Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 215: Under The Water

"No." Lucius answered flatly, and Ayela swallowed hard at the immediate rejection.

"W-why?" she asked as her voice trembled visibly. "Don’t you... want to explore over the water?"

Lucius didn’t even slow down.

He floated over her calmly, shifting Minerva’s bound body on his shoulder as though she weighed nothing.

He was already turning back toward the crabs; he needed to finish roasting the rest, bring some for Vanessa and Erika, then start scouting for the staircase to the next floor.

The problem was simple but irritating: as far as the eye could see, the Blood Sea stretched endlessly.

There was no hint of a staircase. It didn’t make sense for a dungeon floor to have no visible exit, which only meant it was hidden in a way that annoyed him already.

Ayela, however, followed him anxiously.

"I-I can pay you," she blurted, floating beside him despite Minerva still thrashing muffled curses in his grip. "I don’t earn a lot but I can spare some to pay you for this whole thing."

Lucius didn’t even hesitate. "30,000 Royals per 10 minutes."

Ayela froze midair. The words hit her like a physical punch, and her breath hitched.

Was he actually extorting her? Was this a normal rate? Was this an Awakener joke?

But she straightened her trembling shoulders and pulled out her phone.

"I have it here," she said quietly, trying not to look as embarrassed as she felt. "I’ll pay for 30 minutes of your time."

Lucius raised his brows slightly, then smiled in a way that screamed opportunity. With his free hand, he pulled out his phone and opened his banking app.

’Whoa... I haven’t even checked this that much,’ he thought when the app loaded. ’I have 500 million in my account?’

It was unexpected, but undeniably satisfying.

He didn’t dwell on it. With a flick, he opened his URL code and held his screen toward her.

Ayela scanned it and waited.

A moment later, Lucius’s phone chimed... transfer complete. Unfortunately for Ayela, the page refreshed too quickly, and she accidentally glimpsed his balance.

Her soul nearly left her body.

He had 500 million Royals... and he was still taking money from her?

’Greedy rich bastards...’ she thought helplessly. ’I barely have 10 million in savings...’

But she didn’t dare voice the thought, not when he was one of the strongest people in the vicinity.

She took a breath and turned around, wiping the shock off her face. "Shall we start?"

"Sure," Lucius said, pocketing his phone casually. "You’re paying me for this."

He vanished for a moment only to reappear seconds later in the exact same spot.

"I just secured my crabs," he said as if nothing had happened. "Let’s head off."

Ayela sniffed the air timidly.

The scent of roasted crab still floated, enough to make her stomach tighten. "...Speaking of crabs," she muttered, "can I have some?"

Lucius gave her the flattest side-eye in dungeon history.

"100k for a leg," he replied coolly. "I’m doing it cheap since you’ve paid for a service already, but they’re as big as—"

"Alright, alright! Let’s just go," she cut in rapidly before he finished the sentence, flustered and afraid he’d raise the price.

She shot forward in a streak of wind, and Lucius matched her pace easily with a smooth glide.

Together, the two soared above the wooden barricade and out into the open Blood Sea, the reddish horizon reflecting across the surface like liquid rubies.

...

"I didn’t really look properly earlier, but..." Ayela muttered as they flew above the water. "the skies and the ocean have the same color."

Lucius looked around as well. The Blood Sea was undeniably beautiful in its own disturbing way.

The red glow from the sky reflected off the water surface, creating an illusion of endless mirrored crimson.

Bubbles rose occasionally, suggesting creatures lurking beneath. Monstrous and dangerous creatures for sure.

Ayela knew water-type dungeons had no fixed monster distribution. It wasn’t like a forest or cave where one could estimate the number of beasts.

The water held everything... from harmless swimmers to abominations with teeth that could shear steel. And it terrified her.

"Can you see the staircase?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder hopefully toward Lucius. She wanted his reassurance more than she wanted his answer.

But Lucius shook his head, studying the horizon carefully.

"I can’t sense it or see it at all," he replied. "I thought it might be above the water, but there’s nothing."

He tore away the wooden gag around Minerva’s mouth.

"You—" Minerva started, but Lucius spoke first.

"Where do you think the staircase is?" he asked. The deeper they flew into the Blood Sea, the darker the water became.

And with the darkness came silence... an absence of monsters he normally sensed near the surface.

It felt like flying over the boundary of a forbidden domain.

"Umph— let me spit this out first—" Minerva coughed as she spat out bits of wood. "The staircase you’re looking for is underwater."

Ayela blinked in confusion. "Okay? Where exactly? Do you know where it is?"

"We’re in the general area," Minerva said, hugging her bound arms closer to her body as she shivered. "But it’s deep underwater. Very deep. However, the issue isn’t the depth... it’s the monster guarding it."

Ayela’s breath caught. "M-monster?"

"It’s on the level of a dragon..." Minerva whispered.

Ayela felt her heart plummet into her stomach. And at the same time...

Lucius’s eyes widened for a different reason.

’So if I slay it... can I reclaim the Dragon Slayer title that I lost?’ he wondered, genuine excitement bubbling in his chest. This was a second chance.

A glorious, dramatic second chance.

"What does this monster do?" Lucius asked, though he already knew his decision wouldn’t change.

Minerva swallowed and opened her mouth.

"It’s a big Octopus mons—"

She never finished the sentence.

The sea erupted beneath them.

Dozens of massive tentacles shot upward like missiles, slicing through the air with wet, whipping cracks.

The tentacles arched toward them with terrifying speed, each large enough to crush boulders.

One wrapped around Ayela instantly, squeezing her waist and dragging her downward.

She screamed, wind whipping violently around her body as she struggled to resist.

Minerva nearly got hit, but every tentacle aimed for Lucius and Minerva slammed into the Infinity barrier.

The tendrils slid off harmlessly, shredding into nothingness against the invisible shield.

Ayela, however, wasn’t so lucky.

"Help!" she cried, her voice cracking as the tentacle yanked her toward the water.

She pushed back with all the wind magic she could muster, tears springing from the corners of her eyes as fear strangled her breath.

Lucius watched calmly.

"You paid for an escort..." he reminded her flatly. "Not for me to defend you. I intended to leave that to you."

"WHAT?!" she screamed, pushing even harder. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"I charge 30k for ten minutes," he added coolly.

"I’LL PAY!" Ayela shrieked as the tentacle dragged her lower. She fumbled for her phone, nearly dropping it as another squeeze knocked the air out of her lungs.

Lucius pulled out his own phone, hovering midair with Minerva still bound under his arm.

"You have my account, right?" he asked calmly. "Send it there. I love payment before I get to work."

Ayela was sobbing at this point, her arm trembling violently as she held her phone above the rising water.

She pressed the transfer button the moment her shaking thumb aligned with it.

30k Royals flashed across the screen.

"Nice," Lucius said with a pleased nod.

He snapped his fingers.

Space rippled.

Every tentacle... all of them exploded into clouds of blood mist.

Ayela fell downward briefly before catching herself with wind, gasping desperately for breath.

"I have seen your payment," Lucius added with polite finality. ’NEXT TIME, YOU WON’T CALL ME A PERVERT ON STREAM.’