Through the forest, a small cart loaded with fruits and vegetables followed a well-worn path previously traversed by horses and carts. And inside that cart, there could be seen two individuals who sat beside one another at the front of the cart. 

The one driving the horses was a middle-aged man who was directing the horses. And beside him was a white-haired girl who was quietly staring at the constant pace at which this cart was moving.

“Your name is Aya, right?” 

The middle-aged man suddenly asked in order to break the silence. 

“.....”

“What brings you to Frol town?”

“I have a quest that I must finish.” 

The small, white-haired girl replied, holding herself back from saying any information that the man didn't need to know.

“....I must admit, I was taken aback when the guild informed me that a young girl would be accompanying me on this journey," the merchant confessed. "Though I wish to avoid any encounters with bandits or monsters along the way, I can't help but be curious about your capabilities if the guild itself recommended you to me."

“...You're not worried that the guild sent someone like me?”

“Honestly, I won't lie that I am a bit concerned. But at the same time, I doubt the guild would screw me over since we do have a long term relationship.”

“....”

As the merchant continued speaking, he couldn't help but glance at the white hair that this girl was trying to hide under her cloak. She was introduced by the guild, so he couldn't really turn her down without paying some sort of fine.

Aya, on the other hand, remained silent as her eyes hardened for a moment. Despite the merchant's friendly conversation, it seemed like his words were not getting through to her.

Ever since she escaped from the slave merchant, her eyes were beginning to open to the way this world worked. Her hands had already become dirty, and at this point, there was no other option for her but to keep moving forward and get stronger so none of the previous horrors would occur ever again. 

That was her primary goal. 

She could already feel the difference in herself, which is why she continued to listen to the ghost who had offered to make her stronger.

Despite the fact that it was strange at first, she accepted the entity that was guiding her from within her own body. It was thanks to him that she had come this far. It was thanks to him that she escaped from the slave merchant. 

He was her benefactor, and Aya was going to do her best to help him out as a thanks.

He was the only person in whom she had trust, and he was the only one who stayed with her until the very end. 

That's why….

‘I must become strong!’

While the trip was continuing smoothly, two of the horses that were pulling the cart suddenly stopped moving before they raised their front legs while releasing whining noises in fear.

“What's happening? Monti, Lensi! What is wrong with you two?” 

The merchant asked both of his horses, as they refused to take any further steps forward.

Even Aya, who was perplexed by the horse's response, regarded the situation with a perplexed reaction.

~Aya, there is something coming towards us. Be prepared.~ Hiroki, who was quiet the whole time, warned Aya.

The moment she heard Hiroki’s warning through telepathy, Aya pulled out her daggers and got off the cart.

“H-hey, little girl. What are you doing?” The merchant worriedly asked about the sudden movement of the girl.

“Something is scaring the horses. It might be a monster.” 

Aya sternly explained to the merchant as she looked at him with hardened eyes.

“But a monster in this territory should be impossible. We are almost near the closest village, Frol Town.” The merchant confusedly said at this abnormal conclusion.

The merchant had made this kind of trip hundreds of times, and he knew very well the road between Frol town and Fixy town. That's why he was certain that there was no monster there. 

But the way his horses were reacting, he began thinking all kinds of things about the real reason.

Aya, who was several meters in front of the cart, took her battle stance while waiting for what was about to happen. 

And it didn't take long before, behind some bushes, a certain black panther-like monster was slowly crawling towards her while showing its sharp teeth, indicating that it had found its prey.

“Please stay in your cart. I will deal with this.” 

Aya clenched her daggers while taking one step forward to keep a well-balanced stance in order to either dodge or charge at the black monster.

“A-are you sure that you can handle this?!” 

The merchant worriedly asked in fear while looking between the girl and the black panther monster at the edge of his seat. He knew very well that he was way too weak to fight a monster, but to allow such a young girl to take care of it somehow felt wrong to him.

But despite that, there was basically nothing to do about his situation, which is why, as he clenched his ropes that were holding back his whining horses, he prayed that nothing bad would happen.

“Yes.” Aya responded before noticing that the monster was about to jump at her.

The black panther that was slowly crawling and growling at Aya, charged towards her with its teeth and claws out to catch its prey and kill it as fast as it could. But unlucky for it, Aya managed to easily dodge the panther, which allowed her to land a clean hit over the monster's exposed stomach.

“Graaawll!!!!!!” 

Aya, who had managed to use the way the monster jumped at her to attack, drifted her legs on the ground as she found herself right behind the panther, who had received the first cut on the weakest part of its body.

‘S-she’s fast!’ 

The merchant who saw this all happen in a split second had his mouth slightly open as he witnessed the way this little girl was fighting the big monster using its own velocity in order to land a hit.

The black panther, after it understood that its belly was cut very deeply, stood in one place before its guts suddenly burst out from the clean cut. But despite the heavy injury, it still stood on four legs while angrily growling in pain.

~Finish it before it decides to attack the horses.~ 

Hiroki, who was looking through Aya’s eyes, advised after seeing that Aya was waiting for the monster to make its next move. He knew that she was used to only being in defense, which is why he tried encouraging the girl to act a bit more aggressively when fighting another monster.

“I understand!” 

Aya sternly responded as she listened to her benefactors' advice. That's why, in the next moment, she threw one of her daggers towards the monster.

However, the black panther sensed and avoided the flying dagger, which is why it leapt from its current position while dragging its own guts that were attached to its open stomach.

‘Its going for the horses!’ Aya realized this before chasing after the injured monster. 

She didn't have time to grab her other dagger, which is why, without hesitating at all, she closed the distance with the panther and thrust her dagger right at the monster’s neck.

The monster struggled for a few more seconds as blood was dripping out from where Aya had thrust her dagger. 

It tried biting off the girl’s face, but only to fail as its vision quickly lost its light from losing all of its remaining blood from the falling guts.

After making sure that the monster was dead, Aya could be seen panting as she looked at the dead monster under her. 

The merchant, who had witnessed the whole thing from where he was, could only breathe faster as he couldn't believe the way this monster was brutally killed by such a young girl. 

To think that she was able to not only defeat such a monster but also execute it with little movements.

“...unbelievable….” The merchant muttered under his breath.

* * *

After Aya cleaned herself up with a piece of cloth, the trip continued smoothly. 

The merchant also decided to carry the dead panth on the cart as a way to bring more materials to the guild as an additional reward for getting help from Aya.

“If you sell the whole corpse to the guild, I'm sure that they will pay you handsomely. Of course you killed it, so it's all yours.” The merchant said, thankful to have her on his side for this trip to Frol town.

“.....”

Aya, who remained silent for a few seconds, looked at the merchant before replying.

“You can keep the monster.”

“....Huh? N-no, no. I'm not that kind of merchant to scam this much money from a little girl. Not to mention that you saved my life and my merchandise today.” 

“...It's okay. I don't have time to send this off to a guild. That's why I’m saying you can keep the black panther.” 

“Oh, I s-see....” The merchant pondered while continuing to drive his cart.

Once the cart arrived at the entrance of Frol town, Aya got off of it and stretched out her arms from the long ride while releasing a short moan from her tensed muscles.

“Are you okay with me dropping you here? I know a nice inn I can recommend.” The merchant worriedly inquired the white-haired girl.

Aya, who was fully back on her feet, looked at the merchant with a slight smile.

“Yes, thank you.”

The merchant scratched the back of his head for a moment before searching inside his cart and pulling out a bag of coins.

“I understand. Then, as per the quest that I made for guarding my cart, here is the reward.” The merchant said as he gave that bag to the girl.

“....Isn't this a bit too much?” Aya inquired.

“I added a few additional coins for the black panther and for protecting my cart. It's no surprise, so please accept it.” The merchant responded. 

“.....I understand. Thank you.”

“It's my pleasure.”

And once the merchant was done confirming Aya’s quest, he then continued driving his cart through the streets of this town, leaving behind Aya, whose eyes lost light as she was watching the cart drive away.

~It's better that it ended up like this, so don't try and think too much about it.~ Hiroki calmly reassured the girl, who wasn't saying anything.

“......”

Whatever Aya was trying to express through her cold stare, Hiroki immediately picked her up and tried to reassure her against taking any unnecessary action.

* * *

The next day, after Aya and Hiroki had spent the night at one small inn in Frol town, she woke up very early in the morning. She was refreshed and ready for the dungeon they were planning on entering.

Since the exact location was still unknown, Aya had to ask for more details at this town’s guild about the dungeon that had been notified. And since the guild was willing to get any materials from the dungeon from anyone who would try to conquer it, she was given the latest information about this recent dungeon. 

While a dungeon was mostly dangerous for a lot of newbie adventurers, only veterans and skilled fighters dared to enter one. 

But another myth that many people feared about dungeons was the fact that if a human got killed inside the dungeon, its corpse would get discovered and eaten by the dungeon itself within an hour.

Following a group of adventurers through the forest near Frol town was Aya, with new equipment on her chest and arms. Even though she seemed to be on her own from the perspective of other adventurers who happened to go to the same dungeon, Aya had someone inside her. 

The discovered dungeon wasn't that far away from the main town, which is why many of the adventurers, including Aya, were going there by foot.

The entrance of the dungeon itself was located somewhere within a significant hill. However, as Aya and the ghost inside her arrived there, they soon realized that around twenty other adventurers were either complaining or yelling.

“What’s going on?” 

One of the adventurers who was in front of Aya asked as they approached the group.

“Eh? This piece of shit is suddenly demanding one gold coin for each person in order to enter the dungeon. But there was never something like this stated before. That's why no one is willing to pay up.” 

The other adventurer explained as he pointed at another middle-aged guy who was wearing clothes that merchants would usually have.

Many of the other adventurers were also beginning to grow impatient as the merchant blocking the entrance refused to let anyone come inside without paying the toll.

“I was the one who found and sent the information about this dungeon, so all of the ownership of this place automatically belongs to me. So unless you want to enter, you have to pay up.” The merchant announced once again to the new adventurers who had just arrived.

“You old fuck! Who do you think you are?!” 

“That's right! Move out of there before we use force on your ugly face!” 

“Move out of there!!” 

“We won't pay you a single thing!” 

“MOVE!!” 

“Get rid of him!!!!”

As many of the adventurers clenched their teeth in rage at this absurdity, the merchant realized that nothing would be resolved. However, he knew that something like this would happen, which is why, with a snap of his finger, two tall figures suddenly walked on both of his sides and crossed their arms, showing that they weren't going to allow anyone to enter or touch the merchant.

“Tck, tck. I’d like to see you all try.” The merchant clicked his tongue while waving his index finger in denial at the angry group of adventurers.

All of the adventurers also knew that those two tall guys who were covered with scars were no laughing matter. They also had collars on their necks, which indicated that if the merchant wanted, they would be fighting to the death.

No one was dumb enough to throw their lives away with two battle slaves who had no will of their own.

“You bastard!” 

One certain adventurer cursed under his breath as many of the other people around him suddenly became much quieter, scared that one of the tall and scary-looking slaves would attack. Fighting or raising his voice on his own was going to be nothing more than a target for himself, which is why he bit his own thumb in frustration.

While all of the other adventurers were talking with one another about what they were going to do next, a certain girl wearing a small cloak over her head slowly made her way to the front until she was facing the merchant. The merchant quickly showed perplexed reactions at the girl.

“Hm?” 

“Who is that kid?” 

“Do we know her?” 

“What is she doing?” 

“Does she have a death wish?”

However, before the merchant could say anything to the strange girl in front of him, the girl moved her arm and gave the merchant one gold coin in his hand. 

The merchant was left confused for a second, but the next moment, a smile appeared on his face.

“Thank you for your patronage, little girl. You may enter.” 

The merchant said as he raised one of his arms, ordering his battle slaves to move out of the way from the entrance of the dungeon.

Once Aya entered the dungeon, the rest of the adventurers who refused to pay the toll fee were left with widened eyes.

“She just…” 

“...paid” 

“No way….”

* * *

The moment Aya was inside the dungeon, she was looking around, trying to see where she was and what kind of monsters would be there. 

But since she had never been in a dungeon before, she didn't know what to expect. That's why she was on guard.

But the more she continued walking forward, the more she understood that the light source from the entrance was fading away.

Hiroki also picked up on the way Aya was walking through the dark. This is why he decided to think of a solution to this problem.

‘I’ve tried this before, and it was possible to use my skills through her body. Maybe my <night vision> skill should apply to her eyes as well.’ Hiroki hypothesized.

While Aya was having trouble looking around, her eyes, which weren't able to see through the darkness, suddenly glowed, allowing her to clearly see through the darkness of this dungeon.

“Is this your doing, Hiroki?”

~Yes. It would be inconvenient if you couldn't see a dungeon where we don't know what kind of monster we would be facing.~

“You’re right….” Aya gripped both of her daggers as she analyzed the terrain where she would be fighting.

The appearance of this dungeon was more like a normal cave, which showed no sign of maintenance or design compared to the previous dungeon that Hiroki had conquered. 

The cave was very quiet at first, but as they continued going deeper, clicking and tapping sounds could be heard along with a mix of sharp breathing sounds. That was the first sign that both Hiroki and Aya knew that their first monster in the dungeon was going to come.

And as Aya was embracing what was about to come through the caves filled with rocks and dangerous paths, a wind-like sound flew by Aya’s head, making her hair wave for a moment.

~Aya, crouch!!~

“?!....” Aya, who was left surprised for a split second, immediately crouched down as quickly as she could.

That's when a spiked club flew above Aya, which almost would have hit her right in the forehead. 

She didn't have time to see what just flew past her head, so she looked at the depths of the dungeon in order to see what kind of monster would throw objects at their targets.

Hiroki, who was also inside Aya, kept a clear mind while trying to see who would throw a small wooden log at Aya from behind some rocks. 

He understood that whatever monster threw that, was sneaky and somehow intelligent. But it didn't take long for him to immediately know what was coming for Aya the moment he caught a glimpse of several gray, small, naked humanoid beings coming out behind the significant rocks, which had been hiding until now.

‘I’ve encountered a few goblins in one certain game I’ve played before, but to think that they would be able to breed with any kind of female monster or human?’ 

Hiroki concluded in his own thoughts while seeing the goblin, who had the eyes of someone who would rape any female in their sight. And Aya wasn't an exception.

“A goblin?” 

~Cave goblins, to be more exact. They use tricks and any kind of weapon they can find. So no matter how weak they look, you shouldn't hold back at all when dealing with them... or they won't have mercy on you if they catch you.~

Aya’s eyes hardened for a moment before she charged towards the first goblin that had thrown the spiked log at her. She used her fast movements to not give the goblin a chance to dodge. 

And without looking back at the monster, a swing of her blade went through the goblin’s neck.

‘I won’t allow myself..." Aya thought on her face after she had jumped past the goblin, who wasn't moving anymore. ‘....to get pushed back anymore!’ 

But that wasn't because the goblin couldn't grasp Aya’s speed, but because, right in the next moment, the goblin’s head fell to the ground from the clean cut that Aya had dealt.

Aya, who was determined to not let these ugly creatures live any longer, continued easily killing them without giving them a chance to fight back. She was very fast, and her movements were a second faster than the cave goblins could react to.

Hiroki, who would assist Aya in any dangerous circumstances, also kept a close eye on the monsters and the girl’s ability to level up with him. It was a faster method where both of them were able to grow stronger.

Aya, who was easily going deeper into the dangerous parts of the dungeon, continued slaying cave goblins until she reached a different kind of path where the ground was much smoother compared to the rocky path she had been running into.

~This must be where the boss of Cave Goblins is.~

“Boss Cave-Goblins?” 

~It's what you call the leader of these particular monsters. Also, the last monster we’ll be fighting in order to advance to the next part of the dungeon.~ Hiroki carefully explained.

“So if I defeat the boss of Cave Goblins…”

~You’ll be one step closer to becoming stronger.~

“I understand!”

“.......”

‘Also, one step closer to reaching my own conclusion...’ 

Hiroki continued thinking on his own after he was done talking to Aya. While his expression was impossible to see, Aya felt chills on her skin from the unknown emotion she felt from within her possessed body.

* * *

“Haaa…. Haaa….. Haaaa… Haaa…”

An heaving breathing could be heard in the background.

~Aya…… ~

And as the breathing patterns got slower after regaining the needed oxygen, dripping noises were the next thing that was clearly heard. 

“Haaaa…..haa….haaaa….haaa”

What those dripping noises were was liquid, which was sliding down through the delicate hands that were holding two daggers painted red. That wasn't the blood of the wielder of those two daggers, but rather whatever they were used on.

“Haaaa…..haaaa….haaa”

~Can you hear me, Aya? If you can, respond to me.~

The voice in the white-haired girl’s head continued asking in a slightly worried tone while trying to regain her attention.

“Haaaa…..haaaa….haaaa….haaa….”

Aya, who had her head hung low, continued breathing slowly until her eyes opened, as if something of a shock came to her mind.

“Ah!” She looked to her left and right, unaware of what had happened.

~Aya.~

“….what…. happened?” She inquired, her voice almost hoarse from being in that state.

~You weren't responding to me anymore. I was asking whether you were okay during the fight, and you suddenly went quiet.~

“The cave goblin boss. R-right! What happened!? Wasn't I supposed to…” Aya gasped, recalling the last thing she remembered doing.

~....You don't remember? Aya—~ Hiroki confusedly responded.

Unaware of how Aya’s condition was right now, she quietly listened to Hiroki with the hope of finding out what was going on. She was sure that she was fighting the boss of this level, which is why she found it confusing that she was standing still, unharmed.

~—You defeated it.~

“Eh?...”

The moment Hiroki hit Aya with what had happened, the girl looked underneath her feet, only to find the most gruesome sight that she had ever seen in her whole life. 

It was the appearance of a massive cave goblin whose face had been brutally cut many times, its legs and arms amputated, and half of its mouth completely cut off.

Her eyes widened to their full extent before she tripped on her legs as she looked at the gruesome corpse in front of her.

Even though she had already experienced the feeling of killing another human, she still couldn't believe that a goblin, which somehow had a humanoid-looking body, could look like that.

Cold sweat ran down her forehead before she felt a burning sensation inside her throat. She immediately looked down before coughing out puke from the unbearable sight in this place.

“Cough!! Ugh.!Cough!! UeeeghhhhhhhhH!!!! !Cough!!”

Hiroki, who felt Aya’s unwell condition, came out of her body and tried head-patting her back, even though she couldn’t actually feel his hand. He only did this as a reflex in order to somehow make the girl feel much better.

“Sorry you had to go through this…” 

Hiroki tried to reassure the girl as she was trying to wipe away the last bits of puke from her lips.

“...It's not your fault, so you don't need to apologize. It's my fault for being this weak despite being given the chance to change.” 

Aya forced a smile on her face while trying to make Hiroki feel less guilty for making her come to this place. She knew very well that this was her decision to come with him. This is why she had accepted the fact that whatever was going to happen next, she was going to accept any consequences.

“Aya….” 

Hiroki looked at her with raised brows before trying to change the subject. 

“I know this might sound unreasonable, but I think we should move forward before any other adventurers catch up to us. This territory is not a safe place in case the boss of this place can actually be reborn. ”

Aya looked to her side before meeting Hiroki’s eyes once again. 

“.....I understand.”

Once Aya slowly got back up on her feet, Hiroki possessed the girl again before opening up his own status after the boss of this fight had been defeated.

‘So even though I'm using Aya’s body, I can still receive new skills from the monsters that get killed for as long as I'm related to the defeat. Directly or indirectly.’ 

Hiroki concluded in his head while looking at the invisible status in front of Aya’s eyes.

‘But for now, I should be focusing more on raising Aya’s strength and agility so she won't need my assistance since she will be doing solo quests without my help in the future….’ 

‘...And I can see that her status has grown as I had expected. Since she is more of a close combat type of fighter, her agility and vitality are the ones that increased the most. While her other stats are important as well, I think she should be focusing on this sort of fighting style.’

* * *

Both Hiroki and Aya continued going a bit deeper into the dungeon just so they could find a safe spot where they would rest before going to the next part of the dungeon. 

They knew that the terrain was rather small in this kind of dungeon, which is why they had to be well prepared before going into the next one.

After Hiroki found the best spot where Aya could rest within a light part of the dungeon, he decided to continue floating forward into the deeper parts of the dungeon, where he would be able to find out what kind of monsters would be lying there other than Cave Goblins. 

The terrain of the dungeon was similar in almost all of the terrains, with the exception of the habitats where the monsters would be lying around. 

Hiroki knew that nothing could harm him, which is why he continued going to the deepest part of the dungeon until he found an ancient-looking wall that showed the end of the exploration. 

He looked at the weird drawings on the wall until his ghostly eyes met several sequences of numbers put one after another.

“These are... binary codes?” He asked himself, unsure of what he had just discovered.

* * *

In the same dungeon, several meters away from the border where the Cave Goblins were all defeated, the terrain was filled with grassy and moldy rocks, while the next part of the dungeon contained its own monsters. 

However, what made this part of the dungeon much different was the fact that there were many holes on the ground that filled with immediate death the moment you stepped close to them.

Upon having a closer look at the same part of the dungeon, blood could be seen splattered and dragged all over the place. 

All of this blood did not belong to the adventurers who were trying to conquer this dungeon, but to the monsters that would come out of the holes and attack them. 

These monsters, which were easily defeated, were called ‘Dark Rabbits’ and as the name implies, they were rabbit-looking monsters that could jump from one place to another and use their velocity to cut down their prey. 

But despite their stealthy attacks, they were easily defeated by one certain white-haired adventurer who was running, using their speed as a way to slay quickly.

‘There is no end to them…’ 

Aya continued slaying the fast Dark Rabbits that were coming towards her face.

Once she was done resting at the same safe spot where Hiroki had suggested, she decided to advance forward in order to find out where her benefactor had gone. 

Even though she was told to wait, her patience didn't last long before she decided to look for Hiroki.

She went through hundreds of Dark Rabbits until she was finally challenged by the boss of the rabbits, which was a giant version of the monsters laying in that terrain.

Aya fought the massive rabbit for several minutes while using her speed to her advantage to get to the rabbit's blind spot and kill it. While she struggled a bit since Hiroki wasn't there, she still managed to win in the end with a few scratches.

“Hiroki….. where are you?” 

She questioned with her eyes, which remained almost emotionless after she had managed to conquer a part of the dungeon by herself.

Her question wasn't going to get answered on its own, which is why she continued going deeper into the dungeon. 

The next part of the dungeon was somewhat similar to the rocky terrain where the goblins were. 

Aya was cautious the entire time, and her eyes, which could see through the darkness, adapted to the dangers that this dungeon presented to her.

After defeating several wolves that were in that terrain, Aya continued walking forward until she decided to take a small break once again to catch her breath. She didn't know how long it would take to locate Hiroki, which is why she decided to conserve her strength for the worst.

The whole place around her was very empty, but what made her ears very sensitive was the fact that the place was very quiet. 

The only things that could be heard were dripping noises from a certain rocky part of the cave, which was releasing some sort of liquid. But the creepy cave sounds didn't bother Aya until, in the next second, her eyes immediately turned to her side, making her flinch and take out used daggers.

“We are adventurers that entered after you. There is no need to be on your guard." 

One male voice was heard through the darkness until three other guys wielding swords and a woman in slightly revealing clothes revealed themselves to the white-haired girl.

The characteristics of the party of four were very basic, and their armor was pretty good compared to most of the newbies. That's how Aya knew that these adventures were already used for working in the guild as hunters.

“What do you want from me?” 

Aya inquired without letting her guard down. Her eyes, even though it was dark, still remained on the party of four who were holding a torch, lighting the pathway.

“We followed the trail of all the defeated monsters on the way here until we found you.” The same guy who was holding the torch explained with a wry smile on his face. 

“We were surprised to see that not only did you accept paying such an amount to enter the dungeon, but you also didn't take any of the materials from any of the monsters.”

“Many of the other guys waiting outside still won't pay for the toll entries, so we decided to enter and gather any materials before any of them.” The black-haired woman with revealing clothes added an interesting smile to her face.

Once Aya saw the group of adventurers that were several meters away from her, she took a small breath before relaxing her arms that were holding the daggers and turning her back on them.

“You can keep all of the remaining materials.” And as the white-haired girl stated, she attempted to walk away from the adventures.

“Ah, w-wait, hold on!”

“What is it?”

Once the woman saw how uninterested the white-haired girl was in conversing with her, she tried another shot at talking with her. But Aya still replied with a cold tone in her voice as she turned around from where she had attempted to leave.

“This dungeon is pretty much new and unknown to anyone, so shouldn't it be more wise for you to be accompanied by at least someone?” The woman asked with a rather concerned tone. 

“......” 

Aya remained silent for a moment before looking back up, half of her face visible from the light source. 

“I appreciate your concern, but anything that happens to me only matters to me. That's why you should mind your own business.”

And once Aya was clear on what she wanted to say, she used her speed to escape any further suggestions from the party of four.

“She just left….”

“.....like that….”

Two of the guys with the swords on their hips looked on with surprised looks at the way this young girl behaved at their kind request.

“That was unexpected…” The black-haired woman said with a stern look on her face,

“What should we do? She clearly doesn't want us to accompany her…”

After the woman thought for a moment, she looked back at the guy holding the torch, who was waiting for another suggestion.

“...We’ll follow her.” 

The woman with dark hair narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms before making a final decision.

* * *

Flying at top speed from the deepest part of the dungeon in the opposite direction was a see-through humanoid being with white hair and red eyes.

Even though he made no sounds when flying through the levels and monsters of this dungeon, he wasn't harmed, and he wasn't bothered about it.

This certain being was Hiroki. The top student in school before he was summoned to another world as a ghost.

Even though none of the monsters could attack him, Hiroki could be seen right now worryingly flying in the opposite direction without looking back.

‘Didn't I tell her to stay hidden in the safe spot until I came back?’ Hiroki inquired with a stern voice in his head as he was moving as fast as he could. 

Despite the fact that he was pretty far away from her in order to analyze the whole dungeon before Aya could conquer it, he still received points from Aya defeating monsters. That's how Hiroki knew that something was definitely wrong before dropping off his exploration and heading back to where Aya is fighting.

‘It was my mistake that I took this long. Even though she is well aware of our situation, a girl alone in a dark dungeon is dangerous… But since this dungeon was primitive compared to the one I’ve been through, I had to make sure that there weren't any traps.’

Hiroki reflected on his own as he finally reached a certain part of the dungeon where Aya was fighting a massive-looking wolf.

‘There she is….’ 

Hiroki thought as he was looking at Aya, who just dodged the massive teeth and missed her body by an inch. 

But once Hiroki looked a bit further to the left, there could be seen four other individuals that were assisting her in any way they could. It was a group of adventurers that consisted of three swordsmen and one mage that had lightning skills to paralyze the boss wolf for slight moments.

“Now! Kill it!!!” The woman ordered.

‘....But she doesn't seem to be alone….’ Hiroki narrowed his eyes as he watched from afar.

“Got it!”

“Leave it to us!!”

“Take thiiissss!!”

Once the wolf boss was rendered motionless, all of the swordsmen slashed their target’s head and body to pieces with their advanced and trained moves that easily cut the body apart.

“It's done….”

“This was much harder than I had thought….”

“That's because you drink rather than train. It's no wonder that you would get rusty.”

“Oh, shut up!”

Once the boss was considered dead, Aya, who was some meters away from the guys who were making fun of one another, wiped her daggers before putting them back in their sheaths. 

The black-haired woman, who noticed the introverted behavior of the girl, approached her with a smile on her face.

“I didn't want to believe it, but you’re very strong despite your small body. Did you happen to learn martial arts?”

“......” 

Aya, who only caught a glimpse of the woman with dark hair and dark, revealing clothes, decided not to respond to her.

“Tell me, what brought you to this job as an adventurer? Don't try to convince me it's because of economic issues, because I won't buy that lie.”

“Are you threatening me to answer that question?” Aya inquired, still with an uninterested tone in her voice.

“Fufu, quite the cautious girl you are.” The woman softly laughed, “I didn't mean to threaten you. I am only curious to know why you are here. It's only a given that someone would find it interesting that a young girl like you would fight like that as an adventurer and not gather any of the materials. Not to mention your white hair.”

Aya, after she saw that the curious eyes of many people were unescapable, clenched her own fist before looking at her own reflection through her own dagger.

“...I became an adventurer in order to become strong, so I won’t have to see people who are dear to me taken away.” 

Aya sternly answered before looking at her hands, which were growing harsher from using weapons. 

".... And my hair turning this color.... was the result of the path I'd chosen..."

"If your heart is already set on that motive, then you are already stronger than most adventurers.” The woman softly smiled as she closed her eyes.

Aya was quick to get ready after cleaning her daggers and the light scratches she received. 

Even though the other adventurers thought that they were at least a bit closer to her, Aya was still some meters ahead while heading to the deeper parts of the dungeon. But that didn't change the fact that the adventurers would assist the white-haired girl in any way they possibly could.

All of them continued heading deeper into the dungeon, conquering each of the bosses there with barely any interest in gathering the materials.

Aya didn't question their friendly behavior but also didn't try to push them away due to the fact that they were also adventurers and had the right to conquer and do whatever they wanted with their slain monsters.

After reaching a dead end in this dungeon, everyone remained quiet for several reasons. One of which was the fact that everyone had barely had any breaks. But that also put Aya on her guard, which is why the moment she felt something was wrong, she kept her hands close to her waist, where her daggers were located.

“We are thankful for this wonderful ride—” 

The moment Aya heard the voice of the black-haired woman, she immediately pulled out her daggers and shifted away from her current position. And in the next second, a light bolt was shot at her.

“uhg!!!!!” She was taken aback by the sudden surprise attack, which was aimed at her legs. 

The black-haired woman had shot a lightning bolt, which cracked the ground where Aya once stood.

“—but unfortunately, this will be the end of your journey.”

The moment Aya had a few moments to see where the woman had shot her, she quickly understood that this whole collaboration was fake in the end, just to steal all of the credit for conquering the dungeon.

The group of adventurers, which had taken a few meters distance from the white-haired girl, were all either smirking, blankly staring at her, or simply excited about what they were going to do next.

Aya, on the other hand, who was giving a cold glare at them, tightened her daggers as her feelings inside her were fueling her strength to fight back to the death with the adventurers who were trying to trick her.

“Don't bother asking the reason why we’re doing this. We simply found you at the perfect time to save us the energy of getting what we want.” One of the swordsmen said with a rather cold tone in his voice.

“No need to feel resentful. This is how life works in this world, after all. The strongest stay on top.”

Aya did not show any signs of fear, but a sense of guilt struck inside her while she prepared herself for the first adventurers to attack. 

She knew that no matter how strong or weak someone in this world was, in the end, anyone would try, at least once in their life, to step on another human being just to feel superior to them.

“This is the en….” 

But as the black-haired woman was about to give her last speech to the sole white-haired girl, her eyes widened to their full extent as blood was beginning to drip out of her mouth from receiving an internal injury.

The other two swordsmen, who noticed this sudden stop from the woman they all wanted to protect, looked on their sides and saw a sword sticking out from between her breasts. 

Due to the sudden shock and severe injury, the woman with black hair was unable to move, and her hands were dripping cold sweat.

“B-Brixilla!” 

The blonde swordsman, who was the closest to the woman, called out with haunted eyes and a wide mouth at the unthinkable sight. He was sure that he would protect her, and to see himself fail at that was something that made him lose his calm composure.

The swordsman, who was smirking just a few moments ago, also lost his excitement at this sudden turn of events. He was very confident in his skills, which is why he found himself cautious toward the culprit who had stabbed Brixilla, the black-haired woman, from behind.

“U-g- i-i…. idiots…..” 

Brixilla struggled to speak as the last strength in her body faded away, making her body fall to the ground, completely motionless from the attack, which was aimed precisely at her most vital spots.

“Y-you…”

“.....”

The moment that the woman had fallen dead on the ground, the two other swordsmen, who were now cautious, quickly realized who the culprit behind this kill was. They both knew him very well, to the point where they almost refused to believe that it was true. But the evidence was right in front of their eyes, and the truth couldn't be altered, no matter the explanation behind this.

“Why would you do this—“

The blonde swordsman demanded as he looked at his other comrade, who was quiet almost the whole time.

The culprit was the third swordsman, with brown hair and calm composure. However, what changed in him was not only the cold-blooded look on his face... but the fact that his eyes were glowing red through the shadows of his hair.

“—Tetsuko!!!?””