The wind that swept through the canyon paths had finally calmed, leaving only the distant hiss of drifting sand against stone. The group had slowed their pace after leaving the rocky mountain path, regrouping along a narrow stretch of terrain that connected the high cliffs to the lower desert routes leading toward Dragon's Peak.
Akari walked slightly ahead of Memory, her hand repeatedly hovering over her interface as though she was still deciding whether or not to open something she had been avoiding since the dungeon collapse.
Memory, walking beside her with Bubbles bouncing gently in her arms, suddenly stopped.
Her expression tightened.
"…Akari. I'm telling you right now, I am NOT summoning it."
Akari blinked, turning her head. "Summoning what?"
Memory's face went pale in an instant.
"Necrocotta."
She stepped back as if the word itself carried poison. Bubbles trembled in her arms, emitting a faint squeak.
"It will kill me. It WILL kill us again. I'm not doing it. I'd rather die than press that button again—"
"Memory." Akari interrupted calmly, raising a hand. "That's not what I meant."
Memory froze mid-panic.
Akari exhaled slowly. "I'm saying… just open your pet tab. Look at the details. That's all."
A silence stretched between them.
Memory's fingers twitched.
"…That's still dangerous," she muttered.
"It's a menu," Akari replied flatly.
Reluctantly, Memory opened her interface.
The moment the tab expanded—
A distorted, burning visage filled the holographic screen.
A humanoid figure made of fractured terracotta and bone stared back, its eyes glowing with a dull, suffocating red light.
Memory let out a sharp scream and immediately slapped the tab shut.
"WHY IS IT LOOKING AT ME?!"
Akari pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a preview image."
Memory clutched her chest, breathing uneven.
Slowly, trembling, she reopened it—but this time forcing herself to scroll down.
The details loaded.
[Summon Information]
Name: Necrocotta, The Terracotta Fallen Warrior
Level: ????
Type: Legendary Summon
Mana Cost: 5500 MP
Behavior: Unknown
Stability Rating: Highly Unstable
Memory's eyes widened further with every line.
"Five… thousand… five hundred mana?" she whispered.
She turned slowly toward Akari like she was seeking confirmation that reality had broken.
"I have 6215 mana."
Akari stared at her. "…That's actually insane for your level."
"I KNOW." Memory snapped. "That's because I'm a Sage Tamer! I already have the highest mana pool in my class!"
Bubbles squeaked again, clearly sensing her distress.
Memory pointed aggressively at the screen.
"This thing costs almost ALL of it. And it's LEVEL QUESTION MARKS. Akari, this is not a pet. This is a disaster waiting to happen!"
Akari looked down at the tab again.
"…Are you ever going to summon it?"
The question was simple.
Memory answered instantly.
"NO."
She slammed the interface shut so hard it flickered.
"I would rather uninstall the game. I would rather fall off Dragon's Peak. I would rather let Bubbles eat my entire inventory. I am NOT summoning that thing ever again."
Bubbles puffed up proudly at the mention of eating inventory.
Akari said nothing for a moment, then quietly resumed walking.
Memory followed immediately after, still muttering under her breath.
"I swear it growls when I think about it…"
Akari glanced at her.
"You're imagining things."
"I can hear it," Memory insisted.
"…Sure."
The sun had begun its descent by the time Akari and Memory resumed their journey.
Somewhere far away, the memory of Necrocotta still lingered like a bad omen neither of them wanted to acknowledge again.
Memory hugged Bubbles tighter.
"…Let's just get to Dragon's Peak already," she muttered.
Akari nodded.
"…Yeah."
But neither of them noticed—
The faint pet tab icon in Memory's interface flickered once.
Just once.
Then stabilized.
As if something inside it had begun to awaken again.
Floor 2 — Stony Mountain Outskirts (Meanwhile)
Far behind them, near the remnants of the rocky battlefield, Rio's group retraced their steps along the scorched terrain.
Kiraya stepped over a cracked stone slab, her gaze immediately locking onto the aftermath of what was once a narrow canyon path now littered with motionless bodies.
Hinabi frowned. "This is… excessive."
Silla stayed close behind, her hood lowered, gripping Ramos's sleeve slightly.
Ramos, still visibly shaken, avoided looking at the corpses.
At the center of the clearing stood Sayanaki.
She was seated casually atop a broken rock, one leg crossed over the other, as if she had been resting rather than fighting. Around her, the ground was stained dark with scattered traces of battle.
Rio scanned the area once.
"…These players… were they sent by the Doctor?"
Sayanaki didn't even look up.
"No."
She flicked a blade idly, cleaning it with a cloth.
"Just random scavengers. They roam in groups, target weak players, scare them into dropping loot."
Her tone was casual. Detached.
"Ramos looked like an easy target. So they came."
Hinabi frowned. "And you killed all of them?"
Sayanaki finally looked up, smiling faintly.
"Yes."
The word landed without hesitation.
Cold. Simple. Final.
Kiraya exhaled quietly, eyes narrowing slightly.
Rio, however, didn't react beyond a slight pause.
Ryota scratched the back of his head.
"…Note to self. Don't mess with her."
Sayanaki chuckled softly, as if she had heard him.
The group collectively chose silence after that.
The wind along the open road toward the City of Nendu carried grains of fine sand that scraped lightly against leather and steel. It was not yet the suffocating desert storm of the deeper floors, but it already reminded every traveler that Floor 2 was a place that refused to stay gentle for long.
The party moved in a strict formation.
At the front, Kiraya and Hinabi walked side by side, their eyes constantly scanning ahead as if the horizon itself might change shape and reveal danger.
Behind them, Ramos followed cautiously, Sayanaki's two summoned wolves padding silently on either side of him like living shadows.
Skoll, the black wolf, moved with heavy, disciplined steps, its presence radiating pressure like an unseen weight pushing against the air itself.
Hati, the white wolf, stayed slightly offset, its gaze flicking between angles and blind spots, tracking movements no one else could even sense.
Behind Ramos came Rio and Silla, Silla still hooded, her identity concealed beneath layers of cloth and exhaustion.
At the rear, Ryota walked with slow, deliberate steps, while Sayanaki brought up the back, her posture relaxed in a way that somehow felt more dangerous than alertness.
The formation was not random.
It was controlled.
Intentional.
A moving system designed to prevent ambush from any direction.
Sayanaki broke the silence first.
"It will take about two hours to reach Nendu," she said calmly, her tone almost casual. "If nothing interrupts us."
The implication hung in the air like a blade suspended above their heads.
Kiraya glanced slightly over her shoulder. "That sounds like you're expecting interruptions."
Sayanaki didn't deny it. She simply smiled faintly.
Rio, walking behind her, exhaled through her nose. "At this point, I'd be surprised if nothing tries to kill us."
That earned a short laugh from Hinabi, though even she didn't relax her grip on her weapon.
The group continued forward.
For a while, only footsteps and shifting wind filled the silence.
Then Rio spoke again.
"Kiraya," she said, tone shifting slightly. "I never asked you this… but what unique skill do you actually use?"
Kiraya blinked, then laughed softly as if the question itself was nostalgic.
"Oh, right. I guess we never really talked about that."
She adjusted her grip on her sword while walking.
"My unique skill is called Lioness Heart."
Rio's gaze sharpened slightly. "Lioness Heart?"
Kiraya nodded. "Every time I use a sword skill, it heals my physical injuries based on the mana consumed."
She shrugged lightly.
"It's not a massive heal. Just enough to keep me standing longer than I should be."
Hinabi glanced at her. "That sounds broken in long fights."
"It is," Kiraya admitted without hesitation. "Just not in the way people think."
Then, after a brief pause, Kiraya added something that made Rio's expression shift.
"Though… I should tell you something, Rio."
Rio tilted her head slightly. "Hm?"
Kiraya's voice became more serious.
"I only have two skills learned right now."
That statement alone made Rio stop for half a second.
"…Two?"
Even Sayanaki glanced slightly toward them.
Kiraya nodded. "Yeah. I deleted most of my old skills when I left ELEO."
Hinabi walked beside her quietly, not interrupting.
Kiraya continued.
"I left behind Lionheart Strike, and one other skill."
Her eyes flicked forward for a moment.
"…The one you gave me."
Rio's expression changed.
"Freeze Point?"
Kiraya nodded.
[Freeze Point]
Defensive Sword Skill
Cost: 55 Mana
Effect: Freezes anything directly touching the user.
Hinabi let out a low whistle. "That's still insane."
Kiraya gave a small smile. "Yeah. Those are the only skills I've kept."
She looked ahead, her expression softening slightly.
"I'm not trying to carry old power anymore. I want to build new memories in the Crowned Era."
For a moment, no one responded.
Even Rio didn't speak immediately.
Then she exhaled slowly.
"…I see."
There was something in her tone that wasn't just acknowledgment.
It was acceptance.
The group continued walking.
Skoll growled once under his breath as if sensing something distant, but nothing appeared.
Hati's ears flicked.
Still nothing.
The road remained quiet.
Yet the weight of everything they carried—skills, history, failures, and decisions—walked with them like invisible armor.
And ahead of them, Nendu waited.
A city that would not just be a destination…
…but a turning point.