In the upper level of the underground city, in a spacious hall.

A man dressed in noble attire sat reclined on a soft sofa, holding a crystal glass in his hand with a hint of amber-colored liquid remaining inside.

The wine was a fine vintage sent from a famous vineyard in the south, but his attention was focused on the large screen in front of him.

On one of the walls of the hall, several crystal screens, each the size of a classroom blackboard, were fixed. They were divided into dozens of sections, each displaying the current situation in different areas of the third level labyrinth.

"Hmm...they haven't started fighting yet? How boring," the man put down his glass and yawned.

In fact, he knew very well that at the beginning, everyone was busy collecting treasures, and even if they tried to snatch from others, they couldn't get much. It was only as time went on, the boundaries shrank, and the value of the treasures in everyone's hands increased that the intensity of the battles would increase.

With a bang, the door of the hall was forcefully pushed open, and the heavy wooden door hit the wall, producing a dull sound.

"I was wondering when you were going to come find me," the man stared at the unexpected guest who barged in, showing no surprise on his face. Instead, he casually picked up another crystal glass from the tray on the table and tossed it to him, saying, "Care for a drink?"

The intruder didn't catch the glass, letting it hit the ground. However, the floor was covered with thick carpet, and the glass didn't shatter. It rolled a bit and stopped.

"Don't be so boring. Look how interesting this game is," the man said, pointing at the screen with a smile.

"It's none of your business what kind of games I like to play. Why did you take my things and use them as prizes? My creation only lacks that last component...you, you..." the intruder stared coldly at him, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

"You mean that girl? What a joke. Every penny you received from her was provided by the family. In the end, you're just an employee. You have no right to question the family's decisions," the man's right hand rested on the back of the sofa, his smile tinged with disdain. "This is just a warning. Don't you think your recent requests have been getting more and more unreasonable? Gordo...or should I say Mr. Hermes? If it weren't for the family protecting you and providing you with ample funds, you would still be hiding like a rat under that ridiculous alias. Who gave you the courage to question me?"

"Nothing you understand! This is science! This is a miracle that can change history! I will create the miracle of mechanical godhood!" Hermes waved his arms and said loudly.

"A miracle? In that case, go participate in the competition, Mr. Hermes. With your determination, getting first place shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"You!" Hermes' gaze suddenly turned fierce, but the man raised his hand lightly, and immediately more than a dozen people wearing cloaks appeared on both sides of the hallway outside, blocking his way.

With a cold snort, Hermes, his face turning pale, turned and walked away.

............

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!"

In the passage of the ruins, Aya was running with all her might. The illumination spells around her had long gone out, but she couldn't care less about her fear of the darkness at the moment. If she didn't run faster, she would die!

"You shameless thief! Stop right there!"

About thirty meters behind her, the female adventurer she spotted with her psychic senses before was chasing after her aggressively.

Wasn't it just an accidental bump into her behind? And it wasn't even intentional. Was it really worth getting this angry? If it really bothered her that much, Aya wouldn't mind letting her touch herself a couple of times. Aya wanted to shout this out, but as soon as she turned her head, she noticed that the sister had pulled out two gun-like magic firearms and aimed at her!

The imperial army, don't shoot! I am a law-abiding citizen!

In a moment of sensing danger, Aya performed a somersault and narrowly avoided a scorching stream that grazed her head, leaving a large hole in the wall ahead.

The power of this attack was on par with the electromagnetic cannon she had seen at the research institute.

Aya was covered in cold sweat as she got up and continued to run. The somersault had closed the distance between the two by several meters. The female adventurer seemed to see an opportunity and continuously fired her magic gun, forcing Aya to jump and dodge in a desperate manner.

Coach, this is a foul! She has a gun!

Turning a corner, Aya couldn't help but sigh. If she were to engage in a fight with the female adventurer, she might not come out on top. Moreover, it would greatly slow down the process of collecting the treasures. She still hoped to rescue Chirp peacefully.

- Well, as a good dragon, I know how to correct my mistakes.

One chasing, one escaping, they zoomed past like the wind, leaving the other participants bewildered. What's going on? Someone is already fighting and stealing treasures? They better keep a close eye on their own possessions.

Ahead was a sizable building, and Aya saw a chance to escape. She kicked the door open and rushed inside. At the same time, she launched two explosive fireballs that collapsed the corridor behind the door, sealing the entrance completely.

As she turned around, Aya noticed a adventurer leaning against a battle-axe, taking a rest in the corridor. Upon seeing Aya, he immediately jumped up and pointed his weapon at her, his face full of tension and hostility. "What do you want?"

"Just passing by, do your own thing."

Aya couldn't be bothered with him. After jumping over, she continued running while using her psychic antennae to instantly analyze the structure of the entire building. She planned to shake off her pursuer by taking advantage of the complex terrain inside the building.

Meanwhile, outside the building, the female adventurer stopped in her tracks.

She didn't recklessly enter the building. Her fighting style relied mainly on various magic-powered machinery and long-range firepower to overwhelm her opponents. The narrow and complex terrain of the house was not conducive to combat, and there was a high possibility of being ambushed.

"Hmph, although you're a rogue, you're quite smart...But too bad, you've encountered me, Aetras from the 'Arms Arsenal'!"

The female adventurer sneered as she took off her wind hat, revealing long, wavy, water-blue hair cascading down her back. In front of her right eye, hidden under the brim of her hat, she wore a monocular eyeglass. The lens glittered with magical light, precisely targeting her prey.

"Gagnerneil - Fire!"

............

Boom.

Aya suddenly felt the entire building tremble.

Boom.

Another tremor.

"Is it just my imagination? But that woman shouldn't have followed me in, which means I managed to shake her off... Ahhh, what the hell am I leaning against?!"

In a horrified gaze, Aya watched as the floor of the room she was hiding in cracked and shattered, followed by a massive energy beam shooting out, piercing through the roof. It began to move horizontally, demolishing everything in its path.

This power is almost on par with the magitech cannon on the capital city walls! Is that woman trying to destroy the entire building?

With this thought in mind, Aya realized that staying in the building was no longer an option. She activated her Golden Chi and, with a Dragon Fist, punched through the ceiling and leaped into the air.

Her judgment was correct. Half a second after she reached the air, the building collapsed with a creaking sound, causing a pang of sympathy for the innocent bystanders who were hiding inside just moments ago

Looking ahead, it was indeed that woman. However, her attire had completely changed. Half of her body was covered in a skeleton-like metal structure, and her arms, legs, and waist were assisted by magical mechanization, allowing her to handle the giant gun that could demolish a building in ten seconds.

Wow, when I saw her with my spiritual antennae earlier, I was wondering why she didn't have any sword or weapon equipment. It turns out she's a gunner.

The upward momentum of Aya's jump was exhausted and she began to descend. At this moment, the female adventurer also noticed Aya in the air. She quickly retracted her bulky gun, which had no time to lift up, and switched to a rapid-fire magical gun, shooting out equally terrifying magic bullets.

There was no point of force during the fall. Let's see how you dodge this time!

However, Aya had already anticipated this situation, so she began chanting a Dragon-language Magic spell as she jumped. A pale golden hemisphere of light appeared in front of her, receiving the dazzling rain of bullets and protecting her as she landed safely.

"Hmph, so you're a Magic user after all. But I thought Magic users were all old fogies who secluded themselves and only cared about studying Magic. I didn't expect someone as shameless as you."

"First... I'm not a Magic user, and second, who says Magic users are all old fogies! The headmaster of the Lighthouse Academy is a beautiful big sister, you know! You should apologize to all the Magic users in the world, you crazy woman!"

It's really annoying how she keeps demolishing buildings. Aya couldn't take it anymore. Even though she was a dragon who could admit her mistakes, it was still going too far to constantly try to kill her!

"Isn't that right? Besides, when did it become the norm for rogue behavior... Wait a minute, your voice..." The female adventurer finally realized something was off and pointed at Aya in astonishment.

"You're a girl?"

In the midst of her anger and the dark environment, she didn't pay much attention earlier and, coupled with the prejudice after being groped, she just assumed the shameless person in front of her was a man.

But now, with the assistance of enhanced aiming and night vision... this face, this skin, this voice... except for the disappointing chest, she's definitely a girl!

Aya was choked by this statement and couldn't respond for a while. Her first reaction, of course, was, "How is that possible? I'm a proud man!" But after thinking about it, a proud man doesn't dress in women's clothing every day, and if she admits to being a man, she will definitely be hunted down. So...

"No, no mistake. I'm a girl."

"Then... you used spiritual power just now..." The female adventurer became a bit incoherent.

"I was originally examining the terrain, and accidentally bumped into you. It was an accident," Aya explained impatiently.

"Uh...is that so?"

"Yes! I was just debating whether or not to remind you that your pants got torn!" Aya spoke with righteous indignation.

"Huh? Pants...?"

The female adventurer was stunned and instinctively reached out to touch...

Then her expression turned embarrassed and angry again.

Aya also realized that she might have been too blunt. "Uh, wait a minute, sister! It was just an accident!"