"Hey… what's wrong with Borus?"
"What do you mean?"
"He's actually treating someone to drinks. Normally he'd be scamming someone out of a drink instead. What's going on today?"
"You know the guy he invited?"
"The guy he invited? Who?"
The man glanced at Cao Ye, who was drinking with Borus, still looking confused.
But the other person seemed to have already figured out Borus's intentions.
"That kid isn't an ordinary adventurer."
"Then who is he?"
"You know that rumor that's been spreading everywhere? The one about the pretty boy kept by the Beauty Goddess Freya?"
"I know… wait, you mean—"
His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he looked at Cao Ye again.
Being kept by Freya, the Beauty Goddess, was something every male adventurer in Orario didn't even dare dream about.
She was not only the Goddess of Beauty but also the head of the strongest familia in Orario.
What did people live for?
Money and power.
If someone became Freya's "kept man," would money ever be a problem?
And with the backing of the Freya Familia, even if he were weak, people would still avoid provoking him.
Everything others struggled their entire lives to obtain—
He had gotten instantly.
It was simply unfair.
"So Borus is trying to build connections with him?"
"Members of Freya Familia are all terrifying people. And they're extremely arrogant too. Borus could never approach them."
"But this guy? Compared to those monsters, he's much easier to deal with."
"That's true."
Looking at the two chatting happily, the man nodded.
If Borus managed to establish ties with Freya Familia, it would be a huge profit.
All he paid was some cheap alcohol.
But the name Freya Familia alone was enough to intimidate many people in Orario.
Meanwhile, Cao Ye watched Borus enthusiastically introducing Rivira Town.
He had already guessed Borus's intentions.
After several rounds of drinks, Borus was already dizzy.
But Cao Ye still looked completely sober.
For Cao Ye, as long as he didn't want to get drunk, alcohol was no different from plain water.
Being drunk counted as a negative status effect, and he was immune to those.
"Brother! I'm really happy I met you today!"
Borus's face was flushed red, and his speech was slurred.
Clearly he was drunk.
"I'm happy too. I just arrived and someone's already treating me to drinks."
"It's just a drink! From now on, in Rivira Town, if you want anything, just say the word! I'll cover all your expenses!"
"That won't be necessary."
"I can't accept favors without doing anything."
"You're the boss here, but letting your subordinates take losses isn't right either."
"As expected of my good brother—thinking for me!"
Cao Ye only smiled at Borus's attempt to grow closer to him.
After this drinking session, Cao Ye had already figured things out.
Borus simply wanted to build a relationship with him.
That made sense.
Behind Cao Ye stood the Freya Familia, one of the most powerful forces in Orario.
Meanwhile Borus was merely a gang leader of a dungeon town.
As long as he could claim a connection with Cao Ye, he could simply use the Freya Familia's name as protection and gain enormous benefits.
BANG!
Suddenly the tavern door burst open.
A cat-eared beastman rushed inside.
After scanning the room, he spotted Borus sitting drunkenly at the table and hurried over.
"Borus! You're still drinking?! Something's happened!"
He snatched the drink from Borus's hand and scolded him.
"Huh? What happened?"
Borus didn't seem concerned.
This was Rivira Town.
What could possibly happen?
Seeing his reaction, the cat-man felt helpless.
How much had he drunk?
"Monsters are coming!"
"They're probably attacking Rivira Town."
"What?! Monsters?!"
Borus instantly sobered up halfway and jumped to his feet.
Several people in the tavern also turned pale.
ROAR—
HOWL—
BOOM—
Monster roars and explosions echoed from outside.
Now everyone was certain.
Monsters had arrived.
"It hasn't been that long since the last time. Those monsters are back again!"
"Damn it!"
"Hendy, notify everyone."
"Prepare for battle!"
"We need to wipe them out as quickly as possible!"
"They've already been notified," the cat-man replied.
"But there are no mages in town right now."
"What? No mages?!"
"I checked already. There really aren't any."
"This is troublesome…"
Borus frowned.
Monster attacks were practically routine in Rivira Town.
The so-called safe floor wasn't actually that safe.
Unlike fighting in the Dungeon, here they also had to protect the town itself.
If the town was destroyed, rebuilding it would cost a massive amount of manpower and money.
And when it came to large-scale monster clearing, the most efficient method was powerful magic.
As long as warriors could buy time for a mage to finish chanting, a single spell could achieve what dozens of fighters could not.
BANG!
"Bad news!"
"Monsters have broken into town!"
The tavern door burst open again as a man stumbled inside.
ROAR!
A monster followed right behind him through the doorway.
It had a fat body and dark pink skin.
Two sharp tusks protruded from its mouth.
It held a wooden club and looked like a raging beast.
"A Boar Man!"
Borus frowned.
Boar Men were monsters with strength roughly between Level 1 and Level 2.
They weren't weak.
But for an experienced adventurer like Borus, killing one wasn't difficult.
The real problem was that Boar Men appeared in groups.
Just like orcs or killer ants.
They attacked together and could summon reinforcements.
ROAR!
The Boar Man raised its wooden club and swung it toward the man in front of it.
SHING!
A sword suddenly flew across the room—
And pierced straight through the Boar Man's neck.
The ferocious monster collapsed into a corpse instantly.
"Brother… you…"
Borus turned toward Cao Ye with a stunned expression.
He had thought Cao Ye was just a pretty boy.
But it seemed he had real strength.
Then again—
Anyone capable of reaching the 18th floor couldn't possibly be weak.
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