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

Page 890

"It seems there's a lot of false eyewitness information mixed in... the surrounding area is in chaos!"

News of the battle's progress gradually reached the Loki Familia's headquarters.

The primary means of transmitting intelligence is through magic stone signal lights. Members waiting on the rooftop platform of a building flash the signal lights, concentrating intelligence on the central area of "Daedalus Road," where their headquarters are located.

"Don't disrupt the formation! Tell everyone to maintain their positions perfectly!"

Annakiti shouted loudly to the members who received the signal.

As her deputy, she handled the command work so as not to interfere with the little people leader's mental "chessboard" drawing and repeated thinking of hundreds of "ghost tag battles".

(Except for Bell Crane, all members of the Hestia Familia have escaped surveillance, including the main god. Was it due to the power of magical artifacts, or the terrain of Daedalus Road? In any case, now is the "time" when the enemy can move freely.)

Finn concedes the first move to his opponent.

Since they were going to wage a "two-front war," the Loki Familia didn't have any spare manpower to begin with.

They must carefully observe the enemy's movements before responding to their moves, otherwise they will be forced into a "passive" position.

(As expected, the monsters are planning to use Bell Crane as "bait"... We've already deployed our strongest fighter (Ais) to deal with it. Let's see how they respond.)

Ais's request was exactly what Finn wanted.

This is a move to deploy the strongest "piece" in one's own camp, effectively shutting down the enemy's underhanded tactics. This will inevitably force the enemy to "take action." Let's see what they're capable of first.

"Bell Crane has also appeared in the southeast! Uh, and Miss Ais seems to have lost track of him..."

"As I told you, Bell Craney is using a diversionary tactic. Leave his matter to Ais; you don't need to concern yourselves with him. There's no need for action in the south and southeast yet."

The news that the other party had gotten rid of Ais shocked the group members and Anachidi.

Finn was also taken aback, but he still quickly gave the instructions.

"The west is more suspicious than either of these two places. Elfie, tell Tione and his men in the northwest to move to 98th Street and lay a trap."

Seeing the leader's calm demeanor, the other members also managed to remain composed and replied, "Yes!"

Despite the enemy's feint attack, the Loki Familia remained unshaken and continued to maintain their impenetrable formation surrounding the "artificial labyrinth."

(Ais is probably being held up. Is it an ambush? The enemy's strength is beyond my imagination... But it doesn't matter there. Ais will probably be back at her post soon.)

Finn rested the hilt of his spear on his right shoulder as he pondered.

(What concerns me is that the enemy wasn't detected by our guards or scouts. Did they figure out my strategy...? No, there's something more cunning in their mind.)

The enemy's actions have repeatedly exceeded my expectations; perhaps they've used magical artifacts?

As Finn considered factors he couldn't foresee, he asked the group members nearby:

"Any news about the Black Minotaur?"

"No news has come in yet."

"Is that so... Maintain formation, I'll check the situation again."

Finn remained calm and observed the situation.

Then, at the same time...

He then became distracted by another "operation," keeping his mind constantly active.

("This side" is fine so far, it's still within the expected range. The problem is—)

"Over there." Finn frowned.

"The man-eating plant (monster) is coming!"

The cry echoed through the secret passages beneath Daedalus Road.

Its long, yellowish-green body approached the adventurers, who were tense and ready to fight.

"Roar! Ro ...

The members of the Loki Familia engage in battle with a man-eating plant that roars like a broken gong.

Although it is a wide underground passage, the monsters are large-scale, and there are three, four, or even more of them.

Faced with the attacks of tentacles waving everywhere and ugly mouths, coupled with their sheer number, the members were plunged into a fierce battle.

"Which 'door' opened!?"

"Southwest! Hordes of monsters are still emerging from the man-made labyrinth... an endless stream!"

The band members responded to Grace's loud voice with shouts.

They were caught off guard by the enemy in a split second. The moment the members waiting in the underground tunnels were distracted by news of the unicorn rabbits appearing on the surface, the "door" to the artificial maze opened without warning. The swarms of carnivorous plants hiding inside were released like a torrent of torrents.

Unable to withstand the surprise attack, the group members were forced to retreat temporarily.

"The monsters keep pouring out, but the 'door' is still open! Perhaps we can force our way in now…!"

"Stop! This is a 'trap'! Once we enter the maze, we'll be trapped inside and tortured to death! The best proof is that only monsters come out, not a single remnant!"

Grace rejected the impatient member's request.

If any monster tamer or monster appeared, they could be captured. But all that was released were minions (monsters), and we couldn't even reduce the enemy's strength, let alone seize the "key".

The enemy unleashed a swarm of monsters, clearly intending to wage a war of attrition—essentially, to "prank" them.

"So this is what they call a 'flanking maneuver'?! Couldn't Finn have chosen an easier strategy?!"

Grace cursed as he grinned resentfully and brandished his axe.

"Lady Riveria, reinforcements from the monsters have arrived!"

As for the elven forces, including Rivilia, which were guarding the southeast, they were also under attack from the enemy.

Alicia, who serves as Riveria's second-in-command, wields a short bow and "magic," her dignified appearance revealing her anxiety.

"We simply don't have the spare energy to detect the enemy's movements! If this continues, even if we manage to lure out the dark faction, it'll be too late...!"

"Hold on. And Alicia, don't panic, your wavering will affect the other spirits. Fight with the 'Heart of the Great Tree'!"

Riveria personally stepped to the front line, luring the man-eating flower (monster) while playing "Parallel Chanting." The elves' simultaneous shooting wiped out all the enemies along the passage, but the monster soon reappeared.

Unlike the preliminary battles taking place on the surface, the underground passages are now witnessing fierce fighting.

Riveria closed her eyes and unleashed an ice and snow barrage as she finished chanting.

"The Loki Familia...a bunch of idiots."

Inside the "door" made of the hardest metal (ostrichite), a long, blue-purple robe swayed.

The masked man, followed by violas and crystal striders, mocked the Loki Familia with a jumble of eerie, overlapping voices. He stretched out his metal-gloved hand, unleashing even more monsters to attack the adventurers.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Sanatos, deep within the man-made labyrinth, also wore a smile.

This is the main hall inside the labyrinth, and also the stronghold of the dark faction. In the center is a pedestal with a large red bead; manipulating this bead allows one to freely control the "doors" within the artificial labyrinth. Based on this characteristic, the remnants also call this place the "Master's Hall."

The god who controls death listened to the information about the Loki Familia brought by his apostle, and a cold smile spread across his face.

"While the problems Ikelos and his group caused were indeed beyond our expectations... I could have predicted your operation. You're probably planning to use the 'keys' held by the 'talking monsters' as bait to lure us out, right?"

The celestial being, with his long, thick purple hair swaying, exuded a decadent aura as he sat cross-legged on his pedestal.

"All I have to do is release the monsters, and they'll destroy themselves. See how easy this job is? Even someone like me who doesn't know anything about combat can do it."

Sanatos correctly saw through Finn's intentions.

They also knew how much of a burden this was for the Loki Familia.

As Thanatos said, he only needed to unleash the monsters to "prank" the other side. In this way, the Loki Familia, which stayed in the underground passage, would slowly lose stamina. No matter how many monsters were defeated on the Dark Faction's side, it wouldn't cause much damage.

With the help of these strange people, the man-made maze is filled with "colorful monsters".

"Try to release as many monsters as possible!"

"yes!"

Sanatos's slow, almost humming voice rang out.

The apostle of death ran away.

"Baka's brother too, please help me out."

"...A waste of time. But it's also the kind of labor that has to be put in."

Beside Thanatos, Baka, a member of the Master Craftsman (Daedalus) clan, manipulated the large red bead in front of the pedestal.

Hidden beneath white hair obscured by sunlight, its left eye emits a "D" light, releasing the "door"—a partition within the labyrinth—and unleashing the carnivorous plants inside. Baka repeatedly opens and closes the "door," luring the monsters out of the labyrinth.

"Judging from this situation, even the Loki Familia can't handle it... While you're still at a loss, I'm going to send a special task force to retrieve the 'key'."

As for how to deal with the "armed monsters," a countermeasure has already been devised.

Sanatos looked up at the stone-sealed ceiling and smiled at the enemy troops who were probably setting up their battle lines on the ground.

"Being sandwiched from both sides is so tough, [Brave]."

For the Loki Familia, the crisis is far from over.

For the Sanatos Familia, the comedy continues.

Sanatos chuckled like a child.

While a fierce battle was unfolding inside the underground passage.

Even across the ground, the commotion on the surface is about to escalate into chaos.

"Whoa... As expected of the captain, a battle has really broken out."

Raul muttered to himself as he led one corner of the formation.

This may be an old point, but in any case, Raul Nord is a second-tier adventurer.

[Ability Value] is Lv.4. Literally speaking, he is undoubtedly a strong person, but even so, he still gives other factions an impression of being "unremarkable", which stems from his personality.

Including Finn, he always appeared timid and hesitant when facing the city's few top-tier adventurers, lacking sufficient confidence; he was, in a sense, a typical ordinary person. His low self-esteem, which was unusual for an adventurer with a rough temperament, caused others to regard him as a "commoner."

Therefore, from the perspective of the "enemy" confronting it, it can sometimes be a very useful "loophole".

"—Raul!"

"Huh... Commander!?"

Upon hearing the sound, Raul turned around and let out a strange cry.

Because Finn, who should have stayed at home, came instead.

Raul's troops were positioned on the western edge of the labyrinth street, bordering the central area. Seeing Finn come all the way from headquarters, the young human panicked.

"Why is the regimental commander here? Who's in command...?"

"The main monster team has appeared in the southeast! The Black Bull (Minotaur) is there too! We need to meet up with Ais, who's already on the scene, and crush the enemy in one fell swoop! Tell the troops to change formation! I'm going in too!"

"Yes, yes!?"

Upon hearing his forceful tone and the term "Black Minotaur," Raul reflexively stood at attention and replied to the order.

He never considered doubting the little people in front of him.

"And Raul, do you remember the personnel deployment for the 'Artificial Maze'?"

"Oh! You mean the 'artificial maze' underground? I remember..."

Tell me, there's something that's bothering me.

Although Raul was greatly puzzled, he still answered Finn's question:

"Uh, the four 'doors' found in the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast should be guarded by Mr. Grace and his men..."

"Is that so... I'll go first. Raul, gather everyone around here, you all go to the southeast too."

“Okay, okay!”

Upon receiving the instructions from the great commander, Raul set off immediately without hesitation.

He also instructed his team members to change formation and follow Finn's priority of defeating the "Black Bull".