Chapter 242 - Lili's Fear!
Seeing the Battle Boar that had been chasing her turn to ash, Lili slumped to the ground, gasping for breath as if she had just been pulled from the brink of drowning.
The adrenaline from narrowly escaping death had drained her strength completely.
For some reason, Lili felt a hint of mockery in Mahiro's words.
However, when she looked up and saw his serious expression, she dismissed the thought, chalking it up to her own paranoia.
"I barely survived," Lili said, forcing a weak smile. "If Mahiro-sama hadn't arrived in time, Lili would have died."
"To hold out for so long against a Level 3 monster with only Level 1 strength—Lili, you're truly an excellent supporter," Mahiro praised.
"Mahiro-sama is amazing. You were able to annihilate all these monsters."
In order to survive, she had used up many of her precious items.
Her most valuable possession, was on the verge of breaking, covered in cracks and with only one use left.
Before she could even start earning today, she had already lost nearly lost a precious item.
Lili wanted to cry. It would take her a long time to save up that much again.
After exchanging compliments, Mahiro dropped another bombshell.
"Lili, once you've recovered, gather the drop items and magic stones on the ground."
"I'll go ahead to scout the next area. Come find me when you're done. I'll wait for you there."
Without waiting for Lili's response, Mahiro dashed off, leaving her behind.
Lili stared in disbelief at his retreating figure.
'What kind of teammate did I end up with?'
'Are you trying to get me killed?'
'I'm just a Level 1! You left me here alone—aren't you worried I'll get eaten by monsters?'
Looking around at the empty surroundings, Lili shivered.
There was no wind, but she felt a chill run down her spine, as if a cold breeze were blowing.
Ignoring her physical and mental exhaustion, Lili scrambled to her feet, and began collecting the drop items and magic stones dropped by the Battle Boars.
She had to finish quickly and catch up to Mahiro. Otherwise, she would truly die here.
Lili couldn't help but wonder if Mahiro had something wrong with his brain.
The magic stones and drop items from the twenty monsters weren't low—they were worth at least six figures in valis.
Yet, Mahiro had left without a second thought, leaving her, a supporter, to gather everything alone in this dangerous place.
If monsters showed up, not only would she die, but these loots would also be trampled and destroyed.
Was he really so careless?
Did he not care about losing valis?
In truth, Lili's concerns were somewhat justified.
However, Mahiro had already cleared the 25th floor the day before.
Monster respawns took time—especially for Level 3 monsters, which could take anywhere from one to three days to reappear.
This meant that, for now, the area behind Lili was relatively safe.
Unless she had incredibly bad luck, no monsters would appear there.
After quickly gathering the magic stones and drop items, Lili stuffed them into her backpack, took a deep breath, and sprinted after Mahiro.
***
Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared on the 26th floor.
It was Mahiro and Lili.
The day before, Mahiro had explored most of the 25th floor.
Today, after some time, he had finally found the way to the 26th floor.
Lili followed closely behind Mahiro, her face pale with fear.
After entering the floor, Mahiro led her to a relatively flat and open area.
He then pulled out something from his backpack.
"Mahiro-sama, what are you doing?" Lili asked, watching him curiously.
When she saw what Mahiro was holding, her entire body stiffened.
"Mahiro-sama, this is..."
"Anti-morbule! I spent a lot of valis to buy this useful item," Mahiro replied casually.
'Of course, I know what anti-morbule is! The question is, what are you planning to do with it?!'
"Mahiro-sama, anti-morbule is a dangerous item in the Dungeon... If you're not careful, it could attract a large number of monsters... We should—"
Lili's words were cut off as her jaw dropped.
While she was speaking, Mahiro had already placed the anti-morbule.
As the anti-morbule settled in, a pleasant fragrance filled the air.
It wasn't overpowering, but it was strangely soothing.
"I'm using this to attract monsters," Mahiro said matter-of-factly.
"The smell is nice. I should get some for my home. It would make a good air freshener," Mahiro mused as he planted the anti-morbule in the ground.
'I don't know what an air freshener is, but what you're doing is suicidal!'
'If you want to die, don't drag me into it!'
'Can't you send me back to the surface first?'
'I don't want any valis anymore!'
Lili screamed internally, but Mahiro couldn't hear her.
Even if he could, he would probably just laugh.
RUMBLE—!
A loud roar echoed from the distance.
Lili's eyes widened in terror, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Anti-morbule was deadly to monsters.
Its scent spread quickly, and any monster that caught a whiff would rush toward it in a frenzy.
However, this very characteristic made it extremely dangerous to use in the Dungeon.
Even if you set a trap, you wouldn't have time to escape before being overwhelmed by the horde of monsters.
Now, Lili was witnessing just how terrifying anti-morbule could be.
Monsters began emerging from the ground and walls, their numbers growing rapidly. In the distance, a dark mass of creatures was charging toward them.
"Lili, get out of the way."
Before Lili could react, Mahiro grabbed her and, using Shunpo, tossed her to a safe area.
Then he gripped Hyōrinmaru and stared at the approaching monsters.
"Now, it's my turn."
---
Read 20 Chapters In Advance:
patreon.com/heavenlydawn