Chapter 137: We Have a Dragon Here!

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"Delicious."

The Siren sat on the ground, nibbling on bite-sized pieces of her ration. With wings instead of arms, she needed August's help with anything harder to manage, such as noodles or soup. Even so, she seemed delighted with her first proper human lunch.

"I never knew humans had such wonderful things," she murmured, a hint of awe in her voice. "Lord August, can I ask you a question?"

She had been feeling curious for a while.

"Why do our memories show our predecessors reaching the surface, flying out into the sky, but never experiencing days like this?"

"Because of sapience."

August paused and looked at the Siren sitting in front of him.

"You carry inherited memories, and those memories are tainted by the instincts of your predecessors. The data is in your head, but you never stopped to actively question it. Now that you possess intellect, have you ever asked yourself why you exist? Who are you? Where did you come from? Sapience dictates those answers."

He avoided complicated explanations. Instead, he put it simply: everything started when she got a mind of her own. From that moment, she began choosing her own path. That was where it all began.

"As for why your memories lack food..."

August reached into his pocket, pulled out a tablet, and queued up a video file.

"This is..."

The Siren recognized the metal device. She had seen Lili with one before. But what really caught her eye was the video on the screen, which August had recorded himself.

"Antares—a monster birthed by the Dungeon in the distant past, designed specifically to kill Gods. Look at it."

August tapped the screen to footage. The video showed a landscape full of rot and decay, with everything behind the monster turned to dead ash.

"Is it dead?"

The Siren knew Antares came from the Dungeon, just like she did. But when she saw the ruined, empty land, she understood something new. The hungry memories in her mind were from a time when everything was rotting. Of course, there had been no food then.

Her wish to fly in the sky was just that—a natural urge built into her mind.

"Are we all destined to end up like that?" Her voice dropped. She desired the sky just as much as her predecessors had.

"No. Not even close."

August quickly lifted her spirits.

"From what I've gathered, normal monsters can't corrupt the natural environment like that, not even when they swarm in massive hordes. There's only one explanation: the closer a monster is tied to the Dungeon's core intent, the more it warps reality. But you guys? At best, you're a bunch of grunts."

He laughed. The Xenos were not the main anomalies. Most of their leftover urges were just broken instincts from earlier generations.

"Really? Is it okay to look at it like that?"

Her sadness disappeared. She had thought she was part of some big, tragic fate. Finding out she was just a grunt made her feel much better.

"Based on everything I've seen on the way down, grunts don't have rights. They get bossed around by the big guys. Take the 17th-floor boss, Goliath. That thing can summon and command monster swarms across the whole floor. That's a dominant trait. But you guys clearly have a rebellious streak—you don't take orders. In a way, you're the monster equivalent of a rebel army. You didn't like your boss, so you shanked him."

August started laughing. It all made sense. If Goliath could control the monster swarms, then the Xenos were probably the ones who broke away and formed their own group.

"Lord August, you have a wicked sense of humor."

The Siren imagined a rebel army made up of grunts. She started laughing too.

Suddenly—

"Kukuku."

Another laugh joined theirs... The joke had reached someone listening in. High above, a Siren Xenos circled and laughed with them.

"Finally showed up? As expected of a Level 5 monster—you hide your presence well," August noted, not sounding surprised in the least. He shifted his gaze toward the tree line. "Since you're here, step out. No need to hide..."

"Ray, I told you to keep quiet."

A figure draped in robes stepped out of the bushes.

"Greetings, August, Captain of the Hestia Familia."

Fels bowed deeply as a sign of respect.

"Sage Fels..." August looked at the robed figure.

"I am the Fool now," Fels corrected.

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the Siren sitting beside August, confirming she was one of the missing Xenos.

"I never thought I would live to see a human bring our brethren out of the Dungeon to live on the surface. Granted, you are a human from another world. But the sentiment remains." A red Lizardman walked up next to Fels.

Beside him was a Stone Dragon, a Gargoyle-type monster found past the 20th floor. Both were just under three meters tall—smaller than the young dragon August had fought before, but still impressive up close.

"I'm Lyd. The grumpy guy next to me is Gros."

The Lizardman seemed very friendly. Watching August feed the Siren by hand was enough to earn his trust.

"Hello."

Gros grunted a greeting after Lyd nudged him in the ribs. He was not very hostile toward August either. Watching a human feed one of their own made even the tough Gros relax.

Ray, circling above, finally landed.

"I'm Ray," she introduced herself. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you, human."

Ray had watched August from above. He treated the Siren kindly and even fed her, which made Ray trust him right away.

"Is this everyone?"

August was surprised. He thought Ray, the fastest, would scout ahead. He did not expect Fels to bring all three Xenos leaders right to him.

It caught him off guard, but he reacted quickly.

He moved incredibly fast. In an instant, he drew his weapon and grabbed Ray, who was both the quickest and the most physically vulnerable. The Siren moved at the same time, jumping up and holding her bladed wing to Ray's neck.

"You...!"

Lyd and Gros jumped back right away, putting space between themselves and the others. Only Fels, who knew a bit about August's unpredictable nature, sensed that something was very wrong.

"..." A standoff.

"LYD, I TOLD YOU! THESE HUMANS CAN'T BE TRUSTED!" Gros roared, glaring at Lyd.

But Lyd wasn't swept up in the anger. He drew his weapon, but something felt off. The Siren was actually helping August keep Ray hostage. Lyd glanced at Fels, wondering why he was siding with the human.

"August, what are you doing?" Fels demanded sternly.

This man was definitely up to something. There was another issue: Ray was quick. At that distance, August shouldn't have caught her unless she allowed it, or he was impossibly fast.

Fels felt a headache coming on. What was this human after?

"BECAUSE I'M PISSED OFF!!" August answered bluntly. "I brought this group up to the surface due to unforeseen circumstances. Now, the consensus among the Gods is that I should quietly return them to the Dungeon. I get the logic. BUT WHY THE HELL SHOULD I BE THE ONE SWALLOWING A LOSS?"

He glared at Fels. Why should he be the only one to pay while everyone else got off easy?

"The Ikelos Familia was poaching Xenos and selling them to nobles. I put a bounty on the Daedalus family—and the whole city played dumb. No one stepped up. Then the job goes sideways, and suddenly I'm expected to clean up the mess and eat the deficit. I don't play by those rules."

August pressed his weapon to Ray's back.

Ray's body was soft beneath his grip, but August was not acting on instinct or desire. This was a standoff, and he had no time for distractions.

"You..."

Fels saw that August had no intention of giving in.

Ouranos's plan was simple: return the surface Xenos to the Dungeon and maintain the Status Quo.

It was the unspoken agreement among the Gods. Even though Ouranos had cut ties with the Daedalus family—the bloodline still held deep roots and connections among the city's Gods—making it a bureaucratic nightmare to hold them accountable.

Orario's Gods wanted August to return the Xenos and let the issue fade.

August wouldn't accept that. He refused to be the one sacrificed.

"You plan to hold Ray and the leaders hostage... and drag the entire Xenos community up into Orario?" Fels looked at him as if he were crazy.

'Are you out of your mind?'

There were over forty intelligent Xenos down here, the equivalent of a mid-tier Familia, including three Level 5s. Unleashing them on the surface would cause an unprecedented, city-wide panic. It would amount to forming a rogue monster syndicate in the middle of Orario.

"Only a Sage would catch on..." August said with a grin. He enjoyed talking to clever people. They always figured things out for him.

Gros, who had been furious just moments ago, was shocked by how bold the plan was. Using hostages to storm the surface—what kind of crazy genius was this human?

Gros was speechless, but he had to admit it was brilliant.

Lyd was thrilled. He had never imagined things could get this chaotic and work out so well.

"August, do you have any idea what the fallout will be?"

Even Fels was amazed by how big the plan was. It took a special kind of madness to come up with something like this. Bringing Lyd and the others to the surface would turn Orario into a warzone.

Still, Fels felt a strange sense of satisfaction...

If he were in August's place, always told to compromise and take the losses for everyone else, he might want to tear the system down too. Fels remembered having that same rebellious spirit.

"If this place won't have me, another will... Worst comes to worst, I take Hestia and leave for another world," August said assuredly.

'He had a good point. If Orario turned against him, he could just leave for another universe.'

'This guy... he really is a menace.'

Fels finally got it.

August always had a way out. He wasn't scared of the Gods because they couldn't control him. If they didn't play by his rules, he'd just leave and let them handle the fallout.

'Sorry, Ouranos. I like this kid's style.'

Fels made his choice. He turned toward Gros.

"Sorry, Gros. Ray is important—I can't let her get hurt. If August is pushed, he really will kill her."

Fels put on a tragic voice and pointed his armored gauntlet at Gros, taking him hostage.

"What the hell??"

Gros couldn't believe how quickly Fels had betrayed him. The Sage just switched sides? And what did he mean by "Ray is important"? Wasn't Gros important too? Was he the only honest one getting pushed around?

"Fels, you bastard!"

Gros cursed loudly. Did they really think he was clueless?

Lyd watched as Gros was taken hostage and realized the Xenos had just gotten incredibly lucky!!

This was perfect!!

"GROS! RAY! HOLD ON! I'LL BRING EVERYONE!"

Lyd yelled, then turned and ran toward the 20th floor as fast as he could. If he stayed any longer, he would burst out laughing...

Things had gotten out of hand so quickly. He had come to pick up his friends, but now it wasn't a rescue anymore. If he didn't use this chance to bring everyone up, he'd be letting August down.

"That guy is laughing. He is definitely laughing!!"

Gros watched Lyd run off in a dramatic panic. He could almost hear the Lizardman laughing. If Lyd wasn't laughing, Gros would eat his own head.

"Fels. Is this your plan?"

Gros wanted to know if the Sage had orchestrated the whole thing. If so, Fels was rotten to the core.

Everyone stared at Gros. He was just too literal. He had already figured out what was going on, but he was still asking if it was planned?

Fels said nothing. Honestly, even he hadn't expected things to get out of hand so fast. He was just going along with it. But the results spoke for themselves.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

The Siren didn't get Gros. She was younger and hadn't spent much time with the older group, but really, couldn't he see what was happening? It was clearly a spur-of-the-moment plan to cause trouble.

"Dammit! Dammit!"

For the first time, Gros felt like his younger peers were making fun of his intelligence. Who was calling him an idiot?

August ignored their arguing and started calculating his next move.

"Follow my lead."

He pulled Ray along, heading back to the 17th floor. With Lyd's speed, the Lizardman would reach the main group first and gather them on the 17th floor soon.

"Understood, Mr. Gentle Otherworlder." Ray could tell August didn't mean any real harm.

She leaned against him and let herself be led along.

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