"Capable?" Zich said. Despite how hard he tried to control himself, one could hear the growl in his tone, showing that he was extremely pissed.

"Yes, that attack was merely a probing strike. I wanted to see how capable your summons are."

’You...’

His face twitched slightly as he stared at the woman, and for a brief moment, he genuinely wondered whether failures eventually lost the ability to think properly after spending too many years in Layer One.

The longer he looked at her relaxed expression, the more irritated he became, because she was genuinely trying to pass off a direct attack on his neck as some harmless little test.

Slimy’s barrier still carried visible cracks, and the slime itself had been pushed several meters away by the impact. If the summon had reacted a fraction slower, his head would already be rolling across the cavern floor.

’Capable....’

The excuse was so shameless that even Zich almost admired it.

The woman seemed to notice his anger and suddenly raised both hands slightly, forcing out what looked like a sheepish grin, though on her rough face it resembled a wolf trying to imitate a friendly dog.

"No need to glare like that," she said while stepping closer. "Name’s Natalia. I only wanted to confirm something before we talked properly."

Zich said nothing.

Natalia did not seem bothered by the silence. "We’ve been watching you for a while now, and honestly, your summons impressed me more than expected. A beginner controlling creatures like these is rare, especially one who can survive alone in a hard-ranked dungeon."

The dark green armored woman snorted softly behind her while crossing her thick arms.

Natalia continued speaking. "Our organization could use someone useful. With your summons and strength, you would become a great addition, and in return, we could help you survive Layer One properly instead of wandering around alone waiting to die."

The more Zich listened, the colder his expression became.

He genuinely tried to stay calm, not because he feared them, but because killing people inside a paid dungeon after being attacked by failures felt like an irritating waste of time. Unfortunately, Natalia seemed determined to continue talking.

Finally, he exhaled slowly, his patience growing thin.

"You know," Zich said while rubbing his forehead lightly, "although all three of you are very hideous, I still expected at least a little intelligence upstairs."

Natalia’s grin faded from her face, and so did the expressions of the other two behind her.

"Who are you calling ugly, you little bastard?" one of them growled from behind, releasing killing intent into the air.

Zich ignored her and looked directly at Natalia as he continued calmly.

"You especially looked slightly brighter from a distance, but the moment you came closer, that illusion died very quickly."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Natalia asked coldly.

"What I mean is simple. Why would I throw away my future and join a group of failed, ugly hags rotting in Layer One?"

The moment he said those words, the air grew silent.

The pale yellow-skinned woman’s expression twisted immediately, while the dark green armored one clenched her weapon so hard that veins bulged along her forearm. Natalia herself frowned visibly, her eyes narrowing as annoyance replaced the fake friendliness.

"Little bastard, you think you are some big shot because..."

Natalia was not able to finish completely as Zich waved one hand casually.

The air exploded.

FWOOOOSH!!!

A massive Blood Arc screamed through the cavern before the final word had even fully left his mouth. The red slash crossed the distance so quickly that Natalia’s pupils shrank as instinct forced her body sideways.

She barely avoided it.

The pale yellow-skinned woman behind her was not as fortunate.

SLASH!!!

The Blood Arc struck her head cleanly, splitting it apart from forehead to jaw before continuing several meters into the cavern wall. Blood sprayed across the stone in a wide line nearly two arm lengths long.

The corpse collapsed instantly.

For a second, silence filled the area.

Natalia stared at the body beside her, disbelief flashing across her face before fury replaced it completely. Veins bulged slightly along her neck as she turned back toward Zich.

"You killed her!"

’Huh? Why is that surprising? Isn’t that what we are trying to do?’

At the same moment, the fight erupted fully.

BOOM!!!

Slimy launched itself toward the dark green-skinned woman while releasing poison shots rapidly, forcing her backward as parts of the stone floor melted under the acidic splashes. The Silverback Grunt charged at her as well, its massive club swinging downward with enough force to crack open the ground in a circle nearly two meters wide.

Faced against two enemies, the green-armored woman barely blocked in time, but the impact still sent her sliding backward violently.

Zich moved simultaneously. Blood Leech burst forward alongside him, both of them rushing Natalia from opposite angles while giving her almost no room to reposition properly.

Natalia reacted quickly despite her anger.

Her axe swung toward Blood Leech first, creating a violent impact that sent sparks and blood-colored fragments outward, but Zich closed the remaining distance immediately after, his sword slashing toward her ribs within a fraction of a second.

CLANG!!!

Natalia blocked barely in time.

The impact pushed her backward several steps, her boots grinding hard enough against the ground to leave visible grooves across nearly five feet of stone.

’My last attack was able to finish that woman because she least expected it. This one... she’s way stronger than me. Even her level is probably between 14–18.’

Although you could not see one’s level based on the aura they gave off, you could still make a blind guess.

Natalia’s expression became uglier the longer the fight continued.

"Stop hiding behind your summons and fight properly!" she snapped while narrowly avoiding another Blood Arc.

Zich clicked his tongue, and in the next instant, he vanished forward.

His body crossed the distance rapidly, and before Natalia could fully react, his sword already appeared near her face. She blocked hurriedly, but the force still pushed her backward several steps.

"If fighting beside my summons makes me a coward," Zich replied coldly while Blood Leech lunged at her again from behind, "then I am one."

"But none of you are leaving this dungeon alive," he continued while tightening his grip on his sword. "You should feel honored instead.... your corpses will complete the materials for my next summon."