Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"She pulled her hood down low, like a man, so you couldn't see her face at all... Ah, but that woman had a devilish figure; you could tell even through her robe. Ahh, what a slut you wanted to pull into your arms!"

"Oh, actually, I caught a glimpse of her on the street... she really is a nice woman. Although I couldn't see her face, I can't be wrong."

After Willie strongly advocated for it, Perth went on to enthusiastically explain how desirable the woman's figure was.

All the women, including Tiona, cast cold glances at them as their breathing became heavier.

"...But this is your shop! How could you not know what was happening inside? Weren't you always at that long counter in front of the entrance?"

"Please, have mercy on me. Seeing other men checking into rooms with such hot girls, if I hear any noise coming from the rooms, I'll get jealous and other things. I just left the 'All Rooms Full' sign at the door and ran to the pub." Willie shrugged at Tiona's question.

He said he had been drinking alone all night, and the people in the bar last night confirmed his statement.

It's pretty certain that Willie went to the tavern last night and didn't return until early this morning, and the man was murdered during that time, while the woman in the robe is nowhere to be found.

Judging from the clothes he had taken off and thrown on the floor, and the man's half-naked appearance, it's not hard to imagine what he was about to do before he died. The man, about to indulge in sexual activity, was likely taken advantage of by the murderer and killed.

Tiony looked around the room with little interest, then asked Perse:

"It seems no one witnessed the woman in the robe, is that right?"

"Yeah, not a single witness. I sent the boys around asking around, but we haven't gotten a single clue yet."

"Was no receipt issued when paying for the accommodation?"

"Sorry, it wasn't open. The guy generously gave me some very valuable magic stones and said I didn't need to ask for change, so I didn't ask for much."

Rivera asked a question beside Tione and the others, and Willie answered somewhat apologetically.

Generally, to save inventory space, gold coins are not carried when exploring dungeons. In "Rivera Town," located in the underground city, transactions for weapons, items, and lodging are all conducted using written contracts. Adventurers who purchase various items sign their names on the receipts provided by the shopkeepers and affix their [Family] emblem. The shopkeepers will collect the money from their respective factions when they return to the surface on a later date.

Therefore, if the transaction were conducted in writing, the other party's name and faction would be known, but since it was a barter transaction, there was no way to confirm this. The fully armored man who was murdered appeared to be acting alone, without any companions—at least no one has come forward to claim that he was one of them—and as a result, no one knows who the victim with the brutally mutilated face is.

"It doesn't matter, I'm going to find out his identity directly through this guy's body anyway. —Hey, isn't the 'unlocking drug' ready yet?!"

Perth yelled down the corridor, just as a human adventurer ran by.

He hurriedly entered the room with the short orc man waiting at the door, handing the small bottle he had brought—containing what appeared to be crystal fragments of magic stone and a clear, bright red liquid—to Perth. Perth unceremoniously turned the supine body over, and the short man wearing a scarf walked to his side.

The man crouched down and popped the cap off the small bottle. After dripping the red liquid onto the deceased's back, he moved his fingers across the skin, as if drawing some kind of pattern.

"I remember the 'unlocking drug' was something like..."

"It is a tool specifically designed to expose the favors of one's clan (our ability values). However, this medicine alone is not enough; the correct steps must be followed to unlock the locks placed on the gods."

Beside Lefia, Riveria stared sternly at Perth and the others who had committed acts of blasphemy against the dead.

Only a select few who have mastered the developmental ability "mysticism" can concoct "lock-picking potions" using the "blood (ichor)" of the gods; judging from the ingredients alone, it's clear this is an illegal item. This potion is not generally sold on the market, circulating only in the black market. The reason it exists in the town of "Rivera" is self-evident.

Not only are the opportunities to use them extremely limited, but more importantly, there are very few pharmacists who know how to prepare them, making them extremely rare. Of course, the price is also very high.

A common use is to take advantage of the fact that the [ability value] will always be engraved with the real name of the person and the name of the main god, in order to find out the origin of assassins and other figures.

"Where did they learn that kind of technique from...?"

"It's not surprising that adventurers would do anything for money, even 'good deeds'."

A helpless Tiona and a cold-eyed Tione watched as the short orc man's fingers smoothly slid across his back, where his [ability values] were hidden.

The short man dripped the solution, using a tool that could unlock any divine lock by drawing patterns with complex and correct movements. Before long, a complete text resembling an inscription appeared on the back of the corpse.

"Perth, it's done."

"Oh, well done."

The short man stepped back, and Perth looked down at the unlocked [ability value], slapped his forehead, as if to say, "This is bad." "Damn it, I can't understand [hieroglyph]... Hey, you guys go outside and find one or two elves who look very knowledgeable!" "Wait. I can understand [hieroglyph]."

"I understand."

When Perth loudly ordered someone to run errands, Riveria and Ais spoke up.

He first opened his right eye, which wasn't covered by the blindfold, wide, then shrugged and made way. They stepped forward and looked down at the [ability value] to decipher the [sacred script].

Riveria knelt on one knee beside the corpse, while Ais remained standing. Under the silent gaze of everyone in the room, Pei Cui's golden eyes meticulously read the complex handwriting of the celestial being.

A short while later, they slowly opened their lips and said:

"Her name is Hassanna Dolria. She belongs to..."

"...[The Ganesha Familia]."

Ais followed Riveria's words, and the moment she uttered them, the room fell completely silent.

The room fell silent instantly.

The next moment, the room suddenly became noisy.

"【Ganesha's Familia】!?"

"Hey! You're not mistaken, are you?!"

Hearing the simultaneous screams of agony erupt from the crowd, Ais and Riveria remained motionless, their gazes fixed on the corpse's [ability stats]. Seeing their frozen expressions, Finn and Tiona also widened their eyes.

The corpse's true identity was a member of one of the city's most powerful "Familias"—a faction that rivaled the "Loki Familia." Upon hearing this information, Willie and the others turned pale.

Among them, a trembling Perth shouted out a question in a voice lacking composure that was more impossible to ignore than anything else:

"Don't be ridiculous—isn't [Gunfighter (Hassana)] LV.4!?"

Ais and the others personally confirmed the death of the second-level adventurer.

The conclusion drawn was that the woman in the long robe was a powerful individual with a level of at least LV4.

The possibility that a serial killer, equivalent to a first-level adventurer, might still be lurking in this town sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 2 Chapter 3: Loki the Detective from the Underworld

The sun, high in the sky, was dazzling and brilliant.

Under the clear blue sky, Orario was still bustling with noise. The bustling streets and other commercial areas were teeming with people, who moved about on the cobblestone streets. To get around the vast city, passersby could often be seen hailing horse-drawn carriages that were soliciting passengers along the street and getting on board.

While many demi-humans strolled through the city, Loki and Bert walked along East Street.

"Ah! It's potato balls. Bert, want some?"

"I'm not eating. Can you please stop wandering around like that?"

Loki noticed a vendor's stall at the fork in the road, and Bert remarked unhappily. Then, the Supreme God went to buy some snacks by himself, leaving Loki speechless.

Bert walked alongside Loki, who was munching on potato balls. The shopkeepers lining the street and the people passing by all stared at him. All the gazes came from women.

With long, shapely legs, a towering height of 180cm (Selchi), and a wild aura that seems ready to unleash its fangs on anyone who dares to approach, his handsome features, despite the sharp tattoos covering his forehead and cheeks, still make him a strikingly handsome man. His beastman-like features, including the animal ears on his head and his swaying tail, are considered by some to be quite "endearing and cute."

Bert glared fiercely at the orc female duo who had been staring at him excitedly.

Startled by Bert's glare, they quickly left.

"Ah, what a pity, those two girls were so cute... Bert, be gentler with girls, be gentler!"

"I hate frail, weak women the most."

Loki licked his fingers after finishing his potato balls, while Bert beside him, without even glancing at the two women leaving, said this disdainfully.

"Huh~, really? A delicate girl looking at you from a low position with her eyes full of tears, wouldn't that make your heart flutter? Wouldn't you want to protect her?"

"Hmph! Just hearing about it makes me want to vomit. If you can't even protect yourself, you might as well stay in your nest forever and never come out."

"How tactless... Ha! Bert is just that arrogant."

"Hey, wait a minute, what nonsense are you spouting that I can't understand?"

"Well, what I'm saying is—Bert is absolutely smitten with Ais!"

"When did I ever say something like that?!"

"Damn it!" Bert exclaimed, his face flushed. "Hehehe!" Loki simply grinned wickedly.

Even the werewolf's prickly attitude was ineffective against this lovable but eccentric god.

"You damn bastard... Hey, stop talking nonsense. How long are you going to hang around in the same place? Don't you have something to investigate?"

Bert bared his teeth menacingly and questioned Loki.

He was entrusted by Loki at headquarters to accompany the chief god on an "investigation," but since arriving at East Street, she has only been wandering around the surrounding area.

Loki just peeked into the back alleys and sparsely populated areas, occasionally asking questions of shopkeepers or residents on the main street, which annoyed Bert, who vigorously flicked his gray fur tail.

"Hmm—" she responded slowly, her eyes scanning her surroundings as she carried a cloth bag.

"Actually, I started investigating around here yesterday... Now I'm doing a final check to see if there's anything I've missed."

Including today, in the two days since the Monster Festival ended, Loki has been investigating East Street alone.

After a private conversation with Freya, Loki deduced that there was a third party besides her who released the monster—perhaps for some other purpose.

Ais and the others were caught in the crossfire, and Lefia was seriously injured. Even if it was just to settle scores, these reasons alone were enough to prompt Loki to take action. She limited her investigation to the area around East Street, but so far she hadn't found any useful leads.

Located on the street where the man-eating flower monster broke through the ground, the large hole has now been filled in, and the surface has returned to calm.

"So, you want to investigate the kind of monster Ais and the others fought? That's troublesome... Don't you have any information from the guild or Ganesha?"

"I wanted to ask them something, but they were busy cleaning up the mess from the celebration and dealing with residents' complaints and protests, so they didn't give me a chance to ask them anything."

While talking to Bert, Loki looked up at the enormous amphitheater (amphitheatum) that claimed its existence in the corner of his field of vision.

The East Street area, located in the eastern part of the city, is where guild-managed facilities, including the amphitheater, are concentrated. Almost all of the city's festivals are held here. Consequently, many inns have opened, providing accommodation for tourists from outside the city who come to visit the festivals.

Deviating from the main street, the two entered a complex network of alleyways unlike any other area, where tall buildings and hotels with three or more floors stood out conspicuously. The further they walked, the more luxurious red-brick hotels gradually transformed into cheap wooden hostels, and soon Loki stopped.

Ahead of the narrow alley is a small space surrounded by buildings.

The corner of the space was cluttered with somewhat dirty equipment, and there was a detached stone house.

"We've investigated most of the streets... this is the only place left."

After saying that, Loki reached out to pull the heavy wooden door. She expected it to be locked, but to her surprise, there was no resistance at all, and she pulled open the rusty iron door knocker... "Squeak..." With a low scraping sound, the door slowly opened.

The cabin was empty except for a spiral staircase leading to the floor below. Without hesitation, she stepped onto it, making a "click, click" sound as she descended the stairs.

After walking a few circles along the spiral, Loki and Bert arrived at the dark underground—the sewers.

"This kind of job should really be given to Raul or someone else..."

The small magic stone lamp, nearing the end of its life, the sound of flowing water reaching my ears, and the endless darkness spreading through the sewers.

Seeing things getting increasingly complicated, Bert muttered wearily.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely reward you later."

Loki took a portable magic stone lamp from the bag he was carrying and lit it. The lamp, somewhat like a kerosene lamp, immediately illuminated the dark space around them. "It's just wine anyway," Bert had already guessed what the reward would be. Loki smiled at this and walked alongside him through the sewers.

"Tiona and Tione investigated for me on the day of the festival, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. They were just following the trail of those monsters, so there might be some things they missed."

"Let those two brainless Amazons do the checking; they're bound to miss a ton of things."

After walking through the narrow passage for a while, the two arrived at the wide main waterway with flowing water.

This was a tubular tunnel built of stone, about six meters in diameter. Water flowed through the center, and there were footholds and passageways on both sides of the tunnel for people to move forward. Loki and his companions walked along the narrow passageway on the right side of the sewer.

The sound of rushing water was loud and forceful, enough to obscure their conversation. Branch channels converged from various directions, making the sound seem to echo through layers of the sewers.

On the other hand, although the air in the sewers is indeed more polluted than on the ground, it doesn't have that pungent stench that makes you want to hold your nose... that peculiar smell of sewage.

Loki used his magic lamp to illuminate the way ahead, where several crystal pillars emitting a blue-purple glow were placed in the narrow, branching waterways. Shaped like iron fences, they did not obstruct the flow of water but allowed it to pass through directly; they were among the magic stone artifacts that the labyrinth city of Orario was proud of.

The parallel, fence-like purification columns purify the sweat, turning it into clean water. In other words, it's a water purification system. The water in the ditch is crystal clear, unrecognizable as the sweat discharged from the city.

These purification barriers, placed throughout the waterways, prevented the sewers from becoming unbearably foul and also avoided polluting the brackish lake to the southwest that the sewers led to. What convenient tools they could invent! Loki admired the inhabitants of the lower realms.

"But this huge, intricate network of passages, and this atmosphere... it really does feel like a dungeon—"

"Hmph! Stop joking."

Bert, who spent his days exploring real mazes, scoffed at Loki's remarks. He mocked the audacity of calling such a rudimentary artificial maze an underground city, utterly ignorant of its own limitations.

Countless horizontal paths and staircases carved into the walls, and a bridge spanning the opposite bank. Bert explored the dark sewers with ease, immediately repelling any danger Loki encountered. Perhaps brought upstream from the brackish lake by the sea, the fish monster "Ambush Fish" once leaped out of the water to attack, but was quickly kicked to death by Bert. The series of sights, indistinguishable to the naked eye, made Loki gasp in amazement, exclaiming "Oh!" in admiration.

The magic stone lamp in Loki's hand illuminated the surroundings with an oval-shaped beam of light, casting two shadowy figures on the wall.

Bert's long shadow, with its ears and tail, stretched backward, forming a silhouette resembling a ferocious wolf.

"Oh?"

She investigated every corner of the sewers by randomly touching things around, and after a while...

Before Loki and his companions appeared an iron gate they had never seen before.

This is an old, worn-out double door. It is secured with a heavy padlock, tightly sealing the left and right doors.