I love time travel the most!

Kobayashi shrugged.

In any team, there will inevitably be dissenters, whether genuinely or with ulterior motives. From the monsters' perspective, rather than trusting humans, who have been their enemies since ancient times, they'd rather fight for their own survival.

Unfortunately, their strength didn't allow it. Having such thoughts would only lead them to their destruction.

Level 20.

It resembled the floors inside a giant tree, with very high ceilings and several small tree holes, many of which were hiding places for monsters.

The corridor banners were also very wide, and the surrounding area was overgrown with plants unique to the building, emitting a captivating fragrance that seemed to lure hesitant adventurers.

The number of lines of sight has increased.

Bell looked around, his skin tingling, probably unable to bear the scrutinizing gaze. He looked at Kobayashi as if seeking help.

Kobayashi had already noticed these gazes.

They couldn't catch a single suspicious shadow from the tree holes overhead, the countless forks in the road, or the bushes to the left and right, but they were holding their breath and spying on the team.

Who are they?

What are their goals?

An incomprehensible terror constantly churned within me.

Bell felt short of breath and uneasy, but Kobayashi gave no instructions, and Rey, who was walking ahead, was still leading the way. He could only continue forward, but he still unconsciously reached for the short dagger at his waist.

The others also became alert.

As they went deeper, the light was completely blocked, darkness enveloped their hearts, and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard for them to breathe.

But they dared not light torches.

Because the light source would attract monsters, we had no choice but to endure it. However, perhaps because we had gotten used to it, we were able to see a little bit of the surrounding scenery.

We walked for a while longer.

"Okay, we're here."

As Rey, who was leading the way, said something, a sudden gust of wind blew, causing everyone to cover their faces with their hands.

She had taken flight.

Before Bell and the others could do anything, countless scarlet eyes appeared all around them in the next second, and the sound of many rustling footsteps could be heard all around.

"It's a lie, a lie, right..."

Zorf's voice trembled.

He had to admit, he was a little scared.

Surrounded by so many monsters, my life is in danger!

Could it be that they deliberately brought them here to kill them?

They couldn't help but speculate.

Bell was the first to react; his first instinct was to pull out the magic stone lamp for illumination.

But just as he was about to turn on the light, a pair of bloodshot beast eyes filled his entire field of vision, and at the same time, a demonic aura rushed into his nostrils.

The piercing cold light, illuminated by the moss, rushed straight towards his chest. The sudden disappearance of the blade made Bell stop breathing. Instinctively, he moved the divine dagger he was holding tightly in his right hand, causing it to collide with the scimitar's sharp blade.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful impact that shook his vision pierced through his body, sending Bell flying sideways.

"Bell!?"

"Lord Bell!"

"Lord Bell!"

Seeing their commander swept away, Zolf and the others cried out in alarm.

Finally, it was Lily who quickly took a small bag out of her backpack and threw its contents around.

"Blue moss!"

It flew into the air in a flash, and what fell on the floor was glowing moss, which Lily had specially collected on the 19th floor.

The moss forms light particles, and the darkness is completely dispelled.

As both sides were taken aback, the area was suddenly illuminated, and Bell and the others were able to see the attackers' true identities.

"Just how many monsters are there?!"

Besides the half-human, half-bird creatures, gargoyles and griffins flew overhead, while half-human, half-snake creatures, unicorn rabbits, beastmen, war shadows, human spiders, unicorns, and so on lay on the ground.

Upper layer, middle layer, lower layer, deep layer

The monsters here are of all kinds, coming from various floors and areas.

Upon seeing the space large enough to accommodate the surface arena filled with powerful monsters, everyone's faces turned deathly pale.

"I see, so this is your headquarters."

It was Kobayashi who spoke.

At that moment, he was holding a pet on a leash.

Before anyone knew it, the silk threads had wrapped around the neck of the monster in the center, the very same creature that had just had a brief conflict with Bell.

Under the light of the blue moss, you could tell he was a lizardman.

"Huh? You...?!"

Zolf paused for a moment when he saw it.

He wielded a longsword in his right hand and a scimitar in his left, his body covered in crimson scales and clad in protective gear. Although it didn't appear to be well-maintained, he was still fully armed.

Isn't this the same monster I saw on the guild bulletin board?

"Gah...ga ga...!"

The lizard man's green face turned red, and he was having difficulty breathing and couldn't say anything.

"Roar!"

"Awoo! Awoo!"

"Quack quack!"

Upon seeing their companion captured, the surrounding monsters immediately became agitated, roaring and threatening Kobayashi as if demanding that he release their companion.

Bell and the others were terrified.

Kobayashi, however, remained completely unaffected. Instead, he looked around and said, "Is this how you treat your guests? It's quite an eye-opener for me."

Fortunately, the monsters don't understand what sarcasm is.

Otherwise, they would have understood that Kobayashi was implying that monsters are monsters and do not understand human etiquette.

"Please release him, Lord Kobayashi."

Rey landed right off overhead.

Kobayashi didn't make things too difficult for them and readily released the lizardman's neck.

Having finally caught his breath, the lizardman coughed a few times and said in a relieved tone typical of humans, "I was suffocating! I almost thought I was going to die just now."

"Who gave you permission to attack without explanation?"

"I had no choice; some guy insisted I do it. Is this alright, Guros?"

The lizardman asked a small group in the distance, led by gargoyles.

But all I got in return was a cold snort.

The lizardman didn't seem to mind. He said with a human-like apology, "I'm so sorry for attacking you earlier. We had our reasons. My name is Reed, nice to meet you."

After saying that, it narrowed its eyes into crescent shapes and stretched out its hand.

Eh?

Everyone looked stunned.

His extremely rough right hand was covered in crimson scales and a gauntlet, with sharp nails growing from the tips of his fingers.

Could it be that he wants to shake hands?

A handshake is a sign of friendship.

For a human to shake hands with a monster, or rather, to establish a bond, is unprecedented and defies common sense.

Bell was sweating profusely, Zolf groaned softly, Lily was worried, and Ming's face was ashen.

very scary!

Honestly, I'm terrified!

Those sharp teeth, claws, numerous scales, yellow beast eyes, and an ugly appearance that could frighten children to tears.

They couldn't wait to escape from here.

How can I shake hands?

But then, a hand suddenly reached out and grasped it.

Without refusal, hesitation, or fear, she generously extended her hand and even took the initiative to grasp the other party's extremely rough animal paw.

"X-Xiao Lin?!"

Bell and the others gasped in shock.

Aren't you afraid of those claws with sharp nails? And isn't the other party a demon? Why did you grab it so readily?

They just can't understand it anymore.

The lizardman who received the handshake... no, Reed grinned and actually showed a smile.

The next moment——

Thunderous cheers.

The monsters who had been holding their breath like Bell and the others, watching from the sidelines, erupted into an incredibly enthusiastic cheer at this moment.

They were practically dancing with joy, as if witnessing a momentous occasion of friendship with the humans.

"Men, light the lamps!"