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"Why are you moping over there like that?" Ryoji looked at Lefiya, who was crouching on the ground looking utterly depressed, and couldn't help but throw out a jab.
"It's nothing," Lefiya replied listlessly.
Though she had vaguely sensed it for a while, she had always refused to admit it. But now, she had no choice but to face the truth.
Miss Ais had most likely been attracted to this man.
Hmph, what's so great about this guy anyway? He's all looks and no substance!
...Okay, fine. His swordsmanship was top-tier, his strength was exceptional, and he was known for his decisive action in dangerous situations, praised by many...
The more she thought about it, the more Lefiya started to panic.
Why is it that when I think about this guy, I can only see his strengths?!
And if those two really do get together, what about me?!
Would that mean I've been abandoned by Miss Ais? Or ditched by Ryoji?
So conflicted!
The more she thought about it, the more tangled her feelings became. Eventually, Lefiya just gave up and started drawing circles on the ground in frustration.
Seeing that Lefiya wasn't going to bounce back anytime soon, Ryoji shrugged and let her be. He was used to her spacing out over the past few days, anyway.
"Hm?"
Ryoji scanned the plaza. He had been planning to go help with the investigation, but suddenly paused.
He caught sight of an armored figure slowly retreating from the crowd, heading in the same direction Ais and the Dogman girl had gone.
"That guy?" Alicia noticed the movement as well, her expression tightening.
"Alicia, go notify Finn and the others. I'll follow him and check it out."
"Got it. Just be careful."
Alicia had full faith in Ryoji's strength.
If he went all out, even she might not be able to take him in a fight. And with Ais also present, she wasn't too worried. Nodding, she ran off toward Finn's group.
Ryoji immediately pursued the armored man's trail.
Lefiya looked left, then right, then let out a long sigh, eyes full of melancholy.
I get it now... None of you ever really thought of me as part of the team, huh?
In the northwest part of town, there was a crystal-lined street that extended into the hills.
The road was covered in various colored crystals, and under the night's glow, they radiated multicolored lights, breathtakingly beautiful.
The man in full heavy armor moved step by step along the crystalline stairway.
Though he noticed someone following him, he paid no attention.
Around his neck was a ragged scarf like torn cloth. His head was covered by a hood, and most of his face was wrapped in bandages, leaving only patches of pale gray skin visible. His exposed left eye was emotionless and icy, fixed on the two people ahead.
Up ahead,
Ais had caught up with the Dogman girl. After a brief exchange, the girl retrieved something from her bag, a sphere roughly the size of a human head, wrapped tightly in layers of white cloth.
Ais carefully unwrapped the cloth. What emerged was a green orb.
Inside the orb was a translucent membrane surrounding a strange liquid, and within that, an extremely unsettling fetus.
Its small curled-up body was completely disproportionate to the massive eyeballs. Long hair sprouted from its head, almost like it was declaring its female nature. Though it remained motionless and silent, it gave off a pulsing sound, plop... plop..., like a beating heart.
It was alive!
Ais was stunned.
But that wasn't all.
A strange sensation rushed up her arm from the orb and surged into her heart. It was as if her entire body had synchronized with the orb. Her heartbeat quickened dramatically, and the blood in her veins began to boil at an alarming rate.
"Sword Princess, are you okay?!" The Dogman girl quickly supported Ais, her voice full of fear and worry.
Ais clutched her head.
A wave of nausea surged from her stomach, making her dizzy and disoriented. She nearly collapsed to the ground.
In her disoriented state, the orb slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.
"I'm... fine..."
Ais finally caught her breath, panting heavily.
After seeing that Jewel Fetus, the armored man's ascending footsteps suddenly came to a halt. A cold smile appeared in his eyes.
Moments later, he pulled out a grass whistle from within his robes.
"--Come forth."
He blew into the grass whistle, producing a sharp, high-pitched sound, like a signal, echoing across the small town's sky.
"What's he doing?"
Ryoji, still tailing the armored figure, frowned deeply as he observed.
He didn't know what the man intended, but his instincts screamed danger. His crisis sense flared strongly, warning him not to act rashly.
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
Loud crashing sounds of collapsing buildings roared out from behind, followed by plumes of dust billowing upward from the direction of the town.
And then came the screams, and the roars.
"Monsters?"
Ryoji turned to look and was instantly filled with suspicion and unease.
What he saw were countless creatures stretching their heads toward the sky, faceless snakes.
Their long, slender bodies and smooth skin tissue extended up from the ground. Where their heads should have been, there were no eyes or organs, just bulbous, seed-like structures that reminded Ryoji of sunflower seeds.
Their sickly yellow-green flesh gave Ryoji an uncanny and disturbing sense of déjà vu.
"What the hell? There were no signs of monster intrusion… and these things don't exist on the middle floors!"
Ryoji's mind filled with questions.
Sure, monsters from the northern wetlands occasionally invaded Rivira, but adventurers regularly hunted there to control monster numbers. An invasion like this would only happen if a massive horde spawned in a very short period of time.
But as someone who had already descended to the lower floors, Ryoji was certain: monsters like these did not exist on the middle levels!
"Puchi!"
One of the "snakes" tilted its head to the sky. Then its "head" split open into multiple cracks, like a flower blooming.
Dozens of fleshy "petals" unfolded, unleashing a deafening roar. The colors were unnaturally vivid, as if they concealed potent toxins. At the center of the bloom, layers upon layers of jagged teeth lined a gaping maw, drooling thick, sticky saliva.
The creature lowered its head and swallowed a terrified adventurer whole in one bite.
Crunch, Crunch!
The scream was abruptly cut off. Not even a corpse remained.
These aren't snakes... They're man-eating flowers?!
BOOM!
Before Ryoji could decide whether to rush back and support the town, the armored man ahead had already made his move.
He stomped hard on the ground, kicking up a violent gust of wind that sent chills down the spine. In the next instant, his entire body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
At a divine speed! He charged straight toward Ais!
"So fast! Even faster than Tiona!"
Ryoji was shocked.
In the blink of an eye, the man had already covered more than ten meters.
Even as a Level 3, Ryoji could barely react in time.
Good thing he hadn't acted impulsively, otherwise, he would've been in serious danger.
Nearby, Ais was the first to spot the armored attacker diving toward her.
Her eyes turned razor-sharp. With a loud bang, she shoved the Dogman girl aside and, like lightning, drew her sword Desperate from her waist to meet the charge head-on.
CLANG!
A fierce shockwave tore through the air as their blades collided.
(End of Chapter)