The upper floor of the dungeon still exuded an eerie atmosphere, with dark mana seeping from the walls, stretching endlessly upward.


    Oliver looked around at the foreboding surroundings and voiced his uncertainty,


    "It might be an illusion, right?"


    Eli gave Oliver a thoughtful, yet somewhat intense, stare before responding, "I have an idea to find out whether it''s an illusion or not...Mind helping me?"


    "There''s no need for that" Oliver smiled and replied.He took a step back, seemingly having an idea of what Eli was nning.


    ''Tsk'' Eli clicked his tongue in annoyance.


    "Oliver" he called.


    "Yes?" Oliver responded, maintaining his smile.


    "What did you feel when you were poisoned?"


    "...."


    "If you feel uncon---"


    Oliver hesitated for a moment before attempting to exin, "No, no, it''s just, well... how can I say it... hmm..."


    He scratched his head awkwardly, ncing between his sister and the Princesses who apanied them, then continued,


    "I wanted to... you know, engage in...inter-course"


    Silence fell upon the group as they absorbed Oliver''s unexpected revtion.


    "Hmmm" Eli responded calmly, not minding the silence, "Male or female?"


    "P-Pardon?" Oliver stammered, taken aback.


    "I mean, during that time, you were fine with anyone, right?" Eli rified his question.


    "ha-hah..." Oliver chuckled nervously, sensing the tension and also ncing at Simon, who seemed on the verge of bursting with anger, ''Don''t you dare to utter anything'' written all over Simon''s face.


    "...hahaha...it is a hell of a question, Asher" Oliver finally managed to say, trying to brush it off.


    Eli, who had noticed the awkward dynamics within the group,mented,


    "I see, fine with anyone, then"


    "..." Oliver suddenly stopped and looked at Eli with a wry face.


    Eli ignored their weird expression and instead asked something important,


    "So, what did you feel when you saw those monsters?"


    "....." Seeing Eli''s firm look, Oliver sighed, "Sigh, irresistible"


    "....What?" Arlyne shouted as a look of disbelief crossed Arlyne''s face.


    "Thought so" Eli nodded knowingly and then shifted his attention back to their surroundings.


    "Y-You mean..." Kira began, her voice trembling with anxiety.


    "Yes" Eli confirmed, acknowledging Kira''s thoughts.


    Curiosity piqued, and the group turned their attention to Kira.


    "What is it, Kira?" Arlyne asked anxiously.


    "Well, you see..." Kira muttered as she grabbed Kyra''s hand, intertwining their fingers. Then Kyra got a quick nod from Oliver and just about began,


    Eli interrupted,


    "Short and simple,


    Firstly, the Scorpion''s poison was not meant to kill anyone; it was an aphrodisiac.


    Secondly, those ck humanoid monsters were once humans or members of another race, simr to us.


    Lastly, it''s just a hypothesis....that these monsters search for the affected person and....well, mate with them, eventually transforming them into Monsters".


    "...N-No Way" Arlyne''s face turned deadly pale upon hearing this revtion.


    "...." Theo, too, was inplete shock.


    "....." Simon had a shocked expression but inwardly grumbled, ''Tsk, If I had known all this, I would have sent him to his doom earlier...tsk,tsk...''


    ''Wait a minute, If I collect those poison then...'' An idea popped into his head.


    "Arlyne, it''s fine, Look" Oliver consoled his sister, gently cupping her face as she teared up,


    "I''m pretty sure if it weren''t for your help, I would have been in serious trouble, and.....you know what could have happened to me, right? It would have been much worse"


    "...''sob'', ''sob''" Arlyne, with tears in her eyes, couldn''t help but cry silently as she thought,


    ''I-I know brother, our father will disown you and sisters-inw will be sold out b-b-but what would I tell them if something happened to you?'' she screamed inwardly.She didn''t want to mention her family circumstances in front of strangers.


    The others assumed that Arlyne''s tears were due to the burden of her undeserved recognition when she had adamantly refused to eliminate her own brother.


    They could never have known theplex web of other families.


    Listening to Oliver''s words, Eli pondered, ''Well, every family has their own drama'' as he shrugged it off and moved closer to the wall,


    "Ouch"


    Eli suddenly grabbed his head, a grimace crossing his face as an unknown pain surged when he attempted to use his Arts.


    "What happened?" Kira asked when she heard the pain in Eli''s voice.


    "N-Nothing," Eli said, trying to quell the burning sensation in his brain.


    He couldn''t help but wonder, ''It seems like the quality of mana around here is mostly Dark Elements with only a limited amount of other Elements...'' Eli wondered, his thoughts muddled by the oppressive magical aura in the dungeon.


    "You know medicine, Right?" Kira inquired, Her blindfolded gaze turned toward Eli''s eyes.


    Eli, contemting whether she was truly blind or not, replied, "I cannot say I know everything about medicine, but I''ve learned enough to survive in the forest".


    "Hmmm" Kira stared? at Eli.


    "You said you are Farmer, right?" Suddenly Kyra chimed in leaving the brother and sister alone for some time.


    "Yes"


    "So, nowadays, farmers are bing doctors?" A sarcastic voice chimed in.


    Eli nced at the speaker and responded with a smirk,


    "Our lives are always on the line, especially in remote areas where healers aren''t readily avable. We have to learn how to tend to our own needs and safety.


    Snakes, scorpions, bats, and more....we have to protect ourselves by learning the properties of nts, their leaves, and their roots. We sow by understanding the climate and clouds, and we harvest by gauging the maturity of the nts we''ve sown. We even burn the remnants to determine the quality of thend..."


    Eli continued to speak, his words reflecting the wisdom of a life closely intertwined with the natural world.


    Or perhaps he had prepared this dialogue to show off....Who knows?


    "..." Simon was left bbergasted by the unexpected turn of events.


    Kira and Kyra, however, had absorbed the wisdom in Eli''s words as they listened intently.


    Eli, after seeing Arlyne and Oliver resolve their issues, decided it was time to conclude his lengthy monologue.


    ".....We farmers connect with nature, ensuring you nobles enjoy the gifts of nature, both the bounty and the shit it has to offer"


    Eli remarked with a wink towards Simon before moving away.


    "....." Simon''s face turned beet red upon hearing Eli''s parting statement.


    ''YOU BASTARD!!'' he screamed inwardly.


    After consoling Arlyne, Oliver pledged to be more cautious.


    As they were about to continue their journey,


    Simon suddenly eximed, "Shit, I forgot my bracelet!" in surprise.


    "What?" Oliver asked, his brow furrowed as he noticed Simon''s empty hand. He was about to inquire further when,


    "You guys can go ahead, I''ll catch up with you" Simon said hastily as he jogged away, not waiting for any discussion.


    "W-Wait what are you doing, Simon?" Oliver shouted.


    "I will be fine" Simon''s voice echoed before he disappeared from their site.


    "What in the...?" Veins began to pop on Oliver''s forehead as he was about to follow Simon when,


    "ggrrrr"


    "hhehehee"


    Everyone turned to look at the few new visitors.


    A small group of ck humanoid monsters with bloody red eyes stood before them.


    The Faunmais'' gazes fell upon Eli and Oliver''s team, but unlike their earlier encounters, they didn''t exhibit any signs of lust or irrational behaviour.


    Just about to Eli took his weapon when,


    /Cleanse/


    /Cleanse/


    "Come on, you fuck heads"


    ''Thud''


    ''Thud''


    ''Thud''


    ''Thud''


    Both Kira and Kyra unleashed their spells, and following that, Arlyne sliced through the monsters'' heads like a knife through butter.


    "...Let them have their fun" Eli muttered.


    Oliver nodded in agreement.


    After defeating those monsters, they waited for Simon for some time, but he didn''t seem to return. Thinking he might be lost, Oliver refused to help when Kyra asked for assistance.


    Theo sided with Oliver, sharing his annoyance at Simon''s behaviour.


    As they delved deeper into the dungeon, they encountered fewer and fewer monsters.They only came across one or two at most. The signs of blood sttered around indicated that another group had already entered this area.


    "It''s getting darker" Arlyne muttered as she carefully walked alongside Kira and Kyra.


    ''sh''


    "Oh?" Arlyne eximed cutely when she suddenly saw a bright shlight.


    Turning around she saw Eli holding a smallpact-size shlight in his hands.


    "You''re well-prepared" Oliver said, patting Eli on the back.


    "Well, it''s always good to be prepared" Eli replied.


    "Hahahaha...damn, man, I feel like we could be brothers" Oliver said, a heartfelt grin on his face.


    However,


    "No need, I have enough brothers that I wanted kill" Eli tly refused as he joked....right?


    Hearing that,


    "----Hahahahahahaha" Oliverughed even more.


    Eli covered his ears, annoyed by theughter, ''Well, if monsters hear him, they mighte'' he thought.


    Observing this exchange, Arlyne looked at her brother with a strange expression and was about to say something when...


    ''crunch, crunch''


    Everyone immediately froze as they heard a munching sound.


    "..." They were entirely in a dark ce....too dark.


    Kyra tightens her grip around Kira.


    Theo saw an opportunity to y the hero and protect the princesses, but...


    "Your Highnesses!!" Arlyne grabbed their hands and pulled them behind her, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.


    ''CRUNCH, CRUNCH''


    ''sh''


    The sound of something munching grew louder. Eli tried to focus on the sound, but before he could see anything, a ck figure darted away, leaving behind.....half-eaten ck Faunmia.


    The gruesome scene revealed chunks of flesh missing, exposing bone and viscera. The sight was horrifying, with ck blood and gore sttered around the area, creating a nightmarish tableau of violence and brutality.


    Disgust filled everyone''s faces as they wrinkled their noses in response to the unpleasant sight and smell.


    Oliver unsheathed his thin sword.


    ''gulp, gulp''


    The sound of gulping followed.


    ''gulp''


    ''gulp''


    ''gulp''


    Hearing this, Arlyne, Kira, and Kyra swallowed hard, their throats dry with fear.


    ''sh''


    "KYAAAA!!!


    The scream pierced through the air, filling the darkness with terror.


    Arlyne, unable to contain her fear, let out a shrill cry. She clung to Kyra and Kira for support, her body trembling.


    Eli frowned as a silhouette passed in front of them and then nced at Arlyne who was now beingforted by Kira and Kyra.


    "She is bad with these kinds of stuff" Oliver interjected when he saw Eli focusing on Arlyne.


    "...." Eli nodded not saying a word but inwardly, ''At least Saintess seems doing well'' When he saw Kira and Kyra appeared to be more curious than terrified.


    "Asher, THERE!!" Suddenly, Oliver''s shout caught their attention, and they turned to look.


    Eli followed his point and,


    ''sh''


    At that moment, Arlyne caught a glimpse of a dark purple-haired figure.


    "KYAAAA! G-G-GHOST!!!" She screamed in sheer terror.


    "Sigh"


    Eli couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief, realizing that the source of her fear was not a supernatural entity but someone else.


    He recognized whose beautiful silky dark purple hair belonged to.