The burning streets were filled with Lizardmen’s corpses.

“Klik, kkiik….”

The Lizardman with two arrows lodged in its body writhed in pain.

With a blank expression, Velkist put an end to his life.

“You’ve become unbelievably strong,” Priasis said with a trembling voice.

Burn marks covered her cheek.

“It’s like night and day compared to back then. What in the world happened?”

“It’s hard to put into words.”

I sat amidst the debris of the shattered building.

Smoke mixed with the smell of burning could be seen rising from various places.

“Moreover, you haven’t changed a bit in my memories. It’s already been three years…”

“But you’ve changed a lot.”

Although the signs of youth had not completely disappeared, it was difficult to still call her a kid.

“Three years, huh?”

From my perspective, it hadn’t even been half a year since I cleared the 15th floor.

At most, two months. But for Priasis, it seemed quite different.

“Is it over?” Velkist murmured.

I shook my head. Across the street, the sound of drums could be heard. I raised my hand to my holster, ready to draw my sword at any moment.

“Kik, kiraralak!”

[Lizardman Lv.22] X 31

A group of Lizardmen appeared outside the intersection.

“Karr! Human, a human is here!”

“Human, Karr! Human… Ki?”

Their eyes, which had been gleaming with vitality, now scanned the surroundings.

The streets were like a mountain of Lizardman corpses, maybe around 120 of them. Their blood had formed puddles on the ground. Velkist, covered in blood from head to toe, chuckled.

“The next offerings have arrived.”

“…”

Dung. Dung.

The Lizardmen changed direction, as if they hadn’t seen us. And then they disappeared.

Velkist frowned.

“What’s this?”

“They probably have emotions too,” Neryssa said as she fastened her sword to her belt.

The drumming moved further away from us.

‘This is bad.’

I might have been too aggressive.

I didn’t expect them to be this weak.

[00:03:21]

There was still no sign of reinforcements.

I released my grip on my sword.

Jenna scratched her cheek.

“Is it over with a hundred? It didn’t feel too difficult. Have we become stronger?”

“It seems like it.”

Because we had been doing missions with high difficulty, we didn’t notice the change.

Our party, including me, had become significantly stronger. A Lizardman at level 21 was not a weak monster by any means. At least a few steps above goblins.

‘There are several reasons for this.’

The geographical advantage couldn’t be overlooked.

Proper formation utilization during battles with fire.

But the most decisive reason was…

‘Is it a condition that we have no choice but to get stronger?’

If we had been weak, we would have died in other missions a long time ago.

Because we had experienced difficult missions, we devoted ourselves even more desperately to training in order to survive. But it would have been a joke if our skills hadn’t improved.

“Neryssa, I’d like you to scout. There probably isn’t anything special though.”

“Understood.”

Neryssa stepped on a wooden barrel and leaped onto the roof.

Eventually, her figure disappeared beyond the roof. If something happened, she would report it immediately.

“The rest of us can rest. It seems like the mission is over.”

“How boring.”

The group relaxed.

Eloka sighed and sat down, sweating profusely on her forehead.

“Even if we take medicine, the weather isn’t great.”

“Sis, let’s go over there.”

“Why? I like it here…”

“Come on, let’s go! Oppa Vel too.”

“That’s annoying. Don’t call me that.”

“Let’s go!”

“Let go of me. What is it?”

Jenna dragged Eloka and Velkist into an alley.

Only the two of us remained here.

Me and Priasis.

‘It’s an unnecessary consideration.’

It’s not like I have nothing to say, though.

I looked at Priasis. She was sitting on the broken pillar of the building with her knees bent. Priasis spoke.

“How have you been all this time?”

“I’ve been doing well.”

I replied vaguely.

Life in the waiting room was quite a difficult story to tell.

“I thought I was dead. Those beastfolks…”

“They joined us recently. It hasn’t been long since I’ve returned, so I don’t know them well. We’ll probably see them often in the future.”

“I see. Are they your new comrades?”

Priasis muttered as if she were contemplating.

Then, in a calm tone, she began to recount what happened after she parted ways with me.

It was as expected.

After escaping the city, Priasis became a high-priority fugitive, pursued by countless pursuers. Interrogators dispatched by the Church and bounty hunters targeting the reward. It was said that the crisis was beyond counting.

“You managed not to get caught.”

“I have a tough neck.”

Priasis smiled bitterly.

“It was possible because you helped me.”

“Is it about what happened in the city?”

“No.”

Priasis shook her head.

“One of the four Great Houses, the Halkion. They were the ones who actively pursued me. If you hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have lasted long.”

“…”

“The fact that the area where they resided turned into ruins was a bit unexpected, but…”

So that’s how it happened.

According to Neryssa’s explanation, the Halkion family was connected to the Sect, which was Priasis’s enemy. There seemed to be some kind of connection even on the 20th floor. The strange atmosphere in the mansion couldn’t be pinpointed, but…

“So, why did you come here? It’s like a desert.”

“That’s right. This place is a vast desert called Silkia.”

Priasis spoke.

“I came here to find something.”

“Something?”

“Yes. What I saw in my dream… they call it a key.”

“What are you going to do with that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? To save the continent.”

Priasis’s expression turned serious.

I swallowed a bitter laugh. I thought that talking about saving the continent or whatever was just a childish whim, but she hadn’t given up. In fact, her determination seemed stronger than before.

“What exactly is this ‘key’?”

“I don’t know for sure. I just have a feeling. I think I’ll be able to figure it out as I gather things together.”

“You’re still talking in riddles.”

It was like this when we first met. Talking about dreams being like this or the world being like that.

It was nerve-wracking, but right now, I didn’t have a way to understand it either.

“This girl…”

She had already appeared twice in the main mission.

There were some vague connections in other missions as well.

I thought about the layout of the village.

There were three entrances. The west gate, the north gate, and the east gate.

The refugees fled through the east gate. It was in the opposite direction of the desert. But Priasis’s escape route was the north gate.

‘So you’re going to find that ‘key’ thing?’

I chuckled.

‘I think I’ll see you often in the future.’