Daedalus Street was an expansive residential quarter located in southeast Orario. Residential though it may have been, its architectural makeup bordered on the obtuse. Stairs ran the length of multistoried buildings, rising from the stone in all shapes and sizes, and the sheer number of alleyways and side streets was enough to confuse even the most directionally gifted.
It was called the 'Dungeon on the Surface,' and for good reason—one wrong turn was enough to become forever lost in the neighborhood's maze-like roads, and not just for those unaccustomed to its twists and turns. Even those who had long lived there had to be careful lest they lose their way.
It had been constructed close to one thousand years prior—almost immediately after the gods descended from the heavens—in what was known as the Divine Era. A monument to Orario's past artisans, it was created by the renowned craftsman (and its namesake) Daedalus.
The sun had just started its ascent from the eastern horizon when Rex began his trek into Daedalus Street. Around here, if it was possible to disregard the signs of modern life—laundry hanging on lines, old folks absorbed in their games of chess along the roadside—it was easy to mistake the area for a set of ancient ruins.
Many of the city's underprivileged made Daedalus Street their home, a nesting ground for rogues and thieves. Though this lack of public order wasn't obvious by looking at the locals, it wasn't a safe location at all. The area certainly made for a perfect place to hide a second entrance to the Dungeon—alongside other plans of nefarious intent.
Rex had already found the entrance into Knossos even before stepping into Daedalus Street , but finding the entrance so quickly would draw the wrong kind of attention. So, he chose to kill time by wandering around for a bit. Still, something about today felt especially sluggish. The kind of morning where you swear hours have passed, only to find it's been just thirty minutes.
'Honestly, I feel like the next few days will be like this.' He sighed internally as he walked out of an alley. 'I wish something interesting while I wait for the Ishtar event to be over...'
He paused, glancing to the side where a group of women stood near a fountain at the center of the square. Over thirty members of the Loki Familia were gathered there, likely mid-discussion before they noticed him. Among them were Riveria, Ais, the Amazoness twins, Lefiya, several other unrecognizable faces, and at the front of the group stood Loki herself.
'…I guess the Loki Familia are also searching for the entrance,' he thought, as he inspected them. 'The guys part of the Familia are probably somewhere else, but why did they all stop to stare?'
He knew he wasn't nearly handsome enough to catch everyone's attention—especially with his face hidden beneath the cloak's mask. Deciding not to think much of it, he casually turned and began to walk away.
"Hey!" one of the twins barked sharply. He glanced back to see her standing tall, one hand on her hip, the other pointing straight at him. "You—masked guy. Stop right there." Around her, the rest of the group watched in silence, their attention fixed solely on him.
'Which one is that? Tiona or Tione?' he wondered, his eyes drifting down to her chest. 'Ah, that's Tione.'
There was one easy way to remember whose name belonged to whom—Tiona for A-cup and Tione for E-cup. Pretty simple. But… he was too shy to approach them and get surrounded by a bunch of girls, especially when they were so good-looking.
So he looked away and continued walking.
"I said stop, bastard!" He glanced back to Tione just in time to see one of her fist inches from his face.
'???' Time slowed as multiple thoughts ran through his mind. 'Why is she attacking me? Obviously, she wouldn't do that without a reason. Did she mistake me for an enemy? ...She did. And since my face is hidden, there's no way she recognized me.
So why the mistake?... The cloak.
Hermes gave me a cloak that belongs to Evilus, didn't he? He did.
Why the FUCK would he do that? Maybe he wanted to test me? See my true prowess? But isn't there a better way to do that?... No, he probably just did it for the laughs. Yep, that's the reason.
But what if I died because of this? Look—there's a fist flying at my face, and it's too fucking late to dodge.
Hmm… doesn't seem that powerful. Probably enough to knock out a level one, maybe disorient a level two. So she doesn't want to kill me—she's trying to capture me for questioning. Makes sense.
So… should I let myself get caught and reveal who I am or—'
*Wham*
Her fist slammed into his face, and since it didn't hold much power, it felt like getting hit by a child. Suddenly, before she could react, Rex spun on his heel and drove a brutal right hook straight into her ribs. The strike landed with a sharp thud, enough force to send her sliding to the side, her bare feet picking up dust on the uneven paved ground.
She blinked at her ribs, surprised, and then looked up at the man whose lower face was covered in a white mask, her dark green meeting his amber eyes staring at her. Then she saw him smirk under his mask.
"Heh," he laughed softly, instantly turning around. Leaning forward, he dashed back into the alley he had emerged from.
"THAT LITTLE—!" Tione quickly dashed after Rex, roaring, "Better pray I don't catch you!"
"Tione!" Loki shouted, causing the Amazoness to freeze in her tracks.
"It's too convenient." Riveria stepped forward with a calm voice. "An Evilus member appearing alone, precisely when we arrive—it's clearly a trap."
"Exactly." Loki nodded. "And judgin' from that punch, he ain't some scrub either. First-class, most likely. No idea what he's tryin' to pull, but we ain't biting."
"Aren't we being a little too careful? Tione asked. "I mean, we've got all our girls here. What could he possibly do?"
"Ya remember Meren? That little pain-in-the-ass ambush?" Loki replied, shaking her head. "Can't ever be too careful—'specially if they know this place like their own damn bedroom."
Her words sank in fast. Nobody wanted another Meren incident—when the Kali Familia had kidnapped Lefiya and almost got both twins killed at the hands of Argana and Bache, who had planned to use them as sacrifices to reach level 7.
"Yeah... I remember." she muttered with a sigh. "Fine. We'll play it safe."
Just then, the man peeked out from the alleyway, staring at them before stepping into view. He gestured at his face and then his clothes, as if acknowledging his disguise.
"Yeah, we know you're Evilus," Loki muttered.
He pointed at them, then himself, then toward the alleyway with both hands, before jogging in place—almost theatrically.
"We're not chasing you," Loki said flatly.
He stared at them a moment longer, sighed visibly, then turned and casually walked away, disappearing down another path. The group exchanged glances, each of them thinking the same thing:
That trap was so obvious.
"All right, then!" Loki called, drawing the group's attention as she stretched her arms behind her head. "Let's get this party started, shall we? We'll split up here and use this square as our meeting point. Two groups for now—it's way too easy to get lost in this place."
"Any more than two groups and we risk thinning ourselves too much." Riveria said. Especially in a place like this, where even a wrong turn could split us apart."
The girls nodded, and Riveria took charge of organizing them into two units. One, led by Loki and Riveria, consisted mostly of lower-level Familia members. The second included their close-knit elite: Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya. Before the second group departed, Loki approached the four leaders.
"If you see that guy again, don't chase him," she said pointedly, locking eyes with Tione.
Tione waved a hand, forcing a smile. "Don't worry, I understand," she reluctantly said.
"Still, he was kinda funny, right?" Tiona grinned, elbowing her sister. "All that silent mime stuff?"
"Funny, all right," Loki muttered, still staring in the direction Rex had vanished.
She had recognized those amber eyes the moment she saw them, though she chose to keep it to herself. It wasn't hard to figure out who was behind the stunt—Hermes, no doubt. Especially since he had gone out of his way to tell her and Finn not to let their group kill any Evilus members they encountered.
Clapping her hands sharply, Loki declared, "Let's move out!"
"Right!" came the unified reply.
Rex, who wasn't too far away, had heard everything and immediately guessed that Loki recognized him. 'Must be the eyes,' he thought, raising the mask to cover his entire face.
His senses remained sharp thanks to simultaneously using seismic sense and echolocation. In fact, his perception was even clearer than regular sight—the only downside being the absence of color.
Still bored, Rex turned his attention to the male members of the Loki Familia. They were searching the sewers, and if he could lead them to chase him around, he could guide them straight to the entrance of Knossos. He could pass it off as luck, shortening the search and letting him encounter the Demi-Spirit sooner. It would definitely save the day from becoming a tedious bore
'Holy shit,' Rex muttered internally, rubbing his jaw with a grin. 'I'm actually a genius.'
With Bete being notoriously easy to provoke, this should be a walk in the park. All he would have to do is provoke the wolf then run away with his tail between his legs and Bete should give chase. Things should go smoothly.
Or maybe not.
"Why the hell are you dressed like that?" Bete demanded, his voice echoing through the tunnel beneath Daedalus Street.
Gareth stood just behind Bete, his axe resting casually on his shoulder, while about ten lower-level Familia members held portable magic-stone lanterns, illuminating the dark and abandoned passageway. Finn was positioned in the center, his spear resting casually to his side.
They had been exploring the sewer system when a figure suddenly appeared ahead—partially cloaked in shadow, dressed in the same style as the new Evilus members they'd recently encountered. Just as they were about to attack, Bete stopped them abruptly with a strange question.
"Don't tell me you're with Evilus now?" Bete questioned, looking the mysterious man in the eyes—or at least where his eyes were supposed to be, now covered by a mask.
Seeing Bete talking casually, Raul leaned in, whispering nervously, "Bete, who's that?"
Without turning around, Bete replied casually, "That's the guy Rex."
It wasn't hard for Bete to recognize Rex's scent—especially after carrying Loki home yesterday. She had been so thoroughly covered in it that Bete almost believed they had sex. It bothered him a lot.
'Rex?' Finn raised a brow, silently piecing things together but keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Haah." Rex sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why do you even know the smell of another man?"
"???" Question marks floated above Bete's head.
"I mean, you only met me once, yet you recognized my smell instantly?" Rex continued as he pulled down his mask, locking eyes with Bete. "Isn't that odd?"
One of the younger adventurers in the back muttered, "Come to think of it, that's giving—"
Raul quickly clamped a hand over the guy's mouth before Bete swung at him. But Bete didn't seem even slightly offended. He just tilted his head, hands still tucked in his pockets.
"The hell kinda question is that?" Bete asked flatly. "You think you're special? We're Beastmen. Smells stick. Maybe you're just extra pungent."
They stared at each other until Rex broke the silence.
"I'm going to punch you in the face."
Finn blinked, caught off guard by the sudden declaration. Gareth's expression shifted into one of mild amusement, while Raul looked like he was already spiraling into panic.
"Then do it, punk," Bete said, leaning forward, head tilted in invitation. "Or are you all bark?"
"I would punch you," Rex said calmly, "but I'll give your weak-ass face. I'll even let you take the first swing—if you can catch me."
"What, gonna run now?" Bete sneered, straightening up again. "Too scared to swing? Figures. Tell you what—I'll give you three free shots before I hit back."
"Sounds to me like you're scared I'll humiliate you," Rex shot back. "But don't worry, I'll be generous and give you five free shots."
"Ten. Your funeral."
Raul glanced nervously at Finn. "D-don't you think we should stop them?" he asked shakily. "Bete might actually kill him if he keeps provoking him."
"Nah, let 'em be," Gareth said with a grin. "Those lads're bondin'."
"B-bonding?" Raul echoed, staring incredulously at Gareth, then turned back to the two men now standing inches apart, screaming into each other's faces like hooligans.
"You bitch-ass motherfucker, attack me already!" Rex shouted.
"Quit yappin' and swing already, you damn mutt!" Bete roared back.
Raul screamed internally, 'They're going at each other's throats!'
Finn smiled slightly, "I suppose the fact that Bete hasn't attacked him yet says something about their rapport."
Raul paused, thinking, 'Come to think of it, why hasn't Bete attacked yet?' Normally, Bete would swing at any insult thrown his way by a weakling, but he isn't doing it now?
"Still…" Finn mumbled thoughtfully, "I never would've taken him for someone with such a sharp tongue."
Based on how Rex had behaved during the War Game, and from what Gareth and Loki described after meeting him, Finn had always assumed he was more reserved—someone level-headed, not too different from himself. Not... this.
"Heh, didn't peg him for that kind o' guy," Gareth laughed heartily. "Can't say I mind this side."
"By the way," Orba, a level 4 second-string raccoon human, spoke up, "doesn't this scene look familiar?"
The group turned their attention back to Bete and Rex.
"Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!"
"Arf! Arf! Arf!"
It was like watching two street dogs barking furiously at each other. The smaller, weaker one—Rex—trying to act tough in front of the bigger, stronger one—Bete, who refused to attack but wouldn't back down either.
Finn cleared his throat, suppressing the image, and was just about to step in when Lloyd, a level 3 reserve Loki Familia member, suddenly shouted,
"Wait a minute!" Everyone froze and turned toward Lloyd—even Bete and Rex stopped yelling—as the human excitedly pointed at Rex. "Aren't you the 'hello adventurers' guy?!"
Everyone was confused. 'Hello adventurers guy?' they collectively wondered.
Rex quickly shook his head. "N-no," he said, his tone doing little to convince anyone.
"I knew I recognized your voice!" Lloyd laughed, pointing triumphantly. Nik, another level 3 adventurer standing beside him, nodded eagerly. "It is him!"
"Who would've thought we'd run into each other like this?" Lloyd added with a grin.
Lloyd then went on to explain that when they had been on the 24th floor with Sharon for a commission, Rex had suddenly crash-landed near their camp, covered in severe burns and dressed in nothing but boxers, a helmet, and holding a spear.
Lloyd quickly recounted the events from their perspective, finishing with Nik adding, "Turns out he was fighting a green dragon solo."
Everyone turned to Rex, and Gareth gave a deep chuckle. "So that's the stunt that got you leveled, eh?"
"Yeah," Rex confirmed casually.
"Hah! You're bloody mad, y'know that?" Gareth laughter loudly. "I like you even more now!"
"You were level 3 then?" Lloyd asked in disbelief.
"Wanted to level up quickly, so I just soloed a Monster Rex a level higher than me with barely anything on," Rex said, folding his arms behind his back. "Simple stuff."
"You 'just soloed...?'" Raul mumbled to himself. "Simple?"
Orba let out a low whistle. "Amazing."
One of the adventurers laughed. "You're just like Ais-san!"
Another chimed in. "She wanted to level up so badly she went against a level 6 Monster Rex."
The group laughed, with Lloyd saying, "Seriously, that's incredible."
Nik nodded. "Even Raul couldn't solo a green dragon at level 4—and you did it at level 3."
"Th-that's because it flew!" Raul quickly defended himself.
Orba shook his head. "Even before it flew, you couldn't deal with its overgrowth or poison." He pointed straight at Rex. "But he did. At level 3."
Raul glanced at Rex, still cloaked in the garb of Evilus, but the man merely brushed it off with a relaxed wave. "Don't think too much about it, Raul," he said with a faint shrug. "Adventurers have different strengths. I might be able to take down a high-category level 4 monster at level 3, but that doesn't mean I would beat a level 4 adventurer. Different fights call for different skills, different instincts."
A few heads nodded, some murmured agreement. Even Finn gave a small smile, quietly surprised by how level-headed Rex sounded in contrast to the wild energy he had shown earlier.
But just then, Rex went on. "But that doesn't mean I couldn't beat a level 4 when I was still level 3. Honestly, it would've been a walk in the park. Super easy. Barely an inconvenience."
He looked directly at Raul, speaking like he was stating the obvious. "That's why you shouldn't compare yourself to me. We're just different—our talents are leagues apart. Like trying to compare the ground and the sky. It doesn't make sense."
At his words, silence fell over the group. Even the distant sound of dripping water seemed to pause. Raul stood frozen, his face darkening.
After several heavy seconds, Finn finally cleared his throat and broke the silence. "I take it Hermes gave you that cloak to resemble one of them—hoping they might approach you, and you could follow them back to their base?"
"I guess." Rex replied with a shrug. "Hermes gave me the cloak this morning and asked me to wear it while searching for the base of some super-secret evil organization trying to destroy Orario," he said as he pulled down his mask fully to reveal his face.
Finn nodded. "So, did you come across anything while you were down here?"
"Coming from the southeast part of the sewer, I did find something interesting," Rex answered, pointing back the way he came with his thumb. "It was a hidden staircase leading down. It looked way too well-maintained for an old sewer system."
Finn's features sharpened. "What exactly did you find down there?"
Rex tilted his head in confusion. "I didn't go down."
They stared at him in silence.
"If that really was the base of some super-secret evil organization trying to destroy Orario, what exactly was I supposed to do on my own? So I decided to find someone and report it instead."
"Just say you're scared," Bete muttered.
Rex shrugged. "If you're the kind of person who would wander into the base of a super-secret evil organization trying to destroy Orario all by yourself, then you're just stupid."
"Please just say 'Evilus base.'" Finn smiled slight. "That whole phrase is a mouthful."
"Alright." Rex nodded as he turned around. "I'll lead you guys there, then."
Without another word, Rex took off running. The others quickly fell into formation, boots thudding against the stone as they moved in sync. Rex stayed several strides ahead, guiding them deeper into the shadows of the sewer.
As they ran, Gareth called out to Bete, "So why didn't you attack Rex?"
Rex's ears ahead perked up too, also curious as to why the hell didn't Bete chase him? Bete was an easy to anger Tsundere, so his curse should have definitely get the wolf's blood boiling. Getting chased would've made things easier—and more fun.
"You're not the type to keep talking even after being provoked like that," Gareth added.
Bete stared at Rex's back as he ran, the white Evilus cloak fluttering slightly behind him. "Beastman instincts," he finally replied.
The other beastkin in the group gave subtle nods, silently acknowledging Bete's words. Meanwhile, the human and elven members exchanged puzzled glances, clearly left out of whatever unspoken instinctual understanding had just passed between them.
"Makes perfect sense," Gareth said with a nod.
"I know you don't get it, old man," Bete muttered, causing Gareth to cough awkwardly as the others chuckled.
As for Rex, he was just confused. He thought Bete would've been easy to provoke. He should've been. And 'beastman instincts' didn't explain anything. It reminded him of the time Ais recognized his voice and told him he sounded like Bell.
'Bell?' How the fuck was that possible? They didn't sound anything alike. It still bothered him. He didn't get it. 'I should ask her later.'
And now Bete was acting strange too—and blaming it on instincts?
"Yo," Bete suddenly called out and Rex glanced over his shoulder. "You're not a level 4, are you?" the wolf asked.
"I am a level 4." He said, "But you could say I have the combat capability of a level 5."
"WHAT?!" Raul's voice cracked as it echoed down the passage. All eyes turned to him and he shrank a little, clearing his throat. "Didn't you just hit level 4?" he asked with a lower tone.
Rex gave a nonchalant nod. "What can I say?" He faced forward again. "I'm built different."
'...Arrogant...' Everyone thought.
They followed him deeper into the sewers, and after a while of more casual chatter, Bete suddenly came to an abrupt stop. The other animal people, apart from Rex, had also sensed whatever Bete did a moment later, causing them to stop.
"What's wrong, Bete?" Finn asked as everyone stopped, watching Bete look around sharply.
"I'd know this stink anywhere—Violas," Bete growled.
Rex a brow. "Violas?"
"A new plant-type monster," Gareth explained quickly.
"Keep leading us. I'll explain on the way," Finn ordered, seeing no reason to withhold information now that Rex had been pulled into this by Hermes for unknown reasons.
They started running again, this time with Bete in the lead, following the smell. They passed through a rusted, double-swinging iron gate and crossed an old stone bridge, their footsteps echoing between the walls, quickening with urgency.
Finally—
"…A hidden staircase?"
It was wide enough for five men to walk down side by side, and just as Rex had described, it looked far too clean and well-maintained for this decrepit corner of the city.
"We found nothing last time… and now this just shows up," Bete muttered. "Seems pretty damn fishy."
A wave of unease rippled through the group as Finn and Gareth exchanged a quick, silent glance before nodding. The team began their descent—down the staircase, each step echoing in the silent dark. Finally, the passage widened and gave way to a broad hallway, dimly lit by the glow of their lanterns. And at the far end—
"A gold… door?" Raul murmured.
"That shine… it's orichalcum," Gareth said, astonished.
The double doors stood nearly four meters tall and about two meters wide, forged from gleaming orichalcum that shone like molten gold under the lantern light. It was sculpted with twisted, spine-like patterns and flanked by monstrous carvings, with a gargoyles standing on each side of the door and one at the top, their eyes glowing red.
'Impressive,' Rex thought, eyes locked on the ornate surface. 'Definitely a door worthy of an artificial Dungeon.'
From the back of the group, he watched them all take it in. He then looked towards Finn that was inspecting the door in deep thought, his thumbs on his bottom lips.
'I probably pushed the discovery of this door forward by a whole day.' He thought. 'And since it's still early morning… they'll explore this base today.'
Which meant Today might also be the day Loki Familia kills Ishtar's Bull of Heaven.
'…I should let the goddess know.'
[Author's Note: Only 2 chapter this week. That's diabolical. Next week might only be one, my bad. <(＿ ＿)>. But after finals I will be free so I would go back to the regular posting, so don't worry my lovely readers.
Also, whaaaaat~? While I was away, I got to 10 thousand collection and 2 million views? Doesn't this put me amongst one of the better books in webnovel? I mean, I have 10k+ collection while having sub-100 chapters. Damn, I am loving it. Thanks for all the support and I hope your pillow is cold tonight~!\(￣︶￣*\))
Anyway, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day~o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]