Fresh blood followed the arrows that had pierced through Ron, gradually dripping onto the elf girl's cheeks. The warm sensation caused her gaze to slowly lose focus.
This feeling—
No one understood it more deeply than Ryuu.
When forcing back Juggernaut, she had been left with no choice but to fire her magic at Alise, who was buying her time, personally killing the close friend who had accompanied her for so many years.
And now, this arrow from five years ago once again struck Ryuu squarely in the brow.
It reduced the girl's already desolate heart completely into ruins. She could feel her arms trembling, yet she still gently propped the boy against the wall.
And then, when she looked once more at the "Grafted Scion"—
Behind Ryuu's calm expression surged an anger unlike anything before. If Ron had not pushed her away, he would have had a chance to survive.
But he did not do that…
Instead, Ron had used his own body to block the massive monster's arrow attack. Yet since when did she need a rookie adventurer to protect her?
Was this really right?!
"…"
"You deserve to die."
Those words were almost forced out through clenched teeth.
The girl tightly gripped the wooden sword Alf's Lumina in her hand. If she had dealt with this mutated Floor Boss first back then, could the outcome have been avoided?
However, Ryuu now found her thoughts beginning to change.
She chose not to use any magic, and abandoned the techniques she had always taken pride in, instead unleashing the most primal form of vengeance upon the "Grafted Scion" before her!
Each swing of the wooden sword was accompanied by the monster's shrill roars. Yet no matter how it struggled, it could not even touch the elf girl's hem—this was a complete suppression born of overwhelming strength.
Until the very end.
The massive monster, like a mound of flesh, had all of its limbs chopped to pieces.
As it lay sprawled weakly on the ground, the faces of the adventurers stitched onto the Grafted Scion no longer showed anger—only deep, lingering terror.
"…"
Ryuu said nothing.
She once again swung Alf's Lumina. With a flash of the blade, she completely tore apart the already dismembered massive monster, leaving behind only the magic stone dropped after its death.
Yet for some reason—
The girl felt only emptiness in her heart. Ron's words from just moments ago echoed in her ears, and that unprecedented sense of exhaustion once again enveloped her entirely.
[If practical combat training still counts, then does that mean he won?]
"…"
"But how can that possibly count as your victory?"
How should she face Hestia…
No one could give Ryuu an answer to that question. Yet when that familiar voice sounded by her ear next, she did not think much of it and replied rather weakly: "Ryuu-senpai, the Floor Boss is dealt with?"
"…Yes."
"I was thinking—after clearing it, maybe I could accumulate some great feat to help raise my level!"
"…"
And when she heard those words.
The girl suddenly turned her head. The familiar figure that entered her field of vision was enough to make even Ryuu momentarily wonder whether she was seeing things from excessive stress.
Not until Ron walked right up to her.
Only then did Ryuu, unable to believe it, reach out and brush her hand across his face, feeling the warm sensation in her palm as unbelievable thoughts continued to envelop her heart.
"You're not dead…"
"Of course."
Things had already developed to this point.
Ron had no intention of continuing to hide it. More importantly, he knew that Ryuu was absolutely capable of safeguarding his secret. After a brief moment of thought, he spoke frankly: "I think—"
"Being hated by the Dungeon is definitely related to my near-death recovery skill. That skill causes the Dungeon to constantly produce all kinds of strange things."
"It's trying to completely kill me off!"
"…"
Feeling the soft palm of the elf girl pressed against his cheek, this turn of events was not something Ron had anticipated. After finishing his explanation, he did not forget to ask Ryuu: "Um… there's nothing on my face, right?"
"No."
It's good that you're alive.
But Ryuu would absolutely never say something so awkward out loud. And the emotional swing from despair to joy allowed the girl to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Only now...
Did she finally understand why Ron, who had only been an adventurer for a short time, was able to gain strength comparable to a Lv2 adventurer in such a brief period.
Possessing the special skill of "Near-Death Revival".
This had caused his Dungeon exploration to reach an extremely exaggerated level of difficulty. Was this to prevent Orario from giving birth to a seed with heroic potential?
What could she do…
Thinking it over again and again.
Ryuu's expression returned to its icy calm as she emphasized, "Starting tomorrow, come to the tavern's backyard every morning for practical combat training."
"No problem."
"Until you can truly touch me. And also, if… you really encounter difficulties in the Dungeon, I can… reluctantly help you."
Why does that sound a bit tsundere?
Ron nodded decisively. Sparring in real combat with Ryuu had been extremely effective—though as he looked at the girl's iceberg-like demeanor, with her brows slightly raised, he decided to flirt with danger: "Um, Miss Ryuu—if I can really reach that level, could you agree to one request of mine?"
"…"
Once again, he had switched from calling her senpai to miss.
The elf girl's brows knit faintly. She had already sensed that something was off. After hesitating for a moment, she still nodded. "What do you want?"
"If it's about joining a Familia—"
"Sorry, I don't have any thoughts in that direction for now."
"Then… can we go on a date?"
"…We'll talk about that once you can actually do it."
This time, the girl did not refuse outright. After giving her answer, she turned and headed toward the cave passage.
Only after she had turned her back to Ron—making sure he would not see the awkward flush spreading across her face—did Ryuu ask, "So, are you going to keep exploring, or are we heading back to Orario?"
"I really need to head back."
A string of high-intensity battles had inevitably taken a toll on his stamina.
Keep exploring?
Ron was not sure whether the Dungeon would pull some other strange trick. He picked up the greatsword Great Fortune that had been embedded in the ground ahead, confirmed nothing had been left behind, and soon followed in Ryuu's footsteps.
He knew the girl beside him had a past she did not wish to speak of, so he did not take the initiative to start a conversation. Taking advantage of the lull, he began tallying today's gains.
A double blessing!
All the adventurers Zanis had dispatched to track him had died in the Dungeon, leaving behind no traces—nothing that could be exposed.
Moreover, he had also taken the chance to explain the Dungeon's hatred clearly to Ryuu.
That way, during future Dungeon expeditions, there would not always be an elf trailing behind him with a thirst for revenge—and he had even scored long-term practical combat training for free.
'Not bad.'
'Just a shame I didn't get the great feat for killing the Grafted Scion.'
...
Leaving the Dungeon.
When sunlight poured over him once more, Ron glanced at the iceberg-like girl beside him. At that moment, her short green hair shimmered faintly with a golden glow.
Her already delicate features were accentuated, appearing even more defined.
"Ryuu-senpai, I've got some things I absolutely need to take care of now. So… see you tomorrow?"
"…Mm."
And what needed to be dealt with next was actually quite simple.
He could not keep passively letting the Soma Familia track him—especially now that he had confirmed that so-called Lv2 adventurers did not seem nearly as strong as he had imagined.
Now—the balance of offense and defense had shifted.
It was Ron's turn.
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