Chapter 595 - 595: Turned Into Gacha?! - 595

Just one sentence was enough to make both Furina and Lili frown at the same time.

"Hard to say. Why don't we wait a bit longer and then head back to check?"

"Are we really going? It's getting late, and we don't have much in the way of supplies left."

"They're bound to have supplies in their bags! And don't let that Pallum's stray-dog act fool you—I heard she's actually loaded!"

"Who said that?"

"People from the Soma Familia, obviously. They said she tucks away a portion of her earnings every time. If she hasn't spent that cash, it's gotta be a decent fortune. Once we force her to cough up her stash, we'll be able to afford some top-tier gear!"

"Oh ho! Then I suppose we should pray that little runt is still in one piece, huh? Hahaha!"

"It's a shame about that woman, Furina, though. Isn't there all that hype about her being strong? Haha, who knows, she might have turned into a real hotshot adventurer eventually! But now? She's just going to die by my hand!"

"Hahaha, as if you're in any position to talk about it being a shame!"

The voices, dripping with greed and malice, immediately yanked Lili out of her reverie. Even though she was accustomed to such ugliness, the current reality of it left her feeling nauseous and dizzy.

It wasn't just Lili; Furina was gritting her teeth as well.

She knew these people weren't saints, but seeing them talk about murder for profit with such self-righteousness and smug satisfaction was a real eye-opener for her.

Without a second of hesitation, Furina vaulted off the stairs.

As she entered the 11th floor, she tracked the voices and caught sight of the trio. Before they could even register shock, she was already right in front of them.

"Wait! You—!?"

The leader of the adventurers barely had time to realize something was wrong before a silvery-white blur filled his vision.

Moving with the fluidity of an opera dancer but with the biting intent of a killer, Furina closed the distance in an instant.

With a light, metallic clink, her blade slid from its sheath and pierced the man's thigh.

A scream tore through the air. The pain robbed him of his ability to stand, and Furina followed through by driving her knee into his jaw. The immense force surged through his bones, rattling against his skull, and the resulting wave of dizziness knocked him cold instantly.

"Hey!?"

The other two finally reacted. One scrambled to raise his iron shield to block, while the other gripped a short axe, swinging it toward Furina's flank. Yet, in Furina's eyes, their movements were agonizingly slow.

Perhaps it was the residual adrenaline from dancing through the crowds of monsters earlier, or maybe she was just having a moment of peak performance—but she felt as if time itself had slowed down.

She didn't dodge the incoming axe. Instead, she stomped hard off the ground, her body launching upward.

The axe whistled past her dress, cutting only air. The adventurer stumbled, losing his balance, and Furina repeated her earlier move, driving a kick into his chin that sent him flying two meters back.

If he hadn't been an adventurer, that single blow would have been enough to cause a fatal intracranial hemorrhage.

Furina wasn't surprised by how quickly she'd dispatched them.

There was absolutely no coordination between these three. The one with the shield should have been in front, yet the axe-wielder had rushed ahead, stealing his spot.

Even the shield-bearer had been sluggish, failing to act as a vanguard.

Not that it would have mattered if he had.

Watching Furina's effortless movements, the shield-bearer broke into a cold sweat.

"S-s-sorry! Fountain Diva! I—it's all a misunderstanding!!"

"...!"

Furina, who had been composed until that moment, couldn't contain her rising fury: "What did you just call me?"

Which brilliant genius came up with "Fountain Diva"? What kind of naming sense was that? If it were anywhere else, she might have let it slide, but she knew Orario's tradition regarding aliases.

If that nickname caught on, there was a real chance that at some future divine banquet, a bunch of bored deities would turn that joke into her official title.

"Fountain Diva"? Absolutely not!

Seeing Furina's face darken further, the shield-bearer gulped and decided to throw his comrades under the bus: "I just wanted some Valis! I didn't want to kill anyone! They were the ones who said we should do it!"

It was a clumsy attempt at shifting blame, confirming that he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

Still just as dull as he looks, Furina thought.

Playing along with that observation, she didn't mask her emotions, instead using her flair for drama to put on a cold, murderous expression.

"Do you really think anyone will believe that? Since you three were plotting murder for profit, don't blame me for..."

"Wait! Don't kill me! We were... we were being manipulated! It was the Soma Familia! They told us we could do whatever we wanted to that Pallum supporter! We didn't plan on coming after you! Honestly! If you had just run away at the time, this wouldn't have happened!"

Peeking out from the stairs, Lili's eyes dimmed as she heard these words.

Furina didn't see Lili's expression, but she knew Lili was a member of the Soma Familia.

It wasn't just bullying within their ranks—they were actively inciting other adventurers to join in? For what purpose? If it were just about stealing Valis, there would be no need for this.

She had too little information to form a logical theory.

Unable to guess, Furina simply asked, "Why would they incite you to do this?"

"I don't know! I swear! We just wanted to make some money! We can't get involved in the affairs of the big Familias!"

Big Familia? The Soma Familia?

They had a decent number of members, but their captain was only Level 2, right?

This adventurer's own Familia didn't sound particularly strong... though that was to be expected. Becoming a Level 2 was no easy feat, and many Familia leaders were only Level 2 themselves.

"What exactly did the people from the Soma Familia tell you? Tell me everything," Furina demanded.

"I really don't know the details! Only that they met with Zanis, and then Zanis told us the plan for today..."

"What was the plan?"

"This..."

The man's hesitation made Furina narrow her eyes, the tip of her blade pressing slightly against him.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The man couldn't hold his nerve. "The plan was... to eliminate the... eyesore tagging along with that supporter. We saw that there were only two of you entering the dungeon today... so..."

So they picked today to strike.

Furina took a deep breath. She now had definitive proof of the Soma Familia's hostility toward her and Sushang.

While that hostility clearly stemmed from Lili, their actions were enough for Furina to start considering how to strike back.

War Game.

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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL