I heard a flurry of panicked footsteps rushing toward my office—fast, frantic, and unmistakably chaotic. Whoever was approaching had absolutely no intention of stopping.
A moment later, the door burst open without so much as the courtesy of a knock.
Only one person would dare enter the private chambers of the King of Eterna with such reckless enthusiasm: Milim.
Had anyone else displayed such insolence, Rigurd's iron discipline would have crushed them where they stood. If it had been Veldora or Ramiris, their desserts would've been seized for a month.
But Milim… Milim was the one exception.
After all—
"A-Atem! It's hatching! It's gonna hatch!!"
—she had been carrying an egg this entire time.
She refused to return to her home, insisting on staying within Eterna's domain. She feared that something might happen to the egg—and she trusted that nothing under my protection would ever be placed in danger.
Milim looked genuinely panicked. I could feel the intensity of her emotions like a storm.
Judging by the flicker of energy, the egg's Avatar Core was pulsing—its magic rising and falling in irregular bursts.
It was close.
Gaia—a newborn monster—was about to awaken.
"Gyuuiii!"
A tiny chibi dragon broke free from its shell with a bright cry.
Barely fifty centimeters in length.
Small enough to perch on a shoulder.
Utterly adorable.
Hard to believe this tiny creature had once been the fearsome Chaos Dragon.
"—Are you Gaia?" I asked.
"Gyuu! Gyuu!"
The little dragon flapped its wings and dove into Milim's arms. She caught Gaia, hugging the newborn tightly, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes.
Watching the two reunite was… moving, even for someone like me.
Gaia hatched quickly after Milim's chaotic entrance. With her friend safely reborn, Milim finally seemed relieved.
Naturally, I expected she would now return home.
I was mistaken.
"Come on, let's take Gaia on an adventure!!" Milim declared, eyes sparkling with reckless enthusiasm.
I should have known.
Naturally, my answer was:
"Milim… Frey must be quite troubled by your absence, is she not?"
Frey had become her guardian. And if I allowed Milim to go off on some spontaneous journey without notifying her, I would be the one facing Frey's irritation later.
Had Gaia not hatched, perhaps Milim could have postponed her obligations… but now that the child was healthy and energetic, Milim had responsibilities waiting.
"WAHAHAHAHA! There's nothing to worry about!!"
Nothing to worry about…?
I offered Milim the wisdom of a proper ruler—Atem's guidance, shaped by the discipline of countless battles and the authority of a king.
But—
Milim ignored every bit of it.
I sighed. Just kidding. I never truly expected her to listen anyway.
And seeing her enthusiasm, I found no reason to deny her.
After weeks spent managing the aftermath of the Mariabell incident, this was one of the first moments of calm I'd had. A break with friends was not unwelcome.
"Besides," Milim continued proudly, "it's a necessity! Dragons are apex predators! They only eat what they hunt! Even babies are like that! We need to teach Gaia how to hunt properly."
I remembered hearing that dragons could survive on water and magicules alone… but without real prey, they would never grow properly. To develop strength and size, they needed the real experience—chase, fight, consume.
Milim actually had thought this through.
"Very well," I said. "In that case, I know the perfect place."
"Huh?! Is it the Labyrinth?!"
"Mm. That's right."
And so, our plan to nurture Gaia—
under my guidance as the King of Eterna,
under Milim's raw enthusiasm,
under Gaia's newly awakened potential—
officially began.
Now that the issue was resolved, it was time to assemble everyone at once.
I summoned Veldora and Ramiris, informing them that we would be challenging the labyrinth again. This time, Gaia would accompany us. A party of five. Within the labyrinth, even a newborn dragon was safer than in the unpredictable outside world. With its controlled environment, resurrection systems, and predictable threats, it was ideal for Gaia's first real training.
"GAHAHAHA! We are quite occupied at the moment—but since you are the one calling, Atem—we shall lend our full power!"
Veldora declared with dramatic pride.
Ramiris nodded rapidly, wings fluttering.
"Mm-hmm! Leave it to us! Gaia will grow up perfectly with us around!"
Their confidence was reassuring… and yet, I felt an uneasy stir within my chest.
—Calm yourself, Atem. They have matured. Trust them.
Veldora and Ramiris had indeed grown more responsible. Even Milim understood this wasn't play—it was training for Gaia. Surely… surely none of them would behave recklessly.
"Very well," I said, voice steady. "Let us go."
At my command, everyone activated their monster avatars, shimmering forms adjusting for labyrinth combat.
Our journey began.
We descended into the labyrinth—Veldora, Ramiris, Milim, Gaia, and I, Atem, King of Eterna.
Gaia flew beside me with youthful elegance. Despite being newly reborn, Gaia was a dragon—formerly the Chaos Dragon capable of ending worlds. There was no possibility it would be weak.
And indeed, Gaia proved its strength quickly. In only a few battles, its instincts aligned. Its attacks sharpened. Its aura stabilized into something formidable.
Its dragon breath was especially devastating.
Chaotic Breath—a condensed miasma infused with curses, capable of corroding anything it touched. Its effect resembled Corrosion, the ability linked to my own ultimate skill Solarys:
Sovereign of Wisdom when manipulating destructive energy. Ordinary monsters stood no chance.
Gaia also carried the Earth Spirit affinity in its soul—allowing it to manipulate gravity itself.
Had the Chaos Dragon been freed with full intellect intact, the consequences would have been catastrophic. Curse breath and gravity manipulation unleashed freely would have left countless dead.
But that was the past.
Now, Gaia was Milim's adorable companion—and our reliable ally.
There was no reason to fear it.
A Blood Boar appeared before us.
Rank B. Massive. Over two meters long. Iron-hard skin. Reinforced bone plating from skull to shoulder. Its charge exceeded fifty kilometers per hour—instant death for anyone caught head-on.
In a narrow corridor, its attack was almost unavoidable.
But not against us.
Gaia's gravity manipulation crushed its momentum instantly, halting the beast mid-charge. Milim slipped in with a decisive strike, her strength overwhelming the creature.
The notorious Blood Boar—known for drenching itself in its victims' blood—became Gaia's meal for the day. A good kill. A nutritious one. Gaia's growth would accelerate rapidly with a diet like this.
Our teamwork was flawless.
Gaia's Gravity Barrier reduced incoming physical damage significantly. Coupled with my Eternal Sovereign Barrier, we resisted magical assaults with ease.
Day by day, our coordination improved. Gaia became an irreplaceable part of our group.
Training, combat experience, food gathering—our rhythm synced as though we'd fought together for years.
Eventually, we reached the forty-ninth floor.
And then—
The floor boss we once struggled with fell before us with ease.
"GA-HAHAHA! Gozer no longer stands a chance before us!" Veldora roared triumphantly.
"That's right! Gozer isn't that strong after all!" Ramiris chimed in.
"WAHAHAHA! That was amazing!" Milim added, laughing.
"Gyuu!!" Gaia squeaked proudly.
Yes… they were enjoying this.
What? You think we're having too much fun?
Nonsense. This is all for Gaia's training.
…Well, perhaps we enjoyed it slightly. But it was for Gaia's benefit.
"Looks like you all had fun."
Frey greeted us with a smile that radiated danger—veins visible on her forehead, aura sharp enough to cut the air.
"Eh—EH?! F-Frey! It's not what you think! There was a very important reason—!"
I felt déjà vu.
Why?
Because the scene that followed was painfully predictable.
"You promised you'd return immediately after Gaia hatched," Frey said calmly.
"I-It's not what you think! Gaia needed me!"
"Yes, Gaia needed you… but does that justify
breaking your promise?"
"B-but Gaia needed education—!"
"And you need some education as well."
"…?!"
Milim froze.
The battle was already over.
No matter how she pleaded, Frey did not budge. Milim cried, flailed, protested, but Frey merely smiled—her terrifyingly gentle smile—and dragged her away.
All right then.
It was Milim's fault. Had she simply contacted Frey, this entire conflict would have been avoided.
"I'LL BE BACK!!" Milim shouted as she was carried away.
Somehow… I doubted she'd get away with this a third time.
Her privileges—like free visits to Eterna—might be endangered now. Frey wasn't unreasonable, but Milim had been pushing her tolerance.
Still, this was their internal matter. Best that I—Atem, King of Eterna—observe from afar rather than interfere. Perhaps Milim ought to learn proper ReCoCo—report, communicate, and consult.
With that thought, I watched Milim vanish into the distance.
Gaia stayed by my side. It had unlimited Resurrection Bracelets in the labyrinth and ample food. We even set our avatars to automatic exploration mode to accompany Gaia so it could continue training.
It was too early for Milim to personally coach Gaia. Strength must come first. Once it reached a stable threshold, she could take over.
Thus, the labyrinth gained a new resident companion.
—A side note:
In time, five unique monsters found within the labyrinth became infamous as special-level bosses. Rumors spread among challengers—each boss had two forms, the second being impossibly strong. They were described as terrifying, unstoppable monsters…
But in truth, they were merely our avatars, puppeted through the labyrinth's systems.
We only discovered those rumors later.