The Minotaurs fled toward floors above the 17th, scattering in all directions.

For the Loki Familia, this was a major hassle.

Dozens of Minotaur grouped together were manageable, but dispersed, they'd take time to hunt down.

Though each Minotaur was killed near-instantly, their spread across multiple floors complicated things.

To protect adventurers on the middle and upper floors, every floor needed clearing.

A single Minotaur could spell disaster for low-class adventurers.

Fortunately, the middle and upper floors weren't too vast, so searching was feasible.

Finn's other team, nearby, joined the effort upon learning of the Minotaurs.

To tackle the scattered monsters, the Loki Familia split up, scouring each floor to eliminate them quickly.

Roy and Ais, both using Aeriel, moved faster than the rest, swiftly reaching the upper floors.

"Seen any Minotaurs?" Ais asked adventurers they met, racing through and dispatching monsters.

"Two left," Roy said, tallying kills.

The number dwindled as they ascended.

"Hurry," Ais nodded, darting upward like a gale.

Entering the 6th floor, Ais and Roy split to search for Minotaur traces, quickly killing one.

Reuniting at the 5th-floor stairway, they heard distressed screams ahead.

They exchanged a glance and ran toward the sound.

In a grotto passage, a blood-soaked figure in red sprinted past them in panic.

"Bell?" Roy recognized him instantly.

"You know him?" Ais gave Roy a puzzled look.

"An acquaintance," Roy nodded.

"That runt! I saved his life and didn't even thank me, just bolted!" Bete stormed from the passage's other end, fuming.

"You two are late. I got the last Minotaur," Bete taunted Roy with a smug, provocative grin, as if he'd won.

His senses tracked Minotaurs by scent.

His agility, second only to Ais with Aeriel, gave him an edge in the hunt.

He'd beaten Roy and Ais to the final kill.

Roy's expression turned odd, glancing at Ais, then Bete.

In the anime, Ais saved Bell, but Roy's presence shifted that to Bete.

"Good," Ais sighed in relief, then asked,

"That adventurer was bloodied, was he hurt?"

Bell's blood-soaked state, whether his or the Minotaur's, and his terror worried Ais.

If monsters harmed upper-floor adventurers, the Loki Familia bore responsibility for spawning them.

"Tch, some nobody from who-knows-where," Bete grumbled, still irked.

He didn't expect thanks, but Bell's terrified flee stung like he was the monster.

"When I found the last Minotaur, it had him cornered in a dead end. The blood's from the Minotaur I killed," Bete explained offhandedly.

"Hey, Ais," Bete asked, "Am I scary? Or annoying?"

Bell's frightened escape made Bete question his image.

"Not scary," Ais shook her head, then added bluntly, "Just annoying sometimes."

Bete froze, his face cycling through pale, blue, and red.

He hadn't expected such a candid jab from Ais.

"You okay, Bete?" Ais noticed his odd expression.

"Hurt chasing the Minotaur?"

"I'm fine! How could a low-class monster touch me?" Bete snapped, inwardly reeling from Ais's words, neither angry nor calm.

Roy stifled a laugh, nearly bursting.

Ais's innocent bluntness nearly silenced Bete.

"Heading back!"

Bete glared at Roy, storming off ahead.

---

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