The footsteps of the eight black-robed figures echoed between the stone walls. After they entered the cave, everything was pitch-black, yet none of them lit a torch or cast Illumination Art, as if the darkness had no effect on them at all.
A few minutes later, Lacus, who was walking at the very front of the group, suddenly stopped.
The tip of his nose twitched faintly beneath the shadow of his hood. Besides the stench of blood, there was now the rank musk of a wild beast in the air.
A moment later, Lacus let out a soft laugh.
He saw through the prey's trick at a glance, but he did not take it seriously at all.
"A lot of petty cleverness, but this isn't one of those truly uninhabited regions. What kind of monster could there even be..."
As he murmured to himself, Lacus rounded the final corner and saw a giant bear ahead, fully two stories tall, narrowing its eyes at them as it slowly rose to its feet!
"Lord... Lacus?"
A hesitant voice came from one of his subordinates behind him. Lacus's mind began racing.
This giant bear looked very familiar, but for a moment, he could not remember what species it was.
But judging from its size alone, it should not be weak.
He had to find the Holy Scripture. Otherwise, forget the promotion ceremony—he would even suffer severe punishment.
There were not many branching paths in this cave. That little thief had to still be hiding somewhere inside.
In the end, this was the wilds close to human activity, not a true wilderness or the Deep Zone of the Dungeon. The monsters' levels should not be too high.
With his own level of LV40, plus his seven subordinates...
Lacus was still trying to analyze the