The underground ruins are still immersed in darkness, with sporadic battles breaking the silence, like fireworks soaring in the dark night.

Under the slowly descending border, Aya lowered her head, covering her face, trembling in place. Atrahasis, standing beside her, shook her shoulder in confusion and asked tentatively, "Why did you suddenly stop talking?"

Thanks to you, big sis, it seems like we're done for! Aya had the urge to raise her head and roar, but the other side of the contract remained silent, scaring her into silence.

Ah, anything will do. Please, something happen to break the current situation!

"Here's a temporary announcement."

As if a deity truly heard Aya's prayer, the broadcast unexpectedly came to the rescue at this crucial moment.

Tiran, on the other side of the contract, let out an almost inaudible "tsk", and that sense of danger dissipated. Only then did Aya breathe a sigh of relief and listened carefully to the broadcast.

It was strange. The previous two broadcasts were clearly synthesized voices without any discernible tone, but this time, it changed to a male voice. He sounded middle-aged, but there was a hint of arrogance and... ill intentions?

"Dear contestants, I am the organizer of this competition... of course, you don't need to know who I am. I'm just here to inform you that an interesting additional element will be added to the game next. It's called a bounty."

"Next, I will provide information about one contestant... of course, just one. You are free to hunt him down and the one who successfully kills him will earn 3,000 points. Furthermore, on behalf of the underground dungeon, I guarantee that there will be no retaliation after his death... Oh, and by the way, he is wanted in several kingdoms, and the bounty on his head is worth at least several hundred thousand gold coins."

The entire third level of the ruins instantly boiled over.

The final result of the competition was determined by the total value of collected treasures. Each treasure had a corresponding point value, and even something valuable like ancient gold coins was only worth one point... With 3,000 points, the lower-ranked contestants could jump hundreds of spots, and for those already at the top, it almost secured their position in the top three.

In addition to the rewards for winning, there was also the bounty on the target's head... It would make any individual contestant instantly rich overnight. Since most participants joined the competition for wealth, the allure of this bounty was unimaginable.

"Damn... Which unfortunate guy has a grudge against the organizers?" After a moment of silence, Tiran spoke with a malicious glee.

"Add one more, feel sorry for a second... So, are you planning to let that unlucky person off the hook?" Aya couldn't help but sympathize with the poor soul whose name she didn't even know.

"Depends on the situation. If it's a cute girl, maybe I'll lend a hand... Perhaps they won't be able to resist offering themselves to me?"

"Let me tell you, Lady Tiran, you truly are a beast."

"You... Do you really think I won't hold you accountable for the Azure Gunslinger incident? That guy is still with you, right?"

"You should at least let me explain! It was an accident!"

At this moment, the voice on the broadcast also mentioned the name of the unlucky person: "Who is this fortunate person? Hermes Melt. Hmph, this name must be quite familiar to the magitech researchers in the Kingdom of Magitech, right? His combat style revolves around magical machinery assistance, characterized by a dark robe and magitech devices. Unless you're confident in your own strength, it's best not to provoke him. As for his current location... he should be in the southeast part of the second level. Good luck, everyone."

"...Do you understand what I'm thinking, Aya?"

"Of course, it's time to make some waves." Aya cracked her knuckles. She never had any sympathy for this guy, on the contrary... It's a relief!

...

"That damn bastard!" On the second floor of the ruins, dressed in a black robe that blended with the surroundings, the magitech master slammed the wall next to him in frustration.

He had originally planned to use his magitech equipment to quickly take care of a few sheep and accumulate points. But he didn't expect that guy to show no mercy and make him the target of everyone's attacks.

Sure enough, all the powerful ones would now come after him... Damn it, he should have seen this day coming. Those families behind the scenes promised to help him, but they were only using him for their own gains. It was easy for them to break the agreement.

Hermes' face grew even darker.

Hmph, let them come! They shouldn't think I'll give up easily.

...

In the hidden VIP seat in the underground dungeon, the organizers leisurely watched the big screen. The ubiquitous surveillance array captured every change in Hermes' expression, projecting it onto the screen, making them extremely happy.

"Hahaha! Jass, did you see that guy's expression? He's so mad, his face is turning green!"

"Sir, his face is not turning green, you might have mistaken." The guard hidden in the shadow behind the sofa responded after a moment.

"It's just a metaphor, that's all." The man felt a little uncomfortable at his subordinate's remark, but then shook his head and continued to enjoy Hermes' expressions.

"Sir, after all, Hermes is our ally... Are you sure about doing this?" The guard spoke again.

"Going too far?" The man waved his finger, "Jass, Jass, first of all, you have to remember that 'alliance' is a relationship built on equal strength. Can Hermes be compared to us? That guy is a genius at best, and a tool at worst."

"A tool is only useful until it's used up. And if it's useless, it should be discarded. He has already learned enough of the biotic magitech technology that is useful to us. Well, he's lucky if he's still alive, but it doesn't matter if he's dead. Oh, isn't Milanía here to collect him? If that guy is dead, then hand him over."

...

"Hey hey, Aya, why are you running so fast? Are you planning to pick a fight with that guy called Hermes?"

Aya followed the route detected by her psychic tendrils and hurried towards the passage to the second underground floor. Even without transforming back into her dragon form, her running speed on the ground was quite astonishing. People with poor vision could probably only see a blurry figure passing by.

Even Etras, had to summon some of her mechatronic assistance to barely keep up.

"I guess." Aya suddenly stopped in front of a tower-shaped building. It looked similar to the central pillar seen from above, but on a smaller scale. The interior was a hollow spiral path that led to the next floor.

"In that case, let's negotiate, shall we?"

Finally coming to a stop, Etras tied up her long hair with a ribbon. Aya had suddenly taken off running, leaving her no time to tie her hair. The long waves of aquamarine hair were almost blown into a tangled mess along the way.

"Negotiate?"

"How about a collaboration? I'll help you out, we split the loot, and in the end, whoever is lucky enough to get the bounty gets it." The female gunner suggested, and after the shining glow from the high-level storage bangles on both wrists, she was fully armed in her exoskeleton armor and attached weapons, looking magnificent like a battlefield Valkyrie.

"I'll think about it." Aya hesitated for a moment and didn't agree immediately.

"Huh? Why? It should be much easier with my help, right? Don't judge me based on appearances, at least I have some reputation in the mercenary world."

What else is there to consider? Aya was puzzled. Didn't this noble miss see that her strength was enough to assist her? She had only decided to help out because she rarely encountered an inexperienced miss in a place like this... Miss, think it through.

As for Aya, she understood the benefits of having an extra combatant, but she was concerned about Tiran Miss's side...

Let's give it a try.

With this mentality, Aya initiated the contract communication.

"Tiran Miss?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Is it alright if I bring Aetra together to deal with Hermes?"

"No."

...Just as expected. Sometimes this princess is unexpectedly willful.

"In times like this, we should be in agreement, right?"

"Huh? Do you think I can't handle that old pervert?" Tiran's voice sounded dissatisfied.

Is it time to change the approach? Aya pinched her chin and asked softly, "Uh, are you... jealous? Or are you jealous that there's a pretty girl beside me?"

"How, how, how is that possible!"

The other side immediately screamed like a cat with its tail stepped on, "What a joke! Am I supposed to be jealous of you, a dumb dragon? Impossible! Nonexistent!"

"Then why won't you accept an extra helper? I think Aetra is quite reliable. What's wrong with having an extra force to defeat Hermes and save Chirp?"

Aya felt secretly satisfied, finally understanding a bit of this miss's mentality after spending so much time together.

"Ah, okay, okay! I'll agree! Hurry up and come over, I'll be there soon!"