He spoke out, giving them his real name. It was a way to find out if they recognized it.
However, Finn waited for a moment, as though expecting Yuji to say something else before nodding.
"We were planning on heading up to floor 50 and setting up our base camp there. Seeing as you came from that direction, I assume you're coming back from the deeper floors." Finn spoke out, turning to the rest of his party and signalling with his hand for them to stand down.
They all complied with relief, with the exception of Bete who couldn't help but stand tense the entire time, staring at Yuji.
Aiz was no exception, except her case was more towards the strength of the magic he had showcased, wondering just how strong this man before them really was.
'Floor 50?' Yuji thought to himself, reflecting on the words Finn spoke out. 'Wait, don't tell me this is an actual dungeon? Did I get isekai'd or transported to a different world?'
He wasn't unaware of the various shows and manga of people dying and reincarnating in a different world, most commonly a fantasy world filled with magic. He just never expected it to actually be real and to be happening to him.
"Hold on, I have a quick question." Yuji raised his hand towards Finn, "How old are you?"
Finn stood still for a moment, unsure of what to make of this situation, being asked of his age all of a sudden.
He then frowned slightly, assuming Yuji was viewing him as a child rather than a Pallum. Before he could interject however, someone else already did so.
"Huh?! What kind of question is that to be asking boss?!" Tione, the amazoness, yelled out as she pushed past the other members of the party, a hand on her hip as she pointed towards Yuji.
"Don't you know it's rude to ask a Pallum their age?! And not only that… You make it sound like you're treating our Captain like a child! Who do you think yo- Mmphh!! Mphh!!"
She was quickly stopped and dragged back by her sister, Tiona and Gareth, back behind the rest of their party out of view.
"*Sigh* I assume you have a good reason to be asking me that, but I'm over 40 years old." Finn let out an exasperated sigh after seeing Tione's actions. "Since you asked me for my age, I'll add that I'm of the Pallum race. We all are short, but don't mistake that for weakness."
"Right… Sorry, just had to confirm something." Yuji rubbed the side of his head in frustration, practically confirming his suspicions. He couldn't help but think if he was in some knock off Lord of the Rings.
"Look, I'll be honest with you. I'm lost right now on where I'm currently at. If you don't mind, could you point me in the right direction out of here?"
"Hah?! You're telling me someone like you ends up beyond floor 40 and is somehow 'lost'? Yea, I don't buy it, not one bit." Bete interjected in, stepping forward, his body tensed and his fists clenched, ready for a fight.
"Bete, stop and move bac-"
"Sorry Captain, something about this guy doesn't seem right. My senses and instincts are going crazy right now ever since he appeared." Bete said calmly as Finn tried to get him to pull back.
Yuji merely sighed, "Look, I don't want any trouble. Just point me to the path out of here and I'll be on my way."
"Hell no. Something's off about you. I don't know what it is, but my body can't decide between wanting to run off or fight right now ever since you showed up. You haven't even told us what damn Familia you're from either."
Bete lowered his body slightly, assuming his fighting stance. The rest of the party was more surprised by the fact that Bete readily admitted he was ready to run off, compared to his usual loud boasting.
He was a level 5 adventurer, and could be considered as one of the strongest fighters in Orario, yet he seemed to be shaken by the person in front of them.
Aiz's grip on her weapon tightened, her eyes narrowing towards Yuji, but not with the resolve to fight, but rather to find out just how strong this man was and if it would give her a hint towards becoming stronger herself.
"Why does everything always come down to fighting?" Yuji muttered to himself, taking his hands out of his pockets and shifting his body sideways.
Finn frowned and before he could order Bete to stand down, the man had already sprinted across the corridor and closed in on Yuji, his right leg suspended in the air and crashing down towards Yuji's head.
"Dammit Bete, you're level 5! We don't know what his level is!" Finn shouted after Bete, before signaling for Tione and Tiona to run forward to subdue Bete before things could escalate any further, with Aiz following behind.
However, before they could do so, Yuji raised his right hand and grabbed onto the leg that was swinging down towards him. The impact shook the corridor and the ground beneath them, cracking the earth and splitting it apart, causing them to sink slightly.
"I knew it, I had a feeling." Bete spat out, and just as he was about to retract his leg, he felt Yuji's grip around his leg tightened, forcing him to let out a cry of pain as the right mithril boot he had on, Flosvirt, cracked under his hand "Wha- How?!"
Yuji didn't answer him, and instead, pulled Bete down, letting go of his leg as Bete's body suspended in the air in front of Yuji.
"Grit your teeth."
Yuji then swung his left hand forward, clenched into a fist. That was the moment his fist impacted Bete's midsection.
"Kokusen" (Black Flash)
A flash of red and black exploded out from the point of impact, spreading out and covering the sides of the corridor. The sound of the punch was like a cannon going off as Bete's body was catapulted back and away from Yuji at incredible speeds.
"Gah-!" Bete yelled out, his eyes rolling back as his body flew towards Aiz, Tione and Tiona.
Aiz quickly stepped out of the way, but this led to Bete's body crashing and skipping along the ground, straight into Tione and Tiona, making them fall back down into a heap.
"Bah!"
"Puha!!"
Tione and Tiona crumpled down beneath Bete's unconscious body, the rest of the party stared at their form and Bete, before turning to look at Yuji.
Aiz herself had always stared at Yuji, never turning back, her eyes locked on and fierce.
Yuji was ready to fight once again, but seeing the look in her eyes, he could tell she wasn't looking to fight. It was more like she wanted to know something from him, seeking an answer.
"Great… Now we have deadweight we have to carry forward." Finn sighed as he walked towards Yuji, with Riveria shaking her head to go and check Bete's condition, knowing he wasn't dead but to check the extent of the damage.
"I have to apologize on behalf of Bete as his Captain. I couldn't restrain my own party member and risked harm befalling onto you. How would you like to accompany us instead to floor 50 where we can have a proper conversation? We can help bring you out after we're done with our expedition."
Finn diplomatically suggested to Yuji, who was going to refuse, but was interrupted as Finn added on.
"Since you mentioned being lost, I can't in good faith let you venture back up by yourself. Floor 37, the White Palace, is a giant labyrinth. Without sufficient knowledge of the layout, you could be lost for weeks. We have plenty of supplies as well, we would be more than willing to share some with you."
Finn gestured towards the large supply bags on the ground and backs of some of the support party members, before nodding down to the empty look bag hanging by Yuji's side.
Yuji thought for a moment before nodding, "You make some good points. I'll tag along for now."
Finn smiled and reached his hand out, "I'll be looking forward to your company, Yuji Itadori."
Yuji stared at the hand before reaching out, noticing the size difference between the two at such a short distance. "Like wise."