At that moment, three cloaked figures were moving along the 30th floor.
They were referred to as "Creatures" because, judging by their appearances beneath the cloaks, they looked nothing like humans. The cloaks felt pointless—more like a feeble attempt at disguise.
"I didn't expect we'd be summoned to retrieve a newly born comrade... and that it would involve the Loki Familia."
One of the figures, whose inhuman features protruded from beneath the cloak, made the remark.
That comment immediately sparked a conversation among the other two.
"What you're really concerned about is that the newborn comrade wasn't killed, and that Fels actually contacted us to retrieve them, right?"
Another cloaked figure, who appeared outwardly like an ordinary woman, redirected the discussion to the main issue.
She wasn't one for subtlety—cutting to the heart of the matter was her style.
"The surface gods' Familias have always treated us like mere monsters. There's no way we'd ever be accepted."
"And yet, one of the top-ranked surface Familias spared one of us—and is even looking to establish contact. That's... certainly unusual."
The third creature, whose form was just as inhuman as the first, suddenly posed a question:
"Could it be a trap meant to lure us in?"
The only woman among them shook her head slightly. She was confident that wasn't the case and explained,
"If it were a trap, Fels wouldn't have contacted us directly."
"The surface Familias would never accept us so easily... but if there's some special connection, then maybe it's possible."
The first speaker turned toward the woman with a questioning tone.
"Are you suggesting it's some kind of leverage?"
"I believe it's something along those lines. Otherwise, why would a surface Familia accept who we are?"
The first creature gave a small nod. He agreed that this seemed the most likely.
It would be unthinkable for the second-ranked Familia on the surface to willingly associate with Dungeon monsters—unless they had a death wish.
Their very existence was a massive liability on the surface. If exposed, even a top-ranked Familia would face serious consequences.
That's why he was certain—no surface Familia would willingly make contact with them unless there was a compelling reason.
The woman, her tone firm, continued,
"This time, Fels probably had more than just a retrieval in mind—he likely intended for us to make contact with the Loki Familia."
She still trusted Fels and the Guild. After all, over all this time, only the Guild and Fels had ever offered them support.
They couldn't trust any of the surface gods' Familias—but when it came to the Guild and Fels, their trust was unwavering.
"If a surface Familia can temporarily accept us for some reason, then honestly, it's not a bad thing for us."
Hope flickered in the woman's vertical pupils.
Life in the Dungeon had become increasingly difficult. Not long ago, many of their kin had been captured by those bastards, and they still hadn't tracked down their whereabouts.
Right now, help from a surface Familia would clearly ease some of the burden.
"Things in the Dungeon have only gotten more chaotic lately, and we still need to find our captured kin."
At her words, the other two fell silent.
They were worried too, but there was no denying how dire the situation had become. What they needed now was support.
If a surface Familia could offer that, then maybe—just maybe—they could lower the risk they faced.
Truth was, things were already bad enough.
A species under the control of the Spirit faction had emerged in the lower floors, scouring constantly for magic stones. Any monster with one was targeted—and even they weren't exempt.
On top of that were the bastards who had taken their kin.
They were almost certain it was the Evilus faction, the same group they'd been keeping tabs on for some time now. But those guys were slippery.
They couldn't get to the key members, and the ones they did manage to capture always self-destructed. Many of their kin had died in those suicide blasts.
So now, they had to resolve at least one of these problems. If not, their already harsh living conditions would only worsen.
...
Keeping silent as they moved, the three quickly arrived at the 28th floor safe zone.
But just as they stepped through the stairwell, the space in front of them suddenly split open.
"!?"
All three were startled and immediately took several steps back to maintain a safe distance.
"Well, that was fast."
A voice rang out from the other side of the rift.
Then, a figure stepped out—wrapped in a cloak just like theirs, only even more tightly concealed.
"The Guild moves quickly. We just arrived at the safe floor, and you're already here."
Hearing this, the three exchanged glances and finally let their guard down a little.
"Are you the comrade we're supposed to meet?"
The stranger shook his head and pointed to his side.
They looked in that direction, but saw no one. Just as they were about to suspect a trick...
A girl slowly faded into view.
Her skin was a deep blue, her face marked with strange patches, and a red gem embedded in her forehead. She was clearly not human. She was one of them.
—A Vouivre.
Based on her appearance, the three immediately recognized her species.
Vouivres were rare creatures that appeared only on the Middle Floors—and even then, their births were incredibly few and far between.
They never expected that their newest comrade would be a Vouivre.
But under their gazes, the Vouivre looked uneasy and quickly hid behind the stranger.
"Careful. She's just a newborn."
Only then did the three realize how rash they'd been.
After softening their stares, they finally noticed what was happening—this fellow Vouivre had instinctively taken shelter behind the stranger.
What did that say?
Wasn't it a clear sign of trust?
More than that—trust beyond what she showed even to her own kind.
That realization sparked a new curiosity toward the cloaked stranger.
"The Guild didn't send you just to hand her over, did they? You're not here to keep an eye on me, right?"
The woman looked at the stranger with interest. His face was completely hidden, and her tone carried a trace of curiosity.
"You're not curious about who we are?"
The stranger's voice turned light, even playful, and a chuckle escaped.
"Before the Guild ever told me about you, I'd already pieced it together. I figured out the Guild had a faction hidden in the Dungeon."
"So tell me—should I really be curious about your identities?"
The woman's pupils narrowed slightly. So this was the person Fels had mentioned.
Then, the stranger continued.
"I think you should meet with the Loki Familia. So I brought them to you."
Suddenly, four spatial rifts opened behind him.