Floor 13 of the Dungeon.
Another rest ended. Guede rose to his feet.
This time, the terrain hadn't fully regenerated, so no monsters had spawned nearby.
Even so, Guede had already tightened his grip on his sword.
Because his Observation Haki had picked up something not far away.
A male Pallum supporter was sprinting toward him at full speed.
Guede recognized him at a glance—this "man" was Lili, transformed by magic. Guede knew she possessed a transformation spell.
And even if he didn't know that, with Observation Haki, he could identify people by their presence alone.
Not far behind Lili, he could also hear the coarse roar of an adventurer:
"You bastards! You actually teamed up with another upper-tier adventurer to set me up?!"
Guede expanded his Observation Haki further, widening his detection range—and immediately saw what was happening at the source of the shouting.
Four Level 1 adventurers were fighting with terrified expressions against the raging man.
But against a Level 2, they were almost completely crushed. The speed of a single vertical cleave was already beyond their reactions; their desperate blocks came too late, and their weapons were being split apart.
Leveling up for an adventurer wasn't just a number—it was a full-body evolution.
Even if the difference was only one level, a body that had evolved one extra time possessed a natural, overwhelming leap in every attribute.
The gap between levels was a chasm.
The only reason those four Level 1s were still standing was because there was a "Level 2" on their side—invisible, somewhere nearby.
"Hey—!! Just like you promised, after we kill him we'll join the Soma Familia and take your orders! We won't tell anyone about what happened today! Y-You, hurry up and make your move!! If you don't, he's going to kill us!"
But the invisible adventurer didn't respond.
Because staying silent made it easier to conceal his position—and because he could also use these Level 1s to drain Stuped's stamina.
"Damn it…! Are we just bait to you?!"
The Level 1s realized it. To survive, no matter how terrified they were, they could only fight to the death.
Running wasn't even an option. Without expensive magic items or magical augmentation, a Level 1's legs could never outrun a Level 2.
And so, inside the Dungeon, a completely lopsided battle between adventurers erupted.
The invisible man—Zanis—was clearly at ease. He had no intention of striking yet. Wearing a mocking smile, he followed after Lili in her direction of escape.
He didn't seem willing to let a "companion" from the same familia slip away.
Having grasped the situation, Guede immediately started moving toward the battlefield.
A grimoire was a limited commodity even in all of Orario. It didn't just appear out of nowhere, and it certainly wouldn't end up in the hands of a sloppy, foolish Level 2 by coincidence.
And the Hades Helmet was one of the creations of Asfi the "万能者"—an item that could render its wearer transparent. Its value was equally absurd; it wasn't something that would be casually sold, and it absolutely shouldn't be sitting on the head of the Soma Familia's captain.
Put those two contradictions together, and Guede understood at once.
This was a coordinated trial—Freya and Hermes, working in tandem, testing him.
Of course, he could choose to turn around and walk away.
But if he let this play out, the final winner would be Zanis.
Everyone else would die.
The others—those with rotten personalities—could die for all he cared.
But Lili… Guede intended to save her.
So he went to meet it head-on.
"Arde… you've got nerve. Tampering on your own like that… it truly makes me… displeased!!"
Lili kept running, but Zanis was closing the distance—faster and faster.
There was already a full level gap between them, and she was a Pallum with shorter strides than most. She was about to be caught.
This time, Lili had torn open the malicious schemes of both sides.
She'd used her own usual sleeping drug to make Stuped feel drowsy on Floor 13—then collapse—baiting Zanis into making his move.
Then, while pretending to search for the grimoire, she immediately sprinkled Stuped with the antidote. He would wake soon.
After that, the moment he saw Zanis stealing the grimoire, he'd be furious.
The two sides would clash.
And Lili could escape in the chaos.
Small body. Low level.
It was the best self-rescue plan she could come up with.
And events had unfolded exactly as she expected.
When Stuped collapsed, the four Level 1s who didn't know the truth were completely baffled.
"What's going on, Supporter? The drug we gave you shouldn't trigger until Floor 18—why did he drop now?"
"Because she was never your companion to begin with."
Zanis appeared right on schedule—but he didn't reveal himself. Only his voice came out of the white fog.
"Arde, you did well this time. I'll be taking the grimoire."
But just as Zanis got the grimoire into his hands, Stuped woke up.
The moment Stuped came to, he saw his grimoire floating in midair—and gradually turning translucent.
Realizing someone was stealing it, Stuped exploded with rage like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Zanis also realized immediately that this unexpected turn was Lili's trick, and his hatred flared—
—but he quickly shifted tactics, riling up the Level 1s and steering Stuped into believing his own teammates had conspired with an unknown Level 2 to frame him.
And that led to the scene Guede had sensed.
…
Lili ran with everything she had, but Zanis was now less than twenty meters behind.
Another ten seconds or so, and she'd be caught—and killed.
Yet this time, Lili wasn't afraid of death anymore.
She didn't want to die, but she had struggled to the very end, beautifully.
More importantly, this time she wasn't standing on the side of actively harming others.
This was correct self-rescue.
So even if she died, she could close her eyes without regret.
With those thoughts, Lili kept running. She burst through the corridor ahead—
—and a familiar figure jumped into view.
"Mr. Guede?!"
Recognizing him, Lili's face lit up with reflexive joy.
Then she remembered—he was only Level 1 too.
Her joy flipped instantly into horror.
No way…!
She'd thought this was her final dance—
But why did it have to drag Mr. Guede into it?!
Why would fate play this kind of joke on her?!
Zanis would kill him too.
And it would be because of Lili.
Why…?
Why?
Why?!
Lili slammed to a stop—then turned and ran back toward Zanis.
"Mr. Guede, run—now! There's an invisible Level 2 here who's going to kill us! He's the Soma Familia's captain—'Wine Steward' Zanis!"
She spat out every vital detail in a single breath.
Then, wearing the expression of someone walking to her death, Lili charged straight at Zanis with unwavering resolve.
Thud—!
Before she could even react, Zanis's heavy kick crashed into her body, and she was sent flying.
But the cloak she wore had solid defensive properties, so the blow inflicted grievous injury rather than killing her outright.
Zanis realized that. Still invisible, with the wind howling around him, he lunged in to finish her.
However—
The black-haired, black-eyed young man Zanis had planned to silence after killing Lili stepped forward instead.
Clang—!
His speed was absurdly fast.
Zanis had no choice but to abandon the pursuit, draw his dagger, and block the strike.
Lili hit the ground hard, blood surging from her mouth. Her mind was already blurring from the damage—
—but through the haze, she saw Guede's back as he stood between her and death.
"Why… Mr. Guede… why didn't you run…"
Despair twisted across Lili's face.
And then her consciousness snapped.
She collapsed, unconscious.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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