Upon arriving at the point of contact, Levi and I were immediately confronted by a massive ape. It was already towering at what looked like twenty feet tall, despite standing on all fours. There were people near it, far too close, in fact, tied up to something that resembled a nest. "Hey! Run! Get away from here!" they yelled, warning us. But was that really a nest? Or was it meant to be something more like a web? I couldn’t quite tell. Now that I think about it, I don’t recall monkeys being in the habit of building nests. Or did they? The creature, which I presumed to be the Kaiserfoot, spotted us. Actually, now that I reflect on it, I think it already knew we were coming. It let out a roar and charged in our direction, each step causing the ground beneath us to tremble violently. Charging like a boulder let loose from a cliff, it was painfully obvious that this thing wasn’t interested in a peaceful chat. And truthfully, I wasn’t either. I had fully intended to respond with equal hostility... But then Levi stopped me. She claimed we wouldn’t need to do anything at all. I wasn’t exactly afraid; the ape didn’t strike me as something that could actually hurt me. Not when it didn’t even possess a fraction of Jorōgumo’s power, back when she was completely unhinged. Still, Levi’s idea of standing there like statues while a monster barreled toward us seemed a little too trusting. Was her plan really for us to just stand there and get hit? After briefly scanning her expression, I saw something in her gaze—something mischievous and completely confident. So I decided to trust her. I stood still and did nothing. The sound of the Kaiserfoot’s thundering approach grew louder, the force of its movement kicking up dust and debris as it came. But just as it entered our immediate area— "Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu! HUAHUAHUAHAIAIAJAIAJIA! STOP! STOP! STOP! HELP!!" It began to yell and scream all sorts of things as it tried desperately to fight against its own momentum, struggling not to crash into us. Digging its heels into the earth, it attempted to slow itself down, only to realize that it wasn’t going to be enough. Its eyes widened in horror. It started swinging its arms wildly, flailing in a desperate attempt to bring itself to a halt—but that wasn’t doing the trick either. Then came the panic. It cried out, then it lost all composure. Meanwhile, Levi stood calmly in place, a twisted smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she raised a hand to block the flying rocks and dust from hitting me. Eventually, the Kaiserfoot jumped with all its might, like its very existence depended on getting out of our path. It stumbled, lost its balance, slipped, and then barely managed to catch itself before regaining its footing. Without sparing us another second, it bolted out of the cave entirely, its head twisting back every few seconds to shoot us nervous glances. What... just happened? I had already begun preparing myself mentally for a full-scale battle, maybe even against its children or some other reinforcements. But no. Nothing. I turned to Levi, who wore the most satisfied expression I had ever seen on her. She really was something. Every monster we’d encountered so far had fled at the mere sight of her, like she was made of poison or radiated some kind of deadly plague. But to my eyes, she wasn’t giving anything away. She looked just like a particularly strong human, nothing more. Whatever terrifying power she held within, she was hiding it perfectly... Every trace of her Leviathan aura was concealed. "I wonder how you do it, Levi," I muttered under my breath. "Hm?" She tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean? I didn’t do anything." "Exactly. That’s what I’m talking about," I said, looking pointedly at her. "My, could it be you wanted to relieve stress on that monkey?" she said, already jumping to the wrong conclusion. "Forgive me, Master Raven. I should not have interfered." Well, it’s not like I was mad or anything. "But if such a being cannot withstand your mere presence," she continued calmly, "then it is not worthy of even receiving your beating, my Lord." "As if!" I scoffed, folding my arms. "YOUR aura has been scaring monsters away ever since we stepped foot into Hades Border." "Oh dear." Levi covered her mouth with one hand. "But how is that possible? I’m not doing anything to intimidate them. I’ve made sure not to leak even the smallest trace of my true presence." "Oh, so even you don’t know?" I rolled my eyes. "Show off." She still wore a confused expression, but there really wasn’t any other way to explain to her that no matter how much she tried to suppress it, the fact remained—she was a terrifying horror, and the fear she inspired went bone-deep. That noise brought my attention back to the unfortunate people tied up against the large nest-looking thing nearby. Right. I should probably free them before something else decides to make them their dinner. I climbed over some fallen rubble and sharp-edged rocks until I reached the high ground where they were tied up. What I found were two humans. The first was a decent-looking blonde guy, probably around twenty-three years old. His right eye was blue, while his left was green, an unusual combination. He wore worn brown boots and a sleeveless jacket that looked almost exactly like the one Pluto had given me. From the way he held himself, I guessed he was the leader. He also seemed fairly strong for a human... roughly 2,300 PV. Most ordinary mortals barely hit 900, and most average people lingered somewhere between 350 and 600. The other human was a lady wearing glasses. She had black hair and also seemed to be in her early twenties, just like the supposed leader. From the way she carried herself, she appeared just as strong as him too. Her outfit was nearly identical to the boy’s, though parts of her body were reinforced with armor. That made me pause. But why wasn’t the leader wearing any armor? The remaining two weren’t human. One was an elf, and the other, a beastkin. The elf, with light green hair, gave off this mature, almost intimidating aura... Like, am I supposed to drop to my knees and greet her or something? She might be a noble, or at least someone connected to the high ranks of society. Even her outfit screamed royalty: a green long-sleeved dress that split at the waist to reveal her dark, skintight pants underneath. She wore matching green shoes that completed the elegant look. She was the short, pink-haired beastkin. Her sleeveless top only reached below her chest, leaving her stomach completely visible. For the lower half, she wore a pair of short pants that only extended halfway down her thighs, along with sturdy brown boots. She looked like a cat-type demihuman, cat ears poked out from the top of her head, and her tail ended in a tuft of white fur. Small fangs jutted out of her mouth, and when I stared at her long enough, she tilted her head and went, "Meow?" It was so adorable I immediately turned to the group’s supposed leader. "Can I hug her?" I pointed straight at the cat girl, startling both her and the other women.