The silence on the third floor felt heavier than before.
Igna stood frozen, his mind struggling to catch up with what he had just seen. The fight had ended too quickly, too cleanly, and the man standing in front of them… felt unreal.
May took another step forward, her eyes locked on him, her breathing uneven.
May: "…Yash?"
The name carried three years of pain, hope, and unanswered questions.
The man looked at her calmly. There was no confusion in his eyes, no doubt—only recognition.
Yash: "Yeah."
That single word broke everything.
May ran toward him without thinking and crashed into him, wrapping her arms tightly around him as if letting go would make him disappear again. Her body trembled, her voice breaking completely.
May: "You were dead… they said you died… I thought—"
Her words collapsed into tears.
Yash stood still for a moment before slowly placing his hand on her head, gently, carefully.
Yash: "I didn't die."
His voice was calm, softer than before.
May held onto him tighter, crying like everything she had held in for years was finally breaking free.
Igna stood a few steps away, watching silently. He had never seen May like this. To him, she had always been strong, unshaken. But now she looked fragile—human.
After some time, her crying slowed, but she didn't let go completely. She pulled back slightly, her hands still gripping his clothes, her eyes searching his face as if confirming he was real.
May: "What happened…?"
Yash exhaled slowly, his gaze shifting slightly as he recalled the past.
Yash: "That day… during the rampage…"
His voice remained steady.
Yash: "I stayed behind to hold the monsters back then the tunnel collapsed you all tougth I died but I fell into the next floor, I survived their for over 7 days, I ate that plants and some emergency food in the safe point of that floor."
A brief pause.
Yash: "Then a rescue operation started. Other kingdoms sent strong teams to kill the monsters inside the dungeon."
Igna's eyes sharpened slightly.
This was new.
Yash: "They saved most of the people."
His expression darkened slightly.
Yash: "But when they found me…"
A pause.
Yash: "I was barely alive."
May's grip tightened.
Yash: "My body was completely damaged."
His voice stayed calm, but the weight behind it was heavy.
Yash: "And I had lost all my memories."
Silence filled the space.
That part hit differently.
Yash: "This kingdom didn't have a healer strong enough to treat me."
He looked slightly upward.
Yash: "So they took me with them."
Yash: "To another kingdom."
A small pause.
Yash: "They took care of me like their own."
For the first time, a faint warmth appeared in his voice.
Yash: "Three months ago… a specialist healer helped me with my memories."
His eyes returned to May.
Yash: "That's when I got my memories back."
Silence followed.
But this time—
It wasn't painful.
May stepped forward again and hugged him tightly, even stronger than before.
Her voice was soft, shaking.
May: "You're really here…"
Tears fell again, but these were different.
Relief.
Not loss.
Yash didn't stop her. He simply held her gently, understanding everything she was feeling.
After a moment, Igna stepped forward slowly. He looked at Yash carefully, curiously, respectfully.
Igna: "You're… Yash?"
Yash looked at him, his gaze sharp but calm.
Yash: "And you are?"
Igna: "Igna."
A small pause.
Igna: "Her teammate."
Yash observed him briefly, then nodded.
Igna: "What's your rank?"
The question came naturally.
The answer didn't.
Yash: "SSS rank."
Igna froze.
Yash: "Rank 38 in the world."
This time, even the air felt heavier.
Igna's grip tightened.
(So this is… that level…)
May slowly let go, but she didn't step away. Not even a little.
As if she was afraid he would disappear again.
The dungeon felt smaller.
The world felt bigger.
And for the first time—
Igna understood something clearly.