(Stealth Walker) skills don’t make someone as invisible as a ghost, able to come and go without a trace.
They simply erase the user from visual recognition range.
The user still physically interacts with the environment, leaving traces behind.
He observed the surroundings carefully with a blank expression, hoping to spot any clue.
Very soon, a new set of footsteps echoed in his ears.
The rustle of trampling over weeds.
Rushed, with some dragging sounds.
Approaching this way.
Walking to the corner of the wall.
Appearing.
“Hey–!! Do you guys… have any food or something? I’m starving here.”
A young man in his late twenties with a ponytail tied at the back of his head appeared, wearing a combination of jacket and inner chest armor.
From the wear and tear, it looked like this outfit had been used for many years.
He seemed very exhausted, and his gait was unsteady.
To approach us and speak without hesitation…?
Siloque quietly withdrew the broad sword from his embrace.
Apparently, Hill had also sensed the other’s presence in advance, just like himself.
She immediately stood in front of him, raising her shield.
Seeing Hill’s guarded stance, the ponytail youth hurriedly raised both hands:
“Wait, wait, I’m not a monster.”
“Humans wouldn’t claim they’re not monsters, would they?”
“….”
Hill’s retort left the other speechless.
At that moment, two more men appeared behind the ponytail youth, both looking equally fatigued and drained.
Three people.
Siloque confirmed their appearance and attire—none were members of the Fallen Demon Society.
He let out a silent sigh of relief.
For now, let’s make ourselves seem weaker.
“Sorry, sorry…”
Siloque smiled awkwardly, rubbing his head in embarrassment.
Playing the role of a peacemaker and timid newcomer, he signaled his sister to move the shield to the side to show they meant no harm.
Seeing her brother’s submissive attitude, Hill’s head sprouted a “?” symbol.
He continued to act humble and asked:
“Why are you all here?”
“Ah…”
Maybe the ponytail youth mistook the two in front of him for sisters, or perhaps he felt confident being in a group of three men.
His expression relaxed a bit.
“We cornered a Worm, and it called for reinforcements. So the three of us ran, jumped into a nearby cave. Luckily, they didn’t find us. We planned to regroup and counterattack—but then discovered a horizontal tunnel inside the cave.”
The ponytail youth wiped his sweat.
“As soon as we entered, a blinding light flashed, and when we came to, we were here… we’ve been stuck here for a day.”
Ordinary people accidentally discovered this place?
Besides, these three didn’t ring any bells from the game—neither their appearance nor weapons.
No information on them in his mind.
They’re pure strangers.
Which made Siloque feel even more uneasy.
Getting to know people from scratch—was it good or bad?
“More important than all this!”
The ponytail youth cried out excitedly.
“Is food! Do you guys have any?!”
“Yeah, I’m at my limit too.”
The tall man behind him echoed.
…Hm, judging by their questions, it seemed certain they hadn’t obtained(Stealth Walker) to spy on us.
They didn’t seem to know much about us either.
“Brother…”
“Ah, yes, yes. Here, take it.”
Siloque took out food from the Ring Chart and handed it to them.
The three snatched it joyfully, tearing open the Compressed Rations and Bread packaging, swallowing without much chewing.
“Water! Water!”
“Here you go.”
“Only one bottle?”
“This is our last one.”
“Ah?”
That last exclamation came from Hill.
But the three paid no heed, scrambling to split the water among themselves.
In reality, there were three more boxes of water in the Ring Chart warehouse.
Plenty of food too, leftovers from when they shopped with Cass.
It’s good to be rich.
“Alright! Now that we’re fed, you guys should join us in exploring the Castle. We’ve covered about 70% already, and we can fully map the rest today.”
“Um… Aren’t you all tired? How about resting first?”
“Haa?!”
Maybe it was because he’d eaten, but the ponytail youth’s attitude became more assertive.
“Even if we’re trapped here, it’s a rare undeveloped map on the Second Floor. Of course, we have to explore thoroughly.”
“You can’t go back the way you came from the cave, can you?”
“Of course not. This place is weird, but if we explore it thoroughly, there must be a way out.”
How much do you want to explore?
He wasn’t wrong, though.
With five people, they could fully explore the area quickly and find an exit.
“Oh, I see.”
Seeing the pair hesitate, the ponytail youth understood.
“You don’t trust us, right? Then let’s exchange information.”
He signaled his two companions, projecting their ID Cards’ panel info.
(Name) Aduofa
(LV) 17
(Class) Warrior
(Skills) 2
(Name) Luer
(Lv) 17
(Class) Thief
(Skills) 3
(Name) Yadimo
18
(Class) Thief
(Skills) 3
Siloque and Hill projected their own ID Card information.
“Heh, LV13 and LV10. No class assigned. Newbies, huh.”
Aduofa stroked his chin, giving the two a disdainful glance, then stared more closely at the ID Cards, his eyes turning suspicious.
“Wolf and… Dante?”
Siloque looked speechlessly at Hill.
She’d actually used the name of Devil May Cry’s protagonist.
If only he’d given her a pair of black-and-white twin pistols and a great sword, too.
…Well, his own ‘Wolf’ wasn’t much better.
“Your names are pretty strange. But I think my proposal is reasonable. If you follow my lead, it’ll be safe to explore.”
“No, that way I can’t have Brother all to myself…”
His quiet sister, who’d been silent until now, muttered softly.
“——?!”
Aduofa clearly caught some of that.
His face darkened, likely emboldened by his higher level.
Siloque pulled his sister close, covering her mouth to keep her from provoking the others.
“Sorry, sorry… My sister’s straightforward. Please forgive her…”
He forced a smile.
Slurp.
A warm sensation suddenly touched his finger.
Hey! Hill, what are you doing!
She licked Siloque’s hand.
“Heehee.”
In his arms, Hill grinned mischievously at Siloque, her pink tongue trailing a thread from his finger, a sweet scent wafting from her mouth.
…Did she do that on purpose?
There’s no need to go that far just to get my attention.
Siloque hugged her tighter, trying to keep her quiet.
Just don’t let Hill fan the flames any further.
“Listen up.”
Aduofa said, annoyed.
From his perspective, the two sisters were just fooling around.
“We belong to the frontline Strategy Group—Corona Nightmare’s subordinate organization! Rejecting us means…”
He went on and on, but Siloque let it go in one ear and out the other.
Still, he kept a friendly smile, pretending to listen intently.
In his arms, Hill quietly shifted to a more comfortable position.
Summing up Aduofa’s passionate speech—
According to Dungeon rules, low-levels should obey high-level veterans; refusing to cooperate would make joining frontline Strategy Groups or advancing more difficult in the future.
Frankly, he wanted nothing to do with them.
A subordinate organization, huh.
Siloque remembered those were basically human-side Dungeon grunt soldiers, mainly tasked with scouting unexplored nooks and crannies on new maps discovered by the Strategy Group—not much different from errand runners.
Looking on the bright side, it meant they were skilled at finding overlooked spots.
Since they were all trapped here, open cooperation seemed wisest for now.
“Understood?”
When Aduofa finally finished, catching his breath—
“Understood. We accept your proposal.”
Siloque’s smile was gentle as a breeze, soothing and pure, healing to the heart.
“Would it be alright if we split into two teams? That would be more efficient.”
“Well… I suppose that’s fine. More efficient anyway.”
Aduofa softened a bit, his stubbled face turning slightly red.