Chapter 268: An Answer Beyond Imagination

"The enemy is a Spirit—and its main body is a confirmed Lv.8. The mission Hashana intercepted involved stealing a fetus, which turned out to be a clone-like offshoot produced by the Spirit. The maximum level of these clones caps at Lv.7. And apparently, the Spirit can produce them in large quantities?"

From Loki's explanation, Finn fully grasped just how dangerous the enemies they were facing truly were. Frankly speaking, if the Spirit's main body ever decided to launch a full assault from its hiding place in the Dungeon, Orario could suffer catastrophic losses.

Even imagining it gave Finn a headache.

He had long understood that Spirits weren't easy foes, but he hadn't expected it to be this overwhelming.

"If that's the case, we'll have a lot more to account for on future expeditions. In those uncharted regions, the main body of the Spirit could be lurking anywhere, and at any time, its clones might appear to interfere."

"Even if they're just Lv.7, if we're not thoroughly prepared, we'll struggle to handle them."

"In theory, Spirits also have the ability to use magic. So we need to be ready for that as well."

A Spirit's most dangerous weapon was its magic.

Their magical aptitude far surpassed even that of Elves. And if they were going up against a Lv.8 Spirit, expecting it not to use magic was as ridiculous as expecting Riveria to kill the Black Dragon barehanded.

From the start, they needed to treat these enemies as mobile artillery capable of casting high-level magic—just like Elves, only worse.

"Magic, huh... yeah, you'll definitely need to guard against that."

Loki couldn't even pretend magic wasn't a concern. Even if they were Corrupted Spirit offspring, they were still Spirits. Not using magic? Then what kind of Spirit were they?

"Haaah..."

Just imagining having to face a magic-wielding Lv.7—or worse, Lv.8—Spirit made Finn feel like his whole team was at risk of being wiped out. Even with Haruhime's "Level Boost" to tip the odds in their favor, it still wouldn't be easy.

"Finn, don't stress too much. I'll ask that kid if he has any solutions. Even if he can't completely block all the magic, he should at least be able to tank most of it."

Seeing Finn's grim expression, Loki tried to reassure him.

She couldn't promise full immunity to the attacks, but significantly reducing the incoming damage? That was within reach.

"...Alright."

There weren't many alternatives anyway, and Finn knew they'd have to factor this into their budget. If they were unlucky enough to run into a Spirit in the Dungeon, going in unprepared could mean none of them made it back alive.

"But Loki, that's going to be an extra expense."

"Any gear capable of defending against Lv.7 or Lv.8 magic definitely won't come cheap."

Shit!

Loki had completely forgotten about that—of course it would cost money!

With his nerves finally settling a little, Finn composed himself and refocused.

"What else?"

"What else? What do you mean?"

Seeing that Loki was genuinely drawing a blank, Finn covered his face with one hand, exasperated.

"It's not just about the Spirit, right?"

"When you didn't see Ais earlier, your reaction wasn't the usual disappointment—it was relief. And you exhaled like you dodged a bullet. That's not like you, Loki."

With his every reaction called out so directly, Loki slumped in defeat, flashing a bitter smile. There was really no way to hide it anymore.

"Actually, that kid didn't just confirm the Spirits as a third-party faction in the Dungeon... he also uncovered the Guild's secret private army hidden down there."

"PFFFT!!"

Finn, who had just raised his wine glass to take a sip, spat it out the instant he heard the words "Guild" and "private army."

He thought he was mentally prepared—but clearly not enough for that.

It took him several seconds to process it. Then, wiping the wine from his mouth, he turned to Loki with a stunned, disbelieving look.

"What did you just say?"

"Loki, did I hear that right? Did you just say the Guild has private soldiers in the Dungeon?"

"That's right."

"..."

Faced with such a blunt answer, Finn was completely at a loss for words. He couldn't help but question himself—"Did we really spend that long in the Dungeon?"

They had just returned to the surface, and now they were already neck-deep in a situation this convoluted... even the Guild's private army was involved?

This wasn't just some minor issue—it was the kind of thing that could shake all of Orario to its core.

"We're involved too?"

Loki couldn't even bring herself to look Finn in the eyes.

That silence was answer enough. Finn could only stare helplessly at the ceiling. This problem was even more dangerous than the one they'd just been discussing.

"Loki, start with the Guild's private army. Tell me everything."

Finn composed himself. Since there was no avoiding it, he might as well confront it directly.

"Well... it's actually something that kid deduced."

"Because the Spirit's fetus needed energy, it had to be kept in a hidden location. But the Guild knew exactly where that was—and they even commissioned the Ganesha Familia to retrieve it."

At that, Finn immediately connected the dots.

"The Guild's intel was too detailed. There's no way that woman Ais fought would leave the fetus somewhere it could be snatched that easily. For the Guild to know that much... they must've had eyes on her movements inside the Dungeon."

Though he reached the same conclusion Bell had, he was still a month late.

Maybe it was because Finn never truly believed the Guild had its own forces operating in the Dungeon. That idea had just never occurred to him before.

Loki nodded slightly. She'd figured Finn could piece it together with a few hints—but even he was late to reach this answer. And more than that, he probably had no idea what kind of private force the Guild actually had down there.

"Finn, what do you think the Guild's private army is?"

Finn furrowed his brow and gave it serious thought.

"First, we can rule out the Familia of Orario. If they weren't regulars in the Dungeon, there's no way they could've fed the Guild such detailed intel."

"Second, considering that woman's power, no ordinary Adventurer could have escaped her detection."

"Unless it was someone like Bell-kun—an extreme outlier—I'd say whoever the Guild uses must have been living in the Dungeon long-term."

That reasoning wasn't wrong—but that was as far as Finn could get.

Loki wasn't disappointed. She hadn't expected him to figure out such an absurd answer anyway.

"Right. That kid also confirmed that the Guild does have private soldiers in the Dungeon—and from the second point you made, he deduced exactly who they are."

"Monsters."

"To be precise, intelligent monsters—beings with humanlike rationality and thought. The Guild calls them 'Xenos'."

That answer left Finn stunned into silence for a long time.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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