* * *
Flying at top speed from the deepest part of the dungeon in the opposite direction was a see-through humanoid being with white hair and red eyes.
Even though he made no sounds when flying through the levels and monsters of this dungeon, he wasn't harmed, and he wasn't bothered about it.
This certain being was Hiroki. The top student in school before he was summoned to another world as a ghost.
Even though none of the monsters could attack him, Hiroki could be seen right now worryingly flying in the opposite direction without looking back.
'Didn't I tell her to stay hidden in the safe spot until I came back?' Hiroki inquired with a stern voice in his head as he was moving as fast as he could.
Despite the fact that he was pretty far away from her in order to analyze the whole dungeon before Aya could conquer it, he still received points from Aya defeating monsters. That's how Hiroki knew that something was definitely wrong before dropping off his exploration and heading back to where Aya is fighting.
'It was my mistake that I took this long. Even though she is well aware of our situation, a girl alone in a dark dungeon is dangerous… But since this dungeon was primitive compared to the one I've been through, I had to make sure that there weren't any traps.'
Hiroki reflected on his own as he finally reached a certain part of the dungeon where Aya was fighting a massive-looking wolf.
'There she is….'
Hiroki thought as he was looking at Aya, who just dodged the massive teeth and missed her body by an inch.
But once Hiroki looked a bit further to the left, there could be seen four other individuals that were assisting her in any way they could. It was a group of adventurers that consisted of three swordsmen and one mage that had lightning skills to paralyze the boss wolf for slight moments.
"Now! Kill it!!!" The woman ordered.
'....But she doesn't seem to be alone….' Hiroki narrowed his eyes as he watched from afar.
"Got it!"
"Leave it to us!!"
"Take thiiissss!!"
Once the wolf boss was rendered motionless, all of the swordsmen slashed their target's head and body to pieces with their advanced and trained moves that easily cut the body apart.
"It's done…."
"This was much harder than I had thought…."
"That's because you drink rather than train. It's no wonder that you would get rusty."
"Oh, shut up!"
Once the boss was considered dead, Aya, who was some meters away from the guys who were making fun of one another, wiped her daggers before putting them back in their sheaths.
The black-haired woman, who noticed the introverted behavior of the girl, approached her with a smile on her face.
"I didn't want to believe it, but you're very strong despite your small body. Did you happen to learn martial arts?"
"..."
Aya, who only caught a glimpse of the woman with dark hair and dark, revealing clothes, decided not to respond to her.
"Tell me, what brought you to this job as an adventurer? Don't try to convince me it's because of economic issues, because I won't buy that lie."
"Are you threatening me to answer that question?" Aya inquired, still with an uninterested tone in her voice.
"Fufu, quite the cautious girl you are." The woman softly laughed, "I didn't mean to threaten you. I am only curious to know why you are here. It's only a given that someone would find it interesting that a young girl like you would fight like that as an adventurer and not gather any of the materials. Not to mention your white hair."
Aya, after she saw that the curious eyes of many people were unescapable, clenched her own fist before looking at her own reflection through her own dagger.
"...I became an adventurer in order to become strong, so I won't have to see people who are dear to me taken away."
Aya sternly answered before looking at her hands, which were growing harsher from using weapons.
".... And my hair turning this color.... was the result of the path I'd chosen..."
"If your heart is already set on that motive, then you are already stronger than most adventurers." The woman softly smiled as she closed her eyes.
Aya was quick to get ready after cleaning her daggers and the light scratches she received.
Even though the other adventurers thought that they were at least a bit closer to her, Aya was still some meters ahead while heading to the deeper parts of the dungeon. But that didn't change the fact that the adventurers would assist the white-haired girl in any way they possibly could.
All of them continued heading deeper into the dungeon, conquering each of the bosses there with barely any interest in gathering the materials.
Aya didn't question their friendly behavior but also didn't try to push them away due to the fact that they were also adventurers and had the right to conquer and do whatever they wanted with their slain monsters.
After reaching a dead end in this dungeon, everyone remained quiet for several reasons. One of which was the fact that everyone had barely had any breaks. But that also put Aya on her guard, which is why the moment she felt something was wrong, she kept her hands close to her waist, where her daggers were located.
"We are thankful for this wonderful ride—"
The moment Aya heard the voice of the black-haired woman, she immediately pulled out her daggers and shifted away from her current position. And in the next second, a light bolt was shot at her.
"uhg!!!!!" She was taken aback by the sudden surprise attack, which was aimed at her legs.
The black-haired woman had shot a lightning bolt, which cracked the ground where Aya once stood.
"—but unfortunately, this will be the end of your journey."
The moment Aya had a few moments to see where the woman had shot her, she quickly understood that this whole collaboration was fake in the end, just to steal all of the credit for conquering the dungeon.
The group of adventurers, which had taken a few meters distance from the white-haired girl, were all either smirking, blankly staring at her, or simply excited about what they were going to do next.
Aya, on the other hand, who was giving a cold glare at them, tightened her daggers as her feelings inside her were fueling her strength to fight back to the death with the adventurers who were trying to trick her.
"Don't bother asking the reason why we're doing this. We simply found you at the perfect time to save us the energy of getting what we want." One of the swordsmen said with a rather cold tone in his voice.
"No need to feel resentful. This is how life works in this world, after all. The strongest stay on top."
Aya did not show any signs of fear, but a sense of guilt struck inside her while she prepared herself for the first adventurers to attack.
She knew that no matter how strong or weak someone in this world was, in the end, anyone would try, at least once in their life, to step on another human being just to feel superior to them.
"This is the en…."
But as the black-haired woman was about to give her last speech to the sole white-haired girl, her eyes widened to their full extent as blood was beginning to drip out of her mouth from receiving an internal injury.
The other two swordsmen, who noticed this sudden stop from the woman they all wanted to protect, looked on their sides and saw a sword sticking out from between her breasts.
Due to the sudden shock and severe injury, the woman with black hair was unable to move, and her hands were dripping cold sweat.
"B-Brixilla!"
The blonde swordsman, who was the closest to the woman, called out with haunted eyes and a wide mouth at the unthinkable sight. He was sure that he would protect her, and to see himself fail at that was something that made him lose his calm composure.
The swordsman, who was smirking just a few moments ago, also lost his excitement at this sudden turn of events. He was very confident in his skills, which is why he found himself cautious toward the culprit who had stabbed Brixilla, the black-haired woman, from behind.
"U-g- i-i…. idiots….."
Brixilla struggled to speak as the last strength in her body faded away, making her body fall to the ground, completely motionless from the attack, which was aimed precisely at her most vital spots.
"Y-you…"
"....."
The moment that the woman had fallen dead on the ground, the two other swordsmen, who were now cautious, quickly realized who the culprit behind this kill was. They both knew him very well, to the point where they almost refused to believe that it was true. But the evidence was right in front of their eyes, and the truth couldn't be altered, no matter the explanation behind this.
"Why would you do this—"
The blonde swordsman demanded as he looked at his other comrade, who was quiet almost the whole time.
The culprit was the third swordsman, with brown hair and calm composure. However, what changed in him was not only the cold-blooded look on his face... but the fact that his eyes were glowing red through the shadows of his hair.
"—Tetsuko!!!?""