The commotion grew louder as Rio, Ryota, and Suo approached the town square. What had begun as a disagreement between a handful of players had already attracted a sizable crowd, with curious beginners gathering along the edges while more experienced adventurers watched from a safe distance. A few had even climbed onto the low stone borders surrounding the plaza's flower beds to get a better view, while others whispered among themselves, speculating about what had caused the disturbance.
Rio slowed as they reached the back of the crowd. Rather than forcing her way through immediately, she took a moment to observe the situation. She preferred to understand the people involved before deciding how to handle a confrontation. Rushing into an unfamiliar dispute without knowing its circumstances was an easy way to turn a manageable problem into something considerably more troublesome. Fortunately, the players at the center of the commotion seemed to have little interest in keeping their behavior discreet.
There were seven men, all of whom wore equipment considerably better than the basic gear commonly seen among new adventurers. Their armor had been upgraded with metal plates, their weapons carried visible enchantment effects, and their confident expressions suggested that they were accustomed to having other players move aside whenever they approached. They stood in a loose semicircle, deliberately blocking the path toward a large stone building constructed around the entrance to the public raid dungeon. Wooden barricades and reinforced supports had been placed across the front, transforming what should have been an ordinary entrance into a crude checkpoint.
Opposite them stood three players who looked like complete beginners. Their equipment was simple, their armor poorly matched, and the weapons hanging from their belts appeared to be the standard items provided when a new character was created. One of them, a nervous-looking boy carrying a short sword, kept glancing between the seven men and the surrounding crowd as though hoping someone would intervene. Beside him stood another player, a girl wearing a simple leather jacket, whose hands were clenched tightly at her sides.
The third member of their group stood slightly ahead of the others.
She was a young woman wearing rabbit-themed accessories, including a small pair of ears attached to the hood of her cloak. Her ordinary dagger and lightweight armor suggested that she valued mobility over direct confrontation, but despite the obvious difference in strength between the two groups, she refused to step aside. Her stance was tense, and the frustration on her face made it clear that the argument had already continued for some time.
Rio studied her face, then shifted her attention to the name displayed above the girl's head.
Rabbit.
Recognition flickered across Rio's expression.
Rabbit.
She remembered that name from her previous life.
Rabbit had eventually become the leader of a small guild called Rabbit Hole. Rio had never known her personally, but she remembered hearing about the guild through other players, particularly during the early stages of Evermount's expansion. Rabbit Hole had never been one of the major organizations. Its members were mostly explorers, gatherers, scouts, and other players whose classes were not particularly suited to direct combat. Rather than competing for the highest rankings or challenging powerful bosses, they had built their reputation by helping beginners navigate dangerous areas, locating hidden paths, and sharing information about lesser-known monsters and dungeons.
They had not been famous for defeating powerful bosses, winning player-versus-player tournaments, or challenging the major guilds. Nevertheless, Rio remembered the name because Rabbit Hole had survived in a game where many small guilds disappeared before they could establish themselves. That alone suggested that Rabbit possessed considerable determination, even if her guild lacked the strength to compete with larger organizations.
Seeing her standing in front of seven better-equipped players made Rio begin to understand why Suo had contacted her.
This was not simply an argument about access to a dungeon. It was an attempt to establish control over the players who needed that dungeon most.
Ryota leaned slightly toward Rio, keeping his voice low enough that the nearby crowd would not hear him. "Seven against three. That's a pretty impressive display of courage."
Rio glanced at him. "Whose courage?"
"The seven, obviously. Imagine being so powerful that you need seven people to intimidate three beginners."
Rio gave him a brief, approving look. "At least you're learning."
"I've always been intelligent."
"Let's not get carried away."
Ryota placed a hand over his chest as though she had wounded his pride, but Rio had already turned her attention back to the confrontation. Beside them, Suo looked increasingly uncomfortable. She appeared relieved that Rio and Ryota had arrived, yet the sight of the seven men had clearly reminded her why she had been reluctant to approach the dungeon again. Her gaze moved between the players blocking the entrance and the three people standing against them, and her shoulders stiffened as the argument continued.
Then Rio noticed the man standing at the center of the seven players.
Unlike his companions, he did not seem particularly interested in shouting. Instead, he stood with his arms folded, wearing a confident smile as he watched Rabbit argue with one of his subordinates. His equipment was noticeably better than that of the other six men, and the weapon at his waist carried a decorative insignia suggesting that he held a position of authority within his guild.
The name above his head was enough to make Rio sigh.
Erik.
A captain of Necroshama.
For a moment, Rio simply stared at him before closing her eyes and exhaling slowly.
Of course it's Necroshama.
She had hoped that she might be able to help Suo resolve the situation without becoming involved with anyone particularly troublesome. Unfortunately, Evermount seemed determined to remind her that certain problems were inevitable.
Necroshama.
Even after all these years, the name brought back unpleasant memories.
In the original timeline, Necroshama had been one of the earliest guilds to exploit the disorder that followed Evermount's launch. Under the leadership of a player known as Necros, the organization had established an authoritarian presence in the Town of Beginnings, using its growing combat strength to dictate how other players could access resources, dungeons, and valuable hunting grounds.
At first, its activities had seemed relatively minor. Members claimed monster territories, demanded payment for access to popular farming locations, and drove away players who refused to cooperate with their demands. Whenever someone challenged them, Necroshama responded with threats, coordinated harassment, or outright violence. Its members learned that most beginners were unwilling to risk their equipment and hard-earned experience merely to argue with people who were stronger than them.
As the guild grew, its behavior became more aggressive. Necros eventually allied himself with several smaller organizations that shared his ambitions, forming a coalition that came to be known as the Dynasty. The alliance allowed Necroshama to extend its influence far beyond the Town of Beginnings. Its members began establishing control over important locations, restricting access to valuable resources, and interfering with other guilds' attempts to expand.
What had started as a collection of opportunistic players gradually became an organized force that threatened the stability of the entire game.
Eventually, even the major guilds could no longer ignore them.
Royal Knights had been among the organizations forced to respond, and Rio remembered the conflict clearly because she had fought in that war herself. The battles had been brutal, with both sides suffering devastating losses. Entire parties had been wiped out during assaults on fortified positions, and several guilds had spent weeks rebuilding their rosters after repeated engagements. The war became one of the earliest large-scale conflicts in Evermount's history, leaving a permanent mark on the game's political landscape.
Rio had survived those battles. She had watched friends lose equipment, guilds collapse, and carefully planned strategies fall apart because someone had underestimated the determination of their opponents. She had also learned an important lesson: people like Necros rarely stopped simply because someone asked them to behave.
They stopped when the cost of continuing became greater than the benefits.
Rio opened her eyes and looked at Erik again. The man was younger and less influential than Necros had been during the height of the Dynasty, but the attitude was unmistakable. He stood among his subordinates as though the entire town square belonged to him, treating the people around him as obstacles to be managed rather than fellow players who had come to enjoy the game.
Rio sighed again.
She had known that something like this would eventually happen. A game with millions of players was bound to produce people who mistook power for authority. The question was never whether someone would try to exploit weaker players. The real question was how long they would be allowed to get away with it.
Judging by the crowd, Erik had already learned that most beginners preferred to avoid trouble rather than risk losing their equipment. Rabbit, however, appeared unwilling to accept that arrangement.
"You can't just close the entrance!" Rabbit argued, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the spectators. "This is a public raid dungeon! Everyone is supposed to be able to use it!"
One of Erik's companions laughed dismissively. "Everyone can use it, as long as they pay the entrance fee."
"There's no entrance fee listed in the system!"
"Then think of it as a service charge." The man shrugged as though the explanation were perfectly reasonable. "We're keeping the area secure. If you want to use the dungeon, you contribute to the cost of maintaining it."
Rabbit stared at him in disbelief. "Maintaining it? You haven't done anything except stand in front of the door!"
Several players in the crowd exchanged uneasy glances. The man immediately stepped forward, his expression darkening.
"What did you say?"
Rabbit stiffened, but she refused to retreat. "I said you're not maintaining anything. You're blocking the entrance and forcing people to pay you!"
Before the man could respond, Erik raised one hand. His subordinate immediately fell silent, apparently accustomed to obeying the gesture. Erik then looked at Rabbit with exaggerated patience, as though she were a child throwing a tantrum over something she could not understand.
"That's enough. Listen, Rabbit. Nobody is forcing you to use this dungeon. If you don't like our rules, you can go somewhere else."
Rabbit clenched her fists. "But there aren't any other dungeons nearby that are suitable for our levels! You know that!"
"Then perhaps you should have considered that before coming here." Erik's smile widened. "Strong players make the rules. That's how the game works."
The boy behind Rabbit lowered his head, while the girl beside him glanced toward the crowd in search of someone willing to intervene. Nobody moved. Several spectators looked sympathetic, but their equipment was no better than Rabbit's, and they clearly had no desire to become Necroshama's next targets. Others simply looked away, pretending that the confrontation had nothing to do with them.
Rabbit noticed their hesitation, and her shoulders stiffened.
She understood that the people watching were not necessarily agreeing with Erik. They were simply afraid of what might happen if they challenged him. Unfortunately, fear and agreement often looked identical from the perspective of the person standing alone.
Rio watched without speaking. Ryota glanced toward her, recognizing the change in her expression. Rio was not merely annoyed; she was evaluating the situation, considering what kind of response would stop the immediate abuse without creating a problem she would later regret.
Before he could ask what she intended to do, Erik suddenly turned toward the crowd. His gaze swept across the spectators until it landed on Suo.
For a moment, he seemed surprised. Then his face brightened with a smile that immediately made Suo's expression turn sour.
"Well, well." Erik stepped away from Rabbit and raised his voice so that everyone nearby could hear him. "Look who finally decided to show up."
Suo froze.
Rio's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Erik's attention settle on the young scout.
"Suo!" he called, his voice carrying across the square. "Have you changed your mind? Have you finally decided to accept my offer?"
The surrounding players immediately began whispering. Suo's hands tightened at her sides, but she lifted her chin and answered clearly.
"I already told you no."
Erik placed a hand over his chest in exaggerated disappointment. "Still refusing? Come on. I'm offering you a chance to make yourself useful."
Suo's expression became disgusted. "I will never agree to become your woman just to get access to a dungeon."
The crowd fell noticeably quieter. Several players exchanged shocked glances, while others looked toward Erik, apparently waiting to see how he would respond to being rejected in front of so many people.
Erik, however, merely laughed.
"Your woman? Don't flatter yourself." He stepped closer, his smile becoming increasingly unpleasant. "I offered you a place where you could be useful. You decided to make it personal."
Suo stared at him in disbelief. "You told me I had to join your group and do whatever you wanted if I wanted to use the dungeon. You made it very clear what you meant."
Erik shrugged. "And you turned me down. That's your choice. But don't expect us to waste resources on someone who contributes nothing to combat."
Suo's face paled slightly as he continued, apparently enjoying the opportunity to humiliate her in front of the crowd.
"Look at your class. You're an Explorer Scout, aren't you? You aren't a warrior. You aren't a mage. You can't deal meaningful damage, and you can't hold the frontline. What exactly do you think you're bringing to a raid?"
Suo opened her mouth, but no words came out. Erik took her silence as permission to continue.
"People like you are the reason parties waste time and resources. You want experience, you want loot, and you want everyone else to protect you while you run around looking at things." He waved a hand dismissively. "If you want to be useful, learn your place."
Suo's hands trembled. Her class was not designed to overwhelm enemies with raw damage. Explorer Scouts were trained to locate paths, detect hidden threats, identify environmental hazards, and help parties navigate unfamiliar regions. Their value often became apparent before a battle even began, although inexperienced players rarely understood how much preparation could influence the outcome of a raid.
Erik, however, had no interest in understanding her class. He had already decided that anyone who could not contribute directly to combat was a burden.
"Explorer Scouts should focus on being expedition sacrifices," he continued. "You go in first, check for traps, find the monsters, and make sure the combat players can enter safely. If something kills you, at least the rest of us know what we're dealing with."
A few of his companions laughed.
Erik smirked. "That's what your class is for. You die so people like us can clear the dungeon."
The words struck Suo harder than she wanted to admit. She clenched her fists until her fingers hurt, struggling to contain her anger. She wanted to argue that an expedition scout could prevent a party from walking into an ambush, wasting potions, or losing valuable equipment. She wanted to remind him that the strongest sword in the world was useless if its wielder never reached the enemy.
But Erik was a captain of Necroshama, and Necroshama was not an organization that tolerated public defiance.
Suo had already seen what happened to players who openly opposed them. They were harassed, threatened, and deliberately prevented from accessing the resources they needed to progress. Some were followed from one hunting ground to another, while others found their party recruitment requests flooded with insults or their attempts to enter dungeons blocked by hostile groups. The harassment could continue for days, sometimes longer, until playing the game became more exhausting than enjoyable.
For someone without friends or a strong guild to support them, resisting Necroshama could make every part of Evermount miserable.
Suo knew all of that, and she hated that it had made her hesitate.
She lowered her eyes, struggling to contain her frustration.
Rio watched her silently. For a moment, the surrounding noise seemed to fade into the background. She looked at Erik, then at Rabbit and the two beginners standing behind her, before finally shifting her gaze toward the crowd of players who had gathered to watch but remained too afraid to intervene.
Rio understood the situation perfectly.
Erik was not merely collecting entrance fees. He was testing how much control Necroshama could establish over the Town of Beginnings before anyone dared to challenge them. The public dungeon was only the beginning. If nobody resisted, the group would continue expanding its influence until every beginner who wanted to progress had to negotiate with them.
Rio had seen this pattern before. She remembered how it had developed in the original timeline, how small abuses had gradually become organized oppression, and how many players had suffered because the major guilds had initially underestimated the threat. The Dynasty had not appeared overnight. Its influence had grown through a series of seemingly minor incidents that people had dismissed because each individual offense seemed easier to tolerate than the confrontation required to stop it.
By the time everyone recognized the scale of the problem, Necroshama had already accumulated enough influence to make removing it far more difficult.
Rio had no intention of allowing the same thing to happen again.
Still, she did not particularly want to deal with Necroshama today. She had already spent enough time managing dangerous monsters, rebuilding defenses, and preventing her guild from being swallowed by the wildlife of Floor Three. The last thing she wanted was to become involved in a political confrontation on the beginner floor.
Unfortunately, Erik had made himself impossible to ignore.
Rio exhaled quietly through her nose before turning toward her companion.
"Ryota."
Her voice was quiet, but Ryota immediately looked at her.
"Hm?"
Rio's gaze shifted toward the building surrounding the public dungeon portal. The structure had been erected across the entrance, with wooden barricades, reinforced supports, and several metal plates positioned to prevent unauthorized players from passing through. Necroshama had effectively converted a public dungeon entrance into a fortified checkpoint, complete with guards and a makeshift collection area.
Rio examined the construction carefully. Its supports were connected to the outer framework, while the metal reinforcements had been placed at the corners to strengthen the barricades. It was sturdy enough to obstruct ordinary players, but it was not a legitimate defensive structure designed to protect the dungeon. Its purpose was to make access inconvenient for anyone who refused to obey Necroshama.
Destroying it would reopen the entrance, but it would also send a message. Rio understood that distinction, and she knew that the consequences would not end when the dust settled.
If they acted, Necroshama would almost certainly retaliate. Erik might report the incident to his superiors, and other members of the guild could attempt to identify the people responsible. The crowd would also remember what happened, and rumors about an unknown player destroying the barricade with a single attack would spread through the Town of Beginnings.
That attention could be troublesome.
However, allowing the structure to remain would be troublesome in a different way. It would leave the dungeon under Necroshama's control, reinforce the belief that its members could impose their own rules without consequences, and force players like Suo and Rabbit to continue accepting their demands.
Rio had no intention of giving them that advantage.
She looked at Ryota.
"Destroy the building."
Ryota blinked, apparently checking whether he had heard her correctly. Then a slow smile spread across his face.
"...The entire building?"
Rio nodded. "The entire building."
Ryota's smile widened. "Now that's a request I can get behind."
He stepped forward, moving past Rio until he stood at the edge of the crowd. Several players immediately noticed him, but Erik barely glanced in his direction.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Erik demanded.
Ryota did not answer. Instead, he raised one hand and opened his skill interface. A system notification appeared before him, its text briefly illuminating the air.
[Unique Skill Activated: Scalular Impact]
The atmosphere around his hand seemed to tighten. There was no dramatic explosion of light, no elaborate magic circle, and no thunderous announcement warning everyone what was about to happen. The change was subtle, almost imperceptible, but Rio recognized it immediately.
Ryota was manipulating force.
The unique defensive skill that had once belonged to Strong Jones allowed him to alter the force of impacts that touched him. Most players would have used it to reduce incoming damage, weakening the attacks that struck their bodies and turning themselves into nearly immovable defenses. Ryota, however, had already demonstrated that the skill's potential extended beyond simply protecting himself.
If he could manipulate force at the point of contact, he could also apply that principle offensively.
And when Ryota decided to apply it to an entire building, the results were rarely subtle.
He planted his feet firmly against the stone pavement and drew back his fist. The movement was casual enough to look almost underwhelming, particularly given the size of the structure in front of him. He was not carrying a massive weapon, nor was he preparing a conventional attack capable of smashing through the reinforced barricades. He simply stood before the building with one hand raised, as though he were about to punch an opponent who had insulted him.
Erik frowned.
"What are you—"
Ryota punched the air.
His fist never touched the building. It did not strike the barricades, the wooden framework, or any of the metal reinforcements. It never even came within several meters of the structure.
Nevertheless, the force he released crossed the distance in an instant.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The air detonated.
A tremendous shock wave erupted from the space in front of Ryota's fist, racing across the plaza with enough force to send dust and loose debris flying in every direction. The sound struck the crowd a fraction of a second later, and several spectators cried out as they instinctively stumbled backward.
The shock wave slammed into the fortified structure surrounding the dungeon portal.
For one impossible instant, the entire building seemed to freeze. Then its supports shattered.
CRAAAAAAAAAACK!!
The reinforced beams snapped apart, metal plates twisted out of position, and wooden barricades splintered under the sudden impact. The heavy framework that had been blocking the entrance began collapsing, but the structure did not simply fall inward. The force tore it apart, ripping enormous sections free from their foundations and hurling them into the air like pieces of a dismantled fortress.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion of debris echoed between the surrounding buildings. Wooden beams spun through the air, metal plates tumbled end over end, and chunks of stone and shattered supports rained down across the plaza. The barricade Necroshama had constructed to control the dungeon entrance was reduced to flying rubble in a matter of seconds.
The people standing closest to it were caught completely off guard.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
One of Erik's men barely managed to raise his arms before a wooden beam struck him and knocked him off his feet. Another player was sent tumbling backward by a shower of debris, his armor clattering against the pavement as he desperately tried to protect his head. A third was forced to dive behind a nearby stone planter when a metal support crashed down where he had been standing moments earlier.
The remaining members of Necroshama scattered in every direction, their carefully maintained formation dissolving into panic.
Erik himself stumbled backward, his eyes widening as a large section of the structure flew directly toward him. He threw himself aside at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the debris as it struck the pavement beside him with a deafening crash. Fragments of stone and splintered wood sprayed across his boots, leaving him staring at the wreckage with an expression of utter disbelief.
The building was gone.
The entrance that Necroshama had spent time barricading was now completely exposed. The reinforced supports had been torn apart, the wooden barriers had been shattered, and the makeshift checkpoint had become a sprawling pile of debris. Dust rolled across the square in thick clouds, partially obscuring the damaged structure and the players who had been standing around it.
For several seconds, the only sounds were the settling of rubble and the distant shouts of people calling for others to move away from the wreckage.
Then the town square fell quiet.
Not completely silent. Somewhere nearby, an NPC merchant was shouting for people to stay clear of the damaged structure, while several players coughed as the dust settled around them. A few others hurried to check on those who had been knocked down, and the more cautious spectators moved farther away in case another section of the building collapsed.
But the crowd itself had fallen into stunned silence.
Everyone was staring at the destruction.
Everyone had seen the white-haired player punch the air.
Everyone had watched the entire building explode apart without him ever touching it.
And nobody understood how he had done it.
Suo stood frozen, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. Her hands remained clenched at her sides as she tried to make sense of what she had just witnessed. She had expected an argument, perhaps a fight, or maybe an attempt to negotiate with Erik and his companions.
She had not expected someone to destroy the entire structure in a single attack.
Rabbit was equally speechless. The girl who had refused to back down from Necroshama moments earlier now stood staring at the wreckage, seemingly unable to process what had happened. Her attention slowly shifted away from the shattered building and settled on Ryota, before moving toward the silver-haired woman standing beside him.
Rio.
Rabbit had no idea who they were. Their guild identifiers displayed only the abbreviated name CERA, and neither carried the familiar emblems of the major organizations. Yet the casual way Rio had issued the order, followed by Ryota's effortless destruction of the barricade, suggested that they were not ordinary adventurers.
Not even close.
Meanwhile, Erik slowly straightened. The smug smile that had been on his face moments earlier had disappeared, replaced by a mixture of confusion and anger. He looked at the rubble, then at his scattered companions, and finally at Ryota.
"What..." His voice came out hoarse. "...What did you just do?"
Ryota lowered his fist and glanced at the exposed dungeon entrance.
"Removed an obstruction."
Erik stared at him for a moment before his face twisted with outrage.
"YOU DESTROYED OUR BUILDING!"
Ryota tilted his head. "Your building?"
He gestured toward the open entrance.
"Funny. I thought this was a public dungeon."
Several players in the crowd immediately began whispering. Erik's face darkened as he stepped forward, seemingly struggling to decide whether he should attack Ryota immediately or demand an explanation first.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Rio finally stepped forward.
She looked over the wreckage, taking in the damaged supports and the debris scattered across the plaza. She had no sympathy for Necroshama's attempt to monopolize the dungeon, but she had no intention of allowing the situation to turn into an uncontrolled massacre either. The destruction had accomplished its immediate purpose, but it had also created a dangerous environment for everyone standing nearby.
A heavy beam could still shift. Loose debris could collapse under someone's weight, and players who had been knocked down might be injured or trapped beneath the rubble. If she simply walked away, the consequences could fall on people who had nothing to do with the dispute.
"Everyone, move away from the rubble," Rio said calmly. "Don't crowd the entrance. Check whether anyone is trapped beneath the debris, and make sure the injured can get clear before anyone starts another fight."
Her voice carried enough authority that several bystanders immediately began moving. A few players who had been standing near the wreckage began helping their fallen companions, while others urged the spectators to keep their distance. The crowd remained nervous, but the clear instructions gave them something useful to do instead of simply staring at the destruction.
Rio turned toward Suo.
"Are you alright?"
Suo stared at her for another moment before finally managing to speak.
"...I..."
Her gaze shifted toward Ryota, then returned to the destroyed building.
"...What just happened?"
Rio gave her a small smile.
"Your dungeon entrance is open again."
Suo looked as though she wanted to say something else, but the words refused to come out.
Rabbit, meanwhile, continued watching Rio and Ryota with growing curiosity. She had spent the last several minutes arguing with Necroshama, fully aware that doing so might bring trouble upon her small guild. She had expected to leave the confrontation with nothing more than a few insults and another failed attempt to access the dungeon.
Instead, two strangers had arrived, listened to the situation, and destroyed the obstruction that had been preventing everyone from entering.
They had not even asked for anything in return.
Rio glanced toward the exposed portal, then looked back at Suo. She had already decided that the immediate problem was not worth prolonging into a public argument with Erik. The barricade was gone, the entrance was accessible, and the crowd had seen what Necroshama had been doing. That alone would make it harder for the guild to pretend that it had merely been providing a harmless service.
But she was not naive enough to believe that the matter was settled.
Erik would almost certainly report what had happened to his superiors. Necroshama might attempt to identify the two strangers who had humiliated its captain, and the destruction of the barricade would give them an excuse to portray themselves as victims rather than aggressors. If Rio and Ryota wanted to stop the group from establishing control over the dungeon, they would need to be prepared for the consequences of their intervention.
For now, however, there was no reason to give Erik more of their time.
"Come on," Rio said.
Suo blinked. "...Where?"
Rio turned away from the rubble and began walking toward the dungeon entrance.
"Let's not waste our time here. I know a hidden dungeon that gives better loot and more experience."
Suo froze.
Rabbit froze.
Even several nearby players turned toward Rio, having overheard her words.
A hidden dungeon?
Better loot?
More experience?
Those words immediately attracted the attention of everyone within earshot. In Evermount, information about an undiscovered dungeon could be more valuable than a handful of coins, particularly to players who were still trying to establish themselves. A location with better rewards could accelerate their progress, improve their equipment, and provide opportunities that were otherwise difficult to find on the lower floors.
Ryota looked toward Rio as he followed her.
"...You know, you could have started with that."
Rio glanced back at him.
"Would that have changed anything?"
Ryota considered the question for a moment before smiling.
"...Nope."
He continued after her, leaving the wreckage behind.
Suo remained frozen for another second before hurriedly catching up.
"W-Wait! Rio!"
She glanced back at Rabbit and the two beginners who had been standing with her.
"Are you coming?"
Rabbit looked toward her companions, then toward the open dungeon entrance, and finally back at Rio and Ryota. She did not know who the two strangers were, why they were so powerful, or why they had decided to intervene in the dispute. Their abbreviated guild identifiers offered few clues, and neither of them had bothered to introduce themselves.
But Rabbit knew one thing.
For the first time since Necroshama had begun controlling the dungeon, someone had challenged them without hesitation.
And whatever happened next, she had a feeling that the situation in the Town of Beginnings was about to change.
Behind them, Erik stood amid the wreckage of the structure he had used to intimidate other players. His companions were still picking themselves up, brushing dust from their armor and muttering angrily about the attack. One of them checked his equipment while another glared at the shattered barricade, apparently unable to believe that their carefully constructed checkpoint had been destroyed so easily.
Erik's eyes followed Rio and Ryota as they walked away.
His jaw tightened.
He had no idea who they were, but he intended to find out. Nobody destroyed something belonging to Necroshama and simply walked away—not without consequences.
The fact that the building had been erected to obstruct a public dungeon mattered little to him. In his mind, the two strangers had challenged his authority in front of an audience, humiliated his subordinates, and made the guild look weak. Even if he had been the one to provoke the confrontation, he could not allow the incident to pass without a response.
He would have to discover their names, determine their strength, and find out whether they belonged to another guild. If they were acting alone, he might be able to retaliate directly. If they belonged to a powerful organization, he would need to approach the matter differently.
Whatever the answer, he refused to let the incident stand.
Rio, meanwhile, did not even bother looking back.
She had dealt with people like Erik before. She knew that destroying the barricade would not magically eliminate Necroshama's ambitions, nor would it guarantee that another group would not attempt to take control of the dungeon. Her intervention had removed the immediate obstacle and exposed the group's behavior to the people it had been intimidating, but the longer-term consequences remained uncertain.
Still, doing nothing would have been worse.
If Necroshama intended to repeat the mistakes of the original timeline, then perhaps it was time someone reminded them that the Town of Beginnings did not belong to them.
It belonged to everyone.
And Rio had never been particularly fond of people who forgot that.