'I really can't teach you that.'
Teaching this set of crazy, death-defying tactics to adventurers who have zero Soulslike fundamentals and don't even have the "Revival" skill would be nothing but leading people astray.
Thinking back to the help Takemikazuchi and Mikoto gave him back when he was still a newbie, Ron had no desire to do that sort of thing at all. He decisively shook his head and refused. "Miss Chigusa, it's not that I want to keep secrets from you."
"Everyone has their own path of growth, and the path I chose—objectively speaking—really isn't suitable for you."
"…"
From Ron's attitude, you could feel the sincerity in his tone.
The girl could understand what he meant. Could she really have the courage, like Ron, to stare death in the face when fighting Goblin guards?
The answer was certainly no.
A method to quickly increase one's strength was right in front of her, yet she couldn't use it—so it was inevitable that she felt disappointed inside.
But as she looked at Ron's refined face, even though his tone was light, when she recalled the details from their party explorations in the Dungeon—and the way his strength had improved—she figured the hardships he'd been through were far beyond anything she could imagine.
Chigusa raised her head. In her clear, cyan eyes hid a trace of timidity. But since they'd already talked this far—and on top of that, she was full of curiosity about the boy in front of her—
"Um…"
"Mr. Ron, could you tell me about it in detail?"
How should this even be put!
The Debuff "Dungeon Hatred" that comes with being a transmigrator meant that every time he explored the Dungeon, there was a chance he might completely lose his life there.
But everything has two sides.
If it weren't for the high intensity of the souls-type dungeon, his own ability values would never be able to improve rapidly.
Ron carefully reflected on the path he had taken and felt only the dense malice of an "attack-the-weak-spot" style. He tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth, then finally shook his head and gave his answer: "There's really nothing to go into in detail."
"I just know this—I keep moving forward with all my strength on the path in life that I chose, even if the storms along the way are so fierce that I can barely move."
"Even if the path is covered in thorns, stabbing me until I'm covered in wounds."
"I will still keep advancing toward my goal, believing firmly in my own choice, convinced that I will ultimately realize the dream I had at the very beginning."
The first time he came into contact with Soulslike gameplay, he already had this feeling—placing himself into the game from a player's perspective, controlling the character to continuously overcome difficult challenges, and in the end achieving the various endings of the game.
Now, Ron felt that he himself was doing much the same thing—using this very approach to head toward a brand-new future.
"Believe first."
"If this road doesn't work out, there will always be another one that suits you."
At this moment, the young man's spirited confidence unintentionally stirred Chigusa's heart. The confusion in her eyes gradually faded, becoming resolute once more—and filled with longing.
Longing to become an adventurer who could stand on her own, just like Ron!
"Thank you, Mr. Ron."
"I feel like… I'm not as lost as I was at the beginning anymore… Everyone has their own path. I believe that in the future, I'll definitely be able to find mine."
"Keep it up."
It somehow felt like the tone had gone a bit off track.
But Ron felt that giving her a bit of encouragement was never a bad thing—at the very least, it would prevent the souls-type Dungeon experience from leaving a shadow over Chigusa's future explorations.
As for things like poaching someone away, he thought it was fine to just let things take their natural course. While they were talking, they unknowingly arrived at the street. Looking at the "Hephaestus Weapon Shop" in front of them, he said casually: "Give me the stuff."
"I'll go first and exchange all of today's exploration gains for rewards."
...
The "Hostess of Fertility" pub, back kitchen area.
A gray-haired girl wearing a leaf-colored long dress and a white apron quietly shifted her steps, moving behind the green-haired elf who was preparing ingredients.
Perhaps because her mind was elsewhere, Ryuu Lion did not notice the movement behind her until the gray-haired girl's arm rested on her shoulder.
Only then did the elf girl suddenly turn her head. When she clearly saw Syr's curiosity-filled face, the trace of vigilance deep in her eyes finally eased a little.
"Ryuu."
"Did you run into something when you went out today? Ever since you came back, you've seemed really out of sorts. If Mama Mia finds out, she'll definitely scold you."
The gray-haired girl's face was quite delicate.
The faint curve of a smile hanging at the corner of her lips easily gave people the illusion of gentleness, yet the pleasing curve at the corners of her eyes naturally flowed with a playful air.
Syr stood beside Ryuu and put the vegetable leaves that had fallen outside back into the basket. "If you ran into something unpleasant…"
"Ryuu, you can tell me, you know. Even if it might not really help."
"No…"
Ryuu's cool, composed face stiffened slightly.
She gently shook her head, unwilling to drag her personal matters onto her friend—after all, this involved the remnants of Orario's Evilus.
What's more—the girl did not want to mention that painful past.
"It's just that I ran into some bothersome things." She had nearly managed to track down traces of the Evilus remnants in the Dungeon, but in the end could only return empty-handed.
Ryuu's mood was inevitably a bit unsettled.
Most importantly, the Dungeon's frequent anomalies lately might stir up who knew what kind of trouble. Even though she had already abandoned her faith in justice, she still would not allow any trace of Evilus to appear before her.
This was the revenge that belonged to the "Former Astraea Familia"—the revenge of Gale. From beginning to end, the girl had never changed her resolve for vengeance.
"Oh."
"That really is troublesome, then."
Syr did not press the matter. She pointed at the vegetables in front of them that needed to be prepared.
Then she explained, "The lunchtime rush is about to start. With how you are right now, if Mama Mia finds out, she'll definitely be furious."
"I'll take care of the back kitchen."
"And then…"
"If you're free, go grab that idiot Anya who's off somewhere basking in the sun and slacking off." The girl's tone left no room for refusal.
"Okay."
"Thanks…"
She knew that Syr was giving her time to be alone.
The elf girl gave a light nod to show her thanks. She glanced around the back kitchen—Chloe and Lunoire were helping out in the dining hall, and before long the back kitchen would definitely be overwhelmed.
She didn't think too much about it.
She simply headed toward the restaurant's back garden, where Anya often snuck off to slack around. But she couldn't find the stupid cat's figure by the haystack beside the carriage, nor on the rooftop.
"Where did she run off to?"
The girl's brows knit slightly.
Just as she was carefully searching along the alley, she caught sight of three somewhat unfamiliar adventurers heading toward the Hostess of Fertility.
The outfits worn by two of the girls were clearly kimono from the Far East region.
Ryuu had a bit of an impression.
But she couldn't say for certain which Familia they belonged to.
Instead, it was the black-haired boy being clustered around by the girls that made Ryuu feel, for some reason, a sense of familiarity.
While traveling through the Dungeon, it seemed like she had run into him before…
A rookie adventurer?
"Ta-da!"
"Everyone says Anya loves to slack off, but Ryuu, you're slacking off too! If you don't want Mama Mia to find out, then I'll be counting on you for the lunch shift!"
The girl was also wearing the restaurant's uniform.
But the cat ears poking out from behind her short brown hair, and the slender tail behind her hips, already made it clear that she wasn't human. She quietly sidled up next to Ryuu.
And yet, she didn't get any response from her.
Anya wasn't annoyed in the slightest. She simply followed Ryuu's line of sight and noticed Ron's clean-cut profile. In her silly eyes, there was an extreme clarity.
"Um, meow…"
"Ryuu, you like this shota-type too, just like Chloe, meow?"
"Meow!!"
"Anya knows she was wrong, meow! Don't pull my tail, meow!"
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