Chapter 18 - He is not a well-known adventurer. (Patreon)

Ais’s expression returned to normal, and she focused on the battle in front of her. Ais didn’t have a teleportation ability, but her speed was absurdly high. In less than two seconds, she closed the distance to the Infant Dragon and attacked it.

Her movements were swift and beautiful, so precise that they could mesmerize anyone who watched her. Her sword, with a blade as thin as a saber, struck the dragon several times within seconds.

Ais danced across the ground and through the air, leaving cuts all over the dragon’s body. Its legs were severed, and deep wounds spread across its body, particularly around its neck.

Everything happened in less than a minute.

Ais sheathed her sword. Not even a drop of sweat was visible on her forehead. She collected the dragon’s magic stone and walked back toward her group. As soon as she approached, Bete looked at her seriously and asked,

“What was that? That’s the first time I’ve seen you get distracted like that.”

“I saw a man.”

“A man? An adventurer?”

“Probably, but I’ve never seen him before. He appeared and disappeared in a second,” Ais said.

“He appeared and disappeared in a second?” Tiona asked, suddenly interested.

“When I was in the air, he appeared beside me, also in midair. But then he vanished completely. I couldn’t sense his presence afterward,” Ais explained.

It was rare for her to say so much.

However, the incident had left her quite intrigued.

Tiona looked at Ais and asked, “Are you sure you actually saw someone? You’re not imagining things, are you?”

“...”

Ais fell silent, and her mind grew confused for a moment.

Then Tione joined the conversation. “At least, do you remember what he looked like?”

“Yes, I remember his face. Like I said, I’ve never seen him before.”

“All right, all right. Let’s not think about it too much. Let’s get out of here. I’m hungry.”

“...”

Ais turned around and started walking again.

The image of Kael was still lingering in her mind.

He was quite handsome, so she would remember his face even though she didn’t particularly care about such things.

'But if he appeared and disappeared like that, he must be a talented adventurer. He must be someone who relies heavily on speed in combat, just like I do.'

Ais knew most of the talented adventurers in Orario, after all. They were famous.

That man certainly wasn’t famous.

In the end, Ais left the 12th Floor with her group without encountering Kael again.

However, his image remained in her mind.

####

After encountering Ais so unexpectedly, Kael was startled. He immediately teleported as far away as he could manage, sixty meters away. Even Bella had no idea where he had gone.

Once the Infant Dragon was killed, Bella was able to see Ais and her group. However, Kael was nowhere to be found.

Ais’s group noticed Bella’s presence. Ais looked directly at Bella; she stared at her for a few seconds before looking away. It seemed as though Ais had remembered something. However, her group did not stop walking and simply passed by Bella without saying a word.

Bella wanted to talk to Ais, but in the end, she didn't approach her.

'I should have said something... Well, whatever.' Bella thought.

After Ais’s group disappeared, Bella looked around, searching for Kael.

'What happened? Where did he go?'

Bella walked toward the place where the Infant Dragon had been killed, but she couldn’t find Kael.

'Damn it… Where did you go?'

Bella clicked her tongue.

'It was Ais who killed the dragon, wasn’t it? Did he run away after encountering Ais? But why?'

Bella knew that shouting in a place like this would be foolish, so she didn’t call out Kael’s name.

She decided to continue exploring the floor while looking for him, or until he decided to show up. Considering his special ability, he could appear beside her at any moment.

With a sigh, Bella continued forward.

Meanwhile, Kael was several meters away, holding his sword.

Standing in the middle of the fog, he wondered aloud, “Why the hell did I run away?”

It had been his first encounter with Ais, and it had happened so suddenly. But why the hell had he run away?

“I’m an idiot.”

Kael had wanted to take that opportunity to get closer to Ais. In stories like this, a chance encounter always worked out.

Huff…

Kael sighed and thought, 'Bella must be looking for me.'

Then he teleported back to where he had been before. The fog wasn’t an obstacle; he could use his ability without any problems.

However, when he arrived at the place where Bella had been, she was no longer there.

Kael sighed once more and decided to continue exploring alone instead of going back.

He began teleporting around the 12th Floor, moving several meters forward, then several meters to the left.

He encountered monsters and killed them with ease. Imps, Bad Bats, Orcs, Hard Armored monsters, and enormous gray-furred apes known as Silverbacks.

Before Kael realized it, an hour had passed.

And after a full hour, he finally managed to meet up with Bella again.

As soon as they met, she looked at him seriously and asked, “What happened? Why did you suddenly disappear?”

“Ais. I got startled and ended up teleporting far away.”

“What do you mean, you got startled? Are you stupid?”

“...”

Huff…

Bella sighed and said, “Fine. Just make sure you don’t wander off again.”

“What’s this? Did you miss me?”

“Disgusting.”

Kael couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Bella continued forward with a serious expression, and Kael followed close behind.

As soon as they reached the 13th Floor, Kael’s eyes widened.

Bella noticed his expression and asked, “It’s different from what you imagined, isn’t it?”

Rocky walls stretched in every direction, with countless branching paths scattered throughout the area. It was truly an impressive labyrinth.

“Yeah, it’s different from what I imagined. It’s amazing.”

“You’ll see even more incredible things from here on. However, you’ll also encounter much more dangerous monsters. Take this seriously.”

“I’ve been taking this seriously from the very beginning.”

“Really?” Bella asked.

Kael didn’t understand her question. Did she think he was just playing around?

He was certainly having fun, but did that mean he was treating everything like a game?

'…'