Lakshman and Ondine ran towards the source of the screaming voice. On the way, they encountered many spawned monsters and they hampered their way.

“Stupid... monsters... getting our way!” Lakshman said angrily as he cut them down.

After defeating the monsters, items appeared as the bodies disappeared. Ondine wanted to collect them, but Lakshman did not.

“Leave them for later, Ondine! We don’t have time to get them!” Lakshman told her hurriedly.

“Y-Yes, master!” Ondine said and she nodded in understanding.

At that moment, they heard the scream once again. It seemed the owner of the voice was in deep trouble and needs rescue.

So the two of them rushed to the end of the corridor where they saw a flight of stairs. Noises of combat was coming from down the stairs. Realising the battle was taking place below, they decided on what to do.

“Let’s go to the next level!” Lakshman said and Ondine nodded in agreement.

They quickly ran down the stairs and arrived in another corridor. It looked the same as the one they were and that also included the Base Level; torches hanging on the walls and the same wall design.

They did not pause to check on the scenery. They heard combat further ahead and ran towards it. Along the way, they passed dead bodies of people and monsters alike.

“Urk...”

Lakshman sounded pained as they passed the dead bodies. Even Ondine was looking unhappy at the rows of dead bodies.

It seemed there were numerous people fighting judging from the damage to the walls. The destruction was the proof of the difficult battle the Level C had to offer.

They turned a corner and saw someone cutting down in half.

“Ah!” Lakshman let out a voice in shock at seeing the body torn in half.

He gritted his teeth as he looked at the monster caused this and was shocked. The monster was none other than a Two-Headed Beast Dog with horns on its head.

The monster was eating the flesh of the dead body of the person when it lifted its head. Lakshman and Ondine also heard and they looked to see a girl cowering in fright.

As the monster leapt at her, Ondine shouted “Oh no!”

Lakshman glared at the monster and shouted “No you don’t!”

In an instant, he rushed forward and punched at the monster’s face. The force of the blow sent the monster flying into the distance. As its body crashed, Lakshman suddenly noticed the other Two-Headed Beast Dogs that got blown away.

Lakshman took the opportunity to quickly turn around and knell to face the girl. That was when he realised the girl was around his age and that also included their heights.

“Hey! Girl! Are you okay? Talk to me!” Lakshman asked the girl quickly.

The girl did not respond or show any sign that she noticed him. She shook like a leaf where she cowered with her hands over her head.

Feeling irritated, he shook her a little and asked “Hey! Are you alright?!”

Just then, Ondine caught up and said “Master, I think you’re being pushy there.”

“What? Pushy? What do you mean? I’m just asking her if she is alright or not!”

“Still! Leave it to me, master.”

“But-!”

“While I calm her down, please take care of the monsters!” Ondine said and she indicated to where the monsters have fallen.

Lakshman did not like the idea, but it seemed he had no choice.

“Okay. I’ll leave her in your hands while I take care of them!” Lakshman said fiercely and he got to his feet.

As he turned around, he was met with six angry beastly eyes of the Two-Headed Beast Dogs. They were growling at him and scratching the ground restlessly.

He prepared his sword and shouted “You’re going down! AHHHHH!!!”

As he screamed, he rushed forward. At the same time, the monsters let out monstrous roars and charged at him.

“Burning Cutter!” Lakshman shouted.

His sword began glowing brightly which was pulsing with raw energy. The next instance, his sword was covered in flames as he ran towards the monsters.

The first monster to reach him, Lakshman swung the sword and cut the monster in half. Its dead body began to burn fiercely as he moved onto the next target. The next monster got its head cut off its shoulders. Its head and body burned into a crisp in a matter of seconds.

Like that, Lakshman went through the monsters and killed them with little effort. With each swing of the sword, the monsters’ bodies were cut up and burnt in an instant. In a matter of seconds, he finished killing all monsters.

Then he turned around just as a flash of light appeared behind. He turned around to find ten more Two-Headed Beast Dogs appear. The roared at him and ran with a sense of ferocity in their faces.

“I’ve had enough of this!” Lakshman shouted irritably.

He raised his sword in the air. As he swung it down in an arc, he shouted “Slicing Cannon!”

With the swing of his sword, a violent energy was released. The wind blowed wildly as the powerful attack blinded everything in its sight. The monsters were hit by the attack and instantly turned into dust.

As the flash of light vanished, Lakshman let out a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword. Then he saw the items and coins that appeared. Even through all this, the Labyrinth continued to do its job which amazed Lakshman

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

At first he wanted to see how the girl was doing. Turning around, he saw Ondine talking quietly to the girl who seemed to have calmed down. Realising he will only get in the way, he sighed and turned back to the dropped items.

He collected a total of fifty gold coins and pocketed them in his already bulging pocket. The next, he pulled out his Item Box and opened it. He picked up the Water Bottles and placed them inside. He was surprised to find a Health Bottle which Tetra explained it to restore their health.

Thinking it will be useful for the girl, the Item Box turned back to being small and he pocked it. Then he got to his feet and headed back to where Ondine and the girl were. As he approached them, he realised the bodies of the dead people were disappearing.

“Tetra. Where are they disappearing to?” Lakshman asked her quietly.

To that, Tetra shook her head and said “I don’t know, master. I’m sorry I can’t provide you with any information on it.”

“I see. It’s okay. It’s not your fault,” Lakshman said quietly.

When they reached the girl, Lakshman handed the bottle over to Tetra. She nodded at him and got down to speak calmly to the girl. It seemed the two of them talking to the girl calmed her down. Then she took the Health Bottle that Tetra offered and drank all of it.

Lakshman stood and looked around to make sure there are no monsters. The bodies of everyone that died have already disappeared. He quietly prayed for them to be in peace wherever they might be.

“Always make sure to prey for the wellbeing of others. Otherwise, the Gods will be displeased with your behaviour as a living being!”

Those were the words his mother had always told him when they attended someone’s funeral. When he asked her where they go, she had thought for a moment before saying “To the beyond.”

Lakshman did not know where that is. All that he understood was that it was a faraway place he could never reach. So he prayed for the dead souls to rest in peace.

“Thank you very much for saving me,” the girl told them once she managed to get to her feet.

“No! No need for thanks!” Ondine quickly said and she waved her hand in rejection.

“Yes. We are glad to help you out,” Tetra said and she smiled at the girl.

“U-Um... Thank you very much for defeating the monsters and saving me, sir,” the girl said as she addressed Lakshman.

“Eh? No, no, no, no! I’m just glad that you’re now safe,” Lakshman said and he grinned at her.

Then his grin faltered when he looked at the girl. She was as tall as Ondine and Tetra and looked to be around his age. However, none of them caught his attention. He was looking at the top of her head where three horns like crowns poked out.

Lakshman widened his eyes in shock. Those are the horns that only one race in the world have. He remembers it like it was yesterday when a member of that race tried to kill him months ago. It was an experience that left him feeling angry at himself and at them.

“Are you... part of the Serprad Demon Clan?” Lakshman asked her quietly.

At his words, the girl gasped and looked at him. She looked frightened for a moment and she took tentative steps back.

“Master!” Ondine and Tetra quickly said and they came to hold him by his hands.

“What? What?” Lakshman looked at them in surprise. Seeing their expressions, he realised what they were thinking and shook his head. “I’m not angry or anything. It’s just... that girl has those three horns like crown on her forehead, similar to the Serprad Demon Clan people.”

Ondine looked at him with a serious expression and said “Master, please don’t get angry at her. She’s not at fault for what happened to you back then!”

Lakshman laughed and said “I know, I know. Stop worrying!” Then he turned to the girl and asked “Are you from the Serprad clan? You look pretty human to me.”

The girl hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded and said “My blood is that of the Serprad Demon Clan, but I’m not completely them as you can tell from my appearance.”

Tetra nodded thoughtfully and said “Yes... That’s what I thought. The members of the Serprad Demon Clan usually have green hair, red eyes, blue skin and powerfully built bodies. You, on the other hand, have black hair with red eyes and three small horns on your forehead.”

The girl nodded and said “That’s right. I’m half-demon and half-human. My father is from the Serprad Demon Clan, but my mother is a human.”

“Well then...! It’s nice to meet you then. My name’s Tetra! I’m a Sacred Spirit and also known as the Phoenix Blade!” Tetra said as she introduced herself.

“My name’s Ondine and I’m a Water Spirit!” Ondine said and she grinned at her.

Lakshman smiled at her and said “My name’s Lakshman Reddy. As you can see, I’m the only human in this group of randomness.”

As he finished, he winked at her. The next he knew, both Ondine and Tetra were pinching his arms.

“Oww, oww, oww! It was joke! Just a joke!” Lakshman quickly said as the girls stared at him with unhappy expressions on their faces.

Seeing this, the girl happily smiled and said “Well... My name’s Emilia Serabell. I am happy to meet you all, everyone.”