My front door leads to a comic strip

the other side.

Tapping.

Disorganized footsteps echoed through the dimly lit passageway.

"You guys are sure we're going the right way, so why haven't we seen a single person along the way? Could you have deliberately led me astray...?"

Sangfu's eyes kept scanning her surroundings, her tone filled with worry.

The thought that the target magic might have already been taken, the thought of failing my mission, and being punished by my master...

She felt a chill run down her spine, and her body began to tremble.

"No way, Miss Elf."

The young hunter in the squad smiled obsequiously.

"We're pretty sure they're in this direction; we recently encountered adventurers who bought food from them..."

Before he could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped.

Not far away, a mangled human skeleton came into view, and his brows furrowed sharply.

"Food... food again. Is their food really that delicious... huh?"

Sangfu was also taken aback, because she also noticed the skeleton, and when her gaze moved down, she also saw the corpses of several ants.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't care too much, but this was the fifth floor, and she had recently escaped a terrifying attack by ants...

Unpleasant memories flooded back, and she abruptly took half a step back, as if she had been burned.

But the thief girl in the group didn't care at all and walked straight past.

The girl crouched down, carefully picked up the cloth bag next to the skeleton, and weighed it in her palm.

Upon opening it, the solemnity between his brows almost solidified into a tangible form.

"...Oh no, Miss Elf!"

She took a deep breath, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

"If nothing unexpected happens, this is the adventurer we just mentioned."

She took a bite-sized ring-shaped bread out of the bag.

The powdered sugar on the bread looked like a layer of pale frost in the dim light, giving it an eerie feel.

The girl paused, her voice even lower: "Should we...keep going?"

"..."

Sangfu's eyes darkened slightly, as if the pitiful screams from her memory were still echoing in her ears.

Instinct compelled her to turn and leave, but another, more terrifying thought held her back.

Now I can escape from ants, but how can I escape from my master?

Taking a deep breath, the cool air filled her lungs, and Sangfu managed to calm her anxious heart.

Only after confirming that the ants were no longer nearby did he pat his chest and feign calmness, saying:

"Keep moving forward. I know what you're afraid of, but there's no need to worry."

"If we encounter danger, you don't have to worry about me. You can even leave me behind, as long as you lead me to them."

She needed to determine whether those people actually possessed the magic from the labyrinth.

If so, then we'll discuss other things.

The members of the team exchanged glances, their eyes filled with hesitation.

But seeing the elf lady's resolute appearance, and remembering the considerable reward he had received, he could only sigh helplessly.

Someone took the first step and whispered, "Let's go."

"Wait a moment……"

At that moment, Sangfu noticed the donut in the thief girl's hand.

As she took a step forward, she reached out to see what this food, which she had never heard of before, looked like.

With this question in mind, she picked up the powdered sugar and examined it carefully while quickly heading towards the direction where the army ants were.

……

"With your...weapon?"

Kraft's voice was particularly clear in the humid air of the fifth floor.

He stopped, raised his eyebrows, and stared intently at the long sword that Gu Yuan had handed him, a sense of unprecedented confusion welling up inside him.

His original plan was simple: to return to the first level and then find a way to seal the underground city.

Although doing so would cause adventurers to leave in droves, thus affecting the city's prosperity, he believed it was the only way to resolve the current crisis.

however……

Recalling what Gu Yuan had just said, and the title of "the strongest swordsman".

Even if it was just a casual remark, it made him frown, his eyes filled with inquiry, and he asked in a deep voice:

Do you know me?

"certainly."

Gu Yuan answered decisively, his eyes shining brightly without the slightest hesitation.

Leaving aside the existence of Millie Alder, the statues Kraft left around the world are enough to explain the source of his information.

The roar of the insect swarm grew closer and closer, almost shattering eardrums.

When the word "statue" came out of Gu Yuan's mouth, the mist in Kraft's eyes instantly dissipated.

—That's what the world erected for him when he saved the world.

"I see, I understand now."

He solemnly accepted the longsword, and with a clench of his fingers, his dormant fighting spirit, which had been dormant for countless years, suddenly awakened as if summoned.

At the same time, that powerful energy spread along his arm, through his bulging veins, and throughout his body, even his voice regained its long-lost booming quality:

"I never imagined that after all these years, someone would still remember me..."

Since people remember, there's no need to keep a low profile.

He recalled his glorious past, and his gaze gradually became distant...

If my close friend were still alive, he would probably prioritize protecting his companions.

At this moment, time seems to flow backward.

The insect swarm is imminent.

call……

With a long breath, Kraft put Amy down, straightened his chest, and the silver blade seemed to be covered with a thin layer of white frost in the damp air.

He kept his eyes fixed on the direction from which the swarm of insects was coming.

The taut muscles rotated the arm.

The instant the wrist flicked.

Swish-!

A tangible sword aura burst forth from the blade, sweeping forward at supersonic speed!

"..."

In an instant, everything seemed to freeze, and a silent stillness enveloped the surroundings.

The mist was first cleaved open in a thin white line, paused for a full second, and then, as if torn apart by an invisible force, vanished with a roar—

Rumble!

A storm-like shockwave instantly swept outwards, shaking the entire underground city. Debris rained down from above like a dense downpour.

Gu Yuan swayed a couple of times before managing to stand up, holding Milie's hand.

As the dust settled, he looked up.

Corpses, corpses everywhere.

The red "waves" stretched as far as the eye could see, but now they were completely silent and lifeless, as if a knife had killed the oxygen, and every ant was precisely cut in two.

Millie Alde narrowed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. This power…

"call……"

Kraft slowly sheathed his sword, his movements calm and unhurried, though his chest was still rising and falling slightly.

This hasty attack is already the limit.

Hundreds of years ago, he could have easily pierced through such an underground city with a single sword strike.

But... this is enough for now.

That said, this knife...

He looked down at the long sword in his hand, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. It felt good to the touch, and the material seemed...

"What kind of move is this?" Gu Yuan asked at the right moment, his eyes shining.

Awesome! No wonder it's sword energy!

This is exactly what he wanted!