Bell and Welf were deeply entrenched in a monster feast. Killer Ants and orcs constantly appeared around them, and Bell only relied on an ordinary dagger in his hand to fight these monsters.
Weapons made of mere common iron could not withstand a few blows before cracking.
"Bell!"
Welf suddenly shouted, and Bell turned around, immediately ran towards Welf, and then leaped high into the air.
Welf raised his right hand, allowing Bell to step on it, then swung hard, and Bell simultaneously used the momentum to jump out, in the direction of the beheading greatsword that had been stuck in the ground earlier.
For some reason, Liliruca and her companions hadn't stolen this weapon. Perhaps it was because the beheading greatsword looked like a completely ordinary weapon and its style was very rare, which is why they didn't steal it, or perhaps it was to leave them a glimmer of hope?
In any case, Bell got his hands on this large weapon.
"Ha!"
He raised the beheading greatsword and swept it horizontally, cutting down several Killer Ants that were rushing towards him.
The beheading greatsword was quite miraculous. Its material was no different from ordinary metal, and it would wear down and chip with too much use.
However, it could repair itself by absorbing iron elements from blood, which meant that as long as it kept slaying monsters, it wouldn't break.
After getting a handy weapon, Bell began to clear out monsters on a large scale, but the number of Killer Ants was simply too great, coupled with a few large orcs attacking from the side.
"Bell! Let's break through! This can't go on!"
Welf was also struggling to resist with his greatsword, but he was already nearing his limit.
"Hmm! Let's go towards..."
Bell looked around, finding a direction where the monster circle was relatively weak.
"Let's break through from there!"
Welf nodded, and just as he caught up with Bell's pace, a scream and several panicked cries came from another direction.
"Liliruca!"
Bell suddenly stopped, and Welf behind him also stopped.
"Bell, forget about her! She's already betrayed us, and we can barely protect ourselves now."
Hearing Welf's words, Bell not only didn't stop his previous action but instead raised the beheading greatsword in his hand and began to break through towards the area with even more monsters.
Time rewinded to two minutes ago...
"Mister, Liliruca has done as you said. Can you let me go now?"
Liliruca followed behind the adventurers, head bowed, as she spoke.
"Let go? What are you talking about, Liliruca?"
A tall, thin adventurer suddenly reached out and lifted Liliruca up: "We are companions of the same Familia, aren't we."
"H-hey... Yes, Mister and Liliruca are companions."
Though extremely reluctant, Liliruca still answered due to the other party's coercion.
"Then among companions, there shouldn't be any secrets, should there?"
Liliruca's eyes widened instantly as she realized the other party's meaning. The other party not only wanted to use her to harm others but also coveted her hidden stash of money.
"Liliruca doesn't know what Mister is talking about."
How could she hand over her hidden money to others? That was her hope of leaving the Soma Familia. She didn't want to stay in this Familia for another second.
"Still trying to play dumb!"
The adventurer who had lifted Liliruca suddenly punched her in the abdomen.
Puh-ha!
"Liliruca... doesn't know what Mister is talking about."
Although the punch brought tears and saliva to her eyes, she still gritted her teeth and refused to reveal her hidden belongings.
He slammed Liliruca heavily to the ground, then kicked her away.
"Ah!"
The other adventurers burst into laughter at the sight: "Look, that little person, like trash. You'd better tell us, you know, this is the Dungeon."
The adventurer who had kicked Liliruca heard this and drew the longsword from his waist. Just as he was about to walk towards Liliruca, he suddenly felt a pain in his abdomen.
"Wh-what..."
He stared blankly at the bull horn piercing through his abdomen from behind, stunned.
"Roar!"
A Minotaur on all fours behind him had impaled his body with its horn, and after letting out a roar, it suddenly exerted force and flung him away.
"Ahhh! It's a Minotaur!"
"How can a Minotaur be here!"
The other adventurers, seeing the monster that had attacked their companion, were surprised to find it was a Minotaur, which only appeared in the middle levels.
Just like its name in mythology, this monster was a creature with a bull's head and a human body.
Although it had no weapons, its robust muscles and sharp horns were a nightmare for adventurers.
While a few people were stunned, the Minotaur attacked another adventurer, and the others then remembered to start running.
"Wait... please... save me..."
Seeing the suddenly appearing monster, Liliruca knew that with her current physical condition, she could not outrun this monster.
"Serves you right! You damned little person! If you hadn't wasted time, how would we have encountered this monster! You just attract the monsters for us!"
The only two remaining adventurers abandoned their companions and fled, not forgetting to mock Liliruca, who was on the ground, unable to move due to her injuries.
The Minotaur did not pursue the fleeing adventurers. After completely killing the two adventurers, it walked towards Liliruca, who was unable to move on the ground.
Watching the Minotaur constantly approaching her, Liliruca slowly closed her eyes.
"Is this... punishment for Liliruca deceiving Bell and Welf...?"
Liliruca, with her eyes closed, did not feel the pain she expected. Instead, she heard a familiar roar.
"Get out of my way!"
It was Bell's voice, followed by the Minotaur's roar.
Liliruca felt herself being picked up. Opening her eyes, she saw Welf holding her at his waist and running towards another monster-free passage.
Bell, meanwhile, held his weapon horizontally, blocking the Minotaur's horns.
However, the blade of the beheading greatsword was clearly not as durable as the Minotaur's horns, which caused cracks to appear.
One could visibly see the horns gradually piercing through the blade.
And Bell was slowly beginning to lose his strength.
"Bell! Liliruca has been saved! Hurry!"
Welf shouted in Bell's direction.
Bell suddenly released his strength, avoiding the Minotaur's horns, and the monster charged straight ahead, crashing into the wall, causing a tremor.
Bell did not linger in battle and immediately ran towards the passage.
The Minotaur behind him relentlessly pursued the direction the three were fleeing.