Nefu stepped out once again in her maid outfit. No choice—she owned only this one piece of clothing! Didn’t want to wear it? Then go naked!
Just thinking about it made a few veins pop on the girl’s smooth forehead. If not for this damn Slave Contract, she could’ve conjured clothes herself.
What unsettled her was how eye-catching the outfit was. Anyone seeing a maid strolling the streets this late would assume she was desperate for money…
Had it not been for the contract, she’d have slaughtered every drunkard on the street right then. Swallowing her shame, Nefu finally reached her destination.
An old, weathered house stood tucked in an unremarkable alley—no passerby would spare it a second glance.
Little did they know, beneath their feet lay countless ferocious beasts captured from various dungeon levels.
Nefu had noticed it only because, during a previous pass, she sensed the presence of many of her kind rising from below.
Stopping before the door, she shifted into the form of a female adventurer she’d devoured earlier, then pushed it open.
The wooden door let out a sharp creak. Pitch black inside—but the moment she stepped in, a gaze locked onto her.
“What’s a delicate little maid like you doing here at this hour?”
A voice as grating as a crow’s caw echoed. Candlelight flickered to life, revealing a cluttered general store. Before Nefu stood an elderly woman, her cloudy eyes fixed on the girl.
“I want to see the monsters.”
“You know this place sells monsters, girl?”
The old woman blinked in slight surprise.
“Who told you this old woman deals in monsters?”
Her thoughts were simple: this shop was half black-market. No mere maid should know of it—she must have backing.
“That’s none of your concern,” Nefu replied coldly. After glancing around, she added, “Take me to see them. Price is negotiable.”
“Follow me.”
The old woman pushed a book on the shelf behind the counter. The wall split open, revealing a passage.
“After you.”
Nefu strode in without hesitation. No fear of traps—the stench of blood and decay the moment the door opened confirmed she was in the right place.
As they descended, the old woman began to speak, but Nefu cut her off.
*Ridiculous.* As a fellow monster, how could she not recognize the species in these cages? Even in total darkness, she could ID them by scent alone.
She sniffed the air and frowned slightly—not from the foul odor, but from the lack of formidable monsters.
She sought beasts with unique racial abilities, not slimes or goblins. What use devouring those? They weren’t even tasty.
The deeper they went, the more disappointment showed on Nefu’s face. All low-tier monsters. Nothing worth her attention.
Just as she turned to leave, a powerful presence registered in her senses.
*What’s this…?* Curiosity flickered across her face as she moved toward it—only to feel the presence suddenly weaken.
At that moment, the old woman’s torch illuminated the scene ahead.
A bald old man was slicing into a creature with a scalpel. The floor swam in thick blood—surely beyond saving.
Nefu thought the same… until the creature’s presence surged back fiercely.
A smile finally graced her lips. *Perfect prey.*
Why the fluctuation? Simple: it was a troll, a unique species from Dungeon Level 25. Legends said royal-blooded trolls possessed super regeneration—the very ability Nefu needed.
“Old man, stop dissecting that troll. We have a guest—show some hospitality,” the old woman said, wrinkling her nose at the stench.
“Guest? What guest?” The old man shot her a bewildered look. “Are you seeing things?”
“I think you’ve gone senile.”
Huffing, she turned to introduce Nefu—
*Thwip.* A sharp bone spike pierced through the back of her skull. Blood gushed from her throat.
“Wife! Bastard—you dare attack us?!”
The bald man tore open a scroll. Red light imprinted with Nefu’s current face scattered like fireworks.
“I’ve activated the bounty spell! Enjoy being hunted to death by assassins—hah—gurgle!”
His head rolled before he finished.
*Fool,* Nefu scoffed inwardly. The spell recorded *this* face anyway.
With the annoying gazes gone, she shed the maid outfit and conjured a black robe. Now safely distant from Ophelia, she could change freely.
Drawn by the blood scent, the troll turned its gaze. Facing those eyes glowing like incandescent bulbs, Nefu stepped forward without fear.
“Gurgle, gurgle-gurgle! (My kin, untie me at once!)”
Though she didn’t understand troll speech, the meaning was clear.
“How arrogant,” Nefu sneered. “A prisoner dares command *me*? You still don’t know who holds the power here.”
She placed a foot on the troll’s chest, lips curled in mockery.
Already dim-witted and notoriously short-tempered, the troll roared in fury. The sonic blast sent her hair flying wildly.
“How annoying. Just die already.”
No tentacles this time. Her slender arm shot out without warning, plunged into the Troll King’s chest, and ripped out its heart with a sharp tug.
Green blood splattered across her delicate face, twisting her smile into something eerily sinister.
“Perfect. I’ll be taking this super regeneration ability.”
*Gulp…*
Chewing echoed in the dim room. Tentacles slithered from the shadows, shattering every cage lock.
A monster feast was about to erupt in Anlina…
