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After scouting the terrain on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors, the duo didn't linger in the Dungeon. They opted to head straight back to the surface.
The ascent was quiet. They didn't encounter any returning Adventurers—it was still morning, and the main rush of returning parties wouldn't happen until late afternoon.
August and Lili followed the spiraling ramps up to the first floor, and then they stepped out of the Labyrinth and back into the plaza beneath Babel.
"We're back already?" Lili blinked at the bright sun hanging high over the city, feeling a surreal sense of whiplash.
How long had they even been down there? They had returned so quickly. The apocalyptic slaughter on the seventh floor was still seared into her mind. And yet, the more she thought about it, the heavier a strange gloom settled over her chest.
Just as Lili was about to say sothing,
"August..." She wanted to suggest heading to the Guild to exchange the Magic Stones for Valis.
But as she turned around, her words died in her throat.
August's calm, tactical composure was gone. He was crouched in a nearby alleyway.
"Blargh!"
Everything he had eaten for breakfast, even though he had burned off most of it on the way back up, ca up violently onto the cobblestones. August leaned against the wall, dry-heaving, not caring how pathetic he looked to the Adventurers walking by.
"August, are you okay?!" Lili was dumbfounded.
Wait, what was going on?
"I'm fine. I just... held it in the whole way up," August gasped, thumping his chest to suppress the lingering nausea.
He wasn't a cold-blooded ani hero. He was just a regular guy from a modern world. Putting up with the awful sll of the Labyrinth and acting tough during the fight was just a way to hide his weakness in a dangerous place.
Seeing and leading the killing of so many monsters took a heavy toll on him. He wasn't born fearless, nor was he a psychopath. The fight had been too much, and now the adrenaline crash hit him hard.
"August, you look pathetic right now," Lili deadpanned. "You were so cool during the fight..."
For the first ti, Lili felt the invincible image she had built up in her head shatter into pieces. He had been a ruthless genius down there. Puking in an alleyway really ruined his cool persona.
"It's called an emotional release," August retorted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Bottling this up will only break you ntally. Better to let it out."
"As for looking pathetic... please. Like I care about my image."
After the dirty tactics he just pulled to herd those monsters, he wasn't about to pretend he was so noble knight. His thods were filthy.
"You have to live life comfortably on your own terms," August said.
Having finally recovered, he stood up straight and patted Lili on the shoulder with a faint smile. He dropped the wisdom and left the rest for her to figure out, turning to walk out of the alley.
Lili didn't fully grasp his philosophy, but one fact was evident: August was the kind of person who did exactly what he wanted, when he wanted.
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As Lili hurried after him into the plaza, a beautiful figure ca sprinting toward them.
"August!"
Hestia rushed forward and threw herself at August. She imdiately started patting him all over, frantically checking her precious child for injuries. When she found not even a single scratch on him, her smile shone brighter than the sun.
But when her eyes fell on the Pallum standing nearby, Hestia's gaze sharpened as she sized her up.
"This is a Supporter I hired inside. She knows her way around the upper floors," August explained. "She acted as my guide. Her na is Lili."
"Oh?" Hestia gave her a discerning look.
She knew August wasn't familiar with the Labyrinth's layout. More importantly, even with her divine Falna auto-translating the spoken language, August still couldn't read the written script of this world. Hiring a local guide to read the floor markers made perfect sense.
"This is my Patron Goddess, Hestia," August introduced.
"H-Hello," Lili stamred.
Faced with a goddess radiating such warm benevolence, her throat tightened. She did not know how to speak to soone like her.
"Lady Hestia... my real na is Liliruca Arde."
Lili knew she couldn't hide it. The Goddess clearly had a soft spot for her Familia child. If Hestia did so digging, Lili's fake identity would be exposed right away. If she were caught lying to a Goddess, she could be in serious trouble, even executed.
Hestia also leveled a probing look at Liliruca Arde.
"Why did you target him?" Hestia demanded.
She wanted to know how this girl zeroed in on August. August kept all his actual gear hidden inside his [Spatial Backpack].
If Hestia rembered right, Lili targeted Bell Cranel in the original tiline because he openly carried a valuable Magic Knife made by Hephaestus.
But August? All his high-tech gear was safely stored in his pocket dinsion. So how did this Supporter know he was a mark?
"Given your usual targets, you shouldn't have noticed August," Hestia said, her eyes glinting dangerously. She briefly debated whether she should just vaporize this scheming little thief right here and now.
Hearing the thinly veiled threat in Hestia's voice, Liliruca panicked and imdiately dispelled her transformation magic. Her plain, unremarkable appearance faded away, revealing her true form.
"It was that!" Liliruca pointed a trembling finger at August's chest. "That pristine, custom light armor."
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