"So... so amazing. Is this Lord Cain's true strength?"
Lili, who was standing not far away holding a crossbow and preparing to provide support, was dumbfounded.
The battle between Cain and the four Hellhounds seemed long when described, but in reality, everything happened within a few short seconds.
To outsiders, the battle looked like Cain rushing up, taking one down with a single strike, slicing through them like cutting melons and chopping vegetables, eliminating all four Hellhounds without taking a single scratch.
"That's too exaggerated."
"Yeah."
It wasn't just Lili; even Ouka, who was LV2, was startled.
As newly appearing monsters on the thirteenth floor, the Hellhounds' strength was far beyond that of monsters on the preceding floors.
After a short charge-up, the flames released by a Hellhound could easily melt most armor, dealing a devastating blow to adventurers.
Facing four Hellhounds simultaneously, Ouka would have been locked in a bitter struggle; it was completely impossible for him to resolve the fight as gracefully as Cain did.
Looking at the black-haired youth walking toward him, Ouka's face showed a hint of curiosity.
"Cain, have you ascended?"
"No upgrade, still LV1."
"Eh? Then why did you suddenly become so much stronger?"
Compared to the first time they met two days ago, the strength Cain displayed this time was completely different.
"I gained some insight into the Breathing Technique, and then I got stronger."
Hamon was also a Breathing Technique, so there was no issue.
After having Lili collect the magic stones dropped by the Hellhounds, Cain and the others continued to move forward.
"We're here. This is the first Cave Room."
Reaching the end of the passage, an open space appeared in everyone's sight.
"Cain, should we keep moving forward?"
Ouka looked at the black-haired youth beside him.
"Yes, our destination isn't here."
Cain glanced at the several passages in the Cave Room and led the team toward the passage on the right.
Along the way, the group encountered monsters several more times, but the numbers weren't large.
Under Cain's lead charge, these monsters quickly followed the fate of the Hellhounds.
"Cain, aren't you planning to go to the fourteenth floor?"
While advancing, Ouka compared it with the map in his mind and realized something was wrong.
This path was not leading to the fourteenth floor.
Or rather, it was the exact opposite.
The path Cain chose perfectly avoided several passages leading to the fourteenth floor.
If the route hadn't been planned in advance, this situation couldn't have occurred.
"We won't go to the fourteenth floor today. We'll adapt to the intensity on the thirteenth floor first."
"Hmm... that's true. After all, you and Lili are newcomers to the middle floors; you need to adapt."
"You misunderstood. The adaptation I meant isn't for me, it's for you guys."
"Us?"
Ouka showed a look of confusion.
Because they had two LV2 members, the Takemikazuchi Familia often hunted monsters on the thirteenth floor.
In terms of experience on the thirteenth floor, they should have been richer than Cain.
"We're here."
Just then, Cain's voice sounded again. He led everyone into a new Cave Room.
Because he avoided the path leading to the fourteenth floor, this Cave Room was in a very remote location, usually not passed by other adventurers.
After telling everyone to rest and recover their stamina, Cain took out a black box from his backpack and explained the battle plan for this time.
"This contains bait I made myself, which can attract monsters over."
"After you've recovered your stamina in a bit, help me gather monsters using this bait."
"Isn't that too dangerous?"
Upon hearing the plan, Ouka frowned.
From the 13th floor onwards, the Dungeon is considered the middle levels.
Aside from Hellhounds, there are monsters of various kinds like Unicorns, Fang Tigers, and others.
Gathering these monsters together is far more dangerous than a simple 1+1=2 situation.
"Don't worry, there won't be any danger."
Cain took out more than a dozen potions from his backpack.
"These are Featherweight Elixirs produced by the Dian Cecht Familia. Drinking them increases movement speed."
"If an LV1 drinks it, their speed can increase by 20 to 30 percent for a short time."
"Take two bottles each. If you feel like you can't outrun the monsters, drink it."
"But..."
Ouka was still hesitant.
If too many monsters from the 13th floor were gathered, even he wasn't confident of escaping unscathed.
Most members of the Takemikazuchi Familia were LV1. He had to consider the worst-case scenario.
"How about this, I'll add 30,000 Valis as commission payment." Cain held up three fingers.
"It's not about the money."
"50,000 Valis."
"Cain, I..."
"100,000 Valis."
"Say no more, I'll do it!"
As the saying goes, sincerity can move metal and stone.
Perhaps moved by Cain's persistence, Ouka finally stopped hesitating and waved his hand, accepting the commission.
"Pleasure doing business."
Cain lowered his clenched fist.
Thankfully, there was Lili's sponsorship, otherwise he really couldn't have come up with that much money.
Pretending not to see the Palum Girl covering her flat chest with a pained expression beside him.
Cain called out, gathering all the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia.
Although it's about gathering monsters, both gathering and farming them require skill.
Cain chose this chamber as the farming spot for a reason.
The chamber they were currently in had three passages connecting to the outside.
One passage was behind them, the path they came from.
As for the remaining two passages, they were on the other side of the chamber, no more than five meters apart.
"In a moment, divide the Takemikazuchi Familia into two teams. Ouka, you and Mikoto each lead a team. Take the bait and go lure monsters from those two passages over there."
"After luring the monsters back, Mikoto and Ouka can stay and fight with me. As for the LV1s, go to the passage we came from and provide long-range support."
"We'll hold back all the monsters. Your job is to stay alert to the rear. If monsters appear from the passage behind us, report it immediately."
"Lord Cain, what if too many monsters appear from the rear passage?" Lili raised her hand to ask.
Monsters in the Dungeon don't respawn in fixed locations; they can emerge from anywhere.
The passage behind them was their retreat route.
If they were unlucky and a large number of monsters spawned at once, getting caught in a pincer attack from front and back would be no joke.
"Don't worry, I've prepared a trump card."
Cain took five short swords emitting magical fluctuations from his backpack and handed them to Lili.
"If a large number of monsters really appear from the rear and Ouka and Mikoto can't break away to help, use these to clear them all out."
"These are... Magic Swords? So many?!"
Seeing these short swords, Mikoto exclaimed in surprise.
"I see. With these Magic Swords, it would indeed be much safer."
Ouka nodded thoughtfully.
Magic Swords aren't affected by an adventurer's level or magic power. Once activated, they can unleash powerful magic.
With enough Magic Swords, even dozens or hundreds of monsters gathered together could be annihilated instantly.
However...
Compared to the Takemikazuchi Familia members who felt much more secure, Lili, who had asked the initial question, fell silent.
Staring blankly at the Magic Swords for several seconds, she finally snapped back to reality:
"Lord Cain, may Lili ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"When we arrived at The Tower of Babel earlier, you left briefly. Could it be that..."
"Yes, I went to buy Magic Swords."
"..."
Lili's hanging heart finally died.
The price of a Magic Sword usually ranges from several hundred thousand to a million.
Cain bought five Magic Swords in one go, spending at least two to three million Valis.
Furthermore, Cain also bought Featherweight Potions and hired the Takemikazuchi Familia to help lure monsters.
After this wave of operations, her hard-earned savings from the past few years were probably about to be wiped out.
"Actually, there's still a bit of money left."
As if reading the Palum Girl's thoughts, Cain gave a thumbs up.
"I have a connection in the Hephaestus Familia, so I got a discount when buying the Magic Swords."
"The remaining money is enough to hire the Takemikazuchi Familia to work for us until next week."
"That's not what Lili is concerned about..."
"As for food, I've prepared ingredients. We'll be fine until next week."
"Why is everything based on next week?"
Mikoto, who had been eavesdropping quietly nearby, couldn't help but ask.
"Because next week I have a big deal. Once it's done, we won't be short of money."
"Need help?"
This time it was Ouka's turn to ask.
After several interactions, he had fully realized how generous Cain was.
If they could take on another job, the Takemikazuchi Familia could take a good vacation and rest for a while.
However, to Ouka's regret, Cain shook his head at him.
"Next week's matter doesn't require your help."
"Alright."
Ouka was somewhat disappointed.
"Take the bait and get to work."
Cain handed the box containing the bait to Ouka and quietly took several steps back to increase the distance.
To save money, he had researched the principles of bait and made that bait himself.
Since it was homemade, he had added some potent ingredients.
As a result, the bait's effectiveness was better than the bait sold on the market, and so was its... aroma.
"Bleurgh!!!"
As soon as he opened the lid of the box, Ouka was hit by an indescribable stench.
Beside him, the Takemikazuchi Familia members who were about to take the bait all stepped back, their faces contorted in agony.
"Lin... bleurgh... Cain, are you sure this is bait?! Bleurgh!"
"It's bait."
Cain took a few more steps back, pressing himself against the wall.
"I... bleurgh!"
Unable to stand the smell, Ouka threw the box onto the ground not far away and also retreated to increase the distance.
It was as if diarrhea-stricken offal had been thrown into a pot to heat up, and then a fan blew the heated stench around. An unusual odor began to permeate the air.
Feeling the effects of this smell, the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia all looked pleadingly at Ouka.
As the captain of the Takemikazuchi Familia, Ouka naturally understood what his comrades' gazes meant.
Calming his churning stomach, Ouka hesitated and then walked up to Cain.
"... Cain, can I give up on the commission?"
"You can, but if you give up, we won't be able to work together in the future."
"This..."
"Ouka, and everyone!"
"Remember your original intentions! Why did you and Takemikazuchi-sama come to Orario?"
"That's right! It was to earn money to send to your younger brothers and sisters back home, so they wouldn't go hungry!"
Cain took out a money pouch from his backpack and threw it with a smack onto the ground in front of Ouka.
"It's just a little unpleasant smell! Compared to your original intentions, it's nothing!"
"Come on! Let me see your resolve!"
"..."
You're a real piece of work!
Watching Cain, who had donned a gas mask at some point and was delivering an impassioned speech.
Ouka took a deep breath and picked up the money pouch.
"Everyone, follow me to get the bait."
"Captain! Please, no!"
"Captain! What are you doing, Captain!"
"Ouka, my stomach suddenly feels a bit..."
"No running allowed!!!"
Ouka grabbed Mikoto, a ferocious smile appearing on his face.
"Mikoto! Have you forgotten our oath?!"
"...Not born on the same year, same month, same day, but willing to die on the same year, same month, same day."
"That's right! Now is the time to fulfill that oath! Come with me!"
If he was taking the lead to grab that lump of offal, no one else was going to escape!
Dragging his struggling companion, Ouka arrived in front of the box containing the bait, bent down, and took out a piece of raw meat slathered in yellow seasoning!
...
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GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.