Zongman, the journey begins from the wrong place

Even in terms of strength, Noah has no problem dealing with Goliath.

But I must emphasize again! This is a dungeon! The most dangerous thing is the unknown!

It is possible that the birth date of the floor master is advanced, or that an unexpected enhanced Goliath appears.

Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, if an accident happens now, Livilia, who only has long-range magic as her means of attack, will have no way to rescue immediately.

So, she doesn't allow it!

The harsh shout echoed in the cave and did not dissipate for a long time.

Even if she was just on the verge of feeling affected, Ais began to tremble all over.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like for Noah, who was directly bearing Livilia's wrath.

However, when Ai Si quietly turned her head and saw Noah, her eyes immediately widened.

Compared with the furious Livilia, Noah was exceptionally calm, and even the murderous aura that had accumulated in his body from the previous charge seemed to have completely dissipated.

"Livilia, I think I can beat him!"

Those deep blue eyes were like a clear pond under the moon, calm and peaceful, yet shining with the brilliance of a strong will.

Not only that, Aisi also saw a smile on Noah's face.

Yes, smile.

That was an expression that had never appeared on Noah's face in the more than half a month they had known each other.

Although the smile that appeared on Noah's handsome face was charming, it made Ai Si feel like a cold electric current was passing through her whole body.

As if she were in the bitter winter wind, Ai Si couldn't help but shiver.

Because Ai Si understood, and perhaps only she could understand, the meaning of this smile.

That was an excited smile that came from encountering a powerful enemy and anticipating an intense battle.

In the eyes of others, Noah is a battle maniac just like himself.

This point, no one needs to say more, Ai Si is also very clear.

But as some painters have said, horses are the hardest to draw, and ghosts are the easiest.

This is because people rarely see real ghosts, but they can always see horses, so they can detect the difference between the horse painting and the real horse.

For Ais, the gap between herself and Noah is like the gap between a picture of a horse and the real horse.

Although they look very similar, there are actually essential differences that cannot be ignored.

At this moment, the smile that appeared on Noah's face was the most powerful evidence—

This was different from the battle he had fought, driven by hatred and suppressing his fear of monsters and pain.

Noah was enjoying the battle, enjoying the fight, immersing his body, mind, and soul in it.

He was so eager and yearning for battle that in the past ten days or so when he couldn't fight, he never smiled...

why?

Why can you be so happy just because of fighting?

Fighting means facing terrible monsters, suffering painful injuries, and possibly dying forever, right?

Why do you like fighting?!

Acutely aware of the gap between them, Ai Si's weakness, which she had always hidden, was uncontrollably exposed.

The swordsman mask she had constructed over the past year was shattered, and she once again realized that she was just a weak little girl.

The impact made people dizzy, as if their consciousness and body were about to separate.

In order to fight against the suffocating anxiety, Ais had to bite her lips tightly, so that a sweet and fishy taste spread in her mouth.

Not only Ais was stunned by Noah's smile, but also Livilia.

"Noah, you..."

Even though she was unsure about the fleeting shudder in her heart, Livilia knew that she probably couldn't stop Noah from moving forward.

"Livilia, if I don't fight you once, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep even if I go back... I will definitely win!"

This guy is indeed completely different from Ai Si. He always knows what he needs.

This person's will and decision will probably not be shaken by anyone.

Taking care of him as a junior was the biggest mistake of my life.

"...Really, you're always causing me trouble!"

After taking off her backpack and throwing it aside, Livilia stretched her shoulders while holding her staff and glared at Noah angrily.

"It's decided. Regardless of whether you win or lose, I'm going to double your learning load when we get back! If you dare complain, I'll beat you to death! Got it?"

Looking at the green-haired elf who had a cold face but had decided to support him, Noah smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Noah took out the potion that Livilia had given him before and drank it all in one gulp with a frown.

He didn't notice Ais's strange gaze and turned to walk into the hall on the seventeenth floor.

Although he was entering a spacious hall with a wide view from a narrow cave, Noah felt that the air was stagnant.

A strong sense of incongruity arose in my heart, as if I were an uninvited guest and an intruder to this place.

Noah had experienced this feeling before - it was a battle against a monster lurking in the deep lake.

Compared to the ocean with its surging tides and vibrant life, when entering a quiet lake, one always feels a sense of horror as if one is suddenly being watched by countless creatures.

Therefore, compared with the subsequent battles, the feeling of oppression that surged into his heart at the moment he entered the silent deep lake was what he remembered most.

Fortunately, this time, the 'master' did not keep Noah waiting for long.

A sigh-like "crack" sound echoed in the long hall, and lightning-like cracks appeared on the huge white crystal wall.

The cracking sound continued to accelerate, gradually becoming as rapid as the huge sound waves before the arrival of a storm, and finally evolved into a deafening roar and tremor that made people's eardrums wail.

"Ouch!!!!"

With a huge roar, the giant with a huge stature looked down at Noah with scarlet eyes.

“…So noisy.”

Although there was still a hint of a smile on his face, Noah's blue eyes became as clear as the winter sky.

Whether it was excitement or fear, these personal emotions were completely absent from it.

Only the clear murderous intent, because it was too pure, seemed somewhat sacred.

"——So, I'm going to kill you!"

Along with the clear sound of sword that penetrated all the noise, a bright cold light appeared in the long hall.

At the same time, in the long cave leading from the 18th floor to the th floor, a team of eleven girls was slowly moving upwards.

The blond masked elf in the lead was having a heated argument with his companions.

41 The Useless Elf and the Venomous Swordsman

"Stupid elf! Useless elf! Stupid elf! Are you even remotely useful? Any random passerby could do a better job than you!"

While climbing the long steep slope, a Japanese-style girl in a kimono with long black hair kept verbally abusing and beating her companions in a rude tone that was completely contrary to her elegant temperament and appearance.

The golden-haired elf who was attacked lowered his head at first and endured it silently.

But seeing that Kaguya's verbal attacks not only did not stop but were getting more intense, Ryu could no longer bear it.

She raised her eyebrows, and her sky-blue eyes shone with a dazzling brilliance that symbolized her strong personal will.

"Kaguya! That's enough! What do you mean any random passerby can do better than me? Why don't you just say that any random passerby can beat the floor master?!"

After being counterattacked, Kaguya fell silent, glanced at Ryu from the corner of her eye, and slowly revealed a smile that would spark male fantasies.

But this was not a gentle smile that was meant to please the good, but rather a dangerous preparation for attack, like the breath of a poisonous snake.

"Oh my, I'd rather believe that some random person will come and take down the floor owner than believe that a useless elf like you can get anything done. Guess who made it so that after the expedition, we couldn't even take a day off in Rivera, so we had to keep returning exhausted like we are now? And we even had to compensate them for the precious materials we found in the deep layer?"

Gojono Kaguya, a beautiful girl in kimono from a country in the Far East, is famous in Orario for her superb swordsmanship and has been given the title of Yamato Rindou by the gods.

But only those who are familiar with her know that Kaguya's words are as vicious, her words are sharp, and her attacks are accurate as her swordsmanship.

Even Liu, who was also a level 3 adventurer, was unable to withstand the attack of just a few words.

All the momentum he had before vanished, and Liu lowered his head with a stiff expression.

Although her expression cannot be seen clearly due to the mask, one can still imagine her pouting and blushing face.

"Who, who made them want to touch my hand..."

"Yes, yes, the hands of the noble elf lady are truly precious. We almost touched them, and then we beat five or six adventurers until they were covered in blood! We almost went to war with the Rivera Adventurer Group!"

Even though the blonde elf's sky-blue eyes were about to burst with anger, Kaguya showed no sign of stopping her verbal attacks.

"My noble elf lady, I wonder if you could condescend to me. If you are willing to offer a paid handshake, the wealth of the Astralia family will definitely surpass that of the Hephaestus family in a very short time! Then we won't have to work so hard!"

Seeing that the two forwards were showing a unilateral trend of crushing and bullying, the other players behind the team finally couldn't help but speak out for help.

"Well, Kaguya, don't blame Ryu. It's all my fault that I was accidentally attacked by the poisonous demon maggots. I had to buy a very expensive antidote in Rivera, so they took the opportunity to blackmail me."

The one who spoke was an elf wizard wearing glasses and holding a magic wand. He had a delicate face that looked younger than Liu.

With his short green hair and neutral shirt, it is easy for people to mistake him for a beautiful boy at first sight.

The large piece of gauze wrapped around the skin of her right arm explained the reason for her pale complexion.

Poisonous maggots are one of the most dangerous races among all monsters that use poison as a means of attack.

The deadly poison secreted from its mouth or skin can easily penetrate the abnormal resistance of high-level adventurers.

Although the individual combat capability of the poisonous demon maggots is very poor, their large-scale appearance of hundreds of them will terrify any adventurer group.

The more crucial point is that the poison of the poisonous demon maggot can only be completely cured by a special medicine made from the items it drops.

So far, I haven't heard of any healer's magic being able to completely eliminate it, it can basically only alleviate it.

On the way back from the lower level, Astralia's family was attacked by poisonous maggots. Celty, a family wizard who had not yet fully recovered from mental fatigue, was unfortunately attacked.

In Rivera, the adventurer town on the eighteenth floor, there is naturally this antidote, and the price is unsurprisingly extremely high, forcing them to sign an IOU for a high amount.

And when they wanted to sell some materials in exchange for a chance to rest for a night in the Rivera Inn, they were besieged and coveted by a large number of profiteers who were like flies smelling blood.

Rivera Town is a black market group that even the guild doesn't care about. They even dare to blackmail members of the Loki and Freya families, so how could they be afraid of being hated by the Astralia family?

Rather, they were often arrested and punished by the Astralia family, who were the city's law enforcers, on earth, so they naturally could not miss the opportunity to express their superiority.

When a few lustful ones took advantage of their superiority and stretched out their hands to Liu with greed, everything was doomed.

"Enough! No one is to blame for this! Why are all of you so eager to attack your teammates or admit your mistakes when it comes to those profiteers' problems?"

The cute little human with short pink hair spoke at this time, stopping the internal struggle of the clan.

"Also, Celti, don't say who's at fault. If it weren't for you and Leyana's magic, we don't know when we could have completed this expedition. Your mental fatigue is for everyone, understand?"

Although Leila looks young, she can always get to the heart of the matter when discussing issues.

For the Astralia clan, whose leader often acts in a clumsy manner, she often shoulders the role of commander.

After hearing what Leila said, the team fell silent.

The one who broke the silence was a red-haired girl who was as bright and enthusiastic as the sun.

She laughed heartily, as if nothing had happened, and the laughter echoed throughout the long slope cave, even dispelling the gloomy sense of crisis that was everywhere in the dungeon.

"That's what I'm saying, Kaguya. Even if you care about someone, you can't always use verbal attacks. When will you learn to speak frankly? If you want Ryu to learn how to get along well with others, then you should first speak up yourself!"

The Japanese female swordsman's face turned pale as if she had been attacked by the leader's fire magic.

"Huh? Who cares about this useless elf?!"