Cough… cough…
Cao Ye coughed lightly, blood staining the corner of his mouth.
That hit had been brutal.
Feeling the pain throughout his body, Cao Ye couldn't help but feel bitter.
If he had just a little more time, he was certain he could have slaughtered all those monsters.
At that moment, his desire for power rose to an extreme level.
He also began regretting his past laziness and complacency.
If he had worked harder before, maybe things wouldn't be this miserable now.
It reminded him of something from his past life.
When his college entrance exam results came out, his scores weren't great.
He could only enter an average university.
At the time, he didn't care.
He thought school was just a transition period.
He could slack off, enjoy life, and anyway he might not even work in his field after graduation.
But after graduating…
When he started applying for jobs with his resume, reality hit him.
Every bit of laziness from the past had to be repaid with far greater effort later.
He had no achievements.
No valuable certificates.
No awards.
Nothing impressive to show.
Good companies wouldn't even look at his resume.
So he had to keep trying one company after another.
At first he still had standards.
Later on, he was grateful just to get an interview opportunity.
Now—
History was repeating itself.
And once again, he regretted it.
"Damn… that hurts…"
Cao Ye's left little finger was gone, leaving only a bleeding wound.
Not just that.
His arms, legs, chest, and back were covered with injuries of varying severity.
His clothes were soaked in blood.
Blood even dripped from the hem of his clothing.
Inside his body, black mud continued repairing his wounds.
But the injuries were too severe.
They couldn't heal immediately.
ROOOAR—!
Another group of monsters rushed toward him.
Cao Ye had no time to think.
He threw the black sword in his hand.
"Explode!"
BOOOOM!
The projected black sword detonated among the monsters.
The explosion killed every monster within about five meters.
The power was impressive.
But Cao Ye's magic power was nearly depleted.
He couldn't project another sword anymore.
ROAR!
THUD!
A Killer Rabbit suddenly attacked from behind.
Cao Ye didn't notice it.
Its sharp horn pierced straight through his shoulder.
"Damn it!"
He slashed back and killed it instantly.
But the shoulder wound made his already terrible situation even worse.
And the surrounding monsters had no intention of giving him time to rest.
They rushed toward him one after another.
It looked like they wanted to tear him apart completely.
"What's going on up there?"
At that moment, a figure appeared near the entrance to the 17th floor.
When she saw the massive crowd of monsters ahead, she was shocked.
A monster gathering of this scale usually only happened in the lower or deep floors.
But this was only the 17th floor.
A mid-upper floor.
Situations like this shouldn't happen here.
Even a Monster Feast shouldn't reach this level.
"Is that an adventurer up there?"
"And he doesn't look like he's doing well."
Because of the terrain, she quickly spotted Cao Ye being surrounded by monsters.
His condition was obviously terrible.
Most adventurers would never interfere in a situation like this.
After all, one mistake could easily get themselves killed.
And dying in the Dungeon due to insufficient strength was very common.
But this person happened to be the kind who liked helping others.
If someone was in danger and she had the ability—
She didn't mind lending a hand.
"Perfect."
"I wanted to test this new blade anyway."
"Let's use these monsters as test subjects."
She pulled a blade from her waist.
It resembled a katana, but with slight differences.
The blade was wider.
Sharper.
And double-edged.
The handle was also longer.
SLASH!
With a single strike—
A Minotaur was split from shoulder to waist.
Its body was cut cleanly in two.
The bloody scene would make many people vomit.
Even the Minotaur's magic stone was shattered.
It was pure overwhelming power.
"Huh? Someone's here?"
Cao Ye noticed something while fighting desperately among the monsters.
In the distance, monsters were being slaughtered rapidly.
Every single one was killed in one strike.
Cao Ye couldn't help but feel shocked.
So this was the strength of a high-level adventurer?
BAM!
While distracted, a Beastman monster smashed a hammer into Cao Ye's stomach.
The intense pain snapped him back to reality.
He immediately killed the monster and continued fighting.
"Kid, losing focus during battle isn't a good habit."
"Hold on a little longer."
"I'll clear these guys out soon."
Her cheerful voice echoed from the distance.
Cao Ye raised an eyebrow.
Was she really here to help him?
It wasn't strange that he doubted it.
He had faced too much malice before.
Several times he had almost died.
So he always assumed the worst possibility first.
In less than ten minutes, all the surrounding monsters were wiped out.
Cao Ye stared at the woman in front of him, unsure what to say.
She had slightly dark skin and an explosively attractive figure.
Holding a blade, she had eliminated all those monsters in such a short time.
It was unbelievable.
"You saved my life."
"If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."
"Which Familia are you from?" she asked.
"Freya Familia."
"Freya Familia?"
She looked surprised.
Members of the Freya Familia were rarely seen in Orario.
But she wasn't unfamiliar with them.
After all, her goddess had a good relationship with Freya.
Their Familias often worked together.
She frequently accepted weapon orders from Freya Familia.
"My name is Tsubaki Collbrande."
"From the Hephaestus Familia."
"You're Miss Tsubaki?"
"You know me?"
"How could I not?"
"You're the greatest blacksmith in Orario."
Tsubaki smiled.
"Flattery will get you everywhere."
As a blacksmith, hearing praise for her craft naturally made her happy.
Especially since Cao Ye was quite handsome.
Her first impression of him was very good.
And considering the situation earlier—
The fact that he managed to hold out for so long impressed her.
Even a Level 2 adventurer probably wouldn't survive a Monster Feast of that scale.