In this chaotic world, it all started when they found an elf girl

　Enter the dungeon.

　Because they were training a newcomer, their progress wasn't fast. They taught the newcomer how to dodge monster attacks and retaliate, targeting the magic stones. Daphne and Cassandra, displaying their seniority, patiently guided the newcomer, finding satisfaction in the process.

　Two hours later, the group rested in the cave on the fifth floor. This was mainly because Maris was exhausted. When exploring the dungeon, unless something unexpected happened, one had to ensure that their stamina was above 60%.

　In a conversation about ideals and life, Maris confidently declared, "I will definitely become a Level 1 adventurer and break the 'Sword Maiden's' leveling record!" Roy's leveling record was so exaggerated that it was considered a unique miracle, the only one of its kind in thousands of years; no one would even consider him a goal. Hearing this, Daphne and Cassandra exchanged a glance. They could understand the arrogance of a new adventurer, but the reality was... the gap between people was sometimes greater than the gap between a person and a dog.

　Without Roy leading them through dungeons, it would have taken them at least two or three years to level up.

　Especially Cassandra, the healer, usually only gets scraps of experience.

　They didn't know how to persuade Maris; this was a difficult situation no matter what they did.

　Indulging her will only hasten her demise!

　They tried to dissuade her, but those self-important newcomers often thought others were just jealous of them…

　Daphne and Cassandra looked at Roy; it was the first time they had encountered something like this, and they were helpless.

　Roy gave the two of them a reassuring look. It wouldn't be right for Eina to entrust this newcomer to him without letting her learn something. Roy asked, "Maris, would you be interested in going to the middle management?"

　"Middle management..."

　Maris's eyes widened. For a novice adventurer entering a dungeon for the first time, the fifth floor was the limit.

　Roy said, "Growth requires adventure, and you should know that leveling up requires great deeds."

　Maris's spirits lifted. The advisor, Eina, was very conservative, only allowing her to enter the second level at most, but Maris always felt that Eina was underestimating her. Provoked by Roy, the newcomer girl felt a strong rebellious streak. Moreover, under Roy's guidance, she was already able to kill monsters on the fifth level, so she figured the middle levels wouldn't be so difficult.

　“Okay!” Maris agreed.

　Daphne and Cassandra were speechless. They dared to agree to this; they were truly fearless.

　However, given their capabilities, protecting a newcomer in the middle ranks would be a simple matter.

　The group continued walking down the stairs.

　From the moment she entered the middle level (the twelfth level), Maris noticed that her predecessors, Daphne and Cassandra, who had been chatting easily with her on the upper level, had tense expressions and never said another word.

　With a somber and delicate demeanor, Cassandra also displays the professionalism of a high-level adventurer.

　Even without verbal communication, Roy, Daphne, and Cassandra worked together very well, knowing exactly where to stand and what to do. Roy, as the vanguard, dealt with the areas with the most monsters, Daphne prevented monsters from sneaking up on them from behind, and Cassandra, positioned in the middle, was ready to cast healing magic at any time. She carried a dagger on her thigh and had emergency antidotes and bandages in a pouch at her lower back.

　Passing through levels twelve through seventeen, the monsters in the middle levels—hellhounds, Minotaurs, needle-like rabbits… wave after wave, seemingly without end. Maris had no chance to fight back. A two-meter-tall Minotaur roared at her, terrifying the little girl so much that she collapsed to the ground, paralyzed. *Thud!*

　Roy's longsword pierced the Minotaur's chest, and the monster's body turned to dust.

　Roy then turned back and continued killing the monsters.

　Maris watched incredulously as Roy and his trio coordinated their movements with crisp efficiency and without any hesitation, as if they were from another dimension.

　This is what a high-level adventurer looks like!

　Looking back at her previous declarations, how ridiculous they were! Not to mention Roy, even Daphne and Cassandra were far beyond her reach.

　Traditional healers don't need to do the work themselves; they are protected by their teammates.

　However, in Roy and Ms. Ryu's minds, the best healer is one who helps teammates kill all the monsters, then there's no need for healing... Under Ryu's tutelage, Cassandra has mastered some melee combat skills, and in addition to healing, she also uses a dagger to help Daphne deal with the monsters behind her. The dungeon is actually a bully of the weak and a coward of the strong; after Roy's trio demonstrated enough strength to crush the monsters on that floor, the frequency of monster appearances began to decrease.

　Therefore, the feeling that dungeons are intelligent is not an illusion.

　The group successfully entered the eighteenth floor.

　Even the beautiful view from that floor couldn't attract the attention of the young woman; she was terrified and pale the whole way, finally understanding Eina's words.

　Underestimating dungeons will get you killed!

　Roy looked at Maris, who was trembling, and didn't think he had gone too far. Adventurers are in a life-risking profession. If you don't have that awareness, you should quit now, or you'll die in the dungeon sooner or later.

　“Let’s rest on the eighteenth floor today. I’ll go get the tent,” Roy said.

　The three girls had no objections, especially Maris, whose legs felt weak and she didn't want to move anymore.

　Roy pretended to go to the forest to retrieve hidden supplies, but in reality, the various supplies were stored in his ring, which he could not reveal to an outsider.

Chapter 126 Mary Being Hunted

　Roy circled the forest, retrieved the tent and various supplies, and returned to the girls.

　They quickly pitched tents in the wild, lit a fire, and boiled the drinking water they had brought.

　The warmth from the flames and the lukewarm water helped Maris regain her composure, though a trace of fear remained on her face. Daphne and Cassandra comforted each other.

　"You guys rest first, I'll go down to the next floor and check it out," Roy said with a smile.

　After saying that, Roy left the campsite.

　Gazing at Roy's retreating figure, the young newcomer exclaimed in disbelief, "Mr. Roy is truly amazing! He even has the strength to kill a monster." Daphne and Cassandra smiled knowingly. "You think so? Calling a high-level adventurer a monster wouldn't be an exaggeration."

　On the way down, Roy killed the most monsters, but he was also in the best condition.

　Meanwhile, Roy headed to the large tree in the center of the eighteenth floor, and through the stairwell there, he entered the nineteenth floor. Since he was already on this floor, he figured he might as well visit Mary along the way; it wouldn't make a difference how far it was.

　He still remembered the life-saving grace from last time.

　Roy quickly broke through the nineteenth to twenty-fourth floor, encountering very few monsters along the way.

　Of course, this doesn't mean the dungeon is kind-hearted.

　This is the most insidious characteristic of dungeons: as long as you go down, not many monsters will jump out to stop you, but when you want to leave, sorry, there is a monster feast waiting for you on every floor!

　I won't rest until I keep you here!

　So, in less than two hours, Roy arrived at the Water City, where a breathtaking waterfall came into view, its rushing water bringing a sense of tranquility. The floor master, Amphispina, had a regeneration cycle of one month, and since more than half a month had passed since their last victory, he still had two or three days left to regenerate. Without the floor master, Roy could roam freely here.

　Dozens of blue crabs and raiding fish were killed, scattering magic stone fragments all over the ground. Roy created a lightning clone to follow behind and collect the magic stones. But as time went on, Roy frowned, feeling something was off.

　The monsters are appearing at the wrong frequency!

　Even if the dungeon is designed to lure him deeper, the "Water Maze" consists of three interconnected levels, and the number of monsters should far exceed that of other floors. However, so far, he has killed less than a hundred monsters, which seems rather strange.

　Roy continued walking forward, and when he came to a corner, he quickly hid in the surrounding shadows.

　Surprisingly, a young man was guarding the passage!

　Ride with the wind!

　Roy suppressed his aura, silently approaching his opponent. Reaching within thirty meters, he activated the effects of his Wind Chaser Boots, causing his agility to surge to SS-rank. His legs swirling with wind, Roy moved like a phantom, bridging the distance between them, pinning his opponent against the wall, and locking his throat tightly. The LV.2 youth, with overall stats only at H-rank, was completely caught off guard. Sensing the deadly danger, the youth trembled, "Don't kill me." Roy asked in a low voice, "Tell me, which clan are you from?"

　The young man replied, "The Familia of Ikelos!"

　Roy's pupils contracted, much to his surprise.

　The Familia of Ikeros!

　This clan is officially classified as B-rank, and its exploration of the dungeon has remained at level 37 for several years without any progress. They are extremely low-key, and very few people know what this clan is actually doing.

　"What are you doing here?" Roy's tone turned cold; he vaguely realized something.

　The young man said in a trembling voice, "We're catching a monster..."

　A cold glint appeared in Roy's eyes. He knew the details of the Ikeros Familia, of course. Their headquarters were located in the man-made labyrinth "Daedalus," where they made a lot of money by capturing heretics and selling them.

　He seemed to understand everything.

　The floor had been cleared by the Ikelos Familia, so he didn't encounter many monsters.

　"How did you discover this monster?" Roy asked coldly. The mysteries of the water were vast, and Mary, hiding underwater, should have been safe. "About a month ago, someone saw this monster arranging seashells on the shore. We guessed she might be an intelligent monster..." Upon hearing this, Roy immediately understood what had happened. Mary had arranged the seashells to guide Ryu and the others to the cave leading to him and Amphispina. This had led some adventurers to witness it.

　When the Familia of Ikelos heard about this strange event, they guessed that it was an undiscovered heretic.

　The Ikelos Familia rushed in to capture him, preventing the heretic's activities from being exposed. They deployed sentries at various passageways, and this young man was one of them. *Click!*

　Roy's eyes were indifferent as he mercilessly crushed the young man's Adam's apple and neck bone, ending his life.

　He abandoned the corpse and silently moved forward, passing through the passage. Ahead lay an open area where a dozen or so adventurers from the Ikelos Familia appeared. "I didn't expect to find one in the Water City."

　"It wasn't easy. More than a dozen people chased her for almost half a month before finally catching her."

　"We're about to make a fortune again!"

　The adventurers let out excited shouts.

　On the open ground by the river, there was an iron cage containing a red-eyed needle rabbit. Unlike the savage monsters of the past, its eyes were very intelligent, revealing a human-like expression. Its limbs were bound by specially made iron chains, and a look of pain appeared on its face.

　"Hey, if you don't come out soon, your companion is going to die!" A male adventurer from the Ikelos Familia kicked the iron cage hard. This thorny rabbit was intelligent, but it hadn't learned to speak yet and could only make sounds of pain.

　"How cruel! It actually abandoned its own companion. Look at its tears!" The members of the Ikelos Familia kept verbally provoking Marie in the water.

　Even level 4 adventurers dare not easily venture into the underwater world of the Water City to fight.

　This is the only way they can seduce each other.

　Any rational adventurer would have preferred to survive and rebuild their strength for a future revenge. Going out now would only result in another corpse!

　This despicable tactic only works against those heretics who value loyalty and righteousness.

　Hearing her companion's painful groans, the mermaid girl who had once helped Roy appeared in the deep water, her small face filled with struggle, pain, and despair. Upon seeing Mary, the members of the Ikeros Familia's eyes lit up. Mermaid heretics were extremely rare; she was beautiful, had a graceful figure, and sang beautifully—the wealthy outside of Orario were all eager to have her.

　It could sell for at least tens of millions of fiat currency, or even hundreds of millions!

　It's important to know that, setting aside its wisdom and physical value, mermaid blood is one of the world's top healing materials, allowing people to recover from injuries rapidly!

　"If you come here, we'll release your companion immediately!"

　"We are reputable adventurers!"

　The members of the Ikelos clan still dared not go into the water and continued to use words to entice Marie.

Chapter 127 Thunderous Means

　A flicker of emotion crossed Mary's face; exchanging her own life for her companion's was not out of the question.

　Roy, who was hiding in the shadows, was furious at the Ikelos Familia's inducement. He knew that if Mary went ashore, it would only be another person being killed. He probably wouldn't bother with capturing other heretics.

　As for Mary, anyone who touches her will die!

　"The forest and sky have long since vanished. The endless night sky is studded with countless stars..."

　Roy lowered his voice and began to chant. Adventurers were different from monsters; cunning adventurers would immediately turn and run if things went wrong. He had to take down a large group of them at once.

　Magic is the best option.

　Upon seeing that Mary intended to come ashore, the members of the Ikelos Familia were overjoyed. Their efforts over the past ten days had finally paid off. Overwhelmed by fatigue and surprise, their vigilance was at its lowest point at that moment.

　"Wind of Light!"

　When the chanting ended, numerous emerald green orbs of light appeared around Roy, illuminating the entire cave.

　boom! boom! boom!

　By the time the Ikelos Familia noticed this, it was too late. A barrage of emerald-green orbs rained down on them, instantly engulfing over a dozen members of the Ikelos Familia, followed by a series of explosions.

　Seven or eight low-level fodder died on the spot, while the rest sustained injuries of varying degrees.

　The sudden turn of events left the Ikelos Familia dumbfounded, their minds seemingly frozen.

　Roy's leg muscles tensed as he charged towards the group, drawing his elven holy sword from his ring and reaping lives with ferocity. The incredibly sharp blade flashed, easily slicing through even the finest iron shields.

　The cut surface was perfectly smooth, demonstrating just how terrifying the elven holy sword's sharpness was. Even disregarding its many special effects, it was still a rare and formidable weapon. One by one, heads were chopped off by Roy.

　A middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. "This magic? Gale... no, it's Sprout of Justice!"

　"drink!"

　Upon witnessing Roy slaughtering his clan members, the middle-aged man flew into a rage and brandished his broadsword, slashing fiercely at Roy.

　In the brief moment he reacted, Roy finished off almost all the members of the Ikeros Familia, leaving corpses scattered across the ground. Clang!

　Roy turned to block, and the elven holy sword clashed with the opponent's greatsword, producing a metallic clang.

　Both men channeled their power into their weapons. The middle-aged man stared at Roy with a predatory gaze. "Sprout of Justice, what are you doing?" "Robbing monsters in the dungeon, is that so strange?" Roy smiled coldly, his mind flashing with information about the man: Gran Grace, a level 3 adventurer and one of the executives of the Ikeros Familia.

　Having been promoted to LV.3 for over ten years, his ability values ​​and combat experience are undoubtedly among the best at this level.

　Gran's eyes widened. Strange, of course strange! You're a member of the Astrea Familia! Where's your justice? Where's your faith?! Have they been eaten by dogs?!

　Roy

　When Mary saw Roy appear, she called out to him in surprise.

　Roy nodded slightly at the other person.

　Seeing the interaction between the two, Gran seemed to understand something and growled, "Sprout of Justice, you're actually colluding with these heretical monsters! Do you know what the consequences will be if this is exposed?"