They headed straight back to Damons's place. In front of the door, Misty yawned so hard it looked like his jaw might fall off.
"Come on, we're almost there," said Damons, gently tapping his shoulder.
As soon as they stepped inside, everyone rushed to greet them. The triplets and goblins ran toward them… only to stop dead in their tracks.
Lily pinched her nose, horrified.
"Ew! You stink!"
"It burns my nose, boss!" added Gobi, grimacing.
Without wasting another second, the little group shoved them straight toward the bathroom.
"Hop in! Time for the heroes to take a shower!" Léa called out mischievously.
BAM! The door slammed shut. Damons and Misty found themselves forcibly locked in.
A few moments later, in the bath, Damons sighed with relief, his body finally relaxed. Misty floated on his back, two carrot slices over his eyes.
"Aaaaaaah… I've never appreciated a bath this much," he groaned, completely satisfied.
Later, they joined the others in the living room. Everyone was in pajamas. Misty arrived in a bathrobe, drawing everyone's attention.
Damons raised an eyebrow.
"Wait a second… where did you get that?"
"I borrowed it from one of Léa's dolls. It was lying around," Misty replied nonchalantly.
Léa let out an excited squeal, jumped on him, and hugged him tightly.
"You're so cuuute!"
"H-hey! Take it easy!" Misty tried to wiggle free.
"I'll feed you with my own hands, you'll see!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm.
Misty immediately stopped moving, resigned.
"…Alright. Why not."
Meanwhile, Damons sat down on the couch, fingers interlocked, a serious look on his face. Feeling that something was coming, his sisters immediately stopped what they were doing and sat down solemnly.
He placed his player card on the table.
Lola's eyes widened.
"Big brother… is that what I think it is?"
He simply nodded.
"Yes."
"Mmhmm," replied Lily and Léa in unison.
And suddenly, the whole room exploded with joy.
"WEEEEE! We're rich!" they all cried out together.
Lily leapt toward the kitchen.
"I'm cooking all the meat we have to celebrate!"
"Go for it, we can afford it now," Damons said, giving her a thumbs up.
The evening continued in a warm and joyful atmosphere. They ate, laughed, played… until everyone finally fell into a peaceful sleep.
[NEXT MORNING AT DAMONS'S PLACE]
Damons stretched before getting up from the couch, his muscles still a bit sore. He walked through the living room and waved to Lola and Gobo.
"Already cheating, Lola?"
"Winning with talent isn't cheating," she retorted, sticking out her tongue.
"She's reading my mind, I'm sure of it…" grumbled Gobo, pouting.
Drawn by a delicious smell, Damons headed to the kitchen. Lily, focused, wearing an apron around her waist, stirred a pot while Gobi chopped vegetables with surgical precision.
"Smells good… It's almost like a five-star restaurant."
Damons took a deep breath, a small smile tugging at his lips, hands in his pockets.
Lola rolled her eyes and scoffed, arms crossed.
"Hah! As if you've ever been in one. You don't even have the shoes for it, mister 'shampoo is a luxury.'"
Damons walked up to her without a word, calmly raised his hand… and vigorously scrubbed her head with his fist.
"It's just an expression, brat."
"Ow! Are you nuts or what?!"
Next to them, Gobo jumped into the air, arms raised like a little champion.
"I wooooooooon!"
His shout echoed through the clearing like an explosion of joy.
Lola pointed at him, outraged.
"You cheated, you tiny thing! That's not fair, I was about to win!"
But Gobo puffed out his chest, face glowing with a heroic smile, and raised one finger dramatically like in an anime.
"Having talent isn't cheating!"
Lola pounced on him like a fury, hands ready to strangle.
"Raaah, come back here, you arrogant mushroom!"
But before she could reach the goblin, a calm and authoritative voice echoed from the kitchen:
"If you keep screaming, you won't get anything to eat tonight."
Lola stopped immediately. Gobo used the opportunity to dive behind a cushion, giggling in victory.
In the kitchen, Lily quietly stirred a ladle in the pot on the stove. Her apron was slightly stained, but her eyes gleamed with pride.
She turned to Damons with a sincere smile.
"By the way, I found an old recipe in a dusty book! We're going to fill your belly tonight, big brother."
"Priority on recovery and optimal nutrition," added Gobi without looking up.
Damons nodded, impressed.
A snoring sound caught his attention. Goba was curled up asleep on the rug, Léa slumped against a cushion, and Misty—still in his bathrobe—was sprawled face down… a bit of drool trailing from his mouth.
"And to think this bunny helped me kill a level 30 boss just yesterday…" Damons murmured with amusement.
He opened the window, letting a cool, refreshing breeze inside. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft glow. He closed his eyes for a moment.
"I'm still far from the top… but it's the first time I've felt this alive. And most of all… this surrounded."
A metallic voice suddenly echoed in his head:
[SYSTEM UPDATE PENDING… MONARCH QUESTS CONNECTION IN 13 HOURS.]
He opened his eyes again, his expression darkened.
"The rest is over," he whispered, determined.
He returned to the living room, calmer. Behind him, Misty slowly sat up, fur in disarray.
"Did you… say something?"
Damons handed him a plate of grilled meat.
"Eat. You'll need it."
In the kitchen, the smell of breakfast filled the air. Lily placed the last plates on the table.
"Everyone to the table!"
Damons dragged his feet in, still visibly tired. Misty, on the other hand, dove into his plate with excitement.
"Smells amazing!"
He started eating noisily, smearing syrup and eggs everywhere.
"Can't you at least try… that's disgusting," said Damons.
Misty looked at him playfully, took a huge bite of pancakes, and chewed even louder.
"Maybe I could…"
Damons grabbed a piece of bread and threw it at Misty, who immediately retaliated with a sausage. A food fight broke out.
"I'm gonna crush you, Misty!"
"Not before I bury you under a mountain of bacon!"
Lily stood up abruptly, arms crossed, brows furrowed.
"STOP! Both of you, out of the dining room! Now!"
Silence fell like a blade. Misty and Damons glanced at each other sheepishly, then left the room with their heads down.
"She never jokes, huh…"
"Not when there's eggs on the wall," sighed Damons.
As he entered his room, Damons received an unexpected message. It was from an old classmate he met during the Player Association test.
Message from Maximilien:
Hey Damons! It's Maximilien, from the Association trial. Rick and I thought it'd be cool to hang out again. We're grabbing a coffee downtown in an hour, want to join?
[ONE HOUR LATER — MELIDROWN]
In a small downtown café, Damons entered and spotted Rick waving him over. Next to him, Maximilien waited.
"Hey Damons, over here!" called Rick.
"Hey Rick. Hey Maximilien."
"Call me Max, we're friends now," said the latter with a smile.
Damons sat down, a discreet smile on his lips.
"So, how's it been since you officially became players?"
"I joined a rank F guild… but I'm basically just a meat shield," Rick grumbled. "They won't even let me level up."
"Same here," said Max. "But I just fill out admin paperwork."
Honestly, this isn't how I pictured a player's life."
Damons burst out laughing.
"Doesn't sound very glorious, your stories."
He then told them everything that happened at the mutant boar portal.
The two stared at him, speechless.
"Wait… you did that alone?" asked Max, incredulous.
"I had some help, but yeah. And I leveled up a lot."
"You're a beast, dude…" Rick whispered.
"You probably outclass both our stats combined," added Max.
Damons gave a smug smile.
"I might be stronger than the exam's top 3 now."
The café's TV suddenly flashed a red banner: Breaking News. The image changed, showing three youthful but determined faces: Lucas Maril, Altaïr Arcanum, and Lindel Clark.
A deep voice rang out from the speakers:
"These three young prodigies just achieved an unprecedented feat in Vardenhill. With a team composed solely of rank F players, they conquered a rank F dungeon. This is a first in modern history since the emergence of players."
Damons watched the screen in silence.
"Well… I still have a long way to go."
"You're not the only one," said Rick, patting his shoulder.
They chatted for another thirty minutes before standing up.
"See you next time, Damons," said Max.
"Yeah, we'll run into each other again soon," added Rick.
Damons walked through a shopping street, a bag in hand. He entered a clothing store, picked out some practical and stylish outfits for himself, then got some for his sisters and the goblins.
Then he stopped by the market, bought vegetables, meat… and a bag of carrots.
"If Misty sees the fridge empty… I'll end up covered in syrup again," he muttered, sighing.
He looked up at the blue sky visible between the buildings.
"It might still be far… but I'll catch up. And then I'll surpass them."