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Why are they here?
We've been followed...
Lili's face was quite unsightly, devoid of her usual feigned timidity. It was highly probable that the Adventurers who had followed her last night were them.
First, she sought out Chanis, the Soma Familia's captain.
Then, she was tracked by Soma Familia members to the Dungeon. Their target must be the money she had saved!
She looked at Keare, who stood beside her with a not-so-good expression. At this moment, she had to establish trust, otherwise, the transaction would completely break down.
Thinking of this.
The young girl raised her head, staring intently at the leading Adventurer:
"Were you the ones who followed me last night too?"
"What do you mean 'followed'? We just didn't get a chance to meet you," the burly Adventurer shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on the young man standing beside Lili.
What truly attracted him was the valis Lili had accumulated.
He had no interest in Keare, who was a stranger and looked like a rookie Adventurer. To be precise, there was simply no profit to be squeezed out of him.
"Kid."
"This is an internal matter of our Familia. Leave anything valuable behind, and you can scram!"
The information exchanged was very rich.
Combined with the choices Lili had made, Keare was gradually grasping the full story. It was nothing more than her seeking out Chanis to follow normal procedures.
After being rejected, did she try to get her money back from Adventurers of the same Familia?
And today, by forming a party with Lili to explore the Dungeon, he just happened to get dragged into this matter. However, he was skeptical about this 'happenstance'.
He didn't respond immediately.
Keare looked at the young girl beside him, who was tightly clenching her fists, and waved his hand with a smile: "So it's a matter concerning your Familia."
"..."
Lili's face turned pale.
As if all strength had been drained from her body, she stood her ground with great difficulty, relying only on her will. Her gaze towards Keare was filled with complexity.
Saving money wouldn't allow her to leave the Soma Familia.
Keare's attitude was undoubtedly abandoning her directly. What she would have to face next, Lili could roughly guess even with her eyes closed.
Endless oppression, a life without any hope...
She tremblingly raised her head, looking at the tall figure of the young man standing beside her.
"I'll do anything."
"Mr. Keare, even if it costs everything... please, help me!"
The appearance of the Soma Familia Adventurers undoubtedly pushed the 'grasping the future' development forward, but it also meant standing against a long-established Familia.
Keare truly pondered, could the risk outweigh the reward?
Clearly not enough.
But when these Adventurers' attention fell on the Adventurer's gift Hestia had prepared for him, the answer was already clearly laid out before him.
Was the Healer's position righteous?
Of course not.
As long as no one actively sought trouble, Keare only wanted to quietly develop in Orario. But if someone truly stepped on his head, would he just meekly endure it?
Just thinking about it was infuriating.
He reined in the smile on his face, his eyes gradually turning cold: "But then again."
"This weapon is a special gift from a Goddess to me. You just demand it directly. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
"Do you think there's room for negotiation?"
Holding his greatsword, the burly Adventurer scoffed disdainfully, wantonly spreading malice towards Keare, who was of unknown strength but exceptionally young-looking.
He threatened:
"Many Adventurers die in the Dungeon every day. That means... if you die here today, no one can hold us accountable."
Keare shook his head slightly. Orario was certainly not as peaceful as imagined, especially the Dungeon, which followed the law of the dark forest.
The greatest danger was not the ubiquitous monsters.
But these Adventurers who harbored ill intentions and used the Dungeon to target their fellow Adventurers!
Seeing that enough time had passed and feeling his mental strength gradually recovering, he subtly used the 'Optimization' skill on himself.
"Information."
"They are all Level 1 Adventurers."
No longer remaining aloof, Lili, keeping a clear head, quickly understood the meaning and pulled out her hand crossbow, aiming at these Adventurers.
And the magic sword hidden behind her was already poised for action.
They were all Level 1 Adventurers, and the Soma Familia members were also addicts, their bodies long hollowed out by bad habits. Could this battle be won?
It would be won!
This was his first confrontation with Adventurers, a true life-and-death struggle.
Keare was not nervous at all; instead, the surge of adrenaline kept him highly focused, and he quickly assessed the combat environment.
Good news:
They were all using close-range weapons!
He also didn't think that addicts who spent all their savings on divine wine would have special Adventurers among them who mastered magic.
A quick battle.
To avoid being surrounded by Adventurers, he had to break through the leader first.
Keare gripped the short sword with both hands, constantly channeling strength into his legs. It was a declaration of war, and his figure quickly charged forward.
"Those words just now, I can actually send them back to you!"
--
The leading burly Adventurer had not expected that Keare, with a burden of a supporter, would actually initiate an attack on them first.
He had only intended to use threats.
To make the inexperienced rookie Adventurer meekly hand over their valuables, and then they could quickly leave.
After all, the main course, the real big money, still came from Lili, the supporter from the same Familia, and her valis, which he couldn't imagine how she had saved.
Once he truly realized a fight was necessary.
The burly Adventurer showed no fear; instead, his ferocity was completely ignited. He swung the greatsword in his hand, intending to use his weapon advantage for a horizontal slash.
But Keare's figure was like a nimble cat-person.
As the greatsword's horizontal sweep was about to arrive, he lightly leaped high, and after changing his grip on the sword, he savagely thrust towards the burly Adventurer's shoulder.
Even wearing armor and protective gear.
The sharp blade, with the added power and momentum, still left a shocking wound!
Feeling the intense pain in his body, the burly Adventurer did not flinch. He knew his left hand was completely useless, and there was no time to defend.
He could only drop his weapon and use his functional right hand to smash fiercely at Keare's head.
"Die!"
However.
They were both Level 1 Adventurers, but after using the 'Optimization' skill, Keare's various stats had reached a very high standard.
Facing the burly Adventurer's full counterattack.
Keare directly blocked with his arm. The unavoidable pain from the collision made his arm tingle, and he didn't continue using the short sword.
He used his free right hand to claw and clamp the burly Adventurer's scalp.
Facing the Adventurer's terrified gaze, the young man smiled easily, and as magic power surged within him, he instantly released a skill called 'Deterioration'.
Ignoring all resistances.
It directly interfered with the target's flesh, turning all of the burly Adventurer's organs into a damaged state.
"It's over."