The crisp chime of the bell over the door was immediately followed by the heady scent of ale and roasting meat washing over him.
The moment Ryota stepped across the threshold, Anya's cat ears twitched and she turned her head.
"Eh?"
Her golden feline eyes widened, blinking in disbelief.
A heartbeat later, Chloe—balancing a wooden tray on the other side—also looked over.
The two froze for less than a second.
Then—
"Mr. Ryota!!"
"You finally came, nya!!"
Anya was the first to dart over, latching onto Ryota's left arm with practiced agility.
"We were just saying we haven't seen you around lately, nya~"
Chloe followed close behind, slipping in at his right arm with a sunny smile.
"Mama Mia said Mr. Ryota's probably been hidden away by some goddess, nya~~"
"What would you like to drink today, nya~?"
One on the left, one on the right—their welcome was smooth and well-rehearsed.
But this kind of reception? In all of Orario, only Ryota ever got it.
And yet, as he entered, the tavern's boisterous chatter slowly ebbed without anyone noticing.
A wooden mug froze midair. A drunkard calling for another plate went silent.
All around, hands stilled as every eye turned toward the doorway.
Strangely enough, there wasn't a trace of jealousy in their gazes.
Even seeing the two catgirls clinging to him like devoted little birds, not a single patron showed the faintest displeasure.
Their eyes held only two things—admiration and longing.
Ryota, of course, paid the stares no mind. Or rather, he'd long grown used to them.
"Been a while, Miss Anya, Miss Chloe."
He didn't shake off the soft warmth pressed against him from both sides.
"But I'm not here for drinks today."
He paused, glanced toward a certain spot in the tavern, and asked softly—
"Is Miss Ryuu in?"
The question made both catgirls blink in surprise.
Then—
"So you're here for Lion, nya!"
Anya's ears drooped, her voice full of mock grievance.
Chloe pulled an exaggerated heartbroken maiden face.
"And here we thought you came just to see us…"
"Alright, alright, drop the act."
Ryota shook his head, half amused.
"I'll treat you to a meal next time, alright?"
"Really, nya?"
Anya's eyes lit up instantly. Chloe's gaze sharpened with matching expectation.
Just then, the faint sound of footsteps crossed the wooden floor.
Through the crowd came a green-haired elf, carrying a tray of drinks from the kitchen. She stopped before him.
"…Mr. Ryota."
Her voice was calm as ever, laced with that cool, distant air unique to elves.
But Ryota caught it—the fleeting ripple of tenderness in her eyes.
Not cold. Not perfunctory.
Something warmer, buried deep.
Familiar.
He smiled.
"Let's talk in the back. Too many ears here."
Ryuu didn't ask why—just nodded and turned, leading him toward the depths of the tavern.
The moment Ryota followed, two melodramatic wails rose behind him—
"The handsome guy's been taken away, nya!"
"When did the aloof type get so popular, nya?!"
Grumbling aside, there wasn't a hint of hostility in their eyes.
They were about to sneak after them to eavesdrop when a wave of killing intent washed over their backs.
"You two…"
Ears twitching hard, the pair turned to find Mama Mia looming behind them, hands on hips.
"There's still plenty of work left. If you've got time to meddle with customers… you can spend the night scrubbing barrels."
"Nyugh!"
"Got it~!"
They scurried back behind the counter, working faster than anyone.
Meanwhile, Ryota had just sat down. Before Ryuu could speak, he got there first—
"The Loki Familia is planning a new expedition."
Ryuu blinked.
"Another expedition?"
It felt like the Loki Familia was always on an expedition. And at an absurd pace, too.
"More precisely—" Ryota paused.
"This time… it's to slay the Black Dragon."
"…Ah?"
Ryuu froze, brow furrowing as she seemed to realize where he was going. She quickly shook her head.
"I know what you want to say, Mr. Ryota. But—"
He cut her off.
"Sorry to interrupt, Miss Ryuu."
"No—more accurately… I should call you Gale."
He met her clear, lake-green eyes and said quietly—
"Don't you… want to see the eighteenth floor again?"
In an instant, a long-forgotten jolt of lightning shot through her mind.
That name, that sealed memory, that buried past—
Came rushing back all at once.
Ryuu stared at the black-haired boy smiling faintly before her. It was a long moment before she asked softly—
"…Do you know what day it is today?"
Ryota didn't answer right away. After a brief silence, he nodded.
"I know."
"That's why I'm here."
At that, Ryuu's fingers trembled.
She had thought—
In all of Orario, in all of the Dungeon—only she remembered today.
Yet this boy she'd met only a handful of times… knew as well.
Every year, on this day, she descended alone to the eighteenth floor.
Deep in its quiet expanse lay a place no god had ever discovered—
Where she had buried the keepsakes the comrades she had lost.
An altar she had built with her own hands.
A nightmare she could never move past.
Memories pressed close, and Ryuu fought to steady herself.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, then exhaled.
She repeated it three times before her heartbeat eased.
"…I'm only Level Four."
Her voice was quiet.
"Even as outside support, if I joined the Loki Familia's expedition, I'd just be a burden."
Ryota looked at her as though he'd expected the answer.
"Ryuu."
"Would you mind leaving here with me for a bit first?"
The question stilled her.
She stared at him, caught off guard.
There was no frivolity in his eyes. No pity.
Only a sincere invitation—
A quiet, steadfast warmth that refused to let her bear her pain alone.
After a few moments of silence, Ryuu slowly nodded.
"…I don't mind."
Ryota smiled and extended his hand, palm up.
Ryuu hesitated for a moment, staring at it, before slowly placing her own hand into his.
Warmth enveloped her long-cold fingertips.
—Vmm!
In the next instant, a brilliant yellow light flared around them.
"?!"
Before Ryuu could react, the power wrapped completely around her.
The light flashed and was gone—in the noisy tavern, the two of them had vanished without a trace.
And then—
"…What is this…?"
When her senses returned, Ryuu found herself standing inside the divine chamber at the very top of Babel Tower.
"This is… the top of Babel Tower?"
She glanced around instinctively, still dazed and not quite able to process what had happened.
She had been in The Hostess of Fertility just a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye…
But her confusion was quickly interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Ryuu."
Standing behind her, Ryota smiled.
"Come here."
"Let me… update your Status."
Ryuu froze.
It was like her mind short-circuited, going completely blank.
Ryota could update someone's Status?
Wasn't that a privilege reserved only for a god?
But the voice, the tone, the calm confidence in his words…
It was exactly like when Lady Astraea used to lean over her back.
"…Why?"
The question slipped out under her breath.
Her eyes wavered. Ever since she had been separated from Astraea, her Status had never been updated.
She had refused to entrust her fate to anyone ever again.
And yet… she lifted her head to look at Ryota.
The black-haired boy's gaze held no frivolity, no pity—only a quiet, steady focus.
Ryuu lowered her head and bit her lip.
Her mind was full of questions, but for some reason… her feet moved on their own.
One step.
Another.
Until she stood before him, eyes unsteady, the faintest blush coloring her cheeks.
"Do I… take it off?"
Ryota chuckled.
"If you're not comfortable, I can handle it myself."
She hesitated, then turned her back to him. Slowly, she loosened her upper garments, revealing her slender back.
Her pale skin carried the unique, almost sacred beauty of the elves.
Ryuu lowered her head slightly, hands clasped before her chest, her face flushed, saying nothing.
It had been so long since she had bared her back to anyone.
But in this moment, she entrusted it once more.
Standing behind her, Ryota let a drop of his own blood fall onto her back.
A strange heat spread from where it touched, deepening the redness on her cheeks.
A moment later, Ryota finished and handed her the note with her ability scores written down.
"Consecutive rank up, huh? Shame that title's already been taken by me."
She didn't understand what he meant, but after dressing, she accepted the paper and looked down.
Name: Ryuu Lion
Level: 6
Status:
Strength: E488 → i0
Endurance: F352 → i0
Dexterity: A888 → i0
Agility: A889 → i0
Magic: B717 → i0
Development Abilities: Hunter G, Abnormal Resistance G, Magic Resistance I, Mage I, Chain Attack I
Magic: —
Skills: —
"Level Six…"
Ryuu murmured, staring at the sheet in her hand. Her eyes were distant, disbelief flickering there.
She had thought she would never meet anyone who could update her Status again. Never imagined she could break past the wall of Level Five.
This moment wasn't just about a rise in level—it felt like…
For the first time in her life, someone had truly given her a push forward.
"This way, you can't call yourself a burden anymore, right?"
Ryuu didn't answer at once. She stood in silence for a moment, then suddenly looked up at him with determination.
"I'll do it."
"When we face the Black Dragon… I'll fight too."
Ryota nodded.
"Do your best. That's enough."
His reason for coming here wasn't just to "recruit" her.
He'd always felt that Ryuu shouldn't have to carry so much alone.
Like he had once said—
If he'd gone through what she had, he would probably have been even more extreme, more ruthless.
With that thought, he suddenly said—
"Your bounty."
"I'll have the Guild rescind it."
"What you did all those years… was right. No one just proved it for you."
Ryuu's eyes went wide.
Her calm expression cracked instantly, as though he had struck her at her most vulnerable point.
"Rescind… my bounty?"
Her voice trembled, the sound of someone fighting desperately to keep control.
And then—
Her nose stung, and tears burst forth, streaming down her cheeks.
In that moment, it was as if years of pain and guilt finally found release—her façade, her strength, all crumbling away.
Ryota held her gently and murmured—
"It's all over now."
---
Two days later.
Dungeon, Safe Zone on the Fiftieth Floor.
Within the oppressive stone walls, the Loki Familia's expedition team was taking a short break.
Or rather—every pair of eyes was fixed on the man standing ahead of them, arms crossed, completely still.
Finn and the others looked at his back, unsure what to even call the feeling inside them.
Shock? Fear? Bewilderment?
They didn't know.
Because this man—this "Uchiha Madara" Ryota had brought—had been fighting in a way no human could comprehend since they entered the Dungeon.
Like an unstoppable war machine, crushing everything in his path.
No fatigue. No pause. Not a single wasted motion.
Even when facing a Floor Boss–class monster, he simply formed hand seals and murmured—
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence."
Trees burst from the ground, crushing the monster with ease—then he moved on to the next floor.
Worse still, to the team's collective unease, Madara could summon the same skeletal giant as Ryota… only in a different color.
The others were shaken, but Ryuu—having just joined the party—was already questioning her existence.
"There's… no chance for me to even act…"
Finn chuckled beside her.
"Do you know what our role is?"
Ryuu shook her head.
"Just follow Ryota and take a walk."
Ryuu: "???"
----
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