Roy circled through the forest, retrieved the gear from his ring, and returned to set up camp. With a fire going and water boiling, Maryse finally calmed down, though fear still lingered in her eyes.
"You guys rest. I'm going to head down a few floors to blow off some steam," Roy smiled before disappearing into the woods.
Maryse watched him go in awe. "Mr. Roy is incredible. How does he still have the energy to hunt?" Daphne and Cassandra just chuckled. To high-level adventurers, the word "monster" wasn't just for the things they hunted.
Roy broke through to the 19th floor and moved rapidly toward the 24th. He remembered his debt to the Xenos mermaid, Mari, and decided to check on her.
He reached the Water Capital in less than two hours. The Floor Boss, Amphisbaena, was still a few days away from respawning, so Roy had free rein. He killed dozens of Blue Crabs and Shooter Fish, leaving magic stones scattered everywhere. He created a lightning clone to follow him and pick them up.
However, Roy noticed something strange. The monster frequency was off. Even if the Dungeon was trying to lure him deeper, the Water Capital should have been teeming with life. He had killed fewer than a hundred monsters so far—suspiciously low.
As he turned a corner, Roy suppressed his aura and slipped into the shadows. A young man was guarding the passage!
Using his [Wind Chaser Boots], Roy's agility surged to SS-rank. He crossed thirty meters like a ghost, pinning the man against the wall by his throat. The Level 2 guard couldn't even react.
"Don't kill me..." the man trembled. "Which Familia?" Roy whispered coldly. "I-Ikelos Familia!"
Roy's eyes narrowed. The Ikelos Familia—officially Rank B, but they hadn't reported progress past the 37th floor in years. They were notoriously low-profile, and few knew what they were actually up to.
"What are you doing here?" Roy's tone turned icy. "Catching a monster..." the guard stammered.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi : Starting with an Elf (342 Chapters – Ongoing)
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Roy knew exactly what they were doing. They operated out of the Knossos labyrinth in the slums, profiting from the capture and sale of Xenos—intelligent monsters.
"How did you find her?" "A month ago, someone saw a monster placing shells on the shore. We guessed it was an intelligent one..."
Roy realized it was his fault. Mari had placed those shells to guide Lyu and the others to him during the Amphisbaena fight. Someone had seen her. The Ikelos Familia had set up sentries at every passage to capture her while keeping the existence of the Xenos a secret.
Snap. Roy coldly crushed the man's throat and neck bone.
He moved forward silently, entering an open area where a dozen Ikelos adventurers were gathered. "Can't believe we found another one in the Water Capital." "Two weeks of hunting, but we finally got her!" "We're gonna be rich!"
On the riverbank stood an iron cage. Inside was a Red-Eyed Needle Rabbit. Unlike normal monsters, its eyes were full of human-like intelligence and pain. Its limbs were bound by heavy chains.
"Hey! Come out or your friend dies!" a male adventurer shouted, kicking the cage. The rabbit let out a cry of agony.
They were using the rabbit to lure Mari out of the water. No rational adventurer would sacrifice themselves, but the Xenos were famously compassionate.
Mari appeared in the deep-water zone, her face a mask of despair. The Ikelos members' eyes lit up. A mermaid Xenos was a rare prize—beautiful, talented, and her blood was a top-tier healing material. She could sell for over a hundred million Valis.
"Just come here, and we'll let your friend go!" they lied.