Eem snarled. Vivi kept her claws active. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"There's no time to explain," Ven said. "They're planning an ambush for you. You know who I'm talking about. They're not thrilled to see you alive. We need to go."

"You're one of them," Vivi said. "How can I trust you?"

Ven glanced around himself. He gritted his teeth. "We're too late."

Vivi heard the footsteps half a second later. Figures appeared from both ends of the tunnel. There were four demons, all fully disguised in black masks and cloaks.

"Ven, what is the meaning of this?" the masked woman on the left said. Her voice was distorted and unrecognizable through the tall mask.

"The Union boy has finally betrayed us," the masked man on the right said. His voice was distorted as well. "Who could have foreseen this coming?"

"I'm buying the girl off of you," Ven said.

"She's an expensive one," the masked man said. "She has a skill and thousands of ether. And you'll be paying for the damages of a dead member. Her cost is at least fifteen thousand ether."

"That's unreasonable," Ven said.

"If we're being reasonable, I am going to kidnap you both," the man said. "You're a betrayer, and she's an enemy. We will collect your ether and skills. Then we can discuss your release."

Lucius? Vivi asked. Any ideas?

"Let's play along," Lucius said. "Fighting full-out is risky so close to the hub. But we can escape."

Vivi examined her surroundings. They were pincered from both sides. Her opponents were all maxed-out, and at least one of them had a runesword. The tunnel was wide enough for two to swing a sword next to each other. Vivi couldn't use a narrow chokehold to her advantage.

If Ven was truly her ally, he could defend her back while she fought two at a time. Vivi didn't trust him.

"We can't have that," Ven said. "I'd like to leave alive. I can offer ether. But not fifteen thousand. We can't fight here. We're too close to the hub."

The man chuckled. "There's a wall in the way. The Stewards won't sense a thing. Surrender now."

Ven's brows were furrowed, a difficult expression on his face. He glanced at Vivi. "I'm on your side today. Trust me."

The black mask unsheathed a runesword. A two-runed adamantite blade with a complex network of outside veins. The blade emitted a scary cloud of mist. Vivi sensed its ether burning the air. The woman to the left pulled out a weapon as well.

Ven unsheathed a runic katana. Ven's runesword was single-runed, made of red hardsteel: an alloy of adamantite and steel. The sword was all around weaker than the adamantite blade.

The rest of Vivi's opponents were unsheathing their weapons. One had a crossbow with ethereal arrows. The woman had a runic quarterstaff, veins lining its staff. Eem looked panicked, hugging tight around Vivi's neck.

"You're outnumbered," the masked man said. He slowly stepped forward with his adamantite blade. "Try to escape, and you'll leave yourselves open. I really recommend surren—"

Vivi activated Shadow Swipe and slashed at the man.

He gritted his teeth and held his sword to block. The ranged claws were coated with hazy ether, making them hard to see and feel.

Vivi charged more claws at full force. She attacked repeatedly and as fast as she could with both hands. Crashes reverberated in the tunnel as her claws hit everything in front of her—the ground and walls, the demon's runesword.

The adamantite runesword withheld her attacks. The wielder blocked well. But he was stuck in place defending. The crossbow wielder stood behind him with no chance to get closer.

Behind her, Ven was dueling the quarterstaff woman. Both of them were maxed out. Vivi didn't have time to pay attention, but she felt Ven getting closer. He was being pushed back.

The adamantite runesword wielder was slowly stepping closer as well. He's getting used to my attacks already, Vivi thought. But how will you deal with this?

She activated Shadow Swipe negatively and weaved in an invisible attack amongst the mess of ether and ranged attacks. She attacked the demon's feet.

She heard a slash followed by a pained scream. Her opponent couldn't sense the attack coming. His left foot was cut open, and the man collapsed on the ground.

This left his stance open. Vivi threw another claw-swipe. The man held his sword like a shield, defending himself desperately.

Vivi glanced behind herself.

The demons were exchanging attacks. Ven was ruthlessly on the offensive, attempting to push the enemy out of the way. The woman was having none of it. She attacked with her quarterstaff, easily keeping up with Ven. An archer behind her made sure that Ven couldn't attempt anything stupid.

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Vivi helped him out with a claw attack. This forced the woman to jump away. She watched Vivi cautiously.

Their opponents were hesitating. Ven took advantage of it immediately. "Run!" he shouted.

Vivi agreed. She dove into the crawlspace, thrusting herself forward as fast as she could. In a few seconds, she was back inside Zand's wall. She didn't stop there, climbing up and through the curtain into the hub with Eem on her shoulders.

Vivi found herself back in the alley between the storehouse and the wall. She caught her breath and waited to see if anyone followed.

She was starting to think Ven got himself killed, until ten seconds later, the black-eyed man revealed himself through the curtain. He landed calmly and patted his clothes clean of dust.

"Let's keep going," he said, then started jogging closer toward the hub. "We're still far enough that they can try to fight."

Vivi decided to follow him. They ran for half a minute before Ven finally stopped.

He let out a few heavy breaths, then said, "If you're in danger, always run to the hub. Fighting in the hub is highly discouraged. Nobody can use their full aura here."

Vivi didn't know what to say. She stayed on guard. It was best to think of Ven as a potential threat. "Why did you help me?"

Ven stretched, then started walking. He picked a direction seemingly at random and walked with the step of someone who expected to be followed. Vivi frowned, but followed him. Eem snarled on her shoulders.

Eventually, he spoke. Quietly enough that passersby would struggle to listen in. "That's a good question. Saving you was all around a bad decision."

"You betrayed your gang," Vivi said.

"I did some research about you," Ven said. "It's fairly obvious that the rumors are lies. You're just trying to survive. The only people you've murdered are those who tried to kill you. Yet, somehow, everyone is your enemy."

"Yes," Vivi said.

"Oppressors really don't like it when a victim refuses their treatment," Ven said. "And it certainly doesn't help that you're a human."

"Do you want something from me?" Vivi asked.

Ven smiled. "I could use the skill you gained. It does you more harm than good. Not to mention the risks of carrying a skill around in Zand. If you get caught in one unlucky checkup from the guards, it's all over. But I assume that you're not willing to drop the skill."

"I'm not giving it to you," Vivi said.

Ven nodded. "You got through collection day with it. That's a good start. In the future, you need to be more careful. Carrying skills is way too risky. At the very least, you're going to need one of these."

Ven slid his hand into Vivi's pocket. She stayed on guard until Ven took off his hand, having left something inside.

"It's a skill container," Ven said. "You can store the skill there if you believe a checkup is coming. But remember that containers are also contraband. The Stewards will whip you for owning even an empty container. They'll ask you where you got it. I'd love it if you don't get caught. If you do get caught, tell them you bought it from a guard named Garvy."

"It's a real skill container," Lucius said. "I can hide the skill in spatial storage with that."

"Why are you giving me this?" Vivi asked. Why is he acting nice?

"Helping nimrods is a net positive," Ven said. "You want to hunt alone. I respect that. I'm not looking to enslave you. I'm here simply to give you a warning." He met her eyes and paused his walk. Suddenly, his tone was serious. "You need to lay low for a bit. Stop using the secret entrances. If you continue traversing between levels nonchalantly, someone will see you. Rumors will spread. The Stewards will find you."

"Is that a threat?" Vivi asked.

"A strong suggestion," Ven said. "You're not nearly as sneaky as you think you are. After the fang tanker died, it took me a total of five hours to connect its death to you. The first rumor claims that a human disappeared in a lake, only to reappear in the hub in the apartment district. And as it happens, monsters are dead exactly in the area between those two paths.

"Guards will find the same rumors. If they figure out someone has been in the hidden dungeon, suddenly, the hidden dungeon won't be so secret anymore."

Vivi stayed silent for a moment. She hated to admit, but Ven was right. She knew she was being careless. She just didn't have more secure options.

"We cleaned your trail this time. My gang—my real gang, not those black-masked idiots—went over every monster you killed and did our best to hasten their respawns. Next time you cause trouble, we will probably have to get rid of you by force."

"Thanks," Vivi said. And she did mean it. "I've been careless. I know."

Ven nodded. "Do you understand why I'm telling you to stay away?"

Vivi bit her lip. She understood, of course, but at the same time, she still had over a hundred thousand ether she needed to earn.

"Who are the black masks?" Vivi asked. "It's not Andre's gang, is it?"

"I can't tell you that," Ven said. "But I can say that the hidden dungeon is more occupied than you think. There are multiple gangs looking to steal the Stewards' loot. The hidden dungeon is filled with unwritten rules, which you know none of. The two bosses you stole were assigned to an enemy gang of mine. Their members have figured out exactly who stole their skill. And they've agreed to kill you on sight. You might defeat a few of them. But more than one fighter has skills down there. Weapon enhancement skills, ascension skills. You stand no chance."

"What are the rules?" Vivi asked.

"There are too many for me to share," Ven said. "The hidden dungeon is systematic. Hunting the bosses without being caught is its own game. You simply aren't prepared. It's far too dangerous for a solo hunter to get involved. I could vouch for you to join a gang, but your presence would cause too much trouble."

"So you want me to stay out?" Vivi asked.

"That is the safest option," Ven said. "Silence is the only thing I ask of you. Stay out of the hidden dungeon. Follow Zand's rules for the next week. Hunt where you can't be easily killed. If all goes well, I'll meet you again after next week's collection day."

Vivi didn't know how to respond. This whole conversation made little sense. She knew Ven wanted something from her. Nobody in this prison would help her out just for the sake of helping her out. If Ven didn't want to steal from her or enslave her, he wanted something else.

Vivi had no idea what that something was. Everything about Ven was just weird.

Eem was still snarling on her shoulders. Ven met her with an awkward smile. "You're smart enough to understand my warnings. If you enter the hidden dungeon, you're most likely dead. I ask again for you to lay low for a week. Spend time in the free dungeon. Hunt simple monsters. I will meet you again in seven days. Please wait for this."

"Will you accept a refusal?" Vivi asked.

"You're free to ignore my warnings," Ven said. "If you do, be prepared to have a lot of enemies, including the members of my gang. Many of them are in favor of killing you. Assassins are already assigned to follow you. Attempt something, and you will have to deal with them. Avoid areas where you're alone and easily killed. Staying near guards will ensure your safety."

Vivi wanted to frown. "I'll do what I see is best for myself."

Ven nodded. "Remember that we're all nimrods. We're not supposed to be enemies. The beings that are keeping our freedom are the Stewards. If you tangle yourself in gang wars, you've chosen the wrong fights. We will meet again in a week."

With that, Ven waved and walked off, disappearing into the dungeon.

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