CHAPTER 36

When Finn first accepted the employment request, he had no idea who these people were. To him, they seemed like ordinary adventurers.

But later, other adventurers whispered rumors—this was a mysterious team with no known familial ties, absurdly powerful, and relentless in their monster-hunting expeditions in the lower levels.

Right now, the Labyrinth City, Orario, was in a special period of factional conflict. The Loki Familia was preparing to expel the remnants of the Zeus Familia, who had lost most of their combat strength after the defeats of the "Land King" Behemoth and the "Sea King" Leviathan. As the leader of the Loki Familia, Finn had to tread carefully.

Shen He, however, was oblivious to these developments. He only knew that the events he was familiar with were still years away from happening.

So, he simply smiled. "We have our reasons for not going deeper, but we may need to hire you again in the future for similar tasks."

"…As long as the payment is reasonable, we'll naturally accept," Finn replied. Realizing he wouldn't get any more answers, he dropped the subject.

Before leaving, Shen He's gaze lingered on a young, eleven- or twelve-year-old Ais Wallenstein—the future Sword Princess. A hint of envy flashed in his eyes.

Strong, disciplined, and naturally adorable—it would be great if she could be summoned.

That look did not escape Finn's keen eyes. He seemed to be lost in thought.

"They suspect we are from the Familia of the God of Death, Hades." After they left, Saiki Kusuo suddenly spoke to Shen He. "If you continue contact with them, you'll be dragged into something troublesome."

"Hades, the God of Death?" Shen He raised an eyebrow before sighing. "This is all because you're too cool, Saiki. You can't just act like a background character for once?"

"I can stop standing out…" Saiki replied, his dark purple eyes glancing at him indifferently.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You're so cool that I can't do without you," Shen He joked.

He wasn't too concerned about Finn's suspicions. This was just a monster-farming instance. He could only enter for an hour a day and could leave at any time.

"Speaking of which, Saiki, I haven't asked you yet—what do you think about my plan to establish a real Chaldea?" Shen He turned serious.

"Doesn't matter to me." Saiki gave it a moment's thought. "In this world, it doesn't interfere with my life. Using my psychic abilities isn't too conspicuous, and the last time I fought at full power, it was surprisingly refreshing. Actually, I don't like how cautious I have to be back in the real world."

Simply put, it was a breath of fresh air.

Although Saiki still preferred an ordinary life, an occasional change of pace wasn't bad.

"That's good. Let's head back."

Shen He nodded. Their time in the instance was almost up, so they exited.

By now, Shen He had accumulated 20 Summoning Stones. He planned to wait until Saiki's rank plateaued before summoning Servants. He had come to realize that summoning wasn't just about gaining allies—it was a strategic decision.

Just then—

Ding!

You have accumulated 50 Summoning Stones! A new instance is now available. Limited-time double-instance duration activated!

Shen He's mind buzzed as the long-dormant system prompt reappeared.

A new instance?!

His excitement surged. He quickly opened the system interface, navigating to the dungeon section. Below the familiar dungeon list, a brand-new instance had appeared—"God Eater."

For the next five days, instance time would be doubled—meaning they could stay inside for two hours a day instead of one.

But what really caught his attention was the mention of events.

An event meant bonuses, new challenges, and possibly even unique rewards. Any experienced player knew this was a golden opportunity.

Who knew if the future would bring real story events?

Maybe something like a crossover with A Certain Magical Index, a Railgun banner in the summon pool, or some exclusive event rewards like a rare magic tome...

Shen He grinned. Time to check out the new instance.

"Alright, let's go! Ryougi, you stay behind."

"Why am I staying behind?" Ryougi Shiki frowned.

"Your shoulder injury hasn't healed yet. You're in no condition to fight." Shen He's tone left no room for argument. "No discussion."

Farming low-tier dungeon mobs was one thing. But if his guess was right—"God Eater" was a world infested with Aragami—monstrous creatures composed of self-replicating "Oracle Cells." Each one was a fusion of hundreds of billions of cells, and could only be killed by destroying their core.

The entire civilization of that world had been devoured by these beings. It was a true doomsday scenario.

Without Saiki, Shen He wouldn't even think about stepping in—Violet and Ryougi alone wouldn't be enough.

It was damn good that he had summoned the God of Psychic Abilities.

Ryougi was visibly unhappy, but since Shen He had final say over party selection, she had no choice but to stay.

Taking Violet and Saiki, Shen He entered the new instance.

The moment they arrived, Shen He's eyes widened.

A wasteland stretched before them.

Ruined cities, collapsed skyscrapers, a sky thick with dust and yellowed clouds. The land was barren—nothing but destruction as far as the eye could see.

And then…

Massive creatures—easily over ten meters tall—were crawling everywhere.

"…This instance… isn't an easy one, is it?" Shen He muttered.

Because as soon as they spawned—

They were surrounded.

There was no time to react.

A deafening roar erupted from the creatures.

As the ground trembled, dozens of massive, four- to five-meter-high Aragami charged at them. The force of their movements stirred up sand and debris, making it hard to see.

Small stones pelted their faces.

Shen He didn't have time to think—he pulled out his Mirage armor and jumped in.

"Luminous! (Absolute Defense Field!)"

A barrier instantly formed around him. The impact of Aragami slamming against it echoed loudly.

After Tony's modifications, the barrier wasn't just personal anymore—it formed a cylindrical force field around him, blocking the onslaught. But—

On the control interface, Shen He saw the energy drain rapidly.

These things were absurdly powerful.

"Saiki! Get Violet out of here!" Shen He shouted.

Before he even finished speaking—Saiki had already teleported into the air with Violet.

Shen He immediately pressed the ultimate move button.

The energy diffusers in his armor's chest glowed—then erupted.

A scorching beam of light blasted forth, vaporizing everything in its path.

The Aragami were torn apart.

But then—

Under Shen He's stunned gaze—

The severed pieces began to regenerate.

"Damn it…!"

CRACK!

A sharp noise cut through the air.

Saiki crushed the glowing black orbs inside the Aragami's wounds with telekinesis.

This time, their bodies dissipated into mist.

And then—

A rush of cool energy flooded into Shen He.

He had leveled up.

After being stuck at Level 16 for almost a week—he was finally Level 17.

This… this was an EXP farm!