'How are these people here?'
"..."
Honestly speaking, Tione was pretty biased against this bunch.
The only reason no conflict had broken out before was because they lacked the strength to do anything and had recognized her identity.
If she and the others hadn't been present—then this group, drawn over by the Floor Boss, the Fire Giant, would've inevitably relied on sheer numbers to launch an assault against the Hestia Familia.
"So this should be the place... right?"
The sudden interruption cut off what Tiona had been about to say.
Watching that group split up and disperse throughout the Safe Floor, the Amazoness girl faintly felt that something about them was strange.
But even after thinking carefully about it, she couldn't quite put her finger on why...
"Should be..."
"It should be fine."
Physical and mental exhaustion alone normally wouldn't cause such an obvious drop in combat ability.
And as a midway checkpoint within the Middle Floors, the Safe Floor wasn't the kind of place where especially powerful adventurers would hole up waiting to stir up trouble.
Tiona lightly shook her head.
Compared to all that—the moment Ron disappeared from her sight, the girl found herself overcome with a strange, indescribable emotion.
Facing the Fire Giant's assault, if he hadn't stepped forward when he did, then the consequences would've been unimaginable!
That sea of evil god flames had seemed capable of burning absolutely everything to ash, yet the golden magic barrier Ron deployed had completely absorbed it all.
Otherwise, the one reduced to charcoal would've been her.
"I should probably thank him... right?"
"..."
After arriving at the Safe Floor, she never even got the chance to spend time alone with Ron before her sister, Tione, dragged her away and explained everything.
Which meant—what she needed to do next was actually pretty simple.
There was no need to overthink it.
Battles were exciting, and people who helped her were good people.
Someone who had saved her life?
That was a good person among good people!
"..."
As the older sister, Tione was clearly much more meticulous, and knowing her younger sister so well, she could immediately tell what Tiona was thinking just by looking at her expression.
Whether from the standpoint of the Familia or as family—she had no reason to interfere in something like this.
"Go on."
"There's still time now anyway. Once the Familia expedition sets out again, you won't get another chance."
If she really had to say something, then it would probably be this—
Ron's luck with women was just way too ridiculous!!
"Alright."
Tiona nodded heavily.
But the moment she imagined what she was about to do next, the girl—who usually considered herself very straightforward—unexpectedly felt... nervous.
This nervousness was completely different from exploring the Dungeon.
Her heartbeat was simply accelerating for no reason at all.
And then—a violent explosion suddenly erupted from deep within Rivira, startling the tan-skinned Amazoness so badly that she jolted and whipped her head around.
BOOM!!
Not far behind them, the entire settlement of makeshift shacks that formed Rivira seemed to ignite all at once, as though explosives planted in advance had been detonated simultaneously.
The explosion instantly blasted countless buildings apart.
And due to the district's cramped, tangled layout, the surrounding structures were quickly set ablaze as well.
Towering flames surged upward within the Safe Floor, billowing thick black smoke into the air.
The deafening curses of adventurers and the frantic attempts to organize firefighting efforts—threw all of Rivira into utter chaos.
"Holy shit..."
"What the hell is happening?"
Standing atop a higher vantage point, Tione frowned deeply as she stared at the streets that were on the verge of being swallowed by flames.
There was absolutely no way an explosion like this was accidental.
And the fire was still spreading rapidly toward the farther sections of the district.
So...
Was this a premeditated suicide attack orchestrated by Evilus?
Until—her gaze landed on the final destination of the bombing attack: the Familia encampment being used for this joint expedition.
The girl instantly felt chills run down her spine.
Realizing the kind of uniqueness Ron possessed, even the dormant Evilus had begun taking action!
"Get back there!!"
"..."
The one who reacted even faster than her
was Tiona, whose figure shot forward with the agility of a leopard.
Her short black hair fluttered wildly behind her, making the Amazoness girl look overflowing with untamed ferocity.
Like a seasoned hunter emerging from the Amazon rainforest, she didn't choose the normal roads at all.
Instead, she directly sprinted across the rooftops of the shantytown, advancing toward Ron at the shortest possible distance and the fastest possible speed.
The wild instincts flowing through the girl's veins were screaming a warning.
This explosion was absolutely a premeditated operation.
And the only possible target—was Ron, the man she had personally witnessed creating miracle after miracle.
"This time..."
"I'll definitely make it in time!!"
...
Looking at the massive commotion in Rivira caused by the explosions, there was no need to think about it to know the culprits had to be Adler and his group.
Standing in a corner, the tightly furrowed brows of Filvis already proved just how terrible her mood currently was.
After leaving the Floor Boss chamber on the 17th Floor, the first people she sought out—were the Evilus adventurers who had failed the mission, ordering them to stop the operation immediately.
If...
Ron had merely been a chess piece in Lord Dionysus's "Rampage" plan, then she could have carried out this operation without the slightest burden.
But—after witnessing that battle against the Fire Giant, she had already abandoned that line of thinking.
Ron was absolutely not an ordinary genius adventurer.
A "Creature."
That was what her companions were!
Someone who had clearly died, yet could revive again in a short period of time—that was a trait only Creatures possessed.
And on top of that, there was Ron's talent.
Using only a single month to grow from a rookie into someone at Lv.3...
That alone further confirmed Filvis's suspicions.
Only a Creature could possess talent like that.
As for what exactly would change after finding Ron—she hadn't thought that far ahead.
At the very least, if they huddled together for warmth, perhaps she could finally find a faint sense of "belonging."
And through Ron, maybe she could learn how to properly interact with other adventurers.
That was enough...
"Trying to encounter another Creature... another one of my kind... in Orario really is so difficult..."
As a pawn of Lord Dionysus, she was surrounded by plenty of disgusting cockroaches from Evilus—but actual Creatures?
She had barely seen any.
Looking into the distance, at the explosions spreading toward the area where Ron was located, the black-haired elf girl felt an indescribable irritation welling up deep inside her heart.
Even though she had already ordered the operation stopped—even if that counted as going against Lord Dionysus's plan—she still hoped... that she could approach Creature Ron in a normal way.
"In that case..."
"Those cockroaches really don't have any reason to keep existing!"
Filvis did not go looking for Ron.
Instead, she drew the slender sword hanging at her waist and looked toward the center of the chaos, her eyes filled with killing intent.
There would always be opportunities to meet Ron again in the Dungeon later.
Right now, what she needed to do—was stop this riot!
As for the future—the black-haired elf girl was undoubtedly lost and uncertain.
But when she encountered Ron, someone who was "the same kind" as her, it felt as though she had glimpsed a path she had never seen before.
So—she would not allow anyone to harm the Ron who had shown her that hope!
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