죽지 않는 엑스트라

Fall arrived in September. Evan loved autumn the most compared to the other seasons.

It was when the heat lessened down, and a fresh wind blew in the morning and evenings.
All sorts of pedestrians roamed the streets as fast as the vegetation turned red. Hot
food was being sold in bulks in carriages and stalls.

“Summer stalls are pretty good, but you can’t beat the fried skewers in the cool breeze
after entering the Brotherhood Bathhouse on an autumn night.”

“I agree with the rest, but Master, I think the baked fruit bread is a lot better. Imagine
the hot and sweet bread with its scrumptious taste! Wouldn’t it be suitable on a dessert
menu? And when you drink milk with it, it’s like the most golden meal out there.”

“Haha. Then you’ll never know how to be an adult unless you eat or taste it with
chocolate milk.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, Master. Although, I’ll say coffee milk is the best drink
to eat it with.”

As Evan and Shine debated fiercely over the topic like two fools, Belois and Arisha
were quietly drinking only white milk. This was because late-night snacks, whether
oily or sweet, were the enemies of beauty.

“Aren’t the streets a little more noisy than usual? What do you think?”

Shine had been living in the dungeon city since he was young, but today he noticed
that the fervor had been particularly strong. There were a lot of people, and the streets
were bustling.

“Silly Shine.”
“And why am I suddenly being called silly?”

“…You really don’t know?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?! It’s not like I asked a forbidden question!”

At this, Evan and Belois stared at him menacingly while Arisha quietly drank her white
milk.

“What happened? I’ve been totally focused on teaching these days.”

“The Dungeon Festival is going to be held this fall.”

“Ah… Huh? What is that?” at Evan’s words, Shine exclaimed questioningly.

It wasn’t strange that Shine didn’t know about it. Evan nodded for a moment before
replying, “Originally, the dungeon city held a festival every three years. It was a ceremony
in which every person who entered the dungeon prayed for safe care, thanking the
gods for not being destroyed by the threats of the vicious monsters.

“Is that so? But even if there was a festival three years ago, I should have known about
it so… Ah.” Shine, who tilted his head at Evan’s words, started nodding slowly.

Certainly, if the festival had been held three years ago, he would have remembered it,
but that was when the most terrible dungeon backflow occurred in decades. His face
hardened in an instant.

“The festival… I didn’t remember it because…”

“That’s right. That’s because no such festival was held back then. The dungeon backflow
was one of the most devastating ones, three years ago. Now the festival is being held
again.”

As a result, the festival was finally being held after six years. In the dungeon city, everyone
was waiting and preparing for the festival with one heart. The atmosphere was filled
with excitement and restlessness.

“It’s definitely a good thing. The festival will be helpful in forgetting the tragic memories
about the big wave from 3 years ago.”
“But there were also some good things forgotten before moving forward.”

“Forgetting good things…” Shine muttered dumbly as if he had heard unbelievable

words. Evan shook his head and spoke firmly.

“I’m not saying you should forget the past, Shine. I’m just saying, there are people who
do that to gain the strength to move on.”

“Of course I understand, Master. No matter what anyone says, I can never forget that
day.”

Shine was still loudly chewing and stuffing all the fruit bread in his mouth. It was hot,
so he drank milk quickly while making a whistling sound. Belois muttered, “Stupid
Shine.” but he didn’t hear her.

Arisha was still also drinking her white milk. Evan spoke to Shine with a bitter smile
at the appearance of Arisha, who seemed indifferent towards them.

“Let’s put aside the purpose of the festival and personal feelings aside for now, and
just think of this festival as a great opportunity to release stress.”

“Stress?”

“Like you said, you’re doing very hard training with kids these days. Let’s play together
during the festival period. I have waited for a very long time to be able to enjoy myself
without an escort.”

“Great! It’ll be fun, won’t it? Everyone has been working hard for almost half a year, so
the kids will need a break too.”

The reason they were now able to travel without escorts was simple. This was because
Shine and Belois, who had cleared the dungeon’s 5th floor, were already stronger than
the escort knights. They both were enough to take care of Evan’s safety. Dain, who was
originally Evan’s escort knight, was very disappointed that his role had been taken
away.

Of course, Shine and Belois, who are still far less powerful than Evan, were trying to
become strong somehow for nearly half a year, and Evan quickly realized that. Even
though they had improved a lot in the dungeon, they were still trying desperately, and
Evan was surely impressed by the effort.
“So how long is the festival period, Master?”

“From the first Tuesday of October to Saturday. That makes it a total of five days.”

“Five days!? That’s very long.”

“It was originally three days, but then two days were added. The last festival was
canceled, remember?”

“Ah, ah, ah. So that’s why.”

There was a reason for this festival to get even busier; progress was being made in the
dungeon attacks, which had been stagnating for several years.

Were they motivated after seeing Evan going into the dungeon, or was it that the
Brotherhood Pharmacy and the Brotherhood Bathhouse had increased their
capabilities?

The leaders of the influential battle guilds selected the strongest fighters and formed
a dream team of eight, and achieved the feat of reaching level 46 after having defeated
the boss Thunder Lycan on the 45th floor of the dungeon.

Thanks to that, everyone was excited.

“Since the members are preparing to attack the 45th floor again this time, I think the
45th floor will not be completely conquered before the festival begins.”

The members of the dream team included the guilds: Paradise Wandering, Thunderbird,
Phoenix, Heatshield, Evergreen, Gracan, Megamine… In addition, other large-scale
guilds that were stimulated by them were also getting ready to conquer the 45th floor.

The battle guilds of the dungeon city had finally begun to break through years of
sluggishness and dormancy. It couldn’t be definitely said that this was all an Evan-led
change, but no one could deny that he at least had an effect.

“The atmosphere is crackling with excitement.”

“There’s also the birthday of the older brother, the Marquis’ successor, in October. It’s
well known that my brother entered and left the dungeon last time, so there is a high
possibility that an event will also be held with respect to him during this festival.”
Evan’s elder brother, Eric D. Sherden, the First Master, who turned fifteen this year,
had safely cleared the dungeon to the 10th floor and returned safely.

Of course, the 5th dungeon floor where Evan’s party had gone to was very different
from the 6th floor as the risk of traps and monsters doubled.

‘No matter how great my brother is, I didn’t expect him to go so far, but I’m sure he will
have defeated the boss on the 10th floor.’

In addition, many boss monsters appeared in the Floor Master Battle Room on the
10th floor, so there were many cases where the battles could have gotten very difficult.
In fact, one-third of all the explorers never ventured beyond the 10th floor.

This meant that clearing the 10th floor and then returning formally proved him as one
of the better adventurers.

‘No matter how much you’ve been training the knights, you can’t break through the
dungeon and level up if you don’t contribute properly. But it’s strange that no one is
surprised as he really broke through to the 10th floor at the age of 15.’

With his performance, Eric had proved that the Sherden family did not only have Evan
D. Sherden as their strongest child. The subtle shock that Evan faced was because Eric
had exceeded all expectations.

‘I want my father to allow me to move on to the next dungeon, but he hates the thought.
Somehow, I am jealous of my brother. I will pretend to be normal, but I’m jealous of him,
and I’m struggling too… ’

Evan wondered how to get permission from the Marquis. Should he consult Grandpa
Bernard and the Knight Commander for help? That seemed to be the best idea.

‘This is because it will be a sin to not do it even though I have the ability to achieve it
without a doubt.’

Evan’s minimum goal now was to become an adult. He wanted to lead his own dream
team and break through the dungeon floor that the current top battle guilds had
reached. Only then would the Dungeon Knights gain an overwhelming advantage over
other guilds in this city, and it would be easier to manage the rogue guilds as well.

If others could hear his thoughts, they would have been amazed, when in fact, these
were quite natural for him.

‘The 45th floor.’

Honestly, the 45th floor wasn’t difficult. Evan dreamt of going to the 50th floor. He was
still the person that had cleared the Yo-Ma Great War series hundreds of times.

He could clear the 50th floor even with his eyes closed in his previous life. He even
once attempted to choose Evan, who had the wizard class and had no aptitude, then
proceeded with No Save to venture up to the 60th floor.

‘But now it’s not a game anymore. This is my reality. The scope of application of alchemy
is wider than I imagined.’

In this situation, he was planning on breaking through the 50th floor by leading the
members of his dream team, which included Shine, Belois, and Raihan, and himself as
an alchemist, all the while saving himself from dying from countless other death signs.
But for now, the death signs didn’t matter.

“By the way, Shine, how much more training do the other kids need to enter the
dungeon?”

Evan hadn’t officially launched the Dungeon Knights Squad, but he was already being
considered by many as a veteran knights’ commander. Shine replied right away as if
he was waiting for Evan to ask this,

“If they evolve to the point where I am not worried about their deaths at all, then I may
say that it would take another half a year.”

“I think Paul will be ready soon too, Master.”

“Half a year… They had all been mastering the skills of a servant so far, but it’s amazing
that it only takes a year for them to completely train to enter the dungeon.”

Shine was even more talented at teaching the others than Evan thought, and the Rookie
children attended his training class differently than others. Entering the dungeon
without worrying about death was a condition almost impossible to meet even for
adults, let alone a year for a bunch of kids!

“The only kid with magic talent was Paul, right?”

“Yes, Master. He’s been doing quite well, too.”

Paul, who had no aptitude for martial arts, was gifted with magical talents, and as he
was constantly taught by Belois, he was evolving at a rapid rate.

Shine’s Rookie Training Act had made it possible to correct the children’s twisted
bodies, and even the ability to manage mana to some extent.

“I’m also teaching him. He has little magical abilities as of right now, but fortunately,
he learns fast.”

After having completely finished all of the white milk, Arisha finally added to Belois’s
words. As Belois was walking the path of a witch, Arisha was the one who had followed
the most standard path of magic in the dungeon city of Mana Road, which was the
birthplace of magic.

She was the same age as Evan.

Magic was never easy. So anyone who even had a little knowledge of it meant that they
could teach others.

“I know. Thanks to you, Paul is growing evenly without being biased in one direction.”

“I’m doing it because I’m also a member of the Dungeon Knights.”

“You mean a reserve member, right?”

When Belois saw Evan feel burdened by those words, she spoke quickly, “Next time,
we will all be going in because we all are part of the Dungeon Knights Squad.”

“With the permission of Count Fellati…”

“We already got it. I will always follow Master Evan’s will.”

“What, really!?”

“The will of the Knight Commander is the most important,” it seemed that Arisha had
a very strong determination to formally join the Dungeon Knights.

Evan sighed.
Her personal growth and development were satisfactory, and Raihan was also
growing. The training of Rookies, including Shine and Belois, was going perfect, but it
was Arisha who was the only one who had been deviating from his plan so far.

‘She eventually got to stay in our city smoothly… Just like it was in the main story!’

Of course, she was a great wizard too. She also later became the main heroine.

‘And that is exactly the problem!’

Evan wanted to say something to reduce Arisha’s interest when he suddenly spotted
Bernard Garcia, standing alone on a secluded road.

“Uh, Grandpa?”

“Wow…”

Bernard made a strange voice and hid one hand behind him. However, Evan quickly
realized what he was trying to hide.

It was a letter.
“What is it, Grandpa Bernard?”

Evan wrapped himself around Bernard’s waist with a smirk.

“Who are you receiving love letters from?”

“It’s not a love letter, kid.”

“Ah, I’ve already noticed that the seal of the letter is heart-shaped. What are you hiding
from me Grandpa, eh?”

“It’s nothing.”

Bernard refused to talk about the matter. It was human psychology that made Evan
even more suspicious after seeing him like that… At this point, an idea suddenly popped
into Evan’s mind.

“Oh, Grandpa. Is that a letter from a distant friend?”

“It’s not a letter. This is the paper on which the contents of your next class are written
down.”

“So this letter really did come from a distance…!”

“I won’t talk about it.”

Each of Bernard’s warrior companions who fought alongside him and helped him in
Yo-Ma Great War 2 was called a legend. There was enough of a reason to contact
Bernard from afar when they couldn’t meet in person!

‘If so, then who is it?’ Evan thought to himself.

In Yo-Ma Great War 2, there were as many as 20 people, including Bernard, who could
be recruited as the protagonist’s companions.

In the end, the protagonist was only able to form a final party with seven people, and
in the game, they had to say goodbye to the other teammates, who then left the party.
There was nothing strange about still getting in touch with any of them.

‘Leo Arpeta was one of his most important and reliable colleagues. Was he the one who
Bernard contacted and then even sent a reply?’

Didn’t Evan already know that this world wasn’t the same as the world in the Yo-Ma
Great War?

This meant that the hero Leo Arpeta and his friend Bernard Garcia still existed, but he
now understood that what they actually experienced was somewhat different from
the game.

The final conclusion that Evan didn’t really know.

“I won’t tell you who it’s from. Rather, I’ll just teach you.”

“Teach me what?”

“Whatever’s in the letter.”

“…”

“Aya, yaya.”

Bernard pinched Evan’s cheek. In fact, Evan had avoided him as many times as he
could; he knew that Bernard would end up spraining him without any measures, so
he decided to let him do it, nevertheless.

“Be prepared for tomorrow’s class, kid.”

“I just wanted to help with my Grandpa’s love business and hear about his old days…
But I was unfortunate.”

Bernard was stunned by these words and asked Evan, “What the hell do you want to
hear about my past for? Why do you want to know about me so much, eh?”
“I’m just curious, Grandpa.”

“All right, boy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Bernard grinned, ruffled Evan’s hair, then left.

Shine and Belois, familiar with Bernard’s relationship with Evan, approached Evan
only after Bernard had left.

“Where were the noble etiquettes?”

“We don’t have to stick to them, at least not now.”

“But how did Master Evan know?”

“I was just lucky.”

“…This might be fun.”

“Damn it!”

Arisha had arrived at the conclusion that it was fun again. She seemed to be thinking
about Bernard when, in fact, their meeting wouldn’t be a good thing at all.

Evan, who had already anticipated how Arisha would react, spoke with disgust.

“If you start saying that in front of Grandpa Bernard, as you’ve repeatedly said in front
of all of us, don’t do it, because it’s really a big deal. My Grandpa should never be
messed with.”

“That’s right, Lady Arisha. Bernard-nim is the one who saved all the people in this city
from the past epidemic. You may never want to get on his bad side or… You may end
up turning the whole city into your enemies,” Shine warned her in an even more
serious tone as he thought Evan’s warning was weak.

What was unexpected was Arisha’s reaction. She nodded as if she wasn’t worried at all.

“I don’t think so. That Grandpa didn’t look like that kind of a person at all.”

There was always a sense of personal space and distance between people. It didn’t
matter whether it was the first time you met someone or a close relative or friend of
yours; people always met at a certain distance.

Arisha also possessed a keen sense and knew how to measure the distance between
two people while talking. Because of that, she knew right away that Evan was afraid
of her.

“Even Master Evan puts himself at a distance, and I will never let others approach him
beyond that.”

“Yes, I’m glad you want to help. In the meantime, why don’t you distance yourself from
me?”

“So what did Grandpa Bernard say in the end?”

“He didn’t tell me anything.”

Evan refused to answer Arisha just as Bernard had done. Arisha felt sad and said that
it wasn’t funny, but Evan didn’t care.

Meanwhile, Bernard Garcia, who had returned to his quarters, laughed again as he
remembered what his disciple had said before.

“The first thought that came to his mind was a love letter, hahaha! There are some
things he doesn’t really know after all.”

However, he still thought that Evan would be surprised to know who actually sent him
the letter.

“Let me first turn on the lamp.”

He sat down on a chair and exhaled. Some memories from the past came rushing to
him as he held the envelope.

Bernard never sought romance at any time and/or under any circumstances. He was
overwhelmed by an excessive sense of responsibility at the time, so he could not focus
on anything else. Bernard’s relationship with everyone he had met at that time was
indeed fateful and extremely dramatic, but at the same time, it never evolved into a
personal one.
‘There were many good women… ‘

Bernard didn’t allow anyone to contact him except Leo. After he had stopped exploring,
he hid his identity and concealed his activities.

Compared to those times, it was much more dangerous now. In fact, Evan came into
his mind more than he thought, and Bernard was surprised.

“Moreover, if I was younger, I would have also thought it to be a love letter. The more I
think about it, the funnier it is.”

Leo was the only one who recognized Bernard’s face, and he couldn’t get any letters
from anyone other than Leo…

The man who had sent a letter to him was indeed Leo Arpeta, the great hero, who had
disappeared in the great crisis that struck the world decades ago. However, it was still
ridiculous for Evan to have thought of it as a love letter.

Bernard laughed again when he thought of Evan. It had been a long time since his only
best friend, Leo, had contacted him too.

The last letter he received from him was five years ago. Bernard then proceeded to
open the letter.

The first phrase was this.

[I’ve missed you for so long. I’d like to meet you.]

“Leo, what is this shit!”

Bernard’s whole body got goosebumps. Evan’s voice, asking if it was a love letter,
overlapping the first sentence of the letter, further amplified the disgust.

Of course, the love letter stated that the sender was a man.

There was no law against it, but Bernard and Leo were both heterosexual… At least
until the moment they last saw each other.

He was curious about what the hell he meant to convey by writing such a sentence, so
he decided to read the later part.
[Are you surprised? Please do not burn the letter just yet. It’s not my fault. That’s what
Iloin wrote.]

As Bernard looked at it carefully, the handwriting of the first sentence was different
from the second sentence. It was not Leo’s handwriting as far as he could remember.

If Leo wasn’t really making an elaborate joke, then it was written by someone else…
Who was Iloin? Bernard remembered and realized he knew her well. She was one of
his strongest colleagues, and they were together until the end, a quick-death incident.

‘But why is this woman with Leo? Didn’t he say that he would return to his hometown
after separating?’

To be more precise, she suggested to Bernard to go on one more adventure together.

Bernard, who was so exhausted at the time and wanted to put everything down, neatly
refused her offer, and when she realized she couldn’t convince him after all, she left.

But why was she now suddenly writing to him? Moreover, it seemed that only she would
make such a nasty joke instead of Leo. It seemed to Bernard that he had misjudged
people.

He frowned and read the rest of the letter.

[I met Iloin while pursuing the traces of darkness. She, too, was on the move alone. So
we joined forces…]

“…Ha, this guy. It’s still good to hear that he’s using his talent.”

[Decades have passed since I decided on my lifelong partner, and suddenly there was
a beautiful woman with me (She was a very beautiful woman at the time).]

A faint smile appeared on Bernard’s mouth, reminiscent of his friend.

[By the way, Iloin is really awesome. You’ll know she’s amazing when you meet her.
Oh, and Bernard, how did you reveal your real name and settle in the city? You were
already well known, to begin with, but honestly, when I first heard the story, I thought
you were someone else.]

“I never thought it would have been like this…”

Bernard was reminiscent of the day he first came to the city. He lived in a mountain
village when he suddenly realized that it was sad to live with a pseudonym and a fake
face until his death. He was convinced that no one would recognize him anyway
because he was living under a pseudonym, so when he finally revealed his real name
and real face, Evan found him.

‘If it’s alchemy that you really don’t know about, please promise that you will work with
me for at least five years.’

Evan was really confident, and without any explanation, he had shown him a new
potion out of nowhere. He seemed to realize the dream Bernard had vaguely imagined.

It was similar to the time when he was caught up with Leo Arpeta in the old days. It
could be said that the circumstances were different than before. When Bernard
thought about it, it made him laugh. After all, he really didn’t know how all of this had
transpired.

Thanks to that, however, they were able to quickly avert the disaster that eventually
struck the whole country. At least Bernard had no regrets about it.

“I met a guy who looks very similar to you, Leo. You’ll be surprised when you meet him
too. Moreover, he is a very strong child. He has already risen to the ranks of strong
warriors, and his mind is even sharper. You will like him very, very much.”

Bernard muttered to himself, unknowing of the smile that had appeared on his lips.
Then he realized something was written on the back of the letter too.

[Anyways, I’m very glad and happy that you’re finally going to settle in one place. Still,
I wanted to meet and discuss something with you in person. It’s quite serious.]

“…Wait, what?”

[By the time this letter will arrive, I will be nearby. I’m coming soon, Bernard. It’s really
important, so we really can’t wait. Moreover, Iloin also wants to see you.]

“What!?”

Bernard stood up from his seat.

‘Leo Arpeta is here!? He has arrived!?’

Bernard, feeling arrogant momentarily, instinctively filled up his pockets with important
things and stood up… But then he sank back into his seat.

‘You’re finally going to settle in one place.’

‘God, I can’t. I can’t move because I am bound by other people.’

“Huh, hahaha,” Bernard laughed in vain. Leo Arpeta’s judgment was really good.

He couldn’t move, so he had no choice but to wait for Leo Arpeta to come, with his
wife, Aria Arpeta, and Iloin, who was once a colleague.

This was the reason why he told Evan to be prepared for tomorrow’s class.
The prospective members of the Dungeon Knights were busy using each moment to
train at the Marquis’ Training Center. Of course, the most basic thing in training was
the Rookie Training Act that had now been mastered by every member by now.

Paul, who wanted to become a wizard, had his mana consumption corrected during
the training sessions. Now he was able to use mana quite efficiently.

“Woowoo…!”

As a bonus, Evan and Raihan also learned this from Shine. It was said that it was the
most effective for the Rookies, but that was because it was a high-ranking training
method rather than Evan’s personal training or other martial arts techniques.

Both of them were also learning the skills that belonged to the Rookie Training Act.
They were able to learn the training method much faster than others too.

Naturally evolving from their original physical fitness method to the Rookie training
was accompanied by a rather strange feeling. Growing from a lower skill to a higher
skill consisted of a certain part of the system of the game.

“Alright, we’ll take a break now.”

“Vice Commander!”

“Ah…”

As soon as Shine declared a break, unlike other children who fell on the spot, there
was a child who stood up and struck Shine. It was Marie.

She was the eldest of the five Rookies except for Shine and Belois (she was nine years
old like Paul, but her birthday was three months earlier than him in February). Even
taking that into account, she was overwhelmingly powerful compared to other guys.
Her physical strength was superior.

“Is this another double-dagger attack? You’ll have to get better at that.”

“I will, Vice Commander. But the Master remarked the opposite…”

“Young Master…”

Shine looked back at Evan with an embarrassing expression, while Marie held her two
daggers. But Evan, who was continuing to practice, didn’t notice his gaze. He simply
nodded.

“It’s amazing that you have even a little aptitude for double swordsmanship. Not
everyone is born with a talent like yours, Shine.”

“But she is also a child who doesn’t have certain talent in the long sword, Master.”

“Please examine her a few more times before saying that. If you do, you will realize
something.”

“Vice Commander, please!”

“Hey.”

With Evan supporting her, Marie was more determined than ever. Shine had no choice
but to confront her with Twin Blood.

It required a moderately tense posture so that Shine could react immediately when an
attack came from any direction. While doing the special position, Shine felt the
momentum that could be felt by everyone who handled daggers for decades or more.

It was also the best way to shorten training, and this was also the reason Shine’s aptitude
had been steadily improving.

“Should we start?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Marie reacted to Shine’s provocation and clenched her teeth while holding two daggers.
Then she bent her knees slightly and dashed towards Shine. The speed was as fast as
an arrow shooting out.

“That child is growing very fast. Her speed was just amazing. Goblins wouldn’t be even
to lay a hand on her.”

“I know, right!”

Raihan expressed admiration for Marie. He knew how weak Marie was half a year ago,
so he was even more surprised at her rapid improvement.

“She is ready to compete against a common Paladin.”

“She seems to be close to the level. It’s clear that the new training method is, of course,
greatly impacting all of us, but that alone cannot explain her amazing abilities.”

Most of the Rookies were talented in combat and martial arts. With their weak bodies,
it was even more confusing to even think of such.

Even so, these five people weren’t seen in the main story of the Yo-Ma Great War 3 and
4 at all. It meant that they were living elsewhere without entering the dungeon, or
they died somewhere. Or they could even have been introduced in a DLC that Evan
didn’t know about.

Evan couldn’t really make sense of all of this.

‘They are great enough to go beyond the limits of their usual strengths… Especially Marie.
That is why early detection and implementation is very important.’

Evan felt utmost sorrow at the thought of how many Rookies died during infancy or
in the dungeon without proper training.

Although they were constantly searching for them now in the slave market through
the slave trader, it was not as easy as expected. However, they were still fortunate
enough to say that they had found and brought three more people this time.

Evan thought about giving him a bonus as well. Then he looked up.

“So, how is the training going?”

“I knew it would be like this… It’s one-sided.”

“Hey! Ugh…!”

“There, you keep collapsing. Don’t look away while you’re stabbing.”

“Huh… Aah!”

Shine deliberately did not attack Marie first but was accepting her attacks in return.
When her posture was incorrect, or he found a large opening, he attacked her to make
her realize her mistakes and correct her faults. Not getting distracted once during the
entire fight made Evan realize that Shine’s ability had improved even more.

“You have been performing well, so far.”

“Ugh… Thank you, Vice Commander.”

Marie’s attacks did not pose any real threat to Shine, even when he loosened his
defenses a little. Maybe she was also aware of it. Perhaps double swordsmanship
wasn’t right for her, after all.

She couldn’t even control the two daggers due to her existence level in the first place.
She looked so miserable while holding on to her weak aptitude and practice.

“I recommend changing it now. I always say that when you are young, it’s best to
choose one weapon and focus on it.”

“But I want to be strong like the Vice Commander…”

Shine, who was also a Rookie, and had quickly leveled, and who was always by Evan’s
side, had established himself as something of a role model in front of the other Rookie
children.

Among them, Marie, who was mature for her age, had a particularly strong desire to
grow. From the time Evan first met her, he had been sure about that.

“But Marie, if you want to become stronger, you have to choose a weapon that suits
you better.”

“No…”
Shine answered her coldly. Marie bowed her head, making a strange sound like a dying
dog. After repeatedly stomping several times in frustration, it seems that her
stubbornness to learn the technique of double daggers had finally been broken.

At this point, Evan thought he had to give her a hint.

“Marie, what do you think it means that you have a faint aptitude for double
swordsmanship?”

“Well Master… It means that I don’t have an aptitude for double daggers and that I
can’t fight with two daggers at the same time, right?”

“That’s right. And actually, what’s more important here is the part about the quantity
rather than the weapon. It’s very difficult to fight with a weapon in both of your hands,
not to mention the necessary strength required to do so.”

“Two…?”

Double swordsmanship was a very complex technique.

It required a lot of skills. Among them, two of the most important talents required were
the talent of handling daggers and the talent of handling two weapons simultaneously.

From the moment Evan realized that Marie only had a little aptitude for double
swordsmanship, he was aware of the path she had to be directed in.

“It’s like writing a paper with one hand and playing the piano with the other.”

The point was that Marie had a part of the dual swordsmanship aptitude. Marie soon
understood what Evan was trying to say.

“Then should I find a weapon I can handle?”

“Maybe a long sword would suit you because you have an excellent aptitude for long
swords. But, what should you hold with the other hand? Think more about that. It
could be another long sword or even a dagger.”

“Thank you so much, Master!”

After hearing Evan’s words, Marie started hopping around in excitement. She bowed
her head to Evan as her short hair fluttered and went straight out of the training center.

She had probably gone to find her true aptitude right now. Twelve-year-old Evan looked
at her and muttered, ‘Is this youth…!’

Then he glanced at Raihan.

Other Rookie children who were watching Evan and Marie’s conversation approached
him carefully and started asking him questions. However, unlike Marie, who was born
with a rather complicated aptitude, most of their aptitudes were already revealed to
them. There was nothing more Evan could assist them with even if he wanted to.

“Melson, you’re good enough for a rogue because you’re agile and have a good eye, and
you’re also very compatible with the whip, so there’s nothing else to fix or improve…”

“I want to learn martial arts from the Commander!”

Evan was trying to answer them all one at a time to make them understand not to
think about learning difficult things, but then one of them began to suddenly shout
while raising one hand.

She had black eyes similar to Shine, but her skin was quite bright. She was a child with
a clear contrast of black eyes. All of the Rookies were either pretty and handsome.

“No, why do you want to learn martial arts while you have such great aptitude for
spears…?”

“I’ve told you many times already that you just need to focus on training your spear
techniques. Why on earth would you want to learn a skill which you don’t even have
the aptitude for, such as fighting? Besides, unlike other martial arts training, there is
no special trick to learn yours; where you have to constantly improve your body
movements!”

“I want to fight well even in the absence of weapons. You said that no one ever knows
what could happen in the dungeon.” It was Ena who spoke.

“Well… Ena, listen carefully. If you spend extra time on fighting skills, then you won’t
be able to focus on your other skills that much. It’s not that everyone just learns the
basics of fighting skills and then moves on without learning anything else.”
“But fighting skills also strengthen the body. Besides, I can mix fighting skills with the
spear and use them in battle!”

“Mixing fighting skills with spears… Oh, will you be able to learn each method?”

“Yes, I will!”

Fighting techniques developed with the aim of training your bare body and then using
the whole body to defeat the enemy were extremely barbaric and had no specific laws
or rules.

Your hands, feet, knees, your head, and even your elbows were constantly aching
during training… Anyway, a fighting technique could be used in all sorts of situations
nevertheless.

If you divided martial arts into two major categories, the first would consist of punching,
and the second would consist of kicking.

“Each fighting method may be helpful in a situation where it is difficult to swing your
spear and when an enemy appears right in front of you momentarily. Well…”

But Evan thought that wasn’t the right answer either. If you had a spear, you could
attack long distance, so you could kill the enemy before letting it approach you, and
then you would never have to face a situation where it was difficult to swing the spear.

“If we learn martial arts, I think we will be able to move more swiftly!”

Nevertheless, Evan was unable to reject Ena’s request because she knew that she was
simply asking him to get stronger in other ways, too.

Most of the Rookies they had gathered were rejected by others and were not loved by
their families.

Maybe Ena wanted to learn martial arts to form a friendship with him.

“…Alright then, then let’s try it a little. But we wouldn’t be reducing the time you spend
on spear training… That means that you will have to physically train harder. Can you
bear it?”

“I will, Master! Thank you very much!”

“Me too!”

“Me too, Master!”

“Commander!”

“…Then I’ll also learn it.”

As soon as Ena got permission from Evan, the other Rookie children started shouting
in unison. Evan looked at them. In particular, he was looking at Arisha standing next
to them.

“Why are you standing among them?”

“Because it looks fun.”

“It’s not fun at all, so get out.”

Evan said firmly that he would only teach them the basics of fighting skills, but the
children still murmured with excitement. With a sigh, he gave the children about 30
minutes to master the basic movements before leaving.

It was time to go to his alchemy class.

That afternoon in alchemy class, Evan was lamenting over a sentence he had found in
one of Bernard’s collection of books.

“To actually travel through the northern part of the country, we’ll have to go through
the ‘Eternal Glacier.’” And there is no way we can get around it.”

“You won’t get anywhere if you start thinking like that. Moreover, you’ll only ruin our
efforts.”

“They are already ruined.”

Alchemy classes of these days were gradually decreasing in theory and practice due
to Evan’s alchemy skills, which had grown rapidly. Instead, they had been transformed
into a search for the Elixir, particularly its materials, together with the priest.

Even now, they were immersed in its research and were developing routes throughout
the country to search for it… But of course, it wasn’t going that smooth.

“Why is it so difficult to even start somewhere?”

“The Elixir’s existence has always been an enigma for humans. Even the materials are
bound to be lying in some unknown parts of the world.”

“But I’m too weak to venture so far away.”

After thinking about it for a moment, Evan shook his head. It didn’t matter if Bernard
was with him or not. He would never be able to endure such a long journey with this
fragile body.

It was enough for him to clear the dungeon’s 50th floor and then break through to the
next dungeon floor.
“What do you mean by fragile, boy? Tell me again, or am I misunderstanding the
meaning of the word ‘fragile?’”

“When I’ll reach adulthood, I shall become the head of a Dungeon Knights, and then it
will be even more difficult for me to leave this city.”

Evan, who brushed off Bernard’s words neatly, muttered and updated his notebook
with the key ingredients for the Elixir, but Bernard tackled him again.

“And why can’t the Commander of the Dungeon Knights…? Oh yeah, it might be
impossible for you to leave the city, and you’ll also be leaving the city for months. I
guess you’re right.”

“Well, it’s like that. To put it plainly, the position of the Commander of the Dungeon
Knights itself is like an honorary position.”

It was like that of an unconditional noble, and only those belonging to the Sherden
family could be appointed. In fact, there was a strong tendency to match the assortment
of the aristocrats who had ruled the dungeon city rather than the person who was
absolutely needed.

The Commander of the Dungeon Knights had total command, but the commanding
power on the battlefield was the Vice Commander, or it could also be transferred to
other executives.

“I can try to achieve my goal before that and then proceed to find the Elixir…”

“Well, certainly you can. And you won’t have a lot of responsibility after that.”

“Haha, right.”

After becoming an adult, Evan would be made the head of the Dungeon Knights two
years later and then… The protagonist of Yo-Ma Great War 3 would come to the
dungeon city!

‘And from that point, the main story of Yo-Ma Great War 3 will begin in earnest, and
darkness will loom over the dungeon. The protagonist won’t know that the dungeon
achievements he’s been looking for had already been achieved by an extra too, almost as
if by magic… ’
The demons would start to appear in hordes, as the monsters would get stronger.

The seal of the Demon King would crack.

In summary, it could be said that a global reversal would take place, and this world
would suddenly become an utter challenge.

‘There were many things that ended without being explained during Yo-Ma Great War 3.
Later on, it was said that it was a double track for Yo-Ma Great War 4.’

When Evan played Yo-Ma Great War 3 as a game, he thought, ‘Oh, the DLC isn’t that
scary at all. It’s like child’s play.’ But unfortunately, it was impossible in reality.

Before the aftermath of Yo-Ma Great War 3 could be resolved, the disaster of Yo-Ma
Great War 4 would strike. And, of course, Evan Sherden would also be directly affected
by it.

How could Evan leave the city at such a critical point? He couldn’t.

‘Of course, staying here will not solve anything. But that doesn’t mean that I will run
away while declaring “I’ll make the Elixir.” in the meantime… I would never do that.’

Evan was an extra who died every time, but the rest of the Sherden family were regulars
of Yo-Ma Great War 3 and Yo-Ma Great War 4, and as the main story proceeded, they
faced a severe crisis. In such a situation, there was absolutely no way he could leave
his family to such dangers and escape alone. The family was as precious to Evan as his
own life.

‘I will have to protect the protagonist while staying away from all other dangers myself.
I will have to secretly take care of everything so that the protagonist can grow well. No
matter how much I think about it, that’s the best way to do it.’

And the Commander of the Dungeon Knights was the perfect position to perform such
tasks. Of course, in such a position, he might have to face the protagonist several times,
but he would have to take that risk.

At the end of the day, the main character’s colleagues helped him throughout and only
needed him to face the last dungeon boss.

When Evan entered it in the game, he died every time without a doubt. The terrifying
and bloody-looking Demon King didn’t aim for the main character but strangely tried
to kill Evan first.

‘Anyway, in order to take control of the situation and to make it advantageous for myself,
I can never leave the dungeon city at that time. At most, only one Elixir study will be
conducted until the start of the main story, so I’ll leave the rest to Grandpa.’

“Evan.”

As Evan continued to think, Bernard suddenly called out and looked at him with a very
serious expression.

“Whenever you talk or think about your post-adult work, you always have that eerie
look.”

“Didn’t you notice it, Grandpa? I’m scared of becoming an adult.”

Bernard laughed at Evan, who was pretending to be naive. “Don’t lie to me, kid. What
the hell are you looking at? What is that shine in your eyes?”

It was impossible to hide everything from Bernard. He guessed that Evan had the
ability to look into the future, as it was the only conclusion he had arrived at for his
unusual behavior at times.

Evan thought first of not telling him anything, but that would make them despise each
other. He scratched his head and carefully selected his words as much as possible. He
wanted to make it as vague and as inaccurate.

“Alright Grandpa, I’ll tell you just a little… I had a premonition about some of the
dangerous and sinister things that will happen in this city later.”

“Dangerous things…”

“Yes.”

“So that’s also the case with you…”

‘Wait a minute. What did he mean by “also”? What does “with you” mean?’ Evan felt a
sense of incongruity at Bernard’s words and narrowed his eyes.
Recognizing that his mood had changed, Bernard also nodded slightly, then arranged
and stored the materials lying here and there with one hand. The study period had
ended.

“Does Grandpa know something?”

“Well, I could definitely say that I had expected this to happen…”

Evan instinctively felt that Bernard was going to tell him something he had never told
him before. As he sat down, he quickly changed his posture, and Bernard sat down,
facing him, clicking his tongue lightly.

“You might have already guessed it to some extent. But unless you have the ability to
read the whole history of the world, you won’t know exactly who I am and what I’ve
been doing in the past. Drive out the demons and open the human age. It’s just as
impossible as finding out the name of the great mage.”

Evan knew who Bernard was and what he was doing, but he pretended to be blissfully
unaware.

‘Is my poker face look working?’ Bernard didn’t seem to be suspicious.

“Until now, I haven’t been telling you, that it was something you didn’t need to know. I
was going to spend the rest of my life in seclusion. Whatever the case, I was thinking
about leaving the next turn of events to the next generation.”

“Yes… I see.”

In fact, Bernard had not appeared since Yo-Ma Great War 3. There were several
characters from Yo-Ma Great War 2, but Leo Arfeta, the protagonist of the series, also
did not appear.

Perhaps after a difficult and great flight, the two now chose to fold their wings and
relax in an unknown place on earth. Everyone said this—everyone. This was because
they felt like they had suffered too much, nobody deserved to bother them anymore.

“But why are you suddenly trying to talk to me? Is it because I told you that the future
is unstable?”

“There is also… Even if I don’t speak now, I will soon be caught.”

“…Grandfather…”

Evan caught Bernard with a far-off expression. He coughed heavily.

“I thought it would be good to just disappear after the job without anyone knowing.
But meeting you has changed my line of thinking, as well as this letter.”

“So, you mean the letter is…”

“I should honestly be the one contacting my friends first, but… Ahem, anyway, you’ve
always surprised me first, so this time it’s my turn to surprise you.”

“…”

At this point, Evan felt like he knew who the letter came from, but he knew that if he
said it, Bernard would suffer a heart attack right then and there.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Don’t expect a lot. There are some good things in the world which should remain a
secret, and those who pass by without knowing about such things tend to live a long
and happy life. Even when I sometimes sleep, I get sick of the huge regret of throwing
away my whole youth while searching for the truth.”

Evan then asked him, skillfully avoiding Bernard’s hand, which was aimed towards him,
“Then, when is that friend of yours coming?”

“Probably not in the next few weeks. He may arrive in the festival season.”

“Oh, that’s great. They will be able to enjoy the festival with the whole Sherden family.”

“Well. It’s a good thing if he doesn’t riot and actually behaves…” Bernard shook his
head while looking back on all the travels he had done with his friend when he was
young.

“Then it’s settled. You shall also meet him. What’s important now is the dangerous future
which we talked about and shall prepare for because… It was already a treacherous
past that we have left behind.”

“What past, Grandpa?”

Evan felt anxious again. Was there another DLC in Yo-Ma Great War 2 that he didn’t
know about? Maybe it was remade to the PC version later in which the scenario was
added.

“…Evan. Do you know about the Mahwa?”

“Mahwa?” Evan’s voice trembled slightly. Bernard sighed without noticing it.

“Alright listen. Decades ago, a terrible curse covered the entire continent like a fatal
plague. There were creatures with a clear objective, terrifying demons who inherited
the blood of the Demon King… Some of them are still living somewhere on the continent.”

“They haven’t been annihilated yet!? The Mahwa!?”

“Do you know about them!? Huh, I thought all the books were burnt, but there are still
related books left!?”

When Evan shouted in surprise, Bernard opened his eyes and felt astonished, but the
child didn’t even notice that.

He would have if he hadn’t just heard that the main enemy, the Mahwa, in Yo-Ma Great
War 2 that should have been wiped out by the hands of Bernard Garcia and Leo Arpeta,
decades ago, were still around.

It certainly was the case in the game.

Yo-Ma Great War was a classic series that had traditionally been well-received as a
story, but Yo-Ma Great War 1, the beginning of the series, had a fairly simple structure.
It was even said that the tension between the human world and the demons who
opposed them was really fun.

It was highly praised for this point, but in the end, the argumentative composition
followed a very traditional cliche, consisting of human warriors and demon kings.

‘So the Mahwa of Yo-Ma Great War 2 was a fresher event.’

Mahwa was such a name that made everyone’s teeth chatter even if one were to think
about it. It was because they were one of the main curses that made Yo-Ma Great War
2 more tragic and more difficult.

The Mahwas were a combination of the aliens and monsters featured in all kinds of
media.

It could be said that they were the creatures made by picking only the most malicious
of attributes. They were demonic flowers that bloomed and spread like a flower seed
of dandelion and grew by sucking up the vital energy of the place where they settled.

‘That’s why they were called Mahwa, which means ‘Evil flower’…It’s a terrible name if
you think about it now. I really hope the production crew guys drink expired milk and
get diarrhea!’

Whenever they settled on the ground, they sucked the whole energy out of it. If they
fell on a rock, they sucked the energy out of it too. They absorbed the energy out of
everything like leeches and parasites and spread like wildfire.

The flowers themselves were threatening enough, but the worst thing about them was
that they could reproduce.
“The Mahwas became a true nightmare when they first appeared…”

“Animals, other monsters… and they even devoured humans. Isn’t that right, Grandpa?”

“Yes, that’s right, kid.”

The Mahwas, who encroached on animals and monsters, were reborn by the fusion of
their bodies. Even more horrible things appeared when the Mahwa tribe started
fusing with the human bodies.

“It would’ve been nice if we could have dealt with them a little bit faster… When the
Mahwa first appeared, everyone thought it was an infectious disease because those
who were encroached on it sucked up their vital energy and suffered greatly. Seeing
the death of flowers and trees in the area, the theory of a massive curse also started
to emerge.”

Bernard Garcia, a young, energetic and superlative alchemist, was called by the lord
of a local city to solve that.

And there he met him. A young man was brought in for killing all his family.

“But were the people he killed really his family members? It must have been because
of the Mahwa.”

“…That’s right. After killing their brains by absorbing all of their energy, the Mahwas
grew up inside them and took over their bodies. However, they cunningly tried to hide
their identity and infiltrate human society. And finally… they tried to call out the
Demon King by using humans as sacrifices for a large-scale ritual.”

Because they were using human bodies, their identity could not be revealed unless
they received the purification magic from a high priest. So it was even trickier to find
and hunt them.

“It was torture.”

“…It was a nightmare. But why are you talking as if you were the one who was there?”

“You know, Grandpa, I’m a very sensitive person.”

Among them, those who were still humans, those who had become monsters, and
those who had to be saved… All of them were mixed together, creating a terrible kind
of infusion.

Players who enjoyed the game had no way of knowing it at first, but the sense of
urgency to make the right choice every moment and the tension that gently crept up
their backs was truly outstanding. In extreme cases, some people saved their game
every time they were able to save someone. Yeobanmin was one of them.

“It was really a tough fight. My friend who was my like-minded colleague gathered
together to fight against the Mahwas and at the same time researched them… Eventually,
I learned how to separate the Mahwas from humans and how to distinguish humans
from Mahwa. Furthermore, we were able to inhibit and weaken their fertility rate by
making a special type of medicine.”

It was said that Bernard studied with his friends, but in fact, it should have been
considered Bernard’s victory. This was because Bernard, a genius alchemist, was the
only one among them who could study something and create something new with the
knowledge at the same time.

That was the exact reason Bernard appeared in the top two alchemists with Leo
Arpeta, the main character, in Yo-Ma Great War 2. For this reason, Yo-Ma Great War 2
was the birthplace of a young hero and a great alchemist.

However, there was one flaw that Evan couldn’t even imagine in this great and
wonderful story.

“But why couldn’t you annihilate them?” Evan groaned at Bernard and held his head
as it was starting to ache. Bernard was also a little embarrassed. He coughed for no
reason and then spoke,

“Because after we were able to differentiate among them, it wasn’t easy enough to kill
them all. Moreover, too much time was wasted in the process of persuading the kings
of other countries. The Silkline King actively helped us, and thanks to that, we were
able to persuade the kings of other countries in some way… The real problem occurred
in the south.”

The southern part of the continent or more precisely, Hoomi, located in the southeast,
had four distinct seasons, and thanks to the fertile land and plenty of water, it was a
huge agricultural country responsible for nearly half of the world’s food production.
With the development of international exchanges, the people of each country and the
productivity of each country had improved greatly because Hoomi had a large stake
in the production of crops.

“Hoomi is also late, but the worst was because of ‘Escarotti’. In other words, the
situation became even more serious as the Rose Queen, the core and ruler of the
Mahwa tribe, was there.”

“Oh!”

As Bernard just said, the final battle of Yo-Ma Great War 2 took place against Escarotti.

“You haven’t even met her!? No, tell me no.”

“If so, this world is already over. It’s not too late. I definitely met and grabbed the Rose
Queen. I caught her…”

“…Then tell me what you missed,” Evan commanded him, much like a detective
interrogating the suspect. Bernard replied with a sigh,

“The Demon King, who had been summoned incompletely after eating half of the
Escarotti population, was somehow sent back, and the Rose Queen also reliably burned
the roots but… In the process, I missed one of the Queen’s seeds.”

“Ah…”

Evan shed a deep sigh. That meant that someday the Mahwa may appear again in the
world! He learned that the current heroes couldn’t just play games strictly according
to the storyline, as he saw Shine and Belois growing better than the original.

Evan thought it was a little unfair as to how Bernard had chosen to step back and let
the next generation take care of it for him. The old man noticed this and immediately
took on a defensive stance.

“You… Don’t stare at me like that. I have done my best. They sprayed a wide range of
special medicines so that the Queen could never survive, and the Mahwa would not
take root on this continent again, and even spread it with the help of all the priests. And
it was actually effective. Otherwise, would this continent remain intact for decades?”

“I believe you. Then why?”

Bernard paused before speaking. “My friend found it one day while wandering the
continent. The Mahwa variant, I mean.”

“Oh…”

Evan’s sighs deepened. Yes, the vast majority of pathogens were not evolving in line
with the development of drugs against them. But that only happened to the Mahwa!

Bernard also sighed upon seeing Evan’s reaction and spoke again, “What’s fortunate
is that it was because they were so badly done by me that they were no longer parasitic
to humans. The fertility of spores was also ridiculously reduced instead… If I say this,
you will understand?”

“Animals and monsters?”

“Yes. They began to erode only monsters. They’re very slow, but they were definitely
getting power. The great cause of the advent of the Demon King had already been
thrown away, and only hatred for us remains, and it is evolving, specializing in killing
humans.”

Evan was silent. Indeed, he now understood why Bernard hadn’t explained the matter
so far.

Of course, this was a serious matter, but only because it was one of the events that
almost destroyed humanity if it didn’t move right now, and it wasn’t just an event that
showed room for a solution just because it moved actively.

“However, the future of mankind will be very difficult. Looking at you, anxious about
the future, I wonder if your future would be to come in contact with the discovery of
the Mahwa variant. Moreover, as my friends said they were coming here, I thought it
would be time to tell them.”

Hearing this, Evan felt eager to get angry. Dungeons weren’t the only dangerous place;
even the outside of them was. Evan’s earlier thought that the main story must be
started could prove to be the least of his problems. This damn world has never been
peaceful!

“You say there is something you want to consult with me. You probably want to ask
about the drugs that were available when dealing with strains. I’m the one who
bothers myself about this every time, even though I’ve already done my part in this
thing.”

It was Bernard García of Yo-Ma Great War 2 who was the type to respond as if everything
annoyed him but would do his best to help. Evan could still see this part of the old
man’s personality.

That was why he didn’t doubt what Bernard said.

“I’ll help too.”

“You?”

“Will you let me?”

Although there was no information about the variant, the alchemy that Evan had
accumulated so far was by no means a hoax. Just as he now deserved to study the Elixir,
he would be of sufficient assistance to Bernard, who wanted to make a new drug.

“It will be hard.”

“Alchemy class is also hard. I also want to see your friend. And again, if you make a
good medicine now, it’ll help us in dangerous situations later on. In fact, this is the
most important reason.”

“Well then… Just do whatever you want to do.” At Evan’s resolute attitude, Bernard
nodded in the end, laughing. Outwardly, Evan could see the happy exterior but knew
that deep inside, the old man was worried. However, he decided not to say anything
else.

Instead, he decided to ask questions about other things he was concerned about.

“So, what was really in that letter with the heart?”

“You don’t need to know, you bastard.”

Eventually, Bernard flicked Evan on the forehead again.

As mid-September passed by, the dungeon city’s excitement developed into a level
comparable to a fever. Evan thought that everyone was busy getting ready for the
festival.

Thanks to the attack on the 45th floor by the dream team formed by the different
battle guilds, they had finally made some progress. The attacking team of the Paradise
Wandering Guild and the Thunderbirds Guild had safely attacked the 45th floor
without any casualties.

The Heat Shield Guild, which specialized in nurturing shield guards, was unable to
attack the dungeon by itself, but eventually mobilized themselves as mercenaries to
attack the 45th floor alongside almost all the guilds, and they would also be included
on the list of guilds that attacked the 45th floor.

“And finally, today, Sis Maybell said that she succeeded in attacking the Phoenix Guild.”

“The Master picked Paradise Wandering, Thunderbird, and Phoenix as the three main
guilds in eight years, and it’s the same now, let alone eight years later,” Shine muttered
over the window in the mansion hallway, sticking his tongue out at the dimly visible
city lights.

For nearly a week already, this city had not slept. This insomnia was probably going
to last until the festival was over.

“Everyone in the city is excited. Shine, don’t let yourself be swept away by the
atmosphere.”

“I know that too, Master. This is the most dangerous time. All we have to do is look
straight ahead every time,” Belois put in.

“I just needed to confirm that,” Shine muttered, sticking his tongue out at Belois, who
was staring daggers at him.

“Shine, Lua. You can come in now. The pre-work is all finished.”

“Yes, Master.” When Evan’s words sounded from inside the room, Shine and Belois
exchanged glances once more and opened the door.

Then there was the figure of Evan lying on the bed wearing his pajamas, wearing the
necklace of Miraseul, Snow Mountain Spirit earrings, leather gloves, and even the
boots. There was also Raihan with an esoteric expression by the bedside.

“Young Master, can I be honest with you now?”

“Don’t.”

“It’s really stupid.”

“Don’t do it.” Evan replied while pouting his lips at Shine’s words and called them to
his bedside too. The three, including Raihan, were standing side by side looking down
at Evan, and it seemed that all of them were performing some kind of ritual of sacrifice.

“Now the preparations are over. I’ll go to sleep now. If anything goes wrong, you have
to wake me up right away. Understand?”

“This… Are you really going to do it, Master?”

“Yes. I have to do it,” Evan nodded with a serious expression.

“The situation is serious, but I heard more disturbing things from my father. Now,
there is no mana drop for quite a few things and I have enough physical strength, so I
can’t hesitate anymore. It’s time to start my next project.”

“I’ve never seen anyone who claims to be such an insomniac on their own anyway,”
Shine mumbled, thinking it was absurd. “Now you’re going to be crushing slimes while
sleeping.”

From now on, the essence of what Evan wanted to do was to practice slime training
even while sleeping.

“All data has already been gathered. The experiment is done and the verification is
perfect! I have no choice but to do it now!”

“Young Master, this is the night. If you make a loud noise and let someone else see this,
you won’t be able to explain it to them.”

At Raihan’s words, Evan barely calmed down and collapsed. Shine was still wearing a
salty expression, and Belois, who was noticing him, quietly hit him in the ribs.

“Let’s start, Raihan.”

“Here you are. Once the curse is neutralized… Obviously it will be fine. I want to believe
that it will be okay.”

What Raihan handed to Evan was a curse that he neutralized with God’s Holy Magic,
as he had just explained. It was a nightcap with a sleepwalking curse that made you
repeat only one action.

Originally, this hat was a reward for a quest. He could get it as a reward after he solved
the quest and received it from a middle-aged man who only wore a nightcap every day.

Of course, it was a trap quest. According to the man’s request, it was no use bringing
medicine that was only effective for a good night’s sleep. One couldn’t bring in a priest,
let alone a warlock.

‘Then, the player, who was so tired of not breaking the quest no matter what he did,
struck him with his fist and solved the quest for the first time, seeing the man falling
asleep on the floor with his nightcap removed.’

The way to clear a quest that was considered impregnable before discovering the
solution was really simple!

However, there was a possibility that you would not be able to receive the quest
reward depending on your closeness with the man, at least the first few times. Another
trap was that one had to act only after hearing the man’s request. As soon as you
received the quest from the man who was blindly struck, you would be caught by the
soldiers.

So what about Evan? Evan gave money and bought the hat from the man. There was
nothing in the world that shouldn’t be bought with money. It would be a win-win
scenario from the man’s point of view because he would receive money, and his
insomnia would also be solved.

‘But it means that there is only the curse in this nightcap as the reward of the quest.’

Still, there are only so many nightcap items that appeared in Yo-Ma Great War 3. So
many players had broken the quest for the sole purpose of decorating the character.
Of course, it was a cursed item, so once worn, it wouldn’t be taken off easily. It had to
go through purification first.

“Attachment and detachment is free, but the core of that curse remains. I wonder if
Young Master can use this and sleep properly.”

“What is sleepwalking? You move while you sleep. So it’s okay, I can still sleep.”

“Uh… I don’t think that’s it…” Shine carefully tried to refute again but was struck by
Belois. He shut his mouth.

In fact, Evan also knew the problem with this nightcap and utilized Raihan’s divine
magic and alchemy to modify its nature a lot. It had already solved many problems.

It felt more correct to say that it was a curse for sleeping habits, not for sleep.

“I periodically summon slimes, wriggling my thighs, clench my fists, and smash them
and burst them… The ability to repeat this series of moves is because of this nightcap.
Specifically, it’s a chemical reaction between me and the Miraseul necklace and nightcap.”

“You’re talking as if this is a really cool thing to do.”

“Of course it’s cool. It means that slime training never ends.” Evan now had a slime in
one hand.

He was repeating the process of recalling four at a time and catching eight slimes at
once. Nevertheless, the mana recovery rate was faster than the mana consumption
rate thanks to the Miraseul necklace and the Snow Mountain Spirit earrings, so it
proved to be no problem at all.

“If this project is successful, the speed of slime training will be twice as fast. I can reap
twice the reward! That way, I feel like I’ll be able to live somehow in this tough world.”

“What? How will you become stronger than this?” Evan shook his head, ignoring the
arguing Shine, and laid down then closed his eyes. Both his fists relaxed. He wore the
weird array of items, but the atmosphere felt so serious that it somehow felt ominous.

Evan soon fell asleep. Even if they said different things, the three people who had the
same heart to worry about Evan, watched over him.

In the case of Belois, it seemed a little selfish to do so, but the two men decided not to
care about that.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Shine exclaimed. The nightcap on Evan’s head began to glow.

The black and the white light came out of each other, and then they mixed together
and turned gray. This was the trigger.

“……”

“……”

The first thing that moved was Evan’s thigh. Wriggle… Wriggle… His two fists were
tightly clenched as if he was going to hit someone.

The last piece was the necklace of Miraseul. With a faint light, Evan summoned a slime
into his hand. Was it because he had learned the timing of his body over the years? As
soon as Evan’s fists opened, four slimes appeared on his palm, and two fists clenched
almost at the same time.

It was successful.

“Are you sure he isn’t still awake?”

“The nightcap is shining. It means that he is definitely sleeping.”

The movement didn’t end in one shot. However, there were also no seizures, no
excessive movements, and no slime that succeeded in fleeing. It was just as if Evan had
been indulging in his regular training.

“Really great, great…”

“Yes. He is great. He is doing this very well.” Shine muttered this just because he was
excited, Raihan was sincere in what he said. Belois simply narrowed her eyes at Shine.

Raihan shook his head and spoke,

“I know what you might think of this, but Shine… it’s really very revolutionary. Using
the power of alchemy and divine magic to weaken the cursed item and adjust its
detailed abilities, this is as difficult as creating artifacts.”

Of course, Raihan knew that on the outside, Evan’s behavior didn’t seem very smart,
but he took note of it anyway. He had to admit that he admired what his master was
doing. He looked up to Evan’s passion, and his ability to realize what seemed like a
delusion was actually an achievable goal.

“Moreover… The appearance is a bit so-so, but looking at the results alone, no one will
be able to ignore you. This constant practice made the present Master who he is. But I
also made it possible for him to do it while sleeping. Can you expect the results?”

“I think that it itself is great… But, wouldn’t it be better to retrofit and equip better
artifacts than to create this one? It feels like he is going through a difficult road every
time.”

This was also a reasonable point, so Raihan chose to shut his mouth. Everyone knew
that Evan always underestimated his abilities and that he tended to be a bit lost
because of it.

However, there was someone who opposed this.

That was Belois, who had been ignoring their words and looking only at Evan.

“Master is always doing his best.”

“I thought you would say that.”

“No, it’s the truth. We just don’t understand him, but he always produces great results,”
Belois spoke in a somber voice. “Madam told me. There are two ways to grow, internally
and externally, but the latter has always made all human beings impoverished. And
now, all the stuff that the Master is wearing is a way to grow the inside strength.”

Shine nodded at this because there was no way to deny it. From that point of view, it
was clear that the training they were doing right now was, in the end, similar to what
Evan was doing.

“Then I’ll take your word for it. No one is more focused on training themselves than
Young Master. We should try harder, too.”

“Of course. But I’m not going to use that nightcap.”

The three members of the Dream Team organized their thoughts after seeing Evan’s
successful ‘sleep training’.

With that in mind, Evan, who looked a bit silly thus far, didn’t neglect training while
sleeping. Even if he was nobility, he was more hard-working than anyone else.

Evan wasn’t obsessed with artifacts because he was now actually accustomed to every
Yo-Ma Great War poison, but unfortunately, they didn’t know this fact yet.
Evan’s sleep training was successful. Although he was suffering from mild fatigue
because he constantly used his strength while sleeping, he enjoyed the process anyway,
so there was no problem in his daily life.

To put it plainly, the amount of muscle fatigue due to slime training wasn’t damaging
his body at all.

As sleep training became a part of Evan’s new everyday life, three days passed without
any problems, and the slave trader finally came to Evan. He had brought new children
with him.

“Master Evan, I brought the children I mentioned earlier. There are two female twins
and one boy.”

The twins were six years old, while the boy was eight years old. All three of them had
different colored eyes. The twins had green and purple ones. If they were to face each
other in a mirror, the colors of their eyes were opposite.

On the other hand, the boy had yellow eyes that looked almost golden. They also had
vertical slits and were shining brightly. Evan felt as if he was staring into the eyes of a
snake.

“…They are all Rookies. They really had a hard time until now.”

“The girls were separated from their parents some time ago. By the way, young master?
Do you have any problems with any of these kids?”

Evan seemed to be rooted to the spot after seeing the children, he shook his head and
replied.

“I was just surprised because they are all so pretty. You aren’t bringing only the ones
that you think would please me, right? It doesn’t matter how many Rookie children
you find, you have to bring all of them to me.”

“…Yes, of course, Master. But I may not be able to find some more for the time being. I
managed to find these children after I mobilized all the intelligence both inside and
outside the Silk Line.”

Evan’s words shook the head of the slave trade. Evan roughly guessed the reason, so
he just smiled bitterly. He had thought his poker face techniques might have advanced
enough to be used in such a situation, but this was not the case.

“Parents of Rookie children often live in hiding. Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything
wrong.”

“Of course, I will continue to look for them.”

“You’ve done well enough so far. Thank you. Please do your best.”

“Of course. As long as you believe and have trust in me, I’ll always do my best, Master!”

The head of the exchange bowed deeply and stepped back. Evan then faced the three
children.

The twins looked at him with curiosity mixed with a little excitement, while the boy
was still gawking at him. Evan could predict that he was still trying to be on his guard.
It was natural for him, too.

“Then should I introduce myself first? I’m Evan. Evan D. Sherden. What are your names?”

“Ran.”

“Lin. I’m Ran’s sister.”

The twins responded immediately. Lin’s left eye was green, and her right eye was
purple, while her younger sister Ran had purple color in her left eye and green in her
right one. Except for that, their faces were the same, and it wasn’t easy to differentiate
them.

“My oppa is very handsome.”

“Yes, he is!”

“You are both also very pretty, especially when you smile.”

“Thank you!”

Both of the twins indeed had smiles on their faces. Although they were born as Rookies,
it didn’t look like they had suffered so far.

Perhaps their parents had struggled to keep their children from feeling inadequate.
Evan couldn’t help but feel respect for them.

“…”

Meanwhile, the boy was still hesitating to speak first. After greeting Lin and Ran, Evan
turned to the boy while carefully patting the other two children’s heads. He then asked
in the same voice as the first time.

“What’s your name? Can you let me know?”

“…It’s Jin.”

“Aah, Jin. That’s a very cool name.”

“No, it’s not.”

Evan had spoken like that to bring out some response from him, but Jin, withdrawn
until now, suddenly reacted harshly to his words. With his big yellow eyes wide open,
he glared at Evan.

“My eyes aren’t great at all!”

Lin and Ran covered each other’s ears as he started yelling.

However, whether it was out of joy or anger, Evan deemed it as his victory to have
sparked something inside of him. He spoke with a big smile.

“Is that so? They look cool to me. They’re like the dragons in the legends, so they look
very amazing to me.”
“…Like a dragon’s?” Jin, who had been denying Evan’s words unconditionally, asked
reflexively.

Evan could see the blatant hostility simmering down. Jin seemed to be debating
whether Evan’s words were serious, or if he was just sarcastic.

After all, he was still just an eight-year-old child.

“Yes, a dragon’s. Do you know about dragons?”

“It’s a huge monster.”

“Oh, a dragon is not just a monster. It is the strongest living being on earth with high
intelligence, arrogance, and strength appropriate for it. Unfortunately, they are only a
legend now.”

“Arrogant, strong…”

Originally, the story of dragons worked best for children, if not about warriors. Jin’s
posture became awkward all at once. He wanted to hear the story as well as defend
himself at any time. On the other hand, Lin and Ran were blinking and focusing on
Evan’s words.

“It is said that ancient humans feared dragons and honored them at the same time.
Since the dragons had power that no one else could overcome, the humans couldn’t
even dream of daring to fight them. And as they couldn’t fight them successfully, they
had no choice but to obey.”

“…”

Strength made their existence perfect. The dragon was such a perfect being. Of course,
that was why they were all dead in the end… Evan decided not to talk about that part
now.

“There is a special power in the eyes of dragons. They have eyes that see more accurately
than anyone else can, and at the same time can see anything’s essence. I always
thought it was very cool. Maybe Uncle Tom, the gardener, thinks that way too.”

“Uncle Tom?”
“There is a man who makes dragons from plants every day. I’ll introduce you later.
There is a dragon that he is making with a spirit that he will decorate the streets
during this festival, and it’s really cool.” Evan said this while smiling widely. This act’s
power was outstanding regardless of gender. Jin’s pale face finally seemed to blush a
little. He seemed a little shy now.

“Jin, do you have good vision?”

Evan suddenly asked him a question. Jin hesitated for a long time on whether or not
to answer, then responded in a small, but clear voice.

“No matter how far, I can see things as they are.”

That was the case, indeed. And Evan knew about it already. His smile widened. It was
just a little bit, but you could see that Jin had opened up to him.

“You also resemble a dragon to me.”

“Dragon… Resemble…?”

“Oh, do I look like one, too?” said one of the twins.

“Me too! Do I look like a dragon to you?”

“Let’s see… You are more like cute rabbits.”

“Ah, rabbits are weak.”

“I like rabbits.”

“I don’t know how strong your rabbit is. Listen, there’s a real strong rabbit living in
the north, and they…” Evan started chatting with the twins again.

Jin looked at Evan, and suddenly said:

“I would then be a dragon.”

“Haha, yes. That would be great, too.”

“If I become a dragon and become stronger than anyone else, will everyone not bother
me?”

Evan didn’t answer him immediately. This was because he thought he shouldn’t
answer quickly. Jin was filled with anxiety as he waited for Evan’s answer. Soon, Evan’s
opened his mouth to speak.

“Of course it would be nice to be a dragon.”

“Then…”

“But Jin, there must be someone who will like you even if you don’t become a dragon.
If you don’t forget that, then you can aim to be one.”

“But nobody likes me now.”

“I like you. I like your dragon-like eyes, your longing for strength, and your willingness
to live without giving up.”

After listening to such words of sincerity, Jin donned a subtle expression. Evan was not
disappointed. He thought it was rather natural for him to be acting like that.

By now, the young boy’s head was probably full of dragons. Evan had made it like that
to give him determination.

“I am not asking you to accept all of my words right now. Just when one day you can
afford to think again for yourself, remember what I said. Can you do that?”

“…Yeah.”

“Fine then. That’s good.” Evan smiled again and stroked Jin’s hair. Jin hesitated a little,
but then closed his eyes and accepted it.

Evan knew that it would have been a surprise to others if they had seen him dissolving
the child’s vigilance in an instant. Moreover, this done easily with a gentle and handsome
expression was even more fascinating.

The twins were infinitely bright, and the boy with the golden eyes had an infinitely dark
nature. Evan just laughed at the children in front of him, who so brilliantly contrasted
with each other.
‘These are all characters with the highest of importance.’

In fact, in Yo-Ma Great War 4, there were far more Rookies against the protagonist
than against the Demon King. Rather, it was natural as not even a single Rookie hadn’t
experienced complicated and dangerous circumstances.

‘Twin Priests, Lin and Ran. Both became priests following the goddess of good luck and
used as puppets for a group of warlocks disguised as the Church. They believed in the
same god, and they had the ability to link the divine powers of each other, which was
why they came out as very threatening enemies.’

Lin and Ran were very popular villains because of their beautiful designs and unique
and powerful abilities. Their sticking to each other was also an attractive factor.

In particular, the end of the two in the main story was very unfortunate.

‘On the other hand, Jin… I didn’t even know I could meet this child here.’

In the Yo-Ma Great War series, there were always people who betrayed humans and
attached themselves to the demons. It was a long tradition that ran from the first to
the last game.

And, among the betrayers of Yo-Ma Great War 4, Jin was among the strongest ones. In
terms of pure strength, he was weaker than the Silent Knight of Yo-Ma Great War 3,
but he was one of the strongest men who never fell behind anyone else in terms of
being difficult to deal with.

‘He had exceptional long-range sniping capabilities, so even if the enemy was caught just
a little off guard, it resulted in his death. He wasn’t weak in close proximity too. Even if
it wasn’t rapid-fire, he shot piercing arrows aimed at the vital organs from a very short
distance… ’

But Evan had to try to reap that talent himself. Of course, just because he had met Jin
earlier, there was no guarantee that Jin would remain on his side until the end. This
applied to all the other Rookie children Evan had under him. However, it would be
possible to protect this innocent child from experiencing horrible experiences that
would make him want to betray humans.

Evan was confident about this. In the future, no one would ever bother this child. Jin
was now under Evan’s protection. No one could so much as touch him.
“Alright then, we shall go wash ourselves after eating. Then I will introduce you to your
friends.”

“Friends?”

“They are all children like you.”

“Wow!”

“Like me…!?”

The twins started jumping around happily as Jin lamented over the words and slowly
began to understand. Evan nodded and spoke, patting Jin’s head again.

“You will definitely be able to get close to them.”

Jin nodded his head at this and bowed. Half smiling, Evan stood up and shouted at
those waiting outside the room.

“Shine, Lua! Let’s go take a bath with the kids!”

That was the day when the number of the reserve members of the Dungeon Knights
increased by three.
During the last week of September, the celebrations were getting closer.

Visitors from other dungeon cities were also coming while nobles from this country
and other countries flocked in anticipation of a festival being held in the dungeon city
of Sherden. It was the first time in six years, so the lodging companies in the dungeon
city were enjoying an unusual increase in their businesses.

All of the people under the Marquis of Sherden were working like crazy. It was not
only the Marquis who was busy, Eric D. Sherden, who was in charge of conducting a
small event, also found himself swamped with work.

Meanwhile, his second son, Evan, had nothing to do, so he continued to work hard on
what he had always done.

He focused on his slime training, poison resistance training, and curse resistance training
as he was constantly going through them. Besides, he also had fighting skills training,
throwing training, physical training, Dungeon Knights training, and his alchemy
classes.

“Oh, Master Evan! I found you!”

After having completed his training session with the members of the Dungeon Knights
and the Knights Commander, Evan had just finished bathing in the Brotherhood
Bathhouse with the Rookie children. He was currently changing his clothes.

“I wanted to consult with you, Master!”

Sis Serpina had come rushing in and found him in one of the restrooms inside the
bathhouse. She was the Bishop’s counselor of the Sherden Diocese of the Earth Church.

She was holding a beer in one hand and some grilled skewers on the other hand. Evan
looked at them and then glanced at her belly.

“Aren’t you getting tighter around the waist, Sis?”

“Oh, I’m still okay!… Would you like a skewer?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Evan took a bite of Serpina’s skewer and gave the rest to Shine.

Shine also took a bite and passed it to Paul, but Marie interfered and snatched it away.
Marie had now begun to follow Shine in the strictest of ways.

“…Oh, the kids are also present here.”

“I train them every day and they roll around in the dirt without complaining. So I
thought of giving them some free time to relax and enjoy. Anyway, do you have some
kind of request for me, Sis?”

“Ah, well, Master… if you’ll just come this way, please.”

Serpina grabbed Evan’s hand and headed for the corner of the break room. The rookie
children were very curious and tried to follow them, but Raihan and Shine sighed and
tried to stop them.

“Master Evan, please don’t be surprised to hear this, but during this festival season,
well, a legend will be coming to the dungeon city of Sherden!”

“It’s Leo Arpeta, the great hero who saved the world in the past, right?”

“Oh, you knew already?”

“Yes, I did.”

“…So should I also convert to Evanism, Master?”

“Wait a minute. What the hell is that? Did that come from Maybell? Honestly tell me
what Maybell is doing right now.”

“Whoa, so you already knew about that too…”

Serpina ignored Evan’s question. With it, Evan was convinced that Maybell was the
one who had created something of a pseudo-religion called Evanism. That must have
been the case.

“…So why is he coming here, Sis?”

“Of course it is true that Leo Arpeta is a great person, but his arrival would mean that
dangerous events might occur. Why did he start his activities again at this time? Why
did he decide to come again during the dungeon festival? Right now, the Earth Church
is facing a super emergency.”

Evan listened to Serpina and thought about it. Didn’t the Earth Church already know
everything about the Mahwas, or if it didn’t, wasn’t the order just passed to the parish
during the dungeon?… Either way, it wasn’t for Evan to bring up the story first.

“Isn’t he just coming to enjoy the festival? That’s probably the case.”

“Master, you seem to know more about this. You even took a skewer from me, so tell
me what it is.”

“Well, I don’t know anything.” Evan replied stubbornly. Finally, Serpina had no choice
but to relent with her lips pouting. It felt comforting for her to know that at least Evan
knew this much.

“By the way, why are you paying more attention to Leo Arpeta, eh, Sis? Did you make
an appointment with Raihan at the festival?”

“What?! Like a date?!”

Serpina shouted sharply in response to Evan’s chiding. It was loud enough that Raihan
looked back at them from where he was standing with the children. Evan clucked his
tongue and shook his head.

“That was foolish, Sis.”

“Oh, no, it’s so embarrassing. During the festival period, the Earth Church will be busy,
and above all, we are not in such a relationship yet…”

“If you want to be in a relationship with him, you’ll have to date him sooner than later.
The festival is really the best opportunity, so are you going to miss this?”
Serpina seemed to be lost in thought as she nodded softly. Evan continued.

“Sis Hanna might already be getting ready to play this game. You also missed him as
your first dance partner, but if you miss this date, everything will be over… When she
was invited to the wedding of two people, she clapped all lonely-like and cried on the
way back, and she began to binge eat and drink due to stress. Eventually, the welfare
of her waist and skin went beyond to heaven…”

“Stop! Okay, this time I will be brave, too!” Serpina shuddered at a needlessly realistic
and scary prediction. Evan nodded firmly and turned to Raihan. Raihan flinched.

Evan winked at him and then began to speak.

“Hyung, I’ll tell you for a moment that Serpina has something to say. Oh, and on the
festival day, I already told her that my hyung will be completely free. Guys, let’s go.”

“Master!?”

Evan left Raihan, who was embarrassed and went home with the children. He felt a
little sorry for Hannah, but… all was fair in love and war, so maybe she should be
preparing her countermeasures!

The next day’s classes were scheduled for the night, and Bernard called Evan in two
hours earlier. In response, Evan checked the date and knew that the time had come to
meet Leo at last.

“Shine, am I shaking?”

“No, not at all. You’ve been asking me from before, but don’t worry because you’re not
really shivering. However, why are you so restless? Are you going to see a woman?”

Evan shook his head with a bitter smile.

“I would rather be comfortable with a woman. It’s a man, one of the most legendary
ones to have ever lived. He is also very famous.”

“Is it that guy Leo Arpeta?”

“Yes.” As Evan nodded with a light smile, Shine began to mutter absurdly.
“Isn’t Bernard the real inspiration? Is there a line between him and the great hero?”

“I’ll come back and tell you little by little. I need to prepare some more before meeting
him.”

“If it’s the real Leo Arpeta, doesn’t it mean…”

“Shall I go with you, Master?”

“No, I’ll go alone today.”

Evan thought that no one would understand this strange feeling to encounter the
character he had played in the past.

Had he already reached the city?

What did he look like? Who else was going to come with him?

“Grandpa Bernard! How much more do we have to wait?”

“Everyone in the world knows him. Don’t scream loudly outside, and let him come in.
Oh shit. And little boy, did you already know?”

“Of course, Grandpa. He’s moving, but there’s no way the Marquis knows.”

“Be patient.”

After seeing the appearance of Leo Arpeta that he encountered, Evan stopped speaking.

The man looked even younger than Bernard, who didn’t look like he was in his 60s. He
had wide shoulders and gave the impression of being very “big.” He wasn’t anything
like Evan had imagined.

In short, he looked like a very handsome uncle who looked somewhat fit.

“Well what, who’s the little kid you’re with?”

“This is my disciple.”

Evan stepped forward at Bernard’s glance, politely bowing his head.

“I am the second son, Evan D. Sherden, of the Marquis of Sherden. It’s a pleasure to
meet you, Leo Arpeta.”

“Sherden!? Then, is that little boy the son of the man who resembled a chimpanzee?
It’s weird, there’s no way his son can look so handsome. Are you his real son?”

“I often hear that, but yes. I am his real son.” Evan already knew that Leo Arpita had a
straightforward and somewhat rude personality, so he didn’t mind his remarks.

“This man… How many times have I told you to think before you speak?”

“It’s not like that, but sometimes I can’t help it. Rather, this man is so pretty. His
expression is not to my taste.”

“That’s very fortunate. There is no longer any chance that my student will be taken
away from me.” Bernard replied with sarcasm at Leo’s remarks, even without a sign of
reflection. However, Leo admired his reply.

“Alright, then you said this kid was your disciple? Ha, people change a lot as time
passes. You, who didn’t want to meet a single person around you, have now received a
disciple… Wait, is it because of this guy that you settled here?”

“It’s a long story so sit down. And… Aria, Illoin. Welcome.”

Bernard greeted the two beautiful women standing behind Leo, after having pushed
him inside, passionately. Of course, these two were also heroes who had once saved
the world, along with Leo and Bernard.

“Anyway, I’m so glad to see you again, Dane. No, Bernard.”

“Dane… It really is you.”

With her silver hair and bright eyes, Aria was a beautiful and elegant person who
seemed to be in her early 40s at most. She was dazzlingly beautiful.

However, Evan already knew why Illoin, who was active with them several decades
ago, looked so young even right now.

‘The hero was very young back then. I was really curious about which of the heroines he
was connected to, and I always wondered if they could’ve been able to get rid of the
demonic flowers if even one of them had not helped the rest. In the end, it was all because
of Saint Aria and the Elf Illoin, one of Yo-Ma Great War 2’s most beautiful people… ’

Illoin was the strongest archer in Yo-Ma Great War 2. She was a forest elf, which was
a mysterious race that lived in an ancient forest.

Bernard made sure the door was closed behind them.

As Illoin took off her hood and revealed her ears, Bernard was astonished.

“You’re an elf!?”

“Yes, I’m sorry for hiding it all this time. But, you had hidden your own identity until
now so we can call it equal.”

Bernard couldn’t think of a reply. Illoin laughed brilliantly as she approached him
quietly and grabbed his hand.

“I’m really glad to see you again, Dane… Bernard. I have missed you very much.”

“Well? Uh… Yes, it’s very nice to see you again too, Illoin.”

Bernard seemed to be thinking, ‘Do the elves originally regard humans as their friends?’
But instead of speaking it out loud, he just tilted his head.

Seeing him, Evan also seemed to realize something.

‘No way did an elf help Grandpa Bernard in the past without him even knowing it! And
then want to have a relationship with him after all these years!?’

At that moment, it finally dawned on Evan.

Regular characters weren’t regulars without reason!

After the greetings, which were shocking in many ways, all the heroes sat at the table,
led by Bernard. Since there was no attendant there, Evan, the Marquis’s second son,
was serving all of them.

“Please have some tea.”

“Oh my God, thank you. You’re such a precious little boy.”

“He is one of a kind among all the other nobles. After all, the Sherden family is unique.”

Evan had prepared some cookies in advance, which he put in front of them next to the
tea. He then sat down and sighed satisfactorily while drinking his poisonous tea.

Bernard was by now accustomed to his behavior, but the others were startled at this.

“Hey Bernard, why is this kid drinking poison?”

“He is undergoing poison resistance training… It’s not anything that I ordered him to
do, so don’t look at me with those eyes.”

“Poison resistance training… That’s right, it’s also possible to train and increase your
existence level by consuming poison like that.”

“It will work, but isn’t this training too harsh for him at such an age…?

It was hard for those who didn’t know the game system to understand the idea of
’preparing for poisoning by eating poison in advance.’

When Evan laughed happily, Leo roughly scratched his head and turned to Bernard
and asked.
“Is it okay to trust this guy, since he can listen to everything we say?”

“He can be trusted. He won’t just listen but depending on my needs, he will also help
us. That is why I called him here.”

“Huh.” Leo looked at Evan again with a small exclamation. Soon, his face changed.

“What? It’s not possible to have such strength at this age. Is he really human? I
wouldn’t have believed it even if he was a demon.”

“I am also surprised sometimes, but he is definitely human. Evan, show them your
training method.”

“It’s not that surprising to be honest…”

Amid the joint attention from all the heroes, Evan felt ashamed to be doing something
like this. Even though he was very embarrassed, he summoned and crushed the slime
as Bernard had told him to do. The party cried out in unison.

“…Whoa, that was absurd enough for a kid like him.”

“Oh, my goodness. He also knows how to use artifacts! I also like his tricks.”

Everyone in the group immediately understood the mechanism of his training.

As they had been hunting monsters in the old days, they knew that humans could
become slightly stronger through hunting monsters.

“Isn’t this just a normal slime though? Aren’t those ice slime ones the strongest?”

“No matter what the slime is, you can’t grow this much to be able to crush them
instantly.”

“Evan, now show them the way you normally do in your routine.”

“Oh, really, should I?”

Evan felt shy. He had to show these people how he killed slimes when they were the
ones who caught the most dangerous of devils in the past. If this wasn’t embarrassing,
then what was?
Evan felt like he would start crying at any moment now, but as usual, he summoned
four slimes in one hand and four in the other. Then he killed all eight of them at the
spot by clenching his fists.

“What the hell…!”

“Oh, my gosh…”

Evan had mastered overwhelming efficiency. His technique was brilliant, and his
continuous action could be called art itself!

The fact that Evan had been crushing slimes so far seemed to be incredibly stupid, but
it was the coolest idea for someone of his age, and it was most efficient, too.

“It might make sense to be so strong by doing that alone…”

“He also went into the dungeon. He was able to clear the 5th floor and then came out.”

“Well, with this ability, even the 30th floor might not pose any threat or problem to
him. But how did such a child come from a noble family? I guess the Sherden family
really does have hidden gems.” Aria said this and laughed innocently like a little girl.

Evan puffed up both his cheeks and angered the slimes for nothing. It was different
from what he usually did.

But Illoin, who was looking at him with strange eyes, asked Bernard.

“Dane… No, Bernard. Didn’t you teach him this?”

“It took me a while to learn this guy’s secret. You know, in the first place, I’m not a
human capable of thinking like this.”

“Oh, is that so? Hmm…”

Illoin nodded and fixed her gaze on Evan’s face. Evan also saw a question mark floating
on the face of a beautiful elf.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Are you really from the Sherden family?”

“As I said before, you are right, but…” Illoin kept tilting her head.

When everyone continued to look at her, she eventually shook her head.

“No, it must be my mistake. I’m sorry to creep you out, Evan D. Sherden. Elves can’t
distinguish human faces very well. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It’s okay. I usually do this a lot.”

Evan was an ordinary person who felt nervous just facing such legends, yet responded
with a casual expression even in front of an overwhelmingly beautiful elf. There were
so many pretty people around that it had lessened the intimidation he felt.

But this time, Leo spoke, putting his hand on Evan’s shoulder.

“Hey, Bernard. I like him.”

“Isn’t it a bit too soon for that? And don’t covet him, he’s my disciple.”

“So selfish. We’re friends, aren’t we? Can’t we share a student?”

“This kid doesn’t have a talent for swords. Ah, even if you are the King of All Swords,
there is no point in teaching him.”

King of All Swords. It was the title given to Leo Arpeta, born with the highest aptitude
for all kinds of swords. He could handle a dagger, long sword, sword breaker, rapier,
Zweihander, and even a terrific-sized Great Sword that seemed impossible to be lifted
by humans. Yes, he was the possessor of a unique aptitude for swordsmanship.

‘The ability to freely handle any sword. Even if you train with a rapier, you will receive a
skill correction.’

When Yo-Ma Great War 2 first came out, people swore that they set the aptitude as an
important factor and made only the protagonist with this munchkin.

However, when one played the game, other characters may not be able to make use of
their preferences depending on the situation—seeing that only the protagonist played
an active role by changing swords according to Leo’s situation was quite the response.

Leo Arpeta was the main character, and many found it awesome. He was the best
swordsman!

“What, you don’t have a talent for swords? Don’t lie, this guy is very talented in martial
arts. I’m never mistaken for anything like this.”

“It was said that he had no talent for swords, but not that he had no talent for martial
arts. This guy is a martial arts genius.”

“Really?”

“I am not a genius. Is the knight commander coming over?”

Evan, thinking about Leo’s aptitude, suddenly spoke up again.

Leo, on the other hand, was deafened by the argument and soon stood up. Evan felt
tremendous anxiety over the series of flows.

“Grandpa Bernard, I suddenly have a stomach ache, so I’d like to go.”

“I think it’s a little too late to give up, boy.”

“Okay, then let me stick close to you!”

No escape was allowed by Leo, who quickly grabbed Evan’s nape and lifted it, laughing.
Seeing his rapid movements, Evan began to feel tension coursing through him.

“If you are Bernard’s disciple, you would be learning alchemy, including fighting skills.
This is fun, it’s really, really fun. I can already see why Bernard chose to settle here.”

“It will be more fun to experience it.”

“Oh, I’m not liking this…”

The excitement of being able to meet Leo Arpeta had already disappeared. Evan didn’t
know that he would end up having to battle the legend! This felt like a fight between
a dog and a dragon!

Evan pledged that if he died, he would haunt Bernard forever for letting something
like this happen.
Once they were out of the hostel, the group made their way towards a moderately
large and vacant lot.

Originally, quite a few people were hanging around, but the Marquis soldiers quickly
began to shoo them away, bowing their heads politely to Leo.

“Wow, these people are amazing once they notice us approaching.”

“You walk in such a noisy manner that it’d be impossible not to notice you.” Bernard
replied to Leo with a deep sigh. He believed that Leo would thoroughly disguise
himself when he came to him, but he shouldn’t have expected that kind of thing from
such a boisterous man.

‘It would be nice if something unexpected didn’t occur… ’

It would be impossible. Bernard walked right behind Leo, silently laughing at his
thoughts. The air felt cold against the skin.

“Then kid, let’s fight!”

“Leo Arpeta, I swear…”

“Damn…”

It was too sudden to call the Legendary Hero, Leo Arpeta, but it wasn’t a new thing
because Bernard was already calling him that way.

“Grandpa Leo, I’m really very weak. You must be extremely disappointed.”

“Compared to me, everyone is very weak. What I want to see is not your current strength,
but your qualities and will, so don’t worry about those things, you just have to fight
with your full power. I’ll do everything else on my own.” Leo spoke extremely arrogantly,
but everyone who knew about him would have no choice but to understand.

Even though he was already over 60 and heading towards 70, his muscles were still
bulging. No signs of aging could be found within his body. It was possible because his
level of existence and the dungeon were in harmony with his regular physical training.

“Little boy, fight with all your strength. Even if Leo looks like this, he isn’t the one to
easily lose to someone while fighting halfheartedly.”
“I know. The entire continent knows!” Evan replied while pouting his lips at the
teacher. Then he withdrew from Leo to put some space between them. He then took
on the basic posture of Cheonjung.

‘No matter how much I look at him, if I make one wrong move, I’ll be seriously injured in
the least. I need to be vigilant. I also need to avoid his attacks! And most of all, I need to
clear my head and heart to win a fight with such a legend!’

As Evan looked at him seriously, a smile crept on Leo’s face.

“Hey, kid… It’s not that you don’t have any qualities. You’re already ridiculously strong,
right? I knew it would be like this.”

“But he is still really weak compared to you, so go easy on him.”

“If this guy is weak, then I’ll stop calling myself strong!” Leo burst into laughter as he
pulled out one of the long swords from the waist, then rushed straight towards Evan.

Even Bernard wasn’t quick enough to follow his movements completely at that moment,
but Evan managed to catch them. He could clearly see where his sword was aiming.

Evan collected the mana of his whole body into his feet. The surrounding air sank
heavily. This area was now the realm of heaven!

“Okay, then, let’s fight!”

“Please be gentle…!”

At that moment, Evan clenched both his fists with such force that it formed small
waves in the air.

The legend and the little boy collided with such force that it created a huge shockwave
in every direction.
The protagonist of Yo-Ma Great War 2, the King of Swords, Leo Arpeta, changed his
combat method depending on the sword he wielded.

It was the same in reality.

‘The balance between attack and defense, speed, accuracy, and power are really exquisitely
balanced… He has the ability to grab the perfect sword by testing the opponent’s ability
while not even knowing about his detailed characteristics.’

At that moment, he had chosen a classic sword that was so lightweight that he could
swiftly attack with it.

No matter how strong Evan was, Leo overpowered him. All of his attacks were eerily
accurate. Evan couldn’t afford to let down his guard even a little, or he would have
been hurt in no time.

“You dodge well! Then, shall we try to go a little faster?”

“What the… Ugh!”

Leo was constantly using his sword and talking as Evan moved without hesitation,
making a breathless sound whenever he got attacked.

Evan wanted to compliment himself for taking Leo’s full momentum head-on, and for
moving and twisting his body continually, which was even more amazing than he had
expected of himself originally.

‘How is this guy able to dodge me…?’

At first, Leo used his sword lightly enough to try Evan, but now he was becoming even
more and more excited. Every time Evan dodged or blocked his sword, Leo increased
the speed of the attacks. It was getting more and more difficult for Evan to respond to
such velocity!

And surprisingly to everyone around him and himself too, he was regularly avoiding
them!

‘How many slimes could he have crushed at this young age? No, it’s not just his movements
that seem fast. His vision combined with his speed of reaction has an outstanding sense
of harmony… I can’t even guess what the source of the techniques he is using. What is it?
Where on earth did this guy come up with such a funny technique?’

Leo Arpeta threw his sword in the utmost excitement. Everyone screamed.

“Well…!”

But what was even more unbelievable was Evan’s response.

Everyone thought the flying sword would inflict a deep wound without fail, but Evan’s
purple eyes were shining brightly, and his body twisted strangely. He was able to
dodge the trajectory of the sword successfully.

“What…!”

“How!”

Eventually, Leo’s black sword passed right above Evan’s head. Several strands of his
hair fluttered in the air as he triumphantly avoided the sword.

“It looks like the battle is good enough. Keep going!”

“No, stop!”

The legendary warrior didn’t listen to any of the shouts coming from the others. Leo,
who had fallen in love with Evan’s movements, increased his attacking speed to the
next level. He was now fiercely pushing Evan to the edge of his abilities.

However, even more, surprising was the fact that Evan was equally responding somehow.

“I don’t know for sure, but isn’t that dangerous?”

“Huh, Leo might be feeling very excited. It’s been a while since he has moved that much
himself.”

When it was finally becoming hard to even find the shadow of Leo’s sword, Bernard
started to get worried and tried to ask Aria. However, she was busy laughing at the
whole scene.

They were a good couple in general, but that didn’t help in the current situation.
Bernard looked at Illoin this time with a disgusted expression. The woman in question
was deeply focused on the battle between the two.

“The way he is using his fists… It is assisting his movements by shaking the atmosphere
with magical power. It looks like he has also achieved some strength in the realm of
martial arts. He also has a unique power born in the dungeon, presented by God, that
only humans can achieve after they have ventured there… It’s awesome how has he
been able to grow so strong at that age…”

This commentary didn’t help at all. Bernard was skeptical of his former colleagues,
and now his disciple was about to die!

“Let’s go faster. Faster!”

“I’m really going to die!”

Evan was screaming by now.

Using the mana dominance and the power of the weight of his mana, he could somehow
put weight on Leo’s sword to slow it down or push his body with the power of mana
to force himself to avoid the sword. He had to employ various movements to keep
himself from getting killed!

“Ooh!”

“Shit!”

Even Leo, who was enjoying the battle, found a gap and pierced his fist through
without being bored, ensuring Evan wouldn’t be able to relax even for a bit.

It was a little scary when he thought about how far Evan would be able to achieve later,
but right now, he was enjoying the battle.
“Wow…!”

“Ha! This guy’s physical strength is amazing. He has enough guts, very good! There is
nothing lacking!”

The battle, supposed to end in less than a minute, had already exceeded the 5 minutes
mark and was getting closer to 10 minutes. Evan was fighting by pushing the limits of
his physical strength against a super legend like Leo.

“It’s really impossible now!”

“No, I think you’re still fine as long as you’re struggling!”

‘I hate you all!’

However, Grandpa’s judgment was correct. Evan was able to endure Leo for one more
minute only.

Even though Leo tried to go a step further with every passing second, Evan never let
himself be attacked in any way.

“Huh, look at him!”

Rather, Evan gathered energy in his left fist at the last moment, which formed the
shape of a sharp knife blade, even scrambling for Leo’s neck.

Leo’s basic defense was so high that there were no scars that got left behind, but Evan
was the winner in terms of the number of effective hits alone.

At that moment, Leo, who had finally been hit by Evan, smiled and tried to reach out
to his other sword at an even faster pacing. Bernard screamed and stopped him.

“That’s it! Leo, are you really going to kill my disciple!”

“Uh, sorry. After being attacked, I reached out for it instinctively…”

“Ahhhhhh!”

As soon as Bernard broke in and declared the match to end, Evan fell onto the ground.
After the battle was over, a great feeling of fatigue overcame him. He couldn’t even lift
a finger.

“Lord, let me die. My heart might burst any minute.”

“You just fought with me, and your skills have improved. You’ve become faster too.”

“Of course my skills would improve… I just fought a legend like you…”

All skills, including non-skills, grew faster from learning with a stronger person. And
the stronger Evan fought, the faster he grew.

Evan had just fought a total of seven minutes with the strongest man in the world.
However, it was strange that his skill didn’t grow as much as he had expected.

‘I don’t know, but hasn’t the 2nd level risen enough?’ Evan thought, still lying in that
place.

‘Uh, wait a minute. Then, isn’t it that if I enter the Bathhouse now, I can get this training
effect more properly applied?’

When he thought about it, Evan forgot the pain in the whole body and jumped up. It
was unfair that he was forced to fight like this!

“Grandpa, I’ll be going to the Bathhouse. I shall be taking my leave.”

“What bathhouse?”

“There is a Brotherhood Bathhouse that I made together with Grandpa Bernard. You
know, like the ones in Steama, the hot spring village. It is better than those, I bet.”

Leo’s eyes sparkled at the words that it was better than Steama Hot Springs.

“Oh, how did you make such a thing again? No, do not explain. Oh, do it, I don’t know.
Anyway, okay, let’s go together!”

“Without a doubt, the dungeon city of Sherden has really improved to live in, and such
facilities have been created! Illoin, are you going to go with us?”

“Yes, I’m willing.”

Evan’s expression hardened in an instant, but it seemed that the party had already
made up their mind to go to the Bathhouse.

Eventually, he had no choice but to resign and head to the Brotherhood Bathhouse
with them. The news that they were going to the bathhouse spread through the dungeon
city residents in just a few minutes, making them follow in their footsteps…

Fortunately, they were able to enjoy a quiet bath thanks to the Marquis’ soldiers and
knights, who blocked the rest of the people.

“Okay, then let’s start.”

“What are you talking about? Do you want to talk about my disciple?”

“Don’t think about making Evan your disciple. He’s a child who can’t learn
swordsmanship.”

After dissolving fatigue and pain in the Bathhouse’s water, the party returned and sat
around the table, refreshed and in a light mood once again.

The reason they had gathered here was obvious.

“We need to focus on the Mahwa variant, the Mahwa variant! You came all the way
here to tell me about it, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. I was so shocked by Evan’s performance that I forgot for a moment.”

“I understand that, too…”

“No, you don’t.”

Even though the situation had reached this point, Evan was still insisting on the point
that he was weak. But in fact, he had no reason to believe that. Maybe Leo didn’t notice,
and Bernard seemed to be forgetting too…

‘I was clearly wearing the boots before.’

Evan hadn’t taken off his boots even amid battle because he was afraid that Leo would
tease him wrongly and maybe even kill him.
His stats had dropped in half. He had been able to improve his whole body and didn’t
die!

‘Grandpa Bernard is so proud of me, that I was able to match Grandpa Leo’s strength. Or
did Grandpa Leo’s skills deteriorate a bit after a lot of heyday?’

When Evan fought him, Leo would deliberately move slowly in line with Evan, but even
then, Evan thought that the movement was a little slow for the strongest man who had
defeated the Demon King.

However, Leo couldn’t help it, either. He had gotten way older and thus was past his
real prime.

‘How great is it to be so strong at the age of 70?’

Evan convinced himself in that way and nodded. He felt more eager to practice now.

“I have to start getting in shape too if I don’t want to be left behind by your new student.”

On the other hand, Leo did not even know that Evan thought of such cheeky thoughts
and was saying such a thing joyfully.

“After fighting him in person, I saw a lot of things I wanted to teach Evan. You can apply
the tricks of swordsmanship to your fighting skills, and you can also improve your
body movements and combat skills. I will definitely teach you while staying in the
dungeon city.”

“…Alright, then do whatever you want. If you don’t give permission, the story won’t
start.”

“I’ll have to go the Church, of course.” As expected, Leo climbed up like a veteran
protagonist and won the position of Evan’s teacher.

“If that’s settled then, let’s talk about the Mahwa variant. Hmm…”

Leo coughed and made an earnest expression. There was a feeling that it was already
too late, but the words flowing from his mouth were shocking enough.

“They started targeting the dungeon, Bernard. If the Mahwa Flower starts to bloom
inside it… We might lose everything.”
To Evan’s ears, it sounded like a new death sign.
The Mahwa were unable to infiltrate the dungeon in their original seed state, and they
could not take root in the dungeon. Of course, it was also impossible for them to erode
the monsters inside completely.

If you dug into it in detail, there were several troublesome circumstances, but they had
different patterns, to put it simply.

Serving the same Demon King did not mean that everyone would behave in the same
manner.

“By the way, can the Mahwas completely take over the dungeon…?”

“Yes, they most definitely can.”

Evan was horrorstruck as he listened to them. However, Bernard, who was already
familiar with these things, spoke with a distant expression.

“Leo, don’t give me the same advice again. We have to start thinking beyond our
normal horizons to come up with a solution to this problem.”

To this, Leo replied, “You’re right. But if you think about it carefully, Bernard, then
monsters originally controlled by the Mahwa tribe are weakened in dungeons. That
wasn’t the same for this guy. Moreover, when I found it, it was on the verge of death.
However, it was still spreading seeds, even eroding other monsters in an instant. I
found it in the field.”

“…This is a disaster.”

“Of course, the dungeon wasn’t a very small one, but we also organized it neatly.
However, if the Mahwa continues to increase with this momentum, someday the
aftermath will be beyond any of our control. And what if it spreads to the super-large
dungeons?”

“I don’t want to even think about it.”

Normal monsters and the ones being controlled by the Mahwa tribe were fundamentally
different. The latter became demons. They were more dangerous and more vicious.

But what if such a Mahwa would occupy the dungeon entirely? What if the gods
interfered with the dungeons to destroy the order they had built up and made the
interior a mess?

At that time, the crisis of mankind would truly come. The Dungeon City was the main
place where mankind was cultivating power right now.

It was like being deprived of the possibility of future human growth. It was better for
the Demon King to appear than this happening.

‘The Mahwas could never be allowed to invade the wealth inside the dungeon.’

Anyway, the fact that they hated all mankind remained. Evan then asked Leo, pressing
hard on his greasy temple,

“Grandpa Leo, everyone knows about their hatred. Does everyone know about the
dungeon’s situation if they invade?”

“It’s only known to the leaders of each country, but I know everyone would hate to
believe it. Moreover, hunting the Mahwa tribe would only be possible after dispatching
sufficient troops, but the fact that it prevents the dungeon from being infected seems
to have no point.”

Even in Yo-Ma Great War 2, it was Bernard who eventually solved the Mahwa infection
problem!

When Evan looked at Bernard with a salty expression, Bernard patted his shoulder
carefully and exhaled a breath.

Leo continued, “One surefire way is to destroy everything within the dungeon
completely. But in the end, there are limits to what we can do. So Bernard, please make
me medicine. I need a drug that can kill the Mahwa varieties.”
“Leo, motherfucker, every time you ask me to make some medicine, it’s like you expect
me to create a miracle! You motherfucker! Don’t be so simple!”

“Grandpa, calm down! Watch your blood pressure!” Evan tried to calm Bernard, who
had grabbed Leo by the arms, screaming and sporting a crying expression.

“But you made it once, wouldn’t it be easy?”

“They are already resistant to the drugs I made. How many trials do think are required
to make drugs that will do the trick?!”

Moreover, now that they did not know what form of resistance the Mahwa had formed
against Bernard’s drugs, nothing could easily be assured.

It looked like any simple pathogen, but their essence lay in their evilness. It would not
be easy to make a drug that killed only them without hurting humans.

“What if I told you that I had brought a sample for you to run tests on?”

“Give it to me. Once I look at it, I might be able to say something.”

“Oh, I brought a living one. “

‘What? A living one?’ Evan made a blank expression, and Aria smiled and flicked her
fingers.

There was a sudden cracking sound in the air, and then something fell to the floor with
a loud thump. It couldn’t even get a little stiff, but it was alive… It was a goblin.

They had captured a living goblin and kept it in an invisible space!

“Aria has definitely improved her skills.”

“Time does it to everyone. I completed all the work I had to do, and I was wondering
what else to do with my divine power.”

Aria was also a priest. She dealt in divine magic, healing, and attacking.

However, in the game, every side of her was a bit ambiguous so that she couldn’t play
a focused role… However, she was still amazing beyond Evan’s imagination.
“When we traveled together before, it would have been a lot of trouble if we didn’t
have Aria with us.”

“At that time, we weren’t as strong as we are now. Anyway, Aria, you can loosen the
space constraint now.”

“Okay.”

[Kiaah…!]

When Aria flicked her fingers again, the divine power holding the horrendous monster
was released, and it let out a terrible scream.

However, when Bernard put a syringe in his head, it made a wicked sound and then
stopped moving. It had immediately stopped moving by being administered a
numbing medication!

“Hmm, this drug has extraordinary effects on ordinary monsters. Evan, help me.”

“Yes, Grandpa Bernard.”

Legends weren’t called so without reason. Evan thought this and squatted with Bernard
in front of the goblin. He was still learning advanced alchemy from Bernard, but it was
possible for him to assist.

“I have to start with the medication experiment. Do you have more samples?”

“I have kept two more. Should I take them out now?”

“No, I’ll try it with this one. Let’s start.”

From there, Bernard and Evan did all sorts of strange things to the goblins and judged
the status, ability, and resistance of the Mahwa.

Of particular importance was the reaction of the Mahwa to the special drug Bernard
had developed in the past. Once it was clear that it wouldn’t kill it, it was important to
figure out exactly how it was resisting it.

It wasn’t very good.

“I know, right.”

About two hours had passed since then. There were exactly three goblins possessed
by Mahwa lying disassembled. There was only one thing they were able to find out for
sure.

“It prevents the drug from spreading to other Mahwa tribes by different organisms. I
didn’t know that the Mahwa’s ability had developed to this extent.”

“Do you mean you can’t kill them by spraying medicine like you did before?”

“It will be of an efficiency similar to killing them one by one. It made no sense to use
medicine directly on them. I’ll have to do more experiments to find out, but developing
a new drug doesn’t seem to change that much.”

“…This sounds like a really desperate time right now.”

Everyone in the group was silent. At that time, the Mahwa tribes’ blood, which had
been scattered on the floor, started to flow.

Bernard, who noticed it, couldn’t stop it from moving even though he sprayed the
medicine right away, and it quickly pooled on the floor in a specific shape to form a
message. Bernard read it,

“Finally I found”

The blood then vaporized into thin air. The bodies of the goblins also melted and
disappeared.

Evan spoke again cautiously when there was further silence between the group.

“Grandpa, is it too late to run away?”

“It’s too late now. We all have already boarded the same boat.”

“If the Mahwas spread inside the dungeon before we could take care of it, we are
doomed.”

Silence came again after Leo’s insensitive words.

Since the structure and the level of the monsters of small and shared dungeons were
different, Evan wanted to believe that they would not be easily invaded, but that was
only blind optimism talking.

“My Grandpa also made a drug that prevents humans from being infected by the
Mahwa. How is that impossible?”

If they couldn’t kill the Mahwas directly, they had to find a way to somehow stop the
monsters from being infected by the Mahwas inside the dungeon. That could be made
possible.

Evan thought it was a pretty good idea, but Bernard shook his head.

“Do you even know how this situation is different from then? At least, those humans
who could resist it were able to survive. With the cooperation of all countries, prevention
and drug treatment measures were implemented on a global scale. But now? Are you
going to put up the monsters in the dungeon and feed them like medicine for a cold?
Then they will simply thank us and take it easily, eh!?”

Evan, who thought about it for a while, started giggling at that very moment;
something had flashed inside Evan’s mind.

“Just as the Mahwa are contagious among the creatures of the dungeon, can’t we just
make something contagious too? That we can later spread among the dungeon
monsters.”

“…Contagious medicine? It’s a pretty interesting idea, whether it’s possible or not.”

Evan, gaining confidence, spoke with a louder voice,

“Yes, it is. By spraying an anti-infection drug with ingredients harmless to humans

extensively inside the dungeon, the monsters who would inhale it while breathing
would develop an immune system against the Mahwa tribe. And again, through their
breath, it will spread into the dungeon.”

“You mean an airborne infection. Yes, that would be the only way to do it. The question
is whether it can be steadily maintained inside the entire dungeon. Dungeons do not
usually accept humanly changes.”

“We will start researching that from now on,” Evan declared. Bernard, who was
worried for a moment, nodded.

“Yes, it is worth researching. My disciple is indeed very smart.”

The Mahwa tribe, who had survived without eradication until now, had evolved into a
variant with resistance to Bernard’s drugs. The only way to fight the monster-spreading
disease was by using a monster, too.

But what if it was not a drug that harmed monsters? What if they could create and
spread a drug that would only prevent the Mahwa from advancing further?

To infect dungeon monsters with medicine and to prevent the Mahwa from invading
the dungeon while doing so. That was Evan’s and Bernard’s task.

And they both thought it was almost worth dying for.

“Aaah! What has happened to my cute Master’s face?!”

Maybell screamed when she visited Evan for a business report. Evan was frantically
comparing the contents of several books with the notes he had written down.

He replied frankly, “I’m very busy right now, Maybell. Just make it quick and simple.”

“No matter how busy you are, you have to take a break at the right time, Master!”

“Of course, I would like to relax. But if I don’t work hard enough now, I might as well
have eternal rest.”

Developing anti-infection drugs for the Mahwa was easier said than done. He had to
develop a new drug that had never existed in the entire history of the Yo-Ma Great War
series.

However, at least it was concluded mutually that the idea was in the right direction, so
Evan and Bernard stopped everything else and had begun focusing on this task. Evan
was now only able to do slime training at night.

“Of course, I heard from the Marquis, but… What would you do if you fell down from
exhaustion!?”

“What, my father told you?” Evan was surprised.

This was a very important and serious matter, and it was impossible to inform anyone,
so they had only told the Marquis.

He hadn’t told his brother Eric, and even Shine, Belois, and Raihan, about their task in
detail… So why did the Marquis tell Maybell about it?
“Yes, Master. I am also the representative of the Brotherhood Pharmacy. No matter
what kind of medicine you’re trying to make, wouldn’t you need ingredients for that?
We have mobilized all of our manpower to rake up all the herbs and poison we
possibly can.”

“Ah… That’s right. I didn’t think of that immediately.”

“You don’t have to worry about such small details, Master Evan. Just tell me what you
need. I’ll bring you everything!” Maybell exclaimed and tapped her chest enthusiastically.
Her appearance was cool and dignified.

Evan thought she had also grown amazingly.

“Thank you, Maybell. The festival will start soon, and I’m sorry for making things so
hard for you.”

“It’s okay, the festival doesn’t mean anything to me anyway. You can just make the
medicine or something, and afterwards, we can play together!”

‘Yes, I hope so too.’

Usually, Maybell’s overly energetic and positive remarks were a little irritating to Evan,
but now, her remarks cheered him up.

“Breathe, Master, and you shall feel energized in no time. Well, this week’s report is
here. I’ll leave it for you to go over later.”

“…Yes, thank you Maybell.”

Maybell was satisfied as she hugged Evan once and then withdrew. Her scent tickled
his nose.

“Let’s focus again, then…”

He tapped himself on the cheeks and focused on the papers once more. While eagerly
drawing out his alchemy knowledge and making a recipe for the potion, he
remembered the epidemic that had occurred about a year and a half ago.

‘At that time, there was nothing I could do. I just hung around with my Grandpa.’
He couldn’t apply his knowledge of alchemy and pharmacy in those days. He just
wanted to help other people. Everyone said that Evan was the one to have solved the
pandemic, but Evan never thought so. He had done nothing.

‘But this helpless feeling won’t last forever.’

The Mahwa variant was a terrible disaster that couldn’t even be compared to a plague.
They were dealing with something that didn’t even happen in the Yo-Ma Great War
series.

This world had a twisted destiny, and the Mahwa variant was likely to transform it in
an infinitely dangerous direction. Evan didn’t know that the world would perish
before the protagonists of Yo-Ma Great War 3 and 4 could grow properly.

‘At least until then, we have to endure. No matter how extra I am, I have to do everything
that I am able to…!’

He had all the alchemy knowledge of the Yo-Ma Great War series. And he couldn’t lose
now to the ghosts of the old times from Yo-Ma Great War 2.

“I can do it. At least this time, there is something I can do as well.”

He then clenched his teeth and looked at the document as if he would start chewing
them. When everyone in the dungeon city was preparing for the festival excitedly, only
a few, including Evan, seemed to be busy doing something else.

He was burning with passion.

***

On the first Monday of October, the eve of the Dungeon Festival arrived. It could be
said that it was the most exciting day of the festival.

“What, you said that we were invited to play with each other?”

“Well, Master is very busy, so it’s hard for him to make time for the events.”

Shine opened his mouth to the shocking news he had heard from Belois, but Belois
had responded firmly. Shine somehow noticed the sadness in her tone.
“It must be really difficult for him. The most frustrating thing is that we are not being
very helpful.”

“…I would also learn alchemy rather than magic.”

“Skills that don’t require aptitude are even more difficult to master. Just… I just want
it to be resolved as soon as possible.”

Evan didn’t tell them in detail, and he didn’t even let them into the room, but knowing
that his recent routine was closely related to Bernard, they could guess what he was
doing.

“It’s the same as before.”

“No, it’s worse.”

They remembered the past pandemic. It seemed that the situation wasn’t as serious
right now as it had been then, but it also seemed that Evan was struggling harder than
ever before.

“It seems as if he is supporting the world alone.”

“It would be nice if I could kill all the things that bothered him. Everything!” Belois
gritted her teeth.

Sometimes, when the frustration accumulated inside her came out, her eyes became
terrifying, which made Shine instinctively stand at a suitable distance from her.

“If I can’t go with Evan, I’m done.”

Arisha, who was listening to the story, said this without worrying. Her excuse wasn’t
even convincing. In the first place, she was staying in this city because Evan was
interesting to her.

“Did you not say that Count Pellati is coming? Is it okay if you’re not together?”

“My father isn’t coming here to play with me. He will be coming here to work…
Probably to do the same thing as Evan.”

“Then it is a common task in the dungeons… If you don’t know the real situation, you’ll
be frustrated.”

At Shine’s words, Arisha seemed to hesitate a little but soon replied, this time without
much confidence, “If the dungeon is tied up, it will eventually come back to us. If it’s
killing monsters, we can do it too, so we can prepare for it now… Maybe. It’s just a
hunch.”

“I feel a little more at ease when Miss Arisha says so. Then I have to practice even
harder. When is the festival?”

If the time came when a battle might be needed in the end, then they could also stand
out. Their sole purpose was to assist Evan in the dungeon.

While Evan was devoted to his work, they could train hard to improve their abilities
in the meantime. It would be much more helpful to him than to just do nothing and
worry about him!

“But Shine, the other Rookies are looking forward to the festival.”

“Uh, uh… Yes, they are. I spoke about it for a long time, so now I can’t cancel it.”

However, Belois’ cold words stopped Shine’s excitement in an instant. That’s right. The
Rookies had been trying hard so far without being able to rest properly…

Shine nodded his head with a slight trembling expression, but Belois was still glaring
at him. He then proceeded to ask her, struggling to ignore the anxiety creeping up his
back.

“What, why are you looking at me like that? What do you want from me?”

“…Please take care in leading the members, Vice Commander.”

“What?!”

Shine felt frightened, but Belois spoke with a calm expression without any
embarrassment.

“I’m going to practice to help him.”

“Hey, then I will too! I also want to practice!”

“But Shine is the Vice Commander, so he has to take responsibility for all the members.”

“Vice Commander, please take care of this.”

“Uh…”

The two girls spoke with a final tone and left the place. Shine was left alone with his
jaw hanging absurdly.

A feeling of regret filled him as he thought about opting for the Vice Commander
position, but now he couldn’t give it up, so he just wept quietly. Instead, from now on,
he decided to reduce his sleep and increase his training time.

“Vice Commander!”

“Shine, brother, is that you? What did you call us for?”

“It’s the Vice Commander, I knew it.”

That night, Shine gathered the eight children, including Paul, Marie, Dito, Ena, Melson,
Ran, Lin, and Jin. He had decided to lead them on the eve of the festival.

He alone couldn’t handle all of the children, so he forcibly pulled out Raihan too, who
had been drinking alone, to join him, but he felt very tense nonetheless.

“Hey, don’t take any personal action, come over here and stick to one another! We are
the reserve members of the Dungeon Knights Squad. That’s why you have to keep your
discipline even when not in training, okay?”

“But ah, where are Miss Arisha, Belois, and Young Master?”

“I would rather have liked them to be present here too. All of them are training very
hard. Thus, they can’t be here right now.” Shine replied sarcastically at Raihan’s question,
grinding his teeth. Raihan laughed bitterly, guessing that Shine also wanted to practice
alongside them. After all, he was having the same thoughts as him.

“Using your mind to think clearly is of course important. However, when you are
leading a group, there are times when you have to put your mind aside. You have
grown up, Shine.”
“I know. I know, you’re going on a date, right? Don’t even think about leaving.”

“It’s not a date, but I was asked to escort Ms. Serpina because she was afraid to walk
around the streets alone during the festival.”

“The whole world would call it a date, Raihan. Hey, listen! Don’t cross over, come here!
Jin, don’t look at that strange thing, come over here and listen to me. Ugh, this is so
difficult.”

While talking with Raihan, Shine constantly yelled at the children, soothed them,
bought them food, and tried to control them.

He looked more like a nanny than the Dungeon Knights’ Vice Commander, but he was
afraid that someone would make fun of him.

“Anyways, I heard something similar from Hanna, as a result, both canceled. It seemed
like there was an event so important that neither of them could enjoy the festival.”

“That’s definitely something related to the Master. No, there are things they can do
that I can’t, and it’s frustrating.”

“We are also working for the Master in this way. This is because these children will be
a great help to Master Evan in the future.”

“They’re just kids now, at what age will they prove to be useful? They should be helpful
right now… Hey, Marie! No, that’s not a monster!”

Raihan stopped talking and burst into laughter as he saw Shine trying to hold Marie
down, who started running at top speed.

Shine himself seems to be burdened a lot with the Vice Commander’s responsibilities.
However, as he had a wider perspective and quickly made decisions, he was still the
most suitable for the Vice Commander of the Dungeon Knights position. He would
certainly be able to take good care of all the members and help them grow to become
some of the strongest people in the future.

“After all, Master Evan’s judgment is never wrong… By all means, this festival should
end without much work.”

When Raihan released a deep sigh, recalling Evan’s appearance, a large firecracker
fired from the square hill and popped! It exploded splendidly, and the sky was filled
with bright, colorful fireworks.

The Dungeon Festival had begun.

Count Melto von Pellati laughed at the sound of firecrackers coming through the
window.

“I can already hear the sound of firecrackers, so the festival seems to be proceeding as
scheduled.”

“During the festival, the amount of firecrackers fired every night increases, and the
closing ceremony is truly magnificent. The inhabitants of this city love loud and flashy
things.”

“Actually, I also like it very much.”

The loud firecracker sounds, which could only be heard during the festival, always
excited Count Melto’s heart. He felt as if he had returned to the days when he had been
a pure child.

Marquis Soline focused on the report in front of him. He came to know that it was
written by his second son, Evan D. Sherden.

“Huh, by the way, our son-in-law…”

“Our Evan is not your son-in-law.”

“I couldn’t have expected that our reserve son-in-law Evan had a connection with the
legendary hero, Leo Arpeta. The more we get to know about him, the more mysterious
sides are revealed.”

Count Melto had been persistent. Marquis Soline, who knew Evan’s heart, wondered
about what to reply with. But now wasn’t the time to be struggling with such trivial
matters.
“What are you reading? Let me see it too.”

The Marquis chewed his lips as he handed over Evan’s report to Count Melto. It
consisted of a brief explanation of only the core of the situation, the direction of
progress, solutions, and specific action guidelines for everyone.

Count Melto was wonderstruck at the thorough and accurate report and couldn’t
believe a twelve-year-old child had written it.

“Evan’s talents seem to have evolved a lot.”

“It’s because of me and my wife’s genes. Anyway, what do you suggest?”

“Aside from this, is there anything else we can try?”

The two nobles who ruled the dungeon cities faced each other and nodded at the same
time.

“The same report has already been sent to the Kings of each country.”

It was time for everyone to get busy from now on.

“I hope everyone will cooperate.”

“The most important thing right now is the medicine. An anti-infection drug targeting
monsters, is this really something we can make? Of course, there are plans in case
development is impossible, but the results will vary greatly depending on whether
this is possible or not.”

“You have to trust Evan and Sir Bernard.”

“Right. The knights and soldiers will have to work extra hours especially during the
festival, and I’m going to swear by it.”

“To get tired a bit is still better than facing an inevitable death. On second thought, the
Mahwas are worse than death.”

They clearly remembered the gloomy atmosphere that engulfed the whole continent
at the time of the Mahwa crisis. No one could be trusted. Those were dark and terrifying
times.
That had continued until Leo Arpeta arrived along with Aria. He was a hero born from
misfortune as the Mahwah had also killed his parents. But in the end, he was finally
able to drive the Mahwa tribe out of the land.

“The crisis made us all strong. The same can be said for the dungeon, too.”

“Having such a terrible experience was enough for us to grow up. I just want to help
my children grow up in a happy and comfortable environment.” The Marquis sighed.
His son had volunteered to carry a very large burden of expectations.

Count Melto rubbed his shoulder as if he understood what the Marquis was thinking.
Then suddenly, he asked,

“But what about the Marquis of Merdin? You were the one who called him, right? Did
you hear any news from him?”

“His eldest son is already mature and is in charge of the dungeon. We might be hearing
from him soon.”

Merdin was the name of the dungeon city located in Sanguk, and the name of the family
that governed it. The Marquis of Merdin managed the dungeon itself as an efficient
business and earned big profits.

“The eldest son’s name is Silan. I think he’s going to be 25 years old this year.”

“It hasn’t been long since he has reached adulthood.”

The two shared unbearable anxiety. They had given birth to sons and daughters as
well, but in fact, they were too young and under 19 years old to be deemed suitable to
be in charge of the dungeons.

It was an age at which the children didn’t care about many things yet, and were too
young to make the right decisions. In such a situation, since this incident had occurred,
they had no choice but to worry about whether they could deal with it wisely.

“Shall I go to him myself?”

“Are you kidding? You have to stay in Pellati. Instead, it would be nice to send someone
we trust. I am thinking of sending a trustworthy trail.”
“Well, as this happened, even the Dungeon Knights couldn’t get the word out. They are
really troublesome things.”

Marquis Soline also nodded as if it were true. However, even though they were upset,
they couldn’t sit here forever, so the two quickly stood up.

“We have to be efficient about this; for our sake and for our people.”

“I don’t know why only painful events have been happening so far. Notwithstanding,
you came directly to this place. Shouldn’t you meet your daughter before leaving?”

“I went to see her as soon as I arrived here, but she was swinging a rapier as if she was
going to kill someone, so I couldn’t even approach her. Instead, I came to meet you. It
seems that she has learned a lot from Evan while staying here.”

“From that child? We learn all the time. As a father, I’m just too pathetic.”

While people just naively enjoyed the festival, the strongest defense walls were being
erected in both Sherden and Pellati.

The same was true of the former heroes, as nine of them were enjoying the festival.

“Bernard, I got more samples here!”

“After a long time, entering the dungeon made me feel refreshed.”

“The feeling that God forces us to be desperate is not very welcoming when we
experience it.”

According to Bernard’s instructions, they had gone outside to get more samples of
monsters infected with the Mahwa and went to the shared dungeon afterward. They
then collected different herbs and other materials placed in the dungeon.

“My God. Look at your face! Take a little break. I keep forgetting that you’re not as
young as before!”

“Bernard, are you really okay? It will all be for nothing if you fall. Your health is the
most important thing.”

“Hang on, don’t worry. I’m more fit now than when I was younger. What’s more, I’ve
been soaking in the bath once a day, so I know I won’t fall sick. I want to rest too, but I
cannot until this is done.”

Even though Bernard kept saying that he was fine, all signs pointed to the contrary. As
he said, he would have already collapsed if he had not steadily been going to the
Brotherhood Bathhouse and concentrated to relieve his fatigue.

“What do you think then, Bernard?”

“I took a few samples. If I had been alone, it would have been impossible to make the
medicine so quickly. The effect should be tested individually going forward.”

“The most important thing is that it is harmless to the human body, Bernard. You know
that, right?”

“Do you know the difference between medicine and poison, my friend? That is, poison
is an object that can kill us, but medicine is something that in turn targets and kills the
poison.”

Those were the basics of pharmacy that Bernard had learned and taught. He had never
forgotten the basic rules of taking any medicine. Of course, the same was true of Evan,
who had learned it from him.

“Oh yeah. Right, right.”

In response to his trustworthy answer, Leo Arpeta looked like he missed the point.

“I remember hearing that from you about 40 years ago.”

“You guys can remember those days and make such a happy expression. You’re being
unreasonable. Even if I sleep at night, the fire burning inside me urges me to stay
awake.” Bernard looked at Leo and spoke absurdly, but Illoin approached him and
carefully held his hand. She looked like she wanted to transfer her powers to Bernard
if only it could aid him.

“Bernard, I was able to save the world back then because you were there. So please.
Save the world again. You are our only hope.”

“I have to say this right away, Illoin. At that time, I couldn’t completely save the world.
I left and became like this. So this is what I am looking for- a chance at redemption,”
Bernard declared this with a determined expression.

At the same moment, Leo spotted a vial set aside on a shelf and tilted his head.
“Bernard, what is this? It looks like it was sealed separately, right?”

“If you touch it, you will be harmed, so let it go. It wasn’t sealed like that for no reason.”

“So what is it?”

Investigating the reactions of the monsters upon whom he had administered the drug,
Bernard replied carelessly, “It is an emergency measure in case of an unfavorable
event.”

“And?”

“When I first dissected the Mahwa goblin, you must remember the text that appeared
in blood at that time, Leo.”

Leo murmured something and nodded. Indeed, Leo couldn’t help but be surprised at
that time.

What was more surprising was that even Bernard, who always prevented such
happenings before the enemies could even attempt anything, could not prevent blood
letters from forming. It was when he realized that the link between the Rose Queen
and her subordinate Mahwa had become ridiculously powerful.

“Then why did the text appear at that moment?”

“It was already a few years ago that you began to circumvent the Mahwa varieties.
Why now? Haven’t you had a chance to do that?”

“Oh, is it? I definitely thought it was a message to me who cut the Rose Queen’s neck
directly. Wait, does that mean that the Rose Queen is aiming for you now?”

“I think so. That’s a good hunch to consider.” As he thought about it, it made sense, so
they had to agree.

Of course, it was true that Leo Arpeta’s fighting power made it possible for the party
to succeed in the adventure, and finally cut the neck of the Rose Queen.
But what if they did not have Bernard? They could have never erased the Mahwa from
the earth. It would not even have been possible to find a means to distinguish between
the humans and the Mahwa in the first place.

So, if the Rose Queen’s will was properly inherited, it would be natural and logical to
hate on Bernard Garcia more than Leo Arpeta.

“So, are the Mahwa varieties still spreading all over the world? I thought they would
lie dormant forever.”

“Do you want to search to find out, Bernard? They must have been on the lookout for
you all this time. It was fortunate that Bernard was hiding behind a pseudonym and a
mask when they became active again.” Aria’s innocent red eyes flashed as she spoke.
Illoin spoke about what she couldn’t ask.

“Surely they won’t come here, right?”

“Don’t worry so much, Illoin. As I said, this is just the stuff I prepared in case the worst
comes to pass.”

The party trembled at the thought, but Bernard’s expression was extremely calm, and
he was quiet. Evan felt like clapping and shouting, “Oh, so this was the reason Grandpa
Bernard was able to save the entire world.”

“I lived with regret for decades, realizing that I had missed the Rose Queen at the last
moment. If the Rose Queen appears before my eyes again, I would like to kill her
personally, even if it costs me my life.”

Bernard calmly put the syringe into the last monster’s arm. The response was better
this time. It was a sample he had been studying with Evan.

“I have enough confidence to face her this time while staring her in the eyes.”

The cost of injuring the pride of the legendary alchemist was great. The moment
would surely come when the Rose Queen would realize that.

And at that moment, she was looking for them more swiftly than Bernard had thought.
“Here’s a delicious skewer! It tastes better than the Brotherhood Skewers, I bet!

“Hyung, there, take a look at that puppet show! Can you feel the gaze of the ladies?”

“Oh, look at the decorated flowers over there. It’s a dragon! How did they even make
it?”

The dungeon festival had already advanced to the fourth day. Stalls and small events
were scattered everywhere. All the people attending the festival in the dungeon city
radiated energy and were united regardless of their status.

“Will we be seeing Master Eric today? He’s grown at least a few feet from the last time
we saw him.”

“Isn’t he going to stand in public today? How the hell did he get so tall?”

Yesterday, there was an event led by the battle guilds, and today, Eric D. Sherden, the
successor of the Marquis of Sherden, was expected to appear in public.

Tomorrow, with the closing ceremony, the grandest event was going to be held.
Everyone wished that the festival would never end, but they also eagerly waited for
the final event.

“But why are soldiers roaming around like that? Are they being punished?”

“There are some jerks who get crazier during festivals. At times like these, the probability
of crime is higher. There must be a lot of people and money exchanging, isn’t it a more
ecstatic environment than before?”

“Then there are things where we can’t predict anyway.”

Contrary to the people enjoying the festival, Sherden’s knights and soldiers were in a
state of emergency.

The security around the city’s boundaries had been doubled, and in some places, even
tripled.

Security was strict everywhere, and during the festival period, it became more difficult
to judge people who come and go through the city. Drugs distributed by Bernard were
placed at checkpoints everywhere, a drug that responded to the Mahwa variant.

“Kha, are you still on guard today? When will you come back off duty?”

“At the end of this festival. The Marquis said that they were recruiting largely. It is said
that he has already received approval from His Majesty, the King, so please be patient
until then.”

“Recruitment? Is the Marquis trying to wage a war on someone?”

“It would be better if it was a war with humans… There are rumors that we may
encounter a new monster enemy.”

“Monsters?”

No matter how high the crime rate was during the festival, the soldiers wondered why
the workload had increased abnormally this year.

Fact-based speculations and myths of all sorts arose from them, but what they could
do was do their work and pretend as if they were happy doing it.

“Well, isn’t the woman who came through the door very pretty?”

“Oh oh oh! She is!”

“You guys. Check her, check her out.”

It was to the extent that the people around the city were secretly enjoying her looks.
The senior soldier lightly beat those soldiers’ helmets and angered them, but they
could do nothing but grumble.

“She looks like a lady from a noble family. If you bother her and get caught…”
“Tsu, is that more terrifying than the sin of not following your Lord’s orders? Pathetic
things, keep watching here.”

The senior soldier went over and politely bowed his head to the beautiful red-haired
woman who was walking with many servants behind him.

“Welcome to the dungeon city of Sherden, my lady. Can you please tell me your identity
and name?”

“This is the Lakers family of Mana Road, soldier. You probably don’t know.”

The Lakers family weren’t famous noblemen, and it wasn’t unusual for the soldier to
not know them.

“Are you a blood relative of the Lakers family? It is an honor to meet someone who
walks the path of the great earthly magicians. Can I ask for a name if it isn’t rude? The
Lord commanded me to record the names of everyone who enters and exits…”

“I didn’t know I would meet with a soldier who knew our family! I am very happy!”
The Lady clapped joyfully.

It was that moment that a man in a servant’s uniform standing behind her glanced at
the soldier, and a strange light struck the soldier’s eyes.

The soldier immediately bowed his head to her.

“You are Michelle von Lakers. You changed your appearance so much that I couldn’t
recognize it at first. It’s an honor to meet someone from a direct blood relative.”

“Oh, if I’ve met you, it’s even more sad. I want to show you a way to apologize to me…
Will you accept?”

“Of course. I am not a knight, but I cannot reject the Lady’s request.”

The woman called Michelle von Lakers laughed happily and asked the soldier.

“I heard rumors that there is an excellent pharmacist in this city. He’s an old man, but
I’m forgetting his name right now…”

“You are referring to Sir Bernard Garcia. He is a great man, a humble person who
doesn’t want big rewards, even though he has made great efforts to stop the plague…
But what does the Lady want with him?”

After various events in the past, the knights and soldiers of the Marquis had come to
respect him by attaching the title of ‘Sir’ after Bernard’s name, who previously had
none.

Of course, it was even more so because it was known that Bernard was acting as Evan’s
mentor.

“The plague… I’m sure, that’s him. Actually, I have something I want to ask him
personally… Could you please tell me where I can meet him?”

“I’m willing to do that. You may be able to find Sir Bernard right… here.”

The soldier was kind and gave her a map of the private quarters where Bernard was
staying.

“It’s a remote place. He likes solitude.”

“Oh my God, it suits his image… It really suits him. Okay, can I go there?”

“Yes. Originally, he was working at a place called Brotherhood Pharmacy, but now he
lives in those quarters. And if you go there, you will surely be able to meet them.”

“Thank you very much, wonderful soldier.”

Michelle von Lakers smiled happily, thanked the soldier, and turned around.

“Of course. Then I hope you have a wonderful meeting!”

The soldier flashed her a bright smile and ran back to the checkpoint. A loud noise
arose from there, but she stopped looking at him. She thought they were probably
making perverted jokes.

As the servants escorted her, they lined up on both sides. Buried in the crowds, she
walked with a fishy smile on her lips.

“Bernard Garcia… Was he hiding under that name? I thought I might have to search
for a while, but I didn’t know the security would tell me right away.”
“Your Majesty, they are only inferior human beings. There is no way they can resist the
magic of our Mahwa tribe.”

The man who was closest to her bowed and said politely.

In reality, it wasn’t really Michelle von Lakers, but Queen Rose, the ruler of the Mahwa
tribe, who laughed at his words.

“At one time, I thought so too. However, you can never underestimate the potential of
humans. They can be scary too, sometimes.”

In the countless decades in the past, there was an extremely rare presence that radiated
a brilliant light, and the humans had always been able to stop them. If the Queen hadn’t
saved any seeds, their Mahwa tribe’s history would have been wiped off the pages of
history…

“But we are stronger and better than we were in the past. If we call out our forces like
this, we will surely be able to wipe out all humans without difficulty. But why did the
Queen insist on moving herself to this dangerous place…?”

“It’s none of your business.”

The Queen dismissed the words she had heard many times on her way to this place.

“We can’t give that damn alchemist any more time. He’s already making something to
stop us. He’s such a terrible guy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that our success
depends on how quickly we kill him.”

“…The Queen is obsessed with that man.”

On behalf of the man wondering what to say, this time, the female surgeon of the
Mahwa tribe spoke. The Queen nodded without hesitation.

“It was that man who almost killed us. A guy with an empty head like Leo Arpeta, is
not a threat. As long as there is that alchemist, we will surely be defeated by mankind,
but if we get a hold of him, we will surely win.”

“What would you like to use him for?”

“I will make him a part of the Mahwa tribe. I will plant my seeds in him.”
It was known that humans who were possessed by the seeds of the Mahwa tribe would
die eventually. However, there were unusual cases too.

Depending on the concentration and type of power in the seeds, there were cases
where individuals died, deteriorated, or remained whole.

The Queen, amazed by Bernard Garcia’s ability, admired him a lot and thought it was
a waste to kill him. The Queen firmly believed in this.

“I see. If that person became a part of the Mahwa tribe, then there was nothing to be
afraid of.”

“And it will also be the moment when I personally conquer the individual Bernard
Garcia. That would be really pleasant. I’m looking forward to it.”

“…Her Majesty has really learned human emotions.”

The Mahwa were demons. They moved in different places and thought differently
from humans, and of course, their feelings also differed from them in many ways.

However, the Queen’s true aim was left incomplete in fighting Bernard and other
warriors, where she had once lost her body. But then she sprouted new from the seed.

Having promised allegiance towards the Demon King, a vengeance towards humans
and Bernard burned inside her.

Leaving a more efficient path and choosing an uncomfortable path was an action only
taken by humans.

“Because they are strong. It is the duty of the demons to learn what is lacking and
make themselves stronger.”

“Sure… That’s right. Her Majesty’s judgment is correct.”

The Mahwa woman bowed her head, affirming the Queen’s words. The Queen then
continued.

“I have a complete picture of where he is, and I will ambush him immediately at night.
Do not let anyone intervene while I attack Bernard Garcia and take him.”
“We shall follow your orders, Your Majesty.”

“Everything will be according to your will, Your Dear Majesty.”

The Mahwa were extremely polite to the Queen. From the outsiders’ perspective, the
servants must have struggled to be in the Queen’s good graces constantly.

The Rose Queen, in the past, had been indeed a terrible monster. She was an intelligent
enemy who knew how to dig into human weaknesses and move a group.

Fortunately, however, Bernard was a little bit better than her men. Bernard was always
able to surpass the Queen, and Bernard’s wit always saved the humans even when
they were weaker than their enemies.

And he finally protected humanity from the Mahwa tribe’s threat and led the warriors
to the final battlefield.

‘Join me, human. Then I shall give you half of the treasures of the entire world. The Demon
King now reigns, but if we both rise against him, we shall taste the sweetest of victories.’

Queen Rose, who had met Bernard in the ruined Escarotti, had offered him menacingly.

Bernard shone brighter than any other flower, and she wanted to have it.

‘You really are cheap… Damn it, why am I not popular with human women and only
among these monstrous bastards? Is it because of the smell of this herb on my body?’
Bernard had replied.

‘So, what are you going to do, Dane. Will you be the new King of half of the world and
betray them?’

‘You’re being ridiculous. Do you think I want half the world? Oh, but if you bring me
everything, then I shall think about it, at least a little.’

‘…You are really a foolish human being,’ she had said. The Queen had barely survived.

She then fled, and Bernard finally saved the humans.

He had fought for the same humans that the Queen had declared to be “not even worth
protecting.”
“But there were guys like Evan among us, so my choice wasn’t wrong at that time.”

Bernard awakened from his trance and muttered with a bloody smile. It was really
strange for him to smile while remembering those days.

Then he got up.

He gathered the items he had on the shelf, filled the contents into syringes, and loaded
them into his gun.

It was a gun made to shoot syringes and then inject its contents into the enemy.

“Wow, I’m seeing Bernard with a gun after a long time… That’s really cool. I remember
those days.”

Illoin muttered in admiration when she saw Bernard smiling as he checked the condition
of the rifle.

Bernard looked up and looked at Illoin with anxious eyes.

“Well? Is there something in my eyes, Illoin? Or if you have a disease, I can look at it.”

“…”

“Hey everyone, get ready!”

Leo, wearing his greatsword, burst open the door and yelled excitedly as he entered.

“The latest report came from the checkpoint. We have successfully attracted the Queen!
If we take care of everything here, you don’t even need to develop drugs, right?”

“Well, it’s been a long time since the Queen came to this place, and it might make things
a lot easier… Even if we kill the Queen, there will be quite a few of her subjects alive.
Well, no worries though.”

Bernard responded leisurely and laughed.

“Actually, the drug development was completed this morning. Previously, it was only
me, but this time there’s Evan too. It’s wonderful to be able to point out each other’s
errors and come up with new ideas… So Leo, this time, humanity will be able to beat
them quite easily.”

“…That’s great to hear!”

“Oh, Illoin! Wake up!”

One of the party members was in danger of instant death, but they left anyway after
doing some preparations for battle.
Evan repeatedly looked at the blue liquid in the bottle in front of him. It was a product
that he had already reviewed several times, and even an experiment had been
completed perfectly, but it was still unrealistic to him.

When he was the main character in the game, he could have checked the information
and the item’s description just by looking at it, which would have been very convenient.
Only if he could do it now too, he wouldn’t need to be nervous until the end.

“Oh, but actually Grandpa Leo, the main character of Yo-Ma Great War 2, didn’t have
that ability. So, is the main character born with that ability? After all, the ability to
cheat was one of the exclusive properties of the game…”

“Did you say something Young Master…?”

“It’s nothing, Knight Commander.”

Evan shut his mouth.

Then he handed the Knights Commander an inventory pocket filled with hundreds of
bottles of anti-infection drugs that would prevent the Mahwa from possessing other
monsters.

And he also handed him a device that resembled a spray gun. Several of them were
made as spares and which could be kept in pockets.

“You just have to put this bottle here, press this and spray it all over the place. Tell the
other knights please. Our dungeon city’s future depends on it.”

“Yes, Master!”

“The faster you move, the better. I believe that if you spray it once, it will spread deep
into the dungeon. In case that doesn’t happen, I want you to go as deep as possible.”

“Please leave it to me, Master. I know that you have been struggling with its development
while losing countless hours of sleep at night. We won’t let that devotion go to waste.”

“…I can do that too, and well.”

As the Knights Commander accepted the inventory pocket and bowed, Shine mumbled
from the side.

Evan reflected at his words. When the drug was being developed, he wanted to tell
them everything back then, but he already knew that none of them could even go into
the dungeon and covet the role of spraying drugs, no matter how much they liked to
hunt monsters…

“Wouldn’t it be quicker for people who have already attacked the dungeon once to go
in and spread it? I know what’s in your heart, but this time it’s not our turn.”

“So when will it be our turn? How long do we just have to watch while the Master
suffers?”

“After five and a half years, I will become a mature man and create the Dungeon
Knights Squad. And when two years pass again after that, I will get even more busy.”

“Huh…?”

Surprisingly, Evan had given him an extremely specific point of view.

‘Isn’t this the first time he has told me the exact timing of the events in the future…?’ Evan
smiled internally, as Shine made a stupid expression.

“By that time, you’ll be so busy, you’ll be saying you miss these times. You guys will be
the heroes of the next generation, so, do your best now. And uh, don’t curse me later.”

“Is that true…?”

“Of course, it is.”

Evan was struggling now. In the first place, he had never thought that he would be in
the spotlight when the main story of Yo-Ma Great War 3 would appear eight years
later. No, his abilities weren’t great enough to do something worthwhile in the first
place!

He would sit in a safe place and watch the main story of Yo-Ma Great War 3 unfold as
he occasionally popped slimes.

The hardships would allow the hero to improve while he did all the hard work, and
sometimes Evan would clear the path for him without him even knowing, and leave
the rest of the work to Shine and Belois, who would have grown stronger by then. He
could surely make them grow, at least!

“So, are these grandpas the leaders of the current generation?”

“Yes, they are. In fact, they are like the twilight of the entire generation.”

Originally, the Mahwa were an ancient curse that should have been exterminated more
than a few decades ago.

But they were left to rot instead.

‘Because the protagonists of the new series hadn’t grown properly yet… ’

Evan thought so and recalled the faces of the heroes who confronted the Queen of the
Mahwa tribe.

“You are the dawn of the new generation, Master. You don’t have to prove it to anyone.”

“The dawn of a new generation? Me?”

The Knights Commander nodded as if there was no need for anything more. Evan was
disgusted.

“No, I’m not going to play the lead role. I can’t do that because I’m a natural extra. So,
don’t expect me to, Knights Commander.”

“Haha! You are still witty. What kind of generation can you say you want be in? Is it
something you can avoid by saying you don’t like it?”

He carefully held the inventory pockets Evan handed him in his arms, and then
laughed again.
“You just need to say it as it is. The day will come when you will naturally realize it.”

“No, you’re definitely mistaken right now…”

However, despite his excuse, the Knights Commander turned around with a cool smile.

He was about to leave to go to the dungeon with the other knights.

“I will definitely come back after completing my mission.”

“…Please, be careful.”

It was a pity that there was no time now. Later, when the Knights Commander returned
from the dungeon, Evan would have to convince him that he was just an extra.

This might be the end anyway.

Evan wanted to confirm that Grandpa Bernard had safely killed the Rose Queen, but…
he felt so sleepy and tired at the moment.

When he thought he had done all of his work, Evan yawned. While working with Bernard,
he couldn’t sleep well for days. Struggling to develop drugs, he suffered from extreme
fatigue.

“You still have to wash and sleep, Master Evan. When you enter and leave the
Brotherhood Bathhouse, you will feel refreshed.”

“Wow, you’re annoying… Alright, I got it. I’ll prepare to go to the bathhouse, so come
ready.”

“Yes Master.”

Shine nodded and stepped back as Evan took off his clothes. But before ending the
visit, he pulled his head out and told Evan,

“Oh, go to bed first, then wake up and come to the festival with me tomorrow. Still,
isn’t it sad that you couldn’t attend the festival for at least a day?”

“I wanted to hear this from a girl.”

“We are also looking forward to Lady Arisha and Belois.”

“Will you take care of Arisha?”

“Haha! What a nice joke, Master.”

It wasn’t a joke. Shine closed the door and disappeared. Evan cursed and took off his
boots.

In an instant, his stats doubled… More precisely, he had returned to his original level,
which gave him energy.

Though the increase in status did not release his fatigue.

“Well, what should I do then?”

The realm of his senses expanded to its original level, and Evan was able to sense the
presence of something flying towards him from afar.

He instinctively reached out with one hand. He caught something small, flying fast
through the window in his hand. It was a catch perfect enough to draft him straight to
major league baseball!

‘What the hell?’

Certainly, it was something alive, but Evan inadvertently held it with his strong grip. It
exploded and died instantly.

“Ah.”

Evan belatedly realized what he had done and exclaimed. Blood flowed from his hand.
Of course, it wasn’t Evan’s blood, but the blood of something that had been caught and
killed by him.

“Oh, it was a lost bird… But what was it doing here?”

That wasn’t the end.

They kept flying through the window!

Evan tilted his head and took advantage of his powers to reach the limit and caught
them all. It was a bonus to instinctively squeeze each one of them hard every time he
grabbed one!

[Woman, there must have been something with you too!]

At that time, Evan heard a voice from somewhere, and he looked up. His hands were
already covered in black blood.

[But the Queen’s orders are absolute. She ordered the alchemist’s disciple to be killed,
so be sure to kill him right here!]

“Oh!”

At an overwhelmingly fast pace compared to the other things that flew at him so far,
something else shot towards him this time.

It produced such a strong shockwave that the windows shattered, and all the furniture
in the room fell over.

“Oops.”

[Wow!?]

But that wasn’t enough to escape Evan’s hands and ears. Evan flew to its face, grabbed
it with a strong grip, confirming its identity.

[This guy, how did he even get me! Hiding this terrible power at such a young age…!]

“What’s this? A dungeon bat?”

Dungeon bats were a class of dungeon monsters that could be seen in almost all types
of dungeons. They usually had a blood-sucking ability and considerable combat power
unworthy of their small, insignificant appearance, so those who first encountered
them would have a hard time.

Moreover, like the other monsters that appeared in the dungeon, it was a monster that
could not be underestimated. There was also a super-elite that appeared in a mixture
of varieties, enhanced species, evolutionary species, and sometimes all of them…
There might have even been a mix of variants that knew how to speak.
“I won’t die easily. I’m stronger than this one now… I took off my boots for no reason,
damn it.”

[I will surely kill you even if I lose my life here! By order of the Queen…!]

It was a dungeon bat that couldn’t be killed with a hardened grip.

Evan was surprised by that fact, but once he thought about it, there was another skill
that he could use at any moment.

[Ahhhhhhhhh!]

“Oh, oh. It feels like this is quite triggering…”

That was the only active skill that Evan had gotten from the dungeon. It was the
Heavens Press!

When the gods had first given him that skill, Even wondered where he could use it. He
thought it might be okay to use it now.

[Ahhhhhhhhh! Her Majesty…!]

“Does the bat have a Queen?”

‘Am I hallucinating?’ Evan thought to himself.

‘It might be that my sense of reality has disappeared a bit as it has become my daily
routine to be quite busy; and now I am starting to have conversations with the mythical
characters of Yo-Ma Great War 2!’

Evan reflected and added more strength to his grip. He didn’t know beforehand, but
Heaven Press was a really weird skill where dazzling light poured out of his grasp
when activated. The effect was great.

“Master Evan, let me help you!”

“What’s this?”

Shine rushed in after kicking the door open; he soon noticed the unusual things that
had happened and stiffened his expression.
‘How could this have happened in the short time I was away!?’

Still exhausted, Evan only shrugged, adding strength to the hand holding the bat.

“I don’t know, the dungeon bats just suddenly came inside. So I caught them all and
killed them.”

“Young Master has been attacked! Call the knights right away and find out the well-
being of the Marquis and other family members!”

Shine immediately decided that Evan was in a very dangerous position and immediately
screamed out to others as he hurried to Evan.

But he didn’t have to worry about Evan. The bat was soon going to be squished.

[Unbelievable… Your Majesty, the most terrible monster… is here…]

“How is it talking!?”

“Oh, you can hear it too? Then they aren’t hallucinations… Uh, are we dead?”

[The monster, the child…!]

That was the last of it. The bat blew up and died in the dazzling light of Heavens Press.

Evan felt his whole body full of adrenaline at the moment.

“Master Evan, are you really okay!? Did you get bit or anything?”

“Young master!”

“Evan!?”

Shine groped Evan’s whole body to confirm his safety.

Evan’s whole family, including Belois and Arisha, rushed into his room.

Fortunately, it seemed that Evan was the only one who was attacked. Of course, only
Evan had a deep relationship with Bernard among the Marquis’ family!
“What happened here…?”

“Evan, are you really okay!?”

The windows, along with everything else in the room, had broken. It was messy.

The Marquis, who looked around with a startled expression, rushed to Evan.

However, Evan just laughed lightly, raising both of his bloody hands.

“I’m really fine. I can catch any number of dungeon bats, father.”

“The dungeon bat aimed for Evan’s room by breaking the strict boundaries…? That’s
the Mahwa, the Mahwa! It’s obvious it was the Mahwa tribe who possessed the dungeon
bat!”

“No matter how much my abilities grow, I can’t kill a monster possessed by the Mahwa
tribe.”

Evan laughed again innocently, all the while saying that his father was good at jokes.
However, everyone who saw that eerie innocent smile was convinced at that moment.

Even if the Mahwa people themselves came, they would have been slaughtered by Evan!
The syringe shot towards the Queen, but somehow, she avoided the first projectile. A
loyal Mahwa had taken it on her behalf.

But the next one was inevitable!

The next syringe was inserted into the Queen’s shoulder and injected its contents into
the Queen’s body. It was an extremely dangerous poison for the Mahwas.

“We have a hit on her, Illoin.”

“Leave the rest to me.”

Soon, arrows with terrifying speed and force poured down like a shower over the
Mahwa tribes.

The Mahwa, who had sensed by now that things were going wrong for them, formed
a shield to protect the Queen, but it was too late. The syringes that flew in with the
arrows stabbed into the bodies of the Mahwas, taking away their energy.

“Fuck, it’s the alchemist…!”

“How do we get out of this…!”

“You won’t understand even if we start explaining it to you. Leo, come now!”

“Yeah!”

When the Mahwa tribe were stuck in place by the long-ranged attack, Leo Arpeta,
whose ability was amplified after receiving a buff from Aria, a priest, grabbed a great
sword and attacked them.
“Thank you for coming to your death party!”

The sheer pressure from the attacks took the Mahwa tribe by storm. Evan thought that
Leo had gotten weaker, but that wasn’t the case at all. His muscles were swollen, and
his body was as vicious and agile as he was in his youth.

“Have you guys gotten weaker, or am I getting stronger? Haha!”

“Leo Arpeta…!”

The Mahwa tried to fight against him; going for a surprise attack was a big mistake.

“Oh!”

One of the Mahwas who directly received a hit head-on became blood splattered, and
the rest of the Mahwas were pushed back as if struck by a bolt of lightning. It was a
show of great power, indeed.

“Protect the Queen!”

“Hey, my strength is running out. Your Majesty…!”

What was more was the fact that Bernard’s syringes and the solution contained in
them were too fatal to the Mahwas.

Due to excessive poisoning, their strands of Magi were cut, and their cells started to
die, making it impossible for them to retaliate properly.

“The connection… is fading.”

“How were the humans able to find the source of connection between the Mahwas?”

The most serious blow was that the connection between the Rose Queen and her
servants was broken.

Originally, the Mahwas were connected to the Queen and received energy from her;
now, the connection was disconnected!

“How is this happening!? In order to not be poisoned by you again, we created countless
varieties and eventually evolved into much stronger living entities…!”
The Queen, who had pulled the syringe out of her shoulder, increased her body’s magical
energy and ground her teeth, trying meticulously to burn the energy of the medicine
somehow.

However, the connection between the Queen and her servants, which had already
been broken once, could not be restored. The moment the Queen was shot, the fight
was already over.

“The ‘species’ of Mahwa have clearly evolved beyond the point that they cannot be
annihilated by the drugs I made, I admit it. Now, I personally do not have the power to
eradicate your kind. Probably not in the near future.”

Bernard loaded another syringe into his gun. There was a slight smile on his mouth.

“But you also have weaknesses. It is that the Rose Queen is in control of a race that is
too dependent on her. Knowing that, isn’t the answer simple?”

“So it was you again…!”

“If you give into the contagious nature of the drug, you guys as individuals are pathetic…
In the end, it wasn’t so difficult to create a drug that weakened the Rose Queen.
Moreover, just as you guys got secret information on us, we got enough data about you
guys too. Especially about you, the Queen.”

Bernard pulled out a black, glowing pistol. It was loaded with bullets containing the
special drugs for the Queen.

It was also a drug he had developed over several decades and had recently progressed
with it with Evan’s help.

“Queen, you made only one mistake in the process of evolution. As a result of doing a
little bit of effort to restore the individual’s uniqueness, the process has made the
connection with your children a bit blurred. If you think about it, isn’t that natural
too?”

“……”

“The moment I learned about it, I realized that four years of self-filled parts of my
potion were very small. In other words, you and I made it together. Isn’t it fun?”
“Bernard, the legendary alchemist…!”

When Queens died, they planted their seeds in the body of another child connected to
her and then fled.

Bernard knew that killing the Queen again would eventually result in repeating the
past unless he somehow solved the underlying problem.

This was the drug he had developed just for that reason. It was a drug that completely
broke the connection between the Queen and her offsprings, turning her into a
completely different entity.

“This is really the end of you, Rose Queen.”

“No!”

The arrows, the great sword, and the shackles simultaneously hit the Mahwa group,
and Bernard precisely aimed the pistol between the Queen’s eyes.

Bernard didn’t make any mistakes at such a critical moment. The bullet was shot right
through the Rose Queen’s head.

Some of the Mahwa who saw the Queen fall on the spot were dumbfounded.

They were now trying to get away!

“Catch them!”

“I’m still holding onto it! Oh?”

Aria crushed the Mahwa tribe by creating powerful spatial pressure in all directions.

Two of the Mahwa tribe, to their surprise, threw away their human shells, turned into
small animals, and slipped out!

“They’re the variants, and they’re really gone!”

“Illoin!”

“On it!”
Illoin quickly shot arrows at the fleeing Mahwas.

However, one took the other as a shield.

In this way, it was able to escape all of the arrows of Illoin and hide in a large street. It
was a move that could only be executed if it had planned to escape from the beginning.

“What was that? Were they not loyal to the Queen?”

“You fool, Leo, I just told you. The connection between the Queen and her children has
been diminished. Maybe it’s not just those guys. Other Mahwas who are still alive in
the world may be rather delighted to have become independent from the Queen.”

“Although they may have become stronger as individuals, they have also become much
more fragile than before.”

That’s right. The Queen’s obsession with taking revenge on Bernard had turned the
Mahwas into something other than themselves.

Of course, their power was still lethal to mankind, and they let one get away.

What they needed to do now was to inform the Marquis’ Knights who were waiting.

Bernard diligently fired his pistol to tidy up the Mahwas who survived.

Then he started firing all the remaining bullets into the Queen’s body. The Queen’s
body, which had been tattered, melted halfway.

“She is already dead. You won’t be getting any kind of a reaction out of her.”

“Last time, I was so vigilant and still messed things up. I just missed the last guy too.
Moreover… No, no. Anyway, she’s definitely dead. The Rose Queen will never appear
again in the world.”

“She was a really persistent woman… Not my type.”

“That’s right. She wasn’t my type, either.”

Bernard, under Leo’s protection, carefully approached the Queen’s body.

But then, a thorn vine popped out of the Queen’s body, which forcefully smashed the
great sword that Leo reflexively put out and wrapped itself around Bernard’s wrist!

“Damn it! Bernard!”

“…It’s okay, no surprises. The Queen has completely lost her ability to possess and
reproduce. This is just… It’s a curse that activates at the Queen’s death.”

According to Bernard’s words, it was the last attack. A thorn was wrapped around
Bernard’s wrist, and the connection to the body was cut off, and the Queen’s body
completely melted and disappeared.

The bodies of other Mahwas also started disappearing, leaving no traces. All that was
left was a thorn around his wrist. Its shape also looked like a bracelet.

“Bernard! Are you okay!?”

“I’m okay. There is nothing to worry about.”

Illoin hurried up and grabbed Bernard’s hand. Some of the thorns had slightly lodged
in Bernard’s wrist. But Bernard’s appearance was calm.

“I’m storing up my stamina and power… It’s not so serious, don’t worry. I can handle
this curse.”

“No, but a curse is a curse! We need to cleanse it right away… What? Divine power
doesn’t work at all! If I can’t get rid of it with my divine power, this is something no
one can touch…”

Just like a cursed artifact. If Evan had been here, he would have called it that way.

There were many ways a cursed artifact could appear, but now this was what appeared
when a being with strong mana died with a terrible lust for revenge… It was extremely
strong as it was left behind by Queen Rose, the last boss of Yo-Ma Great War 2.

“What the hell will you do with this, Bernard…! Leo, you couldn’t handle that one!”

“You just didn’t see me block it with the great sword! Look at my expensive great
sword. It’s broken, just like that! If it’s something I can’t stop, I can’t stop it even if God
himself comes!”
When Aria saw her dear friend being cursed in front of her eyes, she put out a double
wick and slapped it in the back of her husband.

At that time, the cursed man, Bernard, sided with Leo.

“Leo is right. That’s the original curse that can take away your life. It is not something
that can be prevented by human powers. You’ll have to take it and accept it.”

“…Have you ever had a thought that this would happen, Bernard?”

Bernard nodded slowly at Illoin’s question.

“A curse is a strong connection between oneself and the other more than anything else.
Honestly, I can only say that I had suspected it. I knew it was inevitable. I tried to dodge
it somehow, but I failed, so I just accepted it. At least if I do this, the Rose Queen will
never be released again.”

“Being such a fool…”

“Bernard…”

The party sighed, but Bernard’s expression remained calm. He was really fine.

This wasn’t a curse that could have taken his life, and even if it was, it did not mean
that the Rose Queen could be resurrected.

“I feel like I’ve finished doing my homework right now. This thorn on your wrist is
probably a penalty for delayed action on your part. So, there’s nothing to look like that,
Bernard. Anyway, there will be no problems in daily life, as the Rose Queen is gone
forever.”

“Aren’t you going to hunt the remaining Mahwas with me?”

“Nope. I really did enough now. Now I will spend the rest of my life teaching Evan in
this city about alchemy.”

“…Dane.”

Leo stopped asking at his friend’s stubborn appearance.

“If something big happens with that thing, you have to report it to me immediately,
okay?”

“Hey, what could you do if you knew about it? You focus on catching the remaining
Mahwas, including the one that we just missed, and start killing them.”

The two old friends eventually started laughing together. Aria smiled at seeing those
two that way. Illoin, on the other hand, was only looking at Bernard.

Thus, a great war, which had been raging on for a long time, had now come to an end.

Of course, there were still some enemies left… But it was up to the new generation to
deal with them.
“We couldn’t find the Mahwas who fled from the battlefield. However, the knights who
entered the dungeon finished spraying the drugs up until the 30th floor safely. With
the help of the Paradise Wandering Guild and the Phoenix Guild, we found and destroyed
the remnants of the Mahwa tribe in the dungeon.”

“Up to the 30th floor, hmm… That would be enough for the time being.”

Evan nodded at the Ironwall Knights’ report. He ritually bowed his head once and
continued with his report.

“The Knights Commander Mikhail D. Airock has gone beyond the 30th floor with the
elites of Paradise Wandering and Phoenix. The rest continue to spray the medicine on
the lower floors. After this work is over, I believe that the Mahwas will never be able
to set foot in the dungeon city of Sherden in the future.”

“But I’m not sure of that yet. I have personally confirmed the drug’s effectiveness, but
there are exceptions everywhere. For the time being, the security system will have to
be strengthened to maintain strict vigilance.”

“Yes, I understand!”

After reporting, the knight immediately saluted, then stepped back and left.

Only after the knight was completely gone from view did the Marquis shake his head
with a deep sigh. Evan did the same due to exhaustion.

“I think it was all thanks to the quick use of your abilities and strategy.”

“But I am worried about those Mahwas who fled from the battlefield. What if they
went deep into the dungeon and attempted to possess more monsters?”
“We don’t have to worry about that because the dungeon is being kept under very
close watch, Evan.”

Evan had built something of a reputation for worrying and getting overwhelmed. Of
course, he did everything meticulously. It was also evidence of his caring personality…

“You’re worrying needlessly, Evan,” the Marquis said, shaking his head firmly.

“Moreover, the Mahwa, who had to shed their human bodies to escape from the battle
with the heroes, could never have entered the dungeon. It is just reasonable to think
that they have already left the city by mixing in with the crowd.”

“Out of the city…”

“Yes.”

The Marquis took out a map showing the surrounding terrain. He showed it to Evan
and started explaining.

“Evan, look. There are six nearby dungeons that we are aware of. I’m going to clean up
all of these places by calling out all the knights and the soldiers. But I am expecting
that we wouldn’t be able to find the Mahwas even here.”

“Are you saying that they’re already out of our grasp?”

“That’s it.”

There was no need to explain further because Queen Rose had already been killed
here.

For the Mahwa, the dungeon city was currently the most dangerous place in the world,
and they would want to escape it as soon as possible.

“From now on, they will try to go into hiding. Maybe someday they’ll target the dungeon
city of Sherden again, but at least not for now. That we can be sure of.”

“…The other dungeon cities will still have to fight the Mahwas, though.”

“The Rose Queen is dead. Neither the Pellati nor the Merdin family are weak enough
to lose dungeons to the weakened Mahwas, so don’t worry too much about it, son.”
“Is that so?”

“Sure, it is.”

The Pellati and Merdin families were already warned about the Mahwas. The Mahwas
would wander without reaching any land and would eventually face complete extinction.
It looked that way.

“And that’s thanks to the potion you made, Evan.”

“I made it with Grandpa Bernard’s help. It’s something I could never make by myself.”

“Yeah. Yes, of course, I know. Anyway, you have had a lot of trouble, my son.”

The Marquis patted Evan’s back and said, “And I can’t deny that your role has been
extremely significant from the beginning to the end of this situation, so if you want
anything, tell me. This time, I’m ready to grant you whatever you wish for, so don’t
hesitate to ask…”

“Then let me enter the dungeon again, father.”

The Marquis’ mouth was left hanging wide open. However, Evan repeated his words,
looking at the Marquis with serious eyes.

“Please let me go into the dungeon, father. I want to be stronger. We all have to be
strong. Shine, Belois, and Raihan, even more so than me.”

“…Yes, I see. If your will is so determined, I won’t stop you anymore.”

The Marquis had no choice but to nod his head in the end with a bitter expression on
his face.

Evan thought the dungeons weren’t dangerous for him, and he found the Marquis’
appearance quite funny.

“You’re right, Evan. Go into the dungeon. Even though I’m leaning too much on you,
who is already beyond the level of a child, it is harsh to put a child’s standards on you
when you’re growing this much. Do whatever you want.”

“Thank you, father!”

“But not right now. There may still be Mahwas left in the dungeon, so please wait for
a little while. And… Isn’t there a day left for the festival? Go and have some fun as well.”

“Ah… Yes.”

It was morning. The last day of the festival had dawned.

Just yesterday, a person who was likely to lead the world to destruction had been killed
in this city, but most people didn’t even know it.

“All the people would be enjoying the grand ending to the festival today, father.”

“Yes, that’s fortunate. It is up to the nobles and rulers to keep the people living in peace
without knowing about stuff like that, Evan. Just as you always do.”

“My father is always exaggerating. I am always borrowing the power of others.”

After underestimating himself yet again, Evan replied with a bitter smile.

But the thoughts of the Marquis wouldn’t change.

Evan was scared of the moment when the Marquis would be disappointed after
realizing his limits. That his true role was that of an extra.

“I am just an unimportant person, father. I am just someone playing a tiny part in the
main story of the protagonist.”

“Oh, yeah?”

But this time, the reaction of the Marquis was quite different.

The Marquis lowered his head and looked at Evan with a serious expression.

“No matter how people judge you, son, you don’t have to pay attention to it; don’t let
yourself be directly affected by it. And Evan, you shouldn’t think of yourself as nothing.”

“That’s……”

“Evan, everyone is the main character of their life. There is no such thing as a supporting
role. No matter what anyone says, you are the protagonist of your life. Do you
understand?”

“…Yes, father.”

Evan was at a loss for words.

Here, he couldn’t compare this world to a game anymore; because it wasn’t. He could
also no longer describe himself as an extra that always faced a miserable death.

Evan thought about the Marquis’ words a little. Problems such as not loving yourself
enough, or not having faith in your possibilities, and underestimating your abilities
didn’t exist in lore only.

“Take on the challenge in front of you, but don’t forget to take care of yourself. Don’t
step away… Whatever awaits you in the future, don’t be afraid of it already.”

“………”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, father.”

Evan wasn’t sure yet. He could never convince and accept himself the way the people
around him judged him, and he could not give up the idea that he was an extra.

But as he listened to the Marquis, he felt something stir inside him.

“I do… If there is anything I can do, I will do my best to do it.”

“That’s the spirit, son. Now, go enjoy this festival! I feel like I can feel the eyes of the
children who are staring at me outside.”

Evan laughed at the Marquis’ joke and left the room. He was dazzled to find Shine,
Belois, and Arisha waiting for him in their outing clothes at the door.

The Marquis wasn’t telling a joke after all!

“Is it over now? Let’s go out, Master. The kids are waiting for you, anxiously.”

“You’ve been really hard at work, Young Master.”

“Evan, buy me the clothes you bought for the kids too.”

Shine and Belois were wearing the clothes that Evan had bought from the Royal City.

Indeed, it was worth buying the clothes that increased with the wearer’s body changes.
Even though both had grown quite a bit compared to the old days, the clothes still fit
them perfectly.

“Buy some for me, too. I want to share memories with you.”

And, perhaps, while waiting for Evan, Arisha had heard about the story of the clothes
from Shine and Belois and kept asking for a gift from him in a rather strong tone, which
was rather unusual for a simple girl.

“My birthday is in January. I’ll be looking forward to it,” she continued.

“When you present clothes to me on my birthday, I will feel like we have something
really special between us! Therefore, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Arisha once again spoke in a strong tone and turned. Evan was convinced that if he
didn’t give her a gift, something very dangerous would happen.

The only way to be safe was to give her clothes that matched the others on her birthday
as soon as possible…!

“I should give a gift to the Rookie children at this opportunity too. We can say it is a
gift from the Templars.”

“Then it means that you have accepted Miss Arisha into the Dungeon Knights, Master.”

“…I’ve already given up on kicking her out of the squad, Shine.”

“Then why do you look so sad as if you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life?”

“Master Evan, don’t pay too much attention to him.”

Belois spoke firmly.

“If the lady tries to force you anyway, I will stop her. For you, I am not even afraid of
getting any amount of blood on my hands.”
“No, you won’t do anything like that, Lua!”

“I’m sorry, Master…”

Belois always truly cared for Evan. Of course, it was difficult to kill people!

“Well, what about Raihan hyung? Is he with the kids right now?”

“Raihan hyung was taken by two dignified women. No one could stop them from
taking him.”

Shine replied, trying to hold back his laughter.

“The work is over now, but we still have one day before the festival ends, so I can’t help
but go out with you three. It’s a pity that I couldn’t see Raihan.”

“…Please, leave all of your worries to us, Master!”

Evan was anxious. Raihan Drukas was the only one among them who could protect
him from a flying knife attack.

Without him, there was no guarantee!

For a while, Evan had to lend Miraseul’s necklace to Raihan, and now he regretted it.
Evan’s group stood out as twelve people, including the Rookie children, and moved
together through the festival. Not only the children, but all the other members’
appearances were quite unusual as well.

“Oh my goodness, look at him! He is so pretty. I heard that Lute Girls are coming to this
festival, is that right?”

“I think so. Especially look at that boy. I’ve never seen such a pretty child!”

“Wow, he is so handsome. Should I go talk to him?”

As the dungeon festival was being held on such a large scale, many people among the
festival-goers saw Evan for the first time.

However, it was not easy to look at them for longer than a few moments, as the party
moved quite fast.

And that was because they weren’t just pretty and cute little kids anymore!

“Wow, a lot of people came to see the festival.”

“It’s dangerous, so even if someone can’t enter the dungeon directly, Master, there are
many people who admire dungeon explorers. I don’t know, but I guess these are such
people.”

“Do they yearn for such dangerous things because they have nothing else to do?”

“It’s also because as you get stronger, you also get a chance to earn a lot of money…
I’m not saying that I think like that too, Master. Oh, hey! Melson, where are you going?
I’m over here!”
Evan was amazed to see the crowds that filled the streets of the dungeon city of
Sherden. The alleys were crowded with people, and the businesses were booming.

‘I don’t think there were so many people in the game.’

Evan was relieved that they had safely lured the Mahwa tribe, including the Rose
Queen, to the place they wanted.

It was surprising that there were no casualties as the whole battle ensued. That was
probably due to the strategy laid out by the Marquis and the heroes. As he toured the
venue, he realized how smoothly the situation had ended.

“And of course, the most surprising thing was Grandpa’s ability to correctly predict
that the Rose Queen would find him right away…”

“What is Grandpa Bernard doing now? Is it okay that the Rose Queen left a curse on
him before dying? It was such a big deal. Should I really even be enjoying the festival?”

Aa Evan was lost in these thoughts, Arisha pulled both his cheeks.

“What? What are you doing…!”

“While escorting a woman, you have to focus on her.”

“You’re not a woman. And I am escorting all the preliminary members of the Dungeon
Knights.”

Evan responded bluntly with an expressionless face as he slightly pushed away Arisha.

As these words came out of his mouth, he looked back at the children. Shine was the
one in charge of taking care of them.

“Jin, you already bought that yesterday. Okay, stop staring at me like that, I’ll buy it
again for you. Ditto, you get your hands off of it right now! How old are you, picking
up something that fell on the floor and eating it! Don’t fall behind, and everyone, come
this way!”

“Vice Commander Shine! Let’s go see this!”

“Let’s play all afternoon here!”

“Don’t scatter, and everyone come this way, and if no one comes, I won’t buy you lunch
today!”

“Okay, Oppa!”

He had been handling them just for a day or two, but by now, he had completely
mastered the skill of babysitting. The overwhelming reassurance felt from him
encompassed all the children!

However, this did not mean that Evan was relatively independent of them. He certainly
did not feel like he was walking with Belois and Arisha in a somewhat romantic
atmosphere.

‘Oh, maybe this is a situation where I am sympathizing with Raihan Hyung.’

Evan thought momentarily and started to sweat.

“Master Evan, it would be nice to focus on the stalls that have stood in the same place
for five days. Let me guide you.”

“Oh, Lua, thank you. All right, let’s go.”

“…If Belois comes out like that, I’ll figure out how to escort Evan too.”

“I’m sorry, Arisha, but will you not leave that idea?”

Evan never got around the concept of dating, but he knew that the things they were
doing while walking around the streets were almost like it.

“Master, there is a mini-game where you can win a prize.”

“If you say that, there must be a prize you want to have. Let’s go play together.”

“Oh, no, Master. I am okay.”

“Then give it to me, Evan. I want it.”

“…Can I ask for it, too, Master?”

“So, you should have asked honestly from the beginning, Lady Arisha.”
“Why would only the two of you have fun?”

Evan couldn’t get out of this situation anyway, so in the end, he decided to play actively
with both of them. It was very enjoyable.

“Oh, it’s a new record! A new record!”

“The storekeeper has had booming business today! I shall win all of those prizes!”

“Young Master is preparing for the next one already! You’ve already got the top
position!”

The most delightful day was the last one of the Dungeon Festival, which was being
held after six years.

Everyone was enjoying the last moments in the most glamorous ways, so Evan
couldn’t help but enjoy them too.

Even Arisha, who had been almost always expressionless, had a slight smile on her
lips as she commented on everything she saw.

“Okay, I have enjoyed enough with Lua and Arisha. Now, I have to spend some time
with the children of the Dungeon Knights.”

“Thank you, Master…!”

“Look, at the stall there. Master Evan is wiping out the games!”

“What, is that handsome nobleman, Master Evan, himself!?”

“But what about the girls walking next to him? Are those children also nobles?”

Evan had suffered the Mahwa tribe without getting a chance to even breathe, and
when the festival was over, he had to start training for the dungeon again. The hectic
daily routine would start over.

There would be many difficult and annoying things in the future, but he had to play
whenever he could.

“No, Master Evan! If you wipe it all out like this, I’ll be ruined!”
“Isn’t he the son of the Marquis of this city? He is so handsome.”

“No, wasn’t that game just something that high-level explorers could try? How could
he…?”

Others looked at them, marveling at their beauty, and tried to approach him, only to
be frightened by Belois’ frightful eyes before quietly withdrawing.

Wherever they went, they became the center of attention. Evan couldn’t help but
endure it. Evan’s, combined with Belois and Arisha’s appearance was too flashy and
too beautiful to ignore.

“It’s weird, why are you looking like that? Are you sad?”

“Vice Commander Oppa! Buy me this please!”

“Vice Commander, that seems to be a monster too!”

“Well, it is not!”

Shine was taking care of the children from behind as he slowly followed the others. He
felt a feeling of emptiness inside him as he saw Evan enjoying the festival with Belois
and Arisha, who kept sticking to him.

One of them seemed to behave as if on a romantic date, and the other was acting like
a nanny protecting Evan… Shine’s lips trembled softly. On both sides of him, the twins
Ran and Lin shouted in excitement.

“Vice Commander Oppa! We also want that prize!”

“Please give me one too!”

“…Alright, guys, leave it to me.”

Shine was always on Evan’s side, but today was different.

He looked after the young children as one of the responsibilities of the Vice Commander.

So, Shine decided to confront the one who had left this tiresome work on him. He
would win and punish him! In front of Belois and Arisha, he would make Evan lose!
“I will also participate! I’ll show you what defeat is!”

“…Silly Shine, don’t disturb us.”

“What? The nanny speaks!”

“Don’t call me nanny!”

There were many games in the stalls. Among them were also some games in which
they could challenge others.

It was a game that topped the popularity rankings throughout the five days of the
festival because you could challenge other players of every age!

“Come on, you two! Either way, if you set a new record, you’ll be able to get artifacts
that were excavated from deep inside the dungeon…”

“The magic tool that the wizards have developed with difficulty! If you play it without
using even a little mana, you will get a pretty dancing magic doll as a prize!”

It was a game where you race a paper boat on the water to a destination by only
blowing without using mana. It was a long-established game that occasionally appeared
as a mini-game in the Yo-Ma Great War series!

If you challenged yourself, you would be ranked by measuring the time, but if you
played it with someone, it transformed into a profound game where you had to make
your ship reach fast while preventing the opponent’s ship from reaching the end first!

“Hoo-woo-woo-woo!”

“Woo-woo-woo-woo!”

“Master Evan, how can you keep blowing like that!

“It’s not so easy, nanny!”

“I’m not a nanny!”

“Aha! The nanny’s ship is sinking! Meanwhile, Master Evan set a new record as if it was
natural for him!”
The victory or defeat was quickly covered. The surroundings became noisy with
cheers and laughter during their confrontation as Shine stopped responding out of
defeat.

Evan calmly gave the prize to Belois as Arisha winked at Shine, who had collapsed in
place as Lin and Ran approached him.

“My Hyung is weak.”

“I’m disappointed in the Vice Commander.”

However, Shine did not lose motivation and stood up again. There were still so many
stalls in this city where they could challenge each other.

“Just you wait! We’ll see who will be laughing the next time.”

“Usually people who say that are crybabies…”

“Young Master, let’s go! The next game won’t be like this!”

“No way! You’ll do me the honor of playing another game, Shine? Let’s go see if the
extra can beat the regular in other fields as well.”

The atmosphere broke before long, but it was also fun as it was. At least, Evan felt so.

However, Belois, who was disturbed from having a good time with Evan, vowed to take
revenge against Shine later. Shine, who was concentrating on the confrontation with
Evan, was unfortunately unaware of that fact.
Evan wasn’t the only one who was enjoying the last day of the festival.

The four heroes, who had finally achieved their long-cherished dream of killing the
Rose Queen after decades, were also willing to dig through the crowd to enjoy their
sense of accomplishment, even though there were still some things to be taken care
of.

Bernard was the only one among them who was reluctant to do so, but Leo, who was
huge, dragged him down like a dog in the rain, and Bernard had no other choice but
to follow him.

“Hey, hey, I recognize that person from somewhere…”

“Ah, you’re just being ridiculous.”

“I think it’s the legend, Leo Arpeta!?”

“Oh, oh, it’s Aria, the priest, right? She is still so beautiful!”

The prime years of their legend had passed many decades ago, yet the faces of Grand
Hero Leo Arpeta and his companion, Aria Arpeta, were so famous that anyone who
recognized them beamed in admiration.

“Ah, it’s the inspiring alchemist Bernard. I’m seeing him after a long time. Huh, who is
that!?”

“He resembles Bernard somewhat.”

“But the person next to him…”

“How can they two…?”

“Well, don’t you recognize me, knuckleheads? Would you like to get some treatment
for your eyes?”

“Ugh!”

Bernard’s fists were trembling as he shouted at the nearby people. His dangerous look
did not allow any objection!

“Yes, that’s him, indeed. Then who is that beautiful person next to him?”

“She’s just an acquaintance.”

“Then, would you please introduce me…”

“Yet, you bastard. One must know one’s place. Can’t you go away already?”

If there was one more problem with them walking through the crowds of the people,
it was the presence of Illoin, who still retained her mesmerizing beauty.

Although there were some who missed Leo Arpeta, no one could ignore the elf Illoin,
so Bernard had to perform a knight’s role, stopping those who were trying to approach
her.

Why did he have to take on such a tiring role? Since Leo and Aria were a couple, Bernard
and Illoin were naturally being regarded as a couple, too, as they were walking side by
side.

“…I’m sorry, Bernard. It’s because of my different appearance from humans.”

“It’s very interesting to hear you mention your appearance.”

“Really? No human has hair or eyes like mine. My appearance is very unique compared
to humans. It’s no wonder that people approach me with curiosity.”

Bernard laughed as he saw Illoin say that while making a bitter expression.

“Illoin, you talk as if you are a monster. It’s a big mistake. They struggle to comprehend
your immense beauty.”

“Beauty…?”
Illoin’s eyes popped wide open at these words. Looking at her, Bernard was thrilled.

Pretty and handsome people usually knew that they looked good. So it was really
funny to see her reacting like this.

The mixed feelings would have been ridiculed, saying that if she hadn’t known her
personality, at least expressing herself honestly in everything.

“The curiosity of oneself and others, and the kindness of that leads one’s mind, are
clearly distinct. Moreover, the aesthetic consciousness of humans and elves is the
same. You don’t need to think about such useless thoughts like being different from us
in the first place.”

“…Bernard, so you really think that I’m pretty?”

“Huh, I’m not a human with a very good eye. At least that has not changed since I was
young until now.”

Bernard replied bluntly to Illoin’s serious question. At this time, his pathetic point was
that he couldn’t express, of course, that she was the most beautiful being in the world!

But Illoin was a broadminded woman who could laugh at ridiculous and blunt things.

“I see. I really didn’t know you thought so… But Bernard, you haven’t told me this
before. I was disguised as a human, but I wasn’t much different.”

Of course, it is not that Illoin has not heard such praise from others; she was beautiful
after all, so many people tried to approach her.

However, there was another reason Illoin was shocked right now. That was because
this was the first time Bernard had personally commented about her appearance.

What would you do if others praised you so much? Bernard hadn’t done that in a long
time. That was why Illoin wasn’t confident in her appearance until now. She had
gained confidence in herself because of Bernard!

“Then…”

It was then that Bernard scratched the back of his head with a strange expression as
if he was carefully thinking about his next words.
“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t relaxed enough to build a deep friendship with my colleagues.
I think only Leo, who forcibly broke through the barrier, got to know me to some
extent.”

“It’s alright to say that I was suffering from obsessive compulsion. It’s too late, but I
apologize. Never have you or the other colleagues expressed ill intentions to me. It’s
just… I just couldn’t afford it, so I don’t expect you to understand yet, but I still want
you to know it.”

Bernard laughed bitterly as he muttered to himself.

But next to him, Illoin was nodding her head repeatedly.

“I did, and now I understand. In fact, there was a conversation among the colleagues
at the time that you liked Leo.”

“…This isn’t the first time I have heard about it. The thought is very unpleasant to me.”

“Okay, I knew it wasn’t like that. After all, a festival is a good thing. How easy it is to hear
the words that I most wanted to hear from you… It seems to be true that this festival
has enchanting powers.”

‘What did she want to hear the most? That I wasn’t homosexual? Did it mean that elves
had a special and embarrassing custom of unusually interfering with others’ sexual
preferences?’

Bernard, fortunately, managed to keep such an extremely stupid thought from pouring
out of his mouth. At that time, he declared lightly, saying that he had forgotten what
he had to say.

“Bernard, I will tell you in advance. I will stay here.”

At Illoin’s words, Bernard tilted his head for a moment and said.

“I was thinking you would want to. Even Leo said he would stay here for a while and
teach Evan.”

“No, it’s a separate matter from that. I will stay here for you, Bernard.”

“What!? What the hell is that supposed to mean…”

Bernard was astonished. But before he asked about it in detail, some people intervened
in their conversation.

“Oh, did that happen?”

“Oh my God, my God.”

Leo and Aria, who pretended to be dating each other and were secretly paying attention
to the conversation between Bernard and Illoin so far, cut off Bernard’s words.

“I was going to ask you a favor. But I’m so grateful that you’re willing to take care of
him voluntarily.”

“Why, we also want to stay here, but the Mahwas have not been completely eradicated.
So you and Illoin can work together here in the dungeon city. You can trust her.”

“…Thank you. After all, you have been my reliable companions until the very end.”

“What is going on here?”

Bernard felt that the three had hatched a secret plot against him, alienating him, yet
meant for his wellbeing.

“If you’re worried about the curse of the Rose Queen tied to my wrist, you don’t need
to.”

“Bernard, even if you aren’t worried about yourself, we definitely are.”

“We have always fought together, so don’t you think it’s a little weird that you’re
responsible for it alone, Bernard? It is impossible for us to leave you alone like this.”

Three different people were refuting every word of Bernard’s. It felt as if they had
prepared a script in advance and memorized it. Bernard’s sense of alienation increased,
and Illoin focused on it.

“You have always kept us from danger, Bernard. Now it’s my turn to protect you. Don’t
feel overwhelmed, and I hope you’ll allow me to stay with you.”

“No, isn’t that a little weird? Leo, think about it. Illoin is an elf in her youth, so wouldn’t
it be ridiculous for her to be tied to the dungeon city to protect an old man like me!”
“I don’t care about age, Bernard!”

“Hmm!? That part is what matters now!?”

“Bernard, you are being very frustrating right now…”

Leo, always in the mood to tease others, was looking at Bernard with a disgusted
expression!

Bernard wanted to complain, but he didn’t open his mouth, trusting his intuition that
it would be a big deal if he did.

Indeed, as a veteran adventurer who had passed the crisis of death over and over for
decades, he was exceptional in his ability to grasp what sort of crisis this conversation
could lead to, too.

“I’ll unpack at your house. There was an empty room there when we left.”

“At my house!?”

“I heard that Evan built a big house for you to peacefully work. He even carefully
arranged the housekeeping because he didn’t know when you will be returning.”

“He’s very unique for someone his age. While staying there, I should definitely take
care of that child. Okay, shall we take this opportunity to ask the Marquis for a room?”

“Bernard will take care of Illoin, so we shall take care of the Marquis. Let’s go.”

“Wow!?”

It had been so bizarre! The conversation had been going on naturally, and while
Bernard wasn’t able to tackle it, everything had been decided in such a way that
Bernard and Illoin accidentally (happenstance) got to live together in his house!

“Evan!”

But to Bernard, who was in a state of confusion, he saw his disciple, Evan, walking a
little far away with two pretty girls (and after a little while, he also noticed eight
children following him, being led by Shine)!
“Grandpa Bernard! Hello Grandpa Leo, Aria, and Illoin!”

“Yeah, boy, very nice to meet you too! Come here and vouch for me!”

Evan had rushed over to see him as he was worried about his condition.

“So, the thing is…”

Bernard briefly explained the situation to his brilliant disciple. Meanwhile, Illoin
suspiciously stared at Evan.

After listening to everything, Evan said with a light smile.

“I’m not sure where the problem lies in this whole story?”

“Well, he is also my disciple.”

“He’s not your disciple yet! No kid, I mean Evan…! Something… Isn’t something weird!
Like at all!”

“Nothing’s strange at all, Grandpa. Illoin, please continue to take good care of me.”

“Thank you very much, Evan. I think we can be good friends.”

As Illoin and Evan shook hands firmly, Belois and Arisha, who had followed Evan and
had heard the story from start to finish, looked at Bernard with a concerned expression,
as Leo did.

“Oh, the fireworks are starting.”

“Wow, they’re amazing…”

From the hill, fireworks shot in beautiful colors and patterns, covering the entire sky.
The closing ceremony had begun.

They kept exploding beautifully and magnificently.

They went up and lit up the whole sky. They were more colorful and magnificent than
usual. Everyone was watching the scene calmly.
“They’re really pretty.”

“…Young Master.”

Evan had muttered that inadvertently. Belois looked at Evan’s face and leaned against
him, slightly grasping his collar.

It was her only habit that had remained uncorrected from childhood.

“I’m really excited because I can see the fireworks display with the Master…”

“Uh, um. Me too. Lua, Thank you for everything.”

The long festival was finally coming to an end.

The dungeon festival finally came to an end. People went back to their daily routines
quietly, looking forward to the festival that would come back three years later.

Count Melto von Pellati also headed for his home as he took a bulging bag of Mahwa
anti-infection drugs with him. After the festival, the butler of the Marquis went directly
to Merdin.

After the festival ended, and many knights and soldiers were mobilized to clean up the
dungeon for a few days, Evan finally got permission from the Marquis to enter the
dungeon again.

“And now, it will be fine for decades in the future,” The Marquis had declared proudly.

The night before entering the dungeon, Evan was with Bernard. Together they were
checking the items in his inventory pocket.

Evan had barely used potions or consumables the last time he had gone inside the
dungeon, so the only thing he had supplemented this time were Battle Beads.

“Okay, what floor are you aiming for this time?”

“If I leave the mansion for too long, my family will worry about me. There is work to
be done outside too, so I don’t think it would be too much farther. So, I’m going to go
to the 20th floor, which would be easy and quick. Just so that I can get one or two
necessary skills.”

Bernard tried to process Evan’s response for a moment, thinking about whether he
had misheard the word ‘easy’.

Dungeon explorers who attacked the dungeon’s 20th floor were recognized as the
‘middlemen’ in earnest.
Most of them had stable parties and had secured enough money to enter the
Brotherhood Bathhouse.

“But first, it’s the 20th floor?”

“Yeah. Up to the 20th floor. Honestly, there is no danger in it at all. In fact, even going
to the 30th floor will also be completely fine; but this time, I would be taking Arisha
with me as well.”

Arisha had declared that this time she would definitely enter the dungeon with Evan
and the others.

If Evan had rejected her request, she would have had to start the dungeon from the
first floor by herself. It was better to let her join the party and progress through the
dungeon from the first floor together.

“Of course, she will be much stronger later, but at this stage, she doesn’t know her
ability. This time, we have to work together until the 20th floor, get some skills, grasp
some basic abilities, and then train ourselves again until the next time we enter again.”

As she was the main heroine of Yo-Ma Great War 3, Evan was very familiar with
Arisha’s aptitude.

She learned the magic of the wind and was a magical swordsman who had mastered
Mana Sword of Wind along with a sharp rapier. Her stab attack skill with the Sword of
Wind and the rapier were unmatched.

As the main heroine, of course, she was strong, and there was no limit to her growth.
Unlike her older brother Crow, her skill level was already considerably better at this
stage, and was at such a level that she could go through the dungeon without any
major problems.

Nonetheless, she was still very inferior to Shine, Belois, and Raihan, who had been
directly involved with Evan’s growth.

“But it will be different now. Anyway, I decided to accept her into the Dungeon Knights,
so I’ll have to raise her properly too…”

“…Little boy, you’re really the perfect guy for the Knights Commander position.”
“Ah, I can also suggest a more efficient way of growing. This arrangement shows the
individual’s aptitude. Anyone can do it with a keen eye and adequate prior knowledge.”

“…Ha, and now you’re talking ridiculously.”

Bernard said that he had the qualities of the Knight Commander.

Usually, the things that Evan thought was, ‘Isn’t this arrangement too natural for me to
even mention?’ but there was always a high probability that the general public could
never think of it!

“Apart from that noble child, are you satisfied with the other kids’ performances?”

“Yeah? I have no problem going to the 20th floor, and I also don’t need to worry about
Shine or Belois.”

“……”

‘I don’t know what is up with this guy! He always seems to be underestimating himself,
but when someone talks about the dungeon, his sense of confidence suddenly soars! Even
more precisely, his concept of thinking about dungeons is quite different from others!’
Bernard muttered inwardly.

“The dungeon needs tricks, Grandpa. Tricks.”

“Well, how do you know that, someone who hasn’t even been to the 20th floor of the
dungeon?”

“Ah, you know.”

“I don’t know, boy.”

At Evan’s sassy remark, Bernard grunted and tried to hit him on his forehead but, as
usual, missed. The tea in cups placed in front of them spilled on the ground.

Illoin reached for the teapot to pour some more into their cups. She was wearing
casual clothes and was with Bernard all day, these days, and even went to the Pharmacy
with him.

“Illoin?”
“I think the story is over to some extent. Drink up.”

Wearing a silky, soft one-piece dress, and then wearing an apron over it might have
been disrespectful to her, but… together, they looked like a newlywed couple in a new
home.

“Evan, I’m sorry that it’s not the only tea you drink all the time. However, I hope you
would find it interesting the fact that the tea leaves of Elf Vision have been used to
make it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“The Tea Leaves of Elven Vision… Is this what I think it is ?”

“Yes. It is Elven Tea, a tea made from the leaves of the world tree in the center of the
ancient forest.”

“Wow, is it really Elven Tea!? The scent is also very unique.”

Evan had only seen it once in the Yo-Ma Great War series.

Elven Tyrani was the hero of Yo-Ma Great War Zero. He was a great ancient mage and
affected the key character of the series. He was served this tea by the eternal elven
princess, High Elf Mirroel.

‘It must have been the High Elf Mirroel. Such tea was made only for family. It was a really
perfect love confession… ’

However, the great ancient mage, the damn protagonist, couldn’t understand such a
blatant signal and drank the tea and just said thank you. That stupid idiot!

The character’s origins were unclear and maintained a mystical concept not easily to
get involved with other people… Still, he didn’t have any right to do that to a girl who
had wanted to love him! If he didn’t like her, he could’ve simply refused her proposal!

“Elven tea? I’ve heard of it for the first time. How do you know about it, Evan? No, wait.
Don’t answer. This behavior is not new, anyway.”

“I always wanted to give it to you, Bernard, but at the time, I was also wandering in the
human world, so I didn’t have any extra tea leaves. I am so happy that the day has
finally come that I am able to serve you this tea.”
A confession of love had just been made!? It looked like this elf was in deep love with
Grandpa.

Evan’s hands trembled as he drank the Elven tea. Bernard felt embarrassed as he
started scratching the back of his head to see, as if trying to think if there was anything
he felt about her.

“Oh, oh! I’m surprised that this is such delicious and valuable tea.”

“That is served only to families. Now I’m ready to give it to you anytime.”

“Well…? Anyway, thank you. I’ll drink well.”

“Thank you, Bernard, Be careful. It’s hot. And tell me if it’s not enough.”

Evan was baffled at watching this idiot here. He wanted to cry out at Bernard. Had he
not been his Grandpa, he would have hit him at the back of his head!

Even in such a situation, Illoin, who laughed saying it was good, seemed to be a saint!

Evan spoke sincerely to Illoin.

“Illoin, I’m completely on your side. Whenever you need any kind of help, you can ask
me.”

“Woo, I’m a very lucky elf! How can I make a lot of human friends who support me like
this… I am forever grateful. Whenever I think I’m going to be overwhelmed by myself,
then Evan, I will rely on you by calling for your assistance. I would say thank you, but
instead, I’ll give you more Elven tea. Now we are also a family.”

“Hmm!? Why are you being more friendly towards Illoin than me? Damn, is this all
because of my face? I shall have to live in constant resentment my whole life!”

“Grandpa. It’s not like that. Just drink it.”

“This guy!?”

Bernard screamed bitterly at Evan while he sipped some Elven tea, and the tea was
surprisingly delicious. Among the teas he had drunk so far, this one had a more subtle
flavor. It was also sweet, and the savory taste was really impressive.
‘My mana and stamina seem to be recovering in real-time, and it seems that the body is
being blessed… What is it exactly!?’

Evan was thrilled as he sipped the tea over and over again. Illoin laughed as she saw
Bernard and Evan shudder together; this made her laugh.

Evan and Bernard had almost had the same reactions to drinking the tea.

They enjoyed it, but they were also curious about its ingredients and taste…… Their
facial expressions were changed in the same way.

‘By the way…… maybe not. I thought it was an opportunity to clear the mission, but it
wouldn’t be the same.’

Illoin had a sparkle in her eyes as she drank the Elven tea, while she kept watching
and admiring Evan.

It was the reaction of a person who drank Elven tea for the first time. As she was
expecting a different reaction, she could not help but be disappointed.

Even if he wasn’t the person she thought he was, Evan was still a very nice and good
child, and now she was also a good friend of his.

“Evan, if you like that, would you like to take some tea leaves with you?”

“Really!? Thank you!”

“You’re getting close to each other very quickly. Damn, it’s unfair. It’s unfair.”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa. You have nothing to resent.”

Bernard didn’t understand how they were able to get close to each other or what their
sympathy was.

Evan was sure that it would not be changed even by this old, stupid grandfather
Bernard.

“Well, don’t say anything weird and just go to the Dungeon. Leo is waiting to teach
something to you.”
“Ugh, that’s… will you stop him, Grandpa?”

“It’s an opportunity for my precious disciple to become stronger, so I’m going to wait
for you to come out. Just try to survive, and I hope you don’t lose your organs or
intestines or something.”

“Don’t lie! You keep smiling!”

Evan was finally able to get out of the pharmacy after squabbling with Bernard. There
was an envelope full of Elven tea leaves from Iloin in his hand.

“Is that you, Young Master.”

“Hello, Sis Hanna.”

Hannah, who he had thought had already gone home, was standing in front of the
Pharmacy. Evan tilted his head while he looked at her. She seemed to be extremely
uncomfortable at the moment.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’d like to ask you something…”

Evan knew that Bernard had begun teaching Hanna a little bit of alchemy these days,
but… Was she going to ask him what he had in mind?

Evan shrugged, and Hanna, who hesitated, quickly closed her eyes and asked him. It
was a question of a completely different nature than he had originally thought.

“You do know, don’t you? Who the hell is that beautiful elf woman?”

“She has been in love with Grandpa for a long time.”

“Is that so!?”

Hannah’s expression became even more disturbing. Evan contemplated what was
happening and soon realized.

It was the look on the daughter’s face when her father brought home a strange woman,
saying he would remarry her in a drama.
“I don’t know how to treat her…”

“You can just take it easy. Iloin would say that, too.”

“No, actually… and suddenly that beauty appears next to him, so I don’t know how to
treat him.”

“That’s the point. Is it hard to pretend to be close to Grandpa?”

“I’ve never imagined it before, but…… I might be misunderstood by him.”

Hannah had always been in his disciple’s position, learning about restrictions directly
from Bernard, and was the person who would treat Bernard comfortably after Evan.

However, the difference between Evan and Hannah was that Hannah was a woman of
the right age. Until now, she had been treating him like an elder, but suddenly if a
young woman who started loving Bernard unrequited (it would definitely look like
that) appeared, it would become difficult to keep a sense of respectable distance with
Bernard.

But in Evan’s eyes, that wasn’t the problem at all. Bernard was something of a fool, but
Illoin wasn’t.

“Sister, Illoin probably knows all about what you think. So you don’t need to worry
about it. Besides, my sister is a human, not an elf. I know enough about the differences
between the different races.”

“Are you sure it is? But it’s weird to say, ‘You’re just an old man to me!’ because it seems
like I care about something… And the most annoying thing is…”

“What’s annoying?”

At that moment, Hannah’s mood shifted suddenly. She started stomping on the floor
with her feet. She was as scary as a humanoid monster which appeared beyond the
60th floor of the dungeon.

“That old man… How did he even get the love of such a beauty like that? It makes me
weird, he has been teaching me all this time!”

“Uh… Was that your point?”

“Oh, it feels weird! You won’t know that feeling, and it feels like my brother, who was
treated as a fool, brought a nice, pretty, and well-going woman who is incomparable
to me, saying she is a fiancee of his! I can’t even take out Raihan on another date!”

“But you’re treating him as an older brother, not a father, so…”

“Yeah, of course, I know. Actually, we know that Bernard is a great person and a foolish
one too at the same time but… still! I still can’t understand. I feel like I lost something!
Do you understand, Master!?”

“You are suffering a lot in many ways.”

Evan managed to soothe Hanna, who vented her anger by saying he would make a
chance for her to go on a date with Raihan again later.

She might have been aiming for this from the beginning, but love is winning someone’s
heart! Evan wished Serpina good luck!
“Evan, being in the dungeon for too long is not good for your health. So don’t get selfish
or greedy, and come out at the right time. Got it?”

“Yes, yes. I get it.”

“Evan will be fine in there, and you don’t have to worry about him either. Belois, there
will be no problems for you as long as you keep in mind what you have been taught.”

“Everything is engraved in my mind, Madam.”

The next morning, Evan and the group were finally able to leave for the dungeon. Of
course, the Marquis didn’t just let him go like that. The whole of the Marquis’ family
had gathered to bid them farewell and good wishes.

“In the dungeon, you always have to keep your eyes peeled. It’s a place where you don’t
know what’s going to happen the next moment.”

“Okay, brother. I’ll be careful enough.”

Eric, meanwhile, was even sniffling with tears as he was worried about his brother. He
had already explored the Dungeon to the 10th floor, so he was keenly aware of how
dangerous the Dungeon was.

Evan thought that the 20th floor was for beginners. He could break through it alone
without getting caught in any traps.

“Come back quickly, Evan. I want to start your classes right away. Or should I go with
you?”

“If we go with Grandpa Leo, we won’t have to do even a single thing. I’m not running
away anymore, so please just wait here for me.”
“Evan, goodbye! Belois, Shine, Arisha, and Raihan, take care of yourselves. May the
grace of God be with you.”

Leo and Aria had been staying there as the guests of the Marquis.

Leo, who knew about his abilities from when he had fought with Evan, wasn’t worried
about him at all.

He was one of the few people who knew that even if Evan walked through all the traps
with his bare body, he wouldn’t even get a scratch.

“Abu, Eva! Eva!”

“Yeah, yes, our Liz. Let’s cheer up.”

“……How can our Liz say Eva before she says Dad?”

“I can’t wait to see her pronounce the whole name.”

Elizabeth was continuously weeping. She rubbed Evan’s face with her tiny hands. It
looked like she knew that she would not be able to see her for a while.

Evan patted her a few more times and handed the child to the second wife, Miriam.
The child had gotten one and a half years old by now.

She had also gained quite some weight. She also seemed to be bigger than a normal
child of her age.

“I’ll be back soon, mother Miriam.”

“Good luck Evan. Keep in mind that the more late you are, the more difficult it will get
to take care of Liz.”

“I will surely keep that in mind.”

“Evaaaa!”

Only after barely separating Elizabeth, who was clinging onto him and crying
hysterically, they were able to get out of the mansion.
“Your family seems to be very nice. You have a good relationship with all of them.”

“I think it’ll be better to focus on other things now…”

Evan shook his head and muttered at Arisha’s words.

It was a happy family, indeed. Evan wished none of them would get hurt when he was
away.

“My family will be alright. Let’s talk about some strategies for the dungeon.”

“…Okay.”

Evan’s party crossed the street and headed to the dungeon in the center of the city.
They briefly talked about the guidelines of action within the dungeon.

It was still dawn, so there weren’t many people out about. But some of the people who
were already up and the people coming out of the dungeon widened their eyes as they
watched the movement of Evan and the party.

“We have 5 members, but I’ll leave everything to you, Arisha, from the first to fifth
floors. I want you to judge and act by yourself… But I’ll help you to find the right way.
We can’t waste our time.”

“Will you serve as our guide?”

“Yes, you can say it’s like that.”

A guide was the one who specialized in finding a safe and clear path in the dungeon
and led the party. The guide’s participation in the battle wasn’t very high.

Usually, someone with a Rogue aptitude having good eyes and an agile body took on
this role, and if the guide was good at his or her job, the dungeon attack time, as well
as the safety, increased drastically.

‘Of course, when a major dungeon change occurs, the guides also make another uproar
that they would now have to adapt to the changed dungeon.’

What about Evan? Of course, he didn’t have to behave like that. It was because he
already had a complete grasp of the dungeons even after the transformation! In Yo-Ma
Great War 4, the great change in the Sherden Dungeon took place!

“It is calculated that if I perform an assistant role with alchemy in addition to the role
of a guide, we can proceed even beyond the 60th floor.”

“But the Master’s calculation does not include his combat skills, right?”

“My combat skills don’t really matter.”

When Evan replied that as if it was absolutely natural, Shine turned to Arisha and said.

“Please try to remember that in the future, Lady Arisha. It’s exactly the same as I have
always insisted. By keeping all of these things in mind, you have to contribute as much
as possible to evolve properly.”

“Yes, I get it. Not a day goes by without me having fun while in Evan’s company.”

“Don’t you think you are being very rude to me right now…?”

The party soon arrived at the dungeon’s entrance. The knight guarding the entrance
politely bowed to them and guided them to the magic circle.

When the five people grasped each other’s hands, the magic circle automatically revealed
the limit of the floor, they could all conquer together. Of course, it was showing the
first floor.

“Master Evan, you have to be careful inside. In order for Miss Arisha to be surely
recognized in the contribution while attacking the dungeon, other people of the party
shouldn’t be too active.”

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll be careful.”

When Evan responded with a smile, the knight felt slightly embarrassed and stepped
back.

Of course, the knight didn’t know that Evan had the ability to quickly raise the dungeon
levels of his companions as he had mastered Yo-Ma Great War 2, 3, and 4!

“…Whoo.”
“What is it, Arisha? Are you feeling nervous?”

Before entering the dungeon, Arisha breathed out loud enough to be heard by Evan.
Arisha, who usually didn’t show such emotions at all, seemed to be quite anxious right
now.

It seemed to Evan that she was finally doing something that suited her age. Seeing
Evan smile at her, she said.

“…The dungeon itself is not scary. What if I don’t meet Evan’s standards? That is what
I’m a little scared of.”

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing like that. You may very well be able to exceed my expectations
too.”

How could he even dare to compare the abilities of the main heroine with an extra!?
Well, of course, compared to Shine and Belois, the Rookie children, her skills might
have been less powerful but still…

However, among the Yo-Ma Great War series’s main heroines, Arisha was praised for
her unique visual, importance, and outstanding ability.

She was a character that received an evaluation that the triple beat fit well.

Moreover, she had both magical and physical capabilities so that she could be active
in all situations!

‘Is she being more timid than I remember?’

She was extraordinary, and Evan already had a rough idea of her current capabilities.

It was really amazing that she, who had no knowledge of the games, had such power
at this age. And her next words were even more surprising.

“I have always evaluated others from a superior standpoint. It’s because I haven’t met
many people who are better than me. So this is a new stimulus. Everything I do comes
back to me someday, now I know it.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“…I must prove that I deserve to be cocky in the future.”

At that moment, when Arisha muttered in a strong tone as if vowing to herself, her
whole body trembled slightly.

Overcoming her body with just a will, she was absolutely not an ordinary twelve-year-
old!

“I know that I have the qualities worthy of being a member of the Dungeon Knights.”

“It’s enough already.”

“And that Evan is a fun person that should not be lost.”

“No, you don’t need to prove that. And isn’t that premise wrong?”

“But Evan is really fun. I want to keep watching him from the sides.”

“I don’t need that kind of attention!”

A series of serious questions and answers were being exchanged until a while ago, and
now Arisha was again looking at him with a creepy gaze.

Evan simply couldn’t be off guard when he was with her!

“The two of you look good together… No! Belois, what are you doing!”

“Silly Shine.”

Shine has been admiring the exchange between Evan and Arisha, and when he said
that, Belois nudged him with an elbow in the ribs. Shine fell to his knees due to the
pain. Although, he was fortunate that he didn’t get hit by the fox fire.

‘Well… It’s a bad game.’

Seeing the four children who he had to enter the dungeon with, Raihan made a secret
pledge.

‘I should always keep upright! I must protect these children at all costs!’
“Okay, the stairs will be located at the end of the first floor. There are no traps on the
first floor.”

However, to begin with, at least, there was no immediate danger for Raihan to deal
with.

He didn’t even need to lift the shield once.

“Because we have already taken all the achievements that can be won, those which
have already been found are invalidated… Let’s see, I cleared it in 2 hours.”

“Is this really the dungeon?”

It was so easy for Arisha in the beginning.

She simply went as quickly as Evan led her.

Next to him, Shine said with a wide smile.

“Congratulations on following the smartest guide, Miss Arisha.”

“It’s too early to be happy. Clearing the dungeon quickly means that there is no additional
reward for you on this floor. You’ve only leveled up, haven’t you? We’ve already gotten
extra skills at this point.”

Arisha nodded silently at Evan’s blunt remark. She got a little protection, but it must
be different from what Evan meant by rewards.

Of course, Arisha, who conquered the first floor of the dungeon according to Evan’s
directions, was able to casually achieve an overwhelming level of achievements
compared to other dungeon explorers.

However, since it was the first floor of the dungeon, she did not get additional rewards,
and the last dungeon exploration that had acquired the skills on the first floor of the
dungeon was strange, but Arisha did not realize that.

The criteria for her to recognize dungeons were becoming similar to Evan’s!

“In other words, for you, the real dungeon starts from the 6th floor, right?”
“I’m already prepared for that.”

Arisha said, squeezing the handle of the rapier in her hand.

“I am ready to do anything, so help me evolve and get as many achievements as

possible up to the fifth floor of the dungeon. I want to catch up as much to you guys as
soon as possible.”

“Okay, enough with that attitude.”

In such a situation, the easiest and most effective way to get an achievement was to
acquire an additional reward from God.

“I don’t think we need more speed.”

Evan laughed as he said so. Arisha also laughed weakly.

Five hours later, they were standing in front of the stairs leading down to the 5th floor
of the dungeon.
[You have evolved to level 5. Without any hesitation, you ran through the dungeon and
surpassed everyone else’s record to reach this place. You are truly worthy of carrying
the work of the wind.]

[Your achievements and aptitudes will remain the same, so we will be presenting you
with a new ability. There isn’t any bargaining. ‘Wind Step’ would add stability to your
steps. You will be able to walk your path more securely from now on.]

Arisha had succeeded in obtaining a skill reward from the dungeon’s gods after swiftly
running through the dungeon floors 1 to 4.

Clearing the dungeon stairs weren’t awarded naturally, but breaking through several
stairs at such a rapid pace resulted in better rewards.

Of course, from the standpoint of raising a character, it was impossible to try it out
while attacking the dungeon in real-time, and it was a good thing to try only when
raising a new member in a party that already had some experience beforehand. In
other words, it was an achievement perfectly suitable for the current situation.

Nonetheless, it was still quite surprising that she had been rewarded with such a skill.

“That’s ‘Wind Step’…”

“It’s almost like she’s flying. The guide role was taken away by the Master. My agility
has been stolen by Miss Arisha, so my remaining identity is being only a Rogue…”

“You’re still dealing with two daggers, Shine. Stop complaining.”

“Oh, really…”

No matter how much you got skills as a reward for clearing the dungeon, it was
impossible to receive skills that were not related to your aptitude.

Just as Raihan had gotten the skill to better deal with his shield, Evan had gotten the
skill of ‘Heavens Press’ and Shine had gotten the ability to train the Rookie children;
the skill ‘Wind Step’ acquired by Arisha was also related to her existing aptitude.

As with the training method that strengthened the humans, Arisha’s ability was deeply
related to the wind.

“…I really like this ability. I didn’t know I could use my mana in this way.”

“All the skills given by the gods are useful in one way or another. Why do you like it?”

“It’s because I feel stronger than before… It’s fun. It’s very fun.”

“That’s great. Even if you say that, it’s still a skill you need getting used to…”

It was extremely difficult to realize the unknown possibilities of her skill, yet. The
skills the gods gave were usually like that.

Arisha also had the ability to reinforce her rapier’s sharpness with the mana of the
wind or to create a blade out of the air to aid her attacks. Her new skill directly assisted
her movements with her magical powers.

‘It’s a buff skill that allows you to move quickly for a limited time. It looks similar to the
quick magic that you can receive from the priest, which is originally called Haste, but it
is different from that. It’s different in the sense that she can use it twice. It’s quite
terrifying too… ’

In fact, by using the ‘Wind Step’ skill, she could attack with her rapiers while dealing
with the magic of the wind too.

The combination of her ability to engage in close-quarter combat and her new ability
that drastically sped up her steps was truly outstanding, and if she triggered it at the
right time, she could wipe out complete enemy camps by herself.

‘Because she was already very quick in the first place, she might achieve other skills like
this while going around the dungeon.’

However, one thing was certain. It wouldn’t have been possible for her in the game at
such a young age to get ‘Wind Step’ ability from the lower levels of such a dungeon.

Getting skills that could be used in the middle of the battle was a matter that was
directly connected to the future combat power.

In particular, ‘Wind Step’ was a core skill that increased Arisha’s movement speed, her
evasion rate, and accuracy. As she had succeeded in obtaining it, her fighting power
had increased by at least 1.5 times, or hopefully twice as much.

“Then let’s go to the 5th floor. If we reach the 5th floor quickly enough, the gods may
raise the level of ‘Wind Step’.”

“…But before I go down to the 5th floor, I have something I want to ask Evan.”

Arisha stopped exactly in front of Evan and asked, staring at his face.

“I want to hear more about the hidden boss that appears after clearing all the Floor
Masters. And if possible, I want to fight him. Alone.”

“I didn’t tell you about that earlier because it would’ve seemed pointless to talk about
it then but… Wait a minute. Who told you about that?”

The moment Evan looked at the party, Shine turned his head. Evan continued to speak
after punishing Shine with a punch to his stomach (Shine let out a small scream).

“I know you’re confident because your dungeon level has risen and you got new skills.
In fact, it’s true that you have a lot of talent. But the hidden boss is different. It’s not
even easy to battle the Floor Master by yourself in the first place.”

“Wasn’t it possible for Shine and Belois?”

“Well, it was, of course…”

That couldn’t be helped. Shine and Belois had grown up under the intensive care of
Evan from the tender age of nine.

There was a huge difference between their main skill and Arisha’s main skill. No
matter how much Arisha had mastered her dealing in both magic and weapon skills,
the contrast could not be ignored.
Strictly speaking, the circumstances and the race in which she was born was also
different from others. If she was one of the strongest in the top 10 in Yo-Ma Great War
3, Shine and Belois, with their absurd superpowers, could easily be ranked among the
top 3 in the whole Yo-Ma Great War series!

“Damn it! That hurt. Whoo! We were able to kill the Floor Master in a single try. Master
Evan was the one who did it.”

“That’s because… It must have been that it was strangely weak at that time.”

Evan, who did not retreat after taking the No. 1 position in the rankings even after he
knew he was a naturally-dying extra among the others, replied with a quiver.

The main heroine of Yo-Ma Great War 3 and a regular, Arisha von Pellati, spoke to Evan
with a serious expression.

“Give me a chance to prove myself. You just have to say yes.”

“Uh, um…”

After clearing up to the 4th floor, Evan objectively weighed the abilities Arisha had
shown in front of him.

Of course, it was difficult for him to start judging her because the opponents they had
fought up until now hadn’t offered much, but apparently, she showed a sense of
determination that by far exceeded that of the explorers who challenged dungeons on
an average.

Evan was able to realize that and admired her, coming to the obvious conclusion that
she was truly regular.

‘If it were Arisha in the game, she would never have faced the hidden boss as a twelve-
year-old. But still… ’

Just as Shine and Belois had walked a completely different path as in the game and
were able to grow proficiently, Arisha had also stayed in the dungeon city with a
specific goal of joining the Dungeon Knights Squad, which was quite different from the
Arisha von Pellati who appeared in the game. It was also true that she was able to lead
on her own.
‘Is it because of the sudden increase of rivals around her at a young age?’

Her weapon skills, wind magic, and her ability to deal with rapiers were already
sufficient to play an active part as a dungeon explorer. Now she had almost mastered
those and the ‘Wind Step’ ability too.

It was true that her level of martial arts and magic power was much lower than that
of Shine and Belois, but given the existence of a buff skill, it could not be affirmed that
Arisha was falling behind them.

“…Alright then. You’ll go against the Floor Master alone. I will judge by looking at you.”

“Okay.”

Arisha’s complexion had gotten noticeably brighter. However, Evan still maintained a
strict tone and added.

“If you challenge the hidden boss, you should drink auxiliary potions. Otherwise,
challenging the hidden boss in itself would be foolish.”

“I knew that already.”

Arisha nodded seriously. It was the same expression she had made while talking with
Evan, immediately before entering the dungeon.

“Of course, the Master only threw a bead and burst the Floor Master’s head without
needing our help at all.”

“Well, I think I told you to be quiet, Shine.”

“Oh, no!”

Although the 5th floor of the dungeon was expansive and had a lot of traps, Evan, who
not only completely penetrated the structure of the 5th floor but also left his own mark
in several places when he had entered the dungeon once before; due to those, he was
able to find the location quickly and led them to it.

“Okay, we will be arriving at the first boss room.”

“I don’t think it took even 5 minutes!?”

Of course, their movement speed was faster than when they previously had entered
the dungeon, and now they were accompanying Arisha too. She was thrilled at Evan’s
formidable talent as a guide.

“Arisha, if you really want to fight the hidden boss, Blood Goblin Fighter, on your own,
you should be able to beat the Goblin Warrior overwhelmingly.”

“I am prepared.”

While running in the dungeon being led by Evan, Arisha nodded firmly, keeping her
breath under control and trying to calm her nerves.

At that moment, the air around her rapier, held in her hand, started sharpening it.

“Then I’ll be back.”

“Be careful, Goblin Archers will be there too.”

“Yes, and don’t get hit by their arrows.”

The door of the Floor Master Battle Room opened after Evan threw a gold coin into its
hole.

Arisha entered it alone.

“Ah… I let the youngest kid of the Pellati family into the battle room alone.”

“She won’t die even in the worst case. I’ve prepared her defenses that much, so don’t
worry, Master.”

“Of course, I know that, but if she even gets some kind of bad trauma due to the battle…”

“…It’s over.”

As Evan and Raihan were having a conversation, all of a sudden, the door of the battle
room opened again, and Arisha walked out of it with a casual expression on her face.

Black blood was dripping from the tip of her sword. It was the blood of a Goblin
Warrior.
“What, it’s over already?”

“You really killed everyone?”

Shine was holding a scimitar and charged inside due to the force of habit. While holding
a sword, he touched all of the goblin’s corpses with its tip, absorbing blood and
performing a ritual of life and death.

Evan looked at Arisha with a quaint expression. Arisha said calmly and politely.

“Thanks to my newfound ability, my movements have increased in momentum, so the

speed of my combat actions naturally also increased. And the enemy was relatively
slow.”

“…Was there any problem?”

“Nope. And by the time we arrive at the next battle room, I think I will be able to use
‘Wind Step’ again.”

It was an active skill with a time limit. It also required a significant consumption of
mana. And if you used it continuously, it put a burden on your body.

Therefore, in order to relieve the fatigue, she received divine magic and drank Evan’s
potion. Conversely, the help she received from the group was enough.

“It was so easy.”

“All of them had the same pattern. It was actually kind of boring.

“These guys weren’t fun at all.”

“…I want to fight more challenging monsters.”

In less than an hour, Arisha successfully conquered all the Floor Master battle rooms
spread out on the 5th floor as they collected the gemstones.

Evan was leading them as they cleared all those places in just one hour and were able
to defeat the Floor Masters in just a few seconds.

Arisha’s skill was very useful.

“What the hell? You aren’t even a Rookie!?”

“Well… I was able to prove myself to Evan after all.”

Evan would not have been surprised if Shine or Belois had been like this, but Arisha,
who had been with them for only half a year, had become rapidly stronger.

Evan was astounded.

But Arisha was looking at all of them coolly… Then she asked Evan with a proud face.

“So now you will regard me the same as yourself.”

“…Okay, I got it.”

Evan sensed that she was blaming him somewhere in those words as she gave him a
grim expression. Finally, he had no choice but to send her to the Hidden Boss Battle
Room.
It was grassy due to erosions around the battle room occupied by the Hidden Boss,
which made the atmosphere around it eerily mysterious.

Many dangerous traps were active everywhere, and many people had been caught in
them due to the environment. The first of the explorers who had entered the dungeon
warned that it was a dangerous area that inexperienced people should never approach.

“And here we are… Well, this is the Hidden Boss Battle Room.”

“We have gotten through all of the traps without getting caught in a single one of them.
How would you explain that, Master?”

“I’m telling you to be careful just in case if I’m not around.”

“…I haven’t seen a trap so far. I didn’t know they existed.”

In the dungeon expedition before, they didn’t have to be worried about the traps. Evan
usually threw the Battle Beads to destroy those he saw before anyone even realized
there was one.

This time, Arisha was with them too, so Evan had steered clear of all the traps so far.
Arisha had never even seen a trap set in motion.

“You also get an achievement for destroying a trap, so I can’t help it. From the sixth
floor, we’re going to be attacking together again, so I’m going to eradicate all of them.”

“I’m not sure, Master, but why do you keep worrying about increasing the level of your
attributes…?”

“Miss Arisha, before you enter the battle room, I’ll cast a divine spell on you. It’ll be a
little less powerful now since I retired from my priesthood, but it’ll still be helpful.”
“Thank you.”

While Evan and Shine stood there chatting with each other, Raihan put a spell on
Arisha.

Even though Raihan had said that he was less powerful now, he still had enough talent
and got attention not only from his previous Church but also from the other ones.
Under the effects of the spell, Arisha felt as if she could fly if she wanted to.

“My movement got faster.”

“What do you think, Arisha? Can you adapt to such conditions?”

“I can do it.”

Arisha nodded unhesitatingly at Evan’s question. Evan then handed her a potion.

“Drink this right now. It’s probably going to be a bit hard for you to adapt to it right
away.”

“You’re being a bit tenacious. Are you taking revenge or…?”

“You do realize you’re always bothering me, aren’t you?”

“Whoo!”

Arisha accepted the potion without replying to Evan’s rebuttal and gulped it down.

Her expression was a little strange.

“This, this is so delicious… It feels like I’m drinking luxurious tea, and not a potion at
all.”

“Oh, it is supposed to be delicious. Just know there’s a reason for that.”

This was a unique herbal potion made by Evan himself, who was now being regarded
as something of a rising star among the alchemists.

The potion did not only improve the consumer’s physical condition but also expanded
his or her mana to the next level. Evan had improved it several times during the
alchemy classes with Bernard. It was a very high-end potion that had been completed
just last night with one final addition.

Yes, just last night. Evan had shredded a part of the Elven tea leaf he had taken from
Elf Illoin and added it to this potion.

In other words, the concoction contained the leaves of the World Tree! That was the
reason it was delicious and effective!

‘It was made for battles against the Goblin Warrior, not against the Blood Goblin Fighter
at the time… ’

Evan had not been sure of Arisha’s abilities and her will to fight until last night. He had
made it in case she was unable to fight the Goblin Warrior or if she was stuck in a bad
situation. He was originally planning on giving her this potion then.

However, he realized it had been arrogant of him, and he shouldn’t have underestimated
Arisha.

Arisha had forcefully defeated the Goblin Warrior with purely her abilities, without
getting even a little buff!

‘With that level of ability, I’m sure Arisha can beat the Blood Goblin Fighter with the Holy
Magic and this potion. It’s just a matter of being hurt… I’ll go into the battle room and
look out for her.’

Raihan was the best option to ensure Arisha’s safety. But Evan wouldn’t have an
opportunity or enough time to acquire a proper achievement if Raihan accompanied
her.

But now that his throwing skills had also improved a lot, Evan could help her out in an
emergency. He looked back at Arisha.

“Phew!”

She was having a hard time balancing her body, perhaps because the medicine was
working. Evan asked her with a bitter smile.

“How do you feel?”

“I feel stronger than being empowered by the Divine Magic.”

“Both of the two effects have mixed up, resulting in an even greater boost in strength.
But don’t forget to use the ‘Wind Step’ skill. You will be facing the Blood Goblin Fighter.
You are just at dungeon level five.”

“……”

“So, can you do it?”

Evan already knew what she was going to say. As expected, Arisha clenched her jaw
and stood up after taking a short deep breath.

“I definitely can.”

“Alright then, let’s go inside together.”

“Don’t instinctively throw the Battle beads as soon as you go in, Master.”

“Oh, I won’t.”

That was strange. Shine had never spoken like that since they had first met. However,
these days he was somewhat bossing Evan around everywhere.

Evan soon came up with a good idea. He knew how to deal with him by playing a prank.
When they would leave the dungeon, he would introduce Shine to Leo.

The double-swords skill was also a form of swordsmanship, and that would give Leo
a chance to improve Shine’s abilities even further. Shine would die of a heart attack
when he would come to know!

Leo would be able to bother Evan even less because he would then be busy teaching
Shine. What a perfect plan!

“If you make a look like that, usually nothing good comes out of it, Master…”

“Arisha, did you take the mana stone?”

“Yes.”
Evan ignored Shine’s mutterings and entered the Hidden Boss Battle Room alongside
Arisha. A Blood Goblin Fighter was standing inside, as it had before.

[ROARRR!]

It had bright red fur. Its huge mass was comparable to that of a well-trained man,
bigger than a typical goblin. A tough leather armor covered its whole body.

Above all, it was holding a large, threatening scimitar that flashed like a crescent
moon. It was one of the rarest variants of Goblin, which only appeared beyond the
20th floor of the dungeon.

“Blood Goblin Fighter!”

[Argh!]

This was the hidden boss on the 5th floor of the dungeon! The Blood Goblin Fighter, a
sinner who dreamed of escaping, was delighted to see a little boy and a girl. Excited
by their smell of blood, it pointed its scimitar at them.

Evan, on the other hand, was tilting his head to figure out its commanding presence.

‘Strange. This one looks just like the guy I saw before. Well, then I guess I might be able
to overpower this one easily too… ’

In the past, Evan thought along the lines of, ‘Maybe the guy I knocked down before…
There may have been something wrong with its body, or it wasn’t mutated enough.’
However, this one was in the same condition as before.

“…can’t give up. Uh, uh, uh. Cheer up.”

Arisha gulped down with a look of nervousness that might have been due to the
intimidating sight of the Blood Goblin. Soon she felt determined and took a step forward.

“Watch it. Be careful.”

Evan replied vaguely at Arisha’s sincere words because he was still worried about the
monster’s ability and its level.

But Arisha nodded cheerfully at Evan’s words. Then she rushed towards the boss.
[Argh!?]

Surprised by the little girl’s swiftness, the Blood Goblin Fighter also raised its scimitar
and opened its eyes, but was too late to react. The moment Arisha had raised her foot
off the floor, she was already at an arm’s distance from the Goblin Fighter!

“What the…”

Arisha lightly dodged the scimitar slicing through the air.

A wind coating covered her rapier. It had made the blade sharper and longer. Her skill
could be said to make her rapier attacks the strongest in all of the series!

“Ha!”

When she was close to it enough that she could smell its foul breath, Arisha took a
strong step, shifted her whole body’s strength into her hand, and thrust the sword
straight in the Blood Goblin’s shoulder. It was as clean a stabbing as it appeared in the
textbooks.

[Arghhhhh!]

The rapier dug deep into the shoulder of the Blood Goblin Fighter and spattered red
blood everywhere.

The wind stretching out to the end of the long rapier cut deeper and deeper into the
wound, shredding the muscles and splitting the bones!

Even though she was close to him, Arisha steered clear of the Goblin’s blood.

When she confirmed that her attack had been successful, she grabbed the sword and
quickly pulled herself back. Now she started to look for another chance to attack.

“Ha!”

[Arghhh!]

Evan admired Arisha’s movements, which were calm and quick. They weren’t affected
by the buffs, and she precisely stabbed the enemy’s weakness every time.
She was even able to avoid the spray of the blood skillfully.

“Ha! Ha!”

Her footsteps were nimble, and she seemed to be on a stabbing streak! Looking at her,
it almost looked like she was present in more than one place at the same time as she
continued landing blow after blow.

The Blood Goblin Fighter, trying to counter her with a move, twisted its body in reverse.

Even if the Blood Goblin Fighter kept her in its view, she was still able to find loopholes
in its defenses. Finally, when it collapsed, even more fatal weaknesses were revealed.
Arisha started increasing the number of holes in its body with the rapier!

“Wow, that was really great… I made it, but I can’t believe you can move so freely.”

A regular’s level was truly different. It was no longer questionable whether Arisha was
the series’ main character after Evan had seen her utilizing her skills to the fullest
under any conditions.

‘Shine and Belois were ultimately the strongest characters in the game. However, Arisha
also had enough skills to be playing the role of one of the main characters.’

After Evan saw Arisha fighting against the Blood Goblin Fighter, he reflected on his
stupidity of trying to rank people with his existing common sense, which was barely
more than the knowledge he had gotten through playing the games.

‘Maybe Arisha will get stronger than even Shine and Belois in the future. In the game,
she was somewhat passive until she met the main character, but now she is not.’

The same could be said for Shine, Belois, Raihan, or any of the others. Their future and
possibilities could not be predicted. Hadn’t even Maybell shown signs of growing into
such an all-around caring woman?

A game was just a game, after all. In this case, the characters in the game were different
from the characters in the real world. Everyone might have had the same talent as in
the past, but they would evolve very differently from now on.

Arisha was a clear example.

“Huh!”

[Argh!]

Arisha beat the Blood Goblin Fighter on her own despite it being a hidden boss.

She avoided the scimitar with few light footsteps and thrust her rapier between the
Goblin’s eyes. Evan laughed at her.

“Okay, I’m sorry to have underestimated you after all. I mean it.”

Evan could not completely forget that she was a Regular. She was the main heroine
who would marry the protagonist someday.

At least until that time, she would be a member of the Dungeon Knights Squad, equal
to Shine, Belois, and Raihan.

That was the moment when the Sherden Dungeon’s fifth floor and the Hidden Boss
had been completely cleared.
[You have evolved to level 6.]

God’s message heard by those who cleared the dungeon floors didn’t usually extend
too long.

Even after clearing the Floor Master, you received two sentences of praise most of the
time, and at most, a skill or two.

[The young girl defeated the Hidden Boss alone with her own abilities, and her
achievements are truly amazing. Although there was someone who guided the path
for her, she wouldn’t have been able to do it without her strong will and brilliant talent.]

However, for those who entered the dungeon with Evan, it was considered normal to
hear God’s message that went on longer.

It was unheard of that God would devote time to one human being, but it had become
natural for Evan and the group, who had experienced this as soon as they entered the
dungeon. Of course, it was the same with Arisha.

[Therefore, you will get a new class as a reward for the achievements you have collected
and the tasks you have completed in a short period of time.]

Clearing the 5th floor didn’t mean that everyone doing it would get a class! It only
meant that there was a high probability of getting a class, if any at all, and that was
also just a basic one!

It was only possible on the 30th floor or after that to get luxurious rewards like a
specific class for an individual only. But Arisha was going to get it right now!

[You are the wind. Among the winds, the cold one is volatile and swift. You are fated to
fly in solitude. You are like a whirlwind, but you still choose to stay next to one being.]
Arisha heard the voices of several beings at once. In fact, they were all voices that had
been heard by either Shine, Belois, or Raihan before. Discussing her fate, the entities
emphasized that she was heading the wrong way. And after explaining everything,
they gave her a choice.

[That is why I will allow you to choose your own path. Choose who you want to become.]

[But don’t forget, you’re a free wind, and if someone tries to hold you back…]

“I am a free breeze, so I also get to decide where I want to stay.”

And of course, as others had done, Arisha chose her path willingly. Was it her destiny
to be a whimsical and free wind?

“Freedom is doing what you want to do. Enjoying what you think is fun. I want to stay
with Evan for now.”

[As expected,… everyone else’s path beside him who walks on an extramarital affair
ends up going against him. But this is also a new fate, and we will accept it and love
your choice even more. So, kid, you will be called the ‘Probationary Knight of the
Whirlwind’ in the future.]

[The Mana Sword will be given only for you. ‘Rapier of the Wind’ is a sword made only
for you and is only completed when the skills to handle the body and mana into a
single point. Only you are allowed to see the result. Go on with a great deal of effort
and prudence.]

The gods had respected and accepted her choice. Furthermore, they had given her new
powers and abilities. It looked like she was going on a whole new path, different from
the one that Arisha von Pellati took in the game.

“It’s a mysterious feeling…”

Arisha’s body trembled slightly as her dungeon level was rising. Her body was twisting,
and it seemed as if new internal organs were being created inside of her. It was the
same when she was awarded ‘Wind Step’. That was enough evidence that the class she
had just gotten as a Wind Apprentice and her new skill of Whirlwind Rapier were
having a great influence on her.

“That went smoothly.”

“Yes, I got a new class and ability.”

As Arisha was checking her own body and making strange expressions, Evan and the
party who were waiting for her to level up approached her.

“Huh, you really get a job because you’ve cleared the fifth floor. Even though there’s
not much reward, hunting the Hidden Boss is a direct way to get a job.”

Evan admired the fact that Arisha had really gotten a class. Seeing his eyes twinkling,
Shine narrowed his eyes and asked.

“That means that all of the Rookie children brought into the dungeon in the future will
also fight this Blood Goblin Fighter, right?”

“It would be great if it were just that way.”

Evan thought for a moment when he heard Shine’s words. Of course, he had no
intention of doing that. Not Shine or Belois, but Rookie people unknown in the game’s
character dictionary could not kill the Hidden Boss at Dungeon Level 5.

But hadn’t he decided already not to worry too much about the problem of their roles
in the game? Then, of course, the possibility of those who were not the protagonists
was also to be acknowledged. It was only right that he had to trust and rely on children
who trusted and followed him.

“How about it, Shine? If you judge it coldly from the standpoint of the vice commander
who directly teaches the prospective members. Is it possible?”

“To tell you the truth… with your dope medication, I’m sure it’s possible.”

It was not only Evan who had watched the battle taking place in the Hidden Boss battle
room but also the other members of the party. And everyone was impressed by
Arisha’s ability and sharp senses, along with the effects of the Divine Magic and Evan’s
potion!

The gods had said that Arisha had fought with her strength, but strictly speaking, that
wasn’t true. Of course, her abilities were excellent, but they weren’t enough to easily
defeat the Blood Goblin Fighter that appeared beyond the 20th floor at this point.

‘But I still don’t understand how she was able to gather such strength by Raihan’s Divine
Magic and the potion only?’

Shine was gaping at the battle with his mouth hanging wide open all the time. He was
even more amazed because he somewhat knew Arisha’s abilities before she fought the
Hidden Boss. How the hell could Evan’s potion be that good!

“It’s different than being drugged, boy. It strengthens you.”

“When you talk about alchemy, you resemble Bernard-nim’s tone, Young Master.”

“Oh, no. Anyways, no matter how useful potions or Divine Magic are, it’s useless if you
don’t have your original strength because, in that case, they won’t increase it much.
I’m sure of that.”

Of course, Evan’s alchemy had improved enough to be recognized by Bernard, and it

was true that the potion he had made was very effective. However, if Arisha hadn’t
been able to control her increased physical abilities properly, she would not have
beaten the Blood Goblin Fighter. It had looked so easy, but in truth, it wasn’t. All of
them were able to progress because Arisha had the skills to use her physical abilities
efficiently.

‘In the end, she was rewarded for her achievements and got a new class.’

If so, could it be applied equally to the Rookie children as well? Evan thought for a
while, thinking about the children who were still training hard, and finally nodded. He
came to the same conclusion as Shine.

“My pupils can do it. Each one of them is training very hard. And it certainly supports
the results.”

“Well, yes. I think so, too.”

Of course, it may not yet be possible for them to surpass Arisha’s abilities individually.
No matter how efficient the training was, there was an overwhelming difference in the
training time itself and age, so Evan couldn’t help it.

However, if they were able to make good use of their teamwork, they might be able to
attack the Hidden Boss on the 5th floor with their own strengths.

‘I think this tactic will be good for them in the future. If I want to make sure the Rookie
kids’ foundation is strong enough, I should start investing in them. The potion’s price will
be a lot, but we’ll do it anyway. Then all the members of the Dungeon Knights will break
through the Hidden Boss’ Battle Room. We shall try this too.’

Drugs that raised the consumer’s ability to the extreme were made by using expensive
ingredients and had great aftereffects.

However, Evan was able to use his alchemy skills and even more expensive materials
to reduce the aftereffects to a minimum, and thanks to that, the production cost
skyrocketed. Nothing could be said about the rarity of the Elven tea leaves added at
the end too.

Arisha’s dungeon trip this time had set a good precedent in many ways. Evan’s
fundamental perception had also changed, and accordingly, the Knights’ operation in
the future would be unique!

“By the way, Miss Arisha.”

“What?”

Evan sighed and added the production of a buff potion to his to-do list when he heard
Shine asking a question.

“What is your class name!? We are in the same party after all and will be moving
together in the future as well, so shouldn’t we get to know each other better?”

“You are smiling. Do you have something against me?”

“It’s nothing really. But for reference, my class is ‘Blood Butler’. I’m just saying we
should know about each other.”

“I am a Mana Maid. I am very happy to assist you.”

These guys couldn’t stand it and appealed again! Why was Belois standing next to her
and making a sly expression?

Evan looked at them. From a distance, he could see Raihan, who was just standing
there with his mouth shut. He didn’t want to tell them that his class title was simply
called ‘Shield’. He understood Raihan.
If Arisha asked Evan about his job, he would escape the dungeon, and he would lock
himself up in his room.

“Probationary Knight of the Whirlwind.”

“What!?”

The words from Arisha forced him to raise his head too. It was definitely not a class
that could be obtained at the level of clearing the 5th floor!

“It’s not just wind, it’s Whirlwind? This means you got double rewards.”

“Belois, do you understand what Master is talking about?”

“Silly, Shine, wait. Master will explain.”

He had explained it to the party before that the more complex the modified class’s
name, the higher it was ranked in the series.

For example, Shine had gotten a class that modified the ordinary class of a butler with
the word ‘blood’, while Belois had gotten a class that modified the ordinary class of a
maid with the word ‘mana’.

So, it could be said that both had achieved a very good class. However, Arisha had
gotten a bigger class than both of them.

“The job Arisha got this time is a knight in the high ranks of other professions. First of
all, this is amazing. To tell you in advance, getting a knighthood doesn’t mean you’ll get
a job of Knight. It’s a mixed concept of real abilities.”

So, the primary goal of the Sherden knights was to acquire somehow a class called a
‘Knight.’ Among those who received the title of knights, there were many who had
classes other than it.

“But she’s a probationary knight.”

“The word ‘probationary’ means it will be removed if you’ve done a good job. You’ve
already secured a position as a knight.”

“I see…”
Comparing grades simply with words is bad for Shine or Belois, but when comparing
Probationary Knight, Butler, and Maid, her job was much better.

‘It’s good enough to just be a probationary knight, but then the word ‘‘Whirlwind’ comes
in. It’s not just ordinary wind, and has more characteristics. In conclusion, it is a class
that is clearly more than one level higher than the class that Shine and Belois got!’

“So, Evan, is it amazing?”

“It most definitely is.”

“So, is it fun?”

“No, it’s so amazing that I don’t know.”

“Hmm… I’ll be satisfied with that for now. Because I had a lot of fun.”

Arisha nodded a little with a slight smile on his lips. Her satisfaction increased even
more when she saw Evan’s startled expression.

“Hmm…”

“The Knight… is it a service… Ummm.”

Meanwhile, Shine and Belois, who saw her, became moody. They couldn’t erase the
thought of losing to Arisha. And looking at them, Evan had no idea of what they were
fighting.

‘It’s really amazing, but… it’s annoying.’

In other words, her future and direction of growth would be different from what Evan
had known. She had mastered the Rapier of the Wind, which was surprising to Yeo
Ban-min, a geek of the Yo-Ma Great War series in his previous life.

‘I was vaguely expecting this to happen, but will my involvement with Arisha from
childhood really lead her to a better future? Is that a good thing for me? What about this
world? I know that it’s useless to think about this already but still… ’

Still, if a change occurred that was clearly different from the game, Evan would
inevitably become nervous. He knew that the best he could right now was to just focus
on what he could do.

Evan laughed away his worries and looked back at the party members staring at him.

“Okay, then let’s go down to the 6th floor. We should start exploring the lower floors
of the dungeons in earnest!”

To Evan, who said so with a firm nod, Shine tackled coolly.

“We have to eat before that, Master.” Oh… even if the dungeon attack by Arisha was
quick, it had already been eight hours since they had entered the dungeon. Evan
quietly led them to a nearby shelter.

It was still his responsibility to cook for them…

“There’s a saying that the ‘real’ Dungeon starts from the sixth floor.” Evan brought this
up as they bounded down the Dungeon stairs after a quick meal and nap. He already
had the Battle Bead in hand, preparing himself for the upcoming battle.

“Of course, the Dungeon is very much real right from the 11th floor, the 16th floor
where the Orcs appear, and not to mention the 31st floor, where trolls classified as
high ranking monsters only appear as regular monsters. One could say there are a lot
of variations with no clear cut answer.”

“But isn’t that just blindly insisting that the tier they have reached is the hardest?”

“Yes, I suppose that may also be the case. Not that there is it necessarily wrong to do so.
What’s important is for us to understand the dynamic environment of the Dungeon,
where the monsters and traps laid out constantly undergo change every 5 floors. That
is why it’s considered nearly impossible to attempt adapting to the Dungeon. It’s a
fruitless feat, and one should never let their guard down if they wish to make it out
alive.”

This was strikingly true, especially from the 6th floor, which housed Goblins. One often
encountered them at random, seldom going about their quest when in a flash, a horde
of said mutant beasts surges forward, lunging at their throats from nowhere. Their
stealth gave them an easy advantage over their prey, stalking up behind their backs
and injecting them with venom that caused paralysis when they least expected it.

As though these vile creatures were not adequate to cause enough damage, there was
the Blinde. Quaint and barely audible, these scurrying rodents could bring down
opponents many times their size. Looking out for them would certainly come in handy
to avoid getting hurt.

“Maze rats, Vampire bats, and Saw rabbits are one of the most prominent features of
the Dungeons. They cluster around everywhere, almost on every single floor. You’ll
most likely get tired of encountering these three. However, you must get used to seeing
and fighting them.”

To survive in the Dungeon, one had to possess a lot more than just mere power. To
qualify and call oneself as the proud invincible explorer of the Dungeon, an array of
skills and abilities need to be mastered.

Listening to all that Evan had to say, Shine decided to be brave and put forth a question,
ignoring the looks he received from the rest of the group.

“You have given us quite an explanation, Master. If you don’t mind me asking, what is
it that you have been doing this whole time?”

“Oh, I’m just organizing a collection of junk monsters from here and there. It gets tiring
trying to slay them all, so I’m only aiming at the ones I know. It’s hard to find them at
first, but they at least have small HP. That makes it easier to kill them using my beads.”

“Oh. I see. Then I’ll take my leave now, Master. I’m going to check on their corpse. Let’s
talk again once I get back.”

Shine nodded at Evan, who was busy throwing the Battle Beads in all directions, and
ran forward with the scimitar. It was to draw blood from the monsters which Evan had
previously killed.

“Wait, hold up! What if one or two of them are still alive? I mean, I know you handle
yourself well, but all the same, you really do need to take necessary precautions before
you go headfirst into situations like these.”

Shine barely heeded any of the offered advice and was already thrusting the scimitar
into the fleshy part of the corpses, soaking up all their blood. As gory as it seemed,
Shine loved leveling up his scimitar. While Evan continued to look at him with his head
tilted to one side, Arisha spoke up and posed a question.

“I was wondering if anyone could tell me what exactly that scimitar is?”

“It’s an artifact that is available on the first floor. Although it looks like it doesn’t
amount to much value, don’t let that fool you. It has a tremendous capacity to store
blood, which you will soon realize is essential for Shine.”

“Oh, I see.”
Arisha nodded and went back to staring ahead without letting any of her emotions
out. No one could figure out what she was thinking or feeling when she steeled herself
like that. No one but Evan. He had always found it easy to understand due to unknown
reasons. Right now, he could sense that she felt bad for not having acquired any artifact
so far, feeling inferior to the rest of the group.

“Don’t be like that. We’ve come all the way here, and you can’t possibly think about
giving up now. Maybe the sixth floor will have something that will be appropriate for
you to use, don’t dwell too much on this.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to that.”

I can’t let my guard down against her. Evan thought to himself.

Shine was walking toward them with a huge grin stretched from one cheek to the
other, clearly having had the opportunity to fill his scimitar to the brim with blood.

“Master, I still can’t fathom how you managed to clear this entire horde of monsters
by only using your beads. You hardly even shifted from your position the entire time.
I’m impressed with your sense of detection.”

“Well, of course. I’ve spent so much time honing my alchemy, as well as my other skills.
You haven’t missed anything?”

“Of course. You’ve killed every monster there is to be found in this level. Which
reminds me, I’ve been meaning to bring up something with you, Master.”

“Yes?”

Shine held out his palm to show Evan the tiny mana stone he had extracted from one
of the bodies a few moments ago. He carried on with a determined tone of voice.

“You are a lot more sensitive than you think yourself to be, Master. You can kill two or
three monsters in one shot.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, it has been checked. Frankly speaking, it’s no doubt that if anyone can single-
handedly clear the entire Dungeon, it is you. And that’s not your problem, but it’s our
problem if we keep going this way.”
Shine blurted whatever he had wanted to since they entered the Dungeon. He’d felt
this way since their last dungeon encounter and felt a huge burden being lifted off his
shoulders now that he had come clean with his emotions.

“No matter what we want to do, you will detect and clear every possible danger. How
can we stack our own experience and skills……? You’ve given Miss Arisha a chance,
and now you have to give us a chance to prove our qualifications to protect you.”

Oh, I can’t refuse it because it’s all true… Evan’s eyes widened. Shine continued with a
sigh.

“I get that you’re a perfectionist, and it gives you satisfaction to know that you’ve taken
care of all the safety protocols. You assign roles to us, yes, but you’re practically
breeding us. We need to be able to fight on our own in order to actually grow.”

“I’ve never thought of that, even in my dreams…”

Evan’s plans were usually perfect at any time, but there were occasional errors in the
part that did not take his ability into account. A little while ago, he had just thrown
beads to get rid of what he could, and as a result, everything around him was cleared
up.

Perhaps no monsters would approach them for awhile.

“Your skills are very high. If you continue to solve all the difficulties for us in the future,
then we’ll have to worry about our own contribution.”

The imbalance in Dungeon attacks began from this. If left unchecked, it would get
worse. Ever since the expedition in the previous Dungeon, Shine had thought so.

The only way to solve it was to reduce Evan’s stake in the Dungeon attack even a little.
Then naturally, there would be more opportunities for others to play and face the
Dungeon.

“We sincerely request that you take on the role of a guide from now on. Lead us and
train us to detect monsters and set up traps to kill them. Even though we’ll be slower
than before to clear each floor, it will help us learn to fight and protect ourselves.”

“But that’s -”
Shine interrupted Evan before he could finish.

“Of course, if you think we’re in genuine danger, then feel free to step up. If not, though,
we’d appreciate it if you leave it to us. This is not only my opinion. I am speaking on
behalf of everyone here.”

Everyone implicitly agreed with Shine. Even Arisha was nodding, even though she had
set a new record of clearing up to the fifth floor in less than 10 hours with Evan’s
presence. Evan then asked.

“Then, won’t my contribution be less?”

“Oh, well, it won’t!”

“It’s okay, Master. It’ll be the same if you reduce your performance to a tenth of what
it is now.”

Taking Shine’s lead, Belois followed suit and nodded along with the rest of them. That
did it for Evan. If even Belois felt the same about this, there was nothing left to be
discussed any further. Evan had no other option than to pretend that he was convinced
and on board with the plan for now.

“Alright, fine, you’ve convinced me. I’ll do as you wish. But in the case that I am unable
to level up, you will all be left with no choice but to take more Dungeons with me.”

“Yes, I’ll be with you forever, so don’t worry about that.”

Shine bragged. Evan finally accepted his colleagues’ proposal to set his role as a ‘guide’.

The others didn’t waste any more time and quickly assigned roles to each other. The
Dungeon expedition was all set to begin.

“Miss Arisha, there’s a trap ahead!”

“Eek!”

Shine was learning the insights from Arisha, who had turned out to be a rather skilled
professor.

It was an essential skill for bandits. Since Evan had taken care of mapping and guiding
so far, Shine was eager to learn the new skill and use it to his advantage. Leading came
naturally to Shine, and others adhered to his orders without questioning his authority
in the slightest.

“Belois, break the ornament up there!”

“Fox fire!”

“I think something is crawling around at 3 o’clock! Someone cover me while I check it

out!”

“I’ve got your back, Shine!”

Pretty soon, the party led the expedition into the Dungeon in a synchronized way.
Although Evan was still in charge of guiding them to places where there were only a
few traps and procuring achievements was relatively easier in those areas, there was
still lots to work to be done before they could stop to take a breath.

“Another trap ahead!”

“Everyone, fall back. Do not advance any further!”

“We can’t take this monster on yet. We’re not qualified enough!”

“Raihan!”

The atmosphere quickly turned dark and sinister in the matter of a few seconds.
Monsters never appeared alone all by themselves. If you spotted one, you could bet
that there were others following suit immediately behind.

“It’s an elite!”

“I heard that from the sixth floor, you can expect spontaneous sightings of elites. I
guess it was true after all.”

As the monsters kept streaming through, the fight with them grew more intense. Their
numbers were gradually increasing, and the fighters had a hard time keeping up.

“Don’t worry. I can easily handle this number. I can take on even a hundred more. Just
leave it all to me, I can stop them all!” Raihan yelled out confidently.
As soon as Raihan took the center and drew all the monsters towards him, Shine went
to look for the traps laid out.

“Hyung, that’s enough! I’m going to kill them all!”

“This part has been cleared.”

“Thank you for all your hard work, everyone!”

In other words, without Raihan, the group would have found themselves in some
pretty deep trouble. They all knew it as well.

“Is everyone alright? Let’s keep moving since this has been cleared.”

“Miss Arisha, take it slow. You keep going ahead of us. It will be better for us and
yourself to maintain pace with us.”

“Huh. Okay.”

Shine’s role was to scout and attack the enemy while Raihan defended them. Belois
covered them while Arisha flitted out, taking out as many monsters as she could. They
were indeed a perfect team.

“I found a trap,” Shine called out.

“Shine, step back. I’ll take care of it.”

“Raihan, please be on standby with the shield. There are more of the monsters trickling
in.”

“I’m free now, I can be of help to you!”

“This almost looks like an accomplishment on the wall. Don’t you agree, Master?”

“Yes, I thought the same. We have to take this and then fight again, so let’s just get this
over with. It’s a puzzle, so you’ll be able to crack it easily.”

“Alright, then I’ll get started on it right away. For the others, prepare for battle!”

It was no common feat to clear a single floor of the Dungeon. Sometimes, it took others
a couple of days to clear a single floor. However, they were able to get achievements,
one after the other. The team’s coordination was like one never seen before, working
on a tight and efficient schedule.

“Once the battle is over, take a break! We’re on the move in five minutes!”

“Okay, Master!”

“Everyone, I’m going to cast a divine spell. If you don’t allow yourself to rest up now,
you may not get a chance to do so for a while. We need you at your maximum potential
if we’re going to get this done successfully.”

‘Letting them take on the monsters all by them is certainly making us move at a slower
pace. But I suppose it is better in the long run, since they’re getting stronger as they
go. If they manage to keep this up, could it be possible to earn the title of the best team
by the time they reach the 30th floor?’ Evan thought to himself. Evan used to be a part
of the best party to have ever attacked the Dungeon in his previous lifetime. They had
been able to attack the whole place in the shortest and most efficient way possible.

He shifted his attention to Belois, who was panting, her hands on her knees.

“Are you all right, Lua?”

“Yes, Master. I just needed a moment to catch my breath. No problem at all.” Belois
heaved out the words with extreme difficulty.

When he led the team, they had never been as tired as seemed to be now. Now that
the responsibilities had been divided and they were actively participating in the
attacks, they were bound to lose energy quickly.

“Okay. Just a little further now, we’re almost done on this floor.”

“You’re being too kind, Master. We know it’s much slower compared to when you were
taking the lead. How long has it been since we started out?”

“About seven hours. It’s very slow, but it’s okay. You guys are getting better, and you’ll
probably get faster.”

At Evan’s words, all the members looked at each other and nodded. They seemed
proud of what they had managed to achieve so far. They were more than willing to put
in the necessary work to be as great a Dungeon Explorer as Evan was. Not to mention
how oblivious they were to the fact that they had taken only 7 hours so far. The record
of clearing the sixth floor stood at a whopping 27 hours, and that was without
gathering any significant achievements.

Although Evan grew increasingly anxious every time he thought about his level up, he
was upgraded to level 7 when he discovered the staircase leading up to the seventh
floor, along with receiving divine protection.
On the fourth day, Evan’s party finally managed to break through the ninth floor of the
Dungeon. Given that they had let Arisha clear all the floors from the first to the fifth,
their expedition was still considerably fast. Perhaps that was why there were known
as the Dream Team.

[You have been upgraded to Level 10]

Evan had still somehow managed to level up amidst what was happening. All due to
his expert guidance. He had thoroughly organized the route to collect as many
achievements as possible along the way and pointed the rest of the members to steer
clear of the dangerous traps.

[Your ardent determination to conquer the Dungeon has come to our attention. You
have managed to destroy all the evil elements by revealing the terrible secrets which
continued to lurk around the ninth floor.]

God had maintained such a tacit concept when playing the game, but had also grown
to become a great orator for Evan’s party today.

[Due to your continuous achievements, you will bear not only the responsibilities of
external affairs but from this moment onwards the work of the conqueror rests upon
you as well]

Conqueror? Evan had never hoped for such recognition; he was elated beyond belief. It
was something that had never been offered to him even when he had been a part of the
Yo-Ma Great War series.

But before he could express his excitement and gratitude for having been offered the
prestigious role, his bubble of happiness didn’t last for long.

[Since the role of external affairs happens to be your primary concern and also affects
not only you but countless people relying on you, it is not possible to switch to another
role at the moment. You will continue in your current position until you reach level M]

Evan let out a sigh of relief, for he had almost thought that the job would have been
assigned to someone else. It was the norm for one man to be in charge of a single
profession. But in cases where the said individual could demonstrate his abilities by
conquering the 50th floor, it seemed like God was willing to bend the rules a little and
award his generously by presenting to him another position of honor.

Evan needed to get to work if he wanted to be rewarded.

[You will be entitled to the said position once you successfully reach level 50 and rise
to level 51. Rest assured that I do not tend to go back on my words once I’ve promised
something. I wish you the best for your future endeavors]

“I feel honored to have been presented with this opportunity. I will work diligently for
the same. If you don’t mind me asking, I still don’t know who you are.” Evan’s tone took
more of an informal style, and he was addressing the Gods as though they were the
best of friends. It was because he had gotten quite used to conversing when they every
time he had leveled up.

He could even distinguish between them and could accurately remember them by the
way they spoke to him. He realized the one that was addressing him right now
happened to be one of Evan’s favorites.

[It is not under my purview to sanction your request for a change in job roles, but what
I can offer you is a boost to strengthen your abilities]

“If you would be so kind enough to upgrade my skills to the next level, can you consider
omitting Heaven Press?”

[Heaven Press skill will be strengthened in the future under the influence of your
various other abilities, such as Heaven Weight 2.0]

Evan, who was prepared to be disappointed, tilted his head to the side and pondered
over how he would be able to channel the pressure of Heaven Weight into Heaven
Press. Heaven Weight’s skillsets proved meaningful when one desired to extend the
fists’ power to the outside. Evan quickly snapped out of his stupor and cleared all his
doubts.
“If I do decide to make use of Heaven Press, would I be able to press on enemies who
are nearby?” If only he could do this, it might be possible to extract a useful skill from
this seemingly good for nothing ability. It would pave the way for range attacks. Just
as the Heaven Weight skill was aimed towards the up-gradation of impractical skills,
it must be possible to accomplish the same with Heaven Press.

Evan had to stop himself from squirming around, for he was already excited at the
mere prospect of testing out his theory as soon as the situation allowed it. Looking at
his enthusiasm, even God seemed to be smiling down upon him.

[It is good that you seem elated at this news. I hope you understand that we are only
trying to give you the best we can. You can’t achieve this alone by yourself; you will
eventually need to enlist the help of others]

“It is a path that I can’t reach using only my efforts and available skills?”

[Yes, that is right. It is the pathway on which Gods and mortals walk together]

Skills given by the Gods themselves were mostly only power. Even those who were the
least qualified could understand its principle. It was magical chemistry that produced
results when combined with mana.

Heaven Press’s principles had not yet been compromised, but harmonizing the power
of Heaven Weight with Heaven Press was certainly impossible with what little power
he currently held. Just his efforts would get him nowhere.

Evan was beginning to understand why the leader of Dungeon Knights had loathed
Dungeons. But of course, Evan wasn’t about to give up Dungeons due to his bitterness
towards one measly challenge. He stretched out his right arm, almost making contact
with the walls. He clenched his fists and activated Heaven Press. Just as he had been
promised, unlike the previous version of Heaven Press, this one spewed out an
unusual stream of mana. In fact, the force was so strong that the walls were beginning
to crack from the pressure.

After a while, he gradually eased the grip on his fist and opened his palms. The mana
quickly turned to a trickle from the gushing waterfall it had been mere seconds ago.
With the increased usage of Heaven Weight and Heaven Press’s combined attributes,
the wall’s opening would expand to be much larger than the one he had opened up
now. All the same, Evan was excessively content at the fact that he had finally managed
to realize the worth of this skill.

“I don’t think you are even a mere mortal anymore, the things you do can never be
possibly performed by a human.”

“Is that magic, Master?”

“Master, are you using psychokinetic power?”

A large group had formed around him, mouths agape with awe as they observed their
Master demonstrating his skills. They bombarded him with endless questions.

“No, all it is is just a little increased utilization of a skill that is of no particular use by
itself.” He responded humbly.

“Oh, I get it now, Master.”

“Shine? Are you all alright? You don’t seem like you understood me at all.”

“No. I completely understood, Master.”

Evan decided not to waste any more time arguing even though it seemed clear enough
to him that Shine hadn’t been able to comprehend a word he had said. But the last
thing he wanted to do was to argue.

“I’m going to talk about attacking the 10th floor of the Dungeon, so I would suggest
everyone to listen up and address their questions towards me if they have any.”

Evan checked that the group had all finished their respective level-ups and called them
over to form a tight meeting circle.

Evan was not the only one to have undergone extreme change and emerged stronger
than ever before. The others had also become significantly stronger than they had
been before they entered the Dungeon. Just because their levels had risen along with
mana and body strength, it wasn’t only due to those factors. It was because they had
finally stepped up to defend themselves instead of relying on someone else to do it for
them.

“Everyone has become quite experienced with traps, and in less than a span of four
days, you have achieved such synchronized teamwork. I am extremely proud to see
how far you all have come. If we can keep up this pace, we can break through the 10th
floor with ease. After that, it is only smooth sailing from there onwards.”

“Then…?”

“However, I want to lay emphasis on how the 10th floor should be approached and
tackled as a team, not as an individual with aggressive ambitiousness. It is one of the
most important floors of all where all the floor masters reside.”

Until now, Evan had respected their wishes to protect themselves and resorted to only
acting as a guide for the group, but this couldn’t be done on the 10th floor. It was time
for him to lead again, even if it was only for one floor.

“Is there a Hidden Boss on the tenth floor, Master?” Raihan asked.

“Of course. The Hidden Bosses are always present on the floors where Floor Masters
exist. It’s actually one of the ways to detect their presence. However, it won’t be as easy
to locate as the one we encountered on the 5th floor.”

If they were roaming around, gaining access to them was considered incredibly easy,
it would mean that all the explorers who had risked their lives to get past these levels
would have died in vain.

The Hidden Boss was such a notorious beast that even the Gods had resorted to isolation
to protect the lives of the mortals. They weren’t meant to be killed.

“It’s only normal to hunt and slay all the floor masters who exist on the 10th floor. In
order to gain the achievement required to liberate the Hidden Boss, we might need to
activate several traps on purpose.”

“So that’s how those who are relatively new to the Dungeon don’t ever get access to
the Hidden Boss?”

“That’s right, that’s it. That’s the purpose.”

In the game, Hidden Boss was originally initiated for those who had cleared the game
more than once or had attempted the second round. It was ridiculous to play the game
for the first time and expect to have the opportunity to liberate it on the very first
attempt.
“That’s why I’m going to step up.”

“No, if you’re new to the Dungeon, I would strongly suggest you to come along with
me. Don’t look so dissatisfied. Right after we clear the 10th floor, I’ll go straight back
to being a guide again. In fact, I’ve started to like my new role.”

According to Shine, Evan might appear to be a Dungeon maniac who was always
anxious for some serious target attacking, but what he failed to notice was that Evan
was just another person who wanted to make sure he was safe, and wasn’t particularly
comfortable when it came to taking chances which could risk his life. If he could level
up in terms of recognition for all his contributions so far, he would have been elated
with his situation right now. All his moments spent on fighting dangerously and
detecting traps had gone to waste.

‘Well, it does seem to be an ideal development.’

Evan’s current role as the guide for the group was something that he was beginning to
like and wanted to hold onto to even in the future. He had realized how easy he had it
now, to be comfortably protected by the knights of their group as they cleared each
floor and leveled up, while all he had to do was point them in the right direction. It
sure felt good to be a guide.

“You’re starting to get your crazy ideas again.”

“Why?”

“Let’s go down right away, Master. We’re ready.”

Belois spoke quietly, tugging gently at the corner of Evan’s sleeve. Evan came to his
senses and cleared his head. It was important for him to focus all his attention on the
10th floor if he wanted to enjoy a long and comfortable life as a guide.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Evan D. Sherden, the world’s most qualified and abled guide, led the party towards the
Dungeon’s 10th floor. Little did they know that a prisoner who had been locked up
since the birth of the Dungeon was about to be released very soon.
There were two possible ways to approach something that was hidden well out of
sight. The first approach consisted of attempting to locate the exact location where the
said object was hidden. This would mean moving around, breaking down walls, or
entering secret passages to confirm. The second one focused on luring it out.

“An offering is the Dungeon’s way of calling them out.”

“I don’t know who created this dungeon, but this sure is nasty.”

Shine shuddered at the sight of the corpses strewn out on the floor, the Maze rats
scurrying about for fear that they would get stepped on. By now, he was used to blood
and gore, for he had lost count of the number of monsters he had slain, but for some
reason, the traps always made him feel uneasy. Especially the traps that didn’t kill its
prey right away, but rather caused a slow and painful death as the victims struggled
against the agony of having their life sucked out of them.

Evan joined him. “Shine, do you know how emotion can be transformed into energy?”

“How is that related to this trap?”

“It has just about everything to do with the Dungeon as well as the traps in it. Think
about all kinds of treasures one might find along with the dangerous monsters lurking
around in the deep crevices of the Dungeon. Don’t you think it presents a convenient
place to draw human emotions to their extreme limits?”

It was. Shine was nodding his head, convinced when Raihan stepped in from the side.
His impression had turned nasty.

“Master, isn’t that related to the Mahwa tribe? I’ve heard tales where they thrive on
sucking out the souls of humans.”
“It is similar to that, but not quite the same. The fact remains that they grow stronger
not only for the spirits but also for the emotions possessed by human beings. It hasn’t
yet been discovered as to how they can harness power from a formless emotion that
has been sucked out of a living being.”

“I remember what I had been taught in the priest’s classes. Honestly, though, I didn’t
really pay any attention to what was being discussed. I found the whole topic disgusting
and inhumane.”

Evan continued, smiling at Raihan, who was scratching his head with embarrassment.

“The Dungeon has been optimized for the maximum exploitation of human emotions.
The desire for treasure, the fear of monsters, the despair of suffering, hope, and the
determination to fight are just a few of those emotions that we go through on a daily
basis. That’s why we often say this when we argue against those who claim that Gods
have created Dungeons.”

When no one spoke, Evan ploughed on with a faint smile.

“The Dungeon is rather nothing other than a factory created by the Devil himself to
efficiently extract human emotions and use them to his advantage. That is precisely
why we have the Gods looking over us, guiding us, as we make our way up each floor
slaying the monsters to restore the Dungeon into a sanctuary rather than a feared
place.”

“So… What is it exactly, Master?”

Evan simply smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“So, a Dungeon is a specialized place to amplify human emotions, whether positive or

negative. Now that you understand that, don’t you think it’s natural that you have to
sacrifice a trap as a device to summon the Hidden Boss Battle Room?”

“I am just glad to know this was not a creation of God.”

Evan nodded, confirming them that the trap had stopped working.

“Okay, time for us to move on to the next place.”

Evan, who had only now figured out their location on the map, rushed to clear the floor
with the rest of the team. They found hidden achievements, disfigured most traps, and
activated a few of them from time to time, pushing monsters around them to meet the
Hidden Boss Battle Room’s summoning conditions.

“Move, quickly!”

“No way, there are way too many traps! How do we find them all and destroy them
without harming ourselves?”

What was particularly surprising was Evan’s ability to detect and throw with the skills
he had upgraded over the past half-year.

While leading the party and making a count of all the achievements, Evan kept tossing
beads around him, where they scattered on the floor. Each bead had the potential to
destroy either traps or monsters.

“I missed more than half.”

“I didn’t notice anything close to 30 percent either.”

“I’ve made up my mind.” Arisha muttered to herself, the adrenaline pumping inside
her due to this sort of an adventure she had never before felt while exploring even
when she had cleared previous floors. At that moment, another trap was broken.

“I refuse to enter the dungeon without Evan from this moment onwards.”

“Why are you giving up so easily? We need to work together as a team to come up with
ideas on how to combine our individual strengths and defeat the monsters!”

“I value efficiency.”

“What if we were forced to enter without Master Evan?”

In response to Shine, Arisha sneered at him, as if she had expected this question to be
posed to her at one point or another.

“I’ve been thinking about that too, but since I’m Evan’s fiance, I doubt I would ever
actually agree to being separated from him no matter how bad the situation gets.”

“Miss Arisha, don’t you think that you’re speaking too confidently? From the way you
speak, one might think the two of you are already married.”

“Yeah, please respect Master Evan’s will.”

“Yes, respect mine. Lua, I’m not getting engaged to you, either, so please refrain from
spouting anything weird in the future.”

Evan stopped for a moment to signal to Arisha. There was a Floor Master battle room
in front of them.

“Are we already in the battle room?”

“Yes. I’ve calculated, and I have come to the conclusion that they are about eight in
there. It’s a good number to take on.”

Hunting the entirety of floor masters on the 10th floor was considered the basic
condition for a battle with the Hidden Boss. To summon the Hidden Boss Battle Room,
they needed to offer sacrifices and mana stones obtained from the previous floor
masters.

“The monsters which we have been dealing with ever since we crossed the threshold
of the sixth floor have been vast. Given that there are an abundance of strong elite
players, we will face trouble if we don’t operate as a team. I suggest we practice first
and talk about who wants to be in charge of what before we decide to enter into the
Dungeon’s deepest trails.”

“Evan.” Arisha spoke coolly. “We were in a trap room with thirty elites.”

“True, I am not denying that.”

“But you claimed that elite monsters only appear from the 13th floor.”

“We fought because it was such a small room that you couldn’t throw beads, but it got
over sooner than we had hoped it would.”

Evan was silent for a moment but then addressed them all, declaring briskly with an
air of newfound confidence.

“Let’s just get right into it!”

When they entered the Floor Master battle room by offering a mana stone, they were
greeted by a trio of elite bats, a pair of saw rabbits had sharp saws instead of their
front tooth, and about five maze rats that were as huge as an adult male torso.

And right after they appeared, all of them were bludgeoned to death with the aid of
the combined forces of Evan’s Bead, Shine’s dagger, Belois ice and flames, and Arisha’s
rapier.

“We didn’t need to be tactical.”

Evan looked lonely as he glanced down at the corpse of a giant rabbit.

“Yes, sir. I knew it from the beginning.”

Shine stabbed the scimitar into the rabbits’ fleshy parts to draw its blood and handed
the mana stone to Evan.

Evan murmured when he took the mana stone.

“No, I’m sure the Dungeon has weakened completely.”

“I’m sure you would regret that statement you just made when we take on the Hidden
Boss. Come on, let’s go to the next section.”

“No, I’m really surprised at how easy they died. It’s not possible for it to be this simple.”

“But it wasn’t that easy for me. I need to work harder.”

Meanwhile, Arisha had retired to one corner of the room, looking gloomy and counting
the number of holes on the wings of the bat she had just killed. She looked as though
she had it harder than the others and struggled a great deal more than them.

Shine made his way towards her and punctured its body with his scimitar, which
immediately caused it to seep out inky dark blood.

“You too, Miss Arisha, if you get special training from Master Evan, it’ll be solved soon.
Of course, we’re Rookies, and we will be in the upper level because we are senior to
you. Phew.”

“Can I hit you, Shine…”

Arisha seemed to be quite hurt upon hearing this. It must have wounded her pride
greatly, for she looked away quickly, averting her eyes elsewhere. Evan was of the
opinion that Arisha had performed considerably well on this floor.

Just the sight of a gigantic bat being smashed to death with just one single movement
of her rapier was something to marvel at. Not to mention how she had located the key
attack spots and dodged every time it surged forward to hit her like she was a pro.

‘No need to mention Shine and Lua. Our offense was so superior that Raihan didn’t
have to step up. This can’t be called a battle. It’s just one-sided violence. Nothing to be
proud of.’

Ordinary people went through minimal training or adventure before entering the
Dungeon. They knew that the Dungeon was the kind of place where one could easily
lose their lives if they were even the slightest bit careless, which forced them to
acquire skills in order to survive.

And roughly, it is about level 15 and main skill level 6 that make people think about
challenging dungeons. It was the standard for beginners who could somehow
successfully clear the Dungeon even while going through a death crisis.

“But for those who enter the dungeon with a high level of existence and skill, the initial
levels are often fairly easy to pass.”

Those who aspired to be even stronger entered the Dungeons if they felt as though their
levels were enough. However, most of them chose not to enter, even when their levels
were significantly higher than those required to enter. One of the most prominent
warriors in this context went by Mikhail D. Airlock, leader of the Knights. His existence
level must have been over 100. In addition to his impeccable stats, the techniques of
martial arts and swordsmanship which he had mastered over the course of his life
must have been harmonized by now to enable him to cover almost 30 floors without
any difficulty single-handedly.

‘What floor is Mikhail on? I think I vaguely remember him enticing me to join the
mercenary. I think he must be close to the front line.’

It was said that monsters’ strength and the risk of traps were not of the same category
and hence can’t be compared with each other. However, as the existence level
increased, they became immune to any harms and traps.
Moreover, as they scaled up the levels, they noticed the change in their body and
skillsets that grew stronger with each floor they cleared.

“The existence level can’t be that high. Was the skill training a little too intense?”

“No, the stats would still be higher regardless of that.”

“It’s strange.”

“It’s not that strange.”

It could be relatively easy to kill a regular monster or an elite. The dream was expected
to get at least this much done. However, the fact that they had managed to kill the
bosses on the 10th floor with such ease was indeed a strange phenomenon.

“Of course, I believed that this team had the potential to break through even the 70th
floor without any delay,” Evan said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

Yet still, it was another level of achievement to be capable of proceeding into the
Dungeon smoothing and killing the boss simultaneously with just a single stroke of
the blade.

“I’d like to go into the next room alone, Master.” This time, it was Belois who spoke.

“Well, I’m not sure if you’re ready for that yet… Alright, give it a shot.”

And so she tried. Belois managed to clear the floor master entirely with the aid of only
four Fox Fires. It barely took her a minute to get the task done.

After clearing the battle room, Belois smiled, evidently satisfied with herself. Upon
seeing this, Shine and the others expressed their wishes to take the next lead.

“I’ll do the next, Master!”

“Me too.”

“Master, when should I use the shield?”

Evan thought to himself how cocky they had become. He pouted as he realized his
expectations had changed from what it had been initially. Death signs were everywhere,
threatening Evan wherever he went. This was why he had bothered even putting up
this dream team, after all. Who knew that their skills would evolve immensely in the
process of overcoming strong, elite monsters?

‘…where did all that go? It isn’t the Yo-Ma Great War series, I know! I know everything,
but it’s not like this!’

“Hidden Bosses will be different than anything you’ve encountered before. Get ready.”

Even as he said this, several of the members rolled their eyes, as if they had expected
anything else from one of the most feared creatures from the Dungeon.

An hour later, almost two and a half hours after arriving at the 10th floor, they came
face to face with the Hidden Boss Battle Room.
One could only gain access into the Hidden Boss Battle Room after all the eight Floor
Master Battle Rooms had been cleared, in addition to filling up seven various traps
located on the 10th floor to the brim with sacrifices.

Every time a trap was triggered and all the other necessary conditions were met, a
stone wall that was smeared with dried blood would rise to form a space that would
finally reveal the entryway to the Battle Room.

Although the Battle Room was well hidden, tucked away into the Dungeons’ deepest
and darkest part, Evan knew exactly where it was located beforehand, which made
things a lot easier for the rest of the party as they made their way towards it.

“Do all the Hidden Boss Battle Rooms contain the same features?”

“There also exists a Hidden Boss that shows itself at particular intervals in the day, at
those fleeting moments when the God’s powers momentarily weaken while the Devil’s
forces take over.”

Evan had thoroughly scoured every inch of the various community sites during his
previous lifetime, which meant that he was equipped with extensive knowledge on
how to locate the Hidden Boss. These hard-earned hints are to help them on their quest.

All that remained of those glorious days for Evan were those faint memories that he
recollected every once in a while. He had never even imagined himself meeting the
Hidden Boss until then.

“Alright, everyone, listen up. On the 10th floor, we came across many Floor Masters.
Although we did struggle a little while taking on several of them all at once, I should
warn you that the Hidden Boss, even if it doesn’t have the numbers, is remarkably
ferocious.”
“So does that mean that there’s only one Hidden Boss?”

“Yes, that’s right. There is just the one. It is similar to a Chimera, which was created by
combining the forces and traits of the variety of boss monsters residing on the 10th
floor.”

Originally, Chimera was a monster that was initially introduced in Greek mythology.
Its mortal form took the shape of a ram’s body, a snake’s tail, and three heads. In this
game, however, any such monster that emerged from the combination of several
monsters came to be known as Chimera.

Evan thought to himself that perhaps there existed a similar myth in this world as well.
The scriptures were written in a language similar to those practiced on Earth, where
he had been in his previous life. Still, he didn’t have the time or intention to compare
them with each other and conclude their degree of similarities.

There was one important detail to which they had to pay close attention to. The
Hidden Bosses that were located on these floors and the 10th floor took the form of a
Chimera. He felt the need to provide the party members with full disclosure regarding
such beasts before they ventured in.

“They have a completely different pattern of behavior than the bosses we’ve been
dealing with until now. The question that may arise now will be the reason as to why
Boss Monsters were slain for the mere creation of Chimeras. They only served the
purpose of materials for attaining the main form of creation. You must be wondering
why anyone would even desire to create a Chimera and not a completely new kind of
monster.”

“Master, why don’t we take this at a slower pace?”

“I don’t understand why Master Evan seems so agitated about this.”

Based on the information they had gathered from before, most had been highly
ambitious to defeat the Chimeras in the very first round and instead had ended up
losing the game. Thus, that was how the Chimera came to be regarded as an icon of
betrayal for the Yo-Ma Great War series players.

Chimera, a tribe of betrayal, and among them, the Hidden Boss on the 95th floor of the
Sherden Dungeon, had been so amazing. Evan had never expected it would use the
same pattern even on the 95th floor.
“Even though I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about, Master, I can see that
you’re telling us not to rush, for if we did, we’d be doomed for good. Isn’t that right?”

“Well, that is a very simplified way to put it, but yes. That’s pretty much what I wanted
to say.”

The party had become so strong by now that unless about 50 monsters appeared at
once, they wouldn’t require the use of a shield. Since Raihan was considered the
Master of shielding in the entire group, he hadn’t had a chance to play a major role in
any of the battles. But now, he chose to speak up confidently as he addressed his fellow
fighters.

Rather than being intimidated by Evan’s warnings about the Chimera, he seemed
satisfied at the prospect of finally being able to contribute towards their quest.

“Brother, do let me tell you in detail what you must be careful of inside-“

“I can do it, Master.”

Raihan interrupted him. Just as Evan was about to warn him not to be overconfident,
Raihan calmly continued.

“Master Evan, there’s no guarantee that I’ll have access to such inside information on
every enemy I’ll come across in the future. There will come a time when you won’t be
there right next to me to guide me every step of the way. I will eventually have to figure
out how to approach such situations on my own. I’m sure the Chimera is as dangerous
as you have warned us, but it will benefit me in the long run if I took this opportunity
to navigate how to overcome the unknowns.”

“Well, I completely agree with you, but… Alright, I suppose I must step back and let
you do this your way. Just give me your word that you will be as careful as humanly
possible, and that you should prioritize your safety. The Hidden Boss wasn’t released
to the general public for a good reason. The Hidden Boss on the fifth floor is equal to
an elite monster that would appear on the 20th floor.”

“I got it.”

Raihan took the mana stones from Evan, dropped by the Floor Masters, and pushed
them all directly into the Hidden Boss Battle Room entrance.
At that moment, the blood-stained stone walls began to emit a blue aura, and a voice
echoed through, barely audible. The Hidden Boss had been summoned successfully!

“I hope I can do this, it might turn out to be extremely advanced for me.”

“That will not happen. You’ve got this, Raihan. Besides, we’re all with you right here.
We will come to your aid should you ever need it.”

“Alright, here goes nothing. May God bless me and help me make it out of this alive and
in one piece.”

While everyone clustered together, whispering their wishes for him to make it out
alive and successful, Raihan cast a Divine Spell on himself and lifted his shield up. This
was when his trusty Echo Shield was of such prime importance that it determined his
life or death.

“I’m going to go in first. Others can follow my lead once I give you the signal. Sound
good?”

With that, Raihan gingerly pushed open the door to the Battle Room. He had barely
crossed the threshold when tendrils of fiery smoke lashed out at him. Those who were
right behind him felt their faces burn against the intensity of the fire.

Raihan barely flinched, but advanced further into the room. It was a good thing he had
taken his shield with him, for he used it to protect himself against the heat. Because of
this, it was glowing orange around the edges.

The flames were gaining momentum and spreading, almost boring a hole right
through the metal. When the smoke cleared up, the creature came into view, in all its
grotesque entirety. Where its eyes were supposed to be, all that remained were two
rotting holes. Against its leathery back skin were a pair of vast bat’s wings that
sprouted from either of its shoulders.

It looked like a cross between a rat, a bat, and a rabbit. It was a combination of all of
them if they were expanded to about fifty times their original sizes. Out of its gaping
mouth, it spewed out dark flames.

“What the hell? We didn’t sign up for this! I don’t recall slaying a fire breathing rat
being on our agenda.”
While Belois and Arisha calmly got into their attacking stance, Shine was breathing
raggedly from excessive anxiety. When Evan glanced at him, Shine coughed loudly to
cover it up and grabbed two daggers.

“If you’re scared, you can still choose to not to take part in the battle, Shine.”

“Afraid? Me? Haha, you will never see those two words in the same sentence ever. I can
handle this easy peasy, it’s not nearly as scary as the ghosts!”

“Okay, then Shine will take the lead. He will attack first while Raihan covers him.
Although Raihan is capable enough to block it for now, he may not be able to do so for
a long time, so we need to avoid a breach in our formation at all times.”

[Kuhaoo! Hooho!]

Before Evan could finish giving out instructions, the Chimera twisted around itself in
a highly grotesque manner, mouth closing in on itself. Within a split second, it abruptly
spun around and lunged towards Raihan, paws outstretched, sharp-edged talons
gleaming in the light. It had apparently decided that its target was Raihan, willing to
go to any extent until he was extinguished.

[Aaaaargh!]

Raihan was equally fast on his feet and blocked the attack expertly by slamming his
shield in front of him. It was as though he had been expecting the move; he was
prepared for any contingency to arise.

His face didn’t give away any sort of fear or worry he might have been feeling about
having to deal with the Chimera’s gigantic physique, or its rapid maneuvers aimed at
gauging his eyes out. He appeared so calm and composed that his ensuing battle with
the beast seemed like a glorious dance between good and evil. At that moment, Raihan
resembled a magnificent Iron Wall knight.

“Do you need assistance? How are you holding up?”

“Can I be honest with you, Master?”

As the Chimera relentlessly scratched the shield with its talons, bringing down endless
strikes on the battered piece of metal, Raihan responded in an almost cheeky tone,
“I’m actually quite enjoying this. It’s not every day that one gets to take on a Chimera
singlehandedly.”

[Ku-oh-oh-oh!]

Noticing that its opponent was only defending himself and wasn’t attacking violently,
the Chimera made an effort to kick Raihan by unleashing its front legs in a quivering
motion towards him. But as it came in contact with the shield, its talons burst,
releasing venomous fumes into the air.

Raihan resorted to casting the Divine Magic spell as his shield was no match against
the poisonous mist. It cleared up the air in a matter of seconds, thanks to his quick
thinking.

“Is that all you got?”

As if the Chimera could comprehend Raihan’s mild provocation was aimed towards it,
it let out a loud bellowing noise and scrambled forward ferociously.

Its mouth snapped open and shut as it tried to gnaw on a chunk of his flesh with its
decayed and jagged fangs dripping with saliva. When it didn’t seem to be working, it
began bringing down its entire weight on the ground.

Every time it made contact with the floor, the entire Battle Room shook and shuddered
as if they were in the midst of an earthquake. This was one of the signature moves of
the Chimera. It was said to be so strong that warriors could barely stay on their feet
for long when it occurred.

“Lua, now is not the time to retreat. Let’s take our positions and move forward. Raihan
has the defense line under control, so Shine and Arisha should attack now!”

Belois tried to use her magic on the Chimera, which failed miserably, and she slumped
into Evan’s arms, all her energy drained out of her. Evan stepped back with Belois in
his arms and grabbed on to his Battle Beads. Shine and Arisha were following the
orders given to them and were already proceeding to unleash their attacks.

Raihan refused to budge from his position and threw all his weight onto the shield to
drive the Chimera away from him. It seemed to be working like he had intended as the
creature slid backward little by little.

Shine and Arisha joined in the struggle.

“I’m not entirely sure if the Bloody Shadow can be activated with just rotten blood, but
it’s worth giving it a shot!”

“Whirlwind!”

[Argh!]

With blood oozing out from both sides of its body, the Chimera shrieked and twisted
against the combined forces of Shine and Arisha. What surprised them both was the
fact that although they were in easy range for it to have caused considerable harm to
them, it seemed only to want to hurt Raihan. The Chimera could have slashed Shine’s
throat and struck Arisha’s bosom with ease if it had desired to, but it refused to loosen
its grip on Raihan’s shield, claws, and feet still wrapped around it tightly.

Raihan stood his ground as Evan observed the overwhelming duel from afar.

“He is a ruthless warrior who never goes down without a fight. His full capacity had
not been utilized when you had been taking on smaller and harmless monsters before.
This is what he was meant to do, what he is made for.”

“Now, I understand what you saw in him and why you never gave up on him.”

When Evan had first met Raihan, he had trained him to help grow and hone his skills.
Now, looking at him in full action, Evan could not even begin to fathom the true and
complete potential of Raihan Drukas.

“Okay, let me-“

“No Master, let us handle this ourselves. Leave it to us!”

“Hyung-?”

“Leave it to me, Shine and Miss Arisha. We can take care of this ourselves.”

Evan, who had his arms stretched out before him and was preparing to scatter the
beads that would aid the struggling party by vanquishing a couple of the monsters
around them, stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard Raihan yell out to him.

Raihan, along with Shine and Arisha, looked like they really could take on this floor all
by themselves. In fact, he had never seen them as alive and motivated as they did now.
They had finally found their calling, their purpose in the world of the Dungeons. While
Evan watched them, Belois, who was close to him by his right, attempted to use magic
that had previously been canceled out by the earthquake, but to no avail.

“It seems to me like they’re having quite the fun.”

“They don’t seem to find the task hard at all, do they? I suppose they have finally been
given the opportunity to duel with an enemy that better suits their level.”

“I can’t argue with you on that one Master. They seem quite content, so I think we
should just let them be for a while.”

“Can we level up?”

Every time Evan expressed his worries regarding his degree of contribution, Belois
couldn’t help but let out a laugh each time. It wasn’t her fault since Evan looked
adorable when he was anxious about something, which was a rare sight.

However, he didn’t need to have stressed so much since, in the end, everything turned
out to be okay, and they all managed to level up. They had come a long way from where
they had started and had evolved immensely.
[You have evolved to level 11.]

[The monsters who have been imprisoned for all these centuries are very strong. One
of the first among them isn’t easy to handle, but you defeated it very well.]

‘I didn’t do anything at all’. As soon as Evan entered the Rewards Room before going
down to the 11th floor, he shrugged and muttered at the voice of the gods.

Of course, he knew what they were talking about. Since they had found the Hidden
Boss on the 10th floor and fulfilled the conditions for entering the Battle Room, they
had collected enough achievements to level up.

Evan recalled the appearances of Raihan, Shine, and Arisha, who were feeling refreshed
after a short and intense battle with the Chimera.

Rather than having a hard time, they felt satisfied due to moving their bodies to their
heart’s content after a long time. It was like seeing someone who had thrown off their
training boots in order to run wild!

[As you uncover the unknowns of the dungeon and at the same time destroy it,
countless future sacrifices have returned to nothing, so you can dare say that with
every passing moment, you are changing the history of mankind.]

[However, you still have to be careful. You never know when the blade of fate will start
pointing in your direction.]

“If there is ever such a dangerous turn of events, can’t the gods stop it on their own?”

Evan, who always became agitated at the mention of the word ‘blade’ or ‘dagger’, was
frightened by the fact that this meant there would be an increase in death signs. But
the gods only smiled at his words.
[You are the only human who dares to joke with the gods. I like that.]

The gods were saying slyly as if Evan was pretending to be weak. He wasn’t. He was
weak! He was an extra that didn’t know when he would die! Certainly, it might not
have looked that way now. It was a little surprising for himself too!

[The gods are now unable to interfere with the affairs of the world. All we can do is
bless you so you can prepare for the future.]

At that time, a welcoming voice sounded out. It was the god who Evan particularly
liked.

[So take this. In the name of *%&$*$$, I will now give you ‘Magi resistance.’]

“What!?”

[Magi resistance!? Already!?]

[He’s worthy of this achievement. I hope you share your blessings with the other
children who helped this child defeat the Chimera and give them Magi resistance, too.]

Evan’s eyes popped wide open. Heaven’s Press had been reinforced already. The once
useless skill had now been changed to a more usable one. He wasn’t that shocked even
then, but now, he was going to get Magi resistance?

He knew about this skill! It was one of the things he had wanted all along but didn’t
have a way to get it right away, so it was one of the goals he had set for his Immortality
Project No. 9 or No. 10. But finally, he had gotten it!

[The Chimera you defeated is like a crumb that cannot be included in the hierarchy of
the demons, but it is certainly a wicked entity that has been influenced by the dungeon
to collect and put magic to its use. Since you have proven your willingness by fighting
and successfully defeating such a monster, you deserve this ability.]

[Of course, but what about those other children?]

[Yes, that’s right. Isn’t it the gods’ duty to illuminate the path for every human who is
going through the darkness themselves? Everyone deserves this ability.]

To explain this skill, first of all, you needed to understand exactly what Magi was. To
put it simply, Magi was the only mana that the demons dealt with. It was also known
as reverse mana, alien mana, and negative energy.

Magi had a myriad of other qualities, but the most important of them was this one:
Except for the demons, all other beings suffered more damage when they came into
contact with it. That was why the demons were such terrifying creatures.

However, humans who were frequently in contact with Magi gained a Magi resistance
skill in the process. With this skill, you could reduce the amount of damage inflicted
by the demons, and thus you could effectively respond to their attacks, including the
Demon King.

‘It was one of the most essential skills in the game. Depending on how quickly you
acquired this skill and how you mastered it, the difficulty of the battle in the mid-to-late
half differed greatly.’

Of course, some crazy players deliberately aimed to clear the game without gaining
Magi resistance. They intentionally avoided contact with the demons, dealing only
with normal monsters and people, building reputation and strength, and proceeding
with the scenario!

However, it was rather difficult to deal with high-ranking demons at the end of the
game, as they suffered huge amounts of losses and damage.

‘I would have made it into Harvard if I had been that passionate about my studies.’

The only thing that mattered now was that Evan had acquired Magi Resistance at this
stage. He felt as if his body was on fire.

Evan D. Sherden had a fair amount of deaths due to the demons in the game, including
at the Demon King’s hands, so honestly, he was very happy about this situation. Once
you gained the Magi Resistance, there were many ways to practice this skill!

[And also…]

“What else?”

[I will evolve your Cheonjung 2 to Cheonjung 3. This will help you during any crisis.
Anytime, anywhere.]
Just as the gods said this, an immense amount of power surged through Evan’s body.
He felt as if the weight of the skies were on his shoulders.

As a passive skill that affected the body just by learning it, its power could be felt in
real-time such that the body strengthened, and it became stronger.

Now, Evan could reach out his fists and transmit power to over 75 meters. Naturally,
his Heavens Press had been strengthened too!

“Whoo!”

‘How far can I develop this skill? Should I consult with the Knight Commander? Where
the hell is he now?’

“God, will you continue to improve my skills after the next 5 floors?”

[Not that often, but if you are able to reach the end of this dungeon, I wonder if you
can reach the end of the heavens as well. I look forward to how you put these new and
improved abilities to use.]

“Actually, I haven’t been using Cheonjung very often in this dungeon.”

[But, isn’t it true that this skill is the most basic for you? All of the actions performed
by your body are connected to Cheonjung 3. In fact, other than that, there aren’t many
skills you have, which we can strengthen.]

“I throw often. Why don’t you just improve that active skill, eh!”

[Oh, really!]

The god exclaimed as if he had realized it just this very moment. Evan’s other abilities
were already so impressive that it seemed that they overlooked that he threw Battle
Beads and disabled traps!

[Then next time, if you don’t have a suitable one.]

“Anyways, Thanks. I’ll be looking forward to more improvements.”

Evan thought that something was weird, even though he had expressed his desire to
the gods and had gotten a confirmation.
Was it okay to ask the gods what you wanted, like this skill reward? There had been
such an event at least once in the game that had led to Evan’s death. Was it okay if they
rewarded him!?

[Then, we shall see you again soon. I also look forward to your growth.]

Just as the conversation with the gods ended, the surrounding landscape became clearer.
Originally, when you were in the process of leveling up, you could not recognize other
things around you very well.

Likewise, he was also invisible to others. He was in a state of being separated from the
physical world, so after the leveling-up was over, the party was able to see him again.

“Oh, it looks like you have leveled up safely, Master.”

“Yes, I did…”

As expected, due to the prolonged conversation with the gods, the other party had
already finished with their leveling up and approached Evan.

Arisha looked at Evan once and then turned towards the achievement box placed in
the reward room. The contents of the achievement box on the 5th floor weren’t
special, so all of them were expecting the achievement box on the 10th floor to contain
more notable rewards.

“Arisha, there wouldn’t be anything special there. It’s strange that we got artifacts on
the first floor last time. Did everyone get Magi resistance or more than that?”

“I also got it, Master. I was very surprised. Magi resistance, as far as I know, is an ability
acquired by elite Paladins who repeatedly battled with the demons.”

“Was it such a great skill? Suddenly, the gods seemed very hesitant, and when I wanted
something else, they brushed it off.”

Shine was tilting his head, but Raihan was surely grasping his newly acquired Magi
resistance as he hadn’t been a Paladin trainee for nothing, and he was clearly aware of
how great Magi resistance was.

“It’s an exceptional ability. Shine, did you know that people are inherently vulnerable
to Magi? It’s like putting out a fire with water. That’s why the demons are so devastating.”
“But, we can easily kill them.”

“Well, the bats at that time wouldn’t have been demons. Oh, and as a bonus, the Hidden
Boss Chimera that Hyung blocked earlier, also had Magi.”

“Is that so!? I don’t have any memories of being shrunken by his attack!”

Strictly speaking, when fighting not only the demons but all the monsters in the
dungeon who had magic, its presence wasn’t strong enough to be felt by others, at
least in the lower levels of the dungeon.

But the Chimera had been different in that regard. As other monsters merged, they
formed into a larger demon, and although it sometimes mounted to lesser strength
than the originals, it was able to spread out evil mana to the opponents. Although
Raihan hadn’t even been aware of it, he had still defeated the Chimera.

“Anyway, if you have Magi resistance, you can effectively resist those demons. It can be
said that it is a skill that everyone must pursue to survive for a long time.”

“Shine, I haven’t met any Paladins who had Magi resistance, so be sure to filter what
Master Evan says. We have other greater abilities.”

“Then, all the Paladins my Hyung met were crappy!”

The protagonist of Yo-Ma Great Wars 3 and 4 also had basic Magi resistance, and at
that point, the Paladins of the Church were also very weak!

“Evan, let’s open the achievement box quickly.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I can’t stand here wondering what’s inside of it any longer.”

Arisha intervened, which was why Evan couldn’t carry out his explanation about Magi
resistance, and proceeded to open the achievement box with her. This time, the rewards
weren’t that great either. There was a low-level artifact, but it wasn’t that great.

“I also want the artifacts that Evan gave me.”

“We will get them once we get out of the dungeon, so be patient.”
“I’m glad to see that the birthday presents are already being lined up.”

“Don’t put it in the birthday gift category like you did with the ghost.”

Arisha turned away with a smile at Evan’s words. Evan felt absurd.

“Let’s proceed to the 11th floor. Shine will take charge from now on. Can you do it?”

“Of course, Master. I’m really confident now.”

“But Master Evan, will we just leave this like it is?”

“What? Ah.”

Evan, trying to go down the stairs with the group, looked back as he heard Belois
speak. Indeed, there was a statue of a demon that looked exactly like the one after they
had cleared the Battle Room on the 5th floor.

The 10th floor statue wasn’t necessary to destroy, and it was meant to be neglected
because there were no additional rewards, but when he thought about it now, it wasn’t
as meaningless. This was because the statue also contained Magi.

“Is it possible to practice the Magi resistance training with this?”

Magi evaporated without harming the human body after spreading out for a moment.
It didn’t seem like there were any materials like this he could find for his Magi
resistance training.

Evan nodded and stretched out his hand. He clenched his fist as he used Cheonjung 3,
and the fist sent waves into the atmosphere.

The statue of the demon could not stand a chance against his power and was smashed
into pieces. Magi spewed out of it, seeping into Evan’s boots.

“Huih?”

“Master Evan, are you okay!?”

Shine and Belois ran to him. However, Evan only tilted his head.
It was still possible to remove the boots. What had changed was the fact that it seemed
as if his body had gotten slightly heavier.

“Has the curse strengthened? I don’t think there was anything like this in the game?”

“Then, it’s a big deal!”

“No, it’s not a problem at all. It means I can revamp my curse tolerance training. I don’t
need to go to battle anyway as I’m just a guide, so it won’t be a problem no matter how
much my status is lessened, too!”

Breaking the demon’s statue on the 10th floor had strengthened the curse of the boots
Evan was wearing.

Shine and Belois were still wearing anxious expressions.

“Yes, he’s always been like this…”

“We have no choice but to keep it.”

“But actually, you might have forgotten that the Master is under a curse already. It
might be too strong for him to endure.”

“Silly Shine. Actually, I think so too.”

After that, the party safely got to the 11th floor of the dungeon without any more
curses.

A week had passed since then.

The party was now on the verge of clearing the 20th floor of the Sherden dungeon.
[Human stupidity remains the same even after thousands of years.]

You could enter the Hidden Boss Battle Room only by performing special rituals by
collecting the ancient mana stones scattered around the 20th floor of the Sherden
dungeon.

The gods said this hidden monster had been trapped after committing a terrible sin.
The Hidden Boss of the 20th floor, the Blood Orc Warrior, laughed again at Evan and
the party who had summoned him without fear.

[The gods have locked me here because humans know they can’t handle me. You petty
humans don’t even know what you have landed yourself in! Your graves shall be dug
right in this room as you have chosen a path that could’ve been avoided!]

It was humongous. From the 16th floor, the party had become accustomed by now to
dealing with Orcs, which were now appearing regularly in hordes in the dungeons.
However, this one was definitely special among them.

It stood there like a titan with an overwhelming height of almost 2 meters and 30
centimeters. With the aura that emanated from his whole body, quite a few people
would have already suffered a heart attack and died.

But the most remarkable thing was that he could talk.

“How can he talk!? I thought all the Orcs could only make strange grunting noises as if
they were drunk!”

“Okay. It’s a little surprising at first. I understand.”

Evan nodded in Shine’s direction, who was startled.

The more you progressed into the dungeon, the more intelligent the monsters became,
and due to that, even more monsters that could speak like humans appeared naturally.

What did it mean for a monster that could speak like humans? It meant that they had
a deep understanding of humans, and accordingly, dealing with them would also be
difficult.

“Compared to this guy, all the monsters we’ve dealt with so far were just being playful.”

“He is one of the monsters who start to appear as elites occasionally beyond the 40th
floor of the dungeon. How absurd the Hidden Boss actually is! He just kindly explained
it himself.”

Of course, Evan, who was serving as their guide, knew all about how smoothly his
party had cleared the dungeon so far. In fact, Shine, who was quite nervous after seeing
the Blood Orc Warrior for the first time, was already recovering from his initial shock.

“I still think we can win against him. And if we do, can we go down to the 40th floor of
the dungeon right now, so we can get achievements there too?”

“Usually, the order of those who speak so confidently are the ones who get taken out
the fastest, so you have to be careful.”

“The Hidden Boss is right in front of me.”

[Well?]

Evan was trying to explain in an easy-to-understand manner about how ridiculous it

was to defeat the Hidden Boss every time, and how they took such a feat for granted,
but the Blood Orc Warrior became curious as he heard Evan and Shine’s conversation.

[Youngling, what do you know about me?]

“Monsters with a high intelligence talk like this, and they try to manipulate and taunt
you. In particular, Raihan Hyung , who faces the monsters at the front, should be
mindful of their clever tactics.”

“I will keep that in mind, Master Evan. So basically, I have to ignore whatever the
monster says.”
[Do you dare ignore me!? How dare you turn your gaze from me!]

Evan was only trying to explain to the party that they should be careful about the
monsters’ provocation, but this itself act had provoked the monster!

[Kwaahahahah!]

The furious Blood Orc Warrior raised a massive ax and let out a terrible scream.

This scream was known as the Walk-Rye, which contained a debuff that distracted
those who were weaker than the Blood Orc Warrior, but surprisingly, none of Evan’s
party felt negative changes in their body upon hearing it!

That was because everyone present there was stronger than him, even though he was
the Hidden Boss on the 20th floor!

“Aaah!”

[Ohh!?]

In response to him, Raihan raised his shield and stepped forward while yelling loudly,
and the Blood Orc Warrior, who was running towards Evan with his ax, stopped dead
in his tracks. Shortly thereafter, a double heart lit up in his eyes.

[Your throat is very thick, that’s good. I’ll rip out your guts first!]

“No matter how intelligent you are, you are still a disgusting orc.”

Evan shouted lowly as he saw an orc rushing valiantly without knowing that he had
been caught up in the divine cry of Raihan.

Fortunately, the orc, whose eyes had already been turned upside down, grabbed the
ax and attacked without even knowing it, and brought it down in a straight line from
the air at Raihan.

At that moment, everyone could see the ax flashing red. Evan shouted sharply.

“That’s an artifact! If we kill him, we can get the ax artifact!”

“Evan, why is there no orc with a rapier?”

Arisha, who wanted to get some artifacts from the dungeon too, had also descended
with the others to the dungeon’s 20th floor and looked back at Evan. She was
disappointed at the fact that the weapon-type artifact they had encountered was an
ax. Evan shrugged and then replied.

“That’s because the rapier is less practical and is used mainly by humans. Hey! Don’t
stare at me like that! It’s not my fault that the beast isn’t using a rapier.”

Rapiers were commonly used in self-defense and were one of the ancient weapons in
the actual Earth’s history, and they were similar in this world.

As such, it was also true that its practicality was inferior to other weapons developed
to be used on the battlefield. Even if smelting high-quality materials made a rapier, it
wasn’t very much handy with a quick attack.

‘Since Arisha has an ability for using rapiers, and as she is already learning magical
swordsmanship, it is impossible to say that it is not practical for her to be using rapiers.’

However, there were still a few monsters that were equipped with rapiers, so she
could still look forward to it.

Arisha was feeling resentful and angry right now, among a few other things as well,
but this time, these emotions were all directed against the monsters and not Evan.

“Ha!”

While Evan was still trying to turn his head away from Arisha’s gaze, Raihan had easily
blocked the ax that the Blood Orc Warrior had attacked him with.

The special abilities of the ax were additionally manifesting, but Raihan’s steel-like
stance did not falter.

[What is with this guy?!]

The Orc Warrior was astounded, and his eyes had widened as if he couldn’t believe the
reality, but that didn’t make any difference.

On the contrary, a small smile was beginning to form on Raihan’s face. He was relaxed,
almost as if he was enjoying the weight of his shield.
By the time Raihan had solidified his defensive stance, Shine, wearing a shadow cloak,
had secretly turned behind him while holding two sharp daggers in his hand.

If you were shorter than the enemy, you would want to target his neck first, but the
Orc Warrior was almost 60 centimeters taller than Shine, and it looked like he was still
growing. Therefore, Shine aimed for the monsters’ ankles, which were protected by
crappy leather shoes.

“That’s hot!”

[Big uh uh uh!]

Suddenly he attacked! He left a thin line of red blood in his wake. His dagger shone
even while it was dripping with blood. He had managed to draw a fraction of the blood
as he had passed by and had clearly struck both ankles.

When the Blood Orc Warrior bent over from the pain in his legs, Arisha, who had been
looking for a gap in his defenses, joined the battle.

[Ahhh!]

Arisha, while using the Wind Step, sharply stabbed him underneath his shoulder, and
blood started gushing out again from the wounds. The Blood Orc Warrior seemed to
be unhinged due to two people’s quick and deadly attacks at once.

[You filthy humans!]

“Fox Fire!”

Belois ended the battle with a finale.

The five Fire Foxes she had summoned rushed to him at once, penetrated the wound,
and exploded inside them, ripping off a whole arm as the ax fell away from him.

Of course, Evan had taught them to attack and target the enemy’s gaps and wounds,
but this was the first time they hit the bull’s eye with the technique.

“Oh!”

Shine, who was still trying to attack the Orc Warrior, was puzzled by this unexpected
situation but instinctively ran, picked up the ax, and threw it back.

‘He is the perfect thief, and nobody should even begin to doubt that!’

[You dare touch me! I’m going to split your head first with my ax!]

While still suffering from the wounds, the Blood Orc Warrior took off on his feet to
recover the ax. Someone stepped in his path. It was Raihan!

[Get out of my way, human! Do you want to die?]

“I would like to see you beat us with your bare fists.”

[Ughhh!]

Blood Orc Warriors weren’t foolish enough to be distracted by such provocations.

However, any action he caused by being hostile to the party was eventually replaced
by a counter-attack on him, thanks to Raihan’s guardian’s protection. Raihan lifted his
shield again and started beating him with it.

[You evil bastard! What are you going to do to me?!]

Raihan ignored his words and silently activated the enduring shield.

The roars of the giant Orc Warriors sounded in the spacious Hidden Boss Battle Room.
He was then struck by additional ice arrows followed by attacks from Shine’s dagger,
Arisha’s rapier, and Belois. They did it at last.

So what did Evan do in the meantime? Evan had been cheering for them during the
battle and was appraising the ax Shine had stolen from the Blood Orc Warrior.

“This is a typical high-end artifact that suits a Berserker. Whether it’s the enemy’s blood
or someone else’s, the more blood is lost in a battle, the more its power gradually
improves. It’s similar and also different from the scimitar you got last time. Of course,
it has its limits too.”

Still, it wasn’t the sharpest blade, but the amount of mana it could hold was quite
enormous, so its value in practice was certain. Anyone who handled axes in the
dungeon city would want to have it.
It was better to sell it than waste time on using it.

“It isn’t a rapier.”

After confirming the Blood Orc Warrior’s death, Arisha muttered as she approached
Evan while breathing heavily. She was looking at the ax with a deadly look in her eyes.
Evan spoke with a bitter smile.

“As soon as I leave the dungeon, I will make your rapier my first priority, so you should
relax.”

“Will you make it?”

Arisha’s ears had stood up on end. Would Evan, crafting a weapon himself? However,
Evan shook his head slightly and gave some additional explanation.

“Of course, I’m not saying that I’m going to do the field work. All I’m saying is that I’ll
provide the materials. Metals smelted by alchemists not only result in additional
strength, but also sometimes have a special power. If you find a good blacksmith and
ask him to make weapons, you will be able to make objects that match the power of
the artifacts.”

“Ah.”

“Actually, repeatedly smelting it with various alchemy techniques until the material is
infused with a certain power is called metal drawing. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Evan…”

Arisha whispered. Her cheeks blushed faintly as if Evan’s words had moved her heart.
This type of reaction was extremely rare coming from her. Evan also felt a little happy.

Of course, Even didn’t want to win her heart, but it was still a pleasure to see her so
pleased with his gift. Evan felt he should repay her for what he had done wrong.

“What? Why have you all gathered here, watching us like that?”

However, it might have turned into some kind of a scene, as the rest of the party was
staring at him while they approached him.
“Master Evan, is it because Arisha’s going to be your fiance that you are taking such
care of her?”

“Is that really the case, Young Master?”

“Master, it looks like my shield is cracked. I would also like to have a new shield.”

“Ah, why are all of you doing that again! And don’t lie to me. I just saw you fighting
with it right now, and there wasn’t anything wrong with your shield!”

Evan couldn’t stand the meaningful glances being thrown at him by the four people
simultaneously, so he jumped into the Rewards Room. It was time for his final leveling-
up in the dungeon.
[You have evolved to level 21. It has been one of the greatest performances indeed so
far.]

[Even the core of the dungeon itself will have trembled by now due to the destruction
of every hidden secret of the dungeon. We commend your achievements and have
decided to strengthen Cheonjung 3 to Cheonjung 4. No one would have expected that
you could have achieved this feat on the 20th floor of the dungeon.]

Evan had expected to be rewarded here because he knew the skills could not be
strengthened on the 15th floor. He looked into the distance as he felt his high-ranking
martial arts Cheonjung being strengthened once again, breathing new power into his
whole body.

This would now allow him to attack targets over 100 meters from a distance! Since it
wasn’t really practical, a heavier technique was being given than a fair amount of
weaponry.

Of course, he hadn’t used it in the dungeon yet!

[I will evolve all your abilities to the next level. So, keep working hard in the future…
But why don’t you use Heavens Throw at all? Do you not like it?]

‘Are you asking me about the skill that you gave me? Then I’ll do it.’

Evan spoke in a very firm voice to the god who asked him the question.

“It’s a throwing skill, for sure. But it’s impact area is very wide! How can I even use it
with my party!”

[Hmm… I didn’t think of your fragile colleagues. It was irrelevant.]

“It’s just because the structure of that skill is so bad!”

Heaven’s Throw was a skill that one of the gods had personally given to Evan when he
cleared the dungeon’s 15th floor. It was in response to Evan asking for a skill related
to throwing after having cleared the 10th floor.

Of course, Evan was pleased when he first acquired that skill because he finally had an
attack skill that he could use in real life but soon realized that it was not the case.

‘I should have guessed it from the time I heard its incredibly grandiose name, ‘Heavens
Throw’…I just thought it was named similar to Heaven Press. Damn it!’

Once Evan activated the skill and threw a Battle Bead or any other projectile as hard
as he could, it was sucked into a subspace-portal that suddenly appeared in front of
him.

The next moment another portal opened above the target’s head, and the projectile
popped out of it. By this time, the projectile’s trajectory had changed dramatically.

‘With this skill, I could simply attack the enemy by just aiming at them.’

The problem was that the projectile protruding from the subspace increased in size
and gained momentum as it passed through the portal.

There was no problem with the increase in power itself. The real problem was that
they got bigger, tens of times in size, which resulted in a devastating impact!

‘The little Battle Beads that I throw increase to the size of a rock comparable to an orc,
and then pop out. How the hell should I use it while fighting alongside my party?’

At first, Evan tried to devise a way to use it, but no matter how much he tried, even
Raihan was wiped out along with an orc he was fighting when Evan threw a Battle
bead at them.

It was a sticky situation. Were it not for Raihan’s magical shield technique; he would
surely have died. For reference, the shield had cracked for the first time since Raihan
had entered the dungeon. Fortunately, the Echo Shield was also an artifact and had an
auto-repair ability, so it recovered instantly!

“No matter how devastating and powerful it is, I cannot use that skill. Please change it
to something else.”

[I can’t take back a blessing that I already gave, and I can’t give you a new one right
now, so you should give up complaining and just use it.]

“…”

What had he expected from the gods?

Evan agonized over what kind of ability he had to deal with, which was a curse given
to him in a novel way, but soon gave up thinking about it any further and shut his
mouth. However, the nameless god kept talking without knowing what was in Evan’s
heart.

[You have not yet reached the level of existence required to acknowledge the value of
this blessing. I will continue to devote myself to your betterment child, as you show
great promise.]

“Stop chattering!”

Evan, who thought he was being made fun of, stopped talking with the gods and turned
back at the party while still furious.

Surprisingly, however, everyone except for himself was still in the process of leveling
up. The prolonged time meant that they were receiving many rewards for their
achievements and were talking with the gods like Evan did every time.

“What…? Oh, Master.”

“What happened, Shine? What did you get? Did you change your class?”

“No, I did not. I like this class.”

Except for Evan, the first one to finish leveling up was Shine.

He had evolved his dungeon level to 21. He was now strong enough to the point where
it can be said that he had become a completely different guy compared to before
entering the dungeon. He was smiling with confidence, which meant that he was sure
of his abilities.
“I got a new skill instead.”

“Oh, what is it?”

It was ‘Shadow Dagger.’ Evan already knew about that.

It was a skill that could only be learned by the owner of a dagger-type weapon, and it
was one of the attack assisting skills, which was particularly high-ranking among the
countless other skills that appeared in the Yo-Ma Great War series.

“That’s an assist skill that unconditionally doubles the damage of every blow!”

“You already know about it, Master?”

A dagger made of shadow would appear and hover around the dagger you were
holding when you activated this skill. It attacked the enemy with the same amount of
force as the original dagger.

It was used as a one-shot skill and had a long delay, but it was still a very good ability
to inflict damage at a crucial moment in the battle as it couldn’t be used with other
active skills. It could only be applied to help increase the damage of the dagger attacks.

“Since you have already learned double swordsmanship, the effect of the Shadow
Dagger will also be doubled!”

“That’s awesome!”

Evan was in a state of pure admiration. In fact, the Silent Night Shine that appeared in
Yo-Ma Great War 3 hadn’t gotten the Shadow Dagger ability!

In the beginning, Shadow Dagger was a skill that could only be acquired in the
dungeons with divine blessings, so luck played a very significant role in obtaining it.

Therefore, it was almost impossible to learn the technique of Shadow Dagger while
also learning one of the highest aptitudes, the double swordsmanship. However, Shine
had achieved both of them!

“Mater Evan, you must have been waiting for a long time.”

“Ah, Lua. Took you long enough.”

While Evan was thrilled about how much stronger Shine could be than in his previous
life, Balois also came up to him after leveling up.

She started telling him about her own changes before Evan even asked her.

“Thanks to the blessings of the gods, my Flame and Ice Magic have reached the
intermediate level.”

“Uh…”

Evan was now drooling. He didn’t expect to have his mind blown away at the fact that
Belois’ magical abilities had evolved to an even higher level than they already were,
which was great!

All magic developed into the domains of beginner, intermediate, advanced, and then
unique magic. Most wizards died without even exceeding the intermediate level.

‘Magic training was very difficult. So much so that even Eloa von Sirpe, who was later
praised as the best mage in the dungeon city, hadn’t gotten farther than advanced
magic… ’

There were only three people who were known to have achieved the unique magic
level in the game.

One of them was the great ancient mage, the protagonist of Yo-Ma Great War Zero; the
other was the Demon King, the arch-enemy of the Yo-Ma Great War series, and finally,
Belois, the most fearsome enemy of humanity in Yo-Ma Great War 3.

‘That was why the Blood Witch was treated as being stronger than the Silent Night… Yes,
I did believe that Belois would someday achieve her own magical realm. But no matter
how much I look at it, to have learned intermediate magic at the age of ten is preposterous!’

If a child was ten years old, they would already be regarded as a genius if they
succeeded in obtaining elementary level magic. And to say that a child had reached
intermediate magic was unbelievable!

It didn’t end at that; she did not only evolve Flame Magic but Ice Magic too! Even if you
thought about it without considering the attributes’ backlash, she had still accomplished
a task that was more than twice as difficult!
Evan rubbed his cheeks as Belois quietly waited by his side, expecting to get praise
from him. Then he said in a hoarse voice.

“Well done, Lua. It’s really great. But don’t tell other people about it yet. You can only
tell my mother.”

“Yeah, I thought so too, Master.”

Belois knew well that something too special would attract the attention of others more
than necessary. Wasn’t that true just by looking at Evan?

Evan laughed joyfully as he watched her nod and then asked her.

“What about your class? Has your class changed?”

“It’s the same, Master. My class being a Mana Maid is the best.”

“……”

Her answer was the same as Shine’s. Even if the gods had changed their classes to a
better one, it didn’t mean that they had an obligation to tell Evan about it, right?

He looked at Shine and Belua alternately with suspicious eyes, but the two only caught
his gaze with extremely confident expressions.

“Master Evan, have you been waiting for us?”

“Evan, I changed my class.”

In the meantime, Raihan and Arisha approached them after completing their long
leveling up.

Evan was convinced this time. Both of them had changed classes!

“As Evan said, I have now become a Knight of the Whirlwind.”

“You got the class as a Knight by breaking through the 20th floor of this dungeon.”

The Ironwall Knights who couldn’t even get the Knight class would have died of envy
after hearing this. Evan made a firm commitment to not let this fact out as well.
“I also got a riding skill. It makes the ride more comfortable, but I’m not sure what to
use it for.”

“That’s a common skill you get when you become a Knight. Congratulations anyway,
you got stronger. Probationary knights and knights are completely different.”

“…Still, compared to other people, it is still lacking. If you leave the dungeon, I want
you to pay attention to me.”

“Yes, I understand. I am sorry.”

Evan had grown wary of her attitude in the past but seeing her now; he realized Arisha
was also an ordinary child.

She was a child who only had a lot more goodwill and curiosity than others and was a
little clumsy when dealing with people.

No matter how much she was Evan’s main enemy in the game, it was evidently Evan’s
fault that she respected him even in a world without such a causal relationship.

‘In particular, there was something she said on the 5th floor… Nope, from now on, I’ll
have to get along with her as well. We could be close friends… ’

Evan tried to turn his gaze away from Arisha, who was staring at him as if she had
something more to say as he was still scared of her! Then his eyes met Raihan’s, who
was making an awkward expression.

“So what about your class…? You know what, let’s forget about it. Let’s go check out
the achievement box.”

“…Thank you, Master Evan.”

Later, Raihan secretly informed Evan of his class, which was named ‘Steel Shield.’

When Evan heard that, he formed a deep coalition with Raihan.

“It has been confirmed. The last floor they stepped on before returning was the 21st
floor.”

The priest confirmed this by using the magic circle as he declared calmly when Evan’s
party came out of the dungeon. At that moment, there was complete silence among
those who were present at the entrance to the dungeon.

“…So, did the party led by my second son really conquer the dungeon up until the 20th
floor?”

It was Marquis Soline D. Sherden, the ruler of the dungeon city, who broke the silence.

The priest checked the magic circle again in order to recheck, read certain information
from the regularly arranged strings in it, and spoke again.

“That’s right. A party of five people, led by Young Master Evan D. Sherden, defeated the
floor master on the 20th floor and set foot on the 21st floor.”

“Wow…”

Of course, Evan’s party had not only defeated the Floor Masters but also the Imprisoned
Chimera, who had been hidden for countless years, as well as the Hidden Boss Blood
Orc Warrior on the 20th floor, but there was no way such information could be
recorded in the magic circle.

If they had only hunted the Floor Masters without targeting the Hidden Bosses, the
record would have been shortened by at least two days, and if they had done so,
people’s reactions would have been even more dramatic than now.

In fact, they were already dramatic as it was.

“How long has it been since Master Evan entered the dungeon?”

“Only 12 days. It’s been less than two weeks.”

“This is nonsensical. The 20th floor… No matter how talented you are, this is ridiculous
to even think of…”

“It’s not a matter of talent. Was Evan blessed by the gods?”

The record set by Evan’s party was nothing short of being described as legendary.

Of course, the spotlight fell on the others who had entered the dungeon with Evan as
well.

“Is it really the first time they went into the dungeon?”

“The young daughter of the Pellati family, the owner of another dungeon city, was with
him. Maybe she helped him attack the dungeon.”

“It’s still remarkable, though. Except for Raihan Drukas, all of them are still just
children.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you about the future…”

Evan himself was complaining that their speed was a lot slower compared to the
heyday in the game. But this place wasn’t in the game anymore; it was reality! These
circumstances could no longer be compared to those in the game.

“It’s obvious that he was blessed by the gods.”

“Well done, Master Evan…”

“Uh…”

It wasn’t until after he saw the astonished people around him that Evan also came to
realize his achievements.

“Father, is it okay to tell everyone about this?”

“It’s okay, Evan. You don’t have to worry about that. Even if you get in any kind of
trouble, it will be easier for us to handle it.” Marquis Soline declared this firmly and
looked around at the people who had gathered in the square.

Fortunately, as soon as he had heard that Evan was coming back from the dungeon, he
had quickly sprung into action, so it was mostly the Marquis’s people who were
present there.

He had sent a priest and a wizard to protect the dungeon entrance… The priest smiled
as if he was relieved.

“I swear by the Church’s holiness that no information will leak from my lips.”

“Thank you for saying so. You have defended our son’s honor very well. The Marquis
won’t forget about this act of loyalty.”

The Marquis glanced at the knight standing next to him as he spoke. Considering how
the knight bowed lightly, it was easy to predict that a certain amount would be paid to
the priest.

It made Evan realize that it was natural for nobility to convey it with gestures rather
than words.

“And I want to ask you something… Wasn’t Eloa von Sirpe a member of the Phoenix
Guild?”

“Yes.”

The Marquis followed the wizard who was on duty with the priest… Evan turned his
attention to the tall impressive woman with pale azure hair. She nodded as if she had
been waiting for this.

“Keeping a secret is not that difficult. That is, if you just accept one of my little
requests.”

“Does this have something to do with Evan?”

“Of course not. I am amazed by his unbelievable adventures in the dungeon, but there
is no way Master Evan can answer the secret if I ask. So what I want to ask about is the
red-eyed child.”
Eloa was already one of the best mages in the dungeon city at this point. It was clear
that she was aware of the magical powers that Belois had achieved.

“I would like to share a story with her about Maddo. If you can arrange that, it should
be enough for me.”

“That’s something you should ask Belois, not me. Belois, how would you like it? Could
you spare her some of your time?”

“Of course, Master Marquis. If you can set a time, I will definitely accept it.”

“Good. Thank you for letting me know.”

As Belois found herself in a position to learn more magic, she did not give up the
opportunity to meet with Eloa, who casted Ice Magic with better proficiency than
herself. The Marquis nodded with satisfaction at her words and spoke once more.

“It may be common knowledge to some people that Evan went to the dungeon, but the
fact that he conquered the 20th floor should never be known. Let everyone forget what
happened today until Evan reveals it himself in front of everyone.”

“I will keep that in mind!”

“It will be so, Master!”

The soldiers and knights who were present there all bowed and shouted in unison.

Evan and the party had returned to such pretentious hospitality.

Of course, they had to stop by the Brotherhood Bathhouse before returning to the
mansion to relieve all the fatigue and, at the same time, acquire additional proficiency
of the skills they had learned and trained in the dungeon.

“Wow!”

Evan sighed like an old man as he soaked himself in the bath. He couldn’t help but feel
relaxed and cleansed after not washing properly in the dungeon for nearly two weeks.

“It’s so good. The water is hot, refreshing, and soothing… Bless him who made the
Brotherhood Bathhouse. Oh wait, it was you, Master.”
“Wow, I feel like I know now why the explorers really love the Brotherhood Bathhouse
so much. Without this, the efficiency of dungeon exploration can change abruptly for
the worse…”

“Master Evan is always right…”

All of them were in a good mood. Shine and Raihan chimed in while Evan was praising
the quality of the Brotherhood Bathhouse. The three of them then closed their eyes
gently and enjoyed the bath.

The energy of the medicinal bath that Evan and Bernard had worked hard to create
was working its effects in real-time as the fatigue and exhaustion were washed away.

“Woo! Anyway, everyone did a good job this time. I’m sure you’ll do well even without
me now.”

“You sometimes speak very unpredictably, Master. If Master Evan hadn’t guided us
perfectly, we couldn’t have done that much.”

“But it’s true that Shine’s instructions were also good. I was really impressed with your
broad vision and quick judgment.”

The three talked about their dungeon adventures for a while in the bath. Other people
in the bath showed curiosity, but it would be okay as long as they didn’t mention the
scenes inside the dungeon, including the specific names of the monsters.

“I don’t even think I have mastered the Butler’s class yet.”

It was the Shine who said it sincerely when, in fact, he had already almost mastered
most of the Butler class abilities.

It was possible because of his unique talent and his overwhelming ability as a Rookie
by reaching level 21 of the dungeon, but he still seemed unaware of this fact.

“If Shine starts teaching and educating the other butlers, all the dungeon explorers in
the world will receive mandatory education from butlers before entering the dungeon.”

“I agree, Master. But why do you say that when you learned alchemy yourself?”

“It’s strange that you learned alchemy. It’s so strange, Master! Rather, it’s even weirder
for me!”

“Master Evan is always right, but this time, I have no choice but to agree with Shine.”

Of course, it wasn’t just because of alchemy. It was possible because of his

overwhelmingly high level of existence that supported him. Evan turned to tackle their
strong argument.

“By the way, Raihan hyung, are there any scars left on your body? Your shield
technique was perfect, but not all of the attacks were prevented.”

“I’m fine, Master. It was a good opportunity to practice my skills and Divine Magic.
There are no scars left on my body, and even if some remained, I would assume them
to be the medals, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Evan nodded in satisfaction at Raihan’s trustworthy answer, who had proved his
abilities in the dungeon, and fully recovered his confidence.

Shine complained of dissatisfaction next to him.

“Master, I think that, if we want to improve our skills properly, we’ll have to remove
Raihan from the frontlines. Not all monsters can attack us properly. Even though we
know that attacking through the gaps in the monsters’ defenses is the essence of
battle, it feels like we are dealing with a scarecrow.”

“That’s why I let you fight alone again and again. What else? Or do you want to go
against the boss one on one?”

Raihan was referencing a Floor Master battle when he said that he let them fight alone
again and again. People around them would have been alarmed if they heard these
details as Hidden Bosses were not even known to exist, so it was strictly forbidden to
speak about them.

“I would like it if you can do that. Honestly, what else can’t you do? I am confident.”

“It was definitely not a heavy attack.”

“No, what else are you talking about? The attack itself was heavy? Usually, you don’t
stop attacking such an ignorant guy, but avoid it?”
[The Orc Warrior looked very scary. Every time it swung its ax, my heart started
thumping in my chest.]

The ghost also chimed into their conversation. Shine nodded solemnly when the ghost
sided with him… And then he shouted.

“What?! Why are you here?!”

He looked back to see a ghost floating there, but this time, its clothes had changed
depending on the place.

[Because I want to soak in the bath too. It’s a really good place.]

“No, it’s not that important now. The bracelet was clearly removed…”

Shine looked around with fear. However, no other people were reacting, particularly
in an astonishing manner like he was doing, and he soon realized why. That was
because the ghost was only visible to Shine.

“What’s happening, Shine? Is the ghost lady still following you?”

“That… Yeah.”

[You are all in such good shape! How did you train like that at a young age!]

Shine covered the eyes of the haunting ghost. Just as ghosts could exert influence over
Shine, Shine could also exert influence over them.

“How did you come out? You can’t move freely like this.”

[I also got a class.]

“…Class?” Shine asked stupidly. The ghost replied in an innocent voice.

[Yeah.]

[It allows me to deal with the torsions more freely… It is called the ‘Shadow Stalker.’
Those gods gave me abilities, so I can now participate in battles with you.]

“…”
Shine was lost for words. He then began to fear the day where he would have to re-
enter the dungeon.
Evan, who had now returned to the mansion with the party, decided to bury the
shocking news that the ghost who was possessing Shine had finally gotten a job, and
received a report from Maybell about what had been going on.

One minor problem was that Maybell, who had been craving for Evan’s attention for
the past two weeks, incessantly hugged him tightly in her arms and wasn’t willing to
let him go.

“Woah! I can’t stand this feeling of energy charging up my empty body!”

“Tell me from a distance, Maybell! I can’t see the report you handed me.”

There were also a couple of other reasons why he wanted her to be separated from
him, but Evan couldn’t even begin to tell her about them in his own words.

As he was getting closer to the age of 13, Evan was seriously contemplating the
problem of reconciling his reasons and instincts. He sometimes made fun of Evan in
the game because he knew exactly what would happen!

“It’s not enough yet, Master. I want to keep hugging you for the next 24 hours.”

“Get off of me after 24 seconds.”

“Is that because you are also a shy person…?”

Evan pushed Maybell away exactly 24 seconds after having said that. After reading the
report, Maybell left, regretting not being able to do anything. Evan immediately sighed
with relief.

“Somehow, I will avoid the deficit.”

“I think the horror of the word ‘Mahwa’ is tremendous. Both the Royal Family and the
nobles were eager to get their hands on the medicine.”

During the Mahwa outbreak, Evan, together with Bernard, had used up all of the
Brotherhood Pharmacy’s resources to develop medicines to prevent further infections
from the Mahwa tribe.

Of course, it was due to the tremendous deficit, but a message had been sent from
another group. That meant that there was a threat from the Mahwa people even after
the temporary disruption of the situation.

Thanks to this, it was possible to make up for the deficit while also making a considerable
profit. If only the remaining medicinal materials could be handled well, there would
be no future losses.

“It’s a good thing. It’s also very good for the world’s security… Any pharmacists who
can afford to produce drugs should focus on this for the time being. Oh, and, did the
butler who had gone on a business trip to Merdin come back?”

“He is still returning, but a few days ago, we delivered a report that he had left after
finishing work in the field through a communication tool. You don’t have to worry
about it because you have supplied enough medicines and thorough education.”

“Yes, I guess. Merdin’s original defensive posture is strong.”

The dungeon city was also a very important location for Baypeka, Sanguk. As such, the
Merdin family, high-ranking nobles with history and tradition, ruled; in addition to
them, countless other nobles were now paying close attention to the dungeon city.

In fact, during Yo-Ma Great Wars 3 and 4, the Sherden Dungeon and Pellati Dungeon
were shaken over and over again by the assaults of the demons, and innumerable
people were sacrificed.

‘It was really incredibly hard. I did it because I was the heir to the city. Was it obviously
Luden? It only appeared once in the main story… but the force was really terrifying.’

There were occasional events in which the Dungeon Knights of the Merdin Dungeon
dispatched their troops, but there was a lot of speculation that, if Yo-Ma Great War 5
came out, the Merdin Dungeon would be mainly dealt with.
From Evan’s honest point of view, Merdin wanted to refrain from having more serious
events such as Yo-Ma Great War 5 in the midst of death because it was difficult to
handle Yo-Ma Great Wars 3 and 4, so Merdin thought that it would be good if he would
just stay there.

“Woo, it seems that the royal and other branch offices of the Brotherhood Pharmacy
are doing well.”

“And this is the situation at the branch office of the Brotherhood Bathhouse. I simply
tried to summarize the sales status.”

“There is nothing to worry about this way.”

“…So this is the general sales report this month.”

Evan listened to a nicely organized report of the Brother Pharmacy, the Brotherhood
Bathhouse, and the Brotherhood Skewers’ total sales and profits.

“…”

Soon he felt his eyes widen. Net profit had increased by more than 30% compared to
last month. It had grown to such a scary extent.

Evan became distant for a moment when he saw the report, which had an amount that
would be comparable to the profits of the entirety of the top businesses being
operated by the Marquis, but Maybell spoke calmly, as if she had known this would
happen.

“Don’t be surprised, Master. It would have been more than this if there were no useless
expenditures with the Mahwa outbreak. And it will increase more and more in the
future… I have to think about how to roll the money that keeps accumulating in
addition to operating expenses.”

“What do you think about it?”

“…I think it’s real.”

Maybell took out the documents she had prepared and handed them over to Evan.
There were five investments outside the dungeon city, including Pellati and the Royal
City, and three business plans that they wanted to do inside the dungeon city.
“When did you prepare for all this?”

“I just prepare whatever I can think of. I also got some help from other people.”

Evan smiled as he looked over the perfect business plan. He knew how much work she
had to do to run a business on his behalf, but even so, she prepared something like this
for him.

Even with this talent, in the main game, she was just an extra that stabbed a knife in
Evan’s stomach in a CGI.

With a sigh of admiration, he thought about why he shouldn’t just rely on the
knowledge of the game when Maybell began to ask in an anxious tone, her eyebrows
scrunching together.

“How is it, Master? Will it be doable? I just thought of it based on the knowledge I
picked up here and there…”

“Honestly, it’ll be amazing if you do this. We will definitely see profits! However, it will
be hard for you.”

“I can handle that arrangement.” Maybell clenched her fists, but Evan shook his head.

“I need to increase the number of people under you. Let’s build a team.”

“A team…?”

“It’s about forming a team by gathering people who will work for you and help with
external investments and internal operations, just like other merchants.”

“Ah, then it seems like I will be able to do anything.”

“It’s already in your hands, Maybell. This is because you are the co-president of our
Brotherhood Corporation.”

“Brotherhood Corporation!? What is that!?”

“Our company name. I just came up with it.”

At first, Evan thought of opening up a couple of projects to make the environment of

the dungeon city better and to raise the necessary funds for his immortality project.

However, it quickly grew in scale due to the active cooperation of others as well as the
blooming of Maybell’s hidden talents. Of course, she may be satisfied with just what
she had done so far, but if Maybell had a stronger will, it was Evan’s job to support her.

Of course, there were no other members in the Brotherhood Corporation right now. It
was just Evan and Maybell!

“First of all, if you have a lot of money, there is nothing bad about it.”

“Yes, Master. With money, you can buy half of the things in the world. Oh, for reference,
the other half of my world is the Master.”

“I didn’t want to hear that much.”

Maybell, who was only an ordinary maid of the Marquis, realized that as she had come
up with a large sum of money herself. The range of things she could do for herself was
outrageously big.

But at this point, she was studying the dynamics of the businesses and clung to it more
seriously, like most of the people who had great success in life’s journey.

“Let’s do it in earnest, Maybell. Oh, but discard this investment because it’s a trap. And
it would be nice to hand this over to the Marquis… Okay, you can do all the rest. We
will be saving human lives from now on.”

“Young Master…!”

“I need to arrange a ceremony for awarding you with this title. There is also a case of
establishing a company, so that it will be easier for you in the future when you have
power.”

“Young Master!”

Maybell screamed. Evan, who had known it would be like this, patted her with a bitter
smile.

Of course, in his head, he was thinking, ‘I’ll get busier in the future, so my appearance
will be scarce.’
“With this, I got one step closer to Master Evan!”

“No, it’s burdensome, so please don’t come any nearer!”

“You just need to stay still, and I’ll be there!”

“Don’t!”

This game genre was an RPG, but there were times when it felt like Maybell was
playing an Evan-attack simulation game alone. What was even more frightening was
the fact that it often felt like the final attack plan was proceeding step by step!

Then, he suddenly remembered that there was still one more thing to check.

“What about our building?”

“The worker has calculated everything. We can start anytime.”

The building was meant to be the Dungeon Knights’ headquarters, which was to be
built right next to the Brotherhood Bathhouse.

In the past, when constructing the Brotherhood Bathhouse, the Marquis had lobbied
a large site. Evan came to think of building it there.

“We have prepared with only top-notch talent, so there is no need to be concerned.
The construction material preparation is also perfect. I will build a better building
than the grandest Brotherhood Bathhouse.”

“Because it is the headquarters building of the Dungeon Knights, it should be nicer

than the bathhouse!”

“But the Brotherhood Bathhouse has a reputation for being the most stylish and
coolest building in the dungeon city of Sherden right now, doesn’t it?”

“…Yes and no. That’s only for now.”

In fact, fashion was not a very important factor. The important thing was how helpful
it was for the training of the rookies!

Evan had made a clear decision while visiting the dungeon this time. They would
somehow make it their goal to at least complete the 5th floor or even the 10th floor
before all the Rookie children reached their 10th birthday.

So, if possible, they had to teach everyone the Magi resistance skill too!

‘In that case, I should prepare a way to practice my resistance.’

Fortunately, Magi resistance was an essential skill; therefore, a lot of tricks used to
practice this skill were also developed by players. There were three things that came
to Evan’s mind right away.

“Then, the construction of the headquarters building will start tomorrow.”

“…Oh no. Please.”

In a moment, Maybell brought Evan, who had been struggling to do something else, to
his sanity.

He made a brief note about Magi resistance and then turned to Maybell, who was busy
creeping up on him.

“Stop this now. When it’s over, go back to your business.”

“Tsk, I thought you were good to go…”

Evan, who overcame Maybell’s fierce love, ended up letting her out and sighed deeply.

As he looked at the mirror in the room, there was a reflection of a young boy who was
still getting more handsome as the days passed, even if he saw himself every day.

His expression was slightly exhausted, and he seemed to be replaced with drowsiness
mixed with elegance. As he looked upon himself, he realized that his beauty was at a
concerning level.

Moreover, Evan was still young. Those who hung out with him were also young.
However, as he got older here, temptations would invade him from here and there in
earnest. Just like it did to Evan in the game.

Even Maybell’s mischievousness had become exhausting, and what would happen
when he got older? Due to his status, he would have a lot to meet other people, and
half of them would be women.

‘And the moment I get over there, a terrible death sign will be waiting for me. No, I can’t.’

The invitation to the party that Maybell had left with the report on the table caught
his eyes. He refused, again and again, never wanting to go. He knew that his time to
act was coming soon.

This time, he would make another excuse in order to refuse.

“Evan!”

At that time, the door burst open. There was only one person in this mansion who
could open the door so rudely without his permission. It was Leo Arpeta, who was still
staying at the Marquis’ mansion.

“You are finally back! I heard that you have successfully attacked the 20th floor. Let’s
fight to see how strong you are!”

“…Yes, Grandpa Leo was there!”

“Huh? It felt unfamiliar to welcome you. I thought you would hate it more.”

“A duel would be annoying, but I could use Grandpa Leo’s name as an excuse not to go
to the party…!”

“What is this guy…?”

Evan got up right away and made up his mind after greeting Leo. For the time being,
he decided to refuse, answering all the letters to him, saying, “The hospitality on the
guests is not wasted after all!”

Those who would soon come to know of who he was talking about, would no longer
bother him!
After deciding on the policy to be implemented in the future, Leo held Evan and
headed to the training center. All the Marquis’ knights were already gathered there,
but there weren’t many people in good shape.

“Oh, what is this…?”

“Arpeta-nim is back. Hey, wake up. Everybody wake up!”

“Oh, no… I have to fight again…”

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t even stand up now! I think I hit my neck pretty hard
here!”

There were varieties of people, which included people crawling on the floor, those who
had fainted, those who were tattered, those who felt like they were close to dying, and
those who had already died inside.

After noticing Evan’s expression, Leo coughed heavily and made up an excuse.

“I was bored while you were away, so I looked after these guys as well. Still, there were
a lot of guys that could be useful.

“Yes, I know there were a lot of guys that you could use… But why did you make all of
them like this…?”

Even though they were knights of the Marquis of Sherden, there were still some people
wearing casts when they could have easily received any amount of healing potions or
magic.

It was said that they had been beaten quite a lot, so much so that they were still
healing. It didn’t even look like they were beaten in the past days. It seemed as if they
had fought Leo just mere hours earlier.

“I was trying to make them more useful. Perhaps my abilities have grown.”

“It would have been very easy to live if your abilities grew just by being hit, right?”

“Oh, so will you fight with me, too?”

“Unfortunately, it would be difficult as I have just returned from the dungeon.”

Some knights were still showing respect to Leo, while everything could be told by
looking at the others’ facial expressions. Some were even showing sympathy to Evan.

“Don’t you think we should stop for now?”

“Do you want to?”

“Oh, no, that’s kinda…”

Even though their facial expressions were all different, Evan could roughly interpret
what they were thinking at the moment. It was evident that they all thought that Evan
was going to fight Leo and was easily going to break an arm or leg (or even both of
them).

But the reputation of Ironwall Knights fell to the ground as no one would take Evan’s
place.

It seemed correct that all of these guys were not in any fit shape. Evan shook his head.

‘It’s because they didn’t come up with safety measures while fighting against someone
who is a hero. But I wouldn’t make that mistake.’

Evan put on his boots and smiled. The curse of the boots was reinforced considerably
as a result of breaking down all the different stats Evan had evolved from the 5th up
to the 20th floor.

In other words, it had been concluded that if it was Evan now, it wouldn’t hurt even if
he was beaten a little.

“Hmm, you have gotten pretty strong from the last time we saw each other, haven’t
you?”

“That’s because I went through the dungeon for the second time. But I still have to get
stronger.”

Leo looked at Evan’s smile and wondered what he had misunderstood.

No matter how strong the boots’ curse was, Evan had still raised his dungeon level by
15, so he would be even stronger than before when you looked at him overall.

In particular, it was great that Cheonjung 2 had been improved by two steps to
Cheonjung 4. This essential difference wouldn’t have been possible if his stats had
been reduced a little more.

Heavens Press and Heavens Throw… Let’s forget about these for a moment.

“You are so strong, and I often forget it, keeping in mind the fact that you’re still a child
who has a long way to go.”

On the other hand, Leo smiled when he listened to Evan’s reply. Even just by looking
at Evan’s strength, anyone would be convinced that he was already a complete warrior.

However, if you thought about it carefully, his strength did not come from raising his
dungeon level.

‘Previously, it was the 5th floor of the dungeon, and now we went up to the 20th floor.
It’s surprising that I was able to go through that dark and terrifying place in just two
weeks, but I am more concerned about the strength I gained as a result.’

…If that was the case, how strong would Evan be now in relation to his dungeon level?

Even if he looked at his strength, which had changed significantly compared to just a
few weeks ago, Evan could predict his true limits, but he wouldn’t know until he saw
it for himself.

Thus, Leo was very excited. Evan was different from all knights scattered over there!

“Okay, then let’s get it together! It’s my job as a teacher to present a path and lead you
guys more clearly to go forward in the future!”
“No, Grandpa, I came out of the dungeon without even swinging my fist, and you have
been so active lately… Ugh, will you be fighting with a greatsword again?”

“Of course. It’s the most fun this way.”

Evan contemplated as he watched Leo pull out his greatsword. Leo could handle all
swords like they were his limbs, but the strongest thing for him was when he held a
greatsword! When fighting against the enemies of Yo-Ma Great War 2 in the game, he
was often seen fighting with a greatsword and was always holding it in the game
promotion video or poster.

“It’s a pity that my sword broke in the last battle. If it had been here with me, I would
have been more excited about it.”

“I’m so glad for that.”

Evan was sincerely relieved as he clenched his fists. A subtle glow was giving off from
under the tightly worn leather gloves and had added to his abilities.

Due to the nature of the glove that added to one’s strength in proportion to the
wearer’s original powers, the glove’s strength had also increased as Evan’s status
increased.

Evan wanted to know how strong he was right now, especially when he was in a fight
against a living legend, Leo Arpeta.

“Attack without any hesitation.”

“Are you crazy or what?”

Of course, while going through the dungeon, there were times when Evan had also
thought, ‘Hey, maybe I’ve gotten a little stronger than the extras?’ He did not hesitate to
really do everything in his power to attack Leo.

“Let’s go!”

His two fists already had extraordinary energy, and as soon as Leo saw it, he realized
what Evan had become stronger.

‘It’s not just that his strength has grown, but his martial arts itself has evolved!?’
Upon realizing it, Leo stepped up and confronted Evan. The moment his greatsword
and Evan’s fist collided, a fierce shock struck the interior of the training center.

Among the people watching them, there wasn’t even a person who hadn’t staggered
without losing control of their body.

“This guy! You’ve gotten so much stronger!”

“Hah…!”

“But you’ll only get so far this time around!”

Once, twice, Leo’s sword blade and Evan’s fist collided from the front, sending
staggering shockwaves in all directions.

Leo had been saying all along that Evan was his disciple but still used his sword
without hesitation, as Evan also smashed his fists without backing down.

The hearts of those who were watching from behind were repetitively shriveling, but
Evan’s fists did not break, and neither did Leo’s sword crack. The reason was that the
aura wrapped around Leo’s greatsword, and the heavenly energy wrapped around
Evan’s fists protected each one of them.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Leo continued to lead by a step or two, but Evan’s fists also grew faster and stronger
accordingly. It was as if he had unwrapped the seal, according to Leo. And indeed, that
was the case.

Evan wasn’t used to reaching the limits of his strength because he had no targets to
unleash his power on unless it was Leo or the Knight Commander. He was finally
drawing out all of his powers.

Of course, he was doing all of this with the boots that had lowered his status to less
than half!

“…Wait a minute. Can you see him swinging his fists right now?”

“This is breathtaking… No, sorry. I can’t see them.”

“Damn, but he is strong… How much stronger do you think he is now?”

“Whoo, whoo!”

Evan could be a coward in order to avoid a battle, but whenever fighting was inevitable,
he focused on what lay ahead.

If you didn’t want to die in battle, wouldn’t you try your best?

Evan couldn’t afford to be a little off guard. He was desperately teasing his body with
the thought of surviving the enemy in front of him somehow.

“Huh!”

“Ha! That’s so cool!”

“Whoa!”

He had to live. The thoughts that had dominated him since the age of nine had gone
beyond obsession and had now almost reached the level of self-suggestion.

‘Yes, this is the moment.’

Leo made a very satisfying expression as he faced Evan’s eyes, which were also
twinkling with an eerie purple glow.

Of course, he couldn’t tell where Evan’s power was being originated from, but it didn’t
matter. The important thing was that Evan was already so mature at this young age
that he understood what a ‘real battle’ was.

‘He isn’t new to this game. It is not talent, it is not effort, and if you lack innate passion,
you cannot achieve it.’

Leo smiled and instilled stronger mana into his greatsword. It would become
monotonous if they kept at it. It was the amount of sublimated power that made the
weaponry more brilliant!

“Take this, Evan!”

“Hah!”
Leo’s greatsword glowed dazzlingly. It was a skill that even Ironwall Knights were
seeing for the first time, and Evan, who confronted it, realizing the power of the skill,
hardened his face and concentrated mana in both fists.

“Is the Master also going to use a new ability!?”

“By the way, doesn’t that seem much different from the martial arts that the Knight
Commander already taught?”

“Oh, oh, oh, oh!”

If the venue had been in the outdoors, Bernard would have run and shot a bullet at
Leo’s back, who was using his skills against Evan, but the place where they were
fighting now was an indoor training center!

In the end, they clashed without anyone stopping them. The greatsword, which moved
with a momentum that seemed to come out of heaven and earth itself, and Evan’s
hands wrapped in a mysterious light, struck each other with tremendous energy.

“What the…?”

However, Leo felt that the greatsword, which seemed to cut everything in its path,
rattle in the air.

And it seemed to have something to do with Evan, who was holding it strongly with
both hands outstretched.

‘It contains the power of a martial art called Cheonjung.’

Leo quickly realized something in that moment. Evan, who had been able to extend
the heaviness of the sky in his fists, was now blocking Leo’s greatsword by shaping the
energy according to his intentions.

“That’s still not enough!”

Leo gave strength to both his arms and threw out his greatsword. At that moment,
there was a sound of something breaking. Of course, in the clash between skills against
skills, Leo’s greatsword had, at last, cracked and broken.

“What?!”
Evan cursed inwardly, wondering why he hadn’t believed in Heavens Press. He
clenched both fists, and stretched out again while striking the greatsword strongly
and teasing the body with the recoil.

“Ha! That’s pretty good!”

“Woowoo!”

It would have been impossible if Evan had avoided it in the first place. It had only been
possible because Leo’s momentum was slightly reduced with the Heavens Press that
contained all of Evan’s power.

Leo laughed when he realized what had happened.

“Okay, then let’s take it at again!”

“Using this stupid technique again? When are you going to stop?”

“Until you can’t take it anymore!”

“Do you want me to die!?”

Leo recovered the greatsword and again wielded it, pointing it at Evan. Leo Arpeta
realized that Evan had caught up with him much faster than he had thought.

‘I have to go into the dungeon again and improve my skills! Bernard is also around, isn’t
it perfect?’

If Bernard knew about this, he would have made some brainwashing medicine to get
his friend to fix his thoughts quickly. Still, unfortunately, he was struggling with
constraints and was unaware of the conspiracy approaching him.
A battle with Leo Arpeta wasn’t something that could be experienced every day, and
Evan had to admit that his growth from the training had been incredible.

“Wow…” He could feel his muscles transforming and strengthening beyond their limits
after he had finished training and went to the Brotherhood Bathhouse. His mind, body,
and skill were developed in the process of hitting, evading, and countering Leo’s sword
until they reached a transcendent state. The effect had been doubled thanks to the
Bathhouse. Now Evan, who had been cursing Leo during the duel, had no choice but
to thank him.

“Grandpa, I will continue to train hard in the future.”

“Ha, it would do you some good to be a little patient! I told you already, you’ll grow up
to be strong!” Leo Arpeta laughed openly while soaking in the bath with Evan. However,
in truth, he was very nervous that Evan would soon catch up to him with his skills.

‘It’s not just Evan who’s improved his technique. Fighting him… I feel that my skills have
also grown a little. Just by making me realize I still have some growth left, this guy is
amazing.’ He realized that Evan wasn’t called a fighting genius for nothing. The weight
of his fists, unsuited for his age, wasn’t a joke. His bold movements held no hesitation,
and his punches and kicks shot out sharply like daggers in harmony with those
movements. In the process of blocking those blows which came in unexpected ways,
Leo had been able to discover new possibilities within his own abilities. He was
approaching the age of seventy, yet now it felt like he had been born anew.

‘In order to bloom this sense, I need to enter the dungeon as soon as I can.’ Now was the
time to talk. Leo soaked in the bath, just like an old man would, while he spoke with
Evan.

“Evan, would you support me if I told you that I would be entering the dungeon?”
“Only if you don’t drag me in with you.” Evan responded without looking up. When Leo
came to the Brotherhood Bathhouse before, explorers had flocked to him as if they
had been waiting for him, so they had designated some time beforehand for only the
Marquis’s guests to be able to use the bath. Thanks to that, only knights and vassals of
the Marquis were around them now. That meant they could converse openly.

“I can prepare a map, of course, but would you use it?”

“Khhh, don’t worry. It’s up to Bernard, not me, to look at the map.”

“I know he can use it without any problems. But will you take him into the dungeon
with you?”

‘That stubborn old man?’ Evan was dubious about the possibility, but Leo smiled
leisurely.

“I led him around the world. Can’t I take him to the dungeon that’s just right in front
of us?”

“It’s good to be confident. Then I’ll ask. Still, I was wondering how to get my Grandpa
back into the dungeon.”

“Why?”

“As the dungeon level increases, aging slows down. You get younger and live longer.
Grandpa Bernard has to live for a long time to work with me for 50 years.”

“What’s that about?” Leo’s eyes widened in response. It was the first he heard something
like this in his life. It wasn’t just him. The others, who had been listening to their
conversation, began to squeal and gasp. A cold sweat formed on Evan’s forehead. It
wouldn’t be surprising that Evan and Bernard’s 50-year contract would be left
incomplete…

“Isn’t it ridiculous that you don’t know that you live longer if you level up?”

“I didn’t know?”

“Right now, Grandpa Leo, Grandpa Bernard, and Aria are very young for their age! Why
did you think it was all like that?” The knights around them nodded in agreement
while Evan wondered if they were all fools. Leo carefully spoke up.
“Uh… Because you have a lot of mana in your body?”

“Oh, so that’s part of the reason. Then it’s a problem. What’s the most effective way to
increase the amount of mana in your body?”

“Ah… like that!” In this world of magic and myth, there were many ways, including the
Elixir, to achieve the dream of extending life. The most obvious way was leveling up,
however, with the exception of some uncertain elements. Whether the existence level
or the dungeon level was raised, human aging slowed, and one’s lifespan extended.
Mana increased, and as the levels rose, the body became stronger. Leo and Bernard
had a high level of existence as well as a dungeon level. Leo had a particularly high
existence level, so it was likely that he aged slower than Bernard.

“Hey, the dream of extending life was created in the dungeon.”

“Usually, those who enter the dungeon with such a dream won’t make it far.” Evan had
attempted to enter the dungeon to escape from the crisis of death. As a bonus,
however, he had also wanted to extend his life as much as he could. Of course, raising
his existence level by crushing slimes had proved to be effective as well.

“Then you, Evan, will live a long life.”

“No, I’ll be happy if I can just die in peace.” That was a lie. Evan also wanted to live as
long as possible. However, even though he had become quite strong these days, he
thought he would have clear limits. So, he had given up on completely conquering the
dungeon from the start. If he could safely go to the 70th floor or even to the 80th, he
thought he could live for more than 120 years.

“Oh, then, in the end, how many floors did my Grandpas clear in the dungeon? I asked
Grandpa Bernard many times, and he shut me up by asking me what I was going to do
with the glory of the past.”

“I agree, but you have to show off sometimes. We went till the 56th floor. That means
my level is 57.”

“Uh…” Evan’s eyes widened. The knights, on the other hand, began to flock around and
clap in amazement at the words. Several of them spoke up in admiration, saying he
was a hero.

“The 56th floor!”

“Now, the top two groups are advancing to the 46th floor, but to say you have already
conquered the 56th floor more than a few decades ago! Really, heroes are in a different
league!”

“If he conquers up to the 56th floor, will we be able to live long like you, Sir Leo?”

“Why do you look unsurprised, Evan? Did you know this beforehand?”

“Well…” Evan was gaining a sense of the reactions around him. It was natural, as the
best in the current generation was blocked on the 46th floor. No matter how strong or
heroic they were, the 70th and 80th floors seemed too far away to reach. He wanted
to respond to Leo with a triumphant expression but didn’t. Leo had decided to act as
a teacher, so why not take care of his pride too?

“That’s amazing. So, did Grandpa Bernard reach that point too?”

“Neither Bernard, nor Aria or Iloin. However, whenever I explored the dungeon before,
I had other colleagues. Now I’ve begun to get a little nervous when four people enter.
Moreover, the dungeon environment has changed a lot since the last cataclysmic
change, right?”

“Leo Arpeta!”

“Huh?” There was someone (naked) approaching them as they conversed. It was none
other than Mikhail D. Airok, the knight commander of the Ironwall Knights. He
approached Leo with a serious expression.

“Now, I am alone on the 45th floor. However, it is too difficult to go through the dungeon
on my own. If Arpeta-nim guides me, I will surely grow into a helpful party member!”

“Eh?”

“Uh…” Evan was shocked at the knight commander’s bold words, but Leo looked
intrigued. He knew well enough how wonderful it was to reach the 45th floor on one’s
own.

“Have you been alone all this time?”

“I used to team up with others to challenge myself, but now I am. However, recently,
I’ve been worried because I felt the limits of breaking through the dungeon by myself.”
“That’s obvious. No matter how strong the knight commander is, you can’t do it alone,”
Evan replied in outrage. He knew that the knight commander was striving against the
dungeon, but he didn’t know he was doing it solo! No, even if it were said that he broke
through the 30th floor by himself, Evan thought he would eventually need mercenaries
or priests to accompany him.

“The effectiveness of the potions from the Brotherhood Pharmacy were so excellent
that I didn’t even need help from a priest until now. However, the 45th floor is a little
different.”

“I’ve known from before that you were a good person. Dueling you was also fun.”

“Compared to you, I’m lacking. Arpeta’s enthusiasm is second to none.”

“Just call me Leo… so, Evan, what do you think?” Leo looked back to Evan with a twinkle
in his eyes like he had found something very interesting. Evan shared his honest
thoughts without sugarcoating it.

“The knight commander is a genius. If he keeps growing like this, he may one day beat
you.”

“Hahahaha! I’m sure you believe that. Actually, I was thinking the same. There are so
many scary guys in the dungeon, including you!” They weren’t empty words. Mikhail
D. Airok was a man who managed the Four Heavenly Kings that had the ability to
destroy dungeon cities alone. Even in the original history, if he hadn’t existed due to a
forced event in the early mid-game and had been able to level up steadily, he would’ve
made his name among the armed forces ranking of the Yo-Ma Great War series!

“Your name is Mikhail? Good. You’ll be my party member from now on!”

“Are you really accepting my offer?!”

“I like someone with both talent and resolve! Besides, you’re stuck on the 45th floor,
right? It will be a good experience for both of us to go back to the 56th floor while
studying the dungeons changes. It’ll also be an opportunity to review our teamwork.”
Leo nodded in satisfaction as he patted the knight commander on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, Mikhail was thrilled to be able to explore the dungeon with the hero. He
clenched his fists, still fully naked.

“Oooh! Not only Master Evan, but even the chief!”

“Long live Leo Arpeta!”

“Thank you, Arpeta!” At the news that the knight commander had joined Leo’s party,
the knight commander himself and his knights cheered loudly. If their leader grew
stronger, so too would his soldiers. If his soldiers grew stronger, then so too would the
Marquis. Of course, the other vassals who had entered the bath couldn’t keep quiet
about the news either. Anyone there could roughly predict the impact Leo’s declaration
would have.

“But, Grandpa Leo, I actually know of one more talent who has resolve.”

“Huh?” At that point, Evan decided to make a request for Leo. Leo tilted his head as he
looked at Evan.

“There is one more guy I want you to teach. I can assure you of their quality.”

“Then, I’ll let him come along!”

“Thank you, Grandpa Leo! That guy… I mean, Shine, will be very happy!” Evan smiled
brightly at Leo’s cheerful acceptance.

This increased the number of victims who would ride the Express to Hell with Evan in
the future.
The day after the success of Operation Water Ghost, Evan began the construction of
the headquarter building for the dungeon knights. Maybell had assured him that they
had prepared the best engineers and workers in the dungeon city as well as only the
highest quality materials.

“It’s an honor to be able to work with you once again!”

“Thank you, chief!” Many of the workers already knew Evan. They were the ones he
had worked with before on the construction of the Brotherhood Bathhouse. Evan’s
jaw fell down as he found himself in a situation a bit different from what he expected,
greeted by the energetic workers.

“I couldn’t forget the fantastic construction work back then, so I waited for the day to
be called back by you.”

“I would like to continue building the infrastructure of the dungeon city with you in
the future!”

“I heard you are building something even nicer than the Brotherhood Bathhouse. I will
continue helping you with all my might, even if it means using the last of my strength!”
Evan quietly looked at them. Maybell had prepared a headband to keep his hair out of
the way during the work; the phrase ‘Build a Brotherhood’ was sewn onto it with
golden embroidery.

“This wasn’t in the business plan at all!”

“I didn’t intend to do this either, but these people gathered on their own. All of these
people want to follow you! These are people who want to start a new business with
you!”

“I’m not happy with this increase in my workforce… Ugh, alright. You can do it!”
“Thank you, Young Master!” Evan, who couldn’t bear to see the middle-aged men sad,
ended up giving in to their demands and tied on his headband with a sigh and thoughts
of increasing Maybell’s workload.

“I really don’t know much about construction…”

“I will study hard, Master!”

“I will do my best! We are changing the dungeon city!”

“The dungeon city will create a new style of architecture!” People seemed to be thinking
up very grandiose dreams, but Evan decided to leave them alone until they awakened
from their own delusions.

‘But they were able to build the bathhouse, so this will work anyway.’ Although his
knowledge about construction was lacking, he could still grasp the concept of modern
architecture, so there were multiple designs stored away in his head. In addition to
that, he had his knowledge of alchemy, so if he cooperated with the technicians, he
could somehow create a plausible building with their help. Evan had thought this
through carefully.

“Okay, then let’s get started.”

“Ooh!” Thus, the first official construction work of Brotherhood Construction, which
would establish itself as a luxury construction brand in the dungeon city in the future,
commenced.

“It is our mission to turn this groundbreaking idea into reality! Can you do it?”

“Of course!”

“It must look like the most beautiful building ever built!” Of course, Evan couldn’t be
at the construction site all day, so aside from designing the structure of the building
and suggesting improvements, most of it had to be left to someone else. However, his
contribution was already enough. The headquarters of the dungeon knights were
being built in a unique and sophisticated architectural style that didn’t exist in any
country.

“It’s going great so far.”

“It’s a good thing to not make any mistakes because you’re excited. I would like to
complete it by my next birthday if possible, just in time for the kids to enter the
dungeon for the first time…” In the midst of supervising the construction, Shine
nodded and confirmed Evan’s orders since he had been busy checking the notes he
had written down on his schedule.

“I think the most recent kids, except for Lin, Ran, and Jin, will be able to enter the
dungeon with a little more effort. How are you going to organize the party?”

“Paul, Marie, Ena, Ditto, and Melson are five, right? First, I will have to go and lead
them, and you will tag along.” It was natural for the dungeon knights commander,
Evan, to lead the reserve members, and Shine, who had a wide field of view and could
move quickly, would be able to prevent the children from getting injured.

“I am always ready. Then what about Raihan…?”

“I’m trying to think about that.” Evan shrugged, tapping the papers that had the names
of prospective members written on them.

“You’ve also mentioned it. When I fight, I don’t think I’m progressing as much as I
should because Raihan is blocking all the attacks.”

“Indeed. How to deal with it is very different depending on the situation in which the
monster could attack us and the situation in which it cannot attack. I’m still very sorry
for the Hidden Boss Battle, Master.”

“It’s okay because most of you will be with Raihan when you enter the dungeon. What
about these kids?” Shine and Raihan would be with Evan in most situations, and they
were members of the ‘first group’ who would be able to handle most things even in
Evan’s absence. It was because of this that it felt okay to let them get used to the
situation in which they would fight with Raihan. Rather, it was necessary to develop
skills according to the situation. However, the Rookie children were listed in Group 2.
Their situation was very different from Shine’s.

“Ah… It certainly is.”

“Right?” It would be an issue if they made a habit of relying on Raihan’s shield from an
early age.

“After discussing this, the situation has become clear. Raihan should never go in
together with them. Let’s go with that assumption.”

“Then, will Belois fill into the vacant position? I don’t think Lady Arisha will do it, for
some reason.”

“Lua… Well, yes. There are five kids, so even if you and I are there… We should add her,
just in case.” If Shine went, but Belois was left out, she would be very upset. Belois’s
willingness to serve Evan and be by his side was stronger than Evan had thought. Of
course, Evan was grateful for her, but sometimes he didn’t understand why she was so
obsessed with staying in a maid’s position.

“That’s because that’s the first job the Master entrusted upon her.”

“I’m not so sure about that… Anyway, thank you. In fact, I prepared a present for you.”

“Well, have you already made the weapon you mentioned last time, Master?” The other
party members had heard about Evan’s careless promise to Arisha that he would make
a rapier, and as a result of them begging him to make them one, Evan had reluctantly
agreed. That was what Shine was referring to. However, Evan shook his head.

“No, not that one. In the first place, the material for the weapon you will use hasn’t
been supplied yet. You still have to wait a while.”

“So, what is it? I’m very anxious to see it, especially now that you’re smiling.”

“You will find out later. Don’t worry, it won’t take long.” Evan felt as if he were about to
burst with excitement after his fight with Leo. He laughed happily as he imagined
Shine, who would begin to grow steadily. Shine thought something felt off and looked
concerned, but he had no way of asking Evan about it.

***

As it turned out, Evan’s gift to Shine was Leo Arpeta, who was smiling while facing
Bernard. On the other hand, Bernard’s facial expressions were that of utmost disgust,
just like that of Shine looking at Evan.

“A dungeon?”

“You will go in tomorrow.”

“Ha, have a good trip! You are also old now, so be careful not to break any bones.”

“Bernard, you’ll be going with us. Oh, and I will take this guy too.” Leo declared firmly
as he pushed Mikhail D. Airok forward. He knelt and looked at Bernard.

“It’s an honor to serve with you, Sir Bernard.”

“Hey, the Knight Commander is still young. It’s natural for him to enter the dungeon,
but it’s not for me, boy. Didn’t you say you were tired now? I should also rest. I plan to
live comfortably while making medicine.”

“No, if I stay still like this, I’m going to fall behind that guy Evan, and you’ll just fall
asleep!”

“Oh, and I enjoy it immensely! I sleep so well that I don’t want to get out of bed the
next day, stupid!” Bernard retorted, cursing Evan in his heart. Iloin, who was drinking
tea, decided to help him.

“Don’t bother Bernard too much, Leo. He wants tranquility. Can’t you just enter the
dungeon with the people who want to?”

“But this time, I heard from Evan that when your dungeon level increases, so does your
lifespan and aging slows down.”

“…” Upon hearing this, Iloin suddenly went silent. When Bernard looked back, his
anxiety rising, she smiled kindly and grabbed onto his arm.

“Get ready to go into the dungeon, Bernard.”

“Oh shit, I don’t intend to live forever!”

“But I have to see you live long and healthy. Get ready, Bernard.”

“Leo, you damn…!” Even if it meant dying early, Bernard wasn’t interested in re-
entering the dungeon, but as long as Iloin was on the side of Leo, there was no resistance
left to him.

“Ugh, I can’t help it! Then let’s go in.”

“Bernard…!”
“That’s great news to hear!” He glanced at the bracelet made of thorns around his
wrist for a moment but soon nodded with a sigh. The rest of the party noticed the look,
in particular Leo, who had a smile upon his face.

“We will start at dawn tomorrow, Bernard. Starting from the 45th floor, let’s break
through the 60th floor in one go. Of course it will be a secret to the people of this city.”

“It’s easy to talk about the 60th floor.”

“Evan has prepared a map. We have recorded all the pitfalls that must be avoided.
Wouldn’t it be safe to have this?”

“Having a map and interpreting it is another matter… shall I take a look anyway?”

“Of course! That would really help us.” Bernard picked up the bundle of maps and
examined them. He admired the fine details they depicted.

“If we can really find out where we are on these, we will never die.”

“I can see that.”

“Because of this, we’ll be able to get through the dungeon with ease. Of course, our
progress will be faster…” Bernard was amazed at Evan’s ability. He wondered if God
had really changed its shape to come down to earth and tell Evan about the changes.

“Evan, I can’t help but be glad that you’ve been such a useful child.”

“This guy has already dueled me.” He laughed at Leo’s words and folded the maps,
holding onto them firmly. Then he turned to the knight commander, who still looked
tense.

“You know, the gods bless only those who have claimed worthy achievements. It would
be nice to leave you behind if you intend to benefit from our virtues.”

“It is an honor to join your party. I will prove my worth before you.”

“Okay, that’s enough resolve. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Don’t forget to prepare
to sneak in.”

“Of course!” If it were known that a group of heroes was entering the dungeon with
some additional party members, the entire dungeon city would be excited. Leo wasn’t
aware of it, but Bernard would never be able to stand dealing with it.

“Well, then I have work to do from now on, so I’ll head in. See you all at dawn.”

“Get a lot of sleep, Bernard!”

“I have only ever asked for a single night of peaceful sleep, but it seems that I have
cursed luck!” Bernard waved his hand at Leo and went inside. Leo shrugged and then
turned to Iloin.

“So, how are you doing with Bernard?”

“Elven love burns slowly and lives for a long time, Leo. So don’t worry.”

“Now, that’s a good thing.”

“Yes, as Evan said, I hope that his life span will be extended by this dungeon exploration…
I wish to be with him for a long time.” Iloin spoke calmly, but her eyes sparkled. The
knight commander let out a small gasp, but neither Iloin nor Leo were paying any
attention to him.

At dawn the following day, the moment came for the ‘Twilight of the Past Generation’
party to enter the dungeon secretly.
It was the next morning, while the dungeon city still slept. Evan, who wouldn’t miss
the historic moment when the legendary Leo Arpeta and Bernard Garcia entered the
dungeon once more, had woken up earlier than usual to see them off.

“Evan, take this.”

“What is it?” But Bernard had handed some well-organized documents to Evan before
heading inside with the group. Evan accepted it with a tilted head, but soon his
expression stiffened. It was all of the information Bernard knew about the Elixir,
including everything they had ever studied about it.

“You don’t need to give this to me right now.”

“It’s just for in case, just in case.” Bernard responded calmly, but emotions were
warring on Evan’s face. Of course, Bernard was saying just in case he died in the
dungeon.

“You don’t need to raise a death flag like that.”

“I don’t know if it’s a death flag or whatever, I’m just taking care of all possibilities, so
don’t worry too much. I’m just afraid that I might fail to deliver on what we’ve been
working on.”

“You won’t die.” Evan was growing annoyed and responded strongly as Leo came up
from behind to smack Bernard in the back of the head.

“This guy has always been a worrywart even since forty years ago. Don’t worry, disciple.
It’s thanks to his preparations that we’ve been able to prevent all those bad situations.”

“It hurts, damn it!”

“…No matter what, you won’t die on the 60th floor. Not unless the floor itself comes to
life to eat you.” Leo grinned, and Bernard let out a faint laugh at Evan’s words, causing
him to become even more anxious.

‘Why are you doing this… ’ Should he prepare and hand over something more to help
them? Evan considered it seriously, but unfortunately, he didn’t have time for that.

“Mister, don’t worry. I’ll watch Sir Bernard.”

“The knight commander…” The knight commander raised his sword and declared so
reliably. Evan wanted to tell him that he was the most dangerous but decided to bite
his tongue.

“Yes. Then, I’ll ask you a favor.”

“Yes!”

“Who’s going to die? He’d be embarrassed if he died in the dungeon, you know? I’d
make fun of him in my autobiography if he did.”

“Keep them safe and bring them back.” Bernard did something he hadn’t done before
in his life. He approached Evan and lightly hugged him, the scent of medicinal herbs
filling Evan’s nose for a brief moment before Bernard pulled away.

“Uh…?”

“I’ll be back.” Then Bernard turned around and entered the dungeon with the rest of
the group without anything further to say.

“…Another death flag.” Evan stared blankly for a while after they disappeared but
eventually had to make his way back to the mansion.

***

Leo Arpeta, who had become Evan and Shine’s mentor, led Evan’s other mentor,
Bernard, and the knight commander into the dungeon. Evan wasn’t taking a break just
because his mentors were away, however. He intended to devote himself to training,
having no intention of letting go of the title of the world’s busiest 12-year-old.

“The master is here!”

“Captain!”

“Don’t talk to everyone, get in formation! Formation!” However, the most important
thing at the moment was the group training for the dungeon knights. The knights HQ
had just begun to be built, but training wasn’t something that could be delayed. The
children there had been trained by the Ironwall Knights, courtesy of Mikhail D. Airok,
while Evan and his party had gone into the dungeon. The rookie training they had gone
through with Shine was so thorough that they didn’t fall behind despite their young
age.

“Look, Captain! I’ve decided on the weapons I’ll train with!”

“Ah… long sword and dagger?”

“Yep!” Although it was expected, Marie ended up choosing a two-handed technique

using both a long sword and a dagger. It was a fairly popular sword technique.

“Marie likes Shine a lot.”

“I chose it to become really strong.” Evan just laughed as Marie squared her shoulders.
The path she would walk was a difficult one, but if she succeeded, she would become
a strong warrior.

“In order to become stronger now, you should start training right away. It will be two,
no, three times more difficult.”

“I’m prepared. Thank you, sir!”

“Okay, then let’s start right away.” To master the long sword and dagger, she would go
through the same training Shine had in the past. Evan gave her sufficient knowledge
of fast weapon skills.

“If those martial art skills rise above a certain level, then you can use them together.”

“Okay.”

“It’ll be difficult, so prepare yourself.”

“Yes!” Shine’s swordsmanship was recognized as having the highest level of aptitude.
It wasn’t something that could be transmitted simply through teaching.
“But one thing is certain. Marie, if you can master them and use them together, you’ll
be much stronger than those trained in only one martial art.”

“Yes! I will try my best!” Evan was cautiously optimistic about what Marie could do. In
the Yo-ma Great War series, all of those who used different weapons in both hands
were blessed by God in the dungeon to learn a specific and unique martial art. If Marie
could perform well under Evan’s early teachings, she would be capable of that as well.

‘…Of course, it’s not always possible to acquire a unique martial art just because your
skill is excellent.’ When it came down to it, luck was more of a factor in unique martial
arts than skill, so the number who had actually acquired one from the dungeon could
be easily counted. But, rather than giving Marie futile expectations, Evan decided to
focus on congratulating her out loud when she actually got it. She was already so full
of enthusiasm, so Evan had no need to interfere.

“Okay, then you’re done with this… the next one? Everyone decided to learn how to
fight together. If you want to stop, you can even now.” Evan was teaching martial arts
to the children because Ena, one of the girls, had pestered him to teach them, saying
she wanted to learn how to use a spear. He couldn’t refuse the request, as he already
had plans to teach them the foundations. The other children had also heard, of course,
and wanted to learn as well. He was thinking of giving the twin sisters, Lin and Ran, as
well as Jin, a different option…

“I hate that you’re only trying to get rid of us.”

“I want to learn with Lin.”

“If I can become strong, I’ll learn anything.”

“It looks fun.”

“…”

“Please, Master.” But, as expected, all of them wanted to learn martial arts. Evan was a
bit embarrassed to see Arisha, Belois, and Shine standing there next to each other as
well, wanting to be trained.

“Focus on what you are doing, you’re already doing well.”

“I should learn martial arts too, Master.”

“I would like to learn self-defense techniques. It won’t reduce my efforts in learning
magic.”

“I will learn.”

“You…” They already had excuses prepared in advance.

“Can you really do it? What you’re already doing now is best suited for your aptitude.
You shouldn’t neglect it just for training your fighting skills.”

“Of course, I can. Didn’t you say that to Ena too, Master? In fact, I thought a lot after
seeing Ena’s determination. And, right now, you are doing not also martial arts but
also alchemy and many other things. I can’t be seen as pathetic in comparison.”

“I would like options for situations that cannot be overcome by magic alone.”

“I want to understand the reasons behind your strength a little more. Evan, you also
promised to actively help me.” Each of them had their own reasons, but they were all
serious. There was no way to stop them now. Evan was forced to nod along gently.

“Then it can’t be helped… I won’t let you quit, so be prepared.”

“Yes!”

“I won’t disappoint you.” Shine was excited, and Belois quietly clenched their fist and
pledged so. In this way, Evan’s rigorous fighting classes began for all of the dungeon
knights except for Raihan, who had no talent for all the combat skills in the first place.

“But Evan, is my rapier still not done?” No, before that, Arisha approached him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it to you somehow by your birthday.”

“I’m excited… really excited.”

“Okay, okay, I can see it on your face.” When Evan pushed away Arisha, he noticed the
rest of the knights staring at him. Somehow, it felt like a bunch of baby birds waiting
for food. It was almost cute.

“Okay, I’ll make you weapons too. Alright, so don’t act like Arisha.”
“Hooray!”

“I love master!”

Evan glared at Arisha, who had caused this situation, but she was quietly humming in
excitement for the rapier Evan would make for her.
The very next day, after Evan had been forced to promise to make armaments for each
of the children, he met with someone. It was what he had asked the Marquis about the
same day he left the dungeon, but only now was it achieved.

“You can call me Horta.”

“I am Evan D. Sherden. Please call me Evan.”

“…Yes, Evan.” The name of the man who had been invited by the Marquis to the mansion,
now sitting face-to-face with Evan, was Horta Benus. He was an older man with dark
gray hair and a rocky face who projected a sense of gravity.

“I don’t know why you called a man like myself to such a precious place.”

“I wanted to go see you in person, but I apologize I couldn’t.”

“…There are many skilled blacksmiths aside from me in the city. I’m not one who
deserves such treatment.” Horta responded calmly to Evan’s polite apology. Yes, Horta
Benus was one of the craftsmen belonging to the blacksmith guild of dungeon city,
‘The Fire Hammer.’ He was a skilled man with little greed for money, so he had been
highly recommended by many adventurers. However, that wasn’t enough for the
Marquis to request him personally. Or so Horta thought.

“I’m just someone who hits metal. I’ve heard rumors of you as well… I dare say I am
not capable of what you want. You’ve found the wrong person.”

“No, I think I’ve found the right one.” Horta’s brow furrowed at Evan’s firm response.
Evan smiled bitterly as he faced Horta. Of course, the information about him had come
from the game he had played in his previous life. A blacksmith who had a fixed
customer base in the dungeon city had to be good. Since weapons were used and
broken so quickly here, it was impossible for a craftsman with poor skills to survive
for long here.

‘The annoying thing was that when you asked for a weapon at the smithy, who would
make it was random. But now I can call him myself.’ Horta Benus was a man who
devoted himself to his work, putting his all into every weapon he crafted with a skill
none could match. However, if there was a reason he didn’t become famous, it was
because he was ostracized within his guild.

“I just like working with metal. I don’t know what to do with things like magic.”

“Sure, that is what a blacksmith is after all.”

“…” Yes, that was the reason why. The blacksmith Horta Benus dealt only with weapons
that originate from the pure metal. He never touched magic tools that were created
through magical engineering. Whether it was an artifact naturally born within a
special environment or imbued with the power of a god, he didn’t mind it, but he hated
magical tools imbued with magic by humans. Arms with magic characters engraved in
them, specially treated mana stones, or even using magic to craft armaments.

‘But living in the dungeon city, it’s impossible to deny magical weapons and artificial
artifacts. It would be nice if everyone could carry natural artifacts, but realistically it’s
not possible. That’s why research on magic tools and artifacts are conducted… ’ The
explorers of the dungeon, especially the high-ranking ones, carried several magical
weapons and artifacts created by magical engineering. Compared to natural artifacts,
they were cheaper, and their performance wasn’t bad. Evan, who wore natural
artifacts, was a special case.

“I know the situation roughly. You just want to make weapons, but you don’t let it when
others don’t accept those weapons and try to alter them with impurities. Because of
that, the guild is rejected you.”

“…Yes. You can laugh at my thoughts for being stupid, but did you really call me here
to do just that?”

“No, I call you here to hire you.”

“…” Horta closed his mouth. It was obvious he felt that Evan was making fun of him,
yet Evan could only find it funny. Artificial artifacts? In the game, you would only use
them at the start. Unless you were an unskilled or unlucky player, you would quickly
replace them with high-level natural artifacts unearthed from the dungeon.
“Horta, do you like natural artifacts? For example, something like this.”

“Well… oooh.” Evan handed Horta the scimitar he had prepared in advance. It was the
scimitar they had found before that absorbed the blood of monsters. Horta was quick
to recognize its abilities.

“It’s great. It’s a natural artifact created in a truly terrible and dire environment,
untouched by human hands… but as far as I know, these artifacts have never been on
the market…”

“I see you are also interested in artifacts. That is something my party and I got from
the dungeon. The dungeon knights don’t need to report each item they obtain.” Evan
had an evil-looking smile upon his face.

“It’s amazing. I’ve heard you were amazing, but at your age to retrieve such an artifact
from the dungeon… but, this doesn’t require repair. It will absorb blood to restore
itself.”

“Yes, I wasn’t calling you to fix it. I just wanted to show it to you.”

“If so…?” It was finally time to reach the point. Evan let out a laugh.

“I wanted your help in creating natural artifacts like this.”

“What…” Horta stiffened. It had been something he had never told anyone before, but
somehow Evan knew of his dream.

‘Well, that’s because of Yo-ma Great War 3… ’ Horta Benus dreamed of creating artifacts
with his own hands. Of course, he wanted to create a miraculous artifact without using
magical engineering. It was no easy task. The technique and metal both had to be
special, and even things like time and place had to be considered.

‘That’s why I was scared of that quest. Even thinking about it again, my blood pressure
is rising.’ If you went to the guild for weapon repairs during Yo-ma Great War 3 and
succeeded in entrusting your weapons to Horta, your intimacy would increase with
him. Only then would he entrust the protagonist with a quest. He wanted to create an
artifact, so the quest was to acquire precious metal. It was a limited time secret quest
that wasn’t well known, and finding the metal was a pain. All in all, it was an annoying
quest.
‘Any other metal causes it to fail, however, and even the magic metal found in the
dungeon has a low probability to actually create the artifact. The entire quest was a
gamble… ’ However, there were quite a few players who challenged the quest for the
excellent artifacts it gave them. Not that there were many success stories.

“I can prepare all the ingredients you want. You just need to work hard. Then, you will
surely be able to create an artifact.” But now it was different. He could call over Horta
to the mansion; there was no need to wait for the quest.

“…I will refuse.” However, Horta refused Evan’s offer with a hard tone, chewing on his
lip.

“I don’t have the ability to fulfill your will. I’m just a blacksmith, I don’t know how to
do anything other than beat metal.”

“That’s enough.” The higher the blacksmith’s skill was, the higher the chance of
producing a natural artifact, especially for those with a high affinity for metal. Of all
the characters in the game, at least among the humans, there was no one better suited
for it than Horta Benus.

“No, that alone can’t create an artifact. Artifacts are created by God, not humans. When
humans try their hand at it, it results in something imperfect, like the artificial artifacts
overflowing the world now…!”

“Well, I’m not trying to make something like that. I don’t intend to disparage human-
developed tools, but it’s fundamentally different than the artifact I want.”

“Then, how would you intend to create artifacts?”

“With alchemy.”

“Alchemy.” Horta Benus made a confused expression. Maybe he had heard of alchemy
before, although it was likely that anyone who discussed it with him before was a
conman. Assuming he hadn’t met Bernard, that is.

“I didn’t know you believed in such a thing… unfortunately, I don’t think I can comply
with your will. Could you please allow me to head back?” Well, they seemed to have
been the case. But, the goal of alchemy was very similar to Horta’s dream of creating
artifacts with a human’s power.
“Yes, but before that, let me show you one more thing.”

“Whatever it is, my opinion won’t change… what is that?” However, as soon as Horta
saw the dark green metal that Evan produced from his inventory, he wordlessly sank
back down into the chair. Evan handed it over to him with a smile. Evan himself had
smelted the magic ore he had acquired.

“Huh. Huh… huh. This… oh my. I’ve seen something like this a few times before, but it’s
really…” Horta’s expression changed half a dozen times within a few seconds as he
examined the metal. Evan explained while suppressing a chuckle.

“Alchemy originates from human’s desire to create the perfect metal, to turn other
metals into gold. Of course, they developed the ability to deal with metal. This is an
ingot made by smelting the magic metal I acquired from the dungeon, made with my
alchemy.”

“…Magic metal, alchemy.”

“Yes. Alchemy is the most effective technique for dealing with mysteries like this. But
unfortunately, it is impossible for me to create a weapon that fully utilizes its power.
That’s why I called for you.”

“You’ll allow me to handle this? This…”

“Yes.” Evan nodded solemnly and produced a piece of paper, handing it over to Horta.

“If you would just sign this contract.”

“I will do whatever it takes. I will become your exclusive blacksmith!”

“Okay, thank you!” Horta replied, without hesitation. That was the power of the
magical metal smelted with alchemy.

Now the foundation for the dungeon knights had been completed by recruiting the
blacksmith.
On a clear Friday afternoon during the first week of November, Evan D. Sherden
devoted himself to his alchemy classes while his exclusive maid, Belois, received some
free time. Even at such a time, just like Evan, she would normally strive to train herself.
But today, she had made a promise.

“Eloa von Sirpe.”

“Hello, I’m Belois.”

That was to meet with Eloa von Sirpe, a mage of the Phoenix Guild.

“How about this place?”

“Yes.” The two met at one of the countless cafes on the street, starting their conversation
immediately after ordering tea without a need for the pretense of greetings or self-
introductions.

“How many hours do you have?”

“About two.”

“I see.” Eloa was a beautiful mage famous for being part of the nobility of Mana Road,
as well as a user of powerful ice magic. Belois didn’t lose to her in the slightest;
however, she was known as the dazzlingly beautiful girl who always followed Evan. It
was only natural, then, that they would grab people’s attention, but no one would dare
to approach them.

“Then, let’s get to the point right away.”

“Yes.” The two talked without care for their surroundings. That was thanks to the
soundproofing measures Eloa had taken with her magic.

“I know you’re dealing with intermediate ice magic, as well as flame properties.”
“Yes.”

“I want to ask about it. That is, the method that made the two compatible, the mastery
of magic. In return, all I can offer is the theory of high-ranking ice magic, but…”

“That’s enough.” The conversation bull-dozed ahead as neither had any need for useless
conversation. They presented what each of them wanted and could offer and pushed
on right after without a single change of expression.

“Two hours have passed. Excuse me.”

“Already?” When the promised time came, Belois immediately became quiet. Even a
minute deviated from the scheduled time would be unacceptable.

“Alright. It was a useful chat.” Eloa nodded as if it were only natural.

“Can we talk next time?”

“Yes, I want to as well.” Despite her young age, Belois’s ability to harmonize two types
of magic like ice and flames had been a shock to Eloa, given her deep understanding
of ice magic. She had much she could learn from Belois. They both admired the other
and had decided that they had much to learn.

“Could we meet once a week regularly?”

“It is possible at this time.” Both of them maintained the same icy expression, but if it
weren’t for that, they would appear as the best of friends.

“Okay, then we’ll meet here in a week.”

“Yes, then.” The two left their seats without any emotion, both showing similar
politeness. Inside, both had been very satisfied with this meeting. They were both
happy to have met someone who could engage in practical conversation with them.

“…So, then, did you just talk about magic?”

“Yes, madam.” After returning to the mansion and spending some time with Evan,
Belois had gone to the Marquis’s wife, Redine D. Sherden, to report what had happened
today. Belois had a subtle expression of contentment on her face, but Redine was too
stunned to notice.
“To think two girls of that age are able to meet and talk solely about magic…”

“From the beginning, we were just there to exchange knowledge. Of course, we didn’t
talk about anything else.”

“I suppose ordinary humans wouldn’t understand. Then… Belois, can you show me
what you learned?”

“Yes.” At Redine’s request, Belois nodded and formed ice crystals in the palm of her
hand. It was a simple enough use of mana that it was hardly worthy of the name magic,
but such a simple display was enough to confirm her achievement. Redine let out a
laugh.

“This much in a day…”

“You compliment me too much, Madam.” Belois responded in a flat tone, but Redine
could now notice the slight heat hidden underneath it. Although Belois was modest,
Redine knew of her great desire for strength.

“Yes, are you a little confident in your skills now?”

“Yes. I now know that I have a level of skill not often found among my peers. However…
it is still far away compared to master’s.”

“Belois, to protect Evan, you don’t necessarily need a level of strength beyond him.”

“If so, that is fortunate.” A danger that couldn’t be prevented by his own power would
come to Evan, sooner or later, even with the current rate that his abilities grew. In
order to save him from such a crisis, she would have to grow to a level that she and
Shine could take care of him.

“Don’t hurt yourself by worrying too much about it, got it?”

“Thank you for your concern, Madam. However, if he is safe, I will not be hurt either.
This is because he is my everything.”

“Yes, yes, I understand. Now you just need to convey that line to Evan.”

“That’s a little embarrassing for me too.” Redine only watched Belois, who could
deliver such lines full of emotion without changing her expression at all. She could say
it to Evan’s mother, but not Evan himself. Belois’s head turned away.

“Moreover, he is one who fears the favor of the opposite sex. If I take the first step, he
will step back.”

“Well…” Evan had been firm about keeping a fair bit of distance from Belois (as well as
Maybell and a few others).

“Belois, you suffer a lot because of my son.”

“It’s okay. It is just a little, but if it continues… I will.” She was talking calmly still, but
she looked a bit despondent. The Marquis’s wife decided not to pursue the subject
anymore. Instead, she produced an antique lamp-type magic tool from under the table.
It was the exact same as the magic tool Belois used in mana training.

“This time, I was able to barely obtain one from a small auction. Didn’t you say it was
necessary for the children’s mana training?”

“Thank you, Madam. The dungeon knights will become stronger.”

“If he appreciates it, then ask him to come see his mom’s face a little more often.”

“…He has been busy.” Belois once again turned away from Redine’s gaze. Redine’s
cheeks puffed out a bit.

“How old are you, to be busier than adults? What is life to you? Why do you live?”

“I can’t know the life of the young master, but the meaning of my life is him.” Belois
was unshaken as she replied, having firmly established it the moment she met Evan.

“…Huh, it’s my fault to ask you. Let’s practice.” If her son didn’t come to her, she would
have to go to him. Redine shook her head. If her son kept this up, even the Demon King
would be given a run for his money if he were summoned.

***

“Up there, let’s taste it.” It was after Belois’s witch training with Lady Redine had
concluded. Today’s training venue was in the second cooking room. It was time to
learn how to cook among the other housework lessons that had continued since she
had entered the mansion. Maybell, who had been busy with the Brotherhood
Corporation lately, joined her.

“Alright, both are perfect. I feel relieved that you’ve been devoting yourself to a maid’s
work.”

“Hurray! This is enough to satisfy him too, right?”

“At least, it won’t hurt him. Belois, you’ve become better too.”

“Thank you.” Maybell was jumping up and down in excitement, but Belois only quietly
nodded. Seeing the two, the maid training them felt refreshed.

“Then, I should bring it to him right anyway.”

“No, if you eat too much at night, it will not be good for you.”

“Ah… I see.” At first, the maid had worried if Belois would be able to work properly.
But, she hadn’t only thoroughly accomplished her works as Evan’s exclusive maid, she
was also recognized as a member of the future dungeon knights.

“Wouldn’t this be okay, though?”

“No, you will eat the stew I made.”

“…Hoo.” Even more surprising was Maybell. The apprentice maid had, unexpectedly,
became Evan’s business partner.

“Even in these days, the master is burdened with Maybell.” The two ignored the
comment with all their might.

“It’s a great pleasure to see, but it’s thanks to your hard work that you can take up the
post of a maid.”

“I’m sorry, but that is impossible for me.”

“Me as well. If I want to marry, it may be difficult to work as a maid.” The maid sighed
deeply as she watched the kids grow so fast. Perhaps it was fortunate that they would
be leaving her care soon.

“Okay. Anyway, both of you are great additions to the Marquis’s house. It would have
been better if one of you had followed Master Eric instead of Master Evan, but that is
my only regret.” Maybell, who was often very rude to Eric, wouldn’t have been an
option in the first place. The maid shook her head.

“I’m really sorry for the boys around you, Evan. Still, there is a limit to the amount of
people you can accept as your partner.”

“…That’s not necessarily true.”

“Hm?” It was Belois who had spoken up. The maid tilted her head, but Maybell was
quick to understand.

“I mean Shine. Shine is an exception there.”

“Shine… Oh, I see.” The maid nodded and exchanged a bitter smile with Maybell and
Belois.

It wasn’t just Evan and Belois who had been growing every day.
Shine, upon seeing Evan’s monopoly on popularity among women regardless of age,
vaguely thought that it was a story from a distant country. In fact, he was even interested.
At the age of twelve, he was old enough to be interested in women, but it was because
he had a lot of different things to focus on instead.

‘There’s no end to practicing my dual swordsmanship, and I still have a lot to learn from
the butler.’ Thus, the situation surrounding him these days was even more disturbing.
He often felt passionate gazes from girls of the same age as him inside the mansion,
and sometimes even from older women when he went outside.

[At your age, I tried hard to meet a boy my age somehow. But you know? Back then, a
girl had to hold a coming-of-age ceremony to make her debut on the social stage! I
could only go to places my father had decided!]

“I’m not interested in stories from decades ago. I’m also not interested in women,
either.” Since joining him, the ghost had been talking to Shine frequently, though Evan
didn’t know.

[No matter, does it make sense to reject such a clear signal?]

“A signal…” In Shine’s hand now was an envelope decorated with a pink heart pattern.
He had been cleaning Evan’s room with a maid his age, but at some point, the maid
had vanished, and such an envelope had been left in her place. The cleaning had
already been finished, so there was no need to call her back. He would rather finish
the task by himself!

“Isn’t it a letter to the master?”

[No. It says, ‘To the cute butler Shine.’]

“If your eyes see it, then it must be correct…” Of course, Shine knew; he just wanted to
escape from reality. Stuff like this had been happening quite frequently these days, so
he was getting used to it. With a sigh, he opened the envelope and read the letter. The
content was as he expected, having read similar before.

“What is she talking about? A meeting? I’ve already started training my fighting skills,
so I don’t have time.”

[You’ll make unpopular boys cry.]

“I don’t need popularity, so please take some from me.”

[Yes, I’m crying the most at those words. I want to cry.]

Taking a look at the ghost, one could say that she was the master of elegant beauty,
but when she was young, because of her strict noble father, her entire family of Kirsun
had been framed. The ghost had died without a chance at love, making her a bit
envious of the situation Shine was facing. Shine was only embarrassed that people
who had nothing to do with him were suddenly showing interest in him. Although the
direction was a little different, he felt like he could understand Evan a bit better now.

“Am I weird? I am almost thirteen.”

[Ugh. Originally, humans burn with anguish and lust from that age until their death.]

“If you used that passion to devote yourself to other things, anyone could succeed…
are you all stupid?”

[…]

The ghost went silent. Well, of course, if you were to put your mind off of romance and
instead into other things, the sky was the limit. But that wasn’t something anyone
could do… perhaps that was the difference between a criminal and a genius. Shine’s
attitude remained stubborn.

“It is enough to meet with a woman later. I still don’t have the time if I want to do my
job well.”

[What is your job?]

“Protecting master Evan. To be strong enough to do that… I’m still far off the mark.”
Shine responded firmly and folded the letter away. He couldn’t throw it away, however,
as it represented a person’s heart.
“…I’m going to train the kids. The master said he would come before lunch.” Shine’s
principle of action was basically the same as Belois. His focus was on Evan, and even
training the knights was also a means to help Evan. The ghost followed, thinking that
this kid seemed a little too manly sometimes.

***

As the cold wind began to blow in earnest during mid-November, the reserve members
of the dungeon knights gathered at the training grounds and worked hard on their
training to forget the cold. It hadn’t been more than a few weeks since Evan had started
teaching the children in earnest, but everyone was following along with his teachings
quite well as they laid down the foundations of their body through his rookie training
method.

“Alright, today’s class is over.”

“Ah, ah.”

“Kahk.”

“Thank you, sir… hahaha…” As soon as Evan announced the end of class, most of the
children collapsed on the spot to rest. He had been able to grasp their limits accurately
and adjust the class difficulty for them, so there was no one who was left with energy.
In fact, Evan himself had studied with devil-like masters who increased the difficulty
of the class based on how good he was, so his own teaching method viciously resembled
theirs. However, Evan himself wasn’t aware of it.

“If you’re tired, gather over here.”

“Please, Raihan…” Raihan, who had been striving to practice his shield technique, gave
the children healing magic. Thanks to his vast divine power, Ran, the youngest knight,
quickly recovered their stamina and jumped up to grab onto Evan’s arm.

“Master, let’s play now. The class is over!”

“No, I have a noble class in the afternoon. Before that, we should go to the construction
site of the HQ building we will be using later.” Evan was a very busy person. In the
midst of being overwhelmed with work to do, he had taken on the role of teaching the
children martial arts, so he was being shuffled from job to job.
“Young master, how is the situation at the construction site?”

“It’s going better than I thought it would. No, their passion is a bit strange.”

“…The people who meet with you tend to become a little like you.”

“No, I’m not that weird.” In fact, Evan’s influence had gone so far as to make Shine think
he didn’t have time for dating.

“Shine, I’ll practice with the master.”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you, Belois. Have a nice trip, master.”

“Yeah. See you in the evening.” Evan turned around after waving to Shine, followed
closely behind by Belois. Shine sent the two off with a sense of deep admiration as Ran
grumbled behind him.

“The captain’s always very busy.”

“You guys, I told you to call him the boss.”

“Then we should play with you instead!” Ran’s twin sister, Lin, hung onto Shine’s back.
If they were left as is, the training ground would quickly become a playground.

“You can play later. Now is training time.” It was Shine’s job to manage, supervise, and
educate the members while Eva was away. Shine placed the children down, trying his
best to make his tone cold.

“You haven’t learned how to train as a rookie yet. If you work a little harder, I will give
you time to play in the afternoon. Understood?”

“Ooh, okay.”

“Alright, good.” Still, the way they immediately followed his orders made him aware of
the fact that they were reserve members of the dungeon knights. When Shine had
barely calmed Lin and Ran, someone approached him.

“Please give me guidance!”

“Oh, Marie. Okay, then, from now on, let’s practice fighting in pairs. Lin and Ran, you
will train with each other.”

“Yes!” All of the prospective members of the dungeon knights listened to Shine well.
Perhaps because he was friendlier and more accessible, there were also some children
who liked him more.

“It’s ready, vice-captain!” Among them, Marie, who had blue eyes like the sky, followed
Shine with admiration. Because of that, she had been learning how to use dual swords.

“Just take one long sword for now.”

“Huh… okay.” Shine didn’t have a systematic technique, however, since he had learned
it on his own. Evan had given him a strict mandate to build up the basics before Marie
started full-fledged training.

“It’ll be frustrating, but I hope you can believe and continue on this path.”

“…Yeah.” She wanted to wield two weapons like Shine as soon as possible.

“Then, I will go!”

“Yes!” The two began to battle in earnest. Of course, Shine had already cleared the
dungeon up to the 20th floor, and Marie hadn’t even entered the dungeon once. Marie
rushed toward Shine, her spirit on display despite the difference in skill.

“Alright, you’re getting better!”

“Thank you… hup!” Her blue eyes twinkled as she dashed toward Shine. Shine received
her attacks with a relaxed appearance. Her eyes became brighter as they dueled. The
ghost nestled in the bracelet had only a single thought upon looking at the sight.

[No matter how much I look at it, it looks like a love confession, not a duel.]

Will Shine one day realize Marie’s feelings?

Perhaps it might even be good for Shine’s mental health.

There were people in the world who had too much given to them from birth. Given a
chance to do anything they wanted, the world became a boring place. Arisha von
Pellati, who had been born with intelligence, a dazzling appearance, solid wealth, and
enormous power, was no exception to this rule.

“Not fun.” It wasn’t easy to become interested in something you could learn and handle
in no time at all. The appearance of other humans being dazzled by what they saw on
the outside just became funny. But, most of all, the annoying thing was that factors
determined from the moment she was born influenced her life. It was all determined
beforehand, even her innate power and talent. It really wasn’t fun at all.

“Have you heard? It was said that Lady Arisha was initiated into magic.”

“The wind attribute has blossomed. Isn’t it the first time someone started dealing with
elemental magic at the age of eight?”

“A genius, a genius. In addition to that, she’s so beautiful. It’s clear that heaven has
bestowed all blessings on her alone…” Everyone was envious of Arisha, but it was hard
for her to convince herself that she was able to hold all of it in her hand just because
she had been born with luck. No, she felt annoyed by the world moving around her
and everyone moving in their assigned roles.

“Arisha, your magic has improved again.”

“You can already make two wind blades?”

“Magic is fun, but I hate how tedious it is to learn.” If there was something she was
interested in, it was magic. It wasn’t something that could be fully explored in just a
day or two, and at the same time, it had the ability to widen a human’s limits. She was
happy to have something she couldn’t understand fully. Although she had to admit, it
wasn’t fun to repeat the tedious training needed to learn it. She was able to bear it so
long as it meant learning something new.
“Arisha, you shouldn’t neglect training your body. A member of the Pellati family
should aim to achieve a strong body that harmonizes with their strong magic.”

“…That’s no fun.” Sure, training the body and wielding a sword wasn’t fun. However…

‘As a member of the Pellati family… I have to make it my goal.’ But if there was something
she had to do in return for being born in this so-called blessed environment, she had
no choice but to comply. Even though Arisha was bored with the world and the
environment around her, that fact she was an actor upon the stage playing a role didn’t
change.

“Arisha is amazing.”

“I’m very excited about what will happen when this child grows up.”

“…I’ll try harder.” In short, she had no courage. She couldn’t face the unknowns in the
world, so she remained still. Fortunately, she had never reached the realm of self-
loathing, instead just giving up early on in her life. Whatever she did, she came to think
it was only a play in the end and that everything in this world would flow according to
the script set from the start. Was there any meaning to such a life?

“…Hello, I am Arisha.”

“I am Evan D. Sherden.” To her, the first meeting with the boy named Evan was truly
amazing. Even though she knew how foolish it was to be swayed by appearance, she
was attracted to the boy’s brilliant beauty.

‘Pretty… ’ She felt like she wanted to touch his fluttering black hair and look into his
dazzlingly purple eyes. She alternated between that and the impulse to remain quiet.

‘Everyone feels this way.’ It was only after meeting Evan that she was able to understand,
just a little bit, the people who had been swayed by her. At that moment, she felt
sympathy for the boy. No doubt, he was bound by a lot more rules and roles than she
was.

‘…By the way.’ Arisha felt that the boy somehow feared and avoided her. She was sure.
It was a clear rejection, unlike she had ever encountered. But why? They had just met
and exchanged greetings. Maybe he was also surprised by her appearance, but then
why would he be afraid?
‘Wow.’ She thought about it, but there was no answer. Ultimately, it wasn’t a big deal;
he was just a weird handsome kid. But, for some reason, she didn’t want to pass over
it. She wanted to meet him again and ask why he had rejected her. That marked
Arisha’s first interest in another person.

“You want to meet Evan? Huh, what a rare thing for you to make a request.”

“We have to be sure to let the kids take this opportunity.”

“Of course, we should do it if Arisha wants it!”

“…” So, at Evan D. Sherden’s twelfth birthday party, her parents took her to him. She
had decided to meet him again and find out why he had looked at her like that.

“I will create the dungeon knights.” But soon, none of it mattered.

“I will become the knight commander and live my life protecting this city from the
dungeon, father.” In the midst of countless nobles, including the king of the Silk Line,
the boy had made a clear declaration. Even though he was only twelve years old, he
didn’t hesitate once. It was an attitude that showed he had chosen the path of his own
will. If he was an actor, he was once capable of fooling even himself. Even Arisha’s mind
went white as she saw him standing proudly.

“I will prove it myself and reassure you. I will make everyone look forward to the next
six years.” The appearance of Evan engraved itself into Arisha’s eyes.

“…Fun.” From the start, she had only been drawn to Evan. She was moved by his beauty,
yet he seemed to reject her, so her pride had been hurt.

‘I want to know.’ If there was a protagonist in this world, she thought it must be Evan.
She wondered what he might think of himself, what he would think of this world.

‘Like that… is this how everyone feels?’ Arisha learned, for the first time, that emotions
could come from outside of herself. It was also when she felt sorry for the people she
had laughed at before.

‘What I thought was natural I had been taking for granted. It was all just my own
delusions… ’ The illusion that had captured Arisha’s mind shattered to reveal an
unfamiliar yet brilliant sight.
“Arisha, do you want to be engaged to Evan?”

“If he is fine with it, yes. I think it will be fun.” It wouldn’t just be fun; Arisha had her
pride as a girl. Her parents noticed the beating heart behind her words but kindly
pretended not to. Although Evan and the Marquis’s desperate resistance had caused
that plan to fall through, Evan was unaware that he had just lit Arisha’s motivation.

***

Evan was talking about a theory that no one knew of as if it were only natural.

“Natural artifacts are, of course, very difficult to create. But if you adjust the environment
a little bit, it is possible to relax those conditions. One of them is to pre-determine the
owner of the artifact and infuse that person’s mana into it continuously. It’s like a kind
of alchemy.”

“By injecting the mana of the person who will become the master, it leads to the
artifact awakening… it’s really interesting. That’s why you brought the person who
will be its owner.”

“Exactly.”

“…Hi.” Arisha nodded and greeted the elderly man standing next to Evan. The older
man appeared to be a natural blacksmith, and, like many others that had met Evan, he
seemed to have a deep trust in the young boy.

“Arisha, you can use your mana here. The wind mana will do.” What lay before them
was a pale yellowish-green metal. When entering the dungeon, Evan had alloyed
together some of the magic metals they had obtained as a reward. Evan had approached
it casually, unaware that it was the first moment he had put Arisha before Shine or
Belois.

“Because it’s a magic sword, you can record your own mana pattern in it.”

“…Huh.” Arisha nodded gently at Evan’s words as she expressed her mana and reached
it out to the magic metal. At the same time, Evan released mana to begin the work of
alchemy to assist her. The blacksmith nodded, thrilled at the sight before him.

“Is this really an artifact?”

“It may not be possible right away.” Evan shrugged.

“But it will be someday. I will do it until we succeed.”

“Until… okay.” The metal took in her mana and began to sparkle a sea-blue like her
eyes.

“It would be great if our engagement ceremony was completed.”

“Well, we’re not engaged. This is a gift for a precious knight, okay?”

“Hmm.” Evan was quick to shake his head at her words, but he didn’t shudder in
disgust as he had before. A small smile appeared on Arisha’s lips as she watched him.
It was enjoyable for her to work like a fool for new results in hopes she could change
the relationship between them. It was a pleasure she hadn’t known before. One day,
she would know why Evan had first rejected her. She wouldn’t give up until she found
out.

“Evan is also fun.”

“I’m not…” Arisha laughed as he refuted her.

Hopefully, someday soon, she would let him know what she meant by that.
The end of November had come, one whole month since Leo’s party had entered the
dungeon. Of course, Leo had declared that they wouldn’t return until they cleared the
60th floor with Mikhail D. Airok, so that was to be expected.

“Alchemy self-study is getting harder without Grandpa Bernard…” However, Evan, who
had enough confidence that they could break through at least thirty more levels of
dungeons, was worried that they were too late.

“They must’ve started on the 45th floor. Considering the time they need to adjust to
the environment changes since the last dungeon cataclysm, it wouldn’t be surprising
if they took them half a year.”

“No, they cannot be so weak.”

“…”

Raihan Drukas, the older member of the Dungeon Knights, smiled bitterly as he tried
to appease the anxious Evan. Evan seemed to have realized how strong he was these
days, but he still had some misconceptions. He recognized he was strong but
acknowledged that it didn’t mean he was stronger than other people. He put in the
effort to make sure not to convince himself of his specialness. Though for Raihan, Evan
was the most special person in the world.

“They are the strongest group on the planet who have hunted down the resurrected
Rose Queen. Is it even possible for their bodies to be damaged? However, if they are
moving carefully as not to be hurt, their progress will have slowed down, especially in
somewhere as far down as the 50th floor.”

“Yeah…” The deeper the dungeon went down, the wider it became. In fact, the difference
between the first floor and the twentieth was about three times in size. Then what
about going past that? Evan didn’t know exactly, but he could believe the stories of
people wandering around a floor for months.
“Also, as it widens, the amount of traps will increase. It’s no wonder that it would take
them time to get past all of that.”

“That’s right. I know all of that… but Grandpa Bernard is in that party.”

“…I have no doubt that Sir Bernard will be able to serve as a perfect dungeon guide.”
Raihan responded firmly, narrowing his eyes. He knew that Bernard didn’t lose out to
Evan when it came down to determining the location of the party and identifying the
existence of traps and monsters.

“I can’t help but be worried about him.”

“What you learned from Sir Bernard wasn’t only alchemy, but guidance skills as well,
correct?”

“Well, yes…”

“Hahaha.” In the end, Raihan couldn’t help but laugh at Evan’s appearance as he
continued to worry.

“No need to be so concerned. Everyone will return safely.”

“Will they? Why did Grandpa Bernard say such things?” Evan murmured quietly and
proceeded to pout in a very cute manner. Raihan let out a laugh as he resisted the urge
to ruffle Evan’s hair.

“Then, if you would excuse me. I will be back in time for the afternoon training time.”

“Are you going on a date?”

“It’s embarrassing, but at the request of Miss Serpina, I gave a lecture on divine power
to the priests of the Earth Church… the response was quite good, so I was asked to do
it again.” Although it had been a long time since he retired from the official priesthood,
Raihan still knew how to deal with divine power and magic. His divine magic was at a
level that exceeded the majority of priests in the church of the dungeon city. Therefore,
he had much he could teach the priests of the Earth Church. However, Evan was
stunned as he listened to him.

“Hey, she has such a roundabout way to meet you.”

“…That misunderstanding is no good.”

“Even though you know everything, you can’t notice? Who are you? You know you
were seen walking with Hannah before. It’ll be difficult if you don’t make up your
mind.” Raihan only laughed in response.

“Well… she may have a little crush on me, but I have something else to focus on right
now. Love is an extravagant feeling for me.”

“What the hell?”

“I won’t apologize.”

“Huh?!” Evan was so strong that both Shine and Raihan had to try hard to keep pace
with him somehow, so they had inevitably set all other things aside. Evan wasn’t even
aware of the fact! Raihan only shook his head.

“I’ll be late if I wait any longer. Then, I’ll be back.”

“No, what else do you have to focus on?!”

***

Two hours later, Raihan was in the assembly room of the temple of the Earth Church.
He was meeting with the priests of the church.

“Thank you all for being here today.”

“That was great. It was possible to see unity beyond the limit of religion.” Normally it
was just a meeting between young priests to show off each other’s theories of how to
apply divine power. Today, however, the bishop had also participated. Despite the
nervousness running through the room, the bishop seemed to be satisfied.

“Haha, well, I am excommunicated. I can’t represent the church.”

“It is a law that a human chosen by the whole body can’t be excommunicated. Well, I
will talk about this problem next time… I’ll look forward to the next meeting.” After
briefly shaking hands with Raihan, the bishop left with priests flocking around him.

“It was a good time, Mr. Drukas.”

“We’ll see you next week, right?”

“It was a useful discussion.” Raihan was very popular among the priests of the Earth
Church, especially the female ones. It made sense; wasn’t he a regular among regulars
in Yo-ma Great War 4?

“Hmm, everyone has a lot of problems.”

“Oh, Serpina.” The priests surrounding Raihan ebbed away when Serpina returned.
Everyone in the world already knew that she held affection for Raihan, so it was
impossible even to consider flirting with him unless you intended to talk to her.

“It was a lot of trouble, Miss Serpina.”

“I’m sorry, I wish I could’ve told you in advance, but the bishop suddenly joined me…
now, let’s go for a cup of tea.” Serpina shook her hands to expel the priests and folded
her arm over Raihan’s.

“Is this okay?”

“It smells good.” Serpina sat across from him after pouring him a cup of tea, holding a
similar teacup in her hands. There were only the two of them in a small space, so he
couldn’t help but remember what Evan had said before.

“It seems that the bishop was amazed at the divine power you exhibited this time.
Even though you aren’t a proper priest, your divine power is absurdly powerful…”

“Ah… that’s, of course, part of the influence from the protection I received as a child,
but exploring the dungeon also had a huge impact.” Raihan responded softly, a bit
taken aback but the sudden topic he hadn’t expected.

“That’s right, the dungeon. Your magic power must’ve increased by reaching the 20th
floor.”

“It’s a natural law. Isn’t it the same for the priests of the Earth Church?”

“That’s actually… the number of priests sent into the dungeon is limited. If all the
priests had entered the dungeon to grow, the power of the church would be stronger
than it is.” Serpina explained with a sigh. In the first place, the priests didn’t like being
sent into the dungeon, given the risk of death and pain that offered. No one ever
voluntarily entered, and when one’s turn came, they did so begrudgingly. There was
even a case of a priest who never went.

“And the fact is that the only active role for a priest to play is in healing, right? So the
proportion of priests who achieve reasonable contributions to level up isn’t high.” Until
now, even if the priests couldn’t grow, no one had a problem. The bishop, however, had
learned of the Rose Queen incident and began to wonder if that was alright. Then he
had learned of Raihan’s ability and had been greatly shocked. Maybe sooner or later,
new guidelines related to priests entering the dungeon would be created.

“…But is that possible? If you don’t raise your level, isn’t it that you can’t go further
down?”

“There is a magic tool to solve that problem that priests will use.”

“Huh, something like that…” Raihan didn’t know, but in the first place, such a thought
like not leveling up due to a lack of effort had never occurred to him. Serpina’s cheeks
inflated as she watched him.

“Will you not compare them with Evan? He is one that has been chosen by God.”

“I apologize, I was rude.”

“…Because you are always with him, your common sense has been completely distorted,
right? I understand it because I’ve seen it several times.” Serpina said so with a laugh,
and Raihan had no choice but to smile in response.

“I was surprised to hear that you cleared the 20th floor this time.”

“Well, it actually wasn’t that difficult. If you go into the dungeon with Evan, you will
realize it yourself.”

“I think it would be enough to be with you.”

“Well…”

“I’m just joking. I know you’re busy.” Serpina laughed and sipped her tea. Then, she
put down her empty mug and gazed at him, her red eyes sparkling.

“Even with Evan or you… I am also going to enter the dungeon this time. I will be with
Hannah. Did you know she’s training?”

“I remember hearing it before… you’re going in now? It’s too dangerous. If there is no
one to help you, I will somehow get permission…”

“Thank you for worrying, but I decided to try it with just two people. I have been
recognized as a priest.” Serpina snorted. Raihan had heard Evan speak of Serpina, so
he was convinced by her confidence. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but worry.

“I must also speak to Evan. Both you and Hannah are important to him, so if he finds
out… Miss Serpina, if you could delay your schedule just a little…”

“Who are you more worried about?”

“Yes?”

“Who are you more worried about, Hannah or me?” It was a difficult question to answer.
When Raihan firmly closed his mouth, she looked dissatisfied.

“That’s stupid.”

“Sorry, but…”

“No, that’s it. I was wrong. Right now, there is only one person in your head, but I’m
trying to forcefully squeeze myself in.”

“Would you please refrain from expressions that could lead to a misunderstanding?!”
Raihan shouted in fear. Serpina smiled at his reaction and stood up.

“I never thought to beat Evan anyway… I knew I wasn’t behind Hannah, so I’ll be
satisfied with that.”

“Miss Serpina, I’m truly sorry, but now I…”

“I don’t know everything. But…” Serpina hugged him briefly before she opened the
door for him.

“It’s not only Evan who can change you. I’ll prove it someday.”

“…Yes.” Countless people had been changed by Evan. The priests of the Earth Church,
including Raihan and Serpina, as well as Bernard and Hannah, and his own family
members. There were countless people he had influenced through his actions. None
of them knew what would be the outcome, but they were sure it would be a better
future than before.

‘Oh, really, why do I have to suffer through this ordeal…!’’ Raihan was an exception, as
he suffered an active offensive from two women.
The construction progressed day by day, and the children were striving for a level of
martial arts that felt natural to them. Time went by quickly, and it soon became January.
Arisha came to the dungeon city to celebrate her birthday.

“Congratulations to Arisha von Pellati’s thirteenth birthday!”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, young lady!”

“Cheers!” It was a birthday party in which only the Marquis’s people and the children
participated without much publicity. For Arisha, however, it was more special than
ever. The reason was simple: everything around her had changed. If Count Melto knew
her heart, he might be a little disappointed, but that was Arisha’s true intentions, so
that it couldn’t be helped.

“Happy birthday, Arisha.”

“Thank you, Evan.” There were two gifts Evan had prepared for her. The first was
Arisha’s custom-made clothes he had requested from the boutique on the royal road. It
was a dress that could be worn as casual wear, made of pure white fabric and accented
by a gold ribbon around the neck, shoulders, and waist. It was a design originally from
a woman’s wear seen in modern times, but the designer had transformed it into a
wonderful dress. Arisha had a small but clear smile as she held the dress in her arms.

“Now, I can share those memories too.”

“Don’t bring it up.’ Evan drew his lips together. At her request, Evan, Shine, and Belois
were all wearing matching clothes from the royal road.

“I’ll change into them right away.”

“Uh…” Excited with her gift, she headed straight into the dressing room without giving
Evan any time to hand her the second gift. Shine shrugged as he watched her leave.

“I’ve never seen Miss Arisha smile so purely.”

“Not even when she was younger?”

“Hahah, not since she first came to our mansion. Evan, that’s how you changed her.”

“Isn’t that Arisha’s own growth?” Evan secretly questioned his father. The Marquis had
to have been on Evan’s side; he wasn’t setting up some secret engagement date
without telling Evan.

“I’m here.” But before Evan could pursue that line of thought further, Arisha returned.
Indeed, the workmanship was outstanding, resulting in a perfect dress that perfectly
fit Arisha. Perhaps its ability to adjust the size according to the wearer played a part
in that.

“…Pretty.”

“I know… but thank you.” When it came to Arisha, it didn’t matter what clothes she
was wearing; she could make any of them look good. The dress harmonized with her
platinum hair, however, giving her a fairy-like quality.

“I’ll wear it on important days in the future.”

“Don’t wear it in the dungeon… oh, this too. The rapier I promised.” Even Evan became
embarrassed for nothing, which was a rare but joyous sight to Arisha. However, he
hurriedly brought out the second gift to hide his shyness, astonishing all people present.

“…It really became an artifact.”

“Yes, I was lucky.” The first weapon produced by Evan and Horta Benus was a rapier
made of the magic metal ‘Arisha,’ reborn as an artifact.

“Is it okay to end by saying you were lucky with this?!”

“I had a hard time with Horta because we set today as the production deadline. I’m
glad we made it somehow, though. With the potential of the metal, we were able to
reach the realm of artifacts.” Others began to awaken to the unbelievable news that a
natural artifact had been born today.
“An artifact created by Evan…”

“It wasn’t made by me, but by Horta Benus, my exclusive blacksmith… oh, but that’s
confidential for the time being. For now, there’s no good to come from other people
hearing about this.” Evan calmed the people around him, but nonetheless, some of the
party’s participants still looked at the rapier with subtle expressions. In particular,
Belois was struggling to rid herself of jealousy, knowing that Evan had made the first
artifact for Arisha.

“…Thank you so much. I will use it carefully.”

“It’s a weapon, so you shouldn’t. Besides, that’s an advanced artifact, but it won’t last
forever. If you head down to the 60th floor of the dungeon, I will make a better one.”

“The 60th floor…”

“The 60th floor…” For others, that was as good as saying it would last a lifetime. Arisha
smiled and held the rapier as Evan’s words defied common sense. At that moment, it
felt as if a refreshing wind moved around her.

“…Ah.” The rapier responded to her, as if recognizing her as its owner, and created a
cool flow of air. She felt lighter as the peculiar flow of mana in the rapier of the whirlwind
flowed through her. She could tell it would strengthen her magic swordsmanship.

“Now, Evan is creating artifacts himself.”

“I didn’t make it myself.”

“Young master, I really want one.”

“You have twin blood.”

“…Young master.”

“Oh, well. I’ll make yours someday.”

“…Hm.” While Shine, Belois, and the other children clung to Evan with sad expressions,
Arisha laughed and cradled the rapier.

***
Two weeks passed, and by the end of January, the HQ of the dungeon knights was
finally completed.

“It’s done!”

“Everyone worked hard!”

“Wow… it really came out just like the blueprint.”

“We were able to build it because of the perfect design!” It was a seven-story building
(nine including the two basement levels), equipped with a spacious training center
that would be the core of the dungeon knight’s HQ. It, of course, also had private rooms
and lounges for individual members, as well as a kitchen and dining hall, and a reception
room for guests. It was a fully modern building. Since the dungeon knights hadn’t
become official yet, the sign hadn’t been attached, so no one knew that this would
become the HQ of the dungeon knights led by Evan.

“A masterpiece! A masterpiece born with master’s deep knowledge, the essence of

modern architecture, and magical engineering!”

“I feel like my skills have grown just by being involved in this work. I will continue to
work hard!” Evan had spent a lot of time overseeing the construction, spending long
nights working with the engineers. He had made sure to pay out bonuses to the workers.
Additionally, he had magicians hired by the Marquis fill out the interior of the building.
He could say with confidence that this building was perfect.

“You’ve been working hard. In the future, this building will be a symbol of the dungeon
city, along with the Brotherhood Bathhouse!”

“No, it’s nearby, but could you not lump it in with the bathhouse?”

“Haha, wasn’t that also made by you?” The others laughed at Evan’s words, saying they
admired his excellent sense of humor. Of course, that made him feel worse. It was
Shine, who was looking up at the building beside him, that saved him.

“It’s the first time I’ve been overwhelmed by looking at a building, young master. Even
looking at the palace didn’t surprise me this much. But this… it feels like something
out of human perception.”

“Oh, your senses are sharp as expected. That’s right. This building has various secret
spaces built into it, achieving incredible convenience and complete security. In
particular, everyone will be surprised to hear of the security applied to the dressing
room. There is a trap from the moment you go up to the top floor hallway…”

“Ah, I’ve heard it 367 times already, so you can stop explaining it, master.” While building
the HQ, Evan had fully exercised the privileges of the dungeon knight commander. That
was, the whole seventh floor had been converted into his own private space. Indeed,
it was a shameless abuse of authority, but in the first place, he had built the HQ with
his money. There were some complaints raised that the building shouldn’t go higher
than what the Marquis had built, but all of those had been resolved by the Marquis.

“I have rooms for all of you. The sixth floor is for executives. Raihan, Shine, Belois, and
Arisha can choose their own rooms on the sixth floor. For reference, each room on the
executive floor has its own shower room.”

“…Master, have you divided them by class?”

“Huh. The fifth floor is equipped with training facilities, and the fourth floor has room
for regulars. The children will use that one.” On the first and second floors were
various amenities, including a restaurant and parlor, as well as a room for servants
who would work at the lodge. Because he was planning to expand the knights, there
were still thirty rooms remaining at this point.

“…We would have had enough room if you stopped at the fourth floor.”

“No, I wanted to build it high…” Evan turned to avoid Shine’s gaze. He thought it was a
bit silly himself, but when someone else put that in words, it became unbearable. Even
Belois’s gaze, expressionless as always, stung.

“It’s the fourth floor, kids!”

“Woaaaahhh!” Meanwhile, the children were excited to see the massive building and
ran in. They probably intended to find the best room, but they had already been
decided upon.

“Ah, Lin and Ran. There’s a shared room prepared for you. Would you prefer that one?”

“Yes!”

“Thank you, Master!”

“These guys.” Lin forced Ran to bow her head to Evan. Evan gently pinched their
cheeks and let them in with a wicked smile.

“They are smiling naively because they don’t know the hell that awaits them.”

“It’s really scary when you say something like that.” In the future, the children would
have to practice a lot while living in this dorm. Evan had already devised a schedule
that made the most use of their time.

“…Young master, let’s go in.”

“Yes, let’s.” However, when he tried to enter the building, he felt someone rush up from
behind. Looking back, it was a knight belonging to the Ironwall Knights.

“Young master!” The knight ran up to him and whispered quietly to him.

“They have returned. Everyone has returned safely.”

Rewinding back to when Leo’s party had just arrived on the 45th floor of the dungeon…

“Keh, as soon as you head down there’s a monster. Everyone get ready for battle.”
Bernard, who had been complaining until they entered the dungeon, changed
expressions as soon as he began handing out instructions to the party. He had switched
back to when he had led the group as its de facto leader decades ago.

[Kehaaaarl!]

“The monsters in it don’t seem to have changed much?”

“The traits could be different. Mikhail, have you fought that wolf before?” A group of
variant wolf-type monsters appeared from the 41st floor onwards. On the 45th floor,
an especially vicious type appeared to aim for the lives of explorers. Of course, no one
in this party feared monsters that much.

“I have. I can defeat all the monsters here except for the boss.”

“Then, Mikhail will deal with the monsters on the 45th floor first. If there are too many,
then Leo can help.”

“Good. Thank you for the trap detection, Bernard… I’m curious as to how he’s doing.”
Bron was the name of the bandit who had been with them in the past. As a skilled
rogue, he was in charge of guiding the party and dismantling traps, but he lacked
combat power. Since he had been there before, Bernard had never served as a guide.
He had experience in dismantling traps; however, he hadn’t specialized in it.

“Bernard, are you okay? Evan had said that not all the traps were marked on the map.”

“Although I’m old, I’m not dead yet. I can do it, so leave it to me… if I fail, don’t resent
me.”

“It’s okay to fail a little, Bernard. We can’t die from something like a dungeon trap!”
Bernard smacked Leo’s head as they began to explore in earnest. If he felt like he
would fail to dismantle a trap, he would be the first to push Leo in.

“It’s a trap.”

“Yep, a trap.”

“Come out, boy.”

“Oh, don’t step there. Mikhail, there is a discolored part on the right wall. Hit it with
your skill and step back.” Luckily, Bernard’s worries ended quickly. As Evan entered
the dungeon and proved himself, Bernard, who had reached the peak of alchemy, was
able to detect and dismantle all traps with his excellent observation skills. Like Evan,
he had read the map and guided the party on the fastest and surest route. He was a bit
slower than Evan, but compared to others, it was undoubtedly fast. Despite all of that,
the 45th floor wasn’t an easy place.

“No, damn. There are so many pitfalls!”

“No, that’s not all. The number of monsters has also increased. Has the level of the
dungeon as a whole increased?” Leo, who had been thinking about the previous
dungeon, spoke with dissatisfaction as Iloin carefully jabbed him. Bernard wore a
bitter smile.

“I think this is a whole new place we need to challenge.”

“…Even now, it seems like you’re breaking slowly through it.” The heroes were in a
serious mood, saying that their skills had declined or that the dungeon had become
harder, but Mikhail D. Airok felt it was absurd. He had been slowed down to a crawl
exploring on his own, yet now they were positively sprinting through it.

“Our level is 57, so we shouldn’t be bragging here.”

“It was good to come with Mikhail. It might’ve been really dangerous otherwise.”

“We’ll proceed step by step. It’s good to glow slowly and surely.” They were, indeed,
heroes. They may have been proud of their past position, but they immediately
recognized the changing situation and knew how to adapt to it. Mikhail had to pursue
his seniors eagerly. Less than three days passed before they stood before the master
battle room of the 45th floor.
“Oh, the first one I’ve seen in a long time.”

“To be here in just three days…” A feeling of depression overcame the knight commander
as the group reached the place he struggled to find for an entire month alone. But Leo
ignored his complicated feelings as he muttered beside him.

“When Evan hears, he’ll laugh at how long it took. Let’s say we’re late because of Mikhail.”

“That excuse won’t be enough. Let’s catch the floor master before it’s too late.” Bernard
stepped forward and pushed a mana stone into the hole in the door. The door flashed,
ready to greet its guests. Each of them prepared for battle as Bernard turned to
Mikhail.

“…It’s not us who have to grow here. We will only help you not die, but you have to
finish him off.”

“I’ll try my best. I also wanted to overcome it with my own strength.” The master of
the 45th floor was the Thunder Lycanthrope, a variant elite that possessed endless
stamina, power, and a terrible lightning attribute magic. It was one that had tormented
explorers for several years.

[These monsters…!]

“Whoo, it’s not as difficult as I’ve heard.” Yet the reason Mikhail couldn’t go past the
45th floor was only because of its enormous size and its hidden traps, not because he
couldn’t handle the floor master.

“Oh, I wasn’t really hurt.”

“Clearly, the floor master level has also been raised. Well fought, Mikhail.” The battle
ended with Mikhail’s overwhelming victory before Leo, or the others even tried to help.

“I knew it, but he’s more useful than I thought!”

“Thank you, Leo.” Mikhail responded humbly to Leo’s praise. He was just happy to
explore the dungeon together with Leo.

“Then, let’s start exploring in earnest! Bernard, let’s go!”

“Okay, boy. Don’t rush in like that.” Bernard tapped Mikhail on the shoulder and smiled
at Leo. Iloin looked a bit uneasy, remembering what Bernard had left with Evan. Her
heart pounded, anxiety welling up of the fear that she desperately wished wouldn’t
become a reality. She swallowed her fear, pressing it far down.

***

However, from start to finish, their dungeon expedition ended successfully without
anyone getting hurt. It was natural, as they were some of the strongest in the world,
challenging the dungeon with a precise map. Bernard’s guiding ability grew as he went
further down, and the combat power of the heroes quickly became stronger as they
regained the feelings of their heyday. The young hero Mikhail also grew incredibly well
so that no monster could dare block their path.

“Huh, I thought I could go further.”

“Sorry, Leo. Because of my lack of ability…” When they cleared the 60th floor and grew
to level 61, their expedition was over. Although he had also grown to level 61, Mikhail
felt that his contribution had been lacking.

“That’s right, boy. Didn’t you promise to go up to only the 60th floor in the first place?”

“I think it will be smooth sailing until the 65th floor… well, it can’t be helped.” Leo
inspected his stronger body and nodded regrettably.

“See, Bernard. There were no problems.”

“You were too off guard.”

“It was hard. Without you, we never would have been able to explore the dungeon like
this.”

“Without Bernard, Leo would’ve died at least once… no, five times.” Iloin and Aria
approached Bernard to thank him. At Ilion’s expression, Aria and Leo groaned.

“But Bernard, you are very young.”

“I think I can understand your view a bit better now.”

“To think four levels has such a change. Now let’s leave. I want to soak in hot water.”
“I’ve really gotten a lot younger…” Before taking their leave, the party reported to the
Marquis using their magic communication tool. If they just left, the world would be
rocked by the news that the heroes had cleared the 60th floor.

“They’re saying we can leave now.”

“I want to soak in the bath.”

“You’re going to the Brothers’ Bathhouse like this, Leo? First, put up a request with the
Marquis.” Leo was acting like a child, excited to leave, and Aria tapped the back of her
husband. Iloin watched them with a clear smile before turning to Bernard, her cheeks
red.

“What, Iloin?”

“Nothing, Bernard… well, when we go out, let’s drink elven tea together.”

“I like that.” Bernard nodded and smiled faintly. Iloin felt a brief spike of anxiety again
at the smile, but the dungeon exploration was over, meaning Bernard wouldn’t be in
any danger.

It was a useless worry, after all.

Leo’s party had safely returned from the dungeon. Upon hearing the news, Evan tried
to run straight to the Marquis, but there was no need to do so. They came directly to
the Dungeon Knights’ new headquarters.

Grandpa!”

“Ah, as soon as you see me, you do something so silly.” As soon as Evan saw Bernard,
he ran up to him and hugged him like a child. Bernard complained, but still stroked
his head.

“It’s only been a few months, but you’ve grown a lot. Have you learned a lot about
alchemy?”

“Absolutely. Were you injured?”

“I’m fine, the guidance you gave us was invaluable. Thank you.”

“Hmm, Evan. It’s good to see you.”

“Ah, Grandpa Leo.” Leo intervened at that point, perhaps a bit envious of Evan’s concern
for Bernard. Evan turned to the rest of them only after confirming Bernard was in one
piece.

“Young master, we have returned safely.”

“You seem to be doing well, Evan.”

“Evan, hug me too!” Bernard had caused him so much worry that there was hardly a
day Evan didn’t wonder where the hell they were. His eyes narrowed as he stared at
Bernard.

“Well, I said from the start that nothing would happen. Why’d you make me worry
about nothing with your useless words?”
“Well, I did say I was just preparing in case, you damn thing.” Bernard replied to Evan’s
blunt remarks, smacking him in the back of the head. In the meanwhile, Leo was
checking out the knights’ HQ and was trying to bring his luggage in.

“Evan, I will live here too.”

“Why are you going in?”

“Aren’t all the guys I need to teach here? There a quite a few who look talented.”

“Oh…?” Did that mean Leo was going to look after Evan and Shine as well as the other
kids? Evan, quick to assess the benefits, raised his thumb.

“Actually, I knew it, so I prepared you a room on the 6th floor in advance!”

“How great!” Now the training schedule of the children, which was already hell, had
been upgraded! Aria followed him in a hurry as the knight commander surveyed the
scene. He stepped back, saying he needed to return to the Marquis.

“He’ll raise the children to be strong.”

“It’s not like Grandpa Leo can stay here forever, but I’d be grateful if he could watch
over them for now. Maybe they’ll thank me one day. One day!”

“Is that so.” Bernard patted him on the head.

“I have to check how much you’ve improved. Come over tonight.”

“Today? I’m fine with it, but you just left the dungeon. You’re old, you know.” He said
as much, but in actuality, Evan was surprised to see that Bernard had looked like he
had become fifteen years younger despite only going down four floors. Perhaps God’s
blessing increased around the 60th floor.

***

That night, Evan headed off to find Bernard with Shine as his escort. After checking on
Evan’s self-study for the three months he was gone, Bernard let out a sigh.

“Okay, you weren’t playing around. You also made an artifact?”

“Yeah, it was because I met a good blacksmith. I still played a significant role, however.
Have I almost caught up to you now?” Evan wasn’t confident in other fields, but he was
proud of his knowledge of alchemy. Bernard let out a laugh at him.

“You’re still decades away from me. I’m going to make the class even harder, so stay
alert and follow me.”

“I’ll do as much as I can.” That class that day was exceptionally difficult for Evan. Was
that the price of his arrogance? Bernard revealed tricks he hadn’t taught Evan before,
forcing Evan to concentrate with all his might to remember and engrave them in his
mind.

“Huh…”

“Do five more.”

“I’m at my limit, I’m out of stamina and magic…”

“How pathetic, you call yourself my disciple?”

“No one else wanted to be your disciple.”

“Even if though you look like you’re about to die, you don’t want to lose.” Bernard
lightly flicked Evan’s forehead, then lowered his voice.

“It’s a joke, boy. This is enough. Your alchemy today was so good I can’t find any faults
with it.”

“Really?” Bernard grinned at the sight of Evan, despite having no energy a moment
before, jumping up excitedly.

“You know, I’m teaching Hannah alchemy too.”

“Is she talented? I was surprised to hear about it.”

“Compared to you, she’s lacking… but unlike you, she also has some talent with ranged
skills.” Evan also knew. He had heard the news not long ago that Serpina and Hannah
had formed a party and entered the dungeon. They hadn’t returned yet, but according
to a party of explorers that passed them, they had successfully crossed the fifth floor.
He had been surprised. He only thought they had been quarreling over a man.
“I wish I had a talent for it, myself.”

“You just need to take care of what you have right now. That’s enough. You already
have more than one can accept.”

“You keep complimenting me for some reason.”

“…Evan.” Bernard’s voice sank, becoming serious.

“I’ve already taught you everything I can. I didn’t know there would be a guy who could
absorb all of my knowledge and experience. I still lack much, but all I have is yours…
if you devote yourself, you will surely surpass me.”

“Grandpa.”

“If I disappear, then you will teach Hannah for me. It will help you in your own work.”

“Grandpa, you’re saying the same sort of stuff you did before you left.” Bernard shook
his hand to stop Evan. Then, suddenly, Evan saw a bracelet of thorns that dug into his
wrist. A red bud was blooming at the end of it. The moment he saw it, Evan froze.

“Grandpa…”

“Tsu.” Bernard shrugged. He knew he had been caught.

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Is it possible to deal with the Rose Queen, who could have driven the entire world to
destruction, with only one life?” Evan tried to reach out to the thorn, but Bernard
shook his head firmly.

“It’s connected with my soul. You can’t remove it physically.”

“No, that’s ridiculous. Such a curse… when…?”

“When? That was probably when I first defeated the Rose Queen, forty years ago.”

“Forty…” They had all been mistaken. The curse had been conceived the moment she
nearly lost his life decades ago, and perhaps Bernard knew it from the beginning. And,
since then, he had intended to endure the curse of the Rose Queen alone.

“If we had known about the Elixir a little earlier, maybe it might be different… but now
it’s too late.” It wasn’t until now that Evan realized Bernard’s excitement at seeing the
Phoenix’s feathers wasn’t just because of his inquisitive nature.

“But how fortunate it is that I’ve endured long enough to leave the dungeon. Thanks
to that, I was able to play one last time with my friend, and I was able to give my
student one last class.”

“Grandpa…” Evan wanted to say something, anything, but there were too many things
to say and not enough time. Bernard gently stroked his head, knowing all of his
feelings.

“Evan, don’t be sad. I was satisfied. I met a dear friend, and I had an intelligent disciple…
I even found love, though it took me a while. It was a pretty good life.” The moment
Bernard said that there was a rattling sound beyond the door. It was clear who it was.
Bernard glanced up with a slight smile and raised Evan up.

“Now go. Thankfully for Hannah, you’re a better talker than me… I have someone I
need to talk to now.”

“Grandp…” Evan wanted to hold on somehow but couldn’t. He bit his lip and endured
the tears that wouldn’t come.

“See you tomorrow, Grandpa.”

“…”

“See you tomorrow. I will see you.”

“…Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes. I will come early in the morning.” Evan hugged Bernard tightly before stepping
out through the door. There was a shadow hiding in the hallway.

“Iloin, are you there?”

“…”
“I’m leaving.” The shadow did not answer as Evan left. He looked back at Bernard one
last time before he went, going through the outer door and leaving only silence in his
wake. Bernard remained like that for a long moment before opening his mouth.

“Iloin, can you talk for a moment?”

“…Bernard.” Iloin appeared only after Evan’s presence had completely disappeared. In
her hand was a tray with a teapot and two cups. Bernard nodded, and she quietly came
in and sat across from him. Her eyes were already red, having stolen bits of the
conversation he had with Evan.

“I’m really stupid.”

“I was the fool.”

“Yes, you are, but I was as well.”

“Then we’re a pretty good pair.”

“Huhh.” Ilion laughed at Bernard’s joke, repressing the desire to hit him as she poured
them tea. Bernard looked down at his own cup, emotions warring in his eyes before
he brought it up to his lips.

“…I don’t really know if I can accept this.”

“I was prepared for it since I came to love a human… but the time is too early. It’s too
soon, Bernard.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re a fool. Instead of apologizing, you should kiss me now.”

“…I’m sorry.” However, Bernard didn’t move. He knew well that it would become a deep
wound to torment her if he did. Ilion, who knew his heart, lifted her teacup with a
heavy sigh.

“You fool.”

“If there is anything after death, then I will definitely come to you.” The two lightly
bumped their cups together.
“…It is a really nice tea.”

“It’s only natural. I brewed it by hand.” Bernard took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh,
but his smile soon faded.

“…I’m worried about going without saying anything to Leo and Aria.”

“If you had chosen to talk to Leo and not me, I would’ve thought you loved Leo.”

“It’s fortunate I was able to avoid that misunderstanding.” Bernard put down his cup
and slowly leaned back in his chair as Ilion just stared at him.

“The curse left by the Rose Queen is ancient magic that I cannot interpret… but at least
it won’t hurt you or anyone else. It is a curse that is made for my soul.”

“That is…”

“Haha, the flower that blooms from this bud… it feeds off of my own soul. Actually, I’m
a bit excited about what the outcome of it will be. The last bit of alchemy I’ll do in my
life is a collaboration with the Rose Queen.” Would it make an artifact or some new
sort of life? Whatever it was, he was glad to have something to leave for Iloin. He had
left memories to Leo and knowledge for Evan, so why not something for Iloin? She was
sulking as he sincerely thought that.

“If you have more to say, then do so. I deserve to hear all of it.”

“Oh, right…” Bernard hesitated. Even saying those words would hurt her… but, he
firmed his resolve and opened his mouth.

“In the last moments of my life, I want to thank you for teaching me how to love.”

“…Ah.” Ilion stiffened, finally hearing the words she didn’t want to think about. She
wanted to respond, but it felt like something was blocking her throat. Instead, tears
began to fall down onto the teacup she had barely sipped at. Bernard pretended not
to see them.

“Thank you so much, Iloin.”

“…Bernard, you, as well…”

“Iloin…” At that moment, the bud began to open up with a dazzling light. Having
finished speaking, Bernard continued to sit with a small smile on his lips as he waited
for his last moments. Iloin grabbed him, tears blotting her vision.

“Bernard. Bernard…!” The light intensified as a brilliant rose bloomed.

The next day, the sun rose to shine brightly on the blooming flowers.
“So?” The next day, Evan had visited Bernard early in the morning as promised. He had
arrived with determination, but he was still shocked by what he saw.

“What is the situation now, Grandpa? What is this?”

“Well, that…”

[This is rude, inferior human! I am the eternal rose of the Mahwa tribe, who reigned
in the demon world! Call me her majesty, the queen!]

The answer to Evan’s question came from Bernard, the same Bernard who was still
alive. But, sitting on his head, was a creature the size of a fist that proclaimed herself
as the Rose Queen. Yes, the Rose Queen. The boss of Yo-ma Great War 2!

“Evan, let me tell you exactly what happened yesterday.” Bernard, who had given up
and seemed liberated yesterday, looked rather younger. However, the expression he
made now was one of consternation.

“I certainly thought that my soul would be sacrificed to complete the curse. But it
wasn’t. It wasn’t a curse that turned my soul into something else, but rather it caused
another soul to blend into my own. It was a soul contract, to be exact. And that soul
was the Rose Queen’s. So, in the end, it was a ritual that combined resurrection with a
contract, rather than being a curse.”

“Well…”

“I don’t think it’s an easy thing to just understand by discussing, but I can’t figure out
exactly what happened either.”

“What a weird story…” The head of the Mahwa tribe, the Rose Queen, was said to have
survived through various special rituals, obtaining new forms each time. And, this
time, she had resurrected herself in the form of a parasite attached to Bernard, who
had killed her. Only, since Bernard had been aware of it, there was now a clear master-
servant relationship between them now. That was, Bernard was the master, and the
Rose Queen was his servant.

“Would you like to live this way?”

[You are stupid, human. The moment I was killed by Bernard Garcia, I realized I
couldn’t make him my servant. If so, isn’t the only option left to become his servant? It
can’t be helped if an inferior human can’t understand such a simple reason!]

The Rose Queen, who looked like a tiny but charming human woman, shrugged and
squared her shoulders—becoming Bernard’s servant because she couldn’t be his
master. Hadn’t her feelings reached the realm of love, passing hate or obsession?

“Are all demons like this crazy?”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Bernard let out a conflicted sigh. Evan was able to understand
his heart easily. He had predicted his own death at the hands of that curse that had
plagued him for decades, and at the very moment he arranged his affairs and accepted
his fate, this had happened. It was fortunate he was still alive, of course, but he couldn’t
help feeling a bit uneasy about it.

“You became strangely young, grandpa.”

[It’s good you noticed it. Bernard Garcia, an inferior human, was connected to a noble
soul like me, so naturally, his level increased! He will live with me for many years now!]

The Rose Queen was still yelling. Bernard’s level did seem to have risen, but hers was
slightly lower. It was hard to see her as the same Rose Queen that had shown up in Yo-
ma Great War 2.

“Anyways, don’t worry. This one can’t harm humans anymore, Evan. She lost her ability
to reproduce and erode, so now she’s just like a cute doll.”

[It’s rude to call the noble and beautiful Rose Queen a cute doll!]

She hit Bernard’s head with her two small fists but was unable to hurt him. Looking at
her, she was certainly cute, this monster that had once been called humanity’s nightmare.

“Is she really harmless? Are you lying again?”

“It’s no lie this time. However, I don’t know what effect being connected to a demon
will have on me… not all demons are against humans, so it might be fine.”

“That’s right.” Just as humans didn’t always get along with each other, not all demons
worked together to hunt humans. Among them, there was a number that had abandoned
the Demon King to side with humanity. There were also demons who maintained a
neutral stance.

“By the way, this woman is a monster who even tried to summon the Demon King.
Could it be that she would adversely affect you?”

[Ah, the Demon King? I’m done with my loyalty; I’ve retired from such annoyances. I
will leisurely tour this world with Bernard Garcia.]

“A tour…?” She wanted to sightsee around the world leisurely she once tried to destroy?
It was definitely crazy.

[The world of humans has changed rapidly, so it’s pretty fun. Especially this city… is it
because Bernard Garcia is here?]

“…Ha.” Evan just laughed. Demons were demons; she had no guilt or any conflicted
feelings—just that obsession with the man who killed her.

“Can’t you kill her?”

“It would be difficult. I could, but I would die too… even then, there is a high probability
that only I would die.”

[Die? You’re talking oddly, Bernard Garcia. You can’t die on your own now; I don’t
desire your death.]

“Be quiet.”

[Huh!]

The Rose Queen, despite her dignity, couldn’t go against the command of her master
and quieted down. Instead, she beat Bernard’s head in revenge, but there was still no
hurting him.

“…I’m glad you seem to like Grandpa, but please don’t injure anyone else.”
“You don’t have to say something so obvious, boy.”

“And be careful not to get caught.”

[You!]

Bernard calmed down the Rose Queen before turning back to Evan.

“There’s no problem with that. In the first place, very few people have seen the Rose
Queen’s true form.”

“I see.” Evan decided not to interfere with this unless the Rose Queen became a danger
to humans once more. She could be a threat but keeping Bernard alive was more
important to him.

“Then, now…”

“Now?”

“Please tell me why she keeps laughing like that.” Evan asked, pointing at Iloin, who
had been in an uproar while they were talking. She had never laughed during the Yo-
ma Great War 2 game, so her appearance felt very odd.

“Is it weird?”

“No, I’ve never seen you express your feelings like that.”

“Ah, I can’t help it.” Ilion’s smile was so beautiful it had captured countless players. He
knew she liked Bernard, so it was natural she was happy for his safety, but there was
something there he couldn’t understand.

“That’s…”

“That’s because Bernard and I are getting married.”

“…Yes?” Evan’s eyes opened wide as he turned to look at Bernard, who was clearing
his throat. Then, Bernard grabbed his head with both hands and put it on the table,
causing the small Rose Queen to fall off.

“Marriage?”
“No, that means…” As Bernard tried to come up with an excuse, Iloin placed a gentle
hand on his shoulder.

“Bernard, what did you say to me last night? I suddenly wish to hear it again.”

“Iloin, please. My disciple is right here.”

“Didn’t you say something about love? Go ahead and say what you said before. I want
to hear it.” Iloin urged Bernard on with a straight face as his ears turned red. Iloin was
amazing; Evan had never seen Bernard so easily pushed back. He struggled to get the
words out.

“…Something… like… thank you…”

“I beg your pardon? I can’t hear you, Bernard. Please speak in a clearer voice.”

“Thank you for teaching me how to love! I definitely said that!”

“I love you too, Bernard! Let’s get married!” Evan had the illusion that he had entered
a new universe at the appearance of Bernard shouting with his face dyed red as it if
might burst at any moment, with Iloin hanging off of his neck as she struggled to
contain her happiness. The image of the characters he had seen before in the series
was collapsing in front of him.

[Humans are really funny. They are bound to each other for a lifetime by vulgar desires
such as love.]

“The only race that binds each other with love are humans.”

[Yes.]

Evan laughed at the Rose Queen, clicking her tongue. As a bonus, Iloin was an elf, not
a human.

“Anyway, that explains the current situation.” It was a great summary; even Evan had
to agree. Bernard nodded.

“Yup, it’s so great I want to hit you.”

“Evan, could you help us? I want to marry with everyone’s blessings, but I’m lacking
when it comes to human manners, so I don’t know how to prepare for marriage.”

“Please leave it to me.” Evan gave her a cheerful thumbs-up as Belois approached him
from behind.

“Call Maybell, Lua. If you tell me what needs to be prepared, I can get what you need.”

“…Yes, master.” Belois looked at the two with a brief expression of envy, but it was off
her face before Evan could notice.

“You’ll truly help us, Evan?”

“Absolutely, what else are friends for? We’re all looking forward to a grand wedding!”

“You were such a good friend!” As Evan and Iloin exchanged a refreshing smile,
Bernard looked like he might die of shame.

“Help me, Evan. Before being Iloin’s friend, aren’t you my disciple?!”

“Yes, I am your disciple! So, I will do my best to help you be happy. We have to make
wonderful memories for you!”

“This damn kid!”

[Of course, humans are foolish.]

Bernard had often said marriage was the grave of life, so in a sense, Bernard had just
died.
Even on the day Bernard and Iloin’s wedding was decided, the sun rose, and the world
went on as normal. Since Bernard had tried to kill Evan, who was excited to help
prepare their wedding, Evan decided to end his studying of alchemy for the time being.
Instead, he decided to focus on other training, specifically with the members of the
dungeon knights. He did get a new teacher to take care of them!

“They’re weak by nature, but they’re pretty good guys. Did you collect them in the first
place?” That was what Leo had to say after demolishing them with just one finger.

“Do you have a hobby of breaking everything you see? Can you not talk without doing
that?”

“Oh, they won’t become stronger if they aren’t broken at least once.”

“Please remember that anything that becomes powder can’t be restored.” Although he
had accepted Leo into the HQ to make the kids stronger, Evan couldn’t feel comfortable
watching such a dire scene. The pain would be enormous, but so too would be the
growth. Or so he hoped.

“I didn’t know how much to adjust, so I went a little too far. Sorry.”

“Yeah…” Evan murmured, looking over at Raihan, who was wandering around, healing
the children.

“This environment where they are supported… I think that’s why they’ve grown so
fast.”

“Sure, the environment does influence people. Still, since you’ve taught them so well,
they’ve grown up so wonderfully.”

“Ah.” Evan didn’t deny his words. Undoubtedly, children’s early education had been
impeccable. That was to be expected, given how suited for it Shine was.

“The weapons they use are well suited to their aptitude as well.”

“They are the type to want to try everything. Especially you, Evan, and that guy.” Leo
pointed toward a black-eyed boy who was barely standing.

“He’s particularly good, already standing up.”

“Whoo… I’m fully recovered. Please, one more time Leo.” That was, of course, Shine.
He had endured Leo’s offensive until the very end before he collapsed, but even then,
he had quickly recovered enough to stand once more. He had already cleared the
dungeon to the 20th floor, so his stamina was far beyond the others, but Leo had gone
easier on the other children in the first place.

“His talent is top-notch.”

“Shine is special among them. Soon he’ll be incomparable to me.”

“No, he won’t.”

“No, I won’t, master.” Leo and Shine had the same answer and the same disbelief
plastered on their face. It seemed that Evan’s grandiose plan to have Leo teach Shine
was going smoothly.

‘As he concentrates on Shine, he’ll focus on me less. It’ll be enough for my skills if I play
with Grandpa Leo from time to time. It’s perfect.’ Shine was more compatible with Leo
than Evan was, given that Shine was a swordsman. He also had the best aptitude for
dual swords, which was a talent that was well suited for Leo Arpita, the king of swords.
Rather, Evan wondered why he hadn’t thought of combining the two before.

“Funny, I feel like I can figure out what you’re thinking right now.”

“Same to you, Leo. You must be mistaken again.” If Leo saw Shine as a talented person
who could sprout, Evan was already a fully blossomed monster that continued to grow
at an insane rate. He was monstrous enough that it made Leo anxious that he would
catch up to him soon. Evan, however, was unaware of how these people looked at him.

“Why am I doing this?”

“Hahaha! Then, we’ll have to work hard in the future. Now, again!”

“Yes!” A master armed with spirit and experience and a disciple who burned with the
desire to become stronger, Leo and Shine were well matched to each other. It was the
ideal relationship found in cartoons.

“Whoo…”

“Now, that’s the limit.”

“One more…” However, guts couldn’t accommodate for everything. Shine, having gone
after Leo several more times, was finally laid out so completely he couldn’t stand.
Raihan was quick to heal him back to consciousness but battling further wasn’t possible.

“Hahahaha! It was fun, Shine. I’m looking forward to the future!”

“Yes…!”

“I have to take these guys to the bath right away.” Raihan reported urgently after
confirming Shine’s condition. Leo was staring at him, however, like a beast watching
its prey.

“Where are you going? Now it’s your turn.”

“…Well, embarrassingly, I’m no good with non-technical skills.”

“I already know that, just like I know you’re good at shielding.”

“…” Raihan, sensing the dangerous atmosphere, looked at Evan.

“It’s a great chance. Now even you can train against an enemy like him.”

“Are you really saying I could stand up against Leo?! With just a shield?!”

“It might help you grow faster than training by blocking wind arrows.”

“No, if you say that, there’s no way I can refuse…” Raihan looked at the members of the
dungeon knights scattered around the training center and grimaced, but finally hefted
his shield with a deep breath. For Raihan, Evan’s words were absolute.
“Can I really grow that fast?”

“Yes, it’s necessary training for you now.”

“…If you say so.”

“Hoh.” Despite the situation, Raihan was holding an Echo Shield, which received
damage twice. Leo let out a laugh. All of these dungeon knights that Evan had collected
were interesting.

“I like it!”

“Take good care of me… hm!” For the first time that day, Evan was able to see the
unbreakable shield Raihan Drukas forced to his knees. His heart was filled with
sorrow to see him pushed back so helplessly despite his years of training.

“Huk…”

“No, huh.” However, it was Leo who was surprised. Raihan didn’t back down for fifteen
minutes. What’s more, Raihan was able to block his attacks even while kneeling. His
shield technique was great by itself, but his abilities to preempt attacks were even
more astonishing.

“That last blow…”

“It seems like my grandpa has also recognized Raihan.”

“Have you ever seen such a good punching bag?!”

“No, not that.” What sort of pervert was he saying Raihan was? Leo pushed on happily,
however, as he still had one more target.

“My body is loose enough now, so let’s fight properly. Show me what you learned since
I was gone.”

“What, you’re not tired? You monster.”

“Let’s go!”

“You’re always like this!” Evan was forced to defend himself from Leo, who was quickly
swinging his sword. For three months, Leo had been recovering his fighting senses in
the dungeon, but Evan had also been growing through training the children in martial
arts.

“Hahahahaha! It’s increased again, again!”

“Oh shit!” The underground training center shook as if it might collapse each time Leo
and Evan collided. The children lying on the ground began to tremble as they realized
what was happening.

“Captain’s fighting a legendary hero.”

“Our captain is very strong…”

“He’s stopping his attacks. No, he evaded that one.” They were moving fast enough that
it was hard to get a sense of what was happening.

“Stop this one too! If you don’t properly avoid it, it’ll tingle a bit! Hahahahah!”

“It’s coming! That’s the aura skill used to catch the Rose Queen!”

“Huh, you avoided that! No, you broke it with your fist!” Leo was incredibly strong, but
Evan, who was facing him head-on, was as well. The roaring sound caused by them
seemed to fill the whole world. It was a battle of monsters beyond the realm of cognition.

“Strong…”

“Too strong.” Jin, who yearned for strength, fixed his gaze on the majesty of Evan. Shine
murmured in response to him, biting his lip. Their envy and jealousy burned fiercer
than ever.

“I want to be that strong, too.”

“Then we have no choice but to try harder.”

“…!” Jin, despite the terrible pain wracking his body, reached out with a clenched fist
to pick up his practice bow from the ground. Shine suddenly shouted as he grabbed it,
surprising him.

“Take both of them! Just shoot!”

“Shine?!”

“Let’s do it! We have no choice but to win!” Shine shouted as the two monstrous
combatants clashed. He wanted to win against them, somehow.

“Let’s surprise them!”

“How exciting!” In an instant, the will of all the members gathered was reignited.

“Belois, help me. With your magic, we can make an opening.”

“…If something goes wrong, I will use Shine as a sandbag.”

“Ah, then I’ll ask Raihan.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t. No, I won’t!” Raihan tried to withdraw after hearing Arisha and
Belois, but the members unified to offer him no escape.

“What, a surprise attack? That’ll be more realistic!”

“But you can swing your sword like you would in a fight!”

“Ahhh!”

“The arrows are flying in!”

“Ahhhhh!” Eventually, there was a triple match between Leo, Evan, and the team
composed of everyone else. Evan sighed as Leo swung his greatsword around. In any
case, the training turned out to be very effective. The massive brawl would become
the dungeon knights’ first tradition.

Evan was truly sorry for the members who would join later on.
“…You’re in good shape, Evan.” Horta Benus, the blacksmith, had been worrying about
Evan’s body lately for some reason. That said, Evan’s condition was serious.

“It’s alright, I’m receiving healing. It’s just been a little hard lately.” Evan replied with
an exhausted look as he mentally cursed Shine. It was difficult enough to handle Leo,
but then Shine led the charge with the rest of the dungeon knights, saying they would
somehow beat the leader. They weren’t opponents who could overpower him with
force yet, but a surprise attack was annoying to deal with it. Moreover, Shine and
Arisha’s skills made it particularly troublesome.

‘It’s a good thing that Lua didn’t step up too.’ Belois was already an expert in intermediate
magic. If she hit Evan with that, he wouldn’t be safe. She had participated in the final
course of the daily training (the now official Great Brawl), but she didn’t dare touch
Evan, fortunately.

“If it’s difficult, can’t we just reduce it a bit? It’s no good to keep heating iron, too. Once
you’ve tapped on it, you have to cool it down.”

“Thanks for the great advice, Horta… but I think I can manage it.” Needless to say, if he
wanted to stop their surprise attack, he just had to use his authority as the knight
commander. In fact, Shine had originally been prepared for Evan to punish him. But,
Evan had realized that this way of training was considerably better than he thought.
Not just for him, but for everyone.

‘Mental exhaustion is unavoidable, though… ’ Not only did the guys attacking Evan
improve their abilities, but it also developed Evan’s senses as he had to prepare for
such an attack. When he grew up, and the beginning of the main story of Yo-ma Great
War 3 began, unexpected crises would begin in earnest. If he developed those senses
now, he would be able to respond quickly to those situations.

‘Speaking of which, I’m mastering how to deal with surprise attacks now. It’ll be a benefit
to me in the future.’

“I heard that the dungeon knights training has begun in earnest. The expectations are
great… so I’m worried. As you know, if expectations are too high, the disappointment
will be as well.” Horta Benus was an upright individual who had trouble speaking
subtly. Usually, such a line of conversation wouldn’t be possible with a knight
commander. However, Evan only laughed.

“No need to worry, Horta. No matter how much others expect, they’ll see more than
that.”

“If you say so, then it’s fine.” Evan was the person who had helped him create a natural
artifact in a few months, after all. Horta had a similar mindset about him, as Raihan
did.

“By the way, why did you come find me today? Is there something wrong with the
artifact we created?”

“No way. Besides, it’s Arisha’s responsibility now. If it dulls one day, I may ask you to
repair it, but there’s no problem with it.”

“If so, then a new artifact?” Evan smiled in response to the elderly man who had a
twinkle in his eyes.

“It’s not so easy to create one, especially not to ask for one every day… no, I’m thinking
of making them one by one, but not yet. Let’s move away from artifacts.”

“Then what is it? I agreed to help you create artifacts.” Horta now seemed only to have
thoughts of artifacts in his head after he managed to create one. Evan shrugged,
knowing that this was the likely outcome.

“I wanted to talk to you about your growth as a blacksmith.”

“Well… as I succeeded in creating that thing, I felt that my limits were expanding. I’m
convinced now that my path wasn’t wrong.”

“Of course. Creating natural artifacts is the most important experience needed for
developing your blacksmith skills.”

“Skills? Experience?” Oops, he had forgotten that Horta didn’t know those game terms.
Evan gave him a rough idea of what he meant.

“I understand. Skills grow when you master them in a variety of ways, it makes sense.”
He didn’t know the terminology, but he had lived in this world. He had experience with
the moments his skills grew.

“Then, shouldn’t we focus on making artifacts?”

“Sorry, Horta, but your skill level right now is still slightly too low to make them stably.
The artifact you created this time was born mostly of luck, right?” Producing more
wouldn’t be feasible if they left it to chance, especially given the cost of materials. No
matter how wealthy Evan was, it wouldn’t be sustainable.

“Well, it was normally impossible to create them in the first place…”

“No, you have to aim at creating them consistently. You will become such a great
blacksmith.”

“…” Evan’s firm voice filled Horta with a desire to live up to his expectations.

“So, in order to do that, let’s develop your skills. You must become a blacksmith that
can stably create artifacts.”

“But how? I don’t know any training method other than making new ones… if it’s just
forging, I’ve been doing that up until this point.”

“I told you before, right? I came here to tell you about it.” Evan shrugged and searched
through his memories on how to train the blacksmith skill from the official skill guide
for the Yo-Ma Great War 3 game. The training method best suited for Horta was
famous, but it wasn’t easy to practice as the skill grew.

“It’s failure.”

“Yes?”

“If you fail to make a weapon, your skill will grow.”

“…Yes?” It was commonly referred to as failure training. Rather than successfully

expressing a skill, it was a system that granted experience for failure. It was useful in
growing skills to a higher level, but many users resented it.
‘Although it was possible to deliberately fail in a skill.’ In other games famous for failure
training, there was no system for deliberately failing in skill, so they often required
players to buy equipment that deliberately lowered their stats.

“Are you telling me to deliberately ruin armaments?”

“Ruining it just before completion is the most efficient.”

“I can’t understand. How can you grow anything but a bad habit that way?”

“I don’t really know either.” But didn’t they say failure is the mother of success? It must
be something similar. Well, who was the father of success? Horta became quiet as Evan
fell alone into his deep thoughts.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

“Oh, yes. I’ll try it.” Horta wouldn’t deny his words. If Evan said to try it, he would. He
had his doubts, but it was worth at least one attempt.

“I’ll start working on one.”

“It will probably rise tremendously. Oh, but only failure training won’t work, so mix it
appropriately.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, but okay.” Horta nodded resolutely, and Evan nodded in
satisfaction before leaving him. Now alone, Horta ignited the furnace.

‘This is taking me back to my apprenticeship.’ Now, if he focused, failure was impossible.

Forging was engraved into his very bones, but now he had to break it deliberately?

‘Funny how failure is harder than succeeding.’ It was interesting, at least. He had to
focus on each and every movement that was once muscle memory. He felt strange like
he was going back to when he first learned how to blacksmith. Finally, he shrugged.

“…Let’s do it.” He had to confirm it. He picked up a suitable piece of iron and started to
smelt it.

“Let’s try a greatsword.” A small smile was drawn on his face as he whispered, raising
his hammer up.
On that day, Horta Benus created a natural artifact by himself.
“Young master, this is the finished product.”

“No, it’s not. I wasn’t planning on this…”

“You asked for failure training, but…”

“I left it to you, and it ended up like this. Maybe if I left for longer, you would have made
the Elixir too.” Evan was carefully examining the greatsword Horta had created with
those words. No matter how much he looked at it, it was still an artifact. Its performance
was lower than the sword made for Arisha, but it was undeniably an artifact. It even
had the potential for growth.

“Growth-type artifacts aren’t born from nothing.”

“A growth type… Perhaps this was the result because I made it like when I was first
learning how to blacksmith.” Horta had an expression of half disbelief. His skill
must’ve grown significantly through creating an artifact entirely by himself.

“For the time being, I would like to remain faithful to my original intention. If the road
is blocked again, then I will practice your way.”

“Yes, I think it would be better to do what you want. I like that the best.” Perhaps the
third and fourth artifact would come out soon. Evan promised to equip him with all he
could and left with the greatsword. He was only worried about one thing.

‘So who the hell gets this?’ Leo first came to mind when he thought of a greatsword.
However, despite being a growth artifact, it was too low of a level for Leo right now.
Moreover, Leo was a competent person who could be seen as being complete, whereas
the artifact wasn’t finished yet until it grew.

‘If there is no one for it… well?’ Evan felt someone secretly approaching him. The
moment he turned around, Ran was in his arms. Lin had a green left eye and a purple
right eye, but Ran was the opposite, so it was easy to recognize them.

“I was going to surprise you, but I was caught!”

“You’re still a long way away, Ran.” Evan held up Ran in his arms and tickled her. Ran
and Lin hadn’t started their martial arts training yet, so they hadn’t had to experience
a battle with Leo, which was a good thing, as that big brawl was way too dangerous
for a couple of six-year-olds. Those two were still in the stage of building their bodies
through training.

“Ah!”

“You were caught too, Lin.”

“Kah!” Evan held Lin in one arm. The idea of using Ran as a distraction was good, but
these guys were always together in the first place. If there was one, it was natural that
the other would be nearby.

“The captain has a good eye.”

“We practiced this operation for a long time!”

“Yes, yes, your try was great.” It was a covert and fast plan, enough to make him wonder
if they were only six. But, no matter how fast they grew, it would take them a few more
years to defeat Evan. He smiled as he looked forward to seeing how they, who would
play a great role in Yo-ma Great War 4, would grow up.

“But, I’m trembling.”

“…? What’s up?” Was her body shaking? Was she cursed?! Evan was second to none
when it came to negative thoughts as he placed Ran on the ground but Ran just tilted
her head.

“I’m not shaking anymore.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. When I was in your arms, I was trembling, but I don’t know why.”
“…Wait.” Evan quietly placed a hand on Ran’s shoulder, but nothing happened. That
meant there was only one answer left. Evan pulled out what he had previously placed
in his inventory. Ran let out an ‘ah!’ as soon as she saw it.

“That’s it!”

“I see.” Lin and Ran had yet to hold a weapon, so they didn’t know their own aptitudes.
However, this was the first time that he had seen someone react when they came close
to a weapon that suited them. With that sort of response, the level of aptitude had to
be very high.

‘But she didn’t use a greatsword in the game.’ Evan frowned as he looked down at the
growth artifact in his hand. The twin priests that appeared in Yo-ma Great War 4 used
divine magic. Wasn’t it ridiculous that they had been unaware of their own aptitude?’

“Hey, can I have that?”

“Well, would you like to hold it?”

“Yes!” Evan handed Ran the greatsword, and she was immediately joyous. Of course, it
was hard for her to hold it up.

“Hmm…”

“I don’t think it’s possible now. I will hold onto it and give it to you later, so keep
training hard until you can swing it easily, got it?”

“Yes!” It was a success if Evan could instill a sense of determination in Ran. It was
fortunate he had found an owner for the greatsword; now, he should ask Leo to deal
with the basics before leaving the dungeon city.

“Would you like to try too, Lin?”

“Yes! Ugh… I don’t know anything.” They were special twins that could exchange each
other’s divine power, but Lin had no aptitude for the sword. She seemed disappointed,
but Evan comforted her.

“You will find your own great aptitude. If not, I’ll teach you martial arts.”

“Is Lin going to become your disciple?”

“It’s possible.”

“I want to as well!”

Evan was stuck with the two of them for a while.

***

When Leo heard of Ran’s aptitude, he couldn’t believe it at first, but he affirmed it after
taking a look at Ran himself. Evan was more surprised with Leo, who could assess it
so quickly.

“You definitely have talent. It’s possible if you focus on your foundation.”

“Please teach her. She’s still six, so be careful.” However, Lin pulled on Evan’s sleeve
right after.

“We’ll be seven soon!”

“Yes, seven years old.”

“Seven is old enough. Just because you can’t lift a greatsword doesn’t mean you can’t
practice great swordsmanship. Haha, I’m glad so many fun things are showing up
these days!” Evan was worried that Leo wouldn’t want to teach kids, but he was happy
to see that wasn’t the case.

“Can I swing a big sword too?”

“Of course! One day, you’ll wield a sword the size of a house!” Leo laughed as Lin
climbed onto his back. They practically looked like father and daughter.

“Thank you for entertaining Leo, Evan.”

“Aria.” While Leo grabbed Ran to start in training, Aria, the priest of Gongsin,
approached Evan with a bright smile. Bernard wasn’t the only one who had become
youthful in the dungeon. Leo had also gotten a lot younger, but so had Aria in
particular. Iloin was an elf in the first place, so it was hard to tell with her.

“After coming to the dungeon city, there have been only fun things. There was the issue
with the Rose Queen… but it was resolved for Bernard and Iloin. If you look at it, isn’t
it thanks to you?”

“I just gave the instructions. There are many others who helped.” Aria laughed happily
at his modesty.

“By the way… oh my.”

“What?”

“That child.” Aria pointed to Lin, who was standing next to Evan.

“You have the qualities of a priest.”

“You can tell just by seeing her once?”

“It’s funny to hear it from you, Evan.” Aria laughed again, but Evan was serious.
Knowing the aptitude for a weapon wasn’t an easy task. But he supposed that those
with a lot of magical power that lacked the talent of a wizard would be chosen as a
priest. He kept that to himself, however, fearing for Aria’s retribution.

“There are several requirements to becoming a priest. First, you must have a lot of
mana. If you offer enough to God, you can receive a lot of grace. Second, you must be
pure. In order to communicate with God, it is best to avoid wrongdoing.”

“Is that why most priests enter the monastery at a young age?”

“Of course, but being young doesn’t necessarily mean purity. And the third… they must
be attractive to God.”

“In terms of appearance?”

“That doesn’t matter. If priests were chosen based solely on appearance, you would be
one already.” Yet Evan knew well that he lacked the quality of a priest.

“The gods have their own standards. However, the Gongsin says that any god would
covet this child.”

“…Gongsin wants to make this child a priest?”

“Yes.”
“Now?”

“Yes.” Evan was thrilled to hear that.

“What is a priest? Can I meet God?”

“Of course, Lin. Are you interested in hearing about it?”

“Yeah!” Lin intervened in their conversation with bright eyes. Aria patted her head and
glanced back at Evan.

“Would that be alright, Evan?”

“Everyone would be welcomed as a priest of the gods, but maybe I should talk to Ran
first.”

On that day, a new priest and paladin trainee was found by the Gongsin church. There
was only ever one priest prior.
January passed, and February arrived, ending the cold winter breeze. Then, March
arrived, the month of Evan’s thirteenth birthday. Just before that day arrived, it would
be Bernard and Iloin’s wedding.

“Evan, do I really have to wear this?”

“It suits you well, grandpa.” Bernard and Iloin’s wedding was held in the grand hall of
the grand priest of the Earth Church. In the waiting room, Evan was talking to Bernard,
who was dressed up awkwardly in formal clothing.

“No, doesn’t it seem like I’m just pretending to be young?”

“You are very young now. It looks like you’re in your thirties, so don’t worry.”

[It’s funny to talk about age for a human that has only lived for decades. What will you
do, living your whole life with me in the future?]

Bernard, after forming a contract with the hand-sized Rose Queen that he was now
ignoring, looked like the handsome man that was in the heyday of Yo-ma Great War 2.
Evan gave him a thumbs up without hesitation.

“My grandfather is really handsome! I’ll fall in love too!”

“Oh, stop it boy. How embarrassing.”

[Ah! Be more confident, Bernard Garcia; you are the human I have chosen to be my
master. Undoubtedly, you are the most perfect human in the world.]

“So noisy, Rose. Stay quiet with Evan during the ceremony.”

[Cheh.]
The Rose Queen immediately quieted and jumped over to Evan’s shoulder while
sulking. It seemed that Bernard had given her a nickname in the meanwhile.

“Bernard, you’ve gone so far!”

“Congratulations on your wedding!” The door of the waiting room opened, revealing
Leo and Aria. Leo was wearing a suit for the occasion, but he was so big that the
buttons on his shirt seemed that they might burst at any moment.

“We came to see, but it’s really happening…”

“Bernard, even if there are difficulties, I hope you can work together to overcome them
wisely.” Aria blessed Bernard while Leo slapped him on the back. Bernard gently
accepted it; he couldn’t run away now.

“Thank you so much, Aria. You too, Leo. You’ve been staying here for this long because
of Iloin and me, right?”

“No? Isn’t it because of Evan and the other dungeon knight kids?” Leo guffawed, but
those were just reasons that had been added along the way. Bernard laughed at the
sight of his close friend, hiding his embarrassment.

“Hah, you really are the same.”

“What, you’re really different, Bernard.”

“Well?” Aria nodded as if she agreed.

“Yes, completely different.”

“Hmm?”

“Agreed.”

Evan also jumped in, leaving only the Rose Queen, who seemed to disagree. She couldn’t
respond, however, as Bernard’s order was still in effect.

“It’s been a long trip.” Aria had a smile on her face as she reminisced.

“No, why are you acting like it’s suddenly over?”

“That’s what marriage is like. Bernard, your journey alone is over.”

“…Traveling alone…” Hadn’t Bernard relied only on himself, even when he had traveled
with colleagues before? Aria had a kind smile, like a mother welcoming her son back
after a long trip.

“Or do you still think you’re alone?”

“No…” Bernard avoided her gaze, embarrassed.

“…I know I’m not alone anymore.”

[Of course not! Bernard Garcia, you will always be with this Rose Queen…]

“Be quiet, Rose.” Bernard closed her mouth again, then glanced up at the others. The
events of the past few months passed through his mind. He had reunited with old
friends, confronted Iloin’s feelings, and even had created a new drug to cope with the
Mahwa with Evan’s help… and he had calmly accepted the curse that had affected him
for decades. He had faced his own heart in preparation for death.

“No… it certainly is that way.” Indeed, he was different. All of his travels until now,
often foolish as they were, had their own meaning. The result of them was the way he
was now.

“It starts now, Bernard. It’s going to be an enjoyable trip for you, together with Iloin.”

“From the perspective of my senior who had taken the journey first… how is it?”

“Hm, you mean now?” Aria’s expression changed subtly at Bernard’s question.

“The road is often hard, and tiring… and annoying, and sometimes I want to beat him…”

“No, there’s no need to say things like that, Aria. How terribly I love you, no matter
what I’ve seen. I don’t sell my eyes to other women, I’ve only ever looked at you.” Leo,
who was talking nonsense, eventually backed down from Aria’s gaze. She then turned
back to Bernard with a bitter smile.

“The downsides don’t end. I’ve wondered over and over why I married him, but…”

“But?”
“You asked what it’s like for us to travel together? It’s very fun. Even if I were reborn a
hundred times, I would marry Leo again.” That’s marriage, Aria had said with a bloody
smile. Bernard shook his head.

“I dare say anyone I know would envy such a wonderful journey.”

“Oh my.”

“But if possible… I want to live better than that, with Iloin.”

“…Let’s tell Iloin about that.”

“Ah, please don’t.” At the point, the door opened once more as the priest entered.

“Sir Bernard Garcia, please prepare. The ceremony will begin soon.”

“Oh, yes.” Bernard practically turned into a robot as he moved to ready himself. Evan,
Leo, and Aria all burst into laughter as they watched him move stiffly as they shuffled
into the grand hall. Evan went to join Shine and the others, but there were so many
people that it took him a while to find them.

“A lot of people have shown up.”

“Bernard has become an important figure in this city.” Of course, it wasn’t only that.
Leo Arpeta was also known to be his friend, and Iloin was a beautiful elf. However, it
was clear the vast majority that had gathered there wished for Bernard’s happiness.

“From now on, a sacred marriage ceremony will be held in the name of all Gods and
Mothers of earth.” The priest’s voice resonated throughout the hall, quieting those
murmuring. Lin and Ran tried to snoop around, but Evan and Shine each grabbed one
of them.

“The bride and groom will now enter. We hope that everyone will welcome them with
cheers and applause.”

“You both, come in at the same time.”

“Do they come in together, or separately?” Evan laughed, but Shine was confused. He
had learned here that the common etiquette was for the bride and groom to enter at
the same time, which was different from Korea.
‘I’ve known it for a long time, but all of a sudden, it hit me again.’ Perhaps it was because
he had not yet experienced a marriage ceremony in this world. The venue overflowed
with cheers and applause as Evan tilted his head.

“So pretty!”

“She’s an elf, too!”

“My God, so pretty. I think I’m in love.”

“Give up.” In particular, the voices were cheering the bride’s beauty. With green hair
and pale green eyes, she matched well with her pure white dress. She looked like a
forest fairy straight from the pages of a fairy tale book.

“Bernard has grown younger in the meantime.”

“Tsu, you idiot. He was pretending to be old.”

“What the…”

“He’s handsome.”

“I knew it, but he really is!” Bernard and Iloin walked in harmony with each other to
the center of the ceremony hall.

[…Strangely, I don’t feel so good.]

Rose was mumbling fatally while she looked at the two of them arm-in-arm. Evan
scoffed at her.

“It can’t feel good to see the man you love marrying another woman.”

[Love is a human emotion; it is not of the Mahwa.]

“You’re still saying stuff like that.” A little further away, Hannah and Serpina, who had
returned from the dungeon a while ago, watched Bernard and Iloin with a similar
expression as the Rose Queen.

“Eventually, we will get married too…”

“…I want to as well, quickly with Raihan.”

“Well…”

“Please face each other. I will perform the oath ceremony.” The priest hurriedly spoke,
noticing the lovely atmosphere between the bride and groom.

“Then, the bride and groom…” The bishop soon appeared to recite an oath based on
the Earth Church’s doctrine, but it wasn’t very important. Bernard and Iloin didn’t stop
staring at each other as they followed along with the ritual. The two’s feelings were
practically overflowing.

“…All I see is two lovers.”

“That is love… that’s marriage.” All of a sudden, Belois was holding onto his sleeve. Did
she like the idea of marriage too? Evan smiled a little as he looked back at her.

“Yeah. It’s a special love and a special marriage.”

“Special…” Belois leaned on him very lightly, lowering her voice.

“Young master, would you accept me even if I ask you for a little too much?”

“Lua, I already said that I’d accept your request. Do you not remember?”

“…I do. I’m so glad you didn’t forget.”

“I can’t forget it.” Belois gripped his sleeve harder.

“If so, master, please hold a grand wedding for me. One grander than this.”

“Leave it to me… did you have someone in mind?”

“I will try to from now on. I’ll do my best.”

“What?” Evan laughed at her words, but he wasn’t so dull that he didn’t have a rough
understanding of what she meant. He wasn’t so foolish to miss such a blatant sign.
Rather, he had been ignoring it so far.

“So, master… it’s a promise.” Sometimes love didn’t come true, but Belois was only
eleven years old. Such affection couldn’t last forever.

“…Okay, I got it.” However, it made her happy to hear this. He knew what happened to
Evan as a result of their relationship, but he hoped her heart might change.

[Humans are also fun.]

“Quiet.” Evan quieted Rose, who had overheard their conversation. All of a sudden,
Bernard and Iloin were kissing. Seeing the bishop’s embarrassment, it looked like this
wasn’t planned.

“Now the bride and groom are finishing the rest of the ceremony…”

“Then, at this point, the priest of Gongsin, Aria, will take over for the ceremony! The
groom will hold the bride and offer a prayer of thanks! Out loud!”

“Wait, what?!” If the intention were to stop the kiss, it worked. Bernard fell away from
Iloin in embarrassment, but Aria raised her voice as if she had been waiting for it.

“Oh my, it’s not that you can’t do it, right? Can’t you? Everyone, it looks like the groom
isn’t ready yet!”

“No, what?”

“Such an unpleasant thing!” The men who were envious of the groom stood up at Aria’s
words, being led by Leo.

“I can’t pass over my precious colleague Iloin to a man without spirit!”

“Ms. Iloin, though we met for the first time today, I’m confident that I can do better
than Bernard!”

“Oh, that’s it.” In an instant, the hall became a mess. Bernard was hugging Iloin and
running away as people cheered or chased him. A couple seemed to be swinging at
him, sincerely.

“Come on, come say a prayer of thanks, Bernard! Of course, there is no guarantee that
this situation will end even if you pray now!”

“Aria!”
“Catch Bernard! Let’s free the poor bride!” Evan shook his head at the scene, and Belois
mumbled quietly.

“Young master, I don’t need this.”

“Yes, I think so too.” As Evan and Belois nodded at each other, Iloin landed on the
ground and pulled out her bow. Several wind arrows were knocked askew in an
instant.

“Everyone knows that Bernard can’t lift a finger!”

“No, worry about the bride!”

“No one can take Bernard away from me!”

“The bride is having a misunderstanding! No, she’ll really shoot, run away!”

That day, Bernard and Iloin were married. The path they had walked until then was
different, but the path they would walk would now be one. Blessing their union, Evan
paid for the grand hall repair fees as a gift.