Chapter 394

Chapter 399: This Waist is So Flexible and Bouncy (Please Subscribe!)

Deep within the tranquil Forest, an area usually teeming with Monsters, Adventurers active on this Floor rarely venture deep for exploration.

Because in the depths of the Safe Floor’s Great Forest, aside from occasionally encountering a few foraging Monsters, there would be no other creatures to find.

Attempting to gather Magic Stones here would be far too inefficient. There’s also the risk of running into some extremely troublesome Elite Monsters or even getting lost in the Forest.

In such a vast Forest, if one can’t find their way out, they’d only become exhausted from repeated battles with Monsters until eventually collapsing.

For these reasons, the Great Forest of the Eighteenth Floor generally sees no Adventurer activity. If there are any, they merely collect fruits and food at the outskirts; the dense interior is absolutely a serene haven untouched by humans.

Ryu had set up memorials for her former companions here, likely calculating that this place would remain undisturbed.

However, she had overlooked those with ulterior motives.

— Places rarely visited by people are environments where Darkness thrives most.

Not long after leaving the memorials of her former companions, a scene caught Izay and Ryu’s eyes.

Between the lush foliage, the two clearly spotted a group of suspicious individuals dressed in black robes.

The voluminous robes completely covered their entire bodies, with headscarves and forehead guards concealing even their mouths.

Their attire, blending perfectly with the darkness, hid their appearances, identities, and movements, leaving behind only the rustling sound of leaves as they passed.

“That is…” Izay’s gaze swept over the forms of these black-robed figures.

Though the color of their clothing had changed, the style was identical to the remnants of the Dark Faction encountered on the Twenty-Fourth Floor. This alone was enough to confirm their identity.

There were seven of them, three constantly scanning the surroundings on guard duty, while the other four pushed cargo carts containing sturdy metal cages forward.

Under the dim light from the sky, it was barely possible to make out what creatures were coiled inside the cages.

The seven remnants of the Dark Faction seemed to be heading somewhere, cautiously moving through the Forest.

Staying by Izay’s side, Ryu noticed this scene as well.

For a moment, the Elf’s breathing halted.

After a few seconds, she managed to squeeze out words from her lips.

“…Dark Faction!!”

The jade fingers intertwined with Izay’s unconsciously tightened, knuckles turning white. Her tone shifted from gentle to cold and filled with murderous intent, her azure eyes devoid of any emotion.

The color of their robes might have been changed to blend with nocturnal activities, but it mattered little. Even if they wore colorful outfits, she would still recognize them.

— These were undoubtedly members of the Dark Faction!

They still had remnants! And they were operating within the very garden she had chosen!

Hatred and anger immediately flared within Ryu’s heart.

This deep part of the Forest held memorials for her friends, places where clusters of small white flowers bloomed for remembrance, and fruit-bearing spots she knew all too well.

Yet, right here, remnants of the Dark Faction appeared!

What difference was this from hiding under a lamp’s shadow?!

Hatred was directed at the group before her, while anger ignited against herself. Without much thought, Ryu wanted to rush out and annihilate them all.

But at that moment, the person beside her didn’t let her get her way.

“Don’t rush, Ryu. Calm down and observe them first. This group has a destination. Let them live a bit longer so we can follow and find their hideout.”

Worried that the girl might lose her mind to hatred, Izay directly held her back, trapping Ryu’s slender waist in his arms to stop her from acting.

Facing Level 5 transcendental Ability Values, Ryu, who possessed Level 4 top-tier strength, had no room for resistance and could only be held in Izay’s embrace as he lectured her.

Fortunately, the effect was highly significant. Numerous examples told us that hatred could indeed be resolved.

Soon, Ryu regained her senses, realizing her current predicament, her cheeks tinting with a pale pink hue.

The young girl took several deep breaths to calm herself, yet all she could smell was Izay’s scent, further clouding her mind instead of clearing it.

“I-Izay…”

“—?”

“Can you… please let me go?”

Ryu’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. Fully experiencing Izay’s soothing presence, she now dared not move even slightly.

Because moving would make her feel even more awkward.

“Calm down?” At first, Izay hadn’t realized what had happened, only noticing how soft and bouncy this waist was, wishing to hold onto it a little longer.

“Hands…” Ryu whispered faintly, answering off-topic.

Hearing the reply, Izay paused momentarily: “Huh? What hands?”

“Take your hands off…” By now, Ryu had nearly buried her face into her chest.

Being held was embarrassing enough, but he kept moving them around!!

Izay pondered for a moment, thinking about the words ‘take your hands off,’ then glanced down at his own hands.

Instantly, he finally understood why this waist felt so soft. He took a deep breath.

“—Sigh! Sorry, Ryu. It was an accident, I didn’t mean to!”

Most likely, in the heat of the moment trying to stop her from rushing out, he had grabbed the wrong place by mistake.

Absolutely unintentional!

After Izay released her, Ryu adjusted her chest area with trembling hands, averting her eyes and lowering her voice: “…I know it wasn’t intentional… but let’s focus on those people from the Dark Faction now. They’re almost out of sight.”

While the two were interacting, the seven remnants of the Dark Faction were almost out of view.

Izay gave a fake cough twice: “…Alright, let’s follow them.”

“And, Izay…”

“?

Thank you for stopping me earlier.”

“Ah, no problem…”

…

The tracking operation began.

As remnants of the Dark Faction, the group of seven maintained a high level of vigilance. They didn’t use Magic Stone lamps and paid constant attention to their surroundings while moving forward, fearing discovery.

But the gap in strength was decisive.

These remnants might be advanced Adventurers, but they couldn’t reach the heights of Levels 4 or 5. Throughout the journey, they remained completely unaware that they were being followed.

Finally, Izay and Ryu followed them to a corner of the deep Forest.

Nearby stood towering cliffs, with gaps between trees revealing stone walls, indicating they had reached the edge of the Floor, currently located at the eastern fringe of the Safe Floor.

The path opened up here, with trees and bushes disappearing, replaced by a vast open space. Only scattered blue crystal pillars over two meters tall stood upright.

It seemed this was the rendezvous point for the Dark Faction.

Following the seven individuals, Izay and Ryu noticed many others emerging from between the crystal pillars to greet them.

Despite the lack of nearby hiding spots large enough to conceal so many people, and having sensed no others during their journey, these welcoming black-robed figures seemed to have emerged from within the rock walls themselves.