Retaliation

It is time.

I hope you all like it.

(I was going to say more, but as per normal, I forgot, I'll add more at the end if I do remember)

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"..."

Where is this place?... Are we on the 19th floor already?

'Silver followed the white bunny through the long caves of the Dungeon, going up and down, left and right, sometimes, the ground was made of wood, other times, it was the cold rocky ground he was used to.'

'He didn't know where he was, nor where he was going as this place wasn't on the map… And it was to be expected considering that this route was chosen for this commission in the first place.'

'The Xenos knew much more about the Dungeon's inner structure than the adventurers after all… They need safe and hidden paths to move around.'

'Still… The adventures have decades of accumulation and information passed down from generation to generation, so at the very least, they don't lose by much...'

'But Silver would like to know how much the Xenos knew about the Dungeon, perhaps they knew of areas completely hidden off from the rest of the Dungeon... Areas he could use to hunt in peace...'

"Kiki!"

'The bunny jumped on top of a large boulder, jumping up and down quickly before jumping one last time and climbing to his shoulders.'

"Did we arrive, Arles?"

"Kiu!" Said the rabbit as it pointed toward a rock

'They were currently on a large corridor, Silver didn't know where it led to, but that didn't seem to matter as their goal was a giant rock on the wall.'

'The rock wasn't anything special, and if the bunny hasn't pointed at it, even Silver would've passed by it as it looked like any other large boulder in the dungeon, he had seen at least 40 of these ever since he started walking with the little rabbit.'

/Kuo! Kuo!/

'Arles jumped from his shoulder, and let out a strange noise as it looked at the rock.'

/Tremble…/

'The giant rock slowly moved, and a hole appeared behind it…'

'Like a white flash, Arles rushed inside.'

"Arles did you…?"

'Surprisingly, the one that appeared on the other side was someone Silver knew… A large gray monster, a gargoyle to be exact…'

'It was one of the 3 Xenos leaders, Gros! Staring at Silver with his cold, stony gray eyes.'

"You? What are you doing here?"

'Silver shrugged, out of everyone he could've met, it had to be this grumpy guy...'

"I would like to ask that question myself..."

"You are truly a bother." Gros said with a grunt

'He then noticed the large backpack Silver was carrying, and he immediately nodded, understing the situation.'

'Gros then said, "I see, so this is the cause." as he signaled with his head for them to get inside.'

"Well, it doesn't matter who does it."

/Tremble…/

'Once they got inside, Gros pushed the rock back in place and led them deeper into the Hidden Village.'

…

'Once he got inside and his eyes adapted to the darkness, he was met with many other Xenos, most of them he actually knew, but some he didn't…'

'They seemed more surprised to see him than he was in seeing them, but still, with Gros right by his side, they didn't cause a ruckus.'

'Silver also realized where he was, it was the same Village as last time, but this time, he got inside through another entrance.'

'He was surprised, Silver thought there was only a single entrance to the Hidden Village, but that may have been an assumption from him.'

'He tried to form a mental map, tracing back his steps, and he could faintly understand where Arles had led him through, it was indeed an un-mapped path hidden from other adventurers.'

"I was wondering who would be delivering the items this time, but to think it would be you." Gros said in a low tone as they walked

'Silver raised his right eyebrow, but he didn't mind his hard tone.'

"Things happened, and now I'm here."

He's still a bit aggressive...

"Just like how you met with Lyd?" He asked Ironically

"Perhaps."

Hum... Perhaps not, he's even joking now, look at him go...

'Gros stopped, saying, "Here, this is enough." as he pointed at the ground.'

/Thud/

'Silver dropped the bag as soon as Gros stopped walking, letting the Xenos open it and start distributing the things inside.'

'It was then that he noticed that many of them were equipped with many sorts of gear, from spears and chest plates to bows and cloaks...'

'How much money had the Guild invested into them? This wasn't the first time they sent them items...'

'He couldn't stay still anymore, so he opened his mouth to ask.'

"We talked about this last time… But are you guys preparing for something?"

These aren't simple tools, also, by taking a glance at them, it seems they already received a few of these before.

Most of them are equipped in at least one or two new pieces of shining gear...

'Gros smiled, he felt he could use this situation to his advantage…'

'So he said smugly:'

"This doesn't concern you... Don't meddle in our affairs Human…"

'Just when Gros was feeling good from telling Silver to go away, someone interrupted him:'

"We're going on the offensive against the Hunters that captured our kind." Lyd said as he walked from the darkness

'As the silhouette became more apparent and recognizing the voice somewhat, Silver asked:'

"Lyd?"

"We meet again Silver-Chi… Although this time, there is no time to throw a welcome party." He said in a heavy tone

"What's the matter?"

He looks oddly serious, this is unlike his overly friendly behavior.

He's also wearing some brand new armor... If he appeared like that on the surface, I might even think that he came from a civilized nation of reptiles...

'Lyd stayed silent for a small while before he said:'

"What you said last time… And showed us, it has impacted us deeply."

"Not only me, but many of us have started to hunt constantly in the Dungeon, in order to gather Magic stones for us to grow stronger faster."

"Previously, we did that slowly and over time, since not only was there no motivation to do so, but it was also extremely hard for us to grow beyond a certain limit."

"And to maintain a low profile from other adventurers."

"Yet now, everyone is doing their best to grow as much as they can."

"And as they say on the surface… 'To strike while the Iron is hot' if I'm not mistaken… We'll now start our counterattack."

"What?" Silver asked as he furrowed his brows

What I said huh... I simply told them that they were too idealistic, but I did not deny their dreams, it was possible, I just think they are being too passive about it...

To a point where they are making themselves more vulnerable.

The initiative is good, but rushing things to prove a point will only lead to their destruction.

'Gros became annoyed after being interrupted and ignored.'

"Dammit, Lyd… Whatever, you heard him, Human."

"..."

It seems he's at least willing to talk with me now without cursing or sounding unpleased…

Looks like something changed while I was away.

"We had enough of them going after us, so this time, we'll go after them." Gros said aggressively

"We've already confirmed, that they aren't stronger than us, nor are they more numerous than us. With these odds, we can simply crush them completely, and avenge everyone."

"So don't get in the way! We don't need your help!"

'Silver replied with an awkward smile:'

"I didn't even say anything…"

Besides, they are indeed more numerous... But stronger?

The Ikelos Familia isn't so simple to deal with, there's a reason why the Guild is investing so much in this...

And it makes me confused, why is the Guild supporting their actions?

Do they know that they can't stop them? Or do they have some other plan in mind?

"Grr…"

'Gros growled and turned around…'

'Seeing that he didn't grab anything, Silver asked:'

"Aren't you grabbing anything?"

"I DON'T NEED IT!" Gros replied as he showed his claws to Silver

"My claws are sharper than these blunt swords and my scales are sturdier than the metal used to make this armor, I don't need these petty things to fight!"

/Fwoosh!/

'And like that, Gros opened his wings and left the place, grumpy.'

"..."

Even so... You could've at least grabbed something.

'Lyd approached Silver, touching his shoulder as he replied with a straight face:'

"Don't mind him, he's simply too bad at expressing goodwill in any way other than Violent quotes."

"It's okay, I know he means no harm… For the most part."

He'll get used to me eventually, and I hope that once this is over, I'll be able to learn more about the Xenos and train with them daily.

Even if my stats don't increase, I'm lacking strong people around my Level to face, this is the only way for me to improve past my status.

Since strength isn't only about the numbers shown on my back.

'Lyd smiled with his awful full smile, showing his sharp teeth to Silver before bending down and grabbing a medium size curved sword, and a small blue blade, a magic sword.'

'It was a good sword that seems to have been made from Damascus Steel, the patterns on it looked like lightning bolts.'

"With this batch, we're ready."

"Now that I think about it… There are some Xenos I don't recognize and some seem to be missing…"

Shit, I may have hit a sore spot...

"Oh! It seems I was insensitive and forgot to introduce you all to them…"

...

'Lyd them gathered everyone and introduced them to Silver once more, it was both embarrassing and awkward, but Silver felt more welcomed than last time.'

"... They are from our Hidden Village on the 27th floor, they are here to help us with our plan… As for Ray and the others, they are currently preparing our trap."

"..."

Phew, so nothing serious happened, I ought to be more careful with my words next time.

'Silver then became curious.'

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well... A trap is a trap." Lyd said awkwardly as he searched for the words to use

"Direct confrontation is an option, but it could lead to considerable casualties, something I... No one can stand."

"So instead, we'll lead them to a trap, make them think they have the upper hand, and capture as many of them as we can."

"We were just waiting for the support from the Guild, and now, we can start our plan."

"I see…"

Will it be so simple I wonder? Especially considering who we are dealing with?

Now that I think about it, the reason I was told to come here may have been due to this.

My actions… My meeting with the Xenos must be the cause behind this.

The Xenos are excited, and their emotions are boiling, they have decided to stop being cautious, always hiding, and are now on the offensive against their assailant.

This may be their boldest move ever.

Hum… Since I'm here, I see no point in returning, besides, I would feel bad if something bad were to actually happen.

"Can I help? Even if I stay on the sidelines, my abilities are rather versatile."

They may refuse me if I ask to stay on the front lines.

"Would you be willing to?! HA! If that's the case, an extra hand would be more than welcomed…"

'Lyd did not question Silver, he knew that questioning him about his resolve would be more akin to an insult than him properly conveying his concern...'

'However, there was still something on his mind as he became serious, looking at Silver with a deep gaze.'

"Although… If it comes down to that… I wouldn't want you to have to go through that…"

'Silver smiled slightly, he was thankful that Lyd was so mindfully of his feelings, but he was too naive.'

'Silver wouldn't care so much about the lives of these criminals.'

'And even if he knew who they were, something he found very difficult to believe, he would still place the lives of these strange and cheerfully monsters over the lives of people he never saw, that hunt and torture them simply out of self-profit and pleasure.'

'However, in the offset he did see someone he knew there, sparring someone wouldn't be that difficult.'

'Someone has to be kept alive so they can talk, that person might as well be someone he chooses, however hypocritical that may be.'

"It's okay, when the time arrives, I won't slow you all down, nor get in your way…"

I never thought I would say that… Rather novel...

"Then let's go, we have no time to waste." Lyd said as he walked past Silver

/ROAR!/

/ROAAAAAR!/

'Lyd roared, and soon enough, the loud cries of the Xenos echoed in the village.'

'They were ready, this time, armed to the teeth, they were out for blood.'

"..."

Sometimes I wonder what I'm getting myself into…

No matter, I'll just treat this as part of the commission...

And this means that everyone is coming back alive.

'Silver shook his head, following the Xenos as they left the Village.'

…

/At the same time, somewhere on the Lower floors…/

'Inside a dark wet cave, a group of people, some sharpening their weapons, others eating some snacks, a few more on looked, all waiting for something.'

'At the edge of this cave, a bald man talked with an Amazon, and once he was done, he approached a man sitting on the ground and holding a black spear.'

"Everything is done Dix." Said the baldy

"Good, let's get this over with." Dix said as he got up from the ground

All preparations are over, this time, we'll capture a nice amount all at once… And with it, money shouldn't be a problem for a long while.

We invested quite a lot in this just so our investments return 10-fold, there is no room for failure.

The problem is… Something feels off... And I don't like this feeling.

'Dix touched his nose as if he could smell something...'

Tracking them was too easy this time… Their path is too obvious, they're going to the Southernmost Pantry on the 24th floor, probably to gather food...

However, even though they aren't leaving tracks behind, their movements have been... Too simple in regards to their past habits and diversion tactics.

As if they are deliberately luring us…

'Dix thought deeply, before smiling slightly.'

So that's how it is, no wonder I felt something was off.

"They must have decided to retaliate." He mumbled to himself with a sadistic smile

They're smarter than I thought... But if so… Things change, yet the plan can't be called off, it's too late for that.

"Hm..."

'Dix thought deeply, gazing at the Dungeon outside of the cavern until he figured a plan out.'

There's no need to change things, I've made extensive preparations...

But... Having a plan B won't do any harm.

Let's see what they have in offer for us.

'Dix smiled, he felt that these monsters' pathetic attempt at trapping them to be amusing.'

'He would wait… Wait for the moment he would crush their hopes and carve their flesh, all while laughing at them for entertaining even a slight bit of hope.'

'After all, he was the Razor of Orario… Killing 'monsters' is a pleasure for him.'

'He did that over and over again for a decade, what difference had it if the monsters could think... Scream... Feel fear?'

'It simply made things that more enjoyable.'

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Notes

Welp, here it is.

Next few chapters will be all about this confrontation and the things that'll happen in between.

As for the future...

As of now in the advance chapters, after a decent timeskip Silver is also about to Level up to Level 4, and we should be close to the end of this volume.

Probably another 10-20 chapters should be more than enough, including side chapters.

In fact, I have one half done, I was planning on releasing it today as well, but I opted not to.

If you have any characters you would like to see in a side chapter, like the people in the Guild, other families, perhaps even outside of Orario, tell me, I'll think about it.

There are many things to consider, and I forget about it many times.

There are many characters to develop, and I only have so much space, so in most cases, they'll have to be developed in the side chapters.

Perhaps you want to see more Artemis...

Or more interactions between the mc and his Familia...

Or between the mc and the others around him...

Or perhaps something completely focused on someone else...

Tell me and I'll listen, apart from that, bye!