Chapter 50: The Times Have Changed!

Ais and the red-haired woman continued their fierce duel, their battleground shifting toward the town center.

"The monsters are dead?"

The woman's frustration grew as she heard the distant explosion.

The wound on her abdomen had significantly hindered her attacks.

Otherwise, as a Level 6, she should have easily overpowered Ais, who is just a Level 5.

"[Tempest!]"

The wind around Ais intensified, her strikes becoming even more ferocious.

In the blink of an eye, she unleashed a flurry of over ten attacks, each one aimed at her opponent with deadly precision.

However, the red-haired woman, despite her injury, displayed incredible skills, parrying and deflecting Ais's wind-infused blows with remarkable agility.

Even with Ariel at full power, Ais struggled to gain the upper hand.

"I thought you only had that doll-like expression." The red-haired woman taunted, noticing the desperation creeping into Ais's movements.

Seizing the opportunity, she dodged the blond girl's sword and launched an upward punch, aiming for Ais's face with a force that ripped through the air.

Bang—

Another gunshot echoed, and a spray of blood erupted from the woman's right hand.

The familiar sensation ignited her rage once again.

She turned toward the white-haired boy, who was calmly holstering his gun, and unleashed a torrent of curses.

"You son of a–!"

"I know you're in a hurry," Shiro interrupted, a mischievous grin playing on his lips, "But hold on a second. Look around, you're surrounded."

The woman's eyes darted around, realizing she was trapped.

Finn and the others, having dealt with the monsters in the city, had encircled her at some point in time.

The blond Pallum captain, despite his small stature, skillfully wielded his spear, then attacked her lower body and aimed for her blind spots with relentless precision.

Unlike Ais's direct and powerful assaults, Finn's fighting style was a masterclass in terms of technique and strategy, leaving the woman visibly impressed, despite the dire circumstances.

"Next time we meet, I'll kill you!" She snarled at the white-haired boy, realizing her disadvantage.

Then, with a powerful stomp, she created a shockwave that launched Finn into the air.

Taking advantage of the opening, she kicked his spear aside and, clutching her bleeding abdomen, made a desperate escape.

"Ais, don't go!"

Ignoring Riveria's shouts, Ais cast her magic and pursued the injured red-haired woman without hesitation.

"What should we do?" Tiona asked, feeling a bit lost amidst the sudden turn of events.

"Chase them, of course!" Shiro declared, already sprinting after Ais and the fleeing woman.

They raced through the wreckage-strewn Rivira town and across the desolate plains known as the Wilderness.

Finally, Shiro caught up with Ais, who stood silently at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the lake below.

The water was stained red with the woman's blood, and a small dot could be seen moving away from them in the distance.

"She escaped by jumping off the cliff..." Shiro muttered, understanding that further chase was not an option.

The 18th floor was vast, encompassing grasslands, wetlands, and expansive forests.

There were countless places to hide, making it impossible to effectively track the woman down.

"Let's head back for now."

"Okay..." Ais replied, her voice barely a whisper.

…

A week had passed since the murder incident in Rivira.

After the chaos subsided, Finn had led the group back to the surface to report the incident to the Guild.

They had intended to expose the woman's identity as a "Beast Tamer" but were met with the Guild's resistance.

However, thanks to Ganesha Familia's insistence, the red-haired woman was added to the wanted list.

The incident ended smoothly without any trouble as if someone was secretly helping them keep things under wraps.

Loki Familia had returned to the Dungeon a few days prior, hoping to investigate the mysterious individual who had commissioned Lulune, but their efforts were fruitless.

Now, their focus has shifted back to their original goal – making money.

"Are you alright, Ais?" Shiro asked, sensing something was wrong with his companion.

Since their encounter with the red-haired woman, Ais had been unusually quiet and had clung to him almost constantly.

In battle, she was even more aggressive than usual, suggesting that the defeat had deeply affected her.

Ais bit her lip and shook her head, her eyes downcast.

The memory of her failure replayed in her mind, a constant reminder of how weak she was.

She had finally obtained information about her mother, but her weakness had allowed the woman to escape.

How could she accept it? She was still too weak…

They were currently on the 37th floor, known as the "White Palace."

The name originated from the white-painted walls and the labyrinth-like structure of the floor.

Every passage, room, and wall was at least ten meters wide and long, creating a sense of vastness and disorientation.

The entire floor consisted of over five concentric circular walls, forcing adventurers to navigate a complex maze to advance.

"Roar!"

"I'll take care of..." Tiona, wielding her second-generation Urga, stepped forward as a group of over twenty monsters materialized around them.

But Ais was faster.

A silver flash, and the leading monster, a Spartoi, was cleaved in two.

With the Sword Princess leading the frontline, the others joined the fray, their weapons acting like a grim reaper's scythe as they cut down the remaining monsters.

By the time the last enemy fell, a mountain of corpses and magic stones had accumulated at Ais's feet.

"It's so scary... Riveria, is Ais going to be okay?" Tiona asked, worried about Ais's bloodthirsty rampage.

"Let's just leave her alone for now... She's been glued to Torajirou these past few days anyway. He'll let us know if something happens."

After the battle, they collected the magic stones and continued their journey.

Several times, Ais tried to drag Shiro into unexplored areas, only to be stopped by Riveria and the others.

While she no longer endangered her companions by fighting alone, Finn and the others remained cautious, preventing Ais from venturing out on her own due to the lingering threat of the red-haired woman.

"We've killed so many monsters, we must have saved up a lot of money. It's been five days in the Dungeon already," Tiona remarked during a break.

"Let me see... With the amount of magic stones we have, we should be able to get over thirty million valis on the surface," Tione replied, checking their loot.

Their initial purpose for entering the Dungeon was to earn money.

However, somewhere along the way, Ais's relentless pursuit of strength had become their primary focus, leading them on a monster-slaying spree.

As they cleared the last room, Tiona stretched and said, "Shouldn't we head back soon?"

They had explored a significant portion of the floor and amassed a considerable fortune.

The deeper they ventured into the Dungeon, the greater the danger.

Considering their supplies, Finn made a decision.

"It's about time we return. Staying here any longer would waste valuable time on the way back."

Just as everyone was discussing their return journey, Ais suddenly spoke up, her voice firm and resolute. "Riveria, I want to stay."

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