Genichi had no idea whether his luck was good or bad.
On the twenty-fifth floor of the Dungeon, he did not run into Amphisbaena.
Of course, it was also possible that the two-headed dragon had not respawned yet.
Genichi had no intention of wasting time waiting around.
He decided to keep going deeper, heading for the twenty-sixth floor, or even the twenty-seventh.
If luck was on his side and Amphisbaena had just respawned, then he would challenge it along the way.
If it had not, then so be it.
In any case, his status values were not maxed out yet.
It would be safer to challenge it after they were.
With that in mind, Genichi quickened his pace and headed deeper into the Dungeon.
Alise followed behind him, silently continuing her role as his tool.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Ryu Lion returned to the Hostess of Fertility.
For all these years, this was the only place she could truly call home.
The tavern mistress had taken her in, giving this homeless elf a place to belong.
But even though Ryu had returned, her heart had not.
Her blue-green eyes stared blankly into space, completely out of focus.
She could barely imagine how she was supposed to fulfill the condition Genichi had given her.
A grimoire.
That thing cost at least three hundred million valis.
A hundred million valis had already been an astronomical figure. Three hundred million was even more absurd.
Over the years, she had built up some savings from hunting down members of the Evilus remnants on her own, but altogether it only came to a few million.
She was still painfully far from a hundred million, let alone three hundred million.
Even if she started now and threw herself into the Dungeon to grind money day and night, trying to save up three hundred million valis...
There was no way she could do it in less than half a year to a full year.
And there was an even more serious problem.
She was still on the Guild's wanted list.
The Guild was not openly hunting her, but her identity remained a sensitive matter.
Even if she farmed magic stones, could she really walk into the Guild and sell them in broad daylight?
Of course not.
The moment her identity was exposed, it would only bring more trouble.
The more Ryu thought about it, the more irritated she became.
"Ryu, something's on your mind."
A gentle voice sounded beside her ear.
Ryu's body trembled slightly.
She turned her head and saw a familiar face wearing a warm smile.
A silver-gray-haired girl, her amber eyes full of concern.
Syr Flova.
The poster girl of the Hostess of Fertility, and one of the very few friends Ryu had there.
Ryu parted her lips, wanting to deny it.
But before she could speak, Syr continued.
"You don't have to deny it. I'm not going to miss something like that."
She slipped around behind the bar, sat beside Ryu, and turned to look into her eyes.
"Whatever it is, say it. Maybe I can stay with you through it."
Ryu stayed silent.
Looking into Syr's amber eyes, she felt a complicated emotion rise in her chest.
From the first day she came to this tavern, this girl had always treated her kindly.
Whether it was helping her when she collapsed in that alley back then, or talking her through things over and over again after that, Ryu had always remembered that kindness.
And precisely because of that, she wanted even less to burden her.
"I'll figure something out myself."
In the end, Ryu only shook her head, her tone a little stiff.
Syr looked at her like that, yet instead of getting angry, she smiled.
It was a gentle, accepting smile, as if she could see through every layer of Ryu's defenses.
"Ryu, do you know something?"
Her voice was light, but it carried a force that was impossible to resist.
"Sometimes, carrying everything by yourself isn't strength. Real strength is having the courage to ask someone you trust for help."
Ryu froze.
She looked at Syr, a complicated light flickering through her blue-green eyes.
Having the courage to ask someone you trust for help...
How long had it been since she last did that?
From the day the Astraea Familia was wiped out, she had never asked anyone for help again.
Because she knew no one could help her.
No one could understand her pain.
No one could walk this road with her to the end.
She could only bear it alone.
Hunt alone. Get hurt alone. Lick her wounds alone.
Live alone.
And yet now Syr was telling her that real strength meant having the courage to ask someone you trusted for help.
Could she trust Syr?
Ryu did not know.
But she did know this.
There was no pity in Syr's eyes. No sympathy. Only pure concern.
Those amber eyes were as clear as a lake in spring.
Ryu took a deep breath.
Then she slowly spoke.
"I need a grimoire."
Syr's eyes widened slightly.
"A grimoire?"
"Yeah."
Ryu nodded, her voice low.
"I'm trying to find a way to raise the money."
Syr fell silent for a moment, then asked the most important question.
"How much do you need?"
"At least a hundred million."
Ryu's answer made Syr's expression turn more serious.
A hundred million valis.
For ordinary people, it was an unimaginable sum.
For a solo adventurer like Ryu, it was just as unattainable.
But Syr did not look troubled.
She merely sat there quietly, as if thinking something over.
A moment later, she spoke again.
"Ryu, are you willing to tell me why?"
Of course it was for that piece of information. To find the murderer who had killed her companions.
For revenge.
But she did not say it.
She only shook her head.
"I have my reasons."
Syr looked at her, and a complicated light flickered through those amber eyes.
Then she smiled.
"All right. I won't ask."
She stood, walked behind the counter, took out a small notebook and a pen, and wrote something down.
Then she tore off the sheet and handed it to Ryu.
"What is this?"
Ryu took the paper and looked at it in confusion.
It was an address.
"This is a merchant I know. He deals in rare magical items from time to time."
Syr's voice was soft and calm.
"Go find him and tell him Syr sent you. He should be able to help you find a grimoire, and the price should be quite a bit lower than the market rate."
Ryu froze.
She looked up at Syr.
Her blue-green eyes were full of disbelief.
"Why are you helping me?"
Syr smiled.
"Because you're my friend."
Friend.
That word sent a huge wave crashing through Ryu's heart.
It had been a very, very long time since she had heard it.
Ever since the Astraea Familia was destroyed, she had not had any friends anymore.
The companions who had once fought beside her were all gone.
All that remained was loneliness and hatred.
And yet now Syr was telling her: You're my friend.
Ryu's eyes reddened slightly.
She lowered her head and bit down hard on her lip.
"...Thank you."
Her voice was soft, carrying the faintest trace of a tremor.
Syr looked at her and felt a complicated emotion well up inside herself as well.
But she said nothing.
She merely gave Ryu a light pat on the shoulder.
"Get some rest. Tomorrow, go see that merchant."
Ryu nodded.
She rose to her feet and headed toward the employees' quarters behind the tavern kitchen.
When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Syr.
"Syr..."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Syr smiled.
That smile was bright and radiant, like the warmest sunlight in spring.
"You're welcome."
Ryu withdrew her gaze, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The door closed softly behind her.
Syr remained where she was, looking at the closed door as the smile slowly faded from her face.
In its place was a thoughtful expression.
And at that very moment, behind the curtains of the rear balcony window, a languid goddess reclined against a sofa with a glass of red wine in hand, amusement glimmering in her jewel-like eyes.
Freya.
One of Orario's strongest goddesses. The Goddess of Beauty.
"How interesting."
Genichi still had no idea that a few of his small actions had actually drawn Freya's attention.
But even if he had known, he would not have cared.
Freya would not be interested in him, at least not now.
The Goddess of Beauty's gaze had always fallen only on those who possessed shining souls.
What was he, by comparison?
A plunderer who would do anything to grow stronger. A killer with blood on his hands. A man with darkness in his heart and selfishness in his bones.
His soul would probably do nothing but make that goddess frown.
And besides, now that he was already Level 4, it was not as if he truly feared the Freya Familia that much.
If he could not win, could he not just run?
He had Apparition, he had Alfia, and he had more than enough trump cards to save his own life.
If it really came to that, he could always just flee.
Pride meant very little to Genichi now.
Being alive mattered more than anything else.
This trip lasted nine full days in the Dungeon.
For nine days, he took Alise from the twenty-fourth floor all the way down to the thirty-seventh, slaughtering every monster they could along the way.
The floor boss of the thirty-seventh floor, Udaeus, had already been farmed by someone else and had not respawned yet, so Genichi never got the chance to fight it.
As for the monsters along the way, every last one of them was like paper in front of him.
One slash, one kill. Clean and efficient.
Magic stones piled up like a mountain, and his status values steadily climbed.
Alise remained his tool as always, responsible for collecting magic stones, gathering drops, and standing off to the side consuming mana while he fought.
At this point, she had completely resigned herself to it.
Since she could not resist anyway, she might as well accept it honestly.
After nine days, Genichi's status values had risen to a very respectable level.
Even if they had not yet reached SSS1499, they were certainly no lower than B-rank across the board.
Before returning, Genichi made a special trip to the lower floors.
He wanted to try his luck.
To see whether he might run into Amphisbaena after all.
If he found it, he would challenge it on the spot.
If not, then he would leave it for later.
And this time...
His luck was good.
The moment he stepped into the area of the twenty-seventh floor, he saw a massive shape moving faintly beneath the waters of that enormous lake.
The two-headed dragon, Amphisbaena.
Genichi's pupils contracted slightly.
The monster was even bigger than he had imagined.
Two enormous heads, long necks, a massive body, and huge waves rolling out across the surface as it swam beneath the water.
Just from sight alone, Genichi could already make a rough judgment.
Its potential was Level 5, and in the water, it could bring out strength on par with Level 6.
However...
Genichi was not good at underwater combat.
Fighting a dragon in the water was obviously a terrible idea.
So he needed to create a battlefield that suited him.
Genichi took a deep breath and began to chant.
"O omen of the end, O blinding white snow..."
His voice was low and steady, carrying the strange cadence of a murmur.
Magic power began to surge.
"As twilight approaches, let the wild winds rise - sealed light, frozen earth, snow filling the sky, the triple winter..."
He raised his hand and drove the blade in his grip into the surface of the lake.
"My name is Alf!"
"Ecstasy - Fimbulwinter!"
Boom!
The instant the blade touched the water, a terrifying burst of cold exploded from it.
The freezing air spread like a living thing, racing across the entire lake.
The surface began to freeze at a speed visible to the naked eye.
One layer, then another, then another.
The ice thickened and the frozen area rapidly expanded.
In the span of just a few breaths, the entire surface of the lake had been sealed in ice.
A thick layer, strong enough to bear any impact.
Even Amphisbaena, the two-headed dragon -
half its body was frozen beneath the ice.
Its two enormous heads thrashed desperately, trying to break through.
But the ice was too thick, too solid. Bound in its current position, it simply could not break free in so short a time.
Seeing this, a faint smile curved Genichi's lips.
It worked.
He pulled out the blade, stepped onto the ice, and fixed his gaze on Amphisbaena's heads.
The battle began.
What Genichi did not know was that, in the shadows some distance away, two pairs of eyes were locked onto him.
Those eyes were filled with disbelief.
Ais Wallenstein.
And Lefiya Viridis.
The Loki Familia's Sword Princess and Thousand Elf.
They had come into the Dungeon to earn some extra money, only to stumble onto this scene.
That boy -
the boy who had once come to the Loki Familia, only to be turned away -
was now fighting Amphisbaena.
And with a single move, he had frozen the entire lake.
That magic...
Lefiya's mind went blank.
That was -
Riveria's magic.
Ecstasy - Fimbulwinter.
Lefiya parted her lips, wanting to say something, but found that no words would come.
And Ais -
the blonde girl simply stood there silently, her golden eyes fixed on the distant figure fighting on the ice.
A complicated light flickered in her gaze.
Genichi had no idea anyone was watching.
All of his focus was on the battle before him.
Though half of Amphisbaena's body had been sealed in ice, its strength was still terrifying.
The left head spat blue flames, while the right spewed a red mist capable of dissolving any magic it touched.
The two enormous heads alternated between the blue flames and red mist, trying to melt the ice and attack Genichi at the same time.
But Genichi did not retreat.
He moved nimbly over the ice, dodging every attack by the narrowest of margins.
At the same time, the blade in his hand struck Amphisbaena's body over and over again.
One slash. Two slashes. Three.
Every strike carved a deep wound into that enormous body.
Blood dyed the ice red, only to be frozen by the cold into dark crimson crystals.
Amphisbaena let out a furious roar.
It struggled desperately, trying to tear itself free from the ice.
But the ice was too thick, too strong. In its current state, it simply could not escape.
Genichi seized that chance and went on the offensive without mercy.
No holding back. No more testing.
He threw out every method at his disposal.
Sword strikes, magic, skills -
a storm of attacks poured down upon Amphisbaena.
At last -
after nearly half an hour of relentless assault, Amphisbaena let out a final dying cry.
Its two heads drooped limply.
Its gigantic body finally stopped struggling.
Genichi dropped to one knee on the ice, gasping for breath.
He had done it.
As a Level 4, he had killed a Level 5 floor boss head-on.
But he knew this feat alone was probably still not enough to carry him all the way to Level 5.
Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked toward Amphisbaena's magic stone and drops.
And at that moment -
Alise suddenly turned her head and cast a meaningful glance toward the shadows in the distance.
That was where Ais and Lefiya were hiding.
She knew they were there.
She had noticed them before the battle even began.
But she had not told Genichi.
She merely gave that meaningful look, then withdrew her gaze and continued being his tool.
Genichi did not notice anything unusual about her.
He gathered up the magic stone and materials dropped by Amphisbaena, then took hold of Alise's hand.
"Let's go."
Snap.
Apparition activated.
The two of them vanished from the twenty-seventh floor in an instant.
Only after Genichi had left did Ais and Lefiya slowly step out of the shadows.
They stood on the frozen lake, staring at the empty battlefield, silent for a long time.
Amphisbaena's corpse had already disappeared. Only bloodstains and shattered ice crystals remained scattered across the ground.
But the traces left behind by that battle were impossible to miss.
The thick ice, the huge cracks, the blood everywhere -
all of it told the story of how brutal the fight had been.
Lefiya took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.
"Ais... should we report this to the captain and Lady Riveria?"
Ais fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
Her voice was light, but perfectly clear.
(End of Chapter)
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