The next morning, the air in Orario carried a sense of lethargy, like the lingering haze after gunpowder has settled.
Lynn woke up in Eina's house. When he pushed open the window, he could hear the streets and alleys buzzing with news of last night's major event.
The official announcement from the Guild had been issued with incredible speed: Ishtar Familia had provoked Freya Familia, leading to a skirmish that ended in the total defeat and disbandment of Ishtar Familia.
As for a certain Tarnished who had played a pivotal role in this War Game, the Guild didn't mention a single word.
Lynn was happy to remain idle. After all, the "warmonger" label was a heavy one to wear. Making a fortune in silence was the true path to success.
Haruhime was temporarily staying with the Takemikazuchi Familia.
Though she hadn't officially joined yet, Mikoto was there to look after her personally. Combined with the fact that the Far East-born adventurers were a righteous bunch, Lynn felt at ease.
As for that "Great Toad" Phryne, it was said she had been scared out of her wits by the aftershocks of the Blasphemous Blade. Screaming "Fire! There's fire everywhere!" she had supposedly charged out of Orario like a startled hippo. Her whereabouts remained unknown.
"Tsk, poor mental fortitude. If this were the Lands Between, that would have just been an elite mob changing phases."
"Quit your babbling and put these clothes on."
Eina was hovering around Lynn like a nagging mother.
She held a set of formal white attire she had specially picked for him. The fabric was soft yet held its shape, perfectly tailored. It made Lynn look exceptionally sharp.
"The collar of this shirt needs to be folded like this to look formal," Eina lectured as she deftly adjusted his collar. "Lady Freya is one of the two most powerful primary goddesses in Orario. Watch your tongue and don't act as disrespectful as you usually do."
Lynn didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he let her fuss over him. "It's just a dinner, not a duel. Is all this necessary?"
"You're more worrying than a duel!" Eina shot him a look filled with a mix of exasperation and concern.
Ignoring his protests, she checked his cuffs one last time. Once satisfied, she stuffed a small cloth pouch into his hand.
"These are sobriety pills. Just in case you drink too much... Though Lady Freya probably wouldn't try to get you drunk, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Lynn took the small bag and looked at Eina's face, which was practically a map of anxiety. He suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Got it, Mom," he said, a hint of warmth in his voice.
Eina's cheeks flushed red as if she'd been burned. She quickly swatted his hand away.
"Go! Just go! Don't be late!"
Though her words were dismissive, a flicker of a smile danced in her eyes.
Lynn chuckled and turned to head out.
By the time he arrived at the tavern, the sky had completely darkened.
The Hostess of Fertility was closed for business today. The main doors were shut tight, with only the lanterns hanging by the entrance casting a dim, yellow glow.
Lynn pushed the door open, greeted by the familiar scent of wood and ale.
Inside, all the tables and chairs had been moved to the sides. In the center stood a single round table draped in a pristine white cloth, decorated with flickering candles and fragrant bouquets.
Freya was already seated.
The choice of the Hostess of Fertility as the venue surprised Lynn. The Freya Familia's headquarters was at the top of Babel, which housed the most luxurious banquet halls in Orario—places where a single meal could cost an ordinary adventurer a year's wages. Yet, she had chosen this commoner's tavern on the West Main Street.
"What, do you find it strange?"
Freya had changed into a simple, deep-blue long dress. Her silver hair was loosely pinned back, with a few strands framing her face. She wore no extravagant jewelry or heavy makeup, making her look more like a regular person than ever before.
At least, on the surface.
"A little," Lynn admitted honestly. "I thought you'd pick somewhere more expensive."
Freya gave a soft laugh and picked up her wine glass. Her purple eyes looked exceptionally soft in the dim light.
"What's the point of an expensive restaurant if the food isn't good? This shop has the best bread and stew in all of Orario."
Lynn had to admit she was right. The food at the Hostess of Fertility was indeed the best he had eaten since arriving in this world.
Anya, the cat-girl waitress, deftly set the tableware.
"Enjoy your meal-nya," she said, giving Lynn a curious glance.
Lynn didn't quite catch the meaning behind the look, but he didn't dwell on it. Once the dishes were served, Anya retreated, leaving the two of them alone in the tavern.
Ottar stood guard outside the door, his towering silhouette resembling a silent statue.
Freya raised her glass, her violet gaze fixed on Lynn. "To the hero of the night."
Lynn also raised his glass. "I wouldn't go that far. To the reinforcements who arrived just in time."
The two shared a smile and took their first sip of wine.
"That girl, Haruhime... what do you plan to do with her?" Freya put down her glass, lightly poking at her salad with a fork.
"Takemikazuchi Familia took her in." Lynn cut a piece of steak and popped it into his mouth. He chewed a few times before adding indistinctly, "She's very close to Mikoto. She'll probably be more comfortable there than anywhere else."
"I see." Freya nodded, not pressing further. She didn't seem truly interested in Haruhime; it was merely small talk.
They ate in silence for a while.
The tavern was quiet, save for the faint crackling of the wood in the fireplace. From outside, the occasional footsteps of a passerby or the distant rowdiness of other taverns could be heard, but they were muffled by the thick wooden doors, sounding distant and blurred.
"Lynn," Freya suddenly spoke, "is there anything you're afraid of?"
Lynn blinked, thought for a moment, and said, "Yes."
"What?"
"Having no money."
Freya blinked, clearly not expecting that answer.
Lynn explained with a straight face, "Before, I was so poor I didn't even have a place to stay. I had to crash in Eina's guest room. If I hadn't won some money from the Apollo Familia, I'd probably still be freeloading."
Freya stared at him for a few seconds. Then, she laughed.
It wasn't one of those elegant, practiced smiles, but a genuine laugh. Her lips curled up, her eyes crinkled into crescents, and she even reached out to cover her mouth.
"You..." she said. "Truly..."
"What?"
"Nothing." Freya composed herself, but the curve in her eyes remained. "I just realized you're a bit different from what I imagined."
"And what did you imagine me to be?" Lynn asked.
Freya tilted her head as if seriously pondering the question. "Probably... more serious? Like those heroes burdened by a heavy fate, always frowning, with eyes full of stories."
"I used to be like that." Lynn stabbed another piece of meat. "But now? As long as I'm full, I don't see any reason to frown."
Freya laughed again, this time without covering her mouth. It was a very natural sound.
"Lady Freya," Lynn put down his fork and took a sip of water, "may I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Why did you help me? I mean, with the Ishtar Familia business yesterday. You could have just watched from the sidelines and cleaned up the mess after we both took heavy losses."
Freya didn't answer immediately. She toyed with the pasta on her plate, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
"Because," she paused, "I couldn't stand that woman Ishtar."
"...That's it?"
"That's it." Freya looked up at him, a hint of mischief in her purple eyes. "What, did you think I had some deeper, more profound reason?"
Lynn thought about it and shook his head. "No, that reason is enough."
"Good." Freya continued eating, her movements as graceful as a performance.
After another period of silence, Lynn suddenly asked, "Then why are you treating me to dinner? You're the one who helped us; I should be the one treating you."
Freya put down her fork and daintily wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin.
"Isn't it normal to treat the person you're pursuing to a meal?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means," she looked at Lynn, a faint smile playing on her lips, "that I like you."
Lynn stared at her for several seconds before asking, "This 'like'... what kind of 'like' is it?"
"You guess."
As she spoke, a faint blush actually appeared on Lynn's face. Though he suppressed it immediately, it didn't escape Freya's eyes.
Freya smiled with satisfaction. Knowing that much was enough. So, he wasn't a man devoid of ordinary emotions after all.
After several rounds of drinks, the dishes on the table were mostly finished.
Lynn leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach with a rare expression of contentment. Freya held her wine glass, taking small sips, her eyes appearing incredibly soft in the warm glow.
"Lynn," she said suddenly, "you don't plan on joining any Familia, do you?"
"Yeah." Lynn nodded. "I have my own God to serve."
"I know, Hidetaka Miyazaki." When Freya spoke the name, her tone held a hint of playfulness. "The God of Suffering and Smithing... sounds like a very strict deity."
"He is very strict." Lynn thought back to the days of being beaten half to death, and his lip twitched. "But the rewards He gives aren't small, either."
"For example?"
"For example..." Lynn thought for a moment. "He allows me to find a path even when I'm at a dead end."
Freya didn't probe into the deeper meaning of his words; she simply nodded. "Sounds like a good God."
"He's not a 'good' God." Lynn shook his head. "He just... doesn't lie."
A complex emotion flickered in Freya's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.
"Then," she put down her glass and leaned forward slightly, "if there ever comes a day when your God is no longer around, would you consider joining my Familia?"
Lynn didn't answer immediately.
He looked into those purple eyes. There was no probing or calculation in them now, only a pure, almost childlike expectation.
"If such a day ever comes," he said, "I'll consider it."
Freya's eyes lit up.
"However," Lynn added, "you'll have to have dinner ready. I'm quite picky about my food."
Freya was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"I noted it," she said. "I'll remember."
The dinner concluded, and the two walked out of the tavern. Moonlight bathed the street, and the night breeze was slightly cool. Ottar had the carriage ready, waiting quietly at the corner.
Freya stood at the tavern entrance, her long silver hair swaying gently in the wind. She looked at Lynn, her violet eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"I enjoyed this meal very much today," she said.
"Then... see you next time?" Freya tilted her head, as if asking, yet also testing the waters.
"Sure." Lynn nodded. "But next time, it's my treat."
"Deal." Freya smiled and turned toward the carriage.
After taking a few steps, she suddenly looked back at Lynn. "By the way, that sword of yours..."
"What about it?"
"Could you let me take a closer look at it next time? I'm quite interested in weapons."
Lynn thought about it and nodded. "Fine. Next time you treat me."
Freya's smile grew even more radiant. She turned and boarded the carriage, her silver hair tracing a graceful arc in the moonlight.
The carriage slowly drove away. Lynn stood there, watching it disappear around the corner. He felt the sobriety pills in his pocket and gave a bitter laugh.
"Next time she treats... should I ask where exactly we're eating first?"
The Next Day
Lynn had been wandering around the Guild hall for nearly half an hour.
Eina was behind the counter, so busy she couldn't catch her breath, with a stack of documents piled higher than her head. She took a moment to glare at Lynn, her gaze clearly saying: If you have nothing to do, go to the Dungeon. Don't be an eyesore here.
Lynn n pretended not to see her and continued strolling in front of the bulletin board.
"Wanted: 10 Hellhound teeth, 800 Valis each." "Recruiting guards for the 18th Floor. Requirement: Lv. 2 or higher. Terms negotiable." "Searching for missing pet cat. Grey, red collar. Reward: 2,000 Valis."
Lynn stared at the last one for two seconds, wondering who would post a notice at the Guild for a lost cat.
His gaze swept toward the corner, where a piece of yellowed parchment was pinned in the most inconspicuous spot. The edges of the paper were curled, looking like it had been there for quite some time.
Lynn leaned in.
"Searching for: 'Star-Tear Crystal' — A rare mineral said to allow illusory things to touch reality. Location: Unrecorded area of the Dungeon. Reward: 500,000 Valis."
The client's name was blank, marked only by a blurred seal that looked like a star pattern.
Five hundred thousand? Lynn raised an eyebrow.
Two adventurers nearby were chatting, their voices loud enough to be heard across the hall.
"That quest is still up? It's been half a month, hasn't it?"
"Who would take it? That Lv. 2 guy went in for two days last time and came out saying he couldn't even find the entrance."
"If you ask me, it's a scam. There's no such thing."
Lynn ignored their chatter. He peeled the parchment off the board. It felt coarse to the touch, and there was a faint trace of residual mana on the back.
This wasn't ordinary paper.
"Lynn!"
Eina had run out from behind the counter at some point, still holding a pen, her face full of tension. "You're not thinking of taking that, are you?"
"What's wrong with it?" Lynn folded the parchment and stuffed it into his pocket.
"There's something wrong with that quest!" Eina lowered her voice. "The people who took it before either couldn't find the place or got lost in the Dungeon and barely made it out. Some went and never came back. The Guild was already preparing to take it down."
"Isn't the reward pretty high, though?"
"What good is money if you're dead!" Eina reached out to grab his sleeve, then pulled back. "Stop taking these sketchy, anonymous jobs."
Lynn patted his pocket. "I'll just go take a look. If it doesn't work out, I'll pull back."
Eina stared at him for three seconds and sighed. "You say that every time."
"And I've come back every time, haven't I?"
Eina was left speechless. Finally, she pulled a folded map from her pocket and shoved it at him.
"I know you've been past the 20th floor, but take this anyway. Don't get lost. This is a detailed map of the 12th to 15th floors that I use for organizing data."
Lynn took the map and smiled at her. "Thanks, Eina."
"Don't thank me. Just come back alive."
Lynn waved and turned to leave the Guild.
Dungeon, 13th Floor.
Lynn stood at a fork in the road, Eina's map in his left hand and the parchment in his right, his brows furrowed.
"From the 13th floor entrance, head west, pass through the tunnel with glowing moss, and turn left at the third fork..."
He looked up at the path ahead. There was glowing moss, but where was the fork? This was clearly a single path.
"This description is a joke."
Lynn put the items away and decided to walk forward based on intuition.
After about ten minutes, the passage split into two. The left and right looked identical, even down to the cracks on the walls.
Just as Lynn was hesitating, he heard rapid footsteps behind him.
"Mr. Lynn!"
Bell ran up, panting, with Mikoto following close behind.
Lynn turned around. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We were training nearby," Mikoto said with a slight nod. "We saw Mr. Lynn heading deep inside alone and were a bit worried."
Bell scratched his head. "I... I was just afraid you'd run into trouble again. I wasn't able to help much with the Ishtar Familia business last time."
"You threw those smoke bombs pretty accurately," Lynn said, patting his shoulder.
Bell's face turned red. Just as he was about to say something, Mikoto's gaze fell on the parchment in Lynn's hand.
"Did Mr. Lynn take a new quest?"
"Yeah, looking for something called Star-Tear Crystal." Lynn handed her the paper. "Ever heard of it?"
Mikoto looked it over and shook her head. "Never. But this seal..." She pointed to the star pattern in the corner. "It looks like a mark from an ancient magical civilization. I've seen something similar in records back in the Far East."
"Ancient magical civilization?"
"Just legends. They say there was a technology that could turn illusory things into reality," Mikoto said, returning the paper. "But there's no way to verify it."
Bell leaned in. "Mr. Lynn, let us go with you! Three people are better than one."
"Three," Mikoto corrected.
Lynn looked at Bell's sparkling eyes and then at Mikoto's serious face, then shook his head. "Not this time."
"Why?" Bell asked, disappointed.
"This quest is a bit strange." Lynn tucked the parchment away. "If you guys come along and something happens, I'll be distracted trying to look after you."
"We don't need looking after!" Bell protested.
Mikoto pulled Bell's sleeve and shook her head at him. "Mr. Lynn is right. An anonymous quest like this isn't suitable for a group."
Bell opened his mouth to speak but slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Okay..."
"Don't worry." Lynn chuckled. "If I find it, I'll treat you to dinner."
"It's a promise!" Bell cheered up again. "Be careful, Mr. Lynn!"
"Yeah."
Lynn turned and walked into the left passage. Bell and Mikoto stood there, watching him disappear into the darkness.
Half an hour later.
Lynn was crouching on a rock, the map spread over his knees and the parchment in hand, his face long with frustration.
He had looped around the 13th to 15th floors several times, passed through over a dozen tunnels, crossed two natural stone bridges, and almost stepped into a floor fissure.
He had found nothing.
"Where exactly is this damn place?"
He wanted to ask the System if there was an auto-pathing function, but unfortunately, the System didn't respond to him.
Lynn held the parchment up, letting the glowing moss on the wall illuminate it. The handwriting remained blurry, but the seal became a bit clearer. The lines of the star pattern glowed faintly under the light.
He stared at the pattern for two seconds, then suddenly stood up.
He pressed the parchment against a rock wall and stepped back. The wall was covered in moss and looked no different from its surroundings. But where the paper touched, there were faint lines hidden beneath the green.
Lynn leaned in and peeled away a patch of moss.
There were carvings in the stone. They were shallow but definitely man-made. The lines were curved and twisted—identical to the seal on the parchment.
"Here we go."
He pressed his hand against the carvings.
A weak pulse of mana came from his fingertips, as if something were responding to him.
Hum—
the moss on the rock wall began to wither and fall away rapidly, revealing the complete set of runes beneath. The runes lit up with a ghostly blue light, weaving and spinning until they churned into a vortex-like portal in the center of the wall.
Beyond the door wasn't a Dungeon passage, but a glowing space.
Lynn stood before the portal, feeling a familiar ripple of mana. A grin slowly spread across his face.
"I knew it."
He looked back at the path he had come from to ensure no one was following, then stepped inside.
The dizziness of teleportation passed quickly.
Lynn's feet hit solid ground. He looked up—
Good grief.
This wasn't the cold, damp vibe of the Dungeon, nor was it the oppressive, ruined style of the Lands Between. He stood in a crystal cavern. The surrounding walls were made of translucent crystals that refracted light into a rainbow of colors.
The ceiling was so high the top was invisible. Fine particles of starlight floated in the air like stars hanging in the sky. Beneath his feet was a path paved with crystals that clicked with every step.
"This place looks familiar." Lynn tilted his head. It was somewhat like the style of the Siofra River. But not quite; it was more like a combination of a Crystal Tunnel and the underground maps.
He walked forward, but after a few steps, he realized something was off.
The air felt "sticky." Not damp-sticky, but mana-sticky. The mana here felt solidified, filling every inch of space. Moving felt like moving through resistance.
Lynn stopped and tried to circulate the mana within his body. It worked fine. But the rules of this place were indeed different from the outside world.
It was then that the air behind him fluctuated.
He spun around instantly.
He found Ranni standing just two steps away from him.
She wasn't in her usual semi-transparent spirit form. This was a physical body.
Four arms, bluish skin, a wide witch's hat, and a ghostly blue eye.
She was looking down at her own hands, her fingers slowly opening, closing, and opening again. Her movements were slow, as if she were confirming something.
"Ranni?" Lynn ventured.
Ranni looked up, her blue eyes meeting his. Her voice was still cool and ethereal, but her tone held a rare trace of something else: surprise.
"The rules here," she said, "allow me to exist as a physical entity."
Lynn was stunned for a second.
Then, he reached out and poked Ranni's arm.
It was warm. It had elasticity.
It was actually flesh and blood, not a doll.
Ranni frowned and slapped his hand away.
"Insolent."
Her voice wasn't loud, and she didn't sound particularly angry. It was more of a reflex.
Lynn laughed.
"So, you're real this time."
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