Chapter 396

Chapter 401: Some Things Can Only Be Left to the Future (Please Subscribe!)

In a secluded corner of the deep forest.

Amidst an area surrounded by colossal crystal pillars, chaos reigned. The crystal pillars, standing like ancient stone circles on the grass, bore cracks and leaned or lay toppled over, narrating the ferocity of the battle that had taken place.

As silence once again enveloped the region, Izay bathed in the faint luminescence of crystal fragments falling like snowflakes. He found a tightly sealed package within a truck.

The remnants of the Dark Faction had been completely annihilated, not a single monster remained. For now, it was a relatively safe environment. Without much thought, Izay opened the package.

Inside was an object roughly the size of an apple, entirely crafted from artificial materials—a finely wrought metallic artifact. Its appearance was a crimson sphere with an inscrutable “D”-shaped mark etched onto its surface.

“This feeling… there’s no mistaking it—it’s a magical artifact.”

“The key to ‘Knossos’ is this thing.”

Izay weighed it slightly, then using his extensive knowledge as a magician, discerned the essence of the object.

“What kind of magical artifact?”

Noticing him, Ryu approached cautiously, her serious demeanor softening.

“Look, this thing in my hand—my intuition tells me it might be useful later.”

“One of the items carried by the remnants of the Dark Faction?”

“That’s right. I found it hidden in a secret compartment of the truck—it was pretty well concealed.”

Upon hearing Izay’s response, Ryu gave the red orb another look.

“So, this little ball must have been quite important to those people?”

“Hmm… could be?”

Why did it sound like a question?

For a moment, Ryu wanted to ask. But then she realized Izay had just obtained the item and, like her, was making an objective judgment about its importance based on the situation.

The crucial functionality… how would they know? They weren’t members of the Dark Faction.

With that thought, Ryu let it go.

She glanced at the “sky” and softly spoke, “So, should we still head to that inn? It feels like dawn is approaching…”

“Hmm… we should rest there for a bit. Our expedition team will return to the surface today. If you don’t want to join the large group, we can depart after the vanguard leaves,” Izay replied after some thought.

The next moment, Ryu crossed her arms and quietly said, twirling her fingers,

“Actually… you don’t have to take care of me so much. If it’s just the vanguard, I can go with you…”

The vanguard referred to the elite team comprising officers like Izay.

Just like when entering the dungeon, the return trip also split into two groups at the eighteenth floor due to the narrowness of the upper levels for large parties.

Ryu understood this. After considering the composition of the vanguard and realizing she didn’t want to keep troubling Izay, she decided to make a breakthrough herself.

As Izay had said, one must always look forward.

Recalling their first visit to the eighteenth floor, Izay had foregone traveling with his companions because of her.

Although back then, everyone wasn’t very familiar with each other.

But now, so much time had passed. Ryu didn’t want such a situation to happen again.

Still, saying that required courage from Ryu.

Even just dealing with the revered Riviria was enough to give her headaches.

Watching the elf fidgeting with her delicate fingers to ease her tension, Izay smiled and ruffled her hair.

“Alright then, we’ll go back together.”

“…Okay.”

“But we still need to rest. Let’s visit that elven inn before sunrise. We can’t stay here forever.”

“Alright.”

This exchange made Izay feel somewhat nostalgic.

Ryu has become so obedient~

Absolutely~

…

By the time dawn fully arrived and everyone had finished breakfast, Izay returned to the campsite with Ryu.

Under Ais’s bewildered gaze, Haruhi’s joy, and the innkeeper’s subtle looks, he felt somewhat uneasy introducing Ryu to the vanguard team.

Of course, he only briefly mentioned that she was an adventurer, omitting any mention of her past.

Whether Tiona and the others could deduce Ryu’s identity as “Swiftwind” from these few words was up to them.

Izay thought it unlikely.

As for whether Finn and the others recognized her… better not to talk about it!

The vanguard consisted of a few officers including Izay, along with the leaders Finn and Riviria, and supporters like Tsubaki and Raul.

Everyone else was in the rear guard led by Gress.

The rear guard was currently methodically organizing their loot. Anqi, Alisia, Haruhi, and the others were helping out. Their return to the surface would likely take half an hour longer.

Belle and the others were also assigned to the rear guard. Hermes’s successful negotiation granted them the right to safely return to the surface with the rear guard.

However, whether the joyful deity would cause trouble midway and whether Belle could smoothly and safely return with the rear guard remained uncertain.

“Well, according to reports, the floor boss from last night has already been defeated by Izay. From here on out, we just need to slowly return, but we cannot let our guard down until we’re out of the dungeon. We can’t let another Minotaur incident occur.”

Everyone understood, right? Finn asked after finishing his speech.

“Understood!” xN

“Then let’s go! Our goal is the surface!”

…

Around the time Izay’s expedition was coming to an end.

“What’s wrong, Uranus?”

In a stone hall resembling an ancient temple, Fels noticed something amiss when the old deity he served narrowed his gray eyes.

“My divine will (voice) can no longer reach the dungeon.”

One sentence stiffened Fels instantly, his tone tinged with shock.

“Could it be that prayers have been interrupted!?”

“Precisely… the dungeon has gone out of control.”

When questioned by the hooded magician, Uranus responded with a terrifying statement.

“It seems a deity has intruded into the dungeon, and the dungeon has detected it…”

After stating his opinion, the immovable old deity paused, exuding a heavy silence.

Then, as if directing his gaze somewhere beyond, he looked upward where darkness blocked the sky: “However… since the day Zeus, Hera, and the others bid farewell and left, I’ve been prepared for this. Their choice may not have been wrong.”

—Some things can only be left to the future.

The old deity said this to his trusted lieutenant.

…

“Still couldn’t avoid it… what an unlucky kid…”

Standing on the minus first floor of the Babel Tower near the surface, Izay shook his head as he felt the faint vibrations beneath his feet.