"Damn it they've lost their minds."
Hogni's weapon, the Cursed Abyss, was a special armament that could instantly adjust its attack range by consuming stamina. Those hundred rapid telescopic slashes clearly took a massive toll on his body.
Allen retreated swiftly but just as the two faced off, a magical blast erupted across the battlefield. Goliath, unable to stay idle any longer, let out a deafening roar.
Allen spun around, eyes blazing: "Hogni is one thing but you dare act out, Goliath!"
The cat-man's vertical pupils narrowed to slits, releasing unbridled killing intent.
Goliath instantly regretted its move. The two figures before it were clearly beings it couldn't afford to provoke but as the "Lone King of the Labyrinth," it had to maintain its dignity with one final act of defiance.
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh!"
(Giants will never be slaves!)
With its pride preserved, Goliath turned and fled the moment it sensed Allen's murderous intent!
I've already stood against two Level 6 adventurers more than any of my predecessors! If I don't run now, when?!
"They ran away?" Allen stared in disbelief.
How could a floor master just escape? Where would it even go with its massive size, there was nowhere to hide!
Soon, he found out.
Goliath smashed through the ceiling with its fist, then climbed up the rock wall through a vertical cave.
Hehe I'm outta here!
Allen, who'd been ready to give chase, immediately lost interest. Adventurers couldn't fly, and scaling hundreds of meters of rock face was far too much trouble. He had more important matters to attend to!
Turning back to Hogni's retreating form, Allen had to admit the dark elf now carried the same presence as Hedin. He abandoned his plan to force a look at Hogni's face and spoke calmly:
"The goddess's command."
"I'm listening."
Allen's expression grew stern as he enunciated each word carefully: "Don't do anything unnecessary."
Freya's divine will was clear she wanted a true hero to rise naturally, and Hogni's interference might taint the pure soul she sought... Great achievements required struggle; coddling wasn't her style.
Hogni nodded silently, still facing away as he laughed behind his cover:
"Cool, cool, cool! The goddess watches over me! Hahaha at the end of the divine path, who stands supreme? One glimpse of the 'girl,' and all paths fade away!"
Here we go again...
That was exactly what Allen had expected.
"Orders delivered I'll return now."
18th Floor Entrance
The Blank Squad slid down the steep slope and safely entered the [safe floor].
Sora rolled down first, then Shiro...
She plopped onto his stomach, followed by Miko and Lily. Finally came Dekomori and the black cat, still wrestling and pinching each other.
"Ouch it hurts! No it doesn't!" Dekomori touched her badge as a paralysis curse took hold.
"Ineffective!" The black cat sneered, shifting into a white cat form to purify the curse.
"Ugh! 'Ineffective' my ass!" Dekomori sat hard on the black cat's belly.
Clap clap clap.
Sora stood up, holding Shiro as they brushed dust off each other.
"Mr. Hogni hasn't come down yet."
"Don't worry he's a top-tier Level 6 adventurer in Orario. He'll be fine," Lily couldn't help but remind them.
"Is that so?"
Sora curved his lips slightly, hands in his pockets as he gazed at the distant structures.
A jumble of wooden and earthen buildings haphazardly cobbled together at first glance, it looked like a mountain bandit's stronghold. The outermost perimeter was just a makeshift fence of bound logs, clearly not built for defense.
"Is this the legendary rogue town Rivira? They say it's been destroyed and rebuilt over three hundred times?"
He sighed.
A group of about twenty people rushed out from Rivera's direction, reaching them in just two minutes under Sora's watchful eye.
The leader was a burly man with an eyepatch and buzz cut, wearing only a short vest that revealed a chest crisscrossed with scars. He stepped forward and demanded:
"I am Perth owner of the weapons shop and elected leader. You kids tell me what happened up there."
Hands still in his pockets, Sora glanced at him and said calmly:
"From your reaction, you already have a good idea."
Perth's expression shifted as he exchanged looks with his companions. They did know such tremors occurred every two weeks.
Sora continued: "You guessed right the floor master hatched ahead of schedule."
Perth pressed on seriously: "We need specifics."
Sora pulled his hand out, making a universal gesture:
"That information comes at a price."
After brief negotiations, Perth obtained the details he wanted in exchange for granting Sora temporary space for a stall.
"[Black Demon Sword]..."
Perth's single eye scanned the area as one of his men raced up the passage. Two minutes later, the underling returned.
"Boss traces of Goliath's hatching are there, but no body was found. It must have been defeated."
Where's the Black Demon Sword?
"Nothing found!"
"I see." Perth stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Given the Black Demon Sword's level, defeating Goliath would likely take just one strike.
"Looks like it's been dealt with. Alright everyone disperse, nothing more to do here." He waved his hand, and the gathered adventurers scattered.
Rivira was the first and last man-made supply point connecting to the surface. Its residents were responsible for keeping the route safe and open. Every time Goliath resurrected, they'd form parties to take it down fighting if possible, fleeing and trying again if not.
With someone else handling it this time, they had no further concerns.
They could never have imagined that this time, Goliath had "escaped" on its own and the Freya Familia had left no room for compromise.
With the leader's permission, the Blank Squad headed to Rivira's exchange area on their own.
"This is the 'stall' you requested," their guide said before leaving.
Dekomori looked at the space a simple wooden partition covered with tattered cloth and complained:
"What a shabby setup for death!"
Sora didn't seem to mind. He plopped down on the cloth and pulled out backpack after backpack from his already bulging bag, laying out Fire Fairy Essence Protective Cloth and other items. These were clearly prepped backups and backups of backups.
"I need to recoup some funds here. Since we've come all the way to Rivira, feel free to look around on your own. Meet back here in two hours."
Lily's eyes lit up: "Are you starting a business?"
"Of course." Sora grinned. "A backpack like yours sells for 20,000 Faris here. Tempting, isn't it?"
"20,000! A tenfold markup? This is..." Lily was stunned.
That was exactly the point. Selling supplies as a passerby to merchants would never yield such prices but setting up a stall was different. In Rivira's notoriously cutthroat black market, these rates were perfectly normal.
As for why wealthy familia didn't flock here to profit it was due to the town's unique environment.
Besides...
"Not many people are willing to pay these prices. If you're thinking of getting rich this way, you'll be disappointed." Sora dashed her little daydream.