The monsters appeared shortly after they left the campsite. William was puzzled as to why the monsters hadn’t attacked the girls while they were camped.

The answer lay in a spell one of the girls possessed. She could conceal her aura and the scent of herself and her companions, rendering them undetectable to the beasts.

Only by visually spotting them would the beasts know of their presence, but as the beasts often relied on scent to track adventurers, this spell ensured their safety at the campsite.

William was curious to learn more about the girls, such as their names and their reasons for being in the dungeon. He didn’t manage to get their names, but he did learn their motivations, which were similar to everyone else’s.

“We just want to become more powerful to protect the ones we love,” the girl in robes said. “Isn’t that what everyone wants when they come here?”

She made a valid point. William himself was there to become stronger. Of course, after encountering those people who seemed to be from Earth, William had another objective: to learn more about them and the dungeon itself.

One of the best ways to gain insight into the dungeon was to explore it and ascend its floors. Information about the place would gradually come to William if he did that. At least, he hoped that was the case.

During the battles against the beasts, William was impressed by the girls’ display of skill. It wasn’t that one of them was exceptionally powerful and could handle the monsters single-handedly. Instead, their teamwork was remarkably effective.

William strongly suspected that the girls had known each other for a long time. They had fought many battles together to achieve such a high level of coordination. It was either that or they were naturally gifted at working as a team.

He didn’t even have to participate much in the fights if he didn’t want to, but he chose to. The more he helped, the more they would warm up to him. Standing idly by would create a poor impression.

William felt that building trust with this group was important, given that they seemed to be more knowledgeable than he was about the current floor and the next one.

Also, they were actively looking for the portal, so they were likely to find it faster than he would alone. William wanted to be included when they found it. He also reasoned, that if they knew about the safe hub on the next floor, then they were likely to be experienced adventurers.

Because of the party system implemented within the dungeon, William didn’t need to inflict significant damage on the monsters to receive EXP. Therefore, he carefully avoided revealing his full power to the girls.

As always, William exercised caution. By now, this carefulness had become a core aspect of his personality. He didn’t want to take unnecessary risks, even though he knew he could defeat all the girls simultaneously.

Eventually, they encountered more than just monsters. They found a road, and on the road, a group of adventurers. There were ten people in total, making it a much larger group.

“They must be the ones robbing people near the portal,” the girl in plate armor said. “This is a good opportunity. If we can follow them without being noticed, we can find the portal’s location.”

The three girls and William followed the group of ten at a distance, making sure to stay out of sight. The girl who was able to hide their scent and aura was invaluable at this moment. William was impressed by her skills. He had never seen anyone with such an ability before. He wondered if it was a skill that she had learned, or if it was a natural ability.

The group of ten adventurers moved quickly, and it was hard for the girls and William to keep up with them. However, they were able to follow them for a few hours. Eventually, the group of ten stopped at a clearing.

“This must be where they are camping,” the girl in plate armor whispered.

They stopped to camp for the night. William whispered back, “If they’ve stopped here, the portal isn’t close, or they’d be there already. What do we do now? We can’t stay here, or the beasts will find us.”

The situation was tricky. For the group to camp there, they must have something to conceal them, similar to the girl’s ability.

It was a rare ability, a difficult spell to learn, but potions and artifacts could achieve the same effect. So, that group had something else that could hide them.

None of the girls knew what to do. The girl in plate armor, who seemed to be the leader, said, “We can’t stay here, but we can’t go far, or we might lose them. So, someone has to stay and watch them.”

It was a valid point. What if the group decided to leave during the night? The chance was low, but it existed, especially if they realized they were being followed.

But in that group, William was the outsider. If anyone had to stay, it was him. He knew it the moment he heard the leader’s idea.

“Fine, I’ll stay,” he said. “But where are you going? I need to know in case I have to find you, and you need to come here REALLY early.”

“We saw a cave not far from here. We’ll stay there, and don’t worry, we’ll be here early.”

William had to trust the girls, whom he had just met. He was okay with it because the situation didn’t seem dangerous. All he had to do was stay awake in case the group tried to leave during the night.

They said goodbye, leaving William leaning against a tree, hidden by the vegetation. He had a clear view of the camp, but the chances of a monster showing up were high.

If he still had Stuart with him, the beasts wouldn’t be a problem. He could just let the rat camouflage him and stay safe. But now his friend was gone, so he had to deal with it alone.

At first, nothing happened. It seemed the group was simply camping. They were cooking food over the campfire, drinking, talking loudly, and laughing.

Despite all this, no beasts came to attack them. The smell of food and the noise didn’t attract anything.

Not to mention, no creatures were going after William either.

“Is this area safe for some reason, or does their camouflage extend so far that I’m also hidden?” William wondered.

Those were the only possibilities he could think of.

Hours passed, and the night progressed uneventfully. But the adventurers didn’t go to sleep early. They stayed up late.

William felt something was off. He looked at the camp and realized their numbers had decreased. Only six people remained.

“When did four of them leave?” William thought.

He had been watching the camp for hours. How did they leave without him noticing?

Then a shiver ran down his spine. He knew something was wrong. William quickly turned around, spotting four people behind him. They were the adventurers who had recently left the camp.

“Move, and go to the camp,” one of them said, “or we will attack you.”

The adventurers had all sorts of weapons aimed at William: a bow, swords, and a person capable of casting powerful long-range spells.

William could try to run, but it would be difficult in that situation. He complied and moved toward the camp.

The rest of the adventurers didn’t seem surprised to see him. They already knew someone was watching them.

“We knew you were there from the start,” a man with a scar on his face said. “What do you think of our play? Did we act well?”

William smiled. “That was a pretty good act, but why? I meant no harm. I was just using the camouflage of your camp to rest.”

The man laughed. “Do you think we’re dumb? If that were the case, you wouldn’t be watching us like that. What do you really want? Are you with those girls who came earlier?”

They already knew about the girls! Apparently, their camouflage wasn’t that great. In fact, it wasn’t the camouflage that was bad, but that group of adventurers had someone who could scout incredibly well. It was hard to hide from them.

“I just want to know where the portal to the next floor is,” William said. “I know we can find ways to work together, right? There’s no need for a fight.”

The man, who was apparently the leader, agreed. “You’re right. But first, give us everything you have, all your items and money, and then bow to us and pledge your life. Then we might talk.”

William frowned. There was no way in the world he would do something like that. The man was crazy to even suggest it.

He preferred to fight and risk his life than comply.

“Are you being serious?” William asked.

“Of course, I am. We’re not clowns.”

“But you’ll be corpses if you continue with this nonsense,” William said. “Do you really think I’d be watching you if I wasn’t confident in killing all of you? As a matter of fact, it’s been a while since I last killed someone.”

A lust for blood surged within William. He wanted to kill those men.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep