Chapter 554: The Lion and the Serpent

Before Adam could respond, Sylphy floated forward, placing her tiny hands on her hips. She looked down at the beastkin with an expression of unmistakable arrogance.

"Quiet, you thieves! This place doesn’t belong to you in the first place, so stop making such a fuss and get lost!"

Her sudden outburst left the beastkin momentarily speechless.

However, their attention soon shifted from her words to the tiny figure floating in the air.

"W-Wait..."

"Is that a spirit?"

"A real spirit?!"

Several of them exchanged astonished glances. Some even rubbed their eyes, seemingly unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Unbelievable... I’ve only heard stories about them."

"Are we really seeing a spirit with our own eyes?"

Sylphy raised her chin proudly, clearly enjoying their reactions.

"Hmph! You should consider yourselves fortunate! I have graciously revealed myself before you, so you ought to be grateful!"

She crossed her arms, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Now, hurry up and leave! Don’t make me repeat myself!"

For a brief moment, the chamber remained silent.

Then Lento’s expression darkened.

"Grateful?" he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. "You expect us to be grateful after you trespassed into this place and stole the treasure we’ve been trying to obtain?"

He took a heavy step forward, his golden gauntlets clenching.

"Don’t think that just because you’re a spirit, you can order us around!"

Sylphy let out an indignant huff.

"Hmph! You noisy lion! I was being generous by telling you to leave peacefully!"

"Generous?!" Lento’s mane bristled as his anger grew. "You little—"

"Lento, wait."

Iki stepped forward, placing a hand against his shoulder. Unlike his leader, the rat beastkin was paying closer attention to the three intruders.

His gaze lingered on Adam before shifting toward Azrynn and finally Sylphy.

"Boss, something isn’t right. We don’t know who these people are, and that spirit..."

"I can see that!" Lento snapped.

"But shouldn’t we at least find out why they’re here? We might be able to negotiate—"

"Negotiate?" Lento interrupted, his eyes narrowing. "They’ve already taken the treasure. What exactly is there to negotiate?"

Glenwind, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward. His enormous frame nearly blocked the passage behind him.

"Whatever the reason, they won’t be leaving with that artifact."

His deep voice carried a quiet threat.

Azrynn’s expression cooled.

"This artifact belongs to my people. We have no intention of handing it over to you."

Lento stared at her for a moment before letting out a mocking laugh.

"Your people? Don’t make me laugh. We spent days exploring this place, dealing with its traps and monsters, only for you to show up and take everything after we’ve done the hard work?"

"That’s your problem," Azrynn replied calmly. "We never asked you to explore this place."

Lento’s expression twisted.

"You arrogant woman!"

He took another step forward, his golden gauntlets beginning to emit a faint glow.

"Listen carefully. I don’t care who you are or where you came from. That treasure belongs to us now. Hand it over, and perhaps I’ll let you walk out of here in one piece."

Sylphy immediately flew forward.

"Didn’t you hear what I said earlier?! This place doesn’t belong to you! Why are you so stubborn?!"

Lento’s eyes twitched.

"And why should I listen to a floating little insect?"

Sylphy froze.

"...What did you just call me?"

Adam, who had been quietly observing the exchange, slowly turned his head toward Sylphy.

’Oh, this is going to get worse.’

The tiny spirit’s cheeks puffed up as a faint breeze began swirling around her.

"You insolent beastkin! Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?!"

Lento cracked his knuckles.

"I don’t care if you’re a spirit, a fairy, or some other strange creature. If you stand in my way, I’ll knock you out of the air!"

A powerful aura erupted from his body, spreading throughout the chamber like an invisible tide. The atmosphere grew heavy as a reddish energy began to radiate from him, growing more intense with every passing second.

The golden gauntlets covering his fists began to change.

Their metallic surfaces twisted and expanded, revealing jagged, beast-like patterns. Several sharp protrusions emerged along the knuckles, while the golden engravings turned a deep crimson. The once elegant gauntlets now resembled the massive claws of a ferocious lion.

A notification appeared before Adam’s eyes.

[Greed Artifact — Nemean Cestus]

[Artifact Activation Confirmed.]

[Greed Authority: Active.]

Lento lowered his body, his muscles tightening as the red aura surged around him.

"DIE!"

He launched himself forward.

The stone floor beneath his feet cracked from the sheer force of his acceleration. His enormous frame crossed the distance between them in an instant, both fists raised as he charged directly toward Adam.

Adam watched him approach without changing his expression.

"...At this point, I suppose it’s impossible to avoid causing trouble."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Then, a white aura began to emerge from his body.

It spread outward in a controlled wave, gradually filling the chamber and pressing against Lento’s crimson aura. The two opposing energies collided, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

Adam turned his head slightly toward Azrynn.

"Azrynn, take care of the subordinates."

"Understood, Adam."

Azrynn immediately reached toward the daggers strapped to her thighs and drew both of them. She spun the weapons once around her fingers before settling into a combat stance.

At the same time, several purple runes appeared around her body. They spread across her arms and legs, forming intricate patterns that glowed faintly beneath her dark elf complexion.

Her eyes shifted toward the beastkin standing behind Lento.

"Don’t worry. I won’t let them interfere."

Adam returned his attention to the approaching lion.

Lento had already leaped into the air, his massive body casting a shadow over Adam as both gauntleted fists came crashing down.

Adam didn’t retreat.

Instead, he stepped forward and raised both hands.

BOOOOOOM!

The collision shook the entire chamber.

Adam caught both of Lento’s fists with his bare hands.

The impact sent a powerful shockwave across the floor, cracking the stone beneath their feet and scattering fragments in every direction. The air itself seemed to buckle from the force.

Yet Adam remained standing.

His arms didn’t budge.

Lento’s eyes widened.

"W-What?!"

Adam looked up at him, his expression almost indifferent.

"That’s quite a lot of strength."

He tightened his grip around Lento’s gauntlets.

"But you’re going to need more than that."

However, something unexpected happened.

The moment Adam caught Lento’s fists, he felt an unusual sensation spreading through his hands.

His strength was being drained.

It wasn’t a sudden loss, but a continuous pull, as though something was trying to extract the energy within his body through direct contact.

Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Lento, on the other hand, noticed the change and burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! What’s wrong?! Surprised?!"

His expression twisted into something almost manic.

"You fool! These gauntlets aren’t ordinary weapons!"

A notification appeared before Adam’s eyes.

[Unique Skill Activated: Endless Battle]

[Effect: Absorbs the physical strength and energy of an opponent through direct contact, converting the stolen power into additional strength for the wielder.]

[The longer the battle continues, the stronger the wielder becomes.]

Adam’s gaze briefly shifted toward the notification.

*So that’s how it works.*

The ability was troublesome. The longer he maintained contact with Lento, the more strength the lion would steal from him. Worse, the power absorbed would continuously strengthen his opponent.

Adam immediately decided against testing its limits.

"Interesting."

He loosened his grip and twisted both of Lento’s wrists outward, disrupting the direction of his fists. Using the brief imbalance, Adam planted one foot against Lento’s torso and pushed himself backward.

His body slipped away from the lion’s reach, creating several meters of distance between them before landing lightly on the cracked floor.

Lento landed heavily a moment later, his gauntlets scraping against the stone.

"HAHA! What’s the matter?! Don’t tell me you’re afraid to touch me now!"

Adam flexed his fingers once, examining the sensation left behind by the draining effect.

’Direct contact, huh?’

His expression remained calm, but his assessment of the opponent had changed.

He couldn’t afford to let this fight drag on carelessly.

Lento raised his fists again, his crimson aura growing even more intense.

"Come on! Show me what you’ve got! I’ll take every last bit of your strength!"

Adam looked at Lento for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Who said you’re the only one with an artifact like that?"

A subtle change occurred in the air around him.

The white aura surrounding his body gradually intensified, and a dark crown began to materialize above his head. Its sinister yet majestic appearance contrasted sharply with Lento’s crimson gauntlets. Numerous faintly glowing patterns adorned its surface, while an oppressive aura spread throughout the chamber.

The Crown of the Hollow Glutton.

Lento’s laughter gradually faded.

His eyes widened as he recognized the nature of the artifact.

"That’s..."

He could feel it.

The power emanating from Adam’s crown was unmistakably similar to the authority contained within his own gauntlets.

Another Sin Artifact.

Adam casually adjusted the crown’s position before looking at Lento.

"Hmm... This should be the second time I’ve fought someone possessing a Sin Artifact."

He paused briefly, tilting his head.

"Or was it the third? Does the Deathless King count? He possessed an Envy artifact, after all."

Lento frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He raised his gauntlets, and the crimson aura around them flared once more.

"Listen here! Even if you possess an artifact of the same kind, it won’t change anything! Mine is the strongest!"

Adam’s smile widened slightly.

"Is that so?"

He lowered his stance, his eyes fixed on the lion beastkin.

"Then let’s put that claim to the test."