“But what about the people here? Where exactly are we? Underground? Somewhere else? What do you know?” William asked.

“That we don’t know,” the martial arts professor replied. “We tried to learn more, but they don’t answer us. It’s as if they are avoiding our questions.”

William found this really strange. He had talked with them for a while, but they didn’t have any new information to share, so he left with Matthew.

The trio was busy. After having some drinks, they wanted to go outside to fight the monsters, but William had reservations about joining them.

“Are you sure it’s not a good idea to go with them?” Matthew asked as they walked through the streets.

“No,” William replied firmly. “The man is really strong; it’s not safe for us to be out there. I don’t want to risk it.”

If the martial arts professor were weaker, William wouldn’t mind being around someone he didn’t know, but a powerful man like that? No way he would take that chance.

It also didn’t make sense to stay with such a strong individual who could always help him if things went wrong. That wasn’t the right way to train.

Experience points (EXP) and levels were just one part of the journey to getting stronger. William also needed more experience in combat and to face real dangers that would push his strength forward.

When they reached the city’s gate, the guards came to speak with him.

“It’s dangerous outside. Do you understand the risks of going out there?” one guard asked.

“We know,” William replied, acknowledging the threat posed by the numerous monsters outside.

The guards opened the gate, allowing William and Matthew to pass. Once they were outside, the guards quickly closed the gate to prevent the monsters from entering the city.

Once outside, William saw several guards battling the monsters that had gotten too close to the wall.

Above the tall walls surrounding the city, long-range mages and archers were attacking from above, supporting the guards engaged in close combat with the creatures.

The first thing they noticed was the variety of monsters. Unlike the previous floor, which had only goblins, the eleventh floor was populated by beast-like creatures.

They reminded William of werewolves or something similar. All of these creatures had red eyes and were incredibly fierce.

“We should move to the wilderness,” William said.

The moment they stepped out of the area under the guard’s command, the monsters started attacking them.

William welded Asura tightly. A werewolf came jumping on him, but he quickly moved to the side, only receiving a scratch on his right arm.

Then, he used the chance to attack the werewolf while it was in the air! That gave him a clean hit on its belly, cutting it open.

The werewolf fell to the ground, roaring in pain. William jumped on it and pierced his sword in the beast’s throat.

It was dead. But that didn’t mean they were safe. Another beast came running toward them! It was another type of beastial creature, a werebear!

Similar to the werewolf in strength, it tried to attack William using its claws.

This time, Matthew came to help him. He tossed his dagger on the creature, and the venom on the dagger’s blade stopped the movement of the werebear for a second.

That gave William precious time to attack with his sword once again.

But this time, he utilized his demon energy to enchant the sword, giving it a unique black aura to it.

The demon’s energy increased the power of the sword by a lot. When the blade hit the werebear, it easily cut through its fur, and more importantly, it had a fire effect to it, burning the werebear!

[+1300 EXP]

[+ Werebear Fur (Poor quality)]

William received the same amount of experience points (EXP) from both the werebear and the werewolf, but he obtained the werebear fur while the werewolf did not drop anything for him.

Matthew also gained EXP, but item drops were exclusive to the party member who dealt the highest damage.

“Are you alright?” Matthew asked.

William’s right arm was bleeding from a scratch he received from the werewolf, but it didn’t appear to be serious.

“I’m fine. Let’s move.”

More and more beasts began to attack them in the forest, primarily consisting of werewolves and werebears—nothing different from the two types they had already encountered.

As time passed and night fell, the number of beasts increased significantly, making it difficult for William and Matthew to fend them off!

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

After several hours of battling the werebeasts, William leveled up three times while Matthew leveled up five times. However, they bore the cost of their victories; scratches and bites covered their bodies, leaving them bloody, dirty, and exhausted.

“We need shelter,” William said.

“I agree,” Matthew replied, clearly feeling worse for wear. “It looks like the monsters are multiplying during the night, so we can’t stay in this forest much longer.”

William had the option to stay longer if he wanted. His demonic transformation would grant him tremendous strength, and his bloodline from the giant snake offered him healing capabilities.

He could fight indefinitely if he wished, but he didn’t want to reveal too much of his power to Matthew. He needed to pretend as if he were suffering just as much as his companion.

They had no idea if they would find any shelter in the forest, but they did! It turned out to be a fortress—a castle with sturdy stone walls. Anyone inside seemed to be safe from the monsters.

William approached the gate and shouted, “Is anyone there? Please, help us!”

He called for a few minutes, keeping a watchful eye for any approaching beasts.

A man eventually appeared to greet him, peering through a small hole in the gate. “Who are you? What do you want?” he asked.

“We are adventurers in need of shelter for the night,” William replied.

“Adventurers? So, you’re not from here? Come in, come in!” the man said as he opened the gate, allowing William and Matthew to enter.

William initially thought the place belonged to the citizens of the city, but it turns out it was actually a hub for adventurers! Inside, they saw others just like themselves—people exploring the dungeon in search of experience points and items.

“You two look rough,” the man remarked. “There’s a shower area, and someone here can help with your wounds.”

Matthew looked around, amazed by the lively atmosphere. The place felt like a community.

“How long have you been here?” he asked.

“A few weeks,” the man replied. “We discovered this abandoned place and decided to make it our home. However, this isn’t our final destination. We plan to explore the next floor in the near future.”

“This fortress is spacious, and there are plenty of free rooms for you to use. Just choose any that you like,” the man said. “The shower facilities are in that building over there. I don’t want to know your names. We don’t use names here.”

After explaining these basic details to William and Matthew, the man simply left.

“Why aren’t they worried about us? I mean, we are strangers here, right?” Matthew asked.

William also found it odd. “They didn’t even want to know our names or anything about us.”

Despite the strangeness of the place, William felt it was better to be there than outside. He decided to take a shower and made his way to the building the man had mentioned. It was also made of stone, but much smaller.

Inside, the building had only a few bathtubs, and without hot water, it could have been a problem. However, with William’s fire magic, heating it up was not an issue. He also helped Matthew with this.

Of course, they didn’t shower together. William went first while Matthew waited for him to finish. While Matthew was in the shower, William explored the insides of the main building.

He encountered a few others there, who greeted him warmly and welcomed him into their community without asking any personal questions. The place was dimly lit and had been abandoned before they transformed it into their home, so it wasn’t in the best condition. There were a few torches scattered around, and William noticed several holes in the walls and roof, but nothing that seemed to pose a significant risk.

The most important aspect of the place was its safety against the beasts, and it appeared to be secure. There were no werewolves or werebears lurking inside.

William climbed a few floors and discovered an empty room on the top floor. Since that floor had very few occupants, Matthew could also secure a room for himself there. After identifying two vacant rooms close to each other, he went back down to meet Matthew.

“I need to check in with the doctor,” William said. “Let’s go.”

They had both sustained injuries during the day due to the fights, but by that point, William was fully healed.

“I don’t need to go,” he added. “I wasn’t that badly hurt.”

Matthew clearly recalled all the scratches and bites William had endured, but he didn’t argue.

“Alright. I’ll go there alone. Which room are we choosing?” Matthew asked.

“On the top floor. There are two rooms at the end of the hallway that are free. I’ll be there,” William replied.

“Okay.”

William returned to his room, anxious for the next day. For some reason, he felt like the people living inside that fortress were somewhat strange…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep