Chapter 249: Uproar

She had already seen it.

The adventurer who had only recently made the exchange with Hashana had now arrived at the square—and there, amidst the crowd, she spotted someone wearing Hashana's armor.

Her whole body trembled. Her heart was pounding so wildly she almost screamed in panic.

But reason held her instincts in check.

She knew full well that causing a commotion might be her best chance of surviving and escaping. But what if that person—was already targeting her?

Could a Lv. 6, even one with great reflexes, really react in time to save her before the killer struck?

Highly unlikely.

Even she had to admit that.

Though she had never witnessed the power of a Lv. 6, the one who killed Hashana had taken out a Lv. 4 without effort. That meant their strength was at least Lv. 5, maybe even beyond that.

And when facing a level of strength she'd never seen before—who could guarantee her survival?

'I should've never taken this job.'

Only now did she realize just how dangerous this handoff mission really was.

She should've known back at the Guild. The reward alone should have been a red flag. Just a simple exchange—take something from the 18th floor to the surface—and she'd earn 20 million Valis? Since when was life that easy?

Adventurer commissions usually matched reward to risk. The higher the pay, the greater the danger—and death was always part of the equation.

As an adventurer, she should've known that better than anyone.

But in the end, she'd been blinded by 20 million Valis.

She thought it was just a straightforward delivery—pick up the item, bring it to the surface, and profit.

Reality was quick to slap her in the face. She'd barely held that "hot potato" from Hashana for half a day, and now he was dead.

Now, what she held wasn't just a job—it was a time bomb. One misstep, and she'd be blown to bits right alongside it.

'Calm down. You can't afford to slip now.'

Even with her heart trying to leap out of her throat, she forced herself to stay composed.

If she didn't want to end up like Hashana, she had to keep her cool.

After steadying herself, she began to inch forward through the crowd. If she could get closer to the front, she'd be that much safer.

But just as she started moving, the woman who had been quietly watching for emotional shifts in the crowd had already locked onto her.

"So you really are here."

The soft, almost tender voice came from someone clad in men's armor.

But the bustling square, full of people and noise, drowned out the moment. No one around paid it any mind—and even if someone had heard, they likely wouldn't have traced the voice's source right away.

"That saves me a lot of trouble."

The woman had no intention of waiting any longer. Now was the time to act.

Boom!

The ground trembled as if a land dragon had turned over. Dozens of Violas erupted from below, some even rising from the cliffs surrounding the City of Rivira.

She gave them a single command:

"Kill them all!"

"RAAAAAH!!"

The savage, beastlike roars echoed across the entire 18th floor, sinking every adventurer's heart into despair.

"New variant!"

Finn and Riveria's expressions darkened.

"This is bad."

Riveria took a deep breath. She could feel things spiraling completely out of control.

"Now's not the time to say that. The Violas are meant to distract us—they're going after the contact."

"But if we insist on staying here, all the civilians in the City of Rivira will be slaughtered. That woman absolutely gave the order to lure us away."

Faced with the brutal reality, Finn quickly reached a conclusion.

But even knowing this, he and Riveria couldn't be in two places at once. So many Violas, only manageable by First-class Adventurers—they couldn't afford to stand still.

And more importantly, they still didn't know who the contact was.

Boom!

The center of the square bulged up, and several Violas burst out from underground.

"AAAHHH!"

Adventurers were launched into the air in droves.

"Help!"

"Stay back!"

In an instant, screams filled the square.

Finn had no time to think. Spear in hand, he surged forward and swept it in a powerful arc, cleaving a Viola in half just as it lunged at a female adventurer.

Then his voice rang out, cutting through the chaos.

"Everyone—grab your weapons!"

The adventurers jolted to life, snapping out of their panic and reaching for their gear.

"Tiona, Tione! Handle the Violas at the entrance!"

"Riveria, take care of the ones still in the streets!"

"Ais, Lefiya—you two cover the back streets!"

"The rest of you, stay mobile and dodge! Don't use magic recklessly—those things are extremely sensitive to magic!"

With Finn's commands guiding them, the adventurers found their resolve. They quickly armed themselves and began scattering to their positions.

The adventurers on the 18th floor weren't all helpless. Aside from the Lv. 1s, most had significant combat experience and swiftly moved to terrain that suited them best.

Tiona, Tione, Ais, and Lefiya were already on the move.

Riveria had begun chanting.

"Harbinger of the end, the white snow...."

Sensing the magic surge, the Violas in the square all turned and lunged at her.

"Hrah!"

Finn stepped forward with a powerful thrust, forcing one of the Violas back.

With a swift twist of his body, he spun his spear in a wide arc, knocking two more Violas aside. In an instant, he halted all three.

"Blow with the wind before the twilight...."

"Closing light, the freezing land. Blizzard, the three severe winters - my name is Alf!"

"Wynn—Fimbulvetr!"

Three surging waves of icy wind blew in from different directions. In mere seconds, every Viola in the square was frozen solid, turned to crystal-like statues.

Though destruction and killing still raged around the City of Rivira, at least the square had been secured—for now.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake