Liora looked at the bodies of the goblins she had just killed in disgust before walking up to the tied woman, deciding not to let her emotions get the best of her now.
She knelt down and grabbed the ropes binding the woman, slowly beginning to untie them. The ropes came loose, dropping to the ground as the woman was finally free.
The blue-haired woman hesitantly stood up and took a few steps back to create distance between them. Liora could tell that this woman didn't fully trust her, and that made sense, as she too was a Beast Tamer—just like the one who had ordered her capture.
"W-who are you?" the woman asked, the nervousness in her voice palpable, her eyes wide with fear and on the brink of tears from her recent trauma.
'Oh, you poor soul,' Liora thought with a sorry expression.
"Don't be alarmed. I've come to save you all," Liora said as she took slow steps toward her, her hands up in a gesture of peace to show that she meant no harm.
"H-how can I trust you? How do I know you're not going to hurt me as well?" the woman asked, still reluctant to trust Liora.
Liora stopped and pointed at the symbol of the Bolorius guild on her uniform. "See this? I'm part of an adventurer guild, just like many of you. I've been on a quest to come find you, and now that I have, I need to safely get you all out of here," Liora explained, taking another step forward.
The woman didn't say anything after that but could only believe her words. "A-alright, I'll trust you," the woman replied.
Liora smiled, relieved to see that the situation had calmed down. She then walked past the woman and began to free the many captives, climbing into their cages and untying them one by one.
After a few minutes, all the women had been freed and were now ready to leave. Liora began to lead them outside the dungeon as quickly as possible.
Though she wanted to clear the dungeon first and find the mysterious Beast Tamer, that had to wait, as she needed to prioritize the lives of the women.
As they were about to leave the first floor, Liora's ears perked as she heard the footsteps of goblins approaching and talking to each other. She quickly put a hand behind her to stop the women as she started to listen:
"The Beast Tamer has requested we bring the captured women. It is finally time to begin the breeding!" the first goblin said excitedly.
"Haha," the second goblin laughed. "I've been waiting for this for a while now as well. Now we'll be able to experience a whole new world of pleasures," the second goblin added.
Liora's eyes narrowed when she heard that, growing more and more angry. She looked back to see the other women starting to shiver in fear, tormented by their own dark thoughts.
'These goblins will have to keep on waiting, I suppose—only this time, it's going to be for eternity,' Liora thought as she summoned a Rock Golem in front of them. The goblins took a step back in surprise but ultimately ended up crushed by the Rock Golem's fist.
Liora leveled up after that, becoming level 17, but she didn't have time to distribute her points right now. She then gestured for the women to follow her again, and after a little while, they arrived back at the dungeon's entrance.
This time, Liora decided to try and open the dungeon entrance. She placed a hand on the wall and channeled her magic into it.
Her ability to channel raw magic into objects was still very weak, as she didn't have much practice. A warm green glow emanated from her hand as she concentrated hard, and finally, the wall rose to the ceiling.
---
Liora and the group were finally outside. The night was still fresh, and the moon was high in the sky. Liora then walked up to the adventurer women, taking a deep breath to steel herself as she spoke:
"I want a favor from all of you. I want you all to run to Firefly Town as fast as you can."
She opened her system and shop. With all her points, she bought as many potions as she could—about eight of them—making her Beast Points drop to zero, meaning she would have to grind points all over again.
A small light materialized in front of Liora as the eight Low Magic Recovery Potions appeared. The adventurer women gasped in unison, surprised to see the magic unfold before them, as they had never seen such a thing before.
Liora grabbed the potions and stared the women in the eye, her expression turning serious.
"Your magic must be really low, given that you were captured for so many days. I don't have many of these potions; that's why I want you to share them among yourselves. They can't recover much, but it will be enough to give you all the ability to run."
Liora said as she examined their bodies, noting how skinny and malnourished they looked.
"You also look very hungry... sigh," Liora sighed, placing the potions on the ground. She reached into her bag and pulled out a few gold coins, handing them to the women one by one.
"Use that to get yourself some food and proper clothing. Maybe even some armor and weaponry, if you girls still choose to stay as adventurers, that is," Liora said, handing them the potions as well.
The women looked at each other and nodded. They began to drink the magic potions, sharing them among themselves as each one drank a little and handed it over to the next person.
Whispers broke out between the women as they all noted the recovery of their magic. They felt more energetic and capable than before. Liora smiled, feeling a bit happy. She then faked a cough to break the whispers and gain their attention before continuing:
"When you reach the guild, I want you to give this to the messenger of your guild," Liora said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a letter.
This letter was very new; she had written it on the way to the room where the women were kept. The contents of the letter spoke of the goblins' base location, the strange Magic and Paper Talismans they used, and the mystery behind the Beast Tamer.
This letter held a lot of information about the goblins' base and the secret of the dungeon.
The blue-haired woman from earlier stepped forward and took the letter, but her expression turned to one of worry. "Aren't you coming with us?" the woman asked, her tone filled with concern.
Liora shook her head. "No, I'm not going to come with you girls. I'm going to clear the dungeon, and if possible, capture the Beast Tamer that caused all this," Liora said.
The woman's eyes widened at her words. "What?! How could you think of doing such a thing? You're just a child—you'll get killed," the woman said.
Liora grabbed her Fox Mask and removed it from her face. Collective gasps arose from the women as they saw the face of their savior. They all immediately bowed to show their respect. The blue-haired woman was left in shock and couldn't bow in time.
"Young Mistress... Liora Rohart," the woman said, surprised, immediately bowing.
Liora smiled at the reaction of the women. It was enough to almost make her laugh, but she still had to get them to safety.
"Now then, it's about time you people leave. Run as fast as you can, and look out for each other. You all should be able to defend yourselves if an unexpected attack happens due to your high numbers," Liora said, putting her Fox Mask back on and moving past them.
The blue-haired woman turned around and put her hands together in a gesture of gratitude. "We'll do what you have requested. Please be careful," the woman said as she turned and sprinted into the forest.
Slowly, one by one, the women thanked Liora and ran away. Liora breathed a sigh of relief now that they were safe and turned her gaze back to the Ruby Mines and the secret dungeon inside it.
But first, she walked up to the goblin that had helped her. "I appreciate your help in all this; I really do. But sadly, I can't let you live. You have killed many and have done unspeakable horrors to those who crossed your path, so I have to take your life," Liora said.
The goblin sighed in understanding. "I understand. You have to do what you have to. I've done terrible things, and I won't be forgiven," the goblin said as it looked up at the sky and reflected on its life, letting out a small chuckle at the thought.
"Thank you," Liora said, placing her delicate hands on the goblin's rough neck. "And goodbye."
Crack!