chapter 9

Liliruca Arde had never known warmth.

Her life was a series of miseries, strung together by the cruelty of adventurers.

Lili despised adventurers. She despised their greed, their entitlement, the way they sneered down at her as if her very existence was an inconvenience.

That was all Lili could think about as she lay crumpled on the ground in an alleyway, after yet another beating at the hands of Canoe Belway—a fat raccoon person from her own familia.

"Arde! You really were a big help! With all this money you've so kindly given me, I'll finally be able to taste Soma again!" Canoe-sama sneered, his mocking gratitude only stinging more as his companions laughed.

He had taken everything she'd saved—her ticket to freedom.

It was over. tricking new suckers, abandoning her position of support to let monster corner her contractors then take what's left—those awful things she committed were all for nothing. Every insult she endured from cocky adventurers, every act of physical abuse—all of it, for nothing.

As she watched Canoe-sama and his companions head back toward the familia headquarters, probably to request Soma from Zanis-sama, she managed to drag herself to a nearby wall, collapsing against it. The cold stone offered no comfort. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she cursed her fate. Why? Why had she been born like this? What god had created her only to make her suffer?

Her sobs continued, but no one came. No one ever did.

Then, footsteps.

She glanced up, her eyes red and swollen, and saw a dwarf with a thick Beard, with brown hair untouched by white, wearing a set of armor with a axe on his left back, eyeing her.

On his left shoulder protector, she managed to see his Familia emblem.

A spider with eight legs—she didn't recognize it.

"Are you Liliruca Arde?" he asked, his voice rough.

---

That encounter, for Lili, was the reason she approached the white-haired rookie she was already watching for anything valuable on him—Bell Cranel, as he introduced himself.

"Lili! A little help here!" Welf-sama called out to her, snapping her attention his way. Four frog shooters had managed to surround him, blocking his path.

She took aim with her Pallum-sized Repeating crossbow, but it wasn't necessary.

Bell-sama dashed forward with the speed of a speeding wagon, taking down all the Frog Shooters with such precision that she found herself doubting her intel about him being a fresh Level One. That speed and precision was unusual.

Bell-sama was really good.

"Whoa! Slow down there, Bell! We're sharing the loot equally, but that doesn't mean you should do all the work," Welf-sama said with a light chuckle, lowering his great sword, no doubt a bit tired from all the swinging.

Bell-sama smiled at him. "Thanks to your sword's impressive sharpness, I don't have to dwell Much on these things," he replied in his overly polite tone, as if he were never anything but courteous.

"Miss Arde! Start collecting stones before more spawn here. We'll head to the seventh floor once you're done," Bell-sama called out to her. She moved closer from her safe distance and began collecting them.

"Bell-sama is really amazing! He was so fast and strong!" she said while cutting up a Frog Shooter that hadn't fully turned to dust to retrieve its core.

"And what about me!? Wasn't I strong too?" Welf-sama asked, clearly displeased at being overlooked despite being the more senior adventurer.

"Welf-sama was... alright," she replied flatly, uninterested.

"W-what?!" Welf-sama looked as though he'd been stabbed in the back. Served him right for annoying her.

Bell-sama chuckled at Welf's dejected look. "We should focus on our strategy for the seventh and Eighth floor. It'll be my first time there, so I need some information from you, senior," he said, looking at Welf with a small smile.

Welf regained his confidence and replied, "Of course! Let's start with the foes! First There are the Killer ants, they are Not Very tough on their own bu-" He seemed quite eager to teach his junior.

Lili tuned them out, she'll finish her work by the time they finished their discussion.

---

All For One, wielding his new double-edged sword—courtesy of Welf Crozzo—thrust through two killer ants with Ease, watching them crumble to dust. As he retrieved the blade, a killer ant lunged too close for a sword swing. He quickly raised his leg and hammered down, crushing its bug-head in an instant.

Sensing movement, he leaped back to avoid the poisonous powder a purple moth released in a sudden, deadly cloud. He aimed his left hand toward the purple moth to burn it to ash with a "fireball," but before he could cast, a small bolt from Lili's Pallum-sized crossbow struck it first, turning the nuisance to dust.

"Lili has your back, Bell-sama!" Lili called from a safe distance behind him, her voice bright with satisfaction.

"And what about my back?" Welf shouted, dodging as two purple moths, two killer ants, and around five needle rabbit closed in on him, steadily cornering him.

Was Lili deliberately avoiding his flank?

"I got you." All For One launched two fireballs at the moths, then sprinted toward the nearest ants. With swift, precise movements, he decapitated the first from behind. The other ant froze at the sight of its fallen kin, scrambling to retaliate, but a Head-shattering fist put an end to it.

Welf managed to cut down the needle rabbits, panting a bit from the exertion with his great sword. "Thanks!" he called, still catching his breath.

"Don't mention it. Though, is this many monsters normal for this level?" All For One asked, noticing the relentless waves of creatures, particularly killer ants, converging on them every few minutes. It hadn't even been half an hour.

"No," Welf replied, taking a drink from his canteen. "Probably some party is baiting the ants to spawn. When they're wounded, they release a gas that draws other ants. It's a great way to gather more cores—if you're confident you won't get overrun," he explained. For a blacksmith, he certainly knew a lot about the dungeon.

Spawn kill, huh? That's also a Great way to trap someone.

All For One thought briefly of Eina's advice. She'd barely mentioned the finer details of the monsters here, probably because she didn't believe he was ready for the seventh floor yet. Fortunately, Welf's experience was proving invaluable.

"Lili is finished, Bell-sama!" Lili called out, having finally gathered all the magic stones.

"Good. Shall we go deeper?" he asked, keeping his tone casual.

"Of course!" "Yes!" Lili and Welf replied in unison, eager to continue.

There was still plenty of time before they'd need to head back.

---

Meanwhile, deeper in the dungeon…

"So, we're finally getting revenge for Russell?" asked a black-haired human adventurer in light armor, wielding a katana. His accent and stance hinted at origins from the Far East.

His companion, a dwarf with rough features and brown hair, shook his head. "No. This is just a message—to remind him that, no matter where he goes, we can find him." His voice was steady but laced with an underlying threat, echoing in the cave's close quarters.

"But why?" the human spat, barely containing his frustration. "Are we just going to tolerate this insult? Not only once but twice!"

"Haruto, shut it before I smack you again," the dwarf replied calmly. Haruto bit his tongue, the threat visibly cooling his anger.

The dwarf sighed, rubbing his temples. "Make sure the ant is alive. We don't need complications," he ordered. Haruto checked the sack he was holding, where a barely breathing killer ant blinked weakly up at him.

"What about the supporter, Doran?" Haruto asked, glancing at the dwarf for guidance on their spy's fate.

The dwarf scoffed. "She's done her job. If she dies, she dies. If not, we'll make sure she keeps her mouth shut about us for this 'Sensei.'"

"Damn, that's cold!" Haruto snickered.

Doran didn't respond, only waiting for their captain's message to come through.

he felt too old for these games.

---

All For One came to a sudden halt.

"Hm? What's wrong, Bell?" Welf asked, confused by his party member's abrupt stop.

All For One had sensed a new skill nearby, while the two more familiar ones had vanished.

"Where's the supporter?" he asked, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.

"What do you mean? She's right...," Welf began, turning to point behind him, only to find empty space. "There?" he finished, eyes widening.

"Is she okay? We didn't move too fast for her to keep up, did we?" Welf asked, concerned but unaware of the real situation.

All For One realized that his little supporter had likely planned her betrayal from the beginning—a miscalculation on his part.

"Calm down," he instructed Welf, his voice still laced with tension.

"But, Lili might be in dange—" Welf's concern was cut short by the sound of a sack falling, echoing from an opening in the wall.

A hollow space? No… probably another path to the Eight floor, All For One assessed quickly. It was likely a trap. The unusually high number of monsters they'd encountered was almost certainly set up by a group of adventurers who'd prepared the area beforehand.

The attackers had probably used the ants' gas to draw monsters, then slipped away before their group arrived. And Lili had likely been in contact with them. But how? Communication here wasn't as advanced as phones...

That was a question for later.

Welf, piecing things together as the injured killer ant spilled out from the sack, shouted, "We've been set up!"

Took you long enough, All For One thought.

Their little supporter was likely either trying to escape the dungeon or regroup with her benefactors. But she wouldn't be safe—whether from him or from them. No one hired a disposable spy and then trusted them with the knowledge of an attempted murder on another adventurer.

The distant screeching of ants brought him back to the present, and he readied himself for the battle ahead.

Welf, looking increasingly uneasy, called out, "B-Bell! We should retreat! There's only two of us, they'll overrun us!" He was clearly hoping they could flee and make it out somehow.

Poor Welf. There's no way to retreat now.

Before he could reply, a swarm of killer ants poured from small openings in the walls and the entrance to the eighth floor.

Oh, little Miss Supporter, I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart.

---

Lia Rofir was a simple elf.

Born to two no-name elven adventurers who died when she was thirteen, she wasn't particularly fond of the adventurer profession.

That's why she started a....gambling ring.

While it might seem like a reckless and stupid idea, gambling was where all the losers among Orario's vast number of adventurers went to burn off their frustration—just like her parents had done.

Barely a week after she managed to secure a rundown place and turn it into a decent start for her business, she was introduced to the concept of "survival of the fittest."

Customers who lost money wanted it back, and a few local gangs tried to extort a 'protection fee' from her.

Everything was going downhill until "They" showed up. A somewhat powerful familia in the illegal businesses In orario, She was forced to split the profits with them in exchange for protection.

It hurt her elven pride, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

From then on, though, business boomed. Fang—who was assigned to the place as co-owner, kept the troublemakers in check, and the profits were rolling in. It was the start of something good!

Then Sensei decided to visit them.

Gods, he was terrifying!

The way he carried himself, his always polite tone, and no matter what, you could never tell what was going on inside his white-haired head.

It was as if he had been doing this since forever—and he was barely an adult!

When he stomped on Fang's head, crushing it, she thought she was done for. There was no way anyone could save her from this monster.

But to her surprise, he not only didn't hurt her but made her the manager of his businesses! Her dreams of becoming someone important were slowly taking shape again! Though she was forced to hand over her business to him....but that's nothing!

This new casino was thriving, Clearly, Mr. Shigaraki—the name the Casino was registered to—was an expert. If things continued as they were, they could even expand!

A knock sounded on the door of her private office.

'I thought I told those idiots not to disturb me,' she thought, irritated.

"Come in," she said with an annoyed tone.

The door slowly opened, revealing....oh no.

"Little Lia, what a fancy new place you've got here," said the tall brown-haired man wearing light armor with an eight-legged spider emblem on his shoulder.

Lia's blood ran Cold, How did he find her?! What does he want? Is she going to die? She didn't want to die!

Daniel Ortiz, Fang's captain.

"O-Ortiz?" she managed to stammer weakly. This was not good. Sensei would be pissed, And she'll likely be the target of that anger!

"Yes, Ortiz." He said and made his way towards the guest chair, sitting without permission,

"Now, Little Lia, imagine my surprise when we stopped receiving our share of the profits from your little business, You've been naughty lately," he finished with a mocking chuckle.

"I-I no longer own the business, Ortiz," she said nervously, hoping he'd just forget about this and move on.

His face turned serious. "Is this 'Mr. Shigaraki' not aware of our agreement?" he asked with a dangerous edge to his tone.

"No, h-he isn't around much… only frequent visits to check on the business." Damn it, Lia! Stop being so pathetic!

He stared at her with the same expression for several long seconds before replying, "Tell 'Shigaraki' that he owes us. Killing two of us and refusing payment will lead to… unfortunate accidents." He stood up, walking toward the door.

Heh? Two? But Tomen wasn't part of their famila?

"Uhh…" She wanted to ask about the well-being of her idiotic bodyguards. After all, she was paying them.

He stopped, looking at her with a hint of confusion. "Hmm?" he hummed.

"What happened to the bodyguards?" she asked.

He looked puzzled. "What bodyguards?"

What?

"N-never mind!" she quickly said. "I'll make sure to inform Mr. Shigaraki!" Oh, she was not looking forward to do that.

With a raised eyebrow, He nodded and left.

Now, what those two idiots are doing!?

---

"Fucking eat this!" Bob shouted in triumph as he revealed his cards to his opponent.

"What the fuck!? You're cheating! You said you'd never played Heaven's Cards before!" Mike accused, not buying how his dim-witted friend managed to pull a royal flush—but the evidence was undeniable.

Ace, Zeus, Hera, Hermes, and a ten.

Through his triumphant laughter, Bob noticed someone walking out of their boss's private room. Weren't they supposed to guard that door?

Oh well, he'd mention it to Mike when he is finished with his victory laugh!

---

AN: hello there, anyway I was hoping to post this yesterday but I was too busy with my work.

I wanted to build up some tension and I tried to put more povs from different people, I hope I didn't screw it up.

I kinda rushed this chapter, sorry if it's not up to your expectations, reader.