Inside the nearby cells, the prisoners who had witnessed the entire battle earlier didn't dare utter a single word.
They didn't even dare think about making a sound.
To Ian, the Manticores were nothing more than a handful of "stray kittens" he could sweep aside at will.
But to the inmates of Beasts Hell, even a single Manticore was enough to threaten their lives.
Only after Ian's figure disappeared into the dark corridor—footsteps fading into silence—did the prisoners finally dare to whisper.
"So scary… he took out every Manticore in just an instant…"
"That was a guard's uniform! Looks like we've got a real monster of an officer down here!"
"I still prefer Miss Sadi…"
"As long as it's not Shiryu."
Among prisoners, the name "Shiryu of the Rain" carried a special kind of dread.
The moment someone uttered those two syllables, the entire cell block fell silent.
At last, only an old veteran inmate sighed heavily.
"…This really is hell."
On the other side.
Ian successfully retrieved the Beasts Hell inmate register from the guard post.
Along with it, he received a detailed map of the daily activity zones of the prison's beast wardens.
Each creature's usual patrol route was marked clearly—and the guards had even helpfully labeled each beast with a "threat level."
According to them, the Manticores Ian defeated moments ago were actually the lowest-ranked threats in Beasts Hell.
There were also Flying Mantises, Burrowing Moles, Big-Mouth Hippos, Jigsaw Scorpions… and other assorted monstrosities.
Ian ignored all the "regular beasts" and set his sights directly on the "Boss" and "Boss No. 2":
The Basilisk — the Cockatrice King.
The Sphinx — the Guardian of the Stairway.
According to the guards, among all the beast wardens of this floor, the Sphinx possessed the greatest strength.
"If you threw that thing into Level Five—Freezing Hell—it might even qualify as a floor warden…
As long as the Demon Wolves don't eat it first."
"…Doesn't sound that strong," Ian muttered.
Carrying the register and the patrol map, he made a full circuit of Beasts Hell, eventually arriving at the staircase connecting this level to the one below—Hunger Hell.
Not because he intended to go down.
But because the Sphinx was stationed here.
Blue Gorillas and Manticores could only provide Silver-grade treasure chests.
The Sphinx was the strongest creature on this floor Ian could freely access.
He wanted to see just how powerful it truly was.
At the staircase.
A colossal form lay sprawled across the steps.
It had the massive body of a lion, a pair of pale brown wings folded behind its back, and—
The dark, human-like face of a giant.
Beasts Hell warden—Sphinx.
The moment Ian approached, the Sphinx also caught the scent of an unfamiliar intruder.
It slowly rose to its feet, its enormous humanoid face tilting upward.
"—HROOAAAH!!"
With a deafening bellow, the Sphinx raised an arm thick enough to take three grown men to encircle, and swung it down toward Ian.
"Moonwalk!"
Ian stomped hard on the ground and shot into the air like a launched arrow, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.
BOOM!!!
The Sphinx's paw slammed into the floor, the impact sending tremors rippling through the entirety of Beasts Hell.
"What frightening strength," Ian nodded approvingly.
"That slap could've knocked out a Blue Gorilla or a Manticore in one hit.
No wonder you're the 'Boss' of this place."
Having missed its target, the enraged Sphinx let out another roar.
"ROOOAAAH!"
But this time, Ian wasn't planning to humor it any further.
He extended a hand—the power of the Clay-Clay Fruit erupted without restraint.
In seconds, a tide of white clay surged outward, blanketing the entire stairway entrance.
Slap—slap—
The Sphinx looked puzzled as it pawed at the soft, white substance beneath it, unable to break free.
Without realizing it, it had already been swallowed whole.
Ian's eyes sharpened.
The clay split into two masses—
One half rose and spread wide, forming a gigantic white mesh that entangled the Sphinx and pinned it down.
The other half condensed into countless titanic clay fists.
"Clay Meteor Fist!"
A storm of massive clay punches rained down like a meteor shower from the heavens.
BANG! BANG! BANG!—
The brutal beating lasted several long minutes.
Only when Ian's vision flashed with a radiant golden glow did he stop.
A magnificent treasure chest materialized before him—shining bright as the sun.
[Gold Treasure Chest: Sphinx]
[Chest Rating: ★★★★]
A Gold chest.
Ian's lips curled.
Looks like the guards weren't exaggerating—the Sphinx really did outclass the other beasts.
And with that…
He had obtained his very first Gold-grade System Treasure Chest.
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