Roar!
Roy's appearance also drew the monster's attention. Six eyes from its three heads fixed on him at the same time, radiating a cold, eerie light.
In that instant, Roy felt his blood run cold—turning a corner and meeting love definitely wasn't supposed to happen like this.
The monster's low growl felt strangely familiar. A moment later, Roy's pupils contracted—it was the very roar he had heard when he first entered.
The terrifying pressure emanating from it drained all color from Roy's face. Every cell in his body screamed with fear.
Compared to this thing, even Goliath, the Floor Boss of the 17th Floor of the Dungeon, wasn't worthy of carrying its shoes. This monster was at least Lv.7—no, Roy felt even that was an underestimate.
After all, the strongest adventurer he had ever seen was the "Mighty One," Ottar, whom he had once glimpsed from afar.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
The massive beast opened its gaping maw, revealing sharp fangs. Dark-purple saliva dripped to the ground, smoking like a powerful corrosive.
Roy didn't dare make a single reckless move. The gap in strength was far too great—he would die. He'd be killed in an instant.
At that moment, all six of the monster's eyes focused on the bamboo basket in Roy's hands, a trace of infatuation appearing in its gaze.
With his survival instincts at full throttle, Roy immediately caught on. He placed the basket on the ground, lifted the cloth covering it, and revealed the honey cake inside.
The instant it saw the cake, a subtle change passed through the monster's emotions. Its gaze locked onto it.
"Please," Roy said.
He backed away from the basket and retreated to the wall.
The monster's body suddenly shrank, becoming no larger than an ordinary house dog. It pounced forward, burying all three heads into the basket and devouring the cake ravenously.
Roy secretly let out a sigh of relief and edged along the wall, moving with extreme caution. Even with its reduced size, the sense of danger it gave off hadn't diminished in the slightest.
To avoid being ambushed, Roy kept his eyes on the monster the entire time, retreating step by step.
He didn't dare make a sound.
Once he had put enough distance between them, Roy turned and bolted, wishing his parents had given him two more legs. He didn't hesitate to activate the special effect of the Gale Boots.
He didn't stop until he had escaped the cave.
Seeing the light of day again made Roy feel how wonderful it was to be alive. Provoking that monster wouldn't be called "adventuring"—it would be genuine suicide.
"I thought you'd died in there."
The silver-haired goddess's voice rang out again. Roy turned to see her still sitting on that same blue stone.
"So? Was it fun?" the silver-haired goddess asked with a smile, like a child who had just gotten a new toy.
Roy's face was still pale. Fun, my ass. Facing that monster, even Ottar would probably lose a layer of skin—how could someone like him handle it?
Still, he had no choice but to play along. "Yeah, it was fun. Really fun."
Hearing Roy's insincere reply, the smile on the silver-haired goddess's face only grew deeper.
"Goddess-sama, what exactly was that monster? How could something that strong exist on the surface?"
Roy moved closer. Aside from the Black Dragon, surface monsters rarely even reached Lv.4. Monsters above Lv.7 practically didn't exist.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't," the silver-haired goddess said, shooting him a warning glance and making no move to answer.
Roy pursed his lips. As if he didn't already have an idea.
A three-headed canine beast that loved sweets—there was only one mythological monster that came to mind: Cerberus. He just wasn't sure whether it was the real one, or merely a monster resembling it.
If it was the real thing, then the cave he had entered was truly terrifying. A chill ran down Roy's spine—he really had been a reckless fledgling, fearless out of sheer ignorance.
Since he couldn't pry any information out of the silver-haired goddess, Roy changed the subject with a smile. "Goddess-sama, could you give me back that bracer?"
"Trying to burn the bridge after crossing it?" the silver-haired goddess raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.
"I wouldn't dare!" Roy waved his hands repeatedly. Without that honey cake, he would have been killed instantly by that monster.
As he spoke, Roy stepped forward and began massaging her shoulders, smiling ingratiatingly. "With my level of strength, I'm nothing out there—I can barely even protect myself. I just ask for Goddess-sama's mercy, to return the life-saving bracer to me."
The silver-haired goddess was both amused and exasperated. He'd dared to charge into that cave, yet now he was playing the weakling in front of her. This little fox was just like a marketplace merchant—wherever there was profit, he'd rush in like a cat that smelled blood.
Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Returning it isn't impossible—but I have a condition."
"Please, go ahead," Roy said.
He caught the flash of cunning in her eyes and immediately raised his guard.
The silver-haired goddess spoke coldly, "Go to Orario and wipe out the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia."
"Me?"
Roy almost choked on his own saliva. He asked cautiously, "In… five or three years?"
The silver-haired goddess replied without hesitation, "Now."
Roy gave a bitter smile. "Goddess-sama, please suggest another condition. I want to—but I simply can't."
"Have a little backbone, will you?" the silver-haired goddess extended a slender jade-like finger and tapped Roy on the head in frustration.
So annoyed she was nearly fuming, she failed to notice that Roy himself was brimming with confidence. At most three years—that was all he needed to grow strong enough to take down two world-famous familias. Looking across the entire world, what adventurer would dare say such a thing?
Roy chuckled. "Goddess-sama, this isn't one of those hot-blooded stories where you shout 'Don't underestimate our bonds!' and magically defeat a powerful enemy."
The silver-haired goddess stared at Roy with her blood-red eyes. After a long moment, she let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine."
She tossed the Steel Bracer to Roy, her expression tinged with melancholy. "If one day you encounter a white-haired, red-eyed child—probably around nine or ten years old—do your best to lend him a hand."
At those words, Roy's expression immediately turned serious. He stared intently at the silver-haired goddess.
From their first meeting until now—her words, her actions, and that last sentence were far too telling. He seemed to have realized her true identity.
Roy's direct gaze made even the silver-haired goddess feel uncomfortable. She snapped irritably, "So are you going to do it or not? Give me a straight answer—stop dawdling!"
Roy replied solemnly, "Of course."
Satisfied, the silver-haired goddess smiled. She had some confidence in her ability to judge people. "All right. Go on, get lost. If you don't leave now, it'll be too late."
"Take care, Goddess-sama!"
"Scram! Don't loiter in front of me!"
The silver-haired goddess waved him off in disgust. Roy took off like a horse freed from its reins, sprinting down the mountain.
Watching Roy run faster than a rabbit, the silver-haired goddess couldn't help but laugh softly. Murmuring to herself, she said, "Astraea Familia… the sprout of justice… the fastest-leveling adventurer in history. How interesting. We'll definitely meet again."
In truth, Roy didn't leave right away.
Instead, he waited at the foot of the mountain. Two days later, he quietly snuck back up—and as expected, the strange cave and the silver-haired goddess were gone.
As if they had never existed at all.
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