Back at the Crowned Era headquarters, the atmosphere was painfully quiet.
The grand mansion built from gleaming white quartz normally felt alive from morning until night. NPC guild assistants were constantly moving through its spacious corridors, carrying equipment, organizing documents, delivering messages, and handling the countless tasks required to maintain one of the largest player guilds on Floor Two. From the training grounds came the occasional clash of weapons, while the distant footsteps of players and NPCs echoed throughout the enormous halls.
Today, however, none of it seemed to matter.
The usual liveliness had been replaced by an uncomfortable silence.
Even the people passing through the reception area seemed to instinctively lower their voices.
Behind the polished quartz reception desk, Silla sat with her head lowered.
Her hands were clasped tightly together, her fingers trembling as she tried to keep herself composed. Her shoulders shook every few seconds, betraying the effort she was making to suppress another wave of tears.
She had been crying for a long time.
Every time she managed to calm herself, another thought about Ramos would return.
He was still missing.
Somewhere on Floor Two, in the hands of people who had already proven that they were willing to hurt him.
And unlike the players who had gone after him, Ramos did not have the protection of the system.
Players could die and return.
They could lose experience, levels, equipment, and money. They could suffer the frustration of having their progress erased, curse their bad luck, and eventually start rebuilding what they had lost.
Ramos had no such luxury.
If something happened to him, there would be no second chance.
No revival.
No return to the nearest town.
No chance to start over.
He would simply be gone.
Rio stood several steps away from the reception desk, silently watching Silla.
She had tried giving the girl some space.
She had tried distracting her.
She had even reassured her that Ryota, Fayzan, Ayame, and Kiraya were already working to find Ramos.
None of it had helped for long.
Silla would nod whenever Rio spoke, but the moment the conversation ended, her eyes would drift toward the entrance as though she expected Ramos to suddenly walk through the doors.
Eventually, Rio decided that leaving her alone was no longer helping.
She walked toward the reception desk and stopped beside it, resting one hand against the cool, polished quartz.
"Silla."
The girl slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
"Yes...?"
Rio crouched slightly, bringing herself closer to Silla's eye level.
"They're going to bring Ramos back."
Silla stared at her.
There was no hesitation in Rio's voice.
No uncertainty.
No attempt to offer empty encouragement.
Just certainty.
"We'll get him back," Rio said. "No matter what it costs."
Silla's lips trembled.
"But..."
She looked down at her hands.
"What if..."
The words refused to come out.
Rio understood what she was trying to ask.
What if they were too late?
What if Ramos had already been injured?
What if his captors had taken him somewhere they couldn't reach?
What if they never found him at all?
Silla couldn't bring herself to say any of it.
Rio slowly reached toward her.
"Silla."
The girl looked up again.
Then Silla asked a question Rio hadn't expected.
"Why are you still here?"
Rio blinked.
"What...?"
"You could've gone after Ramos yourself."
Silla's voice remained gentle.
"You could've gone with Ryota."
"You're the guild leader."
"You have so many things you need to take care of."
Silla's voice became smaller.
"Then... why are you still here with me?"
For a moment, Rio said nothing.
Her expression softened.
"Because Ramos isn't the only one who needs help."
Silla froze.
Rio pulled a nearby chair closer and sat beside the reception desk.
She turned toward Silla and looked directly into her eyes.
"I know you and Ramos lost a lot long before you ever met us."
Silla's eyes began watering again.
"You lost your family."
"Your village."
"Your home."
"And after all of that..."
Rio's voice softened further.
"Ramos became the person you had left."
Silla lowered her head.
Rio knew there was no need for Silla to explain.
She already understood.
"I know that," Rio said. "And I know you're scared."
She reached out and gently placed a hand on Silla's shoulder.
"But I'm here, Silla."
Silla slowly raised her head.
"Ramos isn't the only person you can cry on."
Rio gave her a faint smile.
"I won't abandon you either."
Silla's eyes widened.
Rio continued before she could respond.
"I know rescuing Ramos is our top priority. We're going to bring him home."
She paused.
"But what about you?"
Silla's lips trembled.
Rio's hand remained gently against her shoulder.
"If Ramos isn't here..."
Her voice became quieter.
"Who will calm you when things get rough?"
That was enough.
Whatever composure Silla had left finally broke.
She suddenly stood from behind the desk and threw her arms around Rio.
Rio caught her immediately.
Silla buried her face against Rio's shoulder as the tears she had been holding back came rushing out all at once.
"I'm scared..."
Rio closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she wrapped both arms around Silla and gently rubbed her back.
"There, there."
Her voice was soft.
"No need to worry."
"They'll rescue Ramos."
Silla continued crying against her shoulder.
Rio held her a little tighter.
"So cry on me as much as you want."
"You don't have to hold everything inside."
"I'll listen."
Silla clung to her.
For the first time since Ramos had been kidnapped, she didn't have to pretend she was strong.
She didn't have to be the head receptionist.
She didn't have to be the survivor who always kept moving forward despite everything she had lost.
For a few minutes, she could simply be Silla.
A girl who was terrified of losing the last person she loved.
Rio remained there until Silla's breathing gradually began to slow.
Only then did Rio quietly look toward the large windows overlooking the headquarters grounds.
Somewhere far away, her guild members were fighting for Ramos.
Ryota.
Fayzan.
Ayame.
Kiraya.
They were risking themselves because an NPC they barely knew was in danger.
Rio trusted them.
She had to.
Her arms tightened slightly around Silla.
"Bring him back."
The words were barely audible.
But the determination behind them was absolute.
Far away, deep within the stony mountains of Floor Two, the situation had become considerably worse.
Kiraya could barely stand.
Blood ran down the side of her face, slipping past her cheek and dripping from her chin. Her once-pristine armor had been shattered in multiple places, exposing sections of her body to the cold mountain air. Tiny fragments of broken metal remained embedded in her skin, while scratches and bruises covered what little armor remained intact.
Her breathing was ragged.
Her shield was gone.
The great shield that had protected her through countless dungeon raids, boss battles, and dangerous encounters had been reduced to scattered fragments of metal and magical components.
Even the flames surrounding Lionheart were weaker than before.
Across the ruined passage, Corvina stood calmly.
The purple-haired assassin looked almost completely untouched.
Her twin ponytails swayed gently in the remaining currents of wind, and her elegant armor showed barely a scratch despite everything that had happened.
Then Corvina smiled.
"You should be careful."
Kiraya slowly raised her eyes.
Corvina gestured toward her.
"Your HP is only twenty-three percent."
Her smile widened slightly.
"If you keep pushing yourself like this..."
She tilted her head.
"You might actually die."
Kiraya stared at her for a moment.
Then, despite the blood running down her face and the pain screaming throughout her body, she smirked.
"Look at you."
She wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Being concerned about me."
Her tone was completely sarcastic.
"Thanks."
Kiraya slowly straightened.
Every movement hurt.
Her damaged armor creaked, and the muscles throughout her body protested as she forced herself upright.
"But I don't care what happens to me."
Corvina's expression became curious.
Kiraya glanced toward the cave entrance.
Beyond it were her allies.
Ryota.
Fayzan.
Ayame.
And somewhere deeper inside that mountain was Ramos.
The NPC they had come all this way to rescue.
"Evermount's death punishment is nothing compared to what we'll lose if I go down now."
Corvina's smile faded slightly.
Kiraya continued.
"Unlike me..."
"There are no second chances with NPCs like Ramos."
Her voice became firmer.
"When players die, we lose items. Experience. Levels. Maybe money."
Despite the pain, she gave a small shrug.
"Who cares?"
Her eyes hardened.
"I can rebuild all of that."
"I can grind it back."
"I can earn it back."
"I can start again."
Kiraya slowly raised Lionheart.
"But losing Ramos to you bastards?"
Her fingers tightened around the weapon's hilt.
"That's something we cannot allow to happen."
The flames around Kiraya suddenly erupted.
Corvina's eyes widened slightly.
Fire surged across Kiraya's body, crawling over her shoulders, arms, legs, and chest. The flames didn't burn her. Instead, they wrapped around her battered armor as though they had become a second layer of protection.
The temperature in the passage immediately rose.
Kiraya's white-hot aura illuminated the surrounding stone, casting flickering shadows across the broken walls.
Then a system window appeared before her.
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[Crusader Skill: Lionheart Requiem]
Effect:
Converts damage received and HP lost into temporary offensive power.
The greater the damage sustained,
the greater the increase in returned damage.
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Corvina's eyes narrowed.
Kiraya smiled.
"This is my answer."
The flames surrounding her intensified.
Lionheart began glowing brighter in her hand.
Lionheart Requiem had taken everything Kiraya had endured and converted that suffering into power.
Every attack she had received.
Every strike that had broken her armor.
Every wind blade that had carved into her body.
Every impact that had shattered her shield.
Every percentage of HP she had lost.
All of it had become fuel.
Kiraya had lost seventy-seven percent of her HP.
And because Lionheart Requiem converted the damage she had sustained into offensive power, the accumulated damage had already produced a ten-percent increase in her offensive reinforcement.
The number wasn't enormous.
Not yet.
But Kiraya didn't need something enormous.
She needed enough.
Enough to keep standing.
Enough to fight.
Enough to make Corvina regret giving her even a moment to recover.
Kiraya opened her inventory.
Several health potions appeared in her hands.
She didn't hesitate.
She crushed them one after another.
CRASH!
Red liquid burst across her body as the potions activated.
The system immediately registered the healing.
Her HP climbed.
Twenty-three percent.
Thirty-one.
Forty-four.
Fifty-two.
Then—
sixty-five percent.
Kiraya slowly lowered the empty bottles.
Her breathing steadied.
The wounds remained.
The broken armor remained.
The pain remained.
But her body had recovered enough HP to fight again.
Across from her, Corvina watched carefully.
Her eyes narrowed as she realized what Kiraya had done.
The healing had restored Kiraya's HP.
But it hadn't erased the damage that had already been converted by Lionheart Requiem.
The skill had activated before the healing.
The ten-percent offensive reinforcement remained.
Kiraya had effectively restored enough of her health to continue fighting while retaining the offensive benefit created by the punishment she had already endured.
Corvina's lips curved upward.
"Interesting."
Kiraya raised Lionheart.
"Now it's my turn."
She disappeared forward.
The stone beneath her feet shattered from the sudden acceleration.
BOOOOOOM!
Kiraya crossed the distance between them almost instantly.
Lionheart came down with tremendous force.
Corvina shifted to the side.
Barely.
The blade missed her body by only a few centimeters.
But Kiraya's attack was so powerful that the force continued beyond the blade.
CRAAAAASH!
The tree behind Corvina was struck by the released impact.
Its trunk split apart from the middle, and the upper half of the tree collapsed violently onto the ground.
Corvina glanced backward.
For the first time, the calmness in her expression seemed slightly strained.
Kiraya gave her no time to recover.
She swung again.
Corvina ducked beneath the blade.
A third attack followed immediately.
Corvina twisted away, and Lionheart passed over her shoulder.
The air screamed from the force of the swing.
"You're faster."
Corvina's voice remained almost casual despite the attack.
Kiraya answered with another strike.
"And you're not the only one who can adapt."
Corvina's eyes sharpened.
Then she disappeared.
Wind erupted around her body.
[Assassin Skill: Dance of Hurricane]
The whirlwind returned.
Air spiraled violently around Corvina as her purple hair and twin ponytails whipped through the storm.
Her body became a blur within the hurricane.
She appeared directly beside Kiraya.
Her fist shot toward Kiraya's torso.
Kiraya didn't move.
The punch landed.
BOOM!
The hurricane exploded against Kiraya's body.
But—
Kiraya didn't even flinch.
Corvina's eyes widened.
The flames surrounding Kiraya had swallowed much of the impact.
Rather than allowing the force to pass directly into her body, the fire absorbed and dispersed a significant portion of the attack.
Corvina immediately pulled her hand back.
"Ah—!"
She stared at her fingers.
The tips of her armored glove were glowing red.
Burned.
Kiraya smiled.
"You should've watched your hands."
Corvina's expression tightened.
Then she noticed something else.
The flames weren't merely surrounding Kiraya anymore.
They had transferred onto her.
Fire crawled across Corvina's armored hand.
Then her arm.
The flames spread toward her shoulder, crossing over her armor and continuing toward her chest and legs.
Within seconds, Corvina's entire body was surrounded by flames.
She looked down at herself.
For the first time during their battle, genuine surprise appeared in her eyes.
A system notification appeared directly in front of her vision.
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[System Notice]
Burn Status Applied
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Corvina's eyes widened.
The flames continued to burn.
Her HP began falling.
Slowly.
But steadily.
Kiraya stood several meters away, Lionheart burning fiercely in her hand.
The battered Crusader's body was covered in blood, her armor was broken, her shield was gone, and she had already endured enough punishment to bring herself to the edge of death.
Yet she was smiling.
For the first time since their battle began, Corvina wasn't.
The Lionheart Knight had finally found a way to hurt the Raven of Dancing Winds.
And Kiraya intended to make every second count.