For several seconds after Rio's final attack, nobody moved.
The battlefield had become almost impossible to recognize.
What had once been a stretch of dry desert sand was now buried beneath a thick layer of artificial snow. White frost covered the rocks and surrounding terrain, while small clouds of powder drifted through the cold air whenever the wind passed through the battlefield. Deep craters and trenches scarred the ground where the various attacks had collided, and fragments of shattered stone were scattered between the remains of the summoned Terracotta Warriors.
One by one, the Terracotta soldiers began dissolving.
Their golden bodies cracked apart before breaking into countless particles of light. The pieces floated upward like glowing dust before disappearing completely, signaling the end of their summoning duration.
Snowflake was the first to recover.
The tiny white Frostbite Leonas shook itself vigorously, sending a cloud of snow flying from its fur. After shaking its head a few times, the creature sat down and stared at Rio with wide blue eyes.
It looked almost absurdly cute considering the destruction it had just survived.
Memory was still leaning against the damaged tree several meters away. Her pink hair was covered with snow, and her clothes were stained with dirt from the impact. She looked exhausted, but she was still conscious.
Akari had managed to push herself upright as well. Snow covered one side of her clothes, and several strands of silver-white hair had fallen across her face.
Ryota stood farther away with his arms crossed.
He stared at the battlefield.
Then at Rio.
Then at Akari.
Then at Memory.
Finally, he looked back at the battlefield.
His expression could only be described as disbelief.
Rio lowered Crimson Bloodmoon.
The crimson aura surrounding the Mythic weapon gradually faded, and the pressure that had filled the battlefield disappeared with it. A moment later, Rio dismissed the weapon. Crimson Bloodmoon dissolved into crimson particles before returning to her inventory.
She turned toward the two girls.
A smile appeared on her face.
"That was enough."
Akari slowly looked up.
Memory blinked.
"Enough?"
Rio nodded.
She walked toward them.
There was something different about her expression now.
She no longer looked like a guild leader evaluating two inexperienced members.
There was no calculation in her eyes.
No hidden strategy.
No attempt to measure their weaknesses.
Instead, there was genuine admiration.
"You two are strong."
Akari blinked.
Memory stared at her.
Rio stopped in front of them and folded her arms.
"I'm serious."
Her gaze settled on Akari first.
"You're still a beginner, but you were able to fight me without relying on Narukami's lightning."
Akari lowered her eyes slightly.
Rio then turned toward Memory.
"And you..."
She smiled.
"You're even more complicated than I expected."
Memory scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"...Is that a compliment?"
"It's absolutely a compliment."
Rio laughed softly.
She looked across the battlefield.
The snow.
The destroyed rocks.
The deep craters.
The scattered remains of the Terracotta summons.
The damaged tree.
The shattered Imperial Saber.
Everything that had happened during the fight had given her the answer she had been searching for.
She had been worried.
More than she had admitted.
Evermount wasn't a safe game.
Rio knew that better than almost anyone.
She knew how quickly a simple hunting trip could become a life-or-death battle. She knew how many hidden mechanics existed throughout the game, how many monsters possessed abilities players had never seen before, and how even experienced players could be caught completely unprepared by a dungeon's hidden phase.
She also knew that the higher they climbed, the worse it would become.
And because Akari was her sister—and Memory was Akari's closest friend—Rio had been even more cautious.
She didn't want to watch either of them become victims of the game she knew too well.
But after seeing what they could do today, those worries had finally begun to loosen their grip on her.
Rio smiled.
"Honestly..."
She folded her arms a little tighter.
"I was worried about you two."
Akari looked surprised.
"You were?"
"Of course."
Rio glanced toward the distant desert.
"Evermount isn't a safe game."
Her voice became more serious.
"Especially once you start going beyond the beginner floors."
She looked back at them.
"There are monsters that can kill experienced players. There are dungeons that can wipe out entire parties. There are traps that don't look like traps until it's already too late."
She paused.
"And there are players who will attack you simply because they want what you have."
The desert wind passed through the battlefield.
Rio's expression softened.
"I know exactly how dangerous this game can become."
Then she smiled.
"But after seeing you two..."
She looked at Akari.
Then Memory.
"I don't think I need to worry anymore."
Memory's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Rio nodded.
"You still have a lot to learn."
"You both do."
"But your potential is already ridiculous."
Akari looked away slightly.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Rio noticed it immediately.
Then, almost as if she had suddenly remembered something, Rio scratched the back of her head.
"Actually..."
Her expression became slightly embarrassed.
"I should apologize."
Both girls looked at her.
"For what?"
Rio sighed.
"I kind of forced you into this."
Memory blinked.
"You mean the fight?"
"Yeah."
Rio laughed awkwardly.
"I should've explained what I was doing first instead of suddenly asking you two to fight me."
Akari crossed her arms.
"You didn't exactly give us much time to prepare."
"I know."
Rio smiled.
"I just wanted to make sure you were ready."
She looked toward the battlefield.
"For Floor Two."
Her eyes then moved toward the distant horizon.
"And eventually..."
She paused.
"The floors beyond it."
Akari understood.
Rio hadn't been trying to show off.
She hadn't fought them because she thought they were weak.
She had fought them because she was afraid.
Afraid that the game she remembered would eventually become too dangerous for them.
Rio lowered her gaze.
"I've already seen what happens when people enter places they're not prepared for."
She looked at them again.
"So I wanted to know whether you two could protect yourselves."
Memory nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Akari crossed her arms more tightly.
"Don't worry about it."
Rio looked at her.
Akari shrugged.
"It was actually fun."
Memory immediately nodded.
"Yeah!"
Then she paused.
"...Except for when you launched me into the tree."
Rio smiled innocently.
"You'll be fine."
Memory pointed accusingly at her.
"That's exactly what someone who launches people into trees would say."
Ryota immediately laughed.
Rio ignored him.
Then Akari's gaze dropped toward the ground.
Her expression changed.
"...Speaking of which."
Rio followed her gaze.
The broken pieces of the Imperial Saber were still scattered across the snow.
Akari's expression became serious.
"Sorry."
Rio blinked.
"For what?"
Akari pointed toward the broken weapon.
"I broke your sword."
There was genuine guilt in her voice.
"I'll pay you back."
Rio stared at her.
Then laughed.
"It's fine."
Akari frowned.
"No."
"It was an expensive sword."
"I know."
"Then I'll pay you."
Rio shook her head.
"Akari."
She opened her inventory.
A faint blue-white glow appeared beside her.
A moment later, another Imperial Saber materialized in her hand.
Rio casually held it out.
"Here."
Akari blinked.
"...Another one?"
"Yep."
Rio opened her inventory again.
A storage list appeared.
Akari's eyes widened.
Memory leaned closer.
Ryota immediately started laughing.
The reason became obvious when the list displayed the quantity.
Imperial Saber × 27
Akari stared at the screen.
Then slowly turned toward Rio.
"...Why do you have twenty-seven of them?"
Rio smiled.
"I've been buying them."
"Twenty-seven?"
"Twenty-seven."
"Why?!"
Rio shrugged.
"Because I wanted to keep Crimson Bloodmoon a secret."
Akari blinked.
Memory looked confused.
Rio's expression became slightly more serious.
"Crimson Bloodmoon is a Mythic weapon."
The two girls immediately paid closer attention.
"Mythic is the highest weapon rarity in Evermount."
"That means there are almost no weapons above it."
"Very few players will ever see one."
Rio looked at the Imperial Saber in her hand.
"And the moment people realize someone possesses a Mythic weapon, they start getting desperate."
Akari frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Money."
Rio sighed.
"Lots of it."
"People will offer ridiculous amounts just to get access to one."
"Others will try to figure out where it came from."
"Some will try to steal it."
"And some players will simply follow you because they want to know whether you have anything else valuable."
She shook her head.
"I don't want that headache."
Rio raised the Imperial Saber.
"So I use these."
Akari stared at her.
"As a cover?"
Rio nodded.
"Exactly."
"The Imperial Saber is strong enough that nobody questions why I use it."
"They see a good sword."
"Nothing more."
She smiled.
"Meanwhile, Crimson Bloodmoon stays hidden in my inventory."
Akari looked back at the storage list.
Twenty-seven Imperial Sabers.
Her expression slowly became one of disbelief.
"You bought twenty-seven Imperial Sabers..."
"Yep."
"...just to hide one sword?"
"Yep."
Akari slowly covered her face.
"You're insane."
Memory nodded.
"Very insane."
Ryota raised one hand.
"I've been saying that."
Rio ignored all three of them.
She returned the extra sword to her inventory.
"Besides, they're useful."
Akari sighed.
"I guess."
The tension finally faded.
The battlefield no longer felt like the aftermath of a serious fight.
For the first time since the training had ended, it simply felt like the four of them were together.
Then Memory suddenly raised her hand.
"Rio."
"Hm?"
"Can you help me with something?"
Rio turned toward her.
"Sure."
Memory opened her skill window.
"I don't really know what I'm doing with my skill slots."
Rio immediately became interested.
"Show me."
Memory expanded the interface.
A large system panel appeared before them.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Sage Tamer — Active Skills]
Terracotta Commission
Leonas Roar
Snowflake
Necrocotta Ritual
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Rio's eyes moved slowly down the list.
"These are your active skills?"
Memory nodded.
"Most of my other skills are passive."
She pointed toward another section.
"Like Maiden of Blue."
Rio nodded.
"That one comes from Bubbles."
Bubbles bounced proudly on the snow.
"Pyu!"
Rio smiled.
"That explains the water transformation."
Memory nodded.
"But these four are the ones I'm having trouble with."
Rio examined the list carefully.
"Terracotta Commission is obvious."
She pointed toward the first skill.
"Four summons at once. It's versatile and gives you several ways to control the battlefield."
Memory nodded.
"Snowflake is also extremely valuable."
Rio looked toward the tiny Frostbite Leonas sitting beside Memory.
"Especially because it isn't just a summon."
"The passive effect creates Snowy Terrain."
"And that terrain strengthens both you and Snowflake."
Memory nodded.
"Then there's Leonas Roar."
"Exactly."
Rio pointed toward the remaining skills.
"That means your Sage Tamer interface has six normal active skill slots."
Memory nodded.
"But Snowflake effectively occupies two."
"The summon itself and Leonas Roar."
"Correct."
Rio pointed toward the remaining space.
"Which leaves you with four slots to work with."
Memory visibly relaxed.
"That's what I thought."
"Good."
Rio's gaze moved down the list.
Then stopped.
Necrocotta Ritual.
Her expression changed.
"...What's this?"
Memory immediately looked away.
Rio noticed.
"Memory?"
The pink-haired girl suddenly became extremely interested in the ground.
"...Nothing."
Rio narrowed her eyes.
"Memory."
Akari, who had been standing nearby, quietly looked away as well.
Rio's suspicion increased.
"This is about the dungeon, isn't it?"
Memory nodded slowly.
"...Yeah."
Rio opened the skill information.
A new system window appeared.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Summon Information]
Name: Necrocotta, The Terracotta Fallen Warrior
Level: ????
Type: Legendary Summon
Mana Cost: 5500 MP
Behavior: Unknown
Stability Rating: Highly Unstable
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Rio froze.
Her eyes widened.
"...Necrocotta?"
Ryota stepped closer.
"What?"
Rio stared at the information.
"The Terracotta Warden..."
She looked toward Memory.
"...That's the boss from your dungeon."
Memory nodded slowly.
Rio's expression became serious.
"But this isn't the Warden anymore."
Her eyes narrowed.
"It went through Blood Release."
Ryota's expression changed.
He understood the significance.
Blood Release.
A mechanic that very few new players even knew existed.
A boss-exclusive berserk state.
A hidden phase.
A final gamble.
Rio spoke quietly.
"Blood Release is a high-stakes boss-exclusive berserk state."
"It has a low chance of activating when a boss is defeated."
"But when it does..."
She looked at the Necrocotta information again.
"...the boss revives."
"Not normally."
"It comes back with its raw energy completely unleashed."
"The physical form changes."
"The abilities change."
"The threat level changes."
Her expression hardened.
"Blood Release is basically a hidden resurrection phase."
"Except the resurrected boss is drastically stronger."
Ryota stared at the screen.
"So Necrocotta..."
Rio nodded.
"Was the Warden after Blood Release."
Memory swallowed.
Rio looked directly at her.
"How did you get it?"
Memory hesitated.
Then glanced toward Akari.
Akari immediately understood.
She took several steps away.
Rio noticed.
"Akari?"
Akari stopped.
"I don't want to hear it."
Her voice was quiet.
Rio looked at her for a moment.
Akari kept her back turned.
"It's not that I don't want Memory to tell you."
She paused.
"I just..."
Her hand tightened slightly around the scarf covering Narukami.
"...don't want to remember it."
Rio's expression softened.
She didn't ask again.
"Alright."
Akari walked a little farther away.
Memory watched her go before taking a slow breath.
"We were exploring the dungeon."
Her voice was quiet.
"It was actually fun at first."
"We were fighting Terracotta Warriors, collecting fragments, and exploring the rooms."
She gave a faint smile.
"That's how I learned Terracotta Commission."
Rio nodded.
"Then you reached the Warden."
Memory nodded.
"Yeah."
"We fought it."
"Both of us."
"We were having fun."
Her voice gradually became quieter.
"Then..."
She paused.
"...we killed it."
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"And then?"
Memory looked down.
"Everything turned red."
Rio and Ryota exchanged a glance.
Blood Release.
Memory continued.
"The entire room."
"The walls."
"The floor."
"Everything."
"It looked like blood was covering the dungeon."
"The air became red."
"The Warden came back."
Her hands trembled slightly.
"It wasn't the same monster anymore."
"It was Necrocotta."
Rio listened silently.
Memory continued.
"We fought."
"We used everything."
"Every skill."
"Every summon."
"Everything we had."
Her voice shook.
"But it almost killed us."
Rio's expression became serious.
"What happened?"
Memory hesitated.
Then she looked toward Akari.
Akari remained turned away.
Memory took a breath.
"We got one chance."
"One opening."
"And Akari used Narukami."
Rio's eyes lowered.
Memory continued.
"The attack killed Necrocotta."
"But..."
She swallowed.
"...it destroyed everything."
"The dungeon."
"The boss."
"The entire battlefield."
"Everything."
Rio already understood how powerful Narukami had to be.
But Memory continued.
"And I got hit too."
Rio looked up sharply.
Memory nodded.
"The lightning spread through everything around us."
"I'm not very strong against lightning."
"It's one of my main weaknesses with Maiden of Blue."
She gave a nervous laugh.
"So getting hit by..."
Her expression became uncomfortable.
"...the most divine lightning attack imaginable..."
She paused.
"I blacked out."
Rio remained silent.
"I was unconscious for hours."
"When I woke up..."
"The dungeon was gone."
"Everything was destroyed."
Memory looked toward Akari.
"Akari was still there."
"She was crying."
"She was using every potion we had."
"She kept trying to heal me."
Rio slowly looked toward her sister.
Akari remained several meters away.
Her back was still turned toward them.
Memory continued.
"After that..."
"She never used Narukami again."
"She sealed it."
"And she's blamed herself ever since."
Memory lowered her head.
"She hates that power."
Rio closed her eyes briefly.
Now she understood.
The scarf.
The sealed weapon.
Akari's discomfort.
Her refusal to use Narukami.
Everything finally connected.
Memory continued.
"As for Necrocotta..."
She gave an embarrassed laugh.
"I accidentally tamed him."
Rio blinked.
"...Accidentally?"
Memory nodded.
"The taming option appeared."
"I didn't want it."
"I was scared."
"So I stepped backward."
She covered her face.
"...Then I tripped."
Silence.
Ryota slowly turned away.
His shoulders began shaking.
He was clearly trying not to laugh.
Rio stared at Memory.
"You accidentally tamed a Legendary Blood Release boss."
Memory nodded miserably.
"Yes."
"Because you tripped."
"Yes."
Rio rubbed her forehead.
"That's the most Memory thing I've ever heard."
Memory looked offended.
"That's not comforting."
She continued.
"And now..."
She pointed toward the skill icon.
"He's just there."
"I've never summoned him."
"I'm too scared."
Rio looked at Necrocotta's information again.
Then she smiled faintly.
"That's Monster Dominion."
Memory blinked.
Rio explained.
"Your Lost Skill allows you to tame monsters you defeat."
"Necrocotta was defeated."
"The system offered you the opportunity."
"And because you accepted it..."
She pointed toward the skill.
"...he became yours."
Memory nodded.
"Yeah."
"But I don't trust him."
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Memory's expression immediately became horrified.
"Because I can hear him."
Rio blinked.
"...You can hear him?"
Memory nodded.
"Sometimes."
"In my head."
"What does he say?"
Memory's eyes widened.
"He whispers."
She lowered her voice.
"He tells me that if I summon him..."
She shuddered.
"...he'll kill everyone."
Rio stared at her.
Memory immediately raised both hands.
"I know I'm probably panicking."
"I know he might not actually do it."
"But..."
She looked down.
"That's how it feels."
Rio didn't laugh.
Instead, she crouched slightly so she was closer to Memory's eye level.
"Then don't summon him."
Memory blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
Rio smiled.
"You don't need to use every skill you have."
She looked toward the Necrocotta icon.
"Keep him."
"But only use him when you feel like there is absolutely no other way out."
Memory frowned.
"Like..."
Rio thought for a moment.
"Your do-or-die trump card."
Memory stared.
"A trump card..."
"Exactly."
"Something you only reveal when everything else has failed."
Memory slowly nodded.
"I can do that."
Rio smiled.
"Good."
Memory hesitated.
"There's another problem."
"What?"
"I can't remove him."
Rio's expression changed.
"...You can't?"
Memory shook her head.
"I tried."
"The skill itself won't let me."
She opened the skill management interface.
The Necrocotta icon remained highlighted.
Every attempt to remove it simply produced an error message.
[This Skill Cannot Be Removed.]
Rio stared at the message.
That was strange.
But not impossible.
Necrocotta wasn't an ordinary summon.
It had been created through Blood Release.
A boss that had revived itself by unleashing its raw energy.
Rio slowly nodded.
"That might be because it's still conscious."
Memory stared.
"Conscious?"
"Maybe."
Rio looked at the skill icon.
"Blood Release doesn't simply make a boss stronger."
"It changes the boss."
"If Necrocotta retained part of its consciousness after being tamed..."
She shrugged.
"...it might be resisting removal."
Memory shivered.
"That's not reassuring."
Rio laughed softly.
"No."
"But it is interesting."
She looked at Memory's skill configuration again.
"Keep it for now."
Memory nodded.
Rio pointed toward Terracotta Commission.
"Keep this."
Then Snowflake.
"And this."
"Snowflake is especially valuable because it gives you two functions."
"The summon itself."
"And Leonas Roar."
She then pointed toward Necrocotta.
"And keep Necrocotta as your trump card."
Memory nodded.
Rio continued.
"That leaves you with four normal slots to configure around them."
"Eventually, you should look for two more summons."
Memory's eyes widened.
"Two?"
"Two."
Rio nodded.
"Every summon can give you another active skill related to that monster."
"That's one of the biggest advantages of your class."
"You don't need to collect dozens of unrelated skills."
"You need the right monsters."
Memory slowly smiled.
"So I should build my skill slots around my summons."
"Exactly."
Rio nodded.
"Terracotta Commission gives you versatility."
"Snowflake gives you environmental control and Leonas Roar."
"Necrocotta gives you a terrifying emergency option."
"And the next two summons should fill whatever weaknesses remain."
Memory looked at her skill window.
For the first time, the complicated collection of abilities began to resemble an actual build.
A direction.
A plan.
"Okay."
She smiled.
"I'll do that."
Rio nodded.
"Good."
Then she looked toward Akari.
The silver-haired girl was still standing several meters away.
Her back remained turned toward them.
Rio's gaze moved toward the white scarf wrapped around Narukami.
Now she understood why it was there.
She understood why Akari refused to draw the weapon.
Why she wouldn't even talk about the dungeon.
Narukami hadn't simply hurt an enemy.
Its power had hurt Memory.
Her best friend.
The person Akari cared about most.
And in Akari's mind—
that was her fault.
Rio could have told her she was wrong.
She could have told Akari that accidents happened.
She could have explained that Narukami was simply too powerful for an inexperienced player to control.
She could have tried to convince her to use it again.
But she wouldn't.
Not now.
Akari needed to make that decision herself.
If she wanted to keep Narukami sealed, Rio would respect that.
If she eventually wanted to use it again, Rio would be there.
But she wouldn't force her sister to confront something she wasn't ready to face.
Eventually, Akari turned around.
She looked toward Rio.
"Are you done helping Memory?"
Rio smiled.
"Yeah."
Akari nodded.
Then she looked toward Memory.
"Everything okay?"
Memory smiled.
"Yeah."
She raised a thumb.
"Rio helped a lot."
Akari smiled faintly.
"Good."
The tension that had been hanging over the group slowly disappeared.
Rio looked at the three of them.
Then she glanced toward Ryota.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
She smiled.
"Actually..."
Akari tilted her head.
"What?"
Rio pointed toward the desert.
"Do you two want to come with us?"
Memory blinked.
"Come with you?"
Rio nodded.
"Ryota and I are heading into a dungeon."
Akari's eyes widened slightly.
"A dungeon?"
"Yep."
Rio smiled.
"The four of us."
She pointed toward herself.
"Me."
Then Ryota.
"Ryota."
Then Akari.
"You."
Finally, she pointed toward Memory.
"And you."
Memory immediately looked excited.
"Really?"
"Really."
Akari hesitated.
She looked toward Memory.
Memory looked back.
The two girls exchanged a glance.
Then they nodded.
"Okay."
Rio smiled.
"Good."
Ryota laughed.
"Looks like the party just got bigger."
Memory immediately raised both hands.
"Let's go!"
Bubbles bounced excitedly beside her.
"Pyu!"
Akari sighed.
But there was a small smile on her face.
Rio noticed.
She smiled too.
For the first time since the two girls had entered Evermount, Rio wasn't looking at them as beginners she needed to protect.
She was looking at them as future companions.
Future allies.
Future players who might one day stand beside her on the highest floors of Evermount.
And perhaps, if everything continued changing the way it had been, they might even become strong enough to stand beside her when the entire game tried to crush them.
Rio turned toward the road.
"Come on."
The four began walking together.
Akari kept Narukami sealed.
Memory kept Necrocotta locked inside her skill menu.
Ryota walked beside Rio.
And the desert stretched endlessly ahead.
Their next dungeon awaited.