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From his perch atop the giant tree, Alex watched the scene unfold and couldn't help sighing."This woman really does charm everyone, huh. Men and women alike."
Even Alex had to admit it.Among all the women he'd ever seen, Riveria stood at the very top.
In the original story, her beauty was described as something that surpassed even the gods themselves.
Of course, Riveria wasn't the only one drawing attention. Plenty of other women flocked to Finn as well, asking him to examine them.
It wasn't that Finn was especially handsome. It was his reputation.
Captain of the Loki Familia, bearer of the title "Brave."At present, aside from Ottar of the Freya Familia, the lone Level 7, Finn was the strongest adventurer in Orario.
Unfortunately, this situation sparked Tione's fury. She didn't hesitate to lash out, literally kicking those shameless women away.
Yet beyond the crowd, one figure stood out.
A dog-eared girl clutched a backpack tightly to her chest, her face pale with fear.She clearly didn't want anyone to know what was inside. With a panicked look, she slipped away from the plaza.
That didn't escape Aiz's notice.
Nor did it go unnoticed by the strange person disguised as a man.
Ais (Aiz) immediately chased after her. Lefiya didn't understand what was happening, but she followed anyway.Seeing the suspicious man give chase as well, Alex moved without hesitation and trailed behind them.
At the edge of the Eighteenth Floor, near the crystal stairs—
Ais caught up to the dog-eared girl and stopped her.
Terrified, the girl sank to the ground, hugging the backpack with both arms as if her life depended on it.
"Let's go back to the plaza," Ais said calmly.
"No, no, please don't!" the girl cried, grabbing Aiz's clothes in desperation. "Please, don't make me go back. If I return there, I'll definitely… definitely…"Her voice broke, and she burst into tears.
Ais softened and asked her to explain.
The girl's name was Lulune Louie, a member of the Hermes Familia.
She'd accepted a commission from a mysterious client to retrieve Hashana's luggage from the Eighteenth Floor. That was when someone tried to kill her.
The pursuer was the very person who had murdered Hashana.
After listening, Ais asked, "Who gave you the commission?"
Lulune shook her head violently. "I don't know. I really don't! I was walking alone at night when someone in a pitch-black cloak suddenly appeared. I knew it was suspicious, but the reward was just too much. If I'd known, I never would've taken it. If that man was killed because of what's in this bag, then I…"
She clutched her head, spiraling into panic.
"Then let us take custody of it," Ais said, holding out her hand.
"I understand!" Lulune hurriedly opened the backpack and took out a round object wrapped in cloth.
Lefiya leaned closer. "May we take a look?"
Lulune nodded. "The client said I wasn't supposed to show this to anyone, but… at this point, it doesn't matter."
Ais pulled the cloth away.
Inside was a crystal-clear orb, like a glass bead.Suspended within it was something that looked like a tiny embryo, an eerie little creature curled up inside.
The moment Ais saw it, something stirred within her blood.A deep, instinctive resonance.
ItžW it was the feeling of encountering one's own kind.
"This sensation…" Aiz's face grew pale.
Suddenly, the small creature inside the orb opened its eyes.
A sharp wave of dizziness slammed into Aiz. Her vision blurred, and her body tilted backward.
"Aiz!" Lefiya cried out.
Just as Ais was about to collapse, Alex appeared at her side and caught her with one hand.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Ais didn't answer. She clutched her head, clearly in pain.
Frowning, Alex immediately cast a healing skill, followed by healing magic.
Under the dual effect, Ais quickly recovered.
"Aiz, are you really all right?" Lefiya asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Ais said, shaking her head. She then turned to Alex and thanked him.
"No need," Alex replied casually.
Only then did Lefiya seem to realize something. She stared at him, eyes wide."Mr. Alex… just now, was that healing magic?"
"Yes," Alex nodded.
Healing magic wasn't rare in Orario. Many people awakened it.The sage Fels's Panacea, the battlefield saint Amid's Dia Fratel, Cassandra's Light of Thor, and others.
"But… how can you use two different healing spells?" Lefiya asked, her expression strange.
Plenty of people had healing magic, but as far as she knew, no one in Orario had ever awakened two distinct healing abilities.
"Uh…" Alex was briefly speechless.
"Lefiya," Ais interrupted, "that's his secret. Don't pry."
"Oh! Right, sorry, Mr. Alex!" Lefiya bowed hurriedly in apology.
"It's fine," Alex said with a shake of his head.
Many members of the Loki Familia were like this.They weren't bad people, just painfully straightforward.
Still, that made them easy to be around. You never had to worry about being stabbed in the back.
"So… this thing really is dangerous?" Lulune asked, pointing at the orb.
"But when I held it, nothing happened," Lefiya said, confused.
When Ais became dizzy earlier, she'd dropped the orb, and Lefiya had caught it. She'd been holding it for a while with no reaction at all.
"It resonates with Aiz's bloodline," Alex said. "Put it back in the bag for now."
"You know what this is?" Lefiya asked eagerly.
Even Ais looked at him with anticipation.
"Only a little," Alex said, shaking his head. "You should ask Loki when you get back."
He didn't explain further.Truth was, he didn't know the Sword Oratoria storyline very well. He'd only watched the anime, and whatever came later he'd picked up from fanfiction.
Lefiya nodded and carefully wrapped the orb again, placing it back in the backpack.
Just as they were about to leave, a strange sound echoed through the air.
It was the shrill note of leaves being blown like a whistle.
Moments later, from the depths of a lake on the Eighteenth Floor, a massive plant-type monster burst forth.
They looked like giant man-eating flowers. Not only did they emerge from the lake, but countless others sprouted beneath the ground of Rivira as well.
In an instant, the entire floor descended into chaos.
The moment these monsters appeared, they began attacking adventurers indiscriminately.
Fortunately, many members of the Loki Familia were stationed in Rivira and managed to hold them back.
Watching the monsters assault the town, Alex understood immediately.This was a diversion. The creature was trying to tie down the Loki Familia's elites so it could steal the orb from Aiz.
"We need to regroup with Finn and the others," Ais said, turning toward the town.
Before they could move, the ground split open.
Four man-eating flower monsters erupted from below, lunging straight at Alex, Aiz, Lefiya, and Lulune.
Alex merely widened his eyes.
His Authority, Lord of the Sky, activated.
The wind answered his call, condensing into countless blades that shredded the four monsters into nothingness.
"So strong…" Ais murmured, stunned.
The Alex before her felt completely different from the one she'd met a month ago on the Forty-Eighth Floor.
It was as if he'd become someone else entirely.Stronger, by an unfathomable margin.
Killing four monsters with a glance.Even a Level 7 couldn't do that, could they?
Just what level was he?
Before she could think further, even more man-eating flowers burst from the ground.
"You go on ahead," Alex said. "I'll hold them here."
"Please be careful," Ais said. She shielded Lefiya and Lulune and ran toward the town.
In moments, Alex was surrounded.
The monsters extended countless green vines, weaving them together into a massive cage that trapped him inside.
"In the face of absolute strength," Alex scoffed, "any tricks are pointless."
He raised his right hand, fingers forming a sword shape.
"Slash."
With a single motion, every monster was reduced to ash.
Before he could move again, even more erupted from the ground.
"Seriously? You're endless," Alex muttered, annoyed.
Fine. If they wanted to play, he'd indulge them.
He began chanting:
"You who have broken the covenant and brought sin into the world.The Lord decrees that sinners shall be punished.Crush their spines, tear out sinew, bone, hair, and brain.Trample blood and earth together beneath your feet.If I am the untouchable fang, then heed the Lord's word and grant them annihilation!"
In the next instant, a divine beast appeared.
A colossal boar, larger than even a Floor Boss.
Alex's lips curled into a villainous grin."Crush every last one of them."
The boar roared and charged.
Under its rampage, the man-eating flowers were obliterated, crushed into pulp. Some were torn out by the roots entirely.
Their vines couldn't harm it at all. They couldn't even scratch the boar's innate Divine Protection.
Such a massive presence was impossible to miss.
Adventurers across the floor saw it.
At first, they thought it was some new monster of the Dungeon.But they quickly realized something was off.
The boar wasn't attacking humans.
It was protecting them, wiping out the man-eating flowers instead.
"..."
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