88 Chapter 88: Dr. Lars Strikes Again

"Guhahaha! Look at them! They're so lively!" Gareth laughed as he overlooked the 2nd regiment.

Airmid was taking care of their fatigue and they were forced to fight endlessly.

Fatal wounds was what Airmid promised to heal, so they just used potions for their injuries.

"This is hell on earth! We're fighting perpetually!" Raul complained and their morale was starting to dip.

"Hah, hah, I'm starting to blank out. My chants are getting slower." Alicia's ice magic that fires a barrage of ice was getting slower.

Increasing the strain on the vanguard. "Reinforcements nya! We need reinforcements!" Anakitty was letting more and more monsters through.

Her combat prowess was starting to degrade due to mental fatigue.

Battles took a toll on your mind as much as your body after all.

But just like Murphy does to soldiers that need reinforcement. They did not come.

"Huddle up into a corner! Fight them off against a wall!" Raul was desperate as they backed off into the wall of the colosseum.

"Ahhh, I guess I have to step in." Gareth sighed at Raul's bad decision.

And it was shown right as they hugged the wall. "Kyahhh! They spawn from the walls you fucking idiot!" One of them cried out as she got grabbed by a barbarian.

"Have no fear! For I am here!" Gareth crashed on the ground and he swung his axe, shattering the ground.

They then got healed by Airmid as a bonus for lasting as long as they did as Gareth held the rear guard for them to escape.

"Hah, hah, I thought I was gonna die, nya." Anakitty was panting heavily, her life was flashing before her eyes.

"Oh? You guys lasted for two hours. Not bad, not bad at all." Finn nodded at them with a smile.

He wasn't scared at all due to Airmid's presence.

"Not bad!? You meanie! Evil! Braver? More like scammer!" Anakitty whined.

"Come on, you guys are going to have tons of improvement once Loki updates your status." Finn smiled.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to pass out. But I can't." Raul groaned as he looked at Airmid who has a stone-cold face on.

"Lars tosses us in the colosseum alone, you should do better." Airmid gave her review and they looked at her like she was crazy.

"Alone!?" Lefiya looked at the colosseum and it was like a fiesta down there.

Everything was out to kill you. "Do you wanna stay here for a day or two?" Lars asked Finn.

"Huh?" Finn was dumbstruck, the 37th floor was dangerous as all hell.

And the 39th floor is near, they can stay there. The 2nd regiment is also mentally swamped.

"Oh, forgot that you haven't seen me in action yet." Lars shrugged and he stomped on the floor.

Huge walls erupted from the ground and Riveria almost blew a gasket at his absurd magic.

'How the hell is his magic so strong without any chants to concentrate the flow and intent?' Riveria's blood pressure was rising.

"Now that shelter's fine, we should have a nice nap no? Then throw them back in there." Lars grinned.

He also wanted Haruhime to get more exp. So it's a win-win.

And even though he doesn't know how the Loki familia will react when Monstro gets revealed, stronger adventurers are welcome.

The dungeon is alive and Lars doesn't know how it will react when his team inevitably goes much deeper.

"You're crazy, I really want you in my familia." Finn grinned at him.

"Ew, I'm not into dudes. Especially not little dudes that look like kids." Lars grimaced.

Finn laughed and they started setting up camp.

The Loki familia was in awe at Lars' makeshift wall so they would have shelter.

But they also stared at them with jealousy. Because Lars' camp was basically a home.

The Astraea familia members were playing snakes and ladders with the Demeter familia and Haruhime was giving them some tea.

Lars also had a fully functional kitchen. He was cooking up a storm, he could cook for an entire army on his own due to his psychokinesis.

"Fuck, I'm jealous as hell..." Raul looked at the jerky on his hand.

"Damn... Are they really gonna do us dirty like that?" Gareth frowned as he too was jealous.

The group who was playing were also drinking some whisky and he saw the label. It was made with the Demeter familia's golden wheat and barley.

Riveria stared at her sad salad and she saw Lars smirk at them.

"Bastard, he's definitely showing off." Finn sighed and he went up to them.

"Uhhh, can you turn our ingredients into food? We'd like a hot meal." Finn negotiated.

"I want 10 percent of the proceedings." Lars immediately replied and Finn winced.

That was a lot. But their morale was going down the drain. They also didn't expect to arrive at the deeper floors so soon.

So they didn't carry perishables much. "Fine, you little miser." Finn sighed and they shook hands.

So Lars made some curry for them, even generously using his spices. And it doesn't need to be refrigerated too.

The second string members cried as they ate a hot meal. The colosseum definitely did a number on them.

"Another 5 percent for showers." Lars set up a shower for their group and Finn grimaced.

"Take it, Finn..." Riveria is royalty. If they can get baths, she would rather pay in gold than to be stinky.

"I also have deodorants." Lars started selling things too.

"Alfia's right, he is a scammer... He's jacking up the prices." Ryuu frowned as Riveria bought some of his wares.

"Heh, I guess my potion making skills are quite useful." It was one of his creations in his down time. As experimenting with potions is quite difficult.

Airmid is just built different. "He's draining our potential wages for this expedition." Finn sighed heavily.

"For you, this is free. You just rub this on your hair and you can get clean without water!" Lars introduced dry shampoo to Ais.

"Un, thanks." Ais smiled, which was rare for the Loki familia.

"You and me! Now!" Bete glared at him as he thought of Ais as a potential mate.

"Hah, this has been going for a long time now. I guess I should take care of this?" Lars sighed and he cracked his knuckles.

"Lars, don't kill him please." Finn requested and Bete was too focused to hear his captain.

"Yeah, I could've sent Belnas or Elnea as they love fighting. But I have to do this. Don't worry, I'll discipline your mutt for free." Lars shrugged.

Bete bristled at him and charged at him like a savage animal.

"Many have tried to beat me Bete, but they failed." Lars dodged his attacks with his eyes closed.

"Damn... He is insane in combat, how high is his battle prowess?" Riveria muttered.

Lars' flexibility was unmatched, it is the reason why he did yoga with Ais. He could dodge attacks like he was a leaf in the wind.

"Stay still you bastard!" Bete released an onslaught of attacks, but Lars just dodged them easily.

"Are you sure?" Lars asked and Bete growled at the ridiculing.

"You arrogant fucker!" Bete gave a roundhouse kick and Lars really did stop.

He blocked it with his arm and Bete felt like he just kicked a wall of pure orichalum. His whole body shaking as his shin got numb.

Even with his mithril boots. "I mean, not to brag. But you really can't hurt me with physical attacks that much." Lars explained.

And he felt a bit bad for the guy. He's a level 5 that doesn't have maxed out stats for every level up. While pound for pound, Lars has the stats of a jacked up level 9.

The only person that can hurt him right now is Alfia.

"Bastard! Did you hide your level from the guild!?" Bete accused and the Loki familia started whispering.

"Yeah, are you perhaps a level 7?" Finn frowned. He has to be at least level 7 to block Bete like that. And one that is focused on being a vanguard too.

"Not really, you can look at my falna if you want. Riveria can read the runes of the gods, right?" Lars shrugged and they were gobsmacked.

"Then how are you so strong?" Gareth asked and Ais puffed her chest. "It's because he's Lars."

"Yeah, thanks Ais. But I'm actually a demigod." Lars explained and truth is stranger than fiction.

Because he actually kinda is, already possessing Rudra and Artemis' divinity. Albeit a portion of it as his mortal body can't handle the full package unless Typhon is active all the time.

"Fine! Hide your secrets!" Bete started to run circles around Lars to build momentum. Especially with his skill, Fenris wolf that makes him faster.

He then released an axe kick at Lars, spinning in the air for maximum might.

Lars leaned his head to the side and Bete's attack planted him to the ground as it hit him square on the shoulder.

"I actually felt that, like a tough massage." Lars shrugged as he climbed out of the ground.

"W-wha?" Bete was shocked and it was suddenly lights out when Lars slugged him on the chin.

His world got rocked and Bete passed out for a quick second before he forced himself to freeze his muscles in place with pure willpower.

"Can I have some privacy with him?" Lars asked the others and they nodded.

He held back massively if what they saw wasn't an elaborate illusion.

Lars then chained Bete down on a weirdly shaped sofa that was made with pure orichalum.

It was his love couch for sexy time with Alfia. Because normal beds would break.

"Let me go! I'll say nothing!" Bete thought he was going to be interrogated.

"Shut up!" Lars backhanded him like a pimp just slapped his bitch ass hoe.

"Now, we are in a safe space. Nobody will judge you here." Lars put on a tweed jacket that psychiatrists always seem to wear and some glasses of course.

Bete was confused as all hell. And he also started smelling something weird from the sofa.

"Okay... Now, let's begin. Is your aggression connected with a past event?" Lars started and Bete raised a brow.

"That's none of your goddamned business!" Bete screamed and Lars backhanded him again. Only stronger.

"Shut the fuck up and answer, I promised that I won't judge you, but I'll fuck you up. I'm here to help. Now, answer the goddamned question." Lars glared at him.

Bete went silent for a moment. "I-it is..." Bete almost snarled as he scrunched up his face at remembering what happened.

"Okay, and how does that make you feel?" Lars noticed that it must be a pretty big event.

"Does it matter?" Bete snorted and Lars raised his hand again.

"It makes me feel useless, weak..." Bete frowned.

"I see, it must be due to an incident concerning a fight." Lars speculated and he flinched, confirming his guess.

"Can you tell me what happened that day?" Lars asked and Bete gritted his teeth so hard he thought it would shatter.

"I... It was a normal day like usual. My tribe, the Loga tribe. Were werewolves that lived on plains." Bete started his story.

"I went hunting... And... And when I returned." He started shaking, so Lars gave him some gum so his brain would focus on eating, tricking him.

"Chew it, it will help." Lars ordered and Bete was shocked that it did.

"My tribe was attacked by a monster... Everyone died, even my lover and sister. I... I dug out her corpse under some rubble and she was split in half horizontally." Bete started tearing up.

"I see, my condolences. It was hard, huh?" Lars patted his shoulder and he nodded.

They went silent for a moment. "But what is the reason you are more aggressive towards people? Especially those who are weaker?" Lars asked.

"I came here to Orario and joined the Vidar familia. I got stronger. Then I left to hunt down the monster that killed my tribe. But when I returned, the familia was decimated. My girlfriend died as well." Bete clenched his fists.

"An unfortunate incident. And you must have been like that to prevent weak people from dying?" Lars speculated and Bete nodded.

"If they can't get strong enough to protect themselves, they should just quit. Because people who get left behind would rather die than to hear the news that they're gone." Bete's tears flowed and Lars nodded.

"Admirable, but it is flawed. People would most likely endanger themselves more if you insulted their strength, Bete." Lars sighed.

He looked surprised at that, thinking that they would give up.

"Humans are stubborn, they'd rather fight and die to spite you." Lars informed him and Bete blinked.

"Now, what did we learn?" Lars wanted to know if he understood.

"Insulting people will just lead to more stupid deaths." Bete groaned, he wasn't the smartest tool in the shed. And he isn't used to interacting with people.

"Okay, that's good. What do you think can we do instead?" Lars raised a brow and Bete thought for a moment.

"Tell them that they're not ready yet?" Bete asked as he was unsure.

"Good, that's a nice alternative. Now, I want you to think deeply about this. Aggression is your coping mechanism. Telling people that you trust about it will help." Lars advised.

"We all started somewhere, be kind to others. What was their names?" Lars asked.

"Luna, Renee, and Selenia..." Bete muttered sadly.

"Were they kind?" Bete reminisced them. "They were." He replied and Lars nodded.

"Then strive to be like them. What would they say if they saw you bullying newbies?" Lars took off his bindings and Bete went pensive.

"It's done, he's done crying!" Lars called out to the others.

"You fucker! I thought you won't be judging me!" Bete wanted to strangle him.

"Well, I didn't. But they will. I never did tell you that what we talked about is private." Lars shrugged.

"Hoh? Little Bete cried? I gotta hear this!" Gareth got curious and they swarmed him for details.

"Hmmm, at least that will start his redemption arc. Nicely done as always, me." Lars patted himself on the back.

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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.