The Dionysus Familia headquarters was located in a quiet corner of Orario.
Compared to the surrounding hustle and bustle, this place was unusually cold and deserted. Only two magic stone lamps in the porch were lit, and there were no traces of members' activities to be found.
In the study, a man with long golden hair sat behind a mahogany desk, holding a piece of parchment.
His dark blue suit was neatly tailored, and a bowtie was tied at his shirt collar, inadvertently exuding a refined temperament. Compared to a god, he looked more like a nobleman.
Dionysus's calm gaze fell on this intelligence report. The parchment was densely packed with information about the recent situation of the Soma Familia.
Former captain Zanis, missing.
New captain Chandra Ihit.
Soma himself announced in front of his Familia that he would no longer brew Divine Wine, nor would he provide any supply of Divine Wine to his members.
There was no ripple on Dionysus's face. As for the detailed process of the former captain Zanis's disappearance, he couldn't dig up any specific inside information. After all, it happened too suddenly. It was hard to peek into the real details.
"I feel like I have to thank you, Soma." He sighed.
He and Soma were both gods known as the God of Wine. But to be honest, Dionysus looked down on this colleague of his from the bottom of his heart.
After coming to the lower world, Soma was obsessed with the manual labor of brewing wine, and even creating a Familia was just to satisfy his own idea of brewing wine. Their pursuits were different.
Of course, Soma choosing to stop brewing wine, was actually good news for him. In the future, if he wanted to, he could monopolize the Divine Wine market.
What then?
As he thought of this, he sipped the red wine in his glass and hus gaze continued to scan downward.
The list of members who left the Familia was written very briefly. Most were small characters whose names he couldn't even remember and who had no achievements in Orario.
Until...
Zephyr
Liliruca Arde.
Dionysus's fingertips paused on the edge of the parchment, and he raised his eyebrows slightly. When he noticed the Supporter status, the interest in his heart faded instantly.
"Boring."
— — —
The time for Dungeon exploration passed quickly.
This gradually professional exploration team set off from the Communal Dormitory every morning, passed through the Central Plaza, and arrived at the Dungeon through Babel.
The other companions in the team, including Kate and the others who came from the School District for exchanges, although their overall strength could be considered solid, they were only Level 1 after all. Having their first contact with the Dungeon, they were a bit stumbling with the combat rhythm of the middle floors and couldn't adapt quickly.
When encountering monster attacks, Kate needed to cooperate with her companions to cope, and the exploration speed was far from as fast as expected. It took two whole days just to get from the 13th Floor to the 15th Floor.
But every time they returned to Orario, Zephyr could feel that after the tempering of battle, the greenness on the girls' faces was gradually fading, replaced by the steadiness that an Adventurer should have.
Exploration was like that, there was no shortcut to quick success, unless you were cheating.
Today's exploration was still smooth and they arrived at the 16th Floor.
Charles walked at the very front of the team, his gaze continuously sweeping across the spacious passage ahead.
The environment hadn't changed much. It was still an open corridor, with blue moss on the rock walls emitting a sparse light.
But deep inside, Charles felt a long-lost excitement. According to the current speed of progress, as long as there were no accidents in the process, they could reach the 18th Floor. This was also his ultimate goal for coming to Orario and exploring the Dungeon.
Thinking of this, he looked back at Zephyr, grinning. "I feel like today's exploration progress is faster than ever. In two more floors, we will be able to reach the 18th Floor."
When Zephyr first came into contact with Charles, he had mentioned this goal.
Zephyr nodded with a smile.
Just then, he caught the movement coming from the darkness ahead, as well as the system prompt that suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[Capture Mission: Minotaur]
[As a top predator in the middle floors of the Dungeon, its meat is firm and rich in fat. It tastes excellent after being charcoal-grilled or pan-fried.]
[As a novice Gourmet Hunter, please capture and taste the sensory feast it brings.]
"Minotaur..." Zephyr muttered this unfamiliar name.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Charles, Lefiya, and the others beside him, and warned, "There is a monster coming from the front."
"What kind of monster is that? What the heck is a Minotaur?" Charles scratched his head, his eyes filled with intense curiosity about the unknown monster.
"Uh..."
How was he supposed to answer that?
Zephyr couldn't think of anything either. After all, the Strongest Gourmet Hunter System only issued quests and didn't provide any specific details.
Instead, Lili, who was at the back of the party, pulled a monster encyclopedia out of her backpack, her face turning serious. She quickly flipped to the corresponding page, looking at the intelligence provided by the guild.
"Simply put, it's a beastman, a walking bull? You can use Charles as a reference."
"?"
Charles: Why am I involved in this?
However, he didn't interrupt Lili's explanation of the monster.
"Its roar has a stun effect similar to an Infant Dragon. If an average Level 1 Adventurer encounters one, they're basically just waiting to die."
Charles gripped his axe tightly and subconsciously licked his lips.
Footsteps echoed from deep within the cave ahead, and the ground trembled slightly. In the distance, several figures emerged. Their tall bodies were covered in dark brown fur, with horns curving forward from both sides of their foreheads.
Their eyes burned with a crimson light, staring fixedly at the party of Adventurers ahead. Their thick right arms hung low, clutching axes identical to the one in Charles's hand, the blades covered in jagged notches.
Charles's eyes widened as he looked at the Minotaurs with similar forms ahead, and his expression turned strange when he realized even their weapons were exactly the same.
But that didn't stop him from feeling the intense pressure radiating from the monsters. Just by making simple contact, he could feel that the power of these things and monsters like Hellhounds or Silverbacks was not on the same level.
According to what Lili said earlier, if a Level 1 Adventurer were to face a Minotaur head-on, there would basically be no chance of survival. Although Charles was carefree, he didn't want his friends to be harmed.
He looked at Zephyr, who was standing beside him with his brows slightly furrowed. "What do we do?"
"That's obvious. We fight."
To know the specific extent of the increase in stats, one needs a god to help update them. However, combat skills can be tested through high-intensity battles.
Zephyr was curious: could the strength he possessed now handle this kind of monster?
"Fine."
Who is the real battle maniac here?
Charles's expression was a bit complex, but he could only say that Zephyr's choice was very much to his liking. If he chose to retreat, then Kate and the others would be the ones to bear the pressure.
Driven by the hatred of the Dungeon, the Minotaurs, wanting only to kill every Adventurer they encountered, launched the charge first.
The lead monster let out a roar, its hind legs pushing against the ground as its body slammed toward Zephyr.
As it swung down at Zephyr, the blade sliced through the air with a shrill whistling sound, and the angle of the attack was extremely tricky.
However, Zephyr's response was simpler than expected. He sidestepped to create distance and narrowly avoided the axe.
Boom!
Gravel splattered as a deep crater was smashed into the rocky ground.
Zephyr used the momentum to close in on the Minotaur, pressing the spiral horn on his fist against the weak area near the abdominal cavity below its chest.
The piercing power brought by the spiral structure was extremely strong, penetrating the thick muscle layer as the tip rotated inside to shred blood vessels and internal organs.
The Minotaur's body trembled, the battle axe slipping from its hand and hitting the rocky ground with a dull thud.
Completely dead!