Thank you all so much for the incredible support this week!
The World Cup starts today! Good luck to whatever team y'all are rooting for!
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
After a good night's rest and taking care of their Familia's business, August and Liliruca Arde, now working together again, headed out to the Orario Labyrinth the next morning.
As soon as August and Lili walked into Babel Square, everyone started watching them.
Adventurers nearby stared at August, sizing him up. He was known as the 'Monster rookie.' Only a few Familia captains knew where he really ca from, while most Gods kept his interdinsional background secret. The public only heard that Hestia's blessing was a legal loophole, which made everyone even more curious about him.
"Lord August, it feels like everyone is staring at us today..." Lili said, feeling the crowd's eyes on them.
"Hey there, handso. Wanna grab a drink tonight?"
A beautiful, tan-skinned woman in very revealing clothes called out to August. As she spoke, she licked her lips, giving off a strong, predatory vibe.
Several other won—just as dangerous and attractive—stood behind her. They looked at August as if he were a prize. It was clear that if he agreed, they would take him to bed right away, no strings attached.
"Oh great. The Combat Prostitutes of the Ishtar Familia," a nearby Adventurer muttered, noticing the group. Many n in the square were regular custors in Ishtar Familia's brothels.
"Ishtar, huh?"
August crossed his arms, evaluating the group of won.
Amazonesses.
The Amazonesses were a warrior race focused on finding strong n. If a man showed his strength, they would compete to be with him. They believed that having children with the Strongest would produce talented offspring. That was their tribe's way.
So people looked down on them or called their lifestyle wild, yet the truth was clear. Amazons made up a large part of Orario's top fighters. Compared to humans, they were much better at producing elite Adventurers.
"Lord August, are you interested in getting to know the Ishtar Familia?" Lili asked, catching him staring.
She quickly beca alert. This was the Goddess of Beauty, Ishtar, and her Familia was known for being dangerous.
"No. I was just thinking about the original mythological lore surrounding Ishtar," August replied casually.
"According to the old myths, Ishtar—the so-called Goddess of Venus, the darling of Heaven—decided to invade the Underworld. You know what happened? Her own sister stripped her naked, hung her on a at hook, and killed her."
August rubbed his chin, recalling Ishtar's story. In an old epic, King Gilgash spent chapters ridiculing her for being cruel and treacherous. It was clear what kind of ruthless person she was.
"Wait, seriously? That's her actual myth??" Lili asked, taken aback.
"Pretty much. In the end, she only escaped the Underworld by sacrificing her husband's life to take her place. She dropped her most precious jeweled crown and divine weapons down there just to flee..."
August shrugged, recalling how the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, had completely hard-countered her.
"So yeah, she's basically a Trash-tier Goddess—" August finished. He was sure the Orario version of Ishtar was just as bad.
"Gulp."
The nearby Adventurers and the Combat Prostitutes heard every single word.
Everyone stopped, shocked by how bold he was. He was openly insulting a major Goddess in public.
But then they processed the actual gossip. Wait... the Goddess of Beauty was once slaughtered by her sister, the Goddess of the Underworld?
Damn... That is so premium, high-quality gossip.
"Lord August! Won't talking about Goddess Ishtar like that cause serious trouble for us?" Lili panicked, terrified that the Goddess might order a hit on them for the blatant disrespect.
"Not a chance."
"Ishtar only cares about Freya. Both are Goddesses of Beauty, and only a woman knows how to be vicious to another woman," August said. "Besides, if the Ishtar Familia tries anything, I have plenty of ways to deal with them."
August was sure he wouldn't be targeted. Ishtar might want his power, but she knew she couldn't beat him. With Hestia on his side, any War Ga would end with Ishtar's defeat. His modern weapons gave him that confidence.
"As expected of Lord August!"
Lili had never imagined that August would devise a plan specifically to deal with the Ishtar Familia. She knew how scary Ishtar's group was, and usually, only a big faction like Freya's could handle them. Yet August showed no trace of concern, and that made her proud.
"Hey, handso. Do you really have the power to take on our Familia?" The Combat Prostitutes heard everything. He saw their whole group as no threat. Instead of being offended, the Amazons were excited.
That kind of bold confidence, especially toward a powerful group like the Ishtar Familia, was irresistible... For an Amazoness, August's certainty was the ultimate attraction.
"You sll amazing, kid."
"Seriously. If you don't mind, we'll sleep with you, drink with you, and feed you for free. If we could secure your genes, our kids would be monsters!"
The Combat Prostitutes were practically drooling. They were desperate to drag him into an alley. Securing the seed of an apex predator with this much confidence was an Amazoness's wildest dream.
"..." Their bold and wild interest surprised August.
Were all Amazons like this?
"We're leaving."
August didn't wait any longer. He signaled for Lili to follow and headed straight for the Dungeon entrance. They had spent enough ti above ground. Now it was ti to hunt and restock supplies.
"Yes!"
Lili lifted her huge backpack and rushed after him. Her training made carrying the heavy pack easy. It was empty for now, but its special compartnts were made to carry lots of Magic Stones.
The surrounding Adventurers and the Amazoness warriors watched the duo descend into the Labyrinth.
The day had just begun, but people had already seen so real drama—a rookie openly insulting a major Goddess and ignoring a group of elite Amazons.
By night, this story would be all over Orario.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
Unaware of the rumors circulating above, August and Lili stepped onto the first floor.
Unlike his first, tense trip, August now felt a rush of excitent. He was full of anticipation.
He pulled out the specialized light armor Hephaestus had forged for him and strapped it on.
"Alright. Unless we run into a huge group of monsters, we'll use only hand-to-hand combat to get through the first ten floors," August explained.
Unlike his first two trips, he wouldn't use gunfire on the upper floors. From Floor 13, the Labyrinth beca a huge, unpredictable cave system. He needed to save his ammo and energy for the Middle Floors.
"Our target today is Floor 13."
"This is my first Middle Floor expedition," August stated.
"UNDERSTOOD!" Lili nodded, her heart racing.
This was also Lili's first ti in the Middle Floors. Floor 13 was for [Level 2] Adventurers. With just the two of them, they could move very quickly.
"Let's move." August deployed his surveillance drone.
The drone led the way, using the map data August had collected on his last trip to Floor 12. He gave the tablet controller to Lili. Thanks to Hestia's training and her Falna, Lili could use the modern drone controls easily.
This was the real strength of a rear-guard Supporter. With the drone's thermal imaging, Lili could spot enemy groups ahead of ti.
They entered the second floor.
A group of standard goblins lunged from the shadows.
"Three targets ahead," Lili called out the drone's feed.
August didn't draw a weapon. He simply raised his fists.
He stepped forward and threw a simple punch. His fist hit the lead goblin's chest, and the monster instantly burst into ash.
Lili unclipped a special nozzle from her backpack. It was a heavy-duty vacuum made by the Earth military. With a quick switch, it sucked up the dropped Magic Stone from the floor, saving her from bending down. Since upper-floor Magic Stones were small, the vacuum worked perfectly.
"Amazing! You've gotten so much stronger, Lord August!"
Lili watched in awe.
Monsters that once gave her nightmares were now easily defeated. Since reaching [Level 2], August's strength and power had beco incredible. He was defeating everything with a single hit, more destructive than any Adventurer she'd seen.
"Keep moving," August smirked and gestured forward.
The upper floors were a breeze. Now, he needed to see what the Middle Floors had to offer.
As they descended deeper, the monster density thinned out significantly.
On Floor 6, they ran into Frog Shooters, but only a few. The drone's thermal vision took away their ambush, letting Lili spot them easily. August stepped up and took them out with a single punch.
By the ti they reached Floor 8, familiar faces appeared.
Killer Ants and Purple Moths.
But unlike his first trip, the monsters didn't swarm him. It was almost like the Dungeon saw him as a real threat. The fights weren't a challenge—they were more like executions.
However, against certain monsters, August couldn't rely on his bare hands. He drew a high-carbon steel dagger.
Several monsters here had very corrosive defenses.
The Purple Moths released toxic scales and burst with acidic blood when killed. Even though August stabbed one cleanly, the acid splashed through his sleeve and burned his forearm.
"So this is what raw elental damage feels like."
August frowned and looked at the burn on his arm. If he hadn't trained to handle pain in the military, the burning feeling would have made him lose focus.
"No wonder the vast majority of Adventurers get permanently stuck in the upper ten floors. The deeper you go, the more toxic and heavily armored these things get."
Lili hurried over, uncorking a blue potion and pouring it directly over August's burned arm.
The Orario healing potion worked instantly. As soon as it touched his skin, the pain disappeared, replaced by a warm, soothing feeling that quickly healed his burn. It was his first ti using a regular potion instead of his own magic, and he had to admit the local alchemy was very effective.
"Lord August, dealing with toxic monsters at close range is dangerous. I recomnd you learn how to use a longsword or a spear so you can maintain a safe fighting distance," Lili advised while bandaging his arm.
Using a short dagger was a big disadvantage.
Daggers worked best for small fighters like Pallums or young teens in tight upper-floor spaces. For a grown man, a dagger ant always fighting close to danger and risking injury.
"Honestly, I've thought about it. But I don't know the first thing about swordplay."
"I'm just copying the dagger grips I picked up while getting my ass kicked by Ryu Lion's wooden sword."
Every modern guy dread of using a longsword. It looked cool, but actually knowing how to fight with one in real danger was a whole different story.
"That makes sense. Weapons like that are no longer practical for the battlefield in your world. But that's fine! We can learn together," Lili said, knowing that carrying a broadsword in a modern city would get him in trouble.
"All patched up."
August flexed his hand to make sure the potion had healed him. They didn't have ti to stand around.
"Let's go."
August and Lili set off, making their way quickly down to Floor 12.
Standing in front of the huge tunnel leading into darkness, August gripped his weapon.
"Floor 13. Here we co!!"
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
~ Bulk Upload: 5 Chapters If We Reach 1,000 Power Stones This Week!
~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
sp-atreon/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers