7th Floor of the Temple of Courage...
Siri had a discontented look on her face as she gazed at the Boss Monster that she and the Hero Party had killed.
Usually, she would have been happy defeating a Pseudo 6 Sovereign, even if she had the help of others.
But this time, she couldn't feel any joy in their victory.
The Three-Tailed Red Scorpion was a Rank 5 Sovereign, but its fighting ability made it as strong as a Pseudo-Rank 6 Monster.
The main reason why Siri and the Hero Party looked troubled was the fact that the Three-Tailed Red Scorpion was already injured when they fought against it.
However, despite its injury, the battle wasn't easy, and they even had a few close calls.
If not for Derek taking a risk to unleash a blow that staggered the scorpion, which allowed Siri and Roland to deal the decisive blow, they might have suffered casualties on their side.
The two Squads of Wanderers, who were part of their group, had fought the Rank 5 Alpha Scorpions, who were the bodyguard of the Boss Monster.
Even they found the battle difficult, given that the majority of them were just Rookies.
The only reason why they survived the battle was because each Rank 5 Scorpion was facing off against twenty Wanderers, all of whom were wearing Adamantine-Grade Equipment.
Erica was also helping the Wanderers from the sky, saving them from lethal blows from their enemies.
Even Roland didn't look that good as he stood on top of the lifeless body of the Three-Tailed Red Scorpion.
Arlo, who didn't participate in the battle, had his arms crossed over his chest.
Before the Wanderers faced the Three-Scaled Scorpion, the boy named Zion told them that he had cut off one of the Red Scorpion's rear legs before proceeding to the next floor.
The battles were always hard, but they were able to find a way to triumph over their enemies.
"It's as if everything has been calculated to perfection," Siri muttered. "I hate this feeling."
Roland and the other members of the Hero Party nodded in agreement because they could understand what Siri was feeling right now.
As much as Erica wanted to contact Thirteen, the teenage boy said that he was preparing for a battle against the Grievefoot and requested that they didn't disturb him unless he was the one who initiated the contact first.
Because of this, the Sorceress felt very restless, knowing that somewhere on the 12th Floor of the Temple of Courage, Zion was fighting a battle so that they would no longer have to fight it during their turn.
She didn't know if she should feel happy or sad about the teenage boy's resolve to pave the path for them, allowing their journey to be less bloody than what the Absolutes initially expected.
While Erica was thinking about this, the Monkeys of the 12th Floor started to move toward the East, where the nest of the Grievefoot was located.
They had no intention of fighting and were simply going there to watch the battle that was about to happen.
They stopped a kilometer away from the Grievefoot's nest and hung on top of the trees while waiting for the main fighters to appear.
"You've come, Harahon," Khan said in a teasing tone. "Have you come to help my foe? When did you suddenly become brave?"
The Apes started to laugh because they knew that Harahon wouldn't dare to fight against their Leader, much less wage an all-out war against them.
"I heard that a human boy challenged you and your people," Harahon replied, doing his best to sound calm despite the fact that he was seething internally. "I've come to watch a good show."
"A good show?" Khan chuckled. "Good. Make sure to watch it well. After all, who knows? One of these days, you might suffer the same fate."
Harahon clenched his fists but didn't say a word of rebuttal against the Grievefoot, who was stronger than him.
Suddenly, the ground that was dozens of meters away from Khan's throne started to shift and open up, revealing the teenage boy, who had come to challenge the Sovereign of the 12th Floor to a duel.