With a sharp smack, Genichi and Alise Lovell appeared out of thin air in Demeter's room.
Demeter had been waiting there the whole time.
From the moment Genichi left, she had not stepped out even once.
She had sat and stood in restless turns, paced back and forth, looked out the window countless times, and countless times wanted to rush into the Dungeon to find him.
But she had held herself back.
Because she had promised him she would wait here for his return.
And now, at last, he was back.
He looked exhausted, his face full of weariness, but he was uninjured.
Demeter looked at him, and the tension that had been wound tight in her amber eyes instantly melted away.
She hurried over and carefully examined him.
There was no blood, no wound, and even his clothes were intact.
He just looked very tired.
Not physically tired, but mentally drained.
A complicated emotion welled up in Demeter's heart.
It was heartache, relief, and worry.
"Did you succeed?" she asked softly.
Genichi fell silent for a moment.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"I failed."
Demeter froze slightly.
Failed?
She looked at him, wanting to read something from his face.
But there was still no expression on it.
Only a faint trace of complexity flickered through those black eyes.
Demeter took a slow breath, stepped forward, and gently held his hand.
"It's alright even if you failed."
Her voice was soft, like a spring breeze.
"As long as you came back safely, you can challenge it again next time."
Genichi looked at her, and a faint glimmer of surprise passed through his dark eyes.
He had thought she would be disappointed, or worried, or press him with questions.
But she did none of that.
She simply told him it was alright.
As long as he came back safely, that was enough.
Genichi was silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
"Help me update my status first."
He paused.
"Even though I didn't defeat Udaeus, I fought it for that long. I should've built up a huge amount of experience."
Demeter nodded.
She moved behind him and placed her hand against his back.
Closing her eyes, she began updating his Falna.
A moment later, she opened them again.
A flash of delight lit up her amber eyes.
"Genichi."
There was excitement in her voice that she could not hide.
"You've met the feat requirement."
Genichi paused slightly.
He had fought Udaeus for that long. Even though he failed to land the killing blow, the intensity of that battle had indeed far surpassed anything before.
Every second had been spent walking the line between life and death.
Every attack could have killed him.
A battle like that had naturally earned enough of a feat for him to level up.
"But..."
Demeter continued,
"Your abilities still aren't maxed out."
She paused.
"Do you want to level up?"
Genichi was silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"Not yet."
His ability values were not full, so naturally he would not level up.
The feat requirement had been met, yes, but if he advanced now, then all the abilities that had not yet reached their limits would be wasted.
For someone like him, who pursued the extreme, that was unacceptable.
Demeter nodded.
"Then wait until your abilities are full before you level up."
She paused, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"You already have the feat. For you, raising your abilities isn't the problem."
Genichi nodded.
That was true. For him, ability values had never been the problem.
As long as he had time, he could grind them all the way to the limit.
The real question was whether he had that much time.
Dionysus, that mad god, could make a move at any moment.
The Loki Familia already had their eyes on him, and there was no telling when they would act.
And then there was that damned Soul Coliseum. Who knew when it would summon him again?
Every one of those things was forcing him forward.
Forcing him to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
But he could not rush.
The more impatient he became, the easier it would be to make mistakes.
The more impatient he became, the easier it would be to die.
He had to stay calm.
He had to move forward one step at a time, at his own pace.
Genichi took a deep breath and suppressed the thoughts in his mind.
He raised his head and looked at Demeter.
"I'm going to rest for a bit."
He paused.
"Tomorrow, I'm going back into the Dungeon."
Demeter looked at him, and a trace of heartache flickered through her amber eyes.
But she said nothing.
She only nodded.
"Alright."
She stepped forward and gave him a light hug.
"Get some proper rest."
Genichi was quiet for a moment, then gently patted her back.
"Yeah."
Alise stood off to the side, watching the whole thing, the corner of her mouth twitching.
Did those two seriously think she was invisible?
Still, she was used to it by now.
At this point, she was basically just a tool.
Letting out a sigh, she silently walked over to a corner and found a place to sit.
Genichi went to the bed and lay down.
He closed his eyes.
Udaeus's figure flashed through his mind. So did the image of Alfia's strike, along with all the plans that still remained unfinished.
But he did not keep dwelling on them.
Right now, he needed rest.
He needed to recover his strength.
He needed to prepare for tomorrow.
Before long, he sank into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Genichi opened his eyes.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the entire room in a warm golden glow.
He sat up and stretched his body a little.
After a night's rest, most of his exhaustion had faded.
He got to his feet and walked toward the door.
Demeter was standing just outside, holding a breakfast tray in her hands.
When she saw him come out, she smiled.
"Eat something before you go."
Genichi was silent for a moment, then took the breakfast.
He finished it in just a few bites and handed the tray back to her.
"Thanks."
Demeter smiled.
"You're welcome."
She paused.
"Be careful."
Genichi nodded.
Then he turned and headed for the Dungeon.
Behind him, Demeter stood there, watching his back for a long time without moving.
Dungeon, Floor 24.
Genichi began farming monsters once again.
One slash, one kill.
Two slashes, a pair.
In front of him, those monsters were no different from weeds.
Alise followed behind him, silently picking up magic stones.
She had completely given up by now.
There was no point resisting. She might as well just accept it and get on with it.
Day after day passed.
Genichi's ability values rose steadily.
And then, at last, all of his abilities reached SSS1499.
From start to finish, it had taken a total of twenty days, three fewer than it had taken him to rank up to Level 4.
Most of that was thanks to Amphisbaena and Udaeus. Those two floor bosses alone had contributed nearly half of his total ability growth.
Even though he had not defeated Udaeus, Genichi had still gained a massive amount of ability points from that battle.
After all, every second of fighting Udaeus had been spent on the very edge of life and death.
(End of Chapter)
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