Chapter 246: Escalation of the Incident

"Did the man who came afterward have any distinguishing features?"

"He wore a cloak and hood just like the robed woman, covering himself completely. But he wasn't very tall, and... something about him just felt off."

Now that Villy thought back to the last man who had rented a room, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was strange, even if he couldn't quite explain it.

Finn's attention sharpened immediately—odd details like this often pointed to key clues.

"What exactly felt strange?"

"Well... when I try to remember him now, it's all fuzzy. The impression I have is barely there."

Villy wasn't sure if that really counted as strange, but he still shared what he felt.

A vague memory, fading the more he tried to recall it.

Finn's expression turned grim. There was clearly something suspicious here.

For an innkeeper in a safe zone like the 18th floor to not remember a guest at all? That was unusual in itself.

If someone's memory became vague like that, it usually meant one of two things: magic or drugs.

But would anyone really waste drugs on a weak, low-ranking adventurer?

That made it far more likely to be magic.

But what kind of magic could blur someone's memory like this?

A figure flashed through Finn's mind.

'Could it be him?'

Finn suddenly thought of the one person he knew who'd go through the trouble of pulling off something like this—but had that person really come to the 18th floor?

He couldn't say for sure. Without knowing the target's location, it was all just speculation.

For now, Finn decided to set aside the question of the man's identity. Shaking his head slightly, he returned to the main issue.

"The real key is still that robed woman. Even if she's not the killer, she definitely knows the most about what happened."

"Also, the man's belongings in the room were all torn apart and searched. It looks like the killer was looking for something."

"And when they couldn't find it, they crushed the man's skull in frustration."

Bors listened closely to Finn's analysis, thinking it through.

In truth, Bors agreed with most of the points. Finn hadn't outright said the woman was the murderer, but Bors felt there was a high chance that she was.

Of course, beyond figuring out the killer's motive, they also needed to identify the victim.

With that in mind, Bors stuck his head out to check on one of his men gathering supplies outside.

"The Status Thief isn't here yet?"

Just then, two people came hurrying over. One of them was holding a small bottle.

"Mr. Bors, we've got the Status Thief.'"

Seeing it, Bors exhaled slightly in relief.

"Good! Hurry and get over here. Use it to break the 'lock' on this guy's back."

The man with the bottle stepped inside and approached the corpse.

"Status Thief... isn't that illegal?"

Lefiya couldn't help but glance at Bors.

"Tch. Who cares about what's legal at a time like this? Understanding the situation comes first. Listen, little elf girl, sometimes you've got to be flexible."

Bors hated those kids who kept shouting "illegal" this and "illegal" that. That kind of mindset never grew up, and trying to explain things to them was nothing but a pain.

Sure, the Status Thief was technically illegal—but in special situations like this, it didn't really count.

The dead couldn't speak. So they had to find other ways to make them talk.

"Lefiya, you need to start learning to be flexible too."

Riveria didn't mention anything about it being "illegal." Given the current situation, some flexibility was clearly needed rather than rigidly sticking to the rules.

"Um..."

Scolded, Lefiya immediately went quiet.

The Chienthrope crouched beside the man's corpse had already unscrewed the "Status Thief" and dripped it onto the man's back.

The "Status Thief" was an illegal alchemical product. When used in the correct sequence, it could unlock the 'lock' gods placed on their blessings.

Soon, the symbol of the divine blessing appeared on the man's back.

"Bors, it's ready."

Now that the blessing had been revealed, all they needed was someone who could read the sacred script to identify the deceased...

"I'll go outside and find an Elf who can read sacred script."

"No need."

Just as Bors was about to leave, Riveria cut him off.

"I can read sacred script. I'll take a look."

Riveria moved to the man's corpse and examined the divine blessing closely. Before long, she confirmed the man's identity from the sacred script.

"Hashana Dorlia, member of the Ganesha Familia."

"!?"

Bors' two underlings were the first to cry out in shock.

"The Ganesha Familia!? One of Orario's top-tier Familias!?"

The two stared at the dead man on the floor, panic rising behind their shocked expressions.

Besides Bors' underlings, the innkeeper Villy nearly collapsed from fright, muttering in disbelief, "An adventurer from a top-tier Familia died in my inn... Oh gods, why is my luck this awful..."

Indeed, for an inn, this was a stroke of terrible misfortune.

If the adventurers from the City of Rivira found out that a Ganesha Familia member—a high-ranking Orario Familia—had died in the "Villy Inn," he'd be out of business for a long time.

"Wait! That name... Isn't that the 'Hard Fist Fighter'?"

Bors suddenly remembered Hashana Dorlia. A confirmed member of the Ganesha Familia—that solidified his identity.

But what grabbed his attention wasn't the Familia the man belonged to—it was the adventurer's level.

"Isn't he Level 4? How could he be killed so easily here?"

That revelation made everyone present—including members of the Loki Familia—go pale.

Because if the identity of the deceased changed, then so did the identity of the killer.

Finn scanned the room. Aside from the corpse, everything was relatively tidy.

"To kill a Level 4 adventurer in a room without any signs of struggle... the killer must be at least Level 5. Possibly higher."

This piece of information instantly escalated the entire situation.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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