“Um, Mr. Gray.”
Looking at the increasingly deep and dark passage ahead, Katy suddenly tugged at Gray’s sleeve, her voice soft and sweet.
“Should we go a little deeper?”
“I don’t recommend it.”
Gray shook his head solemnly.
“Going any further will lead to the middle layers of the Labyrinth, where the danger level multiplies. Don’t forget that we’re just here to gain experience, Lady Katy. We must put safety first.”
“Oh my, oh my~”
Katy leaned in toward him with a mischievous grin and gave a sly wink toward the camera of the livestreaming device.
“I didn’t expect Mr. Gray to be so unexpectedly attentive. Indeed, men who know how to take ‘safety measures’ are very popular with girls, you know? Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if we ended up… making a person, would it?”
Gray, who cursed himself for understanding the innuendo immediately, turned red to the tips of his ears.
He nearly choked on his own saliva.
“K-Katy! The stream is still on! Don’t say such misleading things that could make people misunderstand our relationship!”
Meanwhile, the number of comments flashing across the small screen of the livestreaming device surged with explosive intensity.
[The tire tracks just ran over my face, lol!]
[This is making me, a 17-year-old adventurer, blush even though she’s the one in the white-stockinged priest outfit.]
[Flirting in a Night Glow Level Labyrinth? Are rookies these days all like this?]
[The captain is abusing his authority to sexually harass a teammate—]
***
After that face-reddening interlude and a brief rest, the Black Crow Squad continued deeper into the tombs.
The further they went, the more treacherous the environment became.
The Gargoyles, which were originally the size of average adult men, had now doubled in size.
Their carved forms were no longer simple bats or demons but had transformed into Chimeras—mixtures of multiple animals.
Facing enemies of this strength, Gray didn’t dare to be careless.
He gripped the air with his left hand, and as lightning surged, he drew a katana made of pure Azure Lightning from his empty scabbard.
With dual blades in hand, Gray’s aura changed instantly.
His efficiency in intercepting Tomb Beasts and Gargoyles increased significantly, allowing Katy to find more opportunities to slack off away from the camera’s view.
Of course, she didn’t slack on the healing or the buffs.
Otherwise, it would be bad if Gray, once free, decided to pull her aside and spank her—though she suspected the guy had the desire but lacked the guts.
As they progressed, the popularity of the Black Crow Squad’s livestream reached new heights.
It wasn’t just ordinary adventurers watching the spectacle; even talent scouts from various Guilds, marketing personnel for weapon brands, and several old friends had gathered after hearing the news.
Zonks City, the Saint Knight’s training grounds.
Purr, purr…
Eve, who was currently possessing her Cat Familiar, was curled up in the broad arms of Ingram.
The Saint Knight had removed his heavy armor and was displaying surprisingly high-level cat-petting skills.
Both of their gazes, however, were focused on the magic screen on the table, which showed Gray and Katy’s progress.
As he watched, the knight’s attention was drawn to Gray’s long-unseen Dual Blade Style, and his movements naturally slowed.
“Why did you stop? Don’t just watch.”
Eve grumbled a few times in dissatisfaction and nudged his palm with her head.
“Ah, sorry.”
Ingram snapped back to reality.
His gaze remained glued to the screen, but his hand habitually moved downward, preparing to scratch the chin and neck—the favorite spots of the Saint in her cat form.
However, perhaps it was due to the emotional fluctuation of seeing an old friend’s combat style again, or perhaps it was simply because the spell was unstable.
Amidst a soft glow, the white cat in his arms returned to her human form without any warning.
Ingram didn’t react in time.
His large, calloused hands followed the original path and momentum, sliding downward.
What should have been a furry cat’s neck was now a delicate, warm, and elastic pair of buns.
And because they felt so good, he instinctively gave them a squeeze.
“HYAA—! You dumb blockhead, do you want to die?!”
The blushing Saint leaped into the air, delivering a flying kick toward Ingram’s abdomen.
“I’m sorry, Lady Saint! I didn’t do it on purpose! I thought you were—gah!”
Accompanied by the sound of a heavy object hitting the wall, the Saint Knight’s room fell into utter chaos.
***
Meanwhile, in the wealthy district of Zonks City, Lobelia—who was surrounded and served by a group of muscular men—was tying a cherry stem into a knot with her tongue while staring at the screen with an annoyed expression.
She had been waiting to see Gray make a fool of himself and run away in terror.
But…
‘Is this E-level priest… a bit too good at fighting?’
Katy’s movements were as smooth as flowing water.
When Gray leaped high to prepare a Starfall Strike, she would retreat to a safe corner and provide him with various blessings.
When Gray struggled to deal with the swarming mobs in front of him, she would utilize Light Magic and the spear-sword in her hand to maintain a precise safety distance from the monsters, ensuring she never got in his way.
The comments in the livestream were all marvelling at how amazing a member of the Dawn Blade was at carrying a girl, or how lucky the priest was to avoid getting hit.
But experts like Lobelia could see the truth behind the movements.
Katy’s positioning and situational reactions were simply terrifying.
They were so precise that she didn’t seem like a rookie entering a Night Glow Level Labyrinth for the first time, but rather like an old veteran who had spent ten or twenty years surviving in the depths.
Gray’s combat style was the aggressive—even reckless—style inherited from the Dawn Blade.
Normally, a priest who hadn’t worked with him for years would find it impossible to keep up with the rhythm of a man who wanted to deal point-blank damage with every stroke.
Yet Katy followed him step-for-step, like a shadow.
“All of you, get out!”
Lobelia suddenly felt a surge of irritation.
She waved her hand dismissively, sending away the unperceptive muscle men, until she was the only one left in the room.
The girl sat upright on her noble lounge chair, leaning forward as she stared intently at the figure of the blonde girl on the screen.
‘This girl is definitely not ordinary.’
If she were a normal girl, how could she have zero wasted movements while facing so many foul-smelling Tomb Beasts and sanity-draining Gargoyles?
How could her hands not tremble once as she provided perfectly timed buffs?
A common priest from the countryside?
Ha! Tell it to the ghosts!
Lobelia bit her bright red lower lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth.
She was going to reveal this little brat’s true face and make Gray realize who he should actually be following!
***
The Third Labyrinth, deep within the Whinnying Corridor.
As the Black Crow Squad advanced, the number of monsters grew exponentially.
Though Gray’s dual blades were like an impenetrable whirlwind, a Warrior could only use two hands at most.
Under the repeated waves of monsters, he gradually became unable to intercept them all.
Three massive Tomb Beasts bypassed Gray’s defensive line, roaring as they lunged toward the blonde priest behind him, who looked significantly weaker and more delicious.
“Crush the crystal, now!!”
Gray slashed through a Gargoyle in front of him and roared as he looked back to see the scene.
However, Katy did not crush her life-saving crystal.
Facing three sets of blood-soaked jaws lunging at her, the little blonde priest calmly raised a light shield to deflect the first wave of claws.
Immediately after, she gripped the Holy Gold Spear-Sword—which weighed over 100 kilograms—with both hands, swinging it with a terrifying sound of whistling wind.
A horizontal sweep, a thrust, and another sweep.
By repeating this simple cycle, no Tomb Beast could get near her.
Even Gray, who was aware of the girl’s strange strength, was stunned for a moment when he glanced back.
The other heroes watching the livestream were even more shocked.
The sight of an E-level priest engaging in close-quarters combat with mobs in a Night Glow Level Labyrinth was a challenge to everyone’s worldview.
Normally, a single mob in a Night Glow Level Labyrinth required a C-rank Warrior to go all out.
The slightest mistake could lead to injury or even death.
Yet Katy, an E-level priest, was actually holding off three Night Glow-level monsters in melee.
It made some skeptical viewers wonder if this was a staged performance by the Church to promote a new Saint, or if they were simply dreaming.
But in the next instant, a scene appeared that truly made their jaws drop.
“Get… AWAY FROM ME!”
With a sharp cry, the stone tiles beneath the girl’s feet suddenly shattered.
The Holy Gold blade swept outward.
Relying on nothing but raw physical power, Katy swatted those three Tomb Beasts—which weighed several tons combined—away like she was hitting baseballs!
[…Are you kidding me?]
[This is a priest? If this is a priest, I’m kicking the Warrior out of my party tomorrow!]
[If this isn’t a Berserker, I’ll eat 1 pound of crap right now!]
[Did she use a combat skill just now? Why did that feel like a normal attack??]
The comment section exploded.
For a moment, no one was even paying attention to the lightning-wielding Gray.
Back at the Saint Knight’s training grounds, Ingram—who had just tidied his clothes and had a handprint on his face—was squeezed in front of the screen with Eve, whose face still had a lingering flush.
“That strength… as a vanguard, what do you think?”
Eve asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
Ingram knit his brows thoughtfully.
“The Knox City Association did report that this priest named Katy showed freakish strength during her testing, but even I didn’t expect such exaggerated power and explosiveness.”
“Even you’re giving her stats such a high evaluation?”
Eve was startled by the Saint Knight’s assessment.
Then, a playful smile appeared on her face.
“Then it’s a pity for this little priest not to be a Warrior. Is she afraid of stealing Gray’s job?”
The Saint Knight shook his head.
Having fought side-by-side with Gray in the vanguard position for a long time, he pointed out the issue with piercing clarity.
“Her power and speed are indeed the foundations of an excellent Warrior, but this girl’s combat techniques are almost non-existent.”
“No stance, no power-generation technique, no skill chaining… she’s fighting entirely on instinct and raw physical talent.”
Ingram paused, his gaze toward Katy’s figure filled with a hint of confusion.
“It’s just… with that level of talent, why is she willing to be a support hiding behind Gray?”
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