"Big sis, everyone's panicking. Do we need to make any preparations?"
Aki didn't hesitate—she shoved open the captain's office door. The smile she usually wore had faded a little. She was naturally optimistic and kind, but with the sudden explosion in workload, even her patience had been worn thin.
"I told you—when we're dealing with official matters, call me Captain… Do we still have anyone usable left in the familia?"
"We don't. We even pulled back some of the people liaising with other familias, but the news that the two great familias disbanded is too terrifying. Without Astraea's people as a spiritual pillar, everyone's in a panic. We can barely keep order as it is. If those guys make a move now, then…"
Shakti clenched her teeth. Of course she understood. But there was no solution. To perfectly secure a city this size with only a few hundred people was impossible. They were already at the limit.
Compared to Astraea Familia—who could act as a true pillar—Ganesha Familia had a numbers advantage, but lacked something less tangible.
Something that lived in people's hearts.
For example: the kind of "justice" that could steady an entire city.
"Didn't Alise say they had a trump card?"
Shakti pressed her fingers to her forehead, a headache blooming. She was Level 3—her body far beyond normal people—but under this kind of pressure, even the strongest mind would buckle.
"She did say that… but she never said who. Just that we shouldn't worry about first- or second-tier adventurer-level enemies…"
Aki sighed. She truly hadn't expected that, at such a critical moment, their familia's impact would feel so small.
This was a city that worshiped heroes.
A strong adventurer didn't just bring combat power—they brought momentum. Their mere presence could rally people into courage. Finn of Loki Familia, the "Braver," could lift morale with a few words.
Astraea Familia was the same in a different way.
They were the emotional backbone of the lower city. Just seeing them made people's hearts settle, inexplicably. That alone made countless tasks easier.
But Ganesha Familia couldn't do that.
"As the city's military police, our duty is to protect order and the people. If Alise and the others aren't here, then we have to be even more so."
"I understand, big—Captain. I'll have everyone raise their alertness… What about preparations for the Monsterphilia?"
Aki sensed her captain's stress and moved behind Shakti, using practiced hands to massage her shoulders and ease some of the fatigue.
"Put it on hold for now. At least until Alise's group returns. I'll speak to our goddess."
"Understood, Captain."
Right now, all they could do was pray that Astraea's people came back soon.
It can't get worse than this… right?
Having finally retreated from the deep floors, Astraea Familia ran into trouble again:
Another monster "delivery."
But this time, the group wasn't as tense.
Because ahead of them, a streak of flame was harvesting monsters like an engine that never ran out of fuel—cutting down what were, at most, Level 3 threats.
No one understood how he recovered so fast.
It was absurd. Superhuman.
But thanks to that absurdity, they could finally breathe again.
At this point, the scariest problem wasn't the monsters—
It was the sheer carpet of drops and loot cluttering the path.
While the others were growing accustomed to it, Tsubaki—the captain of Hephaistos Familia—was looking at Xien with increasingly heated eyes.
It wasn't hard to see why.
His performance from start to finish had been blinding:
Combat. Support. Logistics. Recovery.
And above all—
That outrageous "drop rate" whenever he was involved, so excessive it bordered on the unbelievable.
More crucially, his stamina was comparable to theirs, and his recovery speed far beyond. Paired with sharp combat intelligence, his efficiency was terrifying.
By her estimate, if she worked the way he did, she'd collapse after finishing half his workload.
But he did it all—without letting the team's care and recovery chain break even once—by sheer endurance plus rapid regeneration.
Tsubaki's gaze was practically melting.
Her desire to pull him into her camp was stronger than it had ever been.
But… too late.
Someone had already snatched him up.
Still—this trip was showering her with blessings.
Any rare material she cared about, if it touched Xien's involvement, it poured out like it cost nothing. The haul in her pack had far exceeded expectations. If they got back safely, she wouldn't need to worry about certain supplies for a whole year.
Does this kid have some kind of treasure-attracting skill?
If so, he'd become the kind of existence that item-makers would fight over like rabid dogs.
No.
That couldn't be allowed to leak.
Not for as long as possible.
"Something's wrong. Very wrong. This is way too convenient… it has to be—"
Lyla stroked her chin, suspicion tightening the more she watched what was happening to them.
"You felt it too?" Alise murmured quietly. "Yeah. That disgusting premonition… it's probably those damned bastards again."
Lyla hesitated.
Alise kept it low. This kind of thing could crush morale—and there were outsiders with them, too. Not the time to spread fear.
"But they probably didn't expect this," Lyla continued, eyes flicking toward the front. "Sure, we're running on fumes… but we've got one stamina monster of a 'mutant' leading the way."
"Hey." Alise forced a wry smile. "Don't talk about our own people like that."
"I'm not wrong," Lyla shot back. "For him, if he's not actively fighting, he's basically 'resting,' right?"
"…I really can't imagine he's still Level 2," Alise admitted.
Watching the blazing silhouette ahead, Alise felt pride swell in her chest.
That figure was moving—step by step—toward the future she'd imagined.
She felt a little heartache.
But more than that, she felt relief.
Justice didn't have a single shape. There was no absolute justice—only the justice most suited to a given era.
And perhaps his "justice" would be the one this era needed most.
"Should we investigate?" Lyla asked.
Alise thought, then decided.
"No. Reinforce defenses first. They're in the dark—finding them will be difficult. And our state is too poor. We have baggage. We're not in a position to fight them."
"If we're going to strike, it has to be after we reach the 18th floor and recover."
She paused, expression tightening.
"And… I've got a really bad feeling. We need to get back to Orario as soon as possible. Something big is coming."
"…Understood," Lyla said. "We'll follow your call."
She trusted Alise's instincts. The captain could be goofy—but when it mattered, her judgment never missed. That sixth sense had saved them too many times.
Hidden in the distance, Evilus members wore grim, feral expressions.
"Damn it. These women are ridiculous. Even a monster rush at this level isn't working—are they really that hard to kill?"
"My lord, what do we do next?"
The subordinate stared at the figure in front—burning like a sun—and felt chills.
"We shift focus upward," the leader snarled. "Go draw in more monsters. Delay their return as much as possible."
"This time… make it big."
"Yes!"
Flames coiled around his weapon.
His movements were strange—like chained techniques—
But anyone truly skilled in swordplay would see the difference at once.
His mind was unexpectedly calm.
No stray thoughts.
Only a practiced, familiar rhythm.
"Breathing…"
The sparks were gone—replaced by something long, continuous, like a dragon drawing water.
Against the chaotic swarm, Candlefire danced into afterimages.
Yet if you slowed him down frame by frame—
You'd see only two qualities:
Flow and efficiency.
It was as if every excess motion, every wasted ounce of strength had been carved away.
Each strike was simple.
And within that simplicity was elegance—clean, decisive.
Through endless exchanges and slaughter, Xien's sword reached a new tier:
From complexity back into simplicity.
One blow to end it.
The realm of mastery.
At last, Astraea's people made it back.
They exhaled, relief spilling out of them.
Xien wore a broad grin.
He felt incredible.
He'd been cutting for days, and it was—honestly—fun.
Numbers didn't scare him unless the enemy individually outclassed him. In this situation, quantity wasn't a threat.
It was a whetstone.
The insights he'd gained in the deep floors were now being engraved into muscle and reflex through this massacre.
Technically, calling him a "sword master" would no longer be an exaggeration.
At the level of technique, he likely had no peers.
So yeah, he thought with shameless satisfaction, thanks for the free training, you bastards.
Then he remembered: the abnormal monster density was probably Evilus meddling.
One thing didn't erase the other.
He added another mark to the ledger in his mind.
His companions, unlike him, were pale with relief—especially the supporters, who looked like survivors of a shipwreck.
In a few days, they'd seen more monsters than they'd normally see in a year.
Worse: it had been dangerous.
But they'd been protected—properly protected.
Astraea Familia really was different from the adventurers who'd throw supporters away as bait in a crisis.
And that "Walker of Abundance," Xien—
Was he really Level 2?
His performance looked stronger than some first-tier adventurers.
And that grin on his face…
It made them feel like they weren't even the same species.
They'd watched him blaze a path from the 25th floor all the way here—never stopping. Even his weapon was absurd. Even "unbreakable" gear should show wear after that long, but Candlefire didn't falter.
It was incomprehensible.
But that wasn't their concern now.
Their concern was the market.
Because their bags were overflowing.
By contract, they'd get a cut. Not huge—but the total volume was insane. Even rough math said it could equal about a year's income.
Their smiles stretched wider by the second.
They regretted the losses from damage and consumption, but they were at their limit. Nothing could be done.
Then Tsubaki finally stretched her arms wide.
"Ahh—now this was an adventure! All these high-grade materials… I'm coming, hahaha!"
She charged toward town like she owned the place, laughing loudly, ignoring the odd looks.
No one could really blame her.
They'd gotten a mountain of rare forging materials. For a smith, it was heaven.
Under Xien's direction, they cooked a proper, delicious dinner.
And at last—finally—they could sleep in peace.
With Xien and Ryuu taking watch, everyone felt safe.
At first, Alise hadn't wanted Xien on night watch.
Everyone had seen what he'd done. They worried his mind wouldn't hold.
But Xien refused. He knew his own condition.
He was basically fine.
Compared to everyone else, he was in far better shape.
If anyone needed rest, it was them.
After a small test confirmed he really didn't need sleep yet, they accepted his request.
Ryuu stayed with him by choice.
Xien, in turn, used the quiet hours to sort through everything he'd gained—everything he'd learned.
Across the fire, Ryuu watched him, and without realizing it, her gaze grew soft, distant.
When he's serious… he really is handsome.
Her cheeks warmed.
She lowered her head quickly, poking and adjusting the fire to hide her embarrassment.
Xien, lost in thought, saw none of it.
For him, the biggest reward of this expedition was simple:
Experience.
Kill after kill. Danger after danger. Several times pushing past the brink.
His status—his ability values—had to be stacked to the ceiling by now.
....
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