The village was quiet.
Not silent—but calm in a way the outside world no longer was.
Wooden tables creaked softly beneath the weight of plates and mugs. A few NPC villagers moved about their routines, unfazed by the chaos spreading across the world. Somewhere nearby, a pot simmered over an open flame, filling the air with the warm scent of broth and herbs.
For a moment—
It felt normal.
Rio sat across from Ryota, her posture relaxed, one hand resting lightly against the table as she finished the last of her meal.
Ryota leaned back slightly, exhaling.
"…Man."
He glanced around.
"…Feels weird."
Rio didn't look up.
"…What does?"
"…Everything."
A small pause.
"…We just got hunted, negotiated with a guild, fought a player assassin…"
He scratched his head.
"…And now we're eating like nothing happened."
Rio swallowed quietly.
Then—
"…That's how it should be."
Ryota blinked.
"…Huh?"
She finally looked at him.
"…If you let every encounter shake you…"
A pause.
"…You fall behind."
Silence followed.
Then—
Ryota leaned forward slightly.
"…Hey."
Rio didn't respond.
"…Why didn't you use it?"
A small pause.
"…Use what?"
"…Chronos Eye."
That got her attention.
"…Or your mythic weapon."
He gestured slightly.
"…The Crimson Bloodmoon."
His eyes dropped to the saber resting beside her.
"…Instead, you used that."
A beat.
"…A basic Imperial Saber."
Rio stared at him.
Unmoving.
Then—
"…Dummy."
Ryota immediately shot up slightly.
"…HEY—I didn't do anything!"
Rio sighed.
A long, quiet exhale.
"…In combat—"
Her voice shifted.
Calmer.
Sharper.
"…Especially against players like her…"
A pause.
"…The one who knows more wins."
Ryota blinked.
"…So that's why…"
Rio nodded slightly.
"…I relied on my experiences."
Her fingers tapped lightly against the table.
"…Not skills."
A beat.
"…Not equipment."
Her gaze shifted slightly.
Distant.
"…Just fundamentals."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then—
"…Other than you knowing…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"…I'd rather keep my trump cards hidden."
Another pause.
"…Until the last possible moment."
Ryota leaned back again.
"…So you're basically playing blind?"
Rio shook her head slightly.
"…No."
Her eyes sharpened.
"…I'm making them blind."
A quiet pause followed that.
Ryota let out a low whistle.
"…That's actually scary."
Rio didn't react.
Instead—
She added calmly—
"…She also hasn't shown everything either."
Ryota blinked.
"…You mean Sayanaki?"
Rio nodded.
"…She used clones."
"…Positioning."
"…Deception."
A pause.
"…But not everything."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"…She still has something she didn't use."
Ryota frowned.
"…Are you sure?"
Rio nodded.
"…Players like her don't reveal everything in the first encounter."
A beat.
"…Just like me."
She looked at him.
"…Right now…"
"…She thinks I'm just a one-handed saber user."
Ryota's eyes widened slightly.
"…But you're not."
Rio shook her head.
"…Not even close."
A faint smirk formed.
"…She doesn't know about my musket-sword style."
A pause.
"…Or Chronos Eye."
Her fingers tapped the table once more.
"…That's enough."
Ryota leaned forward slightly.
"…So next time—"
Rio cut him off.
"…There will be no 'next time' like that."
A pause.
"…If we fight again…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"…It won't be a test."
Silence.
The weight of her words settled heavily.
Then—
Rio stood.
Her chair slid back slightly against the wooden floor.
"…I'm done."
Ryota blinked.
"…Already?"
She nodded.
"…Yes."
She stretched lightly, rolling her shoulder once.
Then—
She looked at him.
"…Shall we go?"
Ryota tilted his head.
"…Go where?"
A small pause.
Then—
A faint grin appeared on her face.
"…Back to the Yakolith Field."
Ryota froze.
"…You're serious?"
Rio nodded.
"…I still need sixteen more ores."
A beat.
"…And the drop rate is still terrible."
Ryota stared at her.
Then—
Laughed.
"…Yeah."
He stood up, grabbing his things.
"…Let's go."
Rio turned.
Already walking toward the exit.
The door creaked open.
Light spilled in.
And just like that—
The calm ended.
Because for Rio—
Progress didn't stop.
Not for hidden dungeons.
Not for assassins.
Not even for the world itself.
Only one thing mattered—
Efficiency.
And somewhere out in the plains—
Sixteen ores were waiting.
The plains stretched endlessly beneath a fading sky.
Golden light bled into amber as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the rolling fields. The wind moved gently through the tall grass, brushing against armor, fabric, and steel alike.
And at the center of it—
A Yakolith fell.
Its massive, boar-like body—layered in hardened, earth-like plates—cracked apart as Rio's saber carved through its side. The creature let out a low, guttural sound before collapsing, dissolving into fragments of blue light.
Rio didn't celebrate.
Didn't even breathe differently.
Her eyes were already on the loot window.
Common hide.
Tusks.
No mineral.
A quiet pause.
Then—
"…Again."
Her voice was flat.
Empty.
Behind her, Ryota swung his sword down with far less precision—but far more enthusiasm.
Another Yakolith went down.
"…Man these things are tanky."
Rio didn't respond.
She was already moving.
Another target.
Another swing.
Another kill.
Another—
Nothing.
Hours passed.
The sky shifted from gold—
To orange—
To deep violet.
The air cooled.
The wind sharpened.
And still—
Rio kept going.
Slash.
Step.
Activate.
A brief flicker of Chronos Eye.
A saber pierce the the tough earth hide
A slowed target.
A clean follow-up strike.
Efficient.
Precise.
Perfect.
And yet—
Unrewarding.
"…How many now?"
Ryota's voice broke the rhythm.
Rio didn't answer immediately.
She opened her inventory.
Scrolled.
Paused.
"…Six."
Silence.
Ryota blinked.
"…Six?"
Rio nodded slowly.
"…I had four earlier."
A pause.
"…I got two more."
Another pause.
"…In five hours."
The wind passed between them.
Carrying nothing.
Not even comfort.
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"…That's… kinda rough."
Rio didn't reply.
She simply turned—
And cut down another Yakolith.
Her movements were sharper now.
Not faster—
Not stronger—
But tighter.
Controlled.
There was no wasted motion.
No hesitation.
But there was something else.
Something subtle.
Something building.
Frustration.
Another Yakolith.
Another drop.
Nothing.
Rio stopped moving.
Just for a second.
Her grip tightened slightly around the saber.
"…Two percent."
A quiet mutter.
"…Two percent."
Ryota looked over.
"…You okay?"
Rio didn't answer.
Instead—
She walked past him.
Targeting another Yakolith.
Her sword raised.
A she struck the tough hide once again.
The creature slowed.
Her blade followed again.
Clean.
Precise.
Efficient.
Dead.
Loot window opened.
Nothing.
"…I see."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Ryota tilted his head.
"…You see what?"
Rio closed the loot window.
Slowly.
"…The drop rate isn't the problem."
A pause.
She turned slightly.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…The problem is consistency."
Ryota blinked.
"…Isn't that the same thing?"
Rio shook her head.
"…No."
She gestured lightly toward the field.
"…Two percent means randomness."
"…Which means no control."
A beat.
"…And I hate things I can't control."
Another Yakolith charged.
Ryota stepped in this time.
Blocking.
Absorbing the impact.
The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet—
But he didn't move.
"…Got it."
He swung.
The Yakolith dropped.
Loot scattered.
Rio glanced at it.
Didn't even bother checking.
Silence returned.
Broken only by distant sounds of other players in the far fields.
Grinding.
Fighting.
Competing.
Rio exhaled slowly.
Then—
"…We're stopping."
Ryota blinked.
"…Huh?"
She turned away from the field.
"…This is inefficient."
A pause.
"…Six minerals in nine hours."
Her gaze hardened slightly.
"…At this rate, I'd need over twenty hours total."
Ryota winced.
"…Yeah that's bad."
Rio nodded once.
"…Unacceptable."
She opened her inventory.
Scrolled through the clutter.
Materials.
Drops.
Everything collected over hours of grinding.
And then—
Her hand stopped.
A small flicker of something crossed her expression.
Almost unreadable.
"…Right."
Ryota leaned slightly.
"…What?"
Rio didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
She opened the shared inventory tab.
The screen shifted.
Rows of items appeared.
Most of them—
Ryota's.
Rio scanned them casually.
Then—
She froze.
Her eyes didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't shift.
"…Ryota."
Her voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
Ryota looked over.
"…Yeah?"
A pause.
"…How long have you been killing Yakoliths with me?"
He scratched his head.
"…Uh… the whole time?"
Silence.
Rio's eyes remained locked on the screen.
"…I see."
Another pause.
Then—
"…I see."
Ryota frowned slightly.
"…What?"
Slowly—
Very slowly—
Rio turned her head.
And looked at him.
"…Why."
A beat.
"…Do you have one hundred and seventy-seven Yakolith Ores."
Silence.
The wind stopped.
The world stopped.
Everything stopped.
Ryota blinked.
"…Oh."
Rio's eye twitched.
"…Oh?"
Ryota leaned slightly to look at the screen.
"…Yeah those."
Rio stared at him.
Unmoving.
"…Those."
Ryota shrugged.
"…They drop a lot."
Something snapped.
"They have a TWO PERCENT DROP RATE."
Her voice echoed across the plains.
A few distant players turned.
Then quickly looked away.
Ryota tilted his head.
"…Really?"
Rio's grip tightened around her saber.
"…Really?"
She stepped forward.
"…I FARMED FOR NINE HOURS."
Another step.
"…NINE."
Another.
"…HOURS."
She pointed at the screen.
"…FOR SIX."
Ryota blinked again.
"…Oh."
A long silence followed.
Then—
Rio slowly opened the market tab.
Selected the item.
Yakolith Ore — Sell Price: 1 Copper
Her eyes didn't change.
But something behind them did.
"…One hundred and seventy-seven copper."
She whispered it.
Like she didn't believe it herself.
Ryota smiled a little.
"…That's good, right?"
Rio looked at him.
Completely expressionless.
"…Ryota."
"…Yeah?"
"…Give some to me."
He immediately complied.
No hesitation.
Transferred a few.
Rio accepted.
Closed the menu.
Took a breath.
Then—
Turned.
And started walking back toward town.
Ryota hurried after her.
"…Hey wait—what about farming?"
Rio didn't look back.
"…We're done."
A pause.
"…We already won."
Behind them—
The plains remained the same.
Unchanged.
Unforgiving.
But ahead—
For the first time that day—
Rio had enough