No way...?
The moment she saw that figure, even Elise froze.
She had never expected to run into Orario's future strongest here...
The Fierce Warrior—Ottar!
Given the current point in the timeline, Ottar had likely only just broken through to Level 6. But according to officially recorded data, his ability values were utterly outrageous.
If she remembered correctly, every time Ottar leveled up, aside from Magic, all his other stats were basically pushed to S-999. In Orario, that was an absurd set of numbers.
Take the three executives of the Loki Familia for example. Finn and Riveria each only had one stat raised to S. Only Gareth had two.
That alone showed just how difficult it was to grind ability values in this world.
Of course, for cheats like Elise and Est, who came from beyond this world, that was hardly a problem.
But... why was Ottar here?
Was he here for me?
Was Freya planning to make a move?
Or was there some other reason?
For a moment, countless possibilities flooded Elise's mind, filling her with doubt and unease.
No, overthinking at a time like this isn't good!
Realizing her mental state was slipping, Elise quickly steadied her emotions. In a flash of light, the Sacred Demon Sword appeared in her hand.
"No matter why Ottar is here, since he's chosen to attack me, a brutal battle is unavoidable..."
In this world of the Dungeon, without using the power of faith, Elise's own combat ability alone was roughly at the late Level 4 tier.
If she added Est, she would possess strength close to late Level 5, or even early Level 6. Facing Ottar head-on would not be a problem.
However, one thing needed to be made clear: Elise did not have a body tempered through endless brutal training like Ottar. After all, she was only Level 1. Even with Prana reinforcing her body, she could not truly reach Level 6 physical standards.
So as long as she avoided close-quarters combat and relied on ranged attacks to kite him, she should be able to defeat him.
"Still, better to add another layer of insurance..."
A trace of Prana slowly surfaced around Elise, and her figure gradually became semi-transparent. If one did not look carefully, she was nearly impossible to see.
"You're no longer useful."
In the next instant, Elise decisively destroyed the Bloody Hive, storing both the hornet drops and the hive's drop item into her spatial backpack.
At the same time, the Prana barrier began cracking more and more violently!
"Aaaah—!"
Accompanied by a roar of unknown meaning, the Prana barrier shattered completely!
A burly boarman stood before Elise, and the massive hammer in his hand came crashing down toward her!
Elise calculated the attack distance precisely. The moment the hammer descended, she swung her sword toward Ottar's neck.
But... Ottar did not wield only a single weapon!
Seeing that the strike was about to land on his vital point, Ottar released his grip on the hammer without hesitation, drew the greatsword from his back, and blocked the fatal blow at the last possible instant.
"Hah—!"
Ottar roared. Overwhelming strength surged from his arms, traveling through the greatsword and directly into Elise's body.
That power...?!
Elise had only intended to test the gap between them in raw physical strength. She had not expected it to be this exaggerated.
Was his strength really this terrifying?
"As expected of the Fierce Warrior!"
"Truly fierce!"
Boom!
In a contest of strength, Elise was indeed no match. She was sent flying by Ottar's sheer physical might!
Fortunately, with Prana cushioning her, she suffered no serious injury.
"But from here on, it won't be so easy for you to get close!"
The Sacred Demon Sword erupted with dazzling radiance. Empowered by Elise's Prana, her entire body seemed wrapped in brilliant light!
In the next moment, countless bullets of light shot toward Ottar!
Their battle had officially begun!
...
Several hours earlier, when Ottar arrived at Rivira.
"Hey! Have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Apparently, a new rare species has appeared on the twenty-fourth floor!"
The conversation between the two adventurers was overheard by Ottar nearby.
A new rare species?
The twenty-fourth floor?
That piqued Ottar's interest. He paused slightly, preparing to listen further.
"What? Something like that actually happened?"
The other adventurer clearly hadn't expected news of a new monster and hurriedly asked, "What kind of monster is it? What abilities does it have?"
For adventurers operating in the mid floors, monster intelligence was extremely important.
Sometimes, a single crucial piece of information could determine whether they lived or died.
"Well, how should I put it..."
The first adventurer thought for a moment before replying, "It looks like a cube with a huge tail. Anyway, it's enormous. Even the tail is about the size of a person, and the main body is even bigger!"
"Last night, some adventurers spotted it in the latter half of the Great Tree Labyrinth. It makes a buzzing sound similar to killer bees, but it just stays in place without moving..."
"Some bold guys decided to test it, but the monster didn't attack them."
"It doesn't attack people?"
"No, it does. When one guy tried to see if he could kill it, guess what happened?"
"His sword was knocked away!"
"He was sent flying too!"
"That guy's a well-known Level 3 around here! And he got beaten that easily! Though he didn't die..."
"Is that monster really that strong? Does the Guild know?"
"No, this should be the first time it's been discovered. Someone already went back to the surface to notify the Guild. I bet it won't be long before some powerful adventurers come down to handle it."
As a seasoned warrior who had trained in Orario for many years, Ottar had fought nearly every known monster in the explored floors of the Dungeon. But based on that description, he still could not picture what kind of creature it was.
Hearing was believing, seeing was believing.
Ottar decided to personally head to the Great Tree Labyrinth on the twenty-fourth floor to see this so-called rare species for himself.
"Definitely a monster I've never seen before..."
Although the starlight-like glow felt somewhat familiar, Ottar did not dwell on it. He simply lifted his hammer and smashed it down on the monster!
So hard!
As a test, Ottar had only used sixty percent of his strength.
But he was Level 6. And a Level 6 who had maxed out his ability values before leveling up!
Were there really monsters on the twenty-fourth floor capable of withstanding a Level 6 attack?
With Ottar's roar, the monster's body gradually shattered. Yet from within it emerged something semi-transparent, wrapped in light...
Its true body?
Or a second phase?
Over the years, Ottar had seen countless monsters. Even when encountering a new species, he would not panic.
"In any case..."
"I'll use you to warm up!"
In the next instant, Orario's Fierce Warrior unleashed a roar that belonged to him alone!