Seeing Liu's killing intent lessen, Roy secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This matter was settled!
"As a bonus…"
Roy said, "I can tell you information about Zagnate. This is information even the gods don't know. At least you'll know how your companions died."
Liu stared intently at Roy, wishing she could tear his mouth open. He liked to keep people in suspense, didn't he?
Roy said, "Zagnate, also known as 'Calamity,' if it causes large-scale destruction on a floor, leading to severe damage to the Underground City's structure, the Underground City will give up on repairs and instead produce this exceptionally powerful monster to eliminate intruders."
"fire stone!"
Liu's ice-cold face froze. They were hunting the Darkness Familia, and the other party used a large amount of fire stone. Although it didn't kill them, it did destroy the floor.
Looking at the Darkness Familia's reaction, the other party also didn't know this would happen.
Unexpected situations occurring in an unknown Underground City were perfectly normal.
They would actually be annihilated for such a reason.
"Damn it!"
Liu bit her silver teeth tightly, and the faces of her companions flashed through her mind. The look of revenge she had maintained could no longer be held, and her eyes filled with mist as she collapsed onto the bed.
Roy inwardly complained, 'Don't cry on my bed! Now I'll have to wash it again.'
Her whimpering was low and suppressed, like a stream struggling under a huge rock. Roy put away his cynical attitude; the current Liu Rion was just a sixteen-year-old girl who had just lost all her companions.
After a while, when Liu looked up, she forcefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. The strength revealed on her small face was enough to make adults feel ashamed.
Liu looked at Roy, "You are?"
Roy reached out, revealing a sunny smile, "Roy. Please take care of me from now on, Gale Lione!"
Liu didn't take Roy's outstretched hand, but only nodded slightly, "I promise you!"
Roy didn't mind, he got an LV.4 hitter!
The contract was established!
The Elf Girl would work for Roy for three years, and he would help the Elf Girl obtain the resurrection secret art!
Elves, who valued contracts and promises the most, were absolutely loyal among all races, not to mention Liu Rion, who was known for her integrity even among elves.
Deceiving an underage Elf Girl like this made Roy feel a little uneasy.
He could only work hard to improve his strength.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
If he couldn't help her obtain the resurrection secret art after three years, Liu would kill him regardless of the consequences, and her methods would definitely be more terrifying than her revenge on the Darkness Familia.
Roy asked, "How's your condition?"
Liu replied, "Don't underestimate an upper-level Adventurer!"
Roy wasn't surprised. Upper-level Adventurers had monstrous physiques and habits. Having spent years in the Underground City, falling asleep in a second and recovering stamina and mental energy in a few minutes were routine operations.
The fatigue on Liu's face vanished without a trace.
More importantly, knowing that her companions still had a chance to be resurrected, Liu's face showed a hint of vitality and hope, much better than her previous lifeless appearance.
Roy manually operated the panel. You could add teammates in the next instance, allowing a powerful person to carry you.
There was only one empty slot on the teammate interface.
There was also a prompt next to it: for every level he gained, he could add one additional teammate.
[Liu Rion has been added as a teammate!]
[Demon Slayer Instance: Hunt Upper Rank Two Douma, Reward 600 attribute points, Bronze Treasure Chest!]
…
Roy quickly selected the instance quest. The Demon Slayer world's intensity, size, and duration were just right for testing Liu, his LV.4 hitter.
Liu couldn't see the system panel. Seeing Roy tapping at the air, she frowned. Had she trusted the wrong person? Was this person just a pure lunatic?
Roy smiled, "Let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu was surprised to find her body turning into specks of starlight, becoming increasingly ethereal. This was something she had never encountered before.
When Liu opened her eyes again.
The tent they were in had disappeared. What greeted her eyes was a silent forest, with night covering the sky, dotted with brilliant stars, beautiful as a painting.
"Is this a secret realm similar to the Underground City?" Liu surveyed her surroundings, secretly amazed.
"You can think of it that way."
Roy went along with her words. The Danmachi world was vast and boundless. The Underground City was one of the three great secret realms. Besides that, there were a bunch of small secret realms. The forest where the elves lived was also considered a secret realm in the eyes of others.
Liu felt fortunate. To instantly transport her from Orario to a secret realm—such a method was comparable to a god unleashing divine power. It was a very correct choice that she hadn't directly attacked Roy earlier.
Otherwise, if he had run into this secret realm, her searching the entire world would be useless, and she would probably regret it for the rest of her life.
Unconsciously, the young man before her filled Liu with a sense of mystery. He seemed to be shrouded in a thick mist.
This mystery also greatly increased the reliability of the "resurrection secret art" he spoke of.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of metal clashing came from deep within the forest.
Roy and Liu exchanged glances, suppressed their auras, and stealthily crept over.
The distance wasn't far. After traversing about two hundred meters, they saw two figures fighting in a clearing, their forms swiftly moving.
The girl wearing a butterfly haori was covered in scars, while the strangely dressed young man on the other side held two iron fans, a ferocious, fanatical smile on his face.
Butterfly Kanae encountered Upper Rank Two Douma!
"Is that the target this time?"
Liu stared coldly at Douma. Roy brought her to this place, so he must want her to hunt monsters.
"Don't rush!" Seeing Liu about to charge forward, Roy quickly stopped her.
Roy knew that Butterfly Kanae would last until the sun was about to rise, not getting eaten by Douma, and would later inform Shinobu about Douma.
There was still some time until sunrise.
Roy lowered his voice, "I'll tell you about the target first. That's a demon. They're different from ordinary monsters; demons have self-awareness."
"Demons? Monsters with self-awareness?"
Liu looked at Roy, realizing he wasn't joking. She then looked at the battle in the clearing. The young man was muttering to himself, able to converse with the girl, which made her feel surprised.
Roy wasn't surprised by this. Before the appearance of Xenos, monsters with self-awareness were simply unheard of for people.
Roy continued, "That demon has ice-like magic. Ice crystals formed from blood fill the air. When approaching him, be careful to block your breath, otherwise your internal organs and blood will freeze.
He has extraordinary regenerative power. Even if his head is blown off or his body is cut to pieces, he can recover."
Listening to Roy's narration, Liu frowned. Even a Floor Master might not have such special abilities.