"Please stop, a routine check is required."

Aiden straightened the copper badge on his chest, his iron handguard, and chain armor reflecting a cold light, blocking five adventurers who had just exited the Underground City, with their leather boots still smeared with fungal fibers.

"Check? Why?"

The adventurers frowned, as no one liked having their luggage inspected. However, they didn't ignore Aiden and waited for him to provide a reasonable explanation.

Aiden knew this task was unpopular, so he patiently explained, "Recently, we've received a report about a Raider attack incident."

Aiden took out a sheepskin scroll and unfolded it, with the Guild's seal clearly visible.

"We are searching for equipment left behind by the victims. It's beneficial for everyone to cooperate in catching the Raiders."

The female Warlock in the team snorted lightly, wanting to say something but was stopped by the team leader.

They unloaded their severely worn-out leather packs, metal clasps hitting the stone pavement with a muffled sound.

Aiden nodded to the two guards behind him, then flipped open the record book with its sheepskin cover and squatted down to begin comparing items in the packages one by one.

Soon, a dwarf helmet showing copper rust was pulled out from the bottom of a package by a guard.

Together with it, a pair of iron shoulder armor was found.

Aiden subtly stepped back two paces, quietly raising three fingers to the commander wiping his sword under the elm tree shade.

Once the Gold Level officer approached, Aiden straightened his back and said aloud:

"This helmet and shoulder armor match the equipment possessed by the victims, I'm afraid we need to delay you for a while for questioning."

"What!?" As expected, this statement triggered an almost reflexive response from the adventurers.

One of the Heavy Axe Warriors angrily questioned, "You mean we're Raiders?"

"I'm not accusing you, just following orders, please cooperate with the Guild."

Aiden stood behind his Gold Level officer, speaking without being imposing or humble, like an emotionless law enforcement machine.

The officer then partially drew the sword from his waist, making the meaning quite clear.

With tensions rising, the adventurers' leader hurriedly stepped in front of his team members.

They were just a regular adventurer team, dare not really clash with the Guild.

"Stay calm, stay calm.

Everyone, these are items we exchanged from that oversized slime Puki on the fifth level, certainly not stolen."

Aiden saw his attitude was relatively good, so he comforted:

"I guess so, don't worry, some other adventurers have been in the same position as you.

But routine questioning must be conducted.

You won't be wronged, the previous groups were released after questioning."

Hearing they weren't the first to be stopped, the adventurers felt relieved.

They indeed weren't Raiders.

On the side, Dylan, carrying a large package, did not stay to watch the drama like others.

Instead, he bypassed them and directly entered the Underground City—no checks were required for entering.

Aiden rubbed his nose, he seemed to smell a hint of blood, but blood wasn't something noteworthy.

This was the Underground City entrance, adventurers coming out with a bloody scent was too normal.

He had even smelled manure before!

-----------------

On the first floor, Dylan squatted on the ground, his fingers scraped through the wall's crevice.

Piling up a large clump of fungal fibers.

The likes of this, growing in wall crevices, were now everywhere on the first floor.

Was the boss planning to gradually occupy the previous floors as well?

Dylan speculated while moving along the path with the most fungal fibers.

About half an hour later, he found a patch of the fungal mat in a remote alcove away from the expedition routes.

He tossed the backpack onto the ground and stretched vigorously.

He was quite old now, still carrying such heavy stuff, truly suffering.

He dumped the contents of the package onto the fungal mat.

The remaining process would naturally be handled by the fungal fibers.

Honestly, if the opposite side had only asked for two more gold pieces, the loss would have been bearable.

Starting with twenty gold?

Some retired adventurers didn't even have that much saved for retirement!

Of course, the intelligence trader asking for twenty gold was just a negotiating tactic.

But the attitude of squeezing him dry made Dylan uninterested in haggling with him.

Now all was well, he'd obtained the intelligence and even made an extra 8 gold coins…

But Dylan wasn't really happy.

Because Bella really went to the Archipelago…

According to the intelligence, Bella had come to Dumb Wind Town before the Demon Tide, asking about his whereabouts.

Dylan was at the fifth level extracting spores, reclusive, with hardly anybody in Dumb Wind Town knowing him.

Even those like Cole, the tavern owner, who knew him, had no idea about his whereabouts.

Ultimately, Bella found nothing.

Thanks to Bella staying in Dumb Wind Town for some time.

This allowed the intelligence trader to successfully collect her subsequent direction—Silver Sand Bay.

Land of one of the Archipelago's top three slave owners, Glosa.

A notorious villain infamous for illegal abduction of people.

The message said his daughter went to rescue someone!?

This undoubtedly worried Dylan.

Going to such a place could only mean saving someone unlucky enough to be enslaved!

What if she conflicted with Glosa…

Can he only stay here and pray, hoping his daughter stays safe?

After finishing dumping the things inside, Dylan even tossed the backpack into the corner, readying to leave.

"Seems like your life outside is colorful indeed."

"Boss!?"

Hearing his boss's voice outside the fifth level was the first time.

However, after a minute of silence, with Dylan beginning to wonder if he was hearing things, his boss's voice sounded once again.

"The delay is still too high, let's skip the chit-chat.

Since you are on the first floor, help me complete a task.

After exiting here, walk right past three intersections then turn right.

There's a giant Slime there; go eliminate it."

"No problem." Dylan nodded in agreement.

This was the first floor, where Demons were at most Level 5, Dylan could easily handle it.

But once he arrived, he changed his mind.

Two scale-less Pukis were attacking a gigantic blue Slime almost as tall as the corridor.

Mushroom cannon fired, exploding a small chunk off the giant Slime, seemingly not affecting it.

Inside the Slime floated another half-dissolved Puki.

This scene made Dylan alarmed—was this Slime so powerful?

He tried attacking from the extreme distance with [Vortex Slash Level 5].

The giant Slime was not only split apart but its core was exposed by the sword wind.

Dylan, incredulous, stepped forward two more paces and struck again, finishing it off.

So, wasn't the Slime too strong, but the Pukis too weak?

He knew the Mushroom Cannon's power very well, its earlier feeble effect made him think the Slime absorbed all the damage.

So what was the boss up to?

Why were the Pukis on the first floor this weak?

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