Danma: Danganronpa, but Monster Hunter!

Judging from all indications, there is an organization behind this animal trainer, and the current incident is likely orchestrated by this organization as well.

Regardless of whether the aura of the jewel fetus that Ais sensed was created or incubated by this organization, Ais and Lieyan should not continue to intervene.

Although it may sound a bit extreme

But this matter needs to be elevated to a higher level.

Yes, it is necessary.

Anomalies of this magnitude, especially those potentially related to dark factions, are never something that can be dealt with casually upon sight. They require a guild to issue a commission before they can be handled.

This is why, even though Flame could have requested support from the Monster Hunter division, neither Ais nor Flame considered doing so.

The Monster Hunter division has Raul at level 4, and two well-equipped, battle-hardened teams that have ventured up to the 50th floor. In theory, they should be able to easily infiltrate behind the wall of flesh and investigate. Even with the Beastmaster behind them, they also have Ais, who just reached level 6, who could fight him.

But why didn't either Flame or Ais consider this method?

the reason is simple.

On the one hand, the Monster Hunter division's personnel were assigned by Finn, and they couldn't be mobilized without special circumstances.

On the other hand, the more important and realistic reason is—interests.

Only children act on impulse; the adult world is about self-interest.

Whether it's money or personal favors, whether it's for fame or profit, everyone needs to gain something before they can act. Adventurers are very pragmatic.

There are people who are not after fame or fortune, but they don't live very well.

Calling everyone over to collect the magic stones and loot dropped from monsters is fine, since we're all colleagues and helping out is no big deal. It's just an internal matter for the clan, and with Flame and Ais's popularity within the clan, everyone's willing to help. But asking others to engage in potentially fatal battles under completely unknown circumstances, without any tangible benefits, is a big problem.

Let's set aside the fact that this matter is just a verbal request. Doing it is a favor, not doing it is one's right. It's not some adventurer's commission, so no one can say anything about it.

Let's talk about the matter itself.

The operation was simple; gathering people was something that either Ais or Flame could easily do. But what happened afterward?

What lies behind the wall of flesh is unknown. Nobody knows what's behind it, and there's a high chance someone will get injured or even die because of it. Why risk your life if you don't even get paid?

And that's not even the worst part.

The worst-case scenario is that even if these people bleed or even die, the Loki Familia will be unable to hold anyone accountable. They can only silently blame the enemy and lick their wounds in silence...

Therefore, they had no choice but to leave.

"it is good."

Without hesitation, Flame unleashed his magic, sending Ailu and Onion back to Flame Village.

Ais raised her eyes and looked at the wall of flesh that filled her entire field of vision. She seemed to feel that going back like this might be letting down Eina's request. After thinking for a moment, she slowly drew the Sword of Despair.

"Ais?"

Having prepared to return, Flame picked up two backpacks filled with magic stones and dropped items. Turning around, she was about to call out to Ais when she saw Ais draw her sword. In the next instant, countless sword shadows flashed by.

Blazing Flame: "?!?!?!?!"

Didn't you say you were leaving? Why are you launching an attack?!

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and then, the instant the slight scraping sound of the sword of despair returning to its sheath rang out, the green flesh wall beside the two began to collapse.

Sharp, messy sword marks crisscrossed the green wall. Countless fragments of flesh, large and small, fell to the ground like toppled building blocks. A green liquid, like blood, seeped from the cut surfaces. But in the next instant, the pieces of flesh on the ground lost their vitality and oozed a foul-smelling liquid, while the cuts on the wall closed up instantly and began to heal rapidly at a visible speed.

"Its defense isn't very high, so magic would likely be more destructive, but this wall of flesh has self-healing abilities, and it heals very quickly, and also..."

Ais looked inside the huge gash she had cut open.

Behind the wall of flesh was a passageway, but the ceiling, floor, and walls were all covered by something that felt the same as this green wall. Moreover, judging from the cracks in the floor inside, which were cut by her sword, the green flesh revealed the same color as the untouched walls outside.

Clearly, that should be the original wall of the 24th floor.

"Not only are they blocking the passage, but these green fleshy things are also covering the dungeon. Are they trying to stop the monsters from spawning...?"

"Ais??" Flame was dumbfounded.

"It's alright, Flame. I just wanted to test the wall's defensive capabilities and its regeneration speed."

Silently memorizing the information she saw, Ais stood there, watching the wall in front of her gradually repair itself until it was completely healed.

After making a rough plan in her mind, Ais nodded slightly, then turned around and went to Flame's side, took a full backpack from his hand and put it on her back.

The green wall's defensive capabilities and exceptional self-healing abilities, combined with its ability to cover the maze,

Well, that would be enough to give Eina some closure. The rest is up to the guild to decide.

Seemingly satisfied with her inner desires, Ais's spirits lifted. Seeing this, Flame couldn't say anything. Although Ais's actions were somewhat unexpected, upon reflection, they were indeed things Ais was capable of doing.

This kid is usually very clever, but sometimes he can be incredibly silly...

The return journey was smooth. After clearing out the scattered monsters that reappeared along the way, the two reached the stairs in no time. Perhaps sensing the aura of mountains of corpses and seas of bones emanating from them, not many monsters dared to attack them on the subsequent floors.

However, the two spent more time on the 24th floor than expected. By the time they returned to the ground, the sun shining on the entire city had already passed the halfway point of its day.

Rubbing their rumbling stomachs, and remembering that they still had to go to the guild headquarters to report on the information from the 24th floor and retrieve the magic stones, Flame and Ais exchanged a glance and unanimously chose the Abundant Mistress's Tavern for their meal.

but..........

On his way to the bountiful mistress, Flame scratched his head and suddenly felt as if he had missed something.

"What's wrong, Flame?"

Ais turned her golden eyes toward the flames and asked with concern.

"I don't know, I just feel like I missed something, but it's probably just my imagination." Lie Yan was certain she hadn't forgotten anything; she'd gathered up any valuable materials she'd encountered on the way back. She couldn't possibly have missed anything.

Completely baffled, I could only conclude that it was an illusion.

But, did we really not miss out?

The underground city has twenty-four levels.

Looking at the somewhat messy scene and the chaotic footprints before him, Fels, who had rushed here, fell silent.

Where are they...?

Where are those two huge, living people?

Vanished into thin air... No, judging from this mark, it seems they tentatively damaged the wall of flesh in front of them and then left.

Fels stared at the pile of rotting flesh on the ground before him, racking his brains to piece together what had happened.

It seems that Fiora and her companions chose not to go any further in order to ensure their safety.

Thinking of this, Fels immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, they didn't go inside; they just lingered outside. Otherwise, things would have gotten much worse. He wouldn't have been able to catch up, and he would have had to notify Uranus and Loki to send reinforcements.

In that case, things would really get complicated.

This way, he doesn't have to say a word, which is great.

Although he no longer has a tongue...

cough cough cough.

However, since the Sword Maiden and her companions are not here, there is no point in him staying here. He should hurry back and think about how to arrange for the Hermes Familia's illegitimate offspring (crossed out) members and the Sword Maiden to explore this place.

Sigh, life as a working person is just so incredibly numb.

Fels shook his head, took one last look around, and prepared to leave.

However, just as he was about to leave, a trace left at the scene caught his attention.

There were two sets of footprints resembling plum blossoms. One set had shorter intervals and a stride similar to that of a dwarf, while the other set had a much longer stride, and judging from the marks, it should have been left by a four-legged canine...

Fels, who considered himself to have some knowledge of dungeon monsters, felt somewhat lost.

Are there any cat-like or dog-like monsters around the 24th floor of the dungeon? Or did the Sword Maiden and her companions bring them down? But my [eyes] didn't detect any signs of them bringing cats or dogs...

What's going on?

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

The wealthy hostess was renowned in the city.

Known for its delicious food, generous portions, and affordable yet not cheap prices, this place is active in the city and enjoys a good reputation among adventurers.

The bell on the door rang crisply. A few tables of customers sat sparsely in the tavern. The gray-haired girl, who was clearing away the tableware from the guests' tables, looked up and greeted them.

"Welcome... Ah, isn't this Mr. Adventurer? And Miss Sword Maiden is here too. Could it be... Mr. Adventurer and Miss Sword Maiden are... you know...?"

The gray-haired girl blinked, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

"........."

"You can't just spout nonsense." Blazing Flame glared at the half-deity of a certain god who was snickering.

Ever since he realized that the other person had no interest in him at all, he became much bolder—or rather, bolder. Since he knew that the other person didn't covet his soul, he could simply treat the other person with a normal attitude.

Keep it simple.

This is what an older, virgin hunter who is averse to women and is also half-dragon-sexual is like. Good kids should never follow his example.

Ais remained completely unaffected, as if she hadn't heard Hill's teasing, and sat down at the counter, picking up the menu and examining it carefully.

"It's been a while, kid."

Mia wiped the water from her hands behind the counter, leaned forward with one hand on the counter, and then raised her eyebrows, saying provocatively, "So, do you still want to bet with me today? I've got some good stuff here."

"Oh? What good stuff do you have?" Flame raised an eyebrow, looking quite interested.

The Abundant Mistress is no ordinary restaurant. Although it is famous for its beautiful girls, in reality, the girls in the restaurant are all highly skilled. Not to mention the few who are good at fighting, even the seemingly delicate Hill can make the ultimate dish that can enhance the adventurer's resistance to abnormal statuses.

Yes, that's right. Hill's cooking skills are terrible. The dishes she made at the beginning could even knock out a level one adventurer. Even the dishes she painstakingly picked out that were barely edible were things that could increase abnormal resistance...

Of course, we're not talking about Hill's cooking now, but Mia's cooking.

The wealthy and pampered hostess often prepares dishes made with food or ingredients from the dungeon labyrinth (a significant portion of which were surviving items after Hill made bento boxes for Bell). Combined with Mia's superb culinary skills, these dishes are enough to create delicacies that will make your mouth water.

According to Flame, Mia's skill level is almost on par with the top cat chefs in the Monster Hunter world.

The chef's parva belongs to the category of yes.

The bet that Mia mentioned was, simply put, a competitive eating contest. The rules were simple: Mia had to cook something and Lieyan had to eat it all within a set time. If Lieyan finished it all, he would win and the meal would be free; otherwise, Mia would win, and Lieyan would pay the entire bill and also have to find a high-end ingredient for her.

Incidentally, the current odds of winning this bet are seven to one.