Archer turned toward the adventurers with narrowed eyes and irritatedly asked, “What do you want, humans?”

He shook his head as he saw four humans, two men and two women, staring amusedly at him. One of the men was a head taller than him and looked like a bear, with broad shoulders, a mop of brown hair, and lazy brown eyes.

“He looks high,” he mused as the big man swayed on the spot.

“You’re standing in the way while staring at the boss lady like a perv,” the other man with short blonde hair, a scar down the side of one cheek, and creepy-looking grey eyes remarked.

Archer looked at the creepy-looking man and knew where this was going, but he encouraged it any way, “Why can’t I stare at her? Does she belong to you, creep?”

When the Creep heard this, he got angry, but one of the women remarked in a husky voice that sounded like a man, “Because you’re handsome, don’t think you can lie about our men, boy.”

He looked at the white-haired woman staring at him with angry blue eyes. She looked to be in her late twenties and was built like a man, while the other woman was tall and skinny with brown hair and green eyes. What caught his attention was her crooked nose.

That’s when the brown-haired woman said, “You’re just a pretty boy. Our lovers could beat your ass for offending them.”

“What?” he said, confused, even though he didn’t lie. “One looks like a drunk bear, and the other looks like your typical Creep. Where am I lying?”

The Creep angrily barked as he stepped forward, “I challenge you to a duel, boy!”

The man’s challenge took Archer aback, his brows furrowing in surprise. “You want to fight me?” he questioned incredulously. The Creep nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. “Okay, I’ll fight all four of you, but we must make a wager.”

“Wager?” the fugly woman inquired, her tone skeptical. “What do you have in mind?”

Archer nodded confidently, reaching into his Item Box before pulling out a pouch of gold coins. “If you win the fight, you get four hundred gold pieces, all from my allowance. But if I win,” he paused for dramatic effect, “I’ll claim all of your wealth.”

Upon hearing this, the adventurers burst into laughter. With a smug grin, the fugly woman instructed Archer to meet them outside as she walked past him confidently. After leaving, he heard Lucrezia say, “Humans can be so foolish. Utterly foolish.”

He turned around and saw the blonde witch walk out of their room, followed by Aeris, who smiled at him. ”What’s going on?” She asked. ”Who were those strange humans?”

Archer laughed before answering, ”They challenged me to a fight.” He smiled at the two women. ”Want to watch?”

Lucrezia agreed with a nod while Aeris spoke, ”Okay. Hurry up with it, though, because breakfast should be soon.”

”Let’s go outside,” he said before going to the stairs. ”After I win, we will eat then return to the empire.”

The two women agreed with a smile before the three made their way downstairs to see dozens of people gossiping. Archer spotted Rowana rushing past as Mary approached them with a raised eyebrow.

She came to a halt in front of him and inquired while hiding a smile, ”Why are you fighting those humans, Arch?”

Archer chuckled. ”They have a problem with me looking at you, but I don’t care about their opinions, only yours and my girls,” he responded, telling her he would see her before they left Mountainholm.

Mary beamed in reply, rushing off to serve someone. Lucrezia said as the older woman walked off, ”She’s not human. The mana around her is a mystery, but it gives me the same feeling, just like yours.”

”Interesting,” he expressed while exiting the inn to a stream of people making their way to the local Adventurers Guild. ”Let’s take their wealth so I can see the other girls.”

The trio walked for five minutes until they came to a large crowd of people gathering around one of the guild’s training fields. When Archer got close, he saw the four humans ready to fight.

Once they arrived, Archer kissed his two companions on the cheek before stepping into the area. His kiss made the death witch smile and the black-haired girl go red, which he found adorable.

When he faced the four adventurers, each armed with different weapons, the bear man wielded a large axe while the Creep brandished a longsword. Fugly held two daggers, and the last woman gripped a bow.

Archer grinned before retrieving the pouch of gold coins and handing it to Mary, who appeared with Rowan. As the older woman accepted his wager, she kissed him on the cheek, shocking everyone around them.

The two men facing Archer shot him angry glares before the guild official called for wagers from all four. The adventurers promptly handed over several small pouches of coins, which the official happily accepted.

After that, Archer scans his opponents and discovers they are all Magus Rank, which makes him chuckle before he thinks, ‘They are weak.’

With that, the official began the match, and the bear man rushed toward him while swinging his weapons. When seeing this, Archer grinned before catching the axe’s blade with the palm of his hand as an arrow struck his chest.

Thanks to his scales and tough skin, the arrow bounced off him. Suddenly, the Creep appeared out of nowhere and swung his sword, but Archer chuckled before punching the blade, which quickly shattered it.

Archer then punched the bear man in the chest. As his fist connected, a resounding boom was heard, and he shot off the training field and crashed into a nearby wall, causing the remaining three to grow scared.

But he didn’t give them a chance before lashing out at the Creep and crushing his chest with a swipe of his tail, causing the man to join his friend outside the ring. After he dealt with the two men, Fugly rushed toward him with her daggers at the ready.

When seeing this, Archer chuckled before firing an Eldritch Blast into the ugly woman’s stomach, causing her to buckle over in pain. The last woman watched him with wide eyes, but he Blinked.

He vanished only to reappear behind the brown-haired woman. ”You four should have never fought me,” he spoke amusedly. ”I am a dragon and the guardian of the Avalon Empire.”

As the last one heard that, her face went pale, but Archer struck her in the back and sent her toward Fugly, causing her to trip over her. This made the crowd roar in laughter before he walked over to the guild official who handed him his winnings.

Archer took all the gold coins before returning to the inn with the three women as the rain started up again. Once inside, the black-haired girl commented suspiciously, ”Mary, are you Arch’s lover now?”

The grey-haired woman turned to Aeris with a genuine smile. ”I was his before he was even born, Aeris Redcliff,” she responded. ”I’ve been waiting for him to arrive at Mountainholm.”

Lucrezia’s and Aeris’s eyes widened in surprise, their expressions turning curious, but the blonde witch answered with a raised eyebrow, ”What are you? I can’t sense anything coming from you.”

Mary grinned before lowering her voice as she answered Lucrezia, ”I’m something that has been on Thrylos from the beginning, young one.”

He witnessed the Death Witch’s face go pale as she replied cautiously while getting closer to Archer, ”You’re not a Deep one, then what?”

The older woman’s grin widened as she approached Lucrezia, who sought refuge behind him. Interrupting, Archer inquired, “Mary, what exactly are you? I’ve heard of the Deep Ones, but judging by her reaction, you seem to be far more ancient.”

Mary stopped walking and stared into his eyes with a smile. She nodded, ”You’re correct, husband,” she replied. ”We were called the Nameless Things by the peoples who found our tunnels, but the Deep Ones refer to us as the Primordials.”

Archer’s eyes widened as he realized she was an ancient monster and wondered what she looked like. When he saw Mary smile brightly, he commented, ”Instead of being scared, you want to see my true form?”

He nodded, but something she said made him suspicious, ”How did you know what I was thinking?”

”I already saw it, my love,” Mary reacted. ”Now come here and let me show you my true self.”

As Archer moved to step forward, Lucrezia’s panic seized her, causing her to grab his arm urgently. “Be careful, Arch,” she warned, her voice trembling. “The Primordials are entirely different from the Deep Ones and even more violent.”

Mary laughed, ”Don’t worry, young one. I mean no harm toward you or his other girls,” she reassured her. ”My goddess wishes for me and my sisters to help Archer fight what’s coming.”

When Lucrezia heard this, she quickly questioned, ”Sisters?”

”Yes,” Mary answered. ”There are three of us on the surface due to our goddess’s request.”

After hearing her speak, Archer stepped forward, allowing Mary to put a finger on his forehead and show him a scene that amazed him.

Archer appeared in a large tunnel bigger than any other he had seen; as he looked around, he heard an ominous sound heading toward him. That’s when he saw something emerging from the darkness ahead.

He saw a sight that made his blood run cold. A gigantic serpent-like creature slithered into view, its dark green scales gleaming in the dim light that the mana crystal gave off. It was unlike any monster he had ever seen before.

Archer noticed the behemoth had rows of razor-sharp teeth lining its gaping maw, making him shiver. Archer noticed the monster’s body was covered in thick, armored plates. Its glowing green eyes, each as large as his dragon form.

Please let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you

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