"cough cough cough cough cough cough!"
Though taking deep breaths and feeling the air refill her lungs felt wonderful, the sudden intake strained the delicate elf girl's throat. She choked on her saliva, caught in a coughing fit.
"Are you alright, Lefya?" Adam held her in his arms before stepping back, keeping his distance while secretly guarding against the killer. He cast〘Heal〙and〘Purify〙to treat her.
"Y-yes, thank you for your help. I'm fine now." She said breathlessly, her anxious heart still fluttering as she spoke to her rescuer.
Looking up at his chiseled jaw and feeling his steady, strong heartbeat, her face flushed crimson.
She shook her head, brushing away such absurd thoughts while reminding herself that her heart belonged to Ais!
"Really now, every time I meet you, you're in some life-threatening situation. What's wrong with you, elf? Are you cursed with bad luck?" Adam scolded with exasperation.
His words made Lefiya shrink with shame, "I'm sorry, I'm always holding everyone back, always useless..."
This girl was just like Bell — two words of criticism and she crumbled. Her mental fortitude was far too weak!
Was her heart made of glass?
"Save that kind of talk for your companions."
He dismissed her self-pity and turned his attention to the figure before them.
Was that a... woman? His brows furrowed. Though the person had a masculine face and wore concealing armor, his sensing ability confirmed they were definitely female!
Female, possessing great strength, and had attacked Lefiya, an Adventurer. All evidence pointed to her being the murderer they sought!
"You're the killer, aren't you? Who are you?"
Green blood... A Xenos? Or another race hiding in the Dungeon?
He gently set Lefiya down and stepped forward, secretly channeling magic power for a finishing strike.
The woman calmly removed her disguise, "Level 5... no, Level 6? You have the strength of a First Class Adventurer. Not bad."
Her words seemed admiring, even praising.
As if severing her arm was some impressive feat. She appeared to compliment Adam's strength.
But beneath that facade, he sensed contempt — not for his power, but for his race.
He was now certain: the woman before them was not human.
"Wind Spirit Protection!"
Just as Adam faced off against her, a cool voice rang out nearby, and fierce winds erupted across the battlefield.
The green figure crashed into the ground, kicking up thick smoke that a gentle breeze quickly dispersed.
"Miss Ais!" Lefiya called out excitedly as a beautiful young woman with golden hair and a cool demeanor appeared before them.
"Lefiya, are you alright?"
The cool voice was met with an exceptionally enthusiastic response.
Hey, you weren't nearly this energetic when I saved you earlier! One cold word of concern from her and you turn into a clingy, love-struck elf!
While Adam was internally complaining, the woman's face suddenly turned cold, her gaze becoming razor-sharp.
She said in a deep voice, "That wind... I see, so you're Aria."
"!" Hearing this name, Ais visibly shook — very unlike her usual emotionless demeanor, "How do you know that name?"
"Interesting." The woman ignored her demand and said instead, "Yes, I think I'll take you as a gift, Aria."
As she spoke, a crystal ball flew out from the bag at Lefiya's waist. Inside was some kind of monster embryo — a disturbing sight, though both women seemed to recognize it.
"This is...?!" Lefiya tried to grab it back, but it flew beyond her reach.
It floated into the air before shattering.
The embryo from the crystal ball was alive. Breaking free, it let out a hoarse cry while lunging at a nearby flower-type monster's body.
Then, they fused together.
"ROARRR ROARRR AHHHH—!!"
After fusion, the monster grew even larger, with a female upper body sprouting from its flower crown. It screamed, emanating waves of nauseating magical energy.
"What is this?!" Seeing the giant flower monster up close, Lefiya's legs turned to jelly. If not for her staff to lean on, she would have collapsed.
"Tch!" The female killer's expression turned ugly at the sight of the fusion.
She seized the moment of distraction to flee.
They immediately gave chase.
"Miss Ais!" Lefiya called out.
But the girl had no time to respond, already leaping down the mountainside in pursuit.
"How could..." Lefiya hadn't expected that Ais, usually so composed, could show such an impulsive side.
But there was no need to worry about her safety. With her strength, dealing with a one-armed woman wouldn't be a problem.
Adam frowned, "Hm? How did they dump this mess on me in the blink of an eye?"
Everything had happened so fast — in a flash, only two people remained on the battlefield, and one was a helpless elf mage.
"Oh well. My proficiency is near the threshold, and I need a Great Deed to level up. You'll do nicely." After considering his options, he decided not to chase.
Taking a deep breath to center himself, he opened his eyes to face the monster, his gaze burning with intensity.
He turned to the elf girl, who stood vigilant beside him, "Lefiya, I don't need your Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. Stay well back — I don't want you caught in this."
"Eh?" She stood stunned, speechless.
"I need this fight for myself, understand?"
What he really meant was: Let me have all the experience!
"But this monster is too powerful — you can't defeat it alone!" The elf girl's lack of faith was evident in her voice.
Adam shook his head, "It's fine. Even if I fail, your guild leader can handle the cleanup. You trust in your guild leader's strength, don't you? So... get out of here, Lefiya!"
Without waiting for a response, he charged toward the monster, unwilling to waste this perfect opportunity to attack.
"No!" Lefiya cried in alarm. But seeing him already engaged, she could only offer a soft, sincere blessing, "...Please come back safely."
To her surprise, Adam, still charging forward, shouted back:
"You can always trust me, I mean it!"
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