Thank you, @HBWBallpen for joining the memberships.
I'm truly grateful.
Bonus chapter (1/2)
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Chapter 75: Sally's Excitement, Is Their Friendship Changing?!
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"What?! Someone already soloed the Floor 12 Boss?"
"It's the Guild Leader! Soloing a Boss at this stage... he's a monster!"
"Hey, are 'The Harbingers' still recruiting? Those black suits look slick as hell."
"What did you just say?! You think we're just 'slick'? Brothers, get him!"
"Wait, wait! Not the face!!"
The system announcement sent shockwaves through the player base.
Soloing a floor boss was a feat most players couldn't even dream of yet. Furthermore, when they checked the rankings, they found Seito sitting at a towering Level 30—leaving the second-place player, Shiro, trailing five levels behind.
Without a second thought, the crowd began mobilizing toward the next challenge.
God's Domain, Floor 13.
Seito arrived at the safe zone and immediately frowned. Unlike the bustling cities of the previous floors, this was just a small village, much like Floor 1.
But the atmosphere was polar opposite. A crimson sun hung in a hazy sky, and the earth was charred black. Volcanoes loomed in every direction, spewing thick plumes of dark smoke and rivers of glowing lava.
Outside the safe zone, fire-elemental monsters drifted aimlessly through the ash.
"This entire floor is a volcanic wasteland?" Seito mused, scanning the horizon.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Pillars of light erupted around him as players from Floor 12 began pouring in.
Beep!
A notification popped up.
[Fatui Guild Channel]
[Sally: @Sei. Seito-kun! Gear! Gear! Give me the gear! I'm waiting at the base!]
Sally's desperate ping made Seito chuckle.
[Sei: Got it. I'm coming now, just hold your horses.]
He closed the menu and teleported back to the guild headquarters.
Fatui Guild Base.
Seito walked into the executive office to find his officers already gathered. Sally practically pounced on him, her eyes fixed on his inventory with predatory focus.
Unable to resist that look, Seito pulled out The Traveler Set and handed it over.
"Whoa! It's amazing!"
Sally swapped her gear instantly. Her outfit transformed into sky-blue light armor, a blue blade in her left hand and a white one in her right. She looked sharp, agile, and heroic.
"Hehe~"
Using the set's wind properties, Sally lifted herself off the ground, hovering mid-air.
"Maple! Look! I can fly too!"
The combination of Orange-tier stats and the gift of flight left her glowing with satisfaction. When she looked at Seito now, there was a strange, unreadable glint in her eyes.
"What? Falling for me already?" Seito teased.
"I wouldn't go that far," Sally replied, tilting her head thoughtfully. "But I'll admit... you have a tiny bit of charm."
"Tsk," Seito clicked his tongue. "You've got good eyes but a poor brain. A high-quality male specimen is standing right in front of you and you 'don't go that far'? How tragic for you~"
He looked at her with mock pity. Sally's face flushed red, and she wisely chose to shut up before he could roast her further.
"By the way, Seito-chan, are you free tomorrow?" Haruno Yukinoshita suddenly asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"My mother wants to meet you. Would you mind coming home with me for a visit?"
Seito wasn't surprised. While the Yukinoshita family was prominent in Chiba, they were small players on the global stage of the game's economy. Since the Yukinoshita sisters weren't exactly "gaming prodigies," their mother naturally wanted to secure a connection with the server's top player.
"I can make time for a visit tomorrow," Seito agreed.
He planned to spend today grinding a few more bosses. If all went well, he could hit Level 40 by the end of the night.
"That's wonderful." Haruno gave a brilliant, genuine smile.
"Seito," Blank (Sora) sat down nearby.
"What's the move for today?"
"Floor 13 Boss Maze. Amou and Haruno are the only ones left without unique Orange gear." Seito intended to fully deck out his Executives. Haruno was a high-burst Mage, and Amou was a Brawler. Today was the day they'd get their kits.
"Call Ako and Secretary Fujiwara. We move out now."
As Maple went to gather the others, Seito wandered outside. He spotted the "Idiot Duo," Iori Kitahara and Hidetoshi Tabata, huddled together, pointing at a patrolling Elf NPC. Curious, Seito used Spatial Move to blink behind them.
"Iori, look at that Elf girl," Hidetoshi whispered excitedly. "She's easily the most beautiful NPC I've seen today."
Seito looked over. Iori didn't answer immediately. He stayed silent for several seconds. Then, a voice as calm and detached as a Zen master's reached their ears.
"Average."
The sheer indifference in his tone made Seito and Hidetoshi snap their heads toward him. Normally, Iori would be the first to lose his mind over a pair of elf ears.
But when they saw Iori's face, Seito and Hidetoshi froze in place.
Seito: "..."
Hidetoshi: "..."
(Iori had entered "Sage Mode"—a look of such absolute spiritual purity and lack of worldly desire that he looked like he was about to ascend to heaven.)
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Thank you for reading.