Chapter 181: Capitalist's Thoughts (1)

As soon as they entered the forest and took only a few steps, Alfia stopped abruptly, drawing her weapon and standing in a defensive stance. She had heard the distinct sound of branches snapping under the heavy footfalls of a creature charging towards them.

The sounds were loud—and many.

Before the Artemis family could even form a defensive line, dozens of monstrous scorpions, each the size of a person, emerged from the forest's depths.

Alfia swiftly tapped her toes to the ground, launching herself into the swarm of scorpions in an instant. Her arms moved with blinding speed, creating a flurry of afterimages, and in mere moments, deep gashes marred the backs of the first scorpions to charge at them.

Like a line of dominoes, the scorpions fell, each dissipating into black smoke as they vanished.

"Amazing…" Rethusa murmured in awe.

She had no idea what level of adventurer Alfia was, but the ease with which she handled so many foes was astonishing.

"And this is only the beginning," Alfia cautioned calmly.

More scorpions poured in from every direction, crawling over the remains of their fallen to surge forward again.

The womens of the Artemis family rallied and threw themselves into battle.

These scorpion-like monsters seemed completely mindless. Though individually weak—some were even equivalent to low-level adventurers—their sheer numbers were overwhelming, a veritable sea of creatures charging forward in relentless waves.

In moments, the entire group found themselves encircled.

Though the Artemis family members fought valiantly, many were still recovering from injuries, and signs of fatigue began to show almost immediately.

This was precisely why Sol had advised those wounded to avoid participating.

Ultimately, it was Alfia who bore the brunt of the assault.

Once she sensed the waves of scorpions were thinning, she readied herself to strike decisively.

"Gospel."

Her voice barely finished the short chant before an invisible wave of magic expanded outward, instantly silencing the noise around them as each scorpion dissipated into black smoke.

The ground was left littered with dark crystals from the fallen monsters, scattered in countless numbers.

"Is it...over?"

The Artemis family members stared in awe at the battlefield, now quiet and empty. If it weren't for the marks of battle on the ground, they could hardly believe so many monsters had been dispatched so quickly.

Though they knew Alfia was strong, her power was beyond anything they had imagined.

"Could she be...an LV7 adventurer?" they whispered in amazement.

Their limited interactions with the outside world left the Artemis family with only vague notions of truly powerful adventurers. To them, LV7 was an almost mythical level, the pinnacle of strength.

"They were just lowly creatures," Alfia remarked, brushing off the encounter as she returned to Sol's side. "If this has already unnerved you, then the challenges ahead will only grow more difficult."

Rethusa hurriedly spoke up, "I'll do my best not to be a burden, Miss!" Her voice, though firm, carried a hint of strain.

Strange as it was, Rethusa had just moments ago sworn to rescue Artemis.

But Alfia brushed this off, uninterested in the irony of her words.

"It makes no difference to me," Alfia said dryly. "I'm already burdened enough—one more doesn't matter."

Sol's face soured. "Excuse me? Why are you looking at me when you say that?"

He was the god of his people, after all, and found the remark somewhat hurtful.

"Oh no, you're mistaken, Sol-sama." Alfia's mouth curled into a slight smile, amused by Sol's reaction.

"Could those creatures be the offspring of Antares?" Sol mused, examining one of the scorpions' markings, which matched those of Antares. He hadn't seen such creatures anywhere else.

"Possibly," Alfia replied, curious. "But this is the first time I've heard of monsters giving birth."

"Maybe they're a different breed. Still, the quality of their magic stones is remarkably high," Sol said, inspecting one of the magic stones left by the scorpions. "It's valuable."

The scorpions, so easily summoned by Antares, could yield an impressive profit. Their magic stones alone could provide both training for novice adventurers and steady income.

This wasn't merely a monster—it was a potential goldmine.

Perhaps there was no need to rush to eliminate Antares. With careful handling, it could be put to productive use.

Sol's calculating grin made Arya shiver slightly.

"Sol-sama... must be hatching some sort of scheme," she thought to herself.

With the scorpions cleared, the rest of the journey proceeded much more smoothly, with no further monster attacks. However, this unusual calm only heightened Sol's wariness.

There was simply no way for such a forest to be completely void of creatures.

The silence implied only one thing: Antares had decimated the forest's monsters within a single night.

This was no comfort.

They continued onward until, at the heart of the forest, they came upon the entrance of a large cave. Scorpions like those encountered earlier guarded the entrance.

Without hesitation, Alfia charged forward, dispatching the guards with two swift strikes.

A thick, acrid scent drifted from the cave, and they could hear faint, guttural growls echoing from within.

"Is this where it's been hiding?"

"It appears so. Do we go in?"

"We must," Sol answered, turning to the Artemis family. "But not all of us need to enter."