Ais Wallenstein—the Sword Princess known to everyone in Orario, the pride of the Loki Familia—was currently bowing deeply to a Level 1 rookie who had only been registered for a single day.
She held the posture, her long golden hair falling forward and veiling her expression. But Lynn could feel it; radiating from her was a sense of longing that bordered on obsession.
Lynn studied her. Her request was abrupt, but her golden eyes were devoid of any hidden agenda—they were as pure as crystal.
He remained silent for a long moment before breaking the heavy stillness.
"Teach you what?"
Ais slowly straightened her back and looked up. A trace of confusion flickered across her doll-like face, as if she were struggling to find the right words. She wasn't good at communicating, especially when it came to expressing her deepest, most internal thoughts.
"...Your... technique," she said, choosing her words slowly. "The technique... to see through an enemy's attacks."
She looked into Lynn's eyes, her tone carrying a trace of urgency she didn't even realize was there.
"You always... move to the exact right position before the attack even arrives. It's like you can already see the trajectory. I want to learn that."
Lynn didn't answer immediately. He fell into a silence that lasted for dozens of seconds. In his mind, he was replaying the battle he had just finished.
Every lunge, every slash, and every subtle twitch of the Bloodhound Knight was like an instinct etched into his DNA. He didn't need to think; his body simply reacted.
Can't dodge it? Then just die a few more times—die until you can. That was the simplest truth of the Lands Between.
But how was he supposed to teach that? Was he supposed to say, "Hey girl, want to get stronger? Try dying a few hundred times first"?
More importantly, he was deeply curious about how his recent state appeared to an outsider. He didn't say yes, nor did he say no. Instead, he asked the question he cared about most.
"What exactly did you see just now?"
Ais blinked, seemingly surprised that he would ask a counter-question. Nevertheless, she recalled the scene seriously, hiding nothing.
"I saw you... standing there." She pointed to the spot at Lynn's feet. "Then, you began to move, roll, and swing your sword. It was as if you were fighting someone."
She knitted her beautiful brows, searching for a more precise description.
"I couldn't see your opponent. I could only sense a very fast, very sharp aura flickering around you. But you were definitely fighting someone."
A blurred shadow? Distorted air?
Lynn's pupils constricted imperceptibly. He understood instantly.
So that was it. From an external perspective, the "Evergaol" didn't actually pull him into a separate dimension. Instead, it generated an "enemy" in the physical world that only he could clearly perceive. To a bystander like Ais, his behavior just now must have looked like a madman fighting the wind.
Was that awkward?
This also meant that whenever he triggered these "special supplies" in the Dungeon, he had to make sure no one was around.
Looking at Ais's golden eyes, which were brimming with a thirst for knowledge, Lynn found himself at a loss for words.
Teach her?
The moment that thought surfaced, a cold warning echoed in his mind without warning.
[Warning: Any knowledge, memories, combat arts, or laws originating from the "Lands Between" may not be disclosed to any unit of this world through direct instruction or demonstration.]
As expected.
Lynn understood. The "Miyazaki" who had thrown him here clearly didn't want him acting as a missionary. The system was responsible for providing trials and rewards; how he used them was Lynn's business alone.
He couldn't teach her.
Lynn lifted his gaze to meet Ais's expectant look. He had no choice.
"I can't teach you."
The air grew still again. The hope on Ais's face dimmed at a visible speed. A flash of obvious disappointment crossed her golden eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she slightly lowered her gaze.
It reminded Lynn of the NPCs back in the Lands Between who would silently walk away after he turned down their requests.
However, Ais was not someone who gave up easily. After a moment of dejection, she looked up again, staring at him stubbornly.
"Why?" she asked.
"There is no 'why.'" Lynn didn't want to get dragged into an argument and turned to leave.
"Is it because... I am not qualified?" Ais's voice came from behind him, carrying a faint, barely detectable tremor.
Lynn stopped in his tracks but didn't look back.
"No," he replied simply.
"Then is it because it is a secret of your Familia?" Ais pressed, taking a step forward as if trying to close the distance.
"I don't have a Familia."
That answer left Ais completely stunned.
No Familia? How is that possible? How could someone without a Familia possess such terrifying power? The rules of Orario shouldn't allow such a thing to exist.
Lynn didn't give her another chance to interrogate him. He set off, walking straight toward the upper floors. His pace wasn't fast, but every step was steady and decisive.
Ais stood rooted to the spot, watching his retreating back. She looked at the magnificent greatsword on his back, and the uniquely shaped curved blade that had just appeared out of thin air. Her lips were pressed tight, and her hands at her sides clenched into fists.
This was the first time she had ever made such a sincere request of someone, only to be met with such a blunt rejection.
But strangely, she felt no anger or resentment—only an even stronger sense of being unwilling to let it go. She couldn't let this opportunity slip by. She could sense that whatever that man possessed was the key to breaking through her own bottleneck.
"I can't teach you..."
Ais chewed on those words in her heart. He didn't say "I don't want to" or "I refuse to"; he said he couldn't. There had to be a reason she didn't know about.
The confusion and disappointment in Ais's golden eyes faded. She wouldn't give up. If he couldn't teach her, she would use her own eyes to watch and learn. She would observe him until she finally understood his way of fighting.
The afternoon sun was not as gentle as the morning rays. It carried a touch of parching heat that made the stone pavement in front of the Guild headquarters warm to the touch.
Lynn appeared at the meeting spot exactly on time. He had changed out of his monster-blood-stained cloth armor into a simple set of civilian clothes he'd bought from a roadside stall. On his back remained the overly conspicuous Banished Knight's Greatsword, while the newly acquired Bloodhound's Fang was now hanging at his waist.
The two weapons had vastly different styles, and hanging together on him, they created an indescribable sense of visual dissonance.
Day one of missing the bottomless inventory of the Lands Between.
Eina was already waiting at the entrance. She had also changed out of her Guild uniform into a simple, elegant dress, making her look like a kind older sister from next door.
"Mr. Lynn, you're here. I've already pre-selected a few suitable apartments. Let's head over and take a look."
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