Ren Isana was already quite satisfied hearing Jimmy say they could only go as far as the 18th floor. Returning to the 18th floor from the 27th was fast and wouldn't take much time at all—far more convenient than running all the way back from the surface.
"Then your people only need to reach the Safe Floor on the 18th floor, Jimmy. Honestly, setting up a shop down there would be a pretty solid move. You could buy materials directly from explorers, establishing a stable supply channel," Ren suggested.
Hearing this, Jimmy chuckled. "I'll have Maya handle it tomorrow. We'll need to find the right people for the job. Don't worry, go do your thing—I'll have this sorted out within a week."
He readily agreed. There was money to be made and a new channel for acquiring materials—what wasn't to like? Why would he ever refuse?
After finalizing the details with Jimmy, Ren returned to Leo and the others to share the news. Everyone was pleasantly surprised.
They hadn't expected Jimmy to actually agree to it. This was fantastic. Leo turned to Ren. "So, are we heading down starting tomorrow?"
Ren glanced at the girls. "Let's discuss it as a group and see what everyone decides."
He was easygoing about it. If the others didn't want to go down, they could just pick another time. It wasn't a big deal.
Everyone nodded. Leo ran off to gather the rest of the class, relaying what Ren had just told them.
After hearing Leo's summary, all eyes turned to Ren. Sora couldn't help but ask, "So, we're going to be in the Dungeon until university starts?"
"That's the idea. If you don't want to, I won't force you. Anyone who wants to sit this out is free to do so. Only those who want to go need to come," Ren confirmed with a nod.
"Go, of course we're going! We have to go! We get to make money and earn Excelia—who would turn down a good deal like that?" Was there even a need to hesitate? Absolutely not. She was raising both hands in favor of the plan.
The others nodded in agreement. If they didn't go to the Dungeon, what were they going to do? Sit at home and rot? No thanks. And just like that, the matter was settled without a single objection.
"So it's decided, then? We'll buy our supplies today and gather tomorrow to head into the Dungeon," Ren said to his classmates.
Everyone nodded, passing the motion unanimously. Ren then looked over at Ais, Lefiya, and the others. "What about you guys, Ais? Are you coming along?"
Ais nodded, her expression as adorably blank as ever. "We'll go wherever you go. We'll be following you from now on."
They didn't need to help Riveria with her affairs, and if they didn't follow Ren, they had nowhere else to go anyway. Naturally, they would stick with his group.
With that, the plan was set in stone. Once everyone's weapons were finished being upgraded, they said their goodbyes and headed to the market to purchase their necessary supplies.
They needed to prepare a month's worth of provisions. Ren took Bell and the others to do their own shopping. Hestia was feeling a little depressed, considering Ren and the group were about to leave again.
She was going to be stuck at home alone again—how could she possibly be happy about that? But she couldn't stop them. Ren and the others needed to increase their strength. It looked like she would just have to spend her time reading in the library.
The group went on a massive shopping spree. Ren bought a ton of items and stuffed them into his Spatial Backpack. He bought things like burger combo meals—since time didn't flow inside the Spatial Backpack, he could toss whatever he wanted in there.
Sora and the girls had done this before, so naturally, Ren could do it too. He just madly stuffed things into his storage. One of Ren's Spatial Rings was packed to the brim with nothing but cooked food.
He was too lazy to cook anymore. Stocking up on ready-to-eat meals would save him a lot of hassle. There was no need to prepare meals from scratch every single time.
After finishing their errands, they ate out before returning to the apartment. Once home, Ren got busy. He still hadn't finished the equipment he promised Asuna.
He planned to pull an all-nighter and get it done before morning. Seeing that Ren was busy, Asuna didn't bother him. She pulled the other girls into her room to chat.
Since Ren had taken Asuna's money, he was naturally going to make sure the final product was gorgeous. The materials were already prepared. Ren began stitching the fabrics together and applying enchantments. It was meticulous needlework.
Every single stitch and thread of Asuna's outfit was crafted by Ren's own hands. Soon, a set of equipment identical to Asuna's Knights of the Blood uniform from the anime lay before him.
Ren had woven the red patterns into the fabric as enchantments. Aside from physical defense and magic resistance, the entire set featured minor utility functions like auto-cleaning, fire resistance, water resistance, and temperature regulation.
Most importantly, thanks to the self-repairing properties of the materials used, Ren didn't have to worry about Asuna's clothes suddenly getting shredded in battle.
Looking at his masterpiece, Ren nodded in satisfaction. He checked the time on his phone—it was already past midnight. Tossing the clothes aside, he crawled into bed and went to sleep.
The night passed uneventfully. When he woke up the next morning, Ren sent Asuna a message telling her to come to his room to pick up her gear. After sending the text, he unlocked his door and headed into the bathroom to wash up.
Asuna, who was already awake, felt her eyes light up when she received the message. Without a second thought, she hurried downstairs. Ren, who was in the middle of brushing his teeth, soon heard a knock on the door.
"Just come in, the door's unlocked," Ren's voice echoed directly in Asuna's ear. The mark on her hand grew slightly warm, letting her know exactly how he was transmitting his voice to her.
Asuna pushed the door open and walked in. Hearing the sounds coming from the bathroom, her gaze naturally fell upon the white outfit resting on the table.
Her eyes sparkled at the sight of it. She hurried over to inspect it, running her fingers over the fabric and taking note of the special patterns. She immediately realized that the armor woven into this outfit was incredibly strong.
*But this skirt... looks like I'll definitely need to wear safety shorts with it,* Asuna thought to herself. Just then, Ren walked out of the bathroom.
"This set has excellent defense, along with auto-repair and auto-cleaning functions. On top of that, it regulates temperature, so you won't freeze just because the skirt is short," Ren explained, detailing the outfit's features to ensure Asuna knew she got her money's worth.
Asuna's eyes grew even brighter as she listened. The minor utility functions alone were enough to leave her completely satisfied. Commissioning Ren had definitely been the right choice. The more she looked at the gear, the more excited she became.
"Oh, right. The thigh-highs are only available in white for now. If you want black ones, I'll need to get some different materials. I'll see if I can make you a pair later," Ren said, suddenly looking at her with a dead-serious expression.
Asuna, who had been buzzing with excitement, instantly froze. She looked at Ren in confusion. Meeting his gaze, she heard him add, "If it really bothers you, you could just not wear them."
Asuna stared into Ren's eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Do you prefer black or white?"
"Apologize!" Ren immediately took offense. What did she mean, did he prefer black or white? That was pure nonsense. Men liked *both*!
Asuna was completely baffled by his reaction. She looked at him innocently. "Apologize for what? Did I say something wrong?"
"Yes, you did. It's not a question of whether I like black or white. I like them both!" Ren retorted, leaving Asuna caught between laughing and crying.
"Alright, alright, I apologize!" Asuna laughed, deciding not to argue the point any further. *So he likes both, huh? Got it. I'll keep that in mind.* With that, she scooped up the gear and headed upstairs to her room.
Watching her leave, Ren began tidying up his room, putting away the leftover materials from his late-night tailoring session.
Back in her room, Asuna carefully examined the outfit. Her gaze landed on the white thigh-highs Ren had crafted, and the corners of her lips curled up. *They really are exquisite.*
Without hesitation, she began changing. Once she had the outfit on, she moved around a bit and was incredibly surprised. It fit perfectly. There wasn't the slightest hint of discomfort.
Even the parts that were slightly too large seemed to automatically adjust themselves to her measurements. Marveling at this, Asuna pulled on the thigh-highs. The socks automatically clung to her skin, wrapping perfectly around her legs.
Seeing this, Asuna nodded thoughtfully. *I see. So it has an auto-fitting feature too?*
Ren had taken absolutely everything into consideration. Maybe she could have him make all her clothes from now on?
*Wait... having Ren make clothes is way too expensive. But if he became my boyfriend... wouldn't it be free?* Asuna's eyes lit up at the thought. *What a brilliant idea.*
Her cheeks flushed slightly at the thought. She patted her face to snap out of it, then quickly finished putting on the rest of the outfit. Once she was done, she stepped in front of the full-length mirror.
Looking at her reflection, she smiled. It really suited her. Commissioning Ren for this gear had been the right call. Feeling quite pleased with herself, Asuna grabbed her things and headed out.
She knocked on Ais and the others' door. When they came out and saw Asuna's new look, they were visibly surprised. Ais looked her up and down before asking, "Did Ren make this?"
Asuna nodded. "Yeah, he just gave it to me. What do you think? Does it look good?"
She did a little twirl. Lefiya couldn't help but chime in, "It makes me want to ask him to make me a set too. It really suits you."
All the girls agreed that the outfit was perfect for Asuna, perfectly accentuating her natural elegance.
Hearing their praise, Asuna giggled. Receiving compliments from other girls always felt great. After chatting for a bit, they all headed downstairs to find Ren.
Asuna didn't bother waking Hestia. She had just sensed that the goddess was still fast asleep, so there was no need to disturb her.
When they reached the ground floor, Ren and Bell were already waiting. Seeing Asuna, Ren looked her up and down unabashedly and gave her a thumbs-up. "Looks great. As expected of the clothes I made."
Asuna didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was he praising her looks, or the clothes? She really wanted to ask, but held her tongue, feeling a bit too embarrassed to say it in front of everyone.
Once the group was assembled, they headed toward the school to meet up with the rest of their classmates. As they neared the campus, they noticed the area was cordoned off. Seeing the traffic police directing cars, Ren looked slightly surprised.
"I think the college entrance exams start today," Asuna noted, having also spotted the police. The rest of the country was taking their exams, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Ren and his class.
"Are these exams really that important here?" Lefiya asked in amazement. As an elf from another world, the heavy police presence and cordoned-off streets were quite a shock.
She had been in this world for a while now and understood how some things worked, but she hadn't expected the people here to take these exams so seriously.
"Of course. It's a major crossroads in life. For many, it's their chance to secure their future. Getting into a good university means you get to learn so much more," Asuna explained.
Lefiya nodded in sudden realization. *I see. That's actually really enviable.* The more the members of the Loki Familia learned about this world, the more they looked down on Orario. To them, Orario was practically a backwater village now.
The group soon arrived at the school. The rest of their classmates were already waiting nearby. The school grounds were completely locked down, with countless parents standing at the gates, sending their children into the exam halls.
When Ren arrived, the others quickly gathered around him. Their fully armed and armored appearance naturally drew quite a few stares from the crowd.
"Class Rep, everyone's here. Should we head out?" Sora stepped forward to report. Standing around the school gates was drawing too much attention, and she wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Let's go," Ren said. He glanced at the anxious parents nearby, nodded, and led the way. The others quickly followed.
A few of the girls in the class crowded around Asuna to admire her new gear. The outfit was incredibly eye-catching—it looked so good it could easily pass for casual wear.
As they walked away, some of the parents couldn't help but ask their children, "Don't those kids have to take the exam? Why are they running around at a time like this?"
"Those are the students from the special class. They've all been guaranteed admission to Dimensional Nexus University. They don't need to take the exam!" Many of the regular students knew who Ren and his classmates were and quickly explained.
Hearing this, many parents gasped. So they were all top-tier prodigies? And they were all guaranteed admission? That was incredible.
Many of the students were incredibly envious. The battles Ren and his class had fought previously had left a deep impression on everyone. It was clear they existed on a completely different level.
Even though they were the same age, the students in that special class were just too absurd. Their strength completely crushed the regular students. For a normal student, reaching Tier 3 was already an incredible achievement.
But in the special class? Rumor had it that the weakest among them was Tier 4, and some had even reached Tier 5—like the guy they called the Class Rep.
Tier 5! That was a lifelong goal for many people. Yet Ren hadn't even started university and had already reached heights that most people would never achieve in their entire lives.
The students who had been in Ren's class before the reshuffle were the most envious. Back then, Ren had been a total loner. He never hung out with anyone and was basically a background character.
Who could have expected that after his talent awakened, he would be like a walking cheat code? His strength skyrocketed. While everyone else was still struggling at Tier 2 or Tier 3, he had already broken through to Tier 5. No wonder he never hung out with them—there was a reason for it!
When your strength is absolute, others will naturally try to find reasons to justify your behavior. That was exactly what was happening now.
But none of this mattered to Ren. The "old Ren" wasn't even him anyway. If the old Ren didn't want to play with them, that was his business. What did it have to do with the current Ren?
Ren and the group picked up the pace, heading straight for the Dimensional Rift. After his recent breakthrough, Bell was barely able to keep up with them, which left him incredibly excited.
Even though the others weren't going all out, Bell had still undergone an earth-shattering transformation compared to before. For this trip into the Dungeon, Bell had set a goal for himself: he was going to break through to Lv.3!
The group soon arrived at the Dimensional Rift. When they got there, they found the area bustling with activity. Furthermore, they no longer needed to have their IDs checked to enter!