Floor 10
This was no longer a monotonous passage; the walls were covered with moss, the ground was dotted with short grass, resembling a prairie. The floor was also bathed in a phosphorescent glow like sunlight, though a thick white mist pervaded the area.
Standing at the entrance to this floor, Blake couldn't help but exhale. The monsters encountered along the way had been too weak, failing to spark any interest in him.
Crack... crack, crack...
"Help!"
At this moment, strange sounds mixed with faint cries for help reached Blake's ears. He raised an eyebrow and slightly turned his head to observe. There, the scents of dozens of monsters mixed together, and the number was still increasing.
"A girl's voice?"
After pondering for a moment, Blake decided to check the situation. The strength of the monsters on this floor had increased slightly, and the fact that so many had gathered at once meant that killing them would still yield plenty of experience points. The second reason was that Blake no longer had the map for the following floors and would need to ask someone for it.
This was because the Adventurer's Guild prevented overly curious newcomers from venturing too deep into the dungeon, as it was easy to lose their lives that way.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
In the thick white mist of the tenth floor, a vicious-looking adventurer angrily shouted while dodging the attacks of monsters.
He had originally planned to take down that damned little humanoid, but unexpectedly, he had been outwitted and surrounded by monsters attracted by a charm scent from the enemy.
He swore that if he made it out alive, he would make that little humanoid pay for this trickery.
However, his hope was in vain. Surrounded by monsters, if he distracted himself even for a moment, his fate would only be death.
In an instant, the adventurer was pierced by the natural wooden spikes of an orc, becoming a porcupine-like figure, and he died unwillingly.
Meanwhile, not far from the beast pack, a little humanoid, wrapped in a ragged white robe, watched with fear as three half-orcs approached her.
After deceiving the adventurer who had tried to harm her, she managed to escape, but she hadn't expected to step on a sharp wooden spike, injuring her foot. Now, she could only helplessly watch as the half-orcs closed in. With her magic sword used up, she was too weak to resist.
Howl!
With the howls of the half-orcs, the three orcs, sure that their prey no longer had the strength to resist, charged forward, their wooden clubs or spikes gleaming coldly.
"Lili, is really going to die here? Maybe it's better this way; at least death might bring more peace than living... Lili is already tired of this world... this cruel world..."
Watching the half-orcs charge at her, the girl stopped calling for help and smiled eerily.
Pshh—!
Boom—!
At that moment, a flash of silver appeared in her field of vision, and the throat of the central half-orc exploded in a spray of blood, turning to ashes.
In the next moment, another sharp sword light flashed, and the remaining two half-orcs also turned to ashes, collapsing lifelessly.
"Are you alright?"
Looking at the young girl, wrapped tightly in a loose, dirty white robe with a hood covering her head, revealing only a few strands of chestnut brown hair and a cute little face, Blake squatted down and asked.
He hadn't expected Liliruca Arde to encounter such danger. In theory, Lili should be one of the main protagonists. If not for meeting him...
Blake froze for a moment. If this situation benefited him, it could explain his extreme luck.
Again, it was him...
Lili, with her round brown eyes, stared at Blake in surprise. She never expected this silver-haired boy to save her twice in a row.
"...Thank you."
"Mm!"
However, even so, Lili, who had grown to despise adventurers, didn't say much. She lowered her head and muttered those two words before attempting to leave. Unfortunately, the injury to her foot was so severe that she groaned in pain.
"Don't do anything reckless. Stop the bleeding first; it will be troublesome if it gets infected."
Seeing Lili in this condition, Blake frowned and reminded her.
"...!"
Upon hearing his words, Lili froze for a moment, then quickly took out bandages from her bundle and began tending to her wound.
"My name is Blake Silva, but you can call me Blake. What's your name?"
Blake asked helplessly. The psychological scars in this girl's heart were far worse than he had imagined.
Of course, Blake didn't know that just recently, Lili had nearly been killed by adventurers again. The darkness in her heart was overwhelming, so her reaction wasn't surprising.
"Adventurer, thank you for saving me, but what do you want with Lili's information?"
Lili showed a suspicious expression, taking a few steps back, prompting Blake to raise an eyebrow.
Is communication not possible for now...
Just then, a strange sound broke their conversation, and a mass of dark figures began to appear from the distance.
Looking at what was happening, both of them froze. Lili's pupils flashed with fear.
Blake, however, with his eyes gleaming with excitement, scratched his head and swiftly drew his sword, speaking nonchalantly.
"Lili, is that your name? Well, I've already saved you, so you can leave now. Otherwise, you might just get in the way..."
With that, Blake's eyes locked on the approaching horde, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"...!"
Lili's pupils shrank as she looked at Blake in shock. Her eyes flickered strangely, and then she glanced at Blake before quickly leaving.
"A hundred or so half-orcs should be enough for me to train my basic abilities, right?"
After Lili left, Blake smirked, his crystal-blue eyes gleaming with a hint of wickedness. He charged directly into the raging half-orc horde.
And his sword, unbeknownst to anyone, had already been sheathed!
The continuous roar echoed throughout the tenth floor, and in the white mist of the beast pack, a figure danced through the chaos like a wisp of willow in the wind, terrifying to behold!