Alex sat wearily, paying no attention to his surroundings. His thoughts were simple: he came to this world seeking only a peaceful life. The power he gained was supposed to help him fulfill that desire. All he wanted was a peaceful life with a few adventures. But lately, everything that had been happening was getting on his nerves. He never aimed to confront villains who wanted to destroy or enslave the world. All he needed was a simple and peaceful life.

The group members observed Alex, who sighed deeply once again. They didn’t know how to react. Ever since that group of misfits appeared, Alex had been retreating into his thoughts more and more. Hestia, noticing his state, approached to comfort him, realizing that problems were piling up on him one after another.

“Are you okay?” Hestia asked softly, gently stroking his head.

“I don’t know,” Alex replied without looking up.

“All I wanted was a normal, peaceful life and a little bit of adventure,” he continued.

“But instead, I have to deal with villains who sow chaos, along with those who help them,” Alex added, lifting his head with a wry smile.

“Then why don’t you just leave or ignore it?” Bete unexpectedly interjected, having overheard the conversation. Everyone immediately turned their attention to him and gave him disapproving looks.

“What? Am I wrong? He could just walk away, and no one is forcing him to deal with all this crap,” Bete insisted, despite the disapproving stares.

“I get what you’re saying, Bete,” Alex responded with the same wry smile.

“But I started all of this out of simple curiosity. I wanted to understand what it feels like to be a hero fighting villains. But in the end, I realized: if I don’t stop them, they’ll only bring pain and suffering. Their ‘great’ goals are complete nonsense,” Alex looked up at the ceiling, filled with now dimmed crystals.

“Every time I thought about leaving it all and letting others handle it, I remembered: if I have the power, why can’t I help? I’m not a hero who dreams of saving everyone, and I don’t even like fighting. But my conscience won’t let me ignore these villains and their evil deeds,” a sense of determination began to appear in his eyes.

“As Uncle Ben said: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ He said this to his nephew, who wanted to become a hero, and he did,” Alex’s words inspired everyone sitting by the campfire.

“It seems this Uncle Ben was a very wise man,” Hermes remarked, standing up and stretching.

“But why does everything hurt?” he complained, rubbing his back, which ached from the bruises.

“I dragged you by your leg across the entire floor,” Alex said calmly, watching as Hermes froze in shock.

“You dragged me by my leg? Why? Aren’t we friends? How could you do that to a friend?” Hermes began bombarding him with questions, not stopping his complaints.

“You’re the one to blame for ruining my romantic moment with Alex,” Hestia declared, hugging Alex’s head and giving Hermes such a fierce look that he instantly flinched.

Hermes continued to grumble about the unfair treatment, outraged that he had been knocked out twice in one day. Everyone sitting by the campfire struggled to hold back their laughter at the sight of his offended expression. Alex, however, paid no attention to Hermes and simply rested his head on Hestia’s chest, trying to process everything that had happened. But Hermes’ incessant voice began to get on his nerves, making it difficult to concentrate.

“Can you be quiet for at least a minute?” Alex snapped, lifting his head and giving Hermes an annoyed look.

“Why can’t I complain? I was treated unfairly!” Hermes retorted, completely ignoring Alex’s irritation. “And anyway, what did I miss while I was knocked out?” he asked, settling into an empty seat.

“Well, we found out that the girls were only being chased by ants and that they didn’t encounter any other monsters on their way,” Alex replied, to which Hermes nodded.

“But why didn’t they meet anyone? When we came down here, the place was crawling with monsters,” Hermes mumbled thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

“We didn’t encounter any adventurers or ordinary monsters. The only battle signs were on the 17th floor,” Hermes continued, thinking out loud.

“Wait… be quiet for a minute,” Alex abruptly stopped him, as a thought occurred to him—a thought that might seem silly but made sense.

“Did you figure something out?” Ryuu asked, noticing how Alex frowned, deep in thought.

“I’m not sure if I’m right, but we need to check it out first,” Alex said, glancing around the group.

“Finn, who’s the fastest in your group?” he asked, looking at Finn.

“That would be me! But why do you need to know?” Bete immediately responded.

“Run to the settlement where the adventurers have gathered and find out why they’re all there,” Alex requested, hoping his hunch was wrong.

“Why?” Bete asked, surprised, but he got up, preparing to head to the settlement.

“When you get back and tell us what you’ve learned, I’ll explain everything. If my guess is correct, we might understand why Lili’s group didn’t meet anyone along their way,” Alex explained. Bete nodded and quickly set off for the settlement.

As he watched Bete sprint away, Alex hoped his suspicions were just paranoia. However, if his fears were justified, then the group of misfits was planning something grand. The others watched Alex, who was nervously sitting, lost in thought. They all wanted to ask him questions, but Alex, ignoring them, awaited Bete’s return with information. After a while, Bete returned, a frown on his face.

“What did you find out?” Alex asked, his eyes focused on the frowning Bete.

“There are indeed a lot of adventurers there; the whole settlement is swarming with them,” Bete replied, sitting down on a chair. “Like Lili’s group, they were all lured here by the ants,” he added irritably.

“So, besides those who were here originally, the other groups of adventurers ended up here for the same reason—they were being chased by ants?” Alex clarified, still staring at Bete.

“Something like that. One group tried to leave to get help, but it seems they didn’t make it,” Bete said, clearly in the mood for a strong drink.

“I think I’m starting to understand what’s going on,” Alex said, standing up and glancing toward the settlement.

“What did you figure out?” Hermes asked with interest, closely watching Alex.

“Do you remember that last room, the one covered in corruption, and the battle signs we found near it?” Alex asked, looking at Hermes.

“Yeah, there were bloodstains and weapon marks. So what?” Hermes muttered, clearly not in the mood to use his brain.

“Think for a second. Why is that room so different from the others? Why were the other rooms almost identical?” Alex pressed, forcing everyone to think.

“Maybe they gathered everyone in one place to kill them all at once?” Tiona suggested, though her voice hinted at doubt.

“Close, but not quite. If the last room is so heavily corrupted that it shows signs of consciousness after a group of adventurers was sacrificed to it, what does that tell us?” Alex asked, waiting for the others to offer their thoughts before presenting his own explanation.

“If we follow your logic,” began Riveria, deep in thought, “then they want to sacrifice everyone on this floor to infect it completely.”

“That’s right. An adventurer’s soul is far more valuable than an ordinary person’s. Adventurers are blessed by the gods, which strengthens their souls,” Alex confirmed, and everyone began to understand the purpose behind it all.

“But you mentioned that the attack is planned for the surface as well,” Finn reminded, listening intently.

“If my paranoia isn’t fooling me, the surface attack is just a diversion to keep people from noticing what’s happening in the dungeon,” Alex said, piecing together the puzzle. “And most likely, they don’t want to infect the entire floor but focus on a single entity, enhancing it,” he added, recalling Riveria’s words.

“Are you saying they intend to strengthen the Guardian?” Hestia asked, frowning.

“Possibly. I don’t know what the Dungeon Guardian looks like,” Alex admitted, neither confirming nor denying the possibility.

“And what’s the plan then?” Bete asked.

“First, I’ll prepare countermeasures to prevent those idiots from the settlement from becoming victims. And I’ll probably send you up to the surface tomorrow morning to help repel the attack on the city,” Alex said decisively.

“Are you sure we won’t need to help here?” Finn asked, eyeing Alex closely as he pulled out his notebook.

“There aren’t many adventurers on the surface; your help will be very useful there,” Alex replied, glancing away from his notebook to look at Finn.

“Are you sure you can handle this situation alone?” Finn asked skeptically.

“It will be fairly simple for me. But I might have to stay up all night preparing for the attack,” Alex said with a wry smile, causing Hestia to protest, used to sleeping beside him.

Alex flipped through his notebook, where he had jotted down rune combinations and other important details that might come in handy in the future. The enemy didn’t know what Alex was capable of—he hadn’t revealed a significant portion of his abilities. Finding the right rune combination for the situation, Alex began to devise a plan, trying not to spook the enemy.

“You said the attack will be on this floor. Why not another?” Hermes asked, trying to get more details.

“Hermes, can you think for a moment?” Alex snapped, tossing his pen at Hermes. Hermes immediately covered the bruised spot.

“Why are you attacking right away? Wasn’t I asking a reasonable question?” Hermes complained, hiding behind Asfi to avoid another attack from Alex.

“Logically speaking, if the villains want to summon the Guardian, they first need to damage the dungeon to provoke it. To make the Guardian appear where they need it, it’s enough to gather adventurers in one place, and the dungeon will send the Guardian to eliminate the threat,” Asfi explained, suggesting a possible scenario.

“If your version is correct, it makes sense. The dungeon would naturally want to eliminate the threat, and a concentration of adventurers in one place presents such a threat,” Riveria added.

“That’s probably how it will happen. Since all adventurers possess a portion of divine power granted through blessings, imagine if they all gather in one place, and the dungeon starts losing or even mutating monsters, separating them from itself. And that’s not counting the corruption I’ve already removed. The damage is already significant,” Alex concluded.

“But why hasn’t the dungeon summoned the Guardian yet?” Lefiya asked, drawing everyone’s attention. Feeling their gazes, she hid behind Ais.

“Good question, my little elf. Most likely, the dungeon is preparing for it. Throughout the day, we didn’t encounter a single ordinary monster, except for Goliath. Our entire path was strewn only with mutated creatures,” Alex replied. “Perhaps new monsters aren’t appearing because the dungeon’s mana is concentrating in one place to summon the Guardian,” he added, causing sighs among the group.

“The strength of this Guardian is unknown. The damage inflicted on the dungeon is quite significant,” Alex continued.

“Are you sure you can handle this alone?” Riveria asked with concern. “If they implant the crystal into the Guardian’s body, it will become even stronger.”

“I’ll manage,” Alex replied, shaking his head. “What worries me more is that, aside from the Guardian, other monsters might appear.”

“You mean other monsters might show up and attack the settlement?” Lily clarified.

“Most likely,” Alex said with a shrug, making Lily frown.

“And that’s where you come in, my young padawans. You’ll fight the monsters while I deal with the Guardian,” Alex said, causing Lily’s group to sigh tiredly. Only Bella seemed invigorated, considering it a heroic act.

“And the one who defeats the most monsters can ask me for one wish as a prize,” Alex added, lighting up the eyes of the girls. Not only the girls from Hestia’s family, but also the members of Loki’s family were eager for such an opportunity.

“Can I stay? I want to participate too!” Tiona shouted, raising her hand.

“I want to join in as well,” Ais said monotonously.

“Girls, are you serious?” Riveria asked, looking at Tiona and Ais, who were eager to stay.

“Didn’t you hear? He’ll grant one wish as a prize. Don’t you have something you’d like to ask for?” Tiona said slyly, moving closer to Riveria, causing her to start bleeding from her nose.

“First, wipe your nose. Not everyone is like you,” Riveria said, pushing Tiona away, who had begun to breathe heavily, lost in her fantasies.

“No indecent proposals! You need to form a line!” Hestia yelled, hiding Alex behind her back.

“Haha! I didn’t expect Hestia to become like this. This moment made it all worth it,” Hermes laughed, watching the scene unfold.

“Hestia, to do ‘indecent things,’ as you put it, one first needs to be in a relationship and then, maybe, get married,” Alex said, nudging Hestia in the back, making her flinch.

“Pff, haha! You’re the epitome of innocence, Alex! Who would have thought someone like you prefers romance and feelings?” Hermes laughed loudly.

“And what’s wrong with that? Isn’t it logical to strengthen feelings between us first, and then move on to other things? Isn’t that what relationships, which eventually lead to marriage, are for?” Alex asked, looking at the still laughing Hermes.

“And you, scoundrel, someone like you has no right to talk to me about feelings,” Alex said, approaching Hermes and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. Hermes started shaking, fearing what might happen to him.

While Alex was having a disciplinary chat with Hermes, the group of girls gathered around Hestia, wanting to discuss what they could ask for as a prize if they defeated the monsters.

“Hestia-sama, what do you mean by ‘no indecency’? What’s your threshold?” Tiona asked curiously, looking at Hestia.

“Neither of those things are allowed,” Hestia replied, crossing her arms in a gesture of prohibition.

“What do you mean by ‘neither of those things’? I don’t understand. Can you explain it properly?” Tiona puzzled, noticing Hestia blushing and struggling to explain her thoughts. She was still an innocent maiden, unfamiliar with such matters.

“Things that are done only after marriage are not allowed. And kissing too,” Hestia answered with a face flushed with embarrassment.

“Why isn’t kissing allowed? Isn’t it just a touch of the lips?” Ais asked, genuinely not understanding these nuances.

“A kiss is something that lovers do to show their affection,” Ryu explained, trying to clarify for Ais, who didn’t see what the big deal was.

“For example, if you love a guy and want to show him your feelings, you kiss him on the lips. If you just want to thank him, a kiss on the cheek is enough. But even that should only be done if you’re sure about the person and their character,” Ryu continued, looking at Ais, who had even more questions forming in her mind.

“I still don’t get the difference. Isn’t a kiss just a kiss?” Ais asked in surprise, not seeing much distinction.

“Don’t overthink it, Ais. I’ll explain everything later. For now, we need to figure out what to ask for as a prize,” Tiona said, placing a hand on Ais’s shoulder, who simply nodded.

“Hestia-sama, what about a date? Is that also forbidden?” Tiona asked, looking at Hestia, who seemed deep in thought.

“Hmm…” Hestia murmured, stroking her chin in contemplation. “A simple date is allowed, but no ‘indecent things’,” she finally said after a brief internal struggle.

“Great! So, if I win, I can invite Alex on a date!” Tiona exclaimed joyfully, bouncing in place.

“How do you know you’ll stay and win?” Lily asked with a cold smirk, making Tiona feel as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.

“I’m definitely staying and winning this fight!” Tiona stubbornly declared, already planning how she would stay and participate.

“Heh, we’ll see if Alex even lets you stay,” Lily said with disdain. She had long planned to invite Alex on a date, and now was a perfect opportunity she wasn’t willing to give up.

“I also want to stay. But what is a date?” Ais unexpectedly asked.

“A date is when you invite someone you like to dinner or a walk to spend time together,” Ryu explained, answering Ais’s question, who nodded, starting to understand what it meant.

While the girls discussed their plans for the prize they hoped to get in case of victory, the male members of the group watched them from a distance. The girls were huddled together, whispering and talking so that no one could eavesdrop. Everyone was curious about what they were talking about, but no one wanted to risk their health to find out. The guys knew how dangerous the girls could be if provoked.

Meanwhile, Alex finished his “friendly” talk with Hermes, who looked like he had fought a hundred battles with a dangerous opponent. Hermes sat with a defeated look, his head bowed in exhaustion, and vowed never to provoke Alex again to avoid another lecture on proper behavior. Asfi, who had been observing the scene, was amazed that Alex had managed to silence Hermes and bring him to such a state.

“What are you talking about?” Alex asked, approaching the girls.

“Nothing!” the girls replied in unison.

“We’re talking about the date they’ll invite you on if they win,” Ais monotoned, causing disgruntled exclamations from the girls as their plans were revealed.

“Well, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Alex said, noticing the girls’ faces darken as their secret became known.

“Now, ladies, follow me. We need to discuss something,” Alex continued, heading to a secluded spot where they wouldn’t be overheard. Lily’s group sighed heavily, realizing they couldn’t avoid the conversation.

“And you too, Tiona. You’ve been quite irresponsible,” Alex added, moving ahead. Tiona, whose face had recently been glowing with a smile, immediately grew somber as she realized a serious discussion awaited her.

Alex walked forward, with the group of girls following behind with downcast expressions, including Ais, who just wanted to listen. The guys folded their hands in prayer, hoping the girls wouldn’t suffer too much from the upcoming talk. No one dared to help them, as everyone had had enough of Alex’s lectures during the training sessions at his place.

When they reached the empty spot, Alex reverted to a childlike demeanor because he enjoyed scolding people in this way. It created a unique psychological pressure—being reprimanded by a child rather than an adult. He waited for the girls to approach and line up in front of him.

“Well, what do you want to say to me?” Alex asked, looking at the girls who had their heads down.

“We were careless,” the girls responded in unison.

“What do I always repeat to you during every training session?” Alex said, finding himself in Ais’s arms as she held him up.

“Constant vigilance,” the girls answered.

“Then why did you end up in this situation?” Alex continued, asking Ais to walk back and forth to intensify the pressure on the girls.

“Because we were careless,” Daphne said.

“We relaxed on the upper floors, thinking we were safe,” Cassandra added.

“And why did you relax?” Alex asked, his gaze growing stricter, making the girls even more nervous.

“We thought that since we brought Bella, we wouldn’t go too far,” Lily replied, trying not to look at Alex as Ais carried him around.

“So, in your recklessness, you want to blame Bella, whom you brought into the dungeon and were responsible for?” Alex asked, his gaze fixed on the girls.

“No, Bella isn’t to blame. It’s our fault and our mistake that we ended up in this situation,” Daphne said.

“Then why am I having this discussion with you now?” Alex asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Because you care about us, since we’re your family, and you’re responsible for us,” Lily replied.

“Exactly. If you had been harmed, it would have been my fault for not preparing you properly and letting you go alone,” Alex said, asking Ais to stop.

“And you also put Bella in danger. She had only been in the dungeon once, and that was with me,” he continued.

“She had only trained under my supervision for a week,” Alex added.

“But you sent me into the dungeon after just a couple of days of training. I think it’s unfair that you’re accusing us now,” Lily said, lifting her head.

“I sent you into the dungeon because you had been there before. And I was there with you in case of danger,” Alex replied, and Lily lowered her head again.

“Bella, how are you feeling after all this?” Alex asked, turning to the girl who seemed quite perplexed.

“How unfair, we’re being scolded, and they’re asking about Bella’s condition,” Cassandra murmured under her breath, displeased with the treatment.

“What did you say?” Alex asked sharply, turning his gaze to Cassandra.

“Nothing,” Cassandra quickly replied, shaking her head.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired and scared when it happened,” Bella said, trying to avoid Alex’s gaze.

“It’s normal that you’re not feeling well. After all, your first official dungeon trip didn’t end well,” Alex comforted her.

“It’s not over yet. Tomorrow we’ll have to fight again,” Lily interjected.

“Bella will stay close to Hestia tomorrow and protect her,” Alex said, narrowing his eyes at Lily, who immediately looked away.

“I won’t be participating in the battle?” Bella asked in a distressed tone.

“Unfortunately, no. But your task is no less important. You will protect Hestia from any attacks,” Alex explained, and Bella nodded, understanding how serious this responsibility was.

Alex continued his talk with the girls, repeatedly reminding them that they had let their guard down, putting each other at risk. He emphasized that they had not been attentive and had missed obvious clues while hurrying to the 18th floor. Alex finished scolding them, and now the girls looked as if their souls had been drained. His gaze then turned to Tiona, who was trying to blend in and avoid drawing attention.

“Do you think I forgot about you?” Alex asked, shifting his gaze to Tiona, who flinched at his words.

“Well, I set up the cube properly; it’s not my fault,” Tiona tried to justify herself.

“I can’t judge whether you set it up correctly or not. The fact remains: you didn’t check how you did it,” Alex said, and Tiona’s eyes started filling with tears.

“Tears won’t help you here,” he added, causing Tiona to just sniffle.

“I can’t blame you too much, since no one could have predicted that the situation would turn out this way,” Alex said, and Tiona gave a slight smile.

“But next time, when you’re given a task like this, you need to check everything multiple times and make sure you did it right, not just do it and forget about it,” Alex warned. Tiona quickly nodded her head in agreement, afraid that Alex would start lecturing again. She didn’t want to go through the same thing as the other girls.

“Now go back to the camp; I need to prepare a sleeping area,” Alex said, and Ais carried him back to the camp.

Meanwhile, in the camp, everyone was watching with interest as Alex scolded the girls. But when they noticed that Alex and his group were returning, they quickly returned to their own activities, trying not to reveal their curiosity. When Alex entered the camp, he scrutinized everyone with suspicion but found nothing unusual in their behavior and decided to ignore it. Hestia, seeing the girls’ dejected state, decided not to rush to comfort them, as she was a bit irritated by their carelessness. However, she was worried about another issue—where she would sleep. Accustomed to her soft bed, she didn’t want to sleep on anything less comfortable. Seeing Alex, she came up with a plan.

“Alex, where will we be sleeping in this place?” Hestia asked, deciding to approach the issue cautiously to get Alex to fulfill her wish.

“Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything now,” Alex replied, jumping down from Ais’s arms and heading to an empty patch of land.

“How did you turn into a child again? And how do you plan to solve the sleeping arrangement?” Hermes asked, noticing that Alex had reverted to his child form.

“It’s all about magic,” Alex said, spreading his arms, from which sparks flew. Hermes’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Here it is, the power of magic,” Alex continued, stamping his foot, and a wooden house began to emerge from the ground. Hermes was stunned by this display of magic, and not just him—everyone in the camp was frozen in amazement.

“Here is our house for the night,” Alex said, giving a thumbs up.

“And where will I sleep? You know I can’t sleep on something hard anymore,” Hestia said, beginning to act like a spoiled child.

“Hephaestus warned me not to spoil you, and now here’s the result,” Alex sighed, realizing that he had created this problem himself.

“You said you love me, so you should spoil me,” Hestia said with a proud tone.

“Well, you’re right,” Alex admitted, pulling out a spare bed from his bag.

“And why did you take it out now? Couldn’t you have done that inside the house?” Lily asked, and Alex barely contained his irritation at her words.

“You know, never mind. I’ll carry it in anyway,” Alex said, beginning to bring the bed into the house. From the outside, it looked comical: a child carrying a large bed.

“Alright, I’ve got this handled. You all can go to sleep, and I’ll go prepare for tomorrow’s battle,” Alex said, stepping out of the house and brushing off his hands.

“Do you really need to do this at night?” Hestia asked, hoping that Alex would stay with her.

“Actually, I don’t really need sleep, so it’s fine,” Alex replied, causing Hestia to just huff and head into the house, deliberately stomping her feet to show her displeasure.

“You all go to sleep too. Tomorrow might be a tough day, and you’ll need your strength,” Alex added, sending everyone off to rest.

“Be careful,” Ryu said, hugging Alex before going into the house.

Once everyone had left, Alex decided to start on his plan to fortify the floor and create countermeasures against any potential infected guards. He was pondering where to start when he noticed another presence nearby. Turning around, he saw Ais standing beside him, watching him intently.

“What’s wrong, Ais? Why aren’t you going to sleep?” Alex asked, surprised by her presence.

“I’m coming with you,” Ais replied firmly.

“But you need to rest to regain your strength,” Alex observed, looking at her serious expression.

“It’s fine, I’m coming with you,” Ais repeated, not giving Alex a chance to argue.

“Alright, as you say,” Alex agreed tiredly, not wanting to argue with Ais.

And so Alex and his new companion set off to prepare for the impending attack. Alex was still considering where to start, so they remained by the house, waiting for him to make a decision.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep