no baggage, no hesitation.
"Well then… looks like I'll have to 'go on an adventure' too. When I get back to the surface, Eina's definitely going to chew me out. If that's how it's going to be, then I can't let you keep your lives."
"Otherwise—who's going to compensate me for what I'm about to suffer?!"
That was his declaration of war.
The juvenile dragons tore apart everything in their path as they swarmed him.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!
Dragon-class monsters were monstrously strong. Three dragons working together—each strike felt like a sledgehammer, yet the overall assault came like a storm, relentless and punishing.
Even though Guede deflected each attack by borrowing and redirecting force, his arms and the webbing of his hand throbbed from the shock.
In an instant, he was pushed into the disadvantage, driven back step by step.
But the dungeon's terrain was complex—and with Observation Haki, he could sense the locations of traps.
Which meant it was entirely possible to turn the environment into a weapon and tilt the scales.
So Guede fought while retreating, grinding down stamina on both sides.
Whoever softened first would lose. Simple as that.
And in a drawn-out stalemate like this…
Guede was clearly the one with the advantage.
—System.
Name: Guede
Divinity (unobservable): None
Familia: Hestia Familia
Level: LV.1
Strength: SS 1050
Endurance: SS 1050
Agility: SS 1050
Dexterity: SS 1050
Magic: I 0
Skills:
Three-Color Haki: Observation (Unlocked) / Armament (Unlocks at LV.2) / Conqueror's (Unlocks at LV.3)
Enhanced Fallen One (Greatly increases the rate of stat growth)
From the moment the dragons began coordinated assault until now, only a bit over twenty minutes had passed—yet his four primary stats had risen by 70 points, breaking above one thousand.
Where, exactly, was his limit?
He'd prove it with this battle.
…
"We have to hurry! I have to reach the surface and bring reinforcements!"
Lili—running on sheer willpower and her knowledge of the upper floors—had actually made it to the 10th Floor.
With her highest stat not even reaching D-rank, accomplishing this could honestly be called a small miracle.
But she was also covered in wounds, drenched in blood.
That was exactly why she kept talking to herself—using words as a rope to keep herself from passing out, forcing will to overpower instinct, pushing her upward.
Then, perhaps by luck, she encountered an elf girl: the lower half of her face covered by a handkerchief, a cloak draped over her shoulders, a wooden sword hanging at her waist.
Lili recognized her from portraits circulated among information brokers.
Ryuu Lion.
Her alias was "Gale Wind." She was a major wanted figure on the Guild's blacklist.
The bounty was as high as 80,000,000 valis—enough to live like royalty for half a lifetime.
Rumor said she'd once been a super-rookie on par with the "Sword Princess," also reaching Level 2 in about a year.
And seven years ago, she'd already been a Level 4 second-tier adventurer.
The reason she was wanted: her familia had been wiped out after being trapped and destroyed by the Evilus faction. She alone survived—and began taking ruthless revenge on the dark faction's members.
Assassination, bombing, poisoning, torture—anything and everything.
At first, the Guild had more or less turned a blind eye, since she was killing scum that deserved it.
But her operations became too frequent and too blatant, stirring widespread fear. Under civilian pressure, the Guild slapped on a reduced bounty.
In practice, it was more bark than bite—almost nobody actually went looking for her.
In short…
she could be called a "partner of justice."
And right now, going all the way to the surface to ask for help wasn't realistic.
But the unknown "Gale Wind" elf in front of her—
was the perfect candidate to entrust with a rescue mission to the 12th Floor.
"Um—adventurer ma'am, please! Please go to the 12th Floor and save someone—an adventurer big brother who's fighting three juvenile dragons to the death… I'm begging you!"
Dragging her battered body forward, Lili pleaded without hiding anything in her voice.
"Don't worry. I'll go help you save him."
"…Thank you."
Hearing Ryuu's clear reply, Lili lit up with relief, the burden finally lifting off her shoulders.
The instant her nerves loosened, pain and exhaustion crashed down.
She collapsed unconscious on the spot.
After accepting the request, Ryuu lifted Lili into her arms and moved like a gale down toward the lower floors.
This floor's monsters wouldn't allow a safe resting place for a small prum girl—so she would bring her along as she descended.
Ryuu was confident she could do it.
Even if she hadn't improved in years, she was still a peak Level 4 adventurer.
In the upper floors—territory evaluated for Level 1—any monster would be nothing but something to crush.
As she ran, Ryuu began chanting in parallel.
"—Now, the distant forest's song; the life's melody of old. To those who seek you, grant the mercy of healing."
Noah Heal.
One of Ryuu's awakened magics—slow to take effect, but extremely potent single-target recovery.
As the magic settled in, Lili's wounds began closing at a visible pace.
Confirming the spell was working, Ryuu accelerated even more—rushing downward.
-------
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