After leaving Loki Familia's line of sight, Genichi didn't slow down for even a second.
With Alise in tow, he activated Apparition at once.
Pop!
With a crisp crack like air exploding, their figures vanished from the far end of the Seventeenth Floor corridor.
In the next instant, they were plastered right up against the wall in front of Demeter.
When Genichi landed, his steps wobbled. He braced a hand against the wall to steady himself.
He'd burned through too much mana. Genos Angelus had practically drained him dry, and using Apparition on top of that only made it worse.
Alise hurried to support him.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Genichi shook his head, shrugged her hand off, and forced himself upright.
It was just mana exhaustion.
Rest a bit, drink a recovery potion, and he'd be fine.
But the most important thing right now wasn't rest.
It was-
A feat.
He drew a deep breath and gripped the shoulder-hung pendant bearing the "633" shield emblem.
Alise followed behind him, watching how impatient he looked, her feelings complicated.
Did this guy seriously not understand the concept of resting?
He'd just finished a fight that was life and death, hadn't even caught his breath, and he was already thinking about leveling up?
But she didn't say any of it.
She knew why Genichi was in such a hurry.
Genichi pushed open Demeter's door.
Demeter was by the window, flipping through a book. Hearing the sound, she looked up, and the moment she saw Genichi, delight spread across her face.
"Genichi? You're back? That fast?"
She set the book down and stood to meet him.
"Did you successfully subjugate Goliath?"
"Yes."
Genichi nodded, then lowered his head and stood still.
"Update my Falna."
Demeter blinked, then laughed.
"In such a hurry? You just fought. You won't rest first?"
"No."
Genichi's tone was calm, but there was urgency underneath it that he couldn't quite hide.
Demeter looked at him, helplessness rising in her chest.
He was always like this.
But she didn't say anything. She just nodded, moved behind him, and placed her hands on his shoulders.
She closed her eyes and began updating his Falna.
A moment later-
Demeter opened her eyes.
A complicated shadow flickered through those amber pupils.
"…Genichi."
"Hm?"
"Your feat isn't enough."
Genichi's body went rigid.
He turned to look at Demeter, disbelief filling those dark eyes.
"I subjugated the Level 4 Floor Boss Goliath."
His voice dropped, a tremor he couldn't suppress slipping through.
"And you're saying that still isn't enough to reach Level 4?"
Demeter looked at him, and a tight ache gripped her heart.
She knew how hard he'd worked.
She knew how long he'd prepared for this battle.
She knew how much he'd been counting on this level-up.
But-
"For a normal person, it would be more than enough."
She paused, looking at Genichi, and didn't continue.
But the meaning was obvious.
Are you normal?
Clearly not.
Seven days to go from Level 0 to Level 2.
Twelve days to go from Level 2 to Level 3.
That kind of growth rate didn't exist anywhere in Orario's recorded history.
And now, even though his Level 3 stats still weren't fully capped, every single one of his abilities was already basically at Rank B.
A monster like that couldn't be measured by a normal person's standards.
Goliath was indeed a Level 4 Floor Boss, a terror that made countless adventurers blanch just hearing its name.
But when Genichi subjugated it, was his life ever truly in danger?
No.
He'd been in control the entire time. From the start of the fight to the end, he held the initiative in a death grip.
And Genos Angelus at the end had simply deleted that giant in one strike.
A battle like that, how could it be counted as a "feat"?
At best, it was just a slightly difficult subjugation.
Genichi fell silent.
A long, long silence.
He stood there with his head lowered, his expression hidden.
Demeter watched him, pain twisting in her chest.
She stepped closer and gently wrapped her arms around him.
"It's okay, Genichi."
Her voice was soft, like a spring breeze.
"How long has it even been? It hasn't been a month since you became an adventurer, and you're already Level 3. Your stats are almost capped. Next time, you'll level up for sure."
Genichi didn't answer.
He simply stood there, letting Demeter hold him.
After a long while-
"Miscalculation."
His voice was low, threaded with self-mockery.
Demeter patted his back lightly.
"It's fine. It really is."
Genichi drew a breath and pulled himself free of her embrace.
He lifted his head to look at Demeter, and the usual calm had returned to those dark eyes.
"I'll think of another way."
He turned and walked to the window, staring out at the sky dyed red by the setting sun.
Demeter followed and stood beside him.
"What way?"
Genichi was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
"If a normal Floor Boss Goliath won't do…"
He paused.
"Then what about a black Floor Boss Goliath?"
Demeter's pupils contracted slightly.
A black Floor Boss.
A mutated monster whose strength far exceeded the normal version.
If a normal Goliath was already a standout among Level 4 threats, then a black Goliath was absolutely a Level 5-class existence.
And black monsters were notoriously harder to kill, with even more oppressive regeneration.
If Genichi could subjugate something like that, then the feat would unquestionably be enough.
But-
"Do you know how to summon a black Goliath?"
Demeter's voice carried disbelief.
Other people might not know, but she did.
Black monsters didn't appear without special conditions.
Sometimes it was a Dungeon anomaly. Sometimes it was a specific timing window.
Sometimes-
It was artificial catalysis.
But those conditions weren't something an ordinary person could possibly know.
Genichi turned back to Demeter.
In those dark eyes, something unfathomable flashed.
"I know."
He paused.
"Other people don't know how to bring out black mutated monsters…"
He looked straight at her.
"How could I not know?"
Demeter froze.
She stared at Genichi, a storm of complicated emotions surging up inside her.
Just how many secrets was this boy still hiding?
Why did he know the method for summoning black monsters?
She didn't know.
But she knew one thing-
Whatever he was hiding, whatever he truly was, he was still her familia.
Someone she was willing to trust. Someone she was willing to protect.
That was enough.
Demeter took a deep breath, a gentle smile returning to her face.
"Then what are you planning to do?"
Genichi glanced out at the sky again, then asked instead,
"I need your help, Demeter."
(End of Chapter)
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