Dungeon, 9th Floor.
After climbing up to this level, the dungeon's white fog—so disruptive to detection—was gone. Traps also stopped generating here, so the overall difficulty dropped sharply.
On the way back, Lili proactively took up her role as a supporter. She efficiently gathered the magic stones Guede had earned from killing monsters, then returned them to him.
Guede accepted them without hesitation.
"From this floor onward, with your strength, you can safely reach the surface. We'll part ways here."
Ryuu stopped, intending to end what she'd unilaterally decided was an escort mission.
"Miss Ryuu, do you have urgent business?" Lili asked out of curiosity.
"Yes. I came into the dungeon to handle something deeper down, so I need to turn back now."
The statement was brief, but the meaning was clear.
Her appearance in the dungeon hadn't been a coincidence—she'd only happened to run into Lili's desperate plea for help.
Which meant… Lili had delayed her.
Realizing that, Lili felt guilty.
But Ryuu's attitude was the same as Guede's: she considered it a simple, incidental matter and hadn't taken it to heart at all.
If anything, that only made Lili feel worse. Since she had no way to repay her now, she could only remember this favor for later.
Ryuu nodded once to Guede. Then, without another word, she drew her face deeper into her hood. Her green cloak flashed—and she was gone.
Only the lingering airflow, tossing Guede's hair about, proved that an elven woman had been standing there moments ago.
She really was like a gust of wind.
This was Guede's first time "partying" with Ryuu, and out of curiosity he'd been observing this "fallen genius" during the return trip.
Unlike the Sword Princess—who was primarily a swordswoman with magic as a secondary—Ryuu was a swordswoman who primarily mastered magic.
And yet, both of them shared certain traits: that slightly airheaded vibe… and the theme of "wind."
If the Sword Princess was a violent storm, then Ryuu was swift, cutting gale-force wind.
Fast in motion, sharp in thought—fighting monsters head-on while simultaneously chanting in parallel, weaving magic and swordplay together.
Monsters would be swept up by the wind, lose their footing, and in the end—helplessly vanish into the current, leaving behind only cold magic stones.
You could say that in battle, the wind her magic produced was her most reliable partner of all.
And even though she didn't know much about Guede, her judgment hadn't been wrong.
By now, Guede's injuries were fully healed. His energy and stamina weren't abundant, but dealing with the 9th floor and above was more than manageable.
In that sense, too, Ryuu deserved her reputation—once a genius ranked alongside the Sword Princess.
Strong adventurers really did have comprehensive competence… and a clear direction of growth.
And magic, huh?
Guede glanced at his status panel—at the Magic stat that still hadn't budged even a single point—and couldn't help wondering.
When will I awaken my own magic?
…
By the time Guede and Lili returned to the surface, it was already noon.
At the Guild, they piled the mountain-like heap of magic stones onto the public scale—and, predictably, Eina immediately started interrogating him.
"This amount of magic stones is no joke, Guede. What exactly did you do in the dungeon?!"
"Didn't you promise me yesterday you wouldn't recklessly 'go on an adventure'? You broke your word that quickly?!"
"Farmed a bit," Guede said.
"You call this 'a bit'?!"
Eina pressed a hand to her forehead. But after confirming there were no signs of serious injury on him, she could only sigh helplessly. She calmed down, then asked him for the full story.
Guede told her most of the truth—leaving out the fact that he'd killed four adventurers.
Inside the dungeon, danger was constant. A few adventurers dying "by accident" down there wasn't rare in Orario, and it wouldn't draw much attention.
Besides, those four bodies had already been crushed to pulp during the fight between Guede and the monster swarm. After the dungeon repaired itself, not even traces would remain.
Before long, after hearing the cause and effect, Eina nodded seriously and didn't scold Guede further.
Because in her eyes, this hadn't been "adventuring."
It had been an accident.
As long as you entered the dungeon regularly, accidents were inevitable—an unavoidable part of life for adventurers.
All she hoped was that after going through this, Guede would be more careful in the future.
…
After leaving the Guild, Lili looked up at the sun hanging at the center of the sky—then insisted on treating Guede to a meal.
Guede refused several times, but Lili's insistence was hard to resist. In the end, she brought him to the bustling market district on South Main Street.
The area wasn't just lively—shops lined both sides of the street in neat rows, far grander than in other parts of Orario. The buildings were taller, bigger, and lavish to the point of gaudiness.
There were plenty of casinos and grand theaters meant for noble entertainment.
And precisely because of that, the place was a chaotic melting pot—drawing in customers looking to indulge or vent their desires—naturally giving rise to a gray-market underworld.
The moment Guede stepped onto this street, he felt countless eyes weighing him.
As if people were comparing his face against known intelligence targets—until they decided he wasn't anyone important, and not worth the time to recruit. Their interest faded.
But his Observation Haki still let him notice: some of them seemed to recognize him.
Looks like his name had started circulating among certain adventurers.
Lili led Guede around a bend on the main road, then into a corner of the back alleys.
They entered a tavern hung with signs of birds and lions, called Blazing Bee Pavilion.
Lili picked up the menu with practiced ease, ordered their signature honey wine first, and only then handed the menu to Guede.
"Their honey wine is incredible, so Lili absolutely has to treat you to some. And you must be starving right now—so don't hold back. Order whatever you want, eat as much as you like. Lili's paying!"
It was rare to see Lili look this bold.
If she counted back through her life, she could probably count the times she'd treated someone this generously on one hand.
Guede didn't get awkward about it. He took the menu and ordered without restraint.
Lili kept smiling.
Right up until the dishes started arriving—and she witnessed Guede's bottomless-pit appetite.
Only then did cold sweat slide down her back, and her smile began to crack.
(That money I need to leave my familia… just got farther away again…)
In the end, the meal cost 60,000 valis.
When it came time to pay, Guede pointed out that his appetite really was abnormal, so he should cover the bill himself.
But even though it clearly hurt, Lili still insisted on paying.
In the end, she saw him off as Guede left South Main Street.
"—!"
The moment he stepped out of the bustling district, Guede felt a gaze sweep over him.
Not a passerby's casual glance—this had intent behind it.
But the distance was too great. He couldn't pinpoint the exact location; even the direction was vague, leaving him unable to judge.
Tch… Freya?
That kind of gaze made him immediately think of the Goddess of Love and Beauty.
Because up to now, he shouldn't have made enemies with anyone.
And aside from her, the only person with nothing better to do than casually "peek" at him would be… her.
Still, he couldn't jump to conclusions. It might have been some other strong figure searching for a target and incidentally noticing him.
With no way to trace the source, Guede couldn't do anything about it.
What was he supposed to do—hunt through the entire city, or storm into The Hostess of Fertility, point at Syr's face, and demand to know whether Freya was spying on him?
If he tried that, odds were a certain Lv.6 adventurer would turn him into a speed bump.
So the best response was to maintain the status quo—and keep getting stronger.
As long as his strength rose, he'd naturally escape this passive position…
…and fear none of it.
-------
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