The man-made labyrinth, Knossos—
Was actually the main stronghold of the Ikelos Familia.
The entire space was rectangular, built entirely from stone.
Its width spanned over 100 meters, with its depth stretching several times longer.
The ceiling was tall and vast.
Inside were rows upon rows of pitch-black iron cages.
And within those cages—
Were imprisoned monsters of humanoid form: lamias, octomaids, mermaids... and many others.
These battered and bruised monsters were tightly bound by chains connected to the cages.
But they were different from ordinary monsters.
Each of them possessed intelligence and rationality—
The so-called Xenos.
The Ikelos Familia had once been an exploration-type faction during the Dark Age.
Back then, they were suspected of colluding with the Evilus factions.
They had existed in Orario for over twenty years, ranked as a B-level Familia.
Just as they had begun entering the deeper floors, they stopped progressing.
After that, they became erratic and unpredictable, lurking in the Dungeon's depths.
Nowadays, barely anyone in the adventuring world spoke of them.
The current Ikelos Familia had essentially turned into a hunter organization.
They specialized in smuggling and trafficking Xenos—monsters with intelligence and beautiful appearances.
Using the hidden passages of the man-made labyrinth, they secretly transported Xenos up to the surface.
And from there, sold them at high prices to collectors with... special tastes.
"Dix, it seems a group of adventurers has intentionally invaded our base."
"What should we do?"
A bald, burly man came to report to the man in sunglasses.
"Which Familia are they from?"
Sitting atop an empty black cage, Dix Perdix raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Anyone able to find this place must be formidable.
"No idea," the man shook his head. "Their leader is a blond-haired brat."
"And the ones following him are all wearing cloaks—possibly members from other factions."
Being able to reach the 18th floor—
Meant there were at least a few upper-rank adventurers in their party.
There was no way a group of rookies could have made it here.
But what puzzled the bald man was...
That the blond kid seemed to be the core of the team.
Just who was he?
If he was from Orario, why hadn't he heard of him?
Maybe...
Maybe he was from another Evilus faction?
That was the only explanation that made sense.
Dix suddenly curled his lips into a wide grin, chuckling to himself.
"Gran, go open the gates."
Then, he pulled down the sunglasses resting on his forehead—
And tossed a palm-sized orb-like magic device to the bald giant.
It was a piece of refined metal, specially crafted.
Inside the metal frame was something resembling an eyeball—
Its appearance alone was enough to send chills down one's spine.
"D-Dix? Are you sure about this? We don't even know who they are…"
The bald man, Gran, caught the magic item but still looked confused.
"It's fine. I'll personally greet them."
"If they came to negotiate—great. We'll talk."
"But if they came for something else, we'll just hunt them all down."
As a first-tier adventurer, Dix's confident smile deepened.
Sharp and cunning—
He was already certain that Raven Eltharion wasn't a first-tier adventurer.
Otherwise…
There was no way he wouldn't have heard of him back in Orario.
Under the dim glow of embedded magic stone lamps, Raven's group hadn't walked far—
When a massive metal gate blocked their path.
On either side stood statues shaped like demons.
The door was forged from materials used for indestructible weapons—immensely durable.
"Superhard metal, huh?"
Empress reached out and gently pressed her hand to the door.
"Allow me."
Her cherry lips parted, reciting a low incantation.
A faint sky-blue magical sigil began spreading across her palm.
But just then—
The heavy metal gate began lifting on its own, rising from bottom to top.
Calicia lowered her hand and spoke softly,
"Looks like they're aware of our presence."
"——The sunglasses brat?"
Alfia narrowed her eyes, recalling a faint memory from seven years ago.
Back then, during the peak of the Evilus conflict—
The dark factions Alecto Familia and Apate Familia had tried to recruit Ikelos Familia.
Unfortunately—
Dix, the sunglasses brat, had refused their invitation.
As a result, their Familia had been under suspicion ever since.
And the Guild had been actively trying to track down Ikelos Familia's stronghold.
"Let's go."
"Seems like our arrival is being welcomed."
Raven looked ahead with great interest as one metal door after another began opening.
Alice stepped closer and asked with concern,
"Raven…"
"If they really are from an Evilus faction, what are you going to do with them?"
Raven paused for a moment, then replied:
"My goal is simple—to rescue the monsters they're imprisoning."
"We'll just see if they've caught any talking Xenos."
Laila raised a skeptical brow.
"You really believe those Xenos have emotions?"
"You'll see soon enough,"Kaguya replied,
A hopeful glint shining in her wine-red eyes.
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