"Wow! That woman knocked Big Brother to his knees. She must be trying to force him into becoming a slave!"
The two younger brothers, Ya Yi and Ya Er, saw that things were going badly and immediately started shouting.
"What do we do? Should we go save Big Brother?"
"I think Big Brother will forgive us."
"That's right. Big Brother, please forgive us!"
"You two..."
Morgan lay on the ground and shakily reached out a hand. Glaring at his two younger brothers as they fled, he said weakly, "Get back here."
He'd spat blood all over the ground and still couldn't understand why Sithran, who looked so tiny, had such incredible strength.
In truth, she wasn't all that strong, but she was more than strong enough to send Morgan flying.
A shadow suddenly fell over Morgan. It was Sithran, looking down at him with obvious disgust.
Morgan shuddered and forced a smile. "M-my, ahem, elven lady, please spare me..."
Sithran said nothing. She took back her spear and thrust it at Morgan!
"Ah! Help!"
For the first time, the passersby saw a man scream so loudly without being... whatever that was.
Morgan squeezed his eyes shut in terror, but he didn't feel the slightest pain.
Am I dead? So dying doesn't hurt at all?
No, I'm not dead!
He opened his eyes. The world was still the same—not some kind of hell—and he was completely unharmed. Except...
"My hair's gone?"
His head just felt cold.
Sithran twirled the spear in her hand and said:
"First, slavery isn't encouraged in civilized society. Second..."
Her Great Shield crashed into the ground beside Morgan's head, making the earth shake. "Don't let me see you outside the city again, you bastard. Next time, I won't hold back."
Morgan finally breathed a sigh of relief and mumbled, "Thank you for sparing me."
Sithran glanced at the guards watching her warily from the roadside and quietly put away her weapons.
If the enforcers hadn't been watching, she would've at least put a hole in the bastard. But with the guards looking on, she couldn't. Bed City's law enforcement was notorious for making no distinctions between right and wrong: they'd arrest everyone first and ask questions later. After all, so many people came here every day, and trouble broke out one incident after another. The authorities had to work efficiently.
If she'd hit him any harder just now, she probably would've been arrested and charged with mutual assault.
In a city so full of life, even veteran adventurers like her knew to hold back.
"You've ruined my good mood for the whole day." Sithran spitefully stepped on his face, then turned and walked away without looking back.
"Ahem... I think I've got a broken bone."
Morgan couldn't even get up. He lay helplessly where he was and muttered to himself, "Where'd she get so much strength?"
Sithran stopped. Without turning around, she said coolly, "Because I was tempered in the dungeon."
The dungeon? Tempered?
She hadn't meant anything by it, but her words gave the listener ideas. Could being tempered in a dungeon make you stronger? That didn't seem likely. Killing monsters in a dungeon wasn't going to give you double experience or anything, so—
That elf must've had a fortuitous encounter in the dungeon!
Who knew why the passersby would think that? Maybe their minds just worked in strange ways.
Morgan paused, then sighed. "But I'm a member of the Anti-Dungeon Association."
"Then go die, you bastard."
Sithran couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore and quickened her pace.
"Interesting. Sithran's gotten so much stronger. Could it really be thanks to the dungeon?"
On a rooftop, a figure had witnessed the whole thing and lowered the monocular in her hand.
"I'll go in and take a look, too."
She brushed her hair aside, revealing pointed ears. She was an elf, too.
Two strange things had happened in the House of Bede recently.
First, the eldest young master, Charon, had suddenly left Bed City with a group of people. He'd only left a letter saying that he'd found a business opportunity and was going to make a fortune.
Second, the second young master, Verde, had suddenly fallen in love with the dungeon. Every day, as soon as he opened his eyes, the first thing he did was go to the dungeon. He didn't bring a single attendant, and no one could find out what he wanted to do there.
If anyone asked which of the two things was stranger, it had to be Verde.
Charon's decision was understandable. Everyone knew that Count Philip, who headed the House of Bede, was getting on in years. For the past two years, he'd been looking among his descendants for a new heir. The most likely candidates were the eldest young master, Charon, and the third young master, Sali. Sali was the more capable one, so it was possible that Charon had done this to make a name for himself.
But the second young master, Verde? Who would consider making a playboy who spent all day eating, drinking, and having fun the heir? He might squander the entire family fortune one day!
Everyone in the city knew how useless Verde was. He ate, drank, and gambled, and he'd once pulled off the astonishing feat of gambling away even his underwear. It had brought Count Philip great shame, and he'd nearly wanted to beat his useless son to death.
Even his knowledge of mineral appraisal couldn't salvage his terrible reputation.
Everyone thought a man like him was bound to amount to nothing, and that without the protection of a great family, he wouldn't even be able to survive.
And yet, lately, Verde had actually been making an effort!
Sure, he was only dying over and over again in Sain Underground City, but people still considered exploring dungeons a respectable pursuit.
Count Philip had been greatly shocked when he heard about it. Then he'd sent Verde his support: a box of Teleportation Crystals.
That only made Verde explore even more recklessly.
There was a rumor, though, that the second young master still hadn't managed to make it out of the swamp.
"What are my big brother and second brother up to?"
Sali paced around the room, unable to figure out what the two of them were trying to do.
Brave Hero Elsa was curled up on the sofa, eating snacks and flipping through a light novel. She looked every bit like a shut-in; Sali had practically raised her into one.
Perhaps the sound of his footsteps had annoyed her. She looked up at Sali, said nothing, and lowered her head again.
They spent every day holed up in the house, analyzing reports about Sain Underground City from adventurers. Recently, a few of those reports had attracted a lot of attention.
[Unknown Adventurer:]
[I distinctly remember that the last time I went there, there was a rock near the swamp. If you stood on it and jumped a few times, all the monsters nearby would freeze up. But when I went back this time, it didn't work! Instead, a monster crawled out from under the rock and bit me to death. This dungeon is seriously weird. Why does it change every day?]
"Changes every day..."
Sali murmured the words on the page, then turned to Elsa and said:
"Do you think this could fit our theory?"
"What?" Elsa was so engrossed in her novel that she hadn't even heard what Sali had said.
Sali said helplessly, "You know, that..."
"If a dungeon changes frequently, it means that there must be—"
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