Dungeon, Floor 17.
Because the dungeon's environment slowly self-restores, Finn and the others couldn't find any clues in the Boss room. The only thing certain was that after giving birth to that black monster, the dungeon temporarily lacked the power to regenerate another Goliath.
They returned to the upper levels without defeating the boss.
Eugene was among the Loki Familia's main force, walking in the tail end of the group. He wasn't the only one; a few other adventurers were hitching a ride.
Eugene's gaze discreetly swept through the team, occasionally fixing on the dazzling golden hair in front of him. Having grown accustomed to being watched, even Ais herself didn't notice anything.
Finally, they reached the stairs leading up from Floor 17.
This was a long, narrow passage with flat, towering stone walls on both sides.
Suddenly, a series of strange tremors shook the area.
Massive protrusions burst out of the stone walls on both sides.
No less than twenty Minotaurs burst through the walls!
The dungeon occasionally has an event where multiple monsters are born all at once, known as a "Monster Feast"! The battle-hardened members of the Loki Familia were unperturbed.
"What do you say, Captain, clean them up?" the Amazon sisters asked.
Finn glanced around, saw they were all Minotaurs, and didn't give it much thought.
Thus, the Level 5 sisters, bare-handed, gave everyone a demonstration of hand-pounding minotaur meatballs! One punch per head, a sweep per kick!
Witnessing the sheer overwhelming power of their opponents, the Minotaurs fled in terror. Even monsters will flee when faced with a too-powerful opponent.
"Oh no! There are low-level adventurers on the upper floors!"
"They can't beat Minotaurs!"
Seeing this, Finn gave the command, and several of the top-tier members of the team immediately gave chase.
Now!
Eugene turned into a gust of wind and closely followed! The unfamiliar figure immediately caught Finn's attention.
"Who is that person?" As Captain, he couldn't easily leave.
"No idea?" The rest of the team was clueless.
That speed... he's an expert...
Finn narrowed his eyes, recalling the information from Bete.
Could it be the "Fire Breather"? Why is he giving chase? Out of justice? Or... for other reasons?
Finn pondered for a moment but ultimately did not step out. The man's purpose was unknown, and apart from being powerful, he hadn't shown anything suspicious. Furthermore, even if he had other motives, their junior members were all highly capable!
"Is this the effect of 'Strong Luck'?"
Eugene smirked, sensing no one was following behind him. Using echo location, he followed the few individuals ahead from a distance through the labyrinth.
In his perception, four people were moving exceptionally fast in the pursuit group: the Amazon sisters, the Werewolf Bete, and the Sword Princess Ais.
They've split up...
Eugene intensified his perception and followed the one with the heavier feedback. Bete, the werewolf, had the largest physique among the four, making him easy to track.
Meanwhile, Dungeon Floor 5.
Bell, who radiated the air of a complete noob from head to toe—only wearing a steel plate breastplate and carrying a beginner's short sword—had stubbornly advanced quite far into Floor 5.
He thought he was strong enough to go this far. In reality, he simply had a natural Luck attribute, which allowed him to avoid many groups of monsters.
In a place Bell couldn't see, the real Eugene, dressed in a sleek black, long jacket, styled after Kirito-sama but with a distinctly sinister aura, was leisurely following the little rabbit. He had easily located Bell near the dungeon entrance.
"Two more floors..."
The Minotaur Eugene (Bull-Bull) and the original Eugene (The main body) were in complete sync. This was the first time the two of them had appeared in the dungeon simultaneously, but unfortunately, there was no time for a celebration.
That's enough, time to swap!
Both the Bull-Bull and the main body Eugene simultaneously summoned their Hiraishin scrolls from the system space, slapped them onto the wall, and left a mark. Then, they triggered them simultaneously!
Whoosh!
The man and the bull swapped places!
This time, the one following Bell was the menacing Minotaur. And the one continuing the pursuit of Ais and Bete was Eugene himself.
Here it comes! The show is about to begin!
Eugene flicked his tongue, and invisible sound waves accurately fed back the nearest path ahead. To catch the Minotaurs, Ais and Bete had not taken the optimal route, which gave Eugene a chance to overtake them!
"Demonization!"
Sacrifice the skill "Dexterous Fingers"!
[Gained Ultra Enhancement for 10 minutes!]
[Entered Stamina/Magic Compensation State!]
Eugene's eyes turned purple, and the tails of his trench coat trailed a purple light. His speed soared, and he plunged headfirst into the darkness, like a predatory falcon.
?
At the same time, Ais's pretty brows furrowed.
A strange feeling of loss welled up in her heart, as if something important was gradually slipping away from her life. She didn't know it was a bond—a vital bond with a little boy who was destined to become a hero.
Ais intensely disliked this feeling. She clutched her chest, her breathing becoming rapid.
Loss. This was her earliest and most painful memory. Her parents swallowed before her eyes by the colossal, sky-darkening black dragon, leaving her only to cry powerlessly.
Crunch.
The girl's fist tightened. Her golden hair flew, and her speed increased further, as if she were fusing with the wind, as if she was trying to catch up with fate!
But unfortunately.
The one opposing her was a man who could manipulate the strings of destiny, a man who was overbearing and utterly intolerant of contradiction in this regard. Everything in the world could return to its proper course, except what this man had changed.
Clench!
Eugene clenched his fist, a wicked smile spreading across his lips.
I have grasped it! That rope of destiny!
Shhhring—
At the intersection ahead, having lost track of their prey, the two decided to split up. This time, the tunnel Bete ran into was bright. Ais's path ahead was filled with darkness.
She hesitated for a moment but ultimately took the step.
This single step was the ending!
...
On the other side, within a winding passage, a massive figure was frantically fleeing until it violently collided with the gray-haired, red-eyed boy.
"Ah, ouch!"
Bell fell onto the ground with a thud. Just as he was about to apologize, his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets!
"M-M-M-Minotaur!!??"
The Minotaur, who was still full of himself despite his namesake not being around, had finally found someone easy to bully. He puffed out his chest and let out a fierce roar at the little rabbit!
The sound echoed through the surroundings, traveling down the long, secluded passage and reaching the deepest darkness.
This roar set off a ripple in destiny!
Over there!
Bete and Ais simultaneously turned around and started running!
But the moment the girl moved forward, a pair of eyes glowing with a sinister light appeared in the darkness ahead.
"Sword Princess Ais Wallenstein, I've heard much about you."
The man's arm glowed with pure white light. He casually swung it backward, and with a single strike, the passage collapsed!
"That's the situation." The man in the black trench coat and mask issued a polite yet undeniable invitation.
"Care for a spar?"
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