Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?

[Faced with an intrusion by the "Yarn Hunter"!]

When this prompt appeared, Luluwo was stunned for a moment, then showed a relieved expression.

She looked around and, as expected, this Beacon Tower really is the place where adventurers can encounter the intrusion from Yarn Hunter and meet Patch for the first time!

There's an unwritten rule in the adventurer circle, one that relies on people to voluntarily abide by.

For instance, if real adventurers mutually invade each other and encounter an invasion from the Dungeon's predetermined invader, everyone generally chooses to temporarily cease fighting, letting the person being invaded deal with the Dungeon invader first before the real duel between adventurers.

Some real invaders with more warrior spirit might even choose to help, of course, there are plenty who choose to team up with the Dungeon invader to beat up someone else.

This village-rule-like thing first spread from a small circle and has been trending recently, but whether or not to abide by this rule is entirely up to personal mood, there's no mandate for everyone to adhere to it.

Those who don't abide by the village rule encountering those who do, if they win, it's fine; if they lose...

They might have to eat a few more dung pots or spiral downward gestures, which, seemingly, isn't too severe a punishment.

By the way, Luluwo has always been two-faced, whether to stick to the village rule depends on the battle condition of the day.

But today, in this scene filled with remarkable people, she decided to be purely good and wholesome as an invader.

When the figure of the Yarn Hunter appeared, she immediately dodged aside, standing upright and straightforwardly, displaying a posture of "please go ahead."

Ainz III nodded upon witnessing this scene and said, "This invader also possesses warrior spirit."

She certainly doesn't have such inconvenient warrior spirit... Fingerley muttered in his heart, then drew his blade against the Yarn Hunter.

The Hasavi Team deliberately chose to come here because they knew that adventurers without a Hunting Manual would consistently face Hunter intrusion at this Beacon Tower.

Fingerley didn't understand what Ainz III rambled about warrior spirit truly meant, but he had a gut feeling that what the old man mentioned wouldn't manifest in battles between Sain's invaders. If the elder truly appreciates it, he might well have a cerebral hemorrhage out of anger.

So he chose the route to Fran Fort. The "Hunter's" combat is violent yet highly entertaining. Draped in a ghostly physique is an unyielding, uninterrupted attack sharp enough to vow not to stop until the enemy is slain. More berserk than a Berserker, this certainly satisfies Ainz III's viewing pleasure.

Another consideration is, once the King enjoys the thrilling Hunter's battle to his heart's content, and then sees Luluwo's invader Marathon tactics, Fingerley will have a chance to "argue," attributing the cunning Marathon strategy to Luluwo herself.

After all, the King doesn't often venture into the Dungeon, convincing him this time is sufficient, seen as a reward for his effort of getting through for so many years.

Fingerley was ready, preparing to engage in a splendid showdown with the incoming invader.

However, just as their weapons were about to clash, a question suddenly popped into his mind.

Hold on, I remember the invader appearing here is supposed to be "Hunter," so why is it "Yarn Hunter" this time?

Moreover, the weapon isn't the Saw Meat Blade, but has turned into a Longsword, and there's a scabbard on his back looking as wide and thick as a greatsword blade, does this Longsword need such a large scabbard?

"Bang!"

The Hunter's Pistol in Yarn Hunter's hand fired.

The Mercury Bullet struck perfectly as Fingerley was raising his blade to slash. The anguish from the bullet hitting flesh, coupled with the bullet's mysterious energy, made his body stiff as though under a Bounce Back.

Fingerley was horrified, he knew the Hunter's Pistol's power well, having fought against Hunters before, and had defended just as the gun fired.

Yet the Yarn Hunter's pistol in this encounter far exceeded past power! His previous defense that managed to Block the shots had failed!

Not only that, but the timing of this new Hunter's shot was precisely accurate, making it even more appropriate and fatal!

"Luckily, I ordered a set of thick Armor right after the duel with Eliphas!"

Yarn Hunter stepped forth with a stride, thrusting his Longsword directly at him. This is leveraging the technique's attribute for minute adjustments in position during the attack, and it seemed only a master rich with fighting experience could manage.

Fingerley's guess was correct, this Yarn Hunter was the fully upgraded version of the Hunter!

Their distance certainly wasn't sufficient for Yarn Hunter to deliver a heart-piercing critical exchange to Fingerley, so he opted for a straightforward thrust. The sharp sword blade penetrated the Armor he had craftsmen tailor, stabbing directly into his abdomen.

This pain stimulus finally allowed Fingerley to regain his mobility. He quickly evaded the attack to prevent worsening the situation, retaliating with a slash in return.

The Yarn Hunter tapped his toe on the ground and lightly withdrew backward, evasively elegant and graceful. Yet, he didn't exploit the superlative movement technique to dance around Fingerley's fringe for attacks; he chose a frontal attack more befitting of the warrior spirit!

Ainz III's eyes lit up. He knew he wasn't mistaken; even Dungeon-set invaders exhibited such warrior spirit, then living adventurers must be even tougher!

With this thought, he glanced fervently at Luluwo, who was standing dutifully in the corner like a good kid.

Although Luluwo didn't know what the seemingly powerful old man was thinking, cold sweat trickled down.

The battle on Fingerley's side had fallen into a difficult situation. Originally, he thought he would face an ordinary hunter, just needing to put on a show, but didn't expect to encounter an upgraded Yarn Hunter. The show turned into a real battle and a tough one at that.

The opponent's combat style was wild yet seasoned, as if a master hunter who had been slaughtering beasts for who knows how long. Not to mention, his timing for counterattacking with his gun was incredibly perfect!

If it were him, perhaps he really could break the Golden Lion's Wangba Fist, who knows.

The only way Fingerley came up with to counter the gun counter was to engage in a storm-like close combat to prevent the opponent from finding an opportunity to shoot. A simple method, but that's all he could do. Even so, the risk was extremely high, because if his attack slowed even slightly, the Yarn Hunter could take a step back and shoot him in the head at any time.

He was fighting bitterly, but on stage, Ainz III watched with boiling blood.

"Watch the blade!"

He finally found an opportunity, using the longsword in his hand to perfectly deflect the Yarn Hunter's weapon. This move could be called a bounce back or a vibrate blade. Regardless, he successfully seized the perfect moment for an attack, slashing at the opponent!

"Crack—"

A sound akin to a mechanical friction suddenly came from nowhere.

While slashing the Yarn Hunter at the chest, Fingerley suddenly felt a heavy gust of wind in front of him. Immediately afterward, blood spurted from his chest.

Sigh, how did I get hit, and it seems it was with a heavy weapon?

As he leaned backward and looked intently, he saw the Yarn Hunter's longsword in hand had already joined with the heavy scabbard behind it, transforming into a heavy weapon mixed between a greatsword and a large sword. It was only then he realized that the hunter's scabbard was not just a scabbard but another part of the sword blade.

The technique used by the Yarn Hunter was employing weapon combination transformation to execute a [Transformation Slash]!

And the weapon in his hand was called: [Ludwig's Holy Sword]!

This astonished not only Ainz III, but also General Gulimanpo and others. Who would've thought the hunter was using a rare transformation weapon!

It's not that the outside craftsmen didn't develop similar weapons, but transformation weapons have a series of practical defects for combat, with more ornamental value than practical use, hence they were rarely used. Who knew in Sain Dungeon, they would encounter a Residual Shadow Invader skilled in using transformation weapons!

The previously used Saw Meat Blade by the hunter could also transform, but due to things like holding back, it was seldom used in actual combat, barely attracting any attention.

Now the power displayed by the Yarn Hunter was worth focusing on!

Fingerley, feeling his chest almost being split open, sensed his strength rapidly depleting, and reluctantly waved to his comrades, indicating he could not handle the battle alone.

Thus, Hasavi Team joined the fray to assist him against the enemy. With Ainz III's consent, General Gulimanpo also ordered the knights to enter the scene, and eventually, even he jumped in personally.

Under the siege of many experts, the Yarn Hunter displayed a rather mad side. His high attack desire drove him to fight fiercely, skillfully switching his weapon between two forms. His Transformation Slash swept like a fierce tiger, presenting an invincible aura.

Ainz III watched the Ludwig's Holy Sword in the opponent's hand with a burning gaze, suddenly feeling he understood the charm of transformation weapons.

Power and practicality aside, the sound of "crack" between steels during weapon transformation was truly addictive, and most importantly, the transformation action was really cool!

Strength might become outdated, but coolness is forever!

This battle lasted a long time.

After a bloody battle, the group eventually defeated the Yarn Hunter.

Though their victory might have had a lot to do with the opponent running out of mercury bullets and not choosing to replenish them for further gun counters...

Ainz III gazed expectantly at the slowly disappearing Yarn Hunter. He knew that dungeon residual shadows drop items upon death, so could this be the chance to drop that transformation weapon? If available, he wanted it no matter what.

Unlike Selene, who was fascinated by Ornstein, he seemed to be someone who would be enamored with weapons.

The outcome was somewhat different than he anticipated. When the Yarn Hunter slowly vanished, indeed a light point dropped, but it was a mechanism different from the transformation weapon.

[Hunter's Pistol]

[A pistol crafted by the workshop for hunters, designed for hunting, with a special design allowing mercury bullets to infuse the user's blood, thus causing greater damage to monsters]

[Combat Skill: Gun Counterattack]

[Shoot at the enemy's weak point the moment before their attack, causing stiffness]

Aside from the firearm, there was also a Blood Collection Bottle and ten Mercury Bullets.