After the battle had ended.

“Wahahahaha! Have I ever fought this excitingly before? There may not be much reward in coming here, but this is worth it!”

Kishasha burst into laughter.

Even though blood was flowing from various parts of her body. I sheathed my sword in its scabbard and checked my entire body.

Shoulder, thigh, chest, abdomen, calf.

Five areas were throbbing. Despite my attempts to block, the power of each attack exceeded my limits, so I couldn’t avoid getting injured.

“Are you okay?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not my first time facing opponents like this.”

“I see. You’re a well-trained warrior!”

I sat down on a fallen tree.

My torn armor and the dried blood within it were gradually healing along the wounds. I felt several pairs of eyes watching me from beyond the bushes. They were members of the third party. They stared at me with a mixture of fear and amazement, muttering among themselves.

“The outcome…”

The fight had come to a halt just before a final decision.

At that moment, either one of us could have lost his life. I mainly relied on powerful swings with my sword, while Kishasha used her massive claws for attacks. If the battle had lasted for another ten seconds, either my upper body would have been torn apart and sent flying, or Kishasha’s head would have been severed. It was that close.

‘But my chances of winning weren’t high.’

I chuckled bitterly.

Despite using my skills and experience to the fullest, if the battle had gone on, the odds were high that I would have been the one to fall. There was a significant difference in our abilities.

‘She has an imprint.’

Kishasha possessed something special that I didn’t have.

Normally, imprints couldn’t be acquired at my current level. However, as a 4-star hero, Kishasha had possessed it from birth. To bridge that gap, I needed to acquire an imprint of my own.

‘Later.’

For now, I needed to break through to the 30th floor.

After some cleanup of the battlefield, I was invited to the dwellings of the humanoid creatures.

During the conversation, I learned a few things. First, Kishasha had been waiting for me after seeing my battle scene with the playback stone. Second, as soon as news of my arrival reached them, they sent Lacari to bring me here.

“So, that was an invitation?”

I chuckled wryly.

Lacari had been hiding suspiciously and only emerged to cause trouble.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through. Lacari didn’t like humans. My thoughts were too short-sighted. That child lost its parents to humans.”

“You seemed to have had a quarrel with Velkist too.”

“I saw potential in him as a warrior. I just found it interesting. While I don’t like humans as a race, I don’t hate innocent people. If you feel felt offended, I apologize. Please tell that guy as well. Of course, he can always challenge me again at any time.”

I glanced to the side.

In the dense forest, a little black-haired kid was eyeing me.

It was Lacari.

‘She won’t stop.’

I couldn’t expect complete cooperation, but there seemed to be no need for hostility.

At least, it would be helpful in missions. The fact that they had reached the 25th floor was evidence of that.

“Sister, you brought a human home. Traitor!”

Lacari stuck out her tongue and ran off.

Another humanoid who was nearby followed her.

“Do you like meat? There’s plenty here. Thanks to that, we’ve been able to get a lot of fresh meat.”

Kishasha opened a bundle.

The scent of blood filled the air as raw meat emerged. Without hesitation, she picked up a piece of meat attached to the bone and began to chew. Chomp, chomp.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I’m not hungry.”

I turned my head.

Although they didn’t look much different from humans on the outside, there was clearly a difference.

After the meal, she lay down satisfied patting her belly, and I spoke to Kishasha.

The topic was already set: cooperation for a smooth conquest of the tower and missions. Kishasha agreed without hesitation.

“Why mention it? Originally, our tribe came here under a contract. I had planned to ask for your help from our side.”

“A contract, you say.”

“That’s right. At the end of the world, when our homeland was engulfed in darkness and disappeared… we heard a voice. That voice said it would save us.”

Kishasha scratched her bushy head.

“I agreed. After that, I couldn’t remember much, and it hasn’t been coming to mind since then. My family said they didn’t hear it. It’s really strange.”

Is it the end of the world and a voice?

There are a few hypotheses, but their true identity is still unclear.

“Anyway, we’ll carry out the mission. At first, I was disappointed because there were a bunch of mediocre humans, but now I see there are excellent warriors among them. I’m relieved.”

Kishasha wiped her mouth, which was bleeding, and smiled.

Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly turned her gaze cold.

“Warrior, tell the humans. If they don’t receive an invitation, they should not trespass into our territory. Whether it’s about Synthesis or missions, we don’t care. We will never forgive intruders.”

“Is this your territory?”

“That’s right. The Master created it. It may be inferior to our homeland, but it’s better than smelling of iron.”

Kishasha softened her expression.

“You can come anytime. Dragon Slayer Warrior.”

“I was just lucky. Don’t worry about it.”

I got up from my seat.

“Are you leaving?”

“We’ve said everything.”

I had gained what I needed.

By now, the members of the first party should be training at the training ground. We hadn’t been together for a long time. There was a need to go back and check. It was also necessary to return the party to its original state.

‘These guys don’t need to come out.’

All the facilities for daily life were concentrated in small sizes.

Lodging, training ground, dining hall, plaza. Their habits and our eating habits were different. Except for missions, they wouldn’t come out. The warning not to trespass was likely about this place.

“See you in the next battle, warrior.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

I turned around.

I left the lodging of the third party straight away.

‘The Gale Tribe.’

A different approach needed to be applied compared to the heroes summoned so far.

However, they were useful enough. Leader Kishasha was an outstanding talent even among the 4-stars, and the other members should easily provide the value of 3-stars at the least. They had the will to cooperate for missions as well.

As long as I didn’t interfere with them, we could build a smooth relationship.