Chapter 121: [BONUS] - A Humiliating Retreat

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After passing the 18th floor and navigating the twisting tunnels, they finally noticed how vast the 19th floor was.

They ended up in a massive underground forest. It was probably smaller than Orario or even the 18th floor, but the thick, packed trees made it feel like a huge, suffocating wilderness.

"These bastards just keep coming."

As soon as August and Lili stepped into the trees, they saw how serious things had gotten. Everything before this was just getting them ready for what was next.

This was a manhunt.

The moment the monsters spotted August, they charged at him in a wild, furious attack, only wanting to tear him to shreds. They ignored the other Adventurers and went straight for him, like sharks smelling blood.

"Bring it on, then."

"Let's see what you've got." August watched the monsters coming at him.

The attack wasn't just from the ground. The forest was packed with insect monsters, Lizardman, and fierce flying predators circling overhead. Now, enemies came from all sides, not just the cave floor.

Just by being there, August seemed to make everything even more violent.

"Dammit," Lili cursed, her face turning pale. "This is nothing like the upper floors."

"Forest warfare, we don't have the experience for this."

They were skilled and prepared, and Lili was a stronger Supporter now. They wouldn't fall easily. But there were just too many enemies. On the upper floors, monster groups needed a leader to organize them.

Here, the Dungeon sent monsters from the trees and bushes in every direction, all aiming to kill August—

"We've always fought in caves," Lili said quickly. "This new place should throw us off, but our experience should still help. So why isn't it working...?"

She realized the answer almost immediately.

"No. This isn't a few thousand monsters anymore. There are tens of thousands of them rushing us."

August remembered what the little Xenos creature had told him. Whatever strange effect he gave off made Dungeon monsters go wild. Starting from the 19th floor, there were even more monsters than the army he fought while chasing Antares.

"Fall back!"

When the Xenos saw August getting surrounded, they rushed to help him.

The whole 19th floor exploded into chaos. Monsters came out of the woods, and when they saw the Xenos, they attacked them too. It didn't matter if they were the same kind. The monsters attacked everything they saw.

The battlefield descended into total chaos.

August had planned to lead the Xenos to the 20th floor and find their friends. That plan was finished. They hadn't even made it halfway before getting caught in a deadly fight.

The towering trees were his biggest problem.

He couldn't use big fire weapons or explosives like he wanted. Even when he tried heavy artillery, the huge tree trunks blocked his shots. The wood soaked up the blasts, threw off his aim—and let the monsters get closer.

For the first time since entering the Dungeon, August hit a wall.

Heavy weapons worked well in open spaces, but the forest was too cramped. His first attack barely did any damage and just brought even more monsters closer.

"..."

The Xenos saw right away that they couldn't hold their ground.

"We have to move," the Siren shouted, knowing that staying meant death. The horde was closing in, and the only way out was back to the 18th floor.

"Torch the treeline. Cover our retreat," August barked. "Grab the smaller ones and run. Anyone who falls behind dies here."

"Got it!"

The fire-breathing Xenos shot flames into the bushes, creating a wall of fire to slow the monsters. At the same time, August tossed smoke grenades and tear gas into the trees, grabbed Lili, and ran.

He led the Xenos into a desperate retreat.

This was the first time August had to run for his life in the Dungeon.

"Son of a bitch. This place is a nightmare."

The Dungeon was after him now. It hadn't just made things harder—it had sent ten times more enemies.

August was furious. In an open field, he could have beaten thousands of monsters. Even in a jungle, he could have handled a few thousand if he had room. But these monsters used the forest to their advantage. They hid in blind spots, attacked from the trees, and let the trunks block his attacks.

As long as they were alive, they kept coming...

He had no room to breathe. The fight had turned into a nonstop, close-up struggle.

To make things worse, there were way more types of monsters than he expected. He thought each floor had just a few kinds, but this forest had over a dozen, not even counting the Lizardmen with weapons on the next floor.

These were [Level 2] monsters with specialized traits, and there were far too many of them.

With no other choice, August swallowed his pride and ran.

"Looks like I wasted my ammo."

They rushed back through the entrance and collapsed on the 18th floor, which was supposed to be a safe zone. But a safe zone only meant there were fewer monsters, not that it was completely safe.

As soon as they crossed over, monsters hiding in the woods attacked them.

"You've got to be kidding me. I get pushed out of the 19th, and now you low-level grunts want a piece of me?"

August raised his guns.

Bang! Bang!

He shot at every monster that got close, taking out his frustration on the creatures around him until the area finally fell silent.

Even after the smoke cleared, August's anger didn't go away.

For the first time, he lost his usual calm. He was used to easily beating his enemies, but being forced back like this rattled him. Each monster that attacked just made him even angrier.

They regrouped at the gate connecting the 18th and 19th floors.

"Lord August, what's our next move?" Lili asked, wiping sweat from her brow.

The expedition had reached a dead end. The 19th floor was much harder than they expected, and it seemed like there was no way forward.

"We head back... We're not getting past that floor anytime soon," August said.

He'd been confident all day, but now he had to fall back. Losing like this stung.

"Let's move!!"

He motioned to the battered Xenos and led them toward the entrance to Knossos.

"We're just leaving?" Lili clenched her fists. They'd been winning every fight, but now they were leaving in defeat. It felt like a big setback.

"We can't fight them right now. Without [Level 3] combat power, we can't push through those numbers in that terrain."

To use his modern weapons in the jungle, August needed real soldiers. He needed people to hold positions, spot targets, and help control the area.

On his own, he couldn't cover every angle or handle a full ambush.

"We retreat. If we can't win, we don't fight."

There wasn't any easy fix.

"Dammit," Lili muttered, stomping her foot. "This sucks."

"It is what it is. Come on." August glanced back at the monstrous escorts. "So, what's the plan for you guys? Staying in the man-made Labyrinth, or coming back with us?"

"Awoooo!" The black-and-white striped wolf barked excitedly, its eyes shining. It wanted to go up, to see real grass and run under the open sky.

"..." The other Xenos looked at each other, tired and unsure.

"Can we really go with you?" the Siren asked softly. She knew the surface Adventurers and the Dungeon monsters both hated them. She had never imagined August would offer them a way out.

"Sure. As long as you don't cause trouble, do whatever you want."

August waved his hand like it was nothing. The Xenos were smart and useful for research, so he didn't mind bringing them along.

"Let's go, then."

"THANK YOU!"

The Xenos perked up right away. They'd dreamed of seeing the surface their whole lives, and now August was making it happen.

"Lord August, is this really a good idea?" Lili asked, her anxiety spiking.

She thought he'd hide them deep in the tunnels. Instead, he was leading a group of monsters straight to the surface. It was more than risky. Even Ouranos and Fels kept the Xenos secret, but August was putting everything out in the open.

Did he even care what people would say?

"What's the problem?" August shrugged. "If someone has an issue, it ends in one of two ways. A War Game, or a massive Familia clash. And nobody knows who would win that."

"Lili... We're one of the most dangerous Familias in Orario. Even Loki thinks twice before crossing us."

"Who's going to stop me??" August rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Sometimes, the strong get to do whatever they want."

Leaving the Xenos in the tunnels wasn't an option. They were exhausted and barely hanging on. Any group of Adventurers, leftover enemies, or new monsters could take them out easily.

"Move."

"Awoo!" The Xenos made happy sounds.

The day felt unreal.

First, cruel humans had hurt them. Then, the Dungeon had tried to kill them. Now, before they could even process it, the strongest human they knew was leading them to the surface.

"Lord August really is built different," Lili murmured, awe mixing with exhaustion.

He saw right and wrong differently than anyone else in the city.

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They walked back up through the Daedalus tunnels, but everything changed the moment they stepped into the open streets.

Pedestrians saw the group and their faces twisted in fear.

"MONSTERS!!"

Screams filled the street as people rushed away in terror. The monsters' red eyes, animal shapes, and the aura they brought from the Dungeon sent everyone into a panic.

Nearby Adventurers drew their weapons and moved to intercept.

"..." But they noticed the man walking at the front of the pack, everyone froze.

It was a strange sight... The captain of the Hestia Familia was leading Dungeon monsters through the street. Even stranger, the monsters looked tired and beaten, as if they'd just lost a big fight.

And August looked furious. The Adventurers stood with their blades raised, not sure what to do next.

"What the fuck are you looking at??"

August had been angry since the 19th floor. The stares from the crowd pushed him over the edge. His shout made the whole street fall silent.

'Wait, what? We didn't even say anything, and you're yelling at us?'

But his outburst worked. The frightened people and confused Adventurers stayed put, unsure what to do.

Lili's eyes widened. She'd thought August was joking before, but he wasn't. He was breaking every rule in Orario.

She was too tired to speak. After running from thousands of monsters across several floors, she was completely drained.

The Xenos stuck close to August, looking around with curiosity. They were nervous but didn't run. It was their first time seeing the surface and so many people, and only August's presence kept them calm.

A sharp voice broke the silence.

"Hey, rookie. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The commotion had drawn some of the City's Strongest people.

Leaders from both the Loki and Ganesha Familias showed up, each with their squads. Weapons drawn, they fixed their eyes on August, Lili, and the monsters behind them.

Earlier that day, August had embarrassed the Loki Familia in an argument. But this was different. Bringing several Middle Floor monsters into the city turned a personal issue into a major security problem.

Bete Loga was the first to step forward. He had a grudge to settle... Gareth had made him go to study sessions to help with his reading, so he was already in a bad mood.

Now, this new Hestia member was leading monsters through town.

Did he really think the rules didn't matter?

August didn't bother with a polite explanation. He didn't even try to calm things down. He looked openly hostile.

He'd lost, and it stung. After two weeks of winning every fight, one defeat had ruined everything.

"Hah? You got a death wish?" August glared at Bete.

"Because if you do, I don't mind putting a bullet through your head right now!!"

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