Chapter 89: A Mysterious Loophole

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Through Vladimir’s eyes, Riven was also seeing everything the subordinate saw thanks to their Master and Subordinate Connection. This allowed Riven to learn that the chicks from the previous Tyrant mother had grown up, and one of them had already taken her place as the new apex predator.

"Looks like the kids grew up," he said casually to Daniela. "Remember them?"

"Eh? Huh... Ah! What, you mean the dinos?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with recognition.

He nodded with a small smile. "One of them made it into a full-sized Tyrant now."

"No way!" Daniela was genuinely happy. "That’s so nice! Do you think they’ll recognize us if we go see them?"

"Probably not," Riven laughed lightly. "It’s better if we leave them be. They’re in their own habitat, living their own lives... I’m not going to hunt the bosses for now. I’ll just clear out the smaller mobs that overpopulate some areas. Tyrants are always few in number, and they are key to that environment because they hunt the smaller monsters so those don’t overpopulate and eat all the plants and mushrooms inside."

"Gates are delicate ecosystems, huh?" Elisa wondered aloud while holding her ice cream. "Then how can they keep pouring out monsters and treasures even when they’re completely emptied?"

"Gates generate monsters on their own. The thick Mana inside gives birth to new creatures over time," Riven explained patiently. "But half of their production also comes from natural processes such as reproduction, growth, eating, and hunting each other. Dead monsters also feed the Dungeon with Mana and other nutrients so it can generate even more monsters. It’s all a continuous cycle. Nothing is ever wasted... it’s honestly fascinating when you think about it."

"It truly might be," Elisa smiled warmly, holding his hand with a kind expression while slowly drinking her ice cream. "Oh, what flavor did you choose?"

"I like chocolate," he said. "And pistachio. It’s a nice mix."

"Ooh~ I usually order strawberry cheesecake..." she replied with a playful tone. "I kind of feel like tasting some chocolate now. Want mine too?"

"Uh..." Riven felt a little surprised by the offer. "Sure... I’d love to."

Both of them exchanged ice creams and tasted each other’s flavors. The moment felt incredibly intimate and slightly intimidating, because both had already drunk a good portion of their cones, leaving behind... well, their saliva.

Wasn’t this practically an indirect kiss? And Elisa was licking that ice cream — especially the areas he had already licked — with clear enthusiasm.

"..." He smiled lightly, realizing she might be holding back a lot of affection.

"It’s tasty," she said with a soft laugh. "I almost drank it all myself~ Here."

"A-Ah, thanks," Riven replied. He had barely tasted hers before giving it back.

Once she noticed that, a faint look of mild disappointment crossed her face. He had not even licked the areas she had already touched.

However, because the entire situation already felt very awkward, she did not voice her small frustration and simply pretended that everything was fine.

Riven, on the other hand, was left with more than half of his own ice cream gone. She had drunk a large portion of it, and it was thoroughly licked.

Well, he did not mind at all and finished the rest happily.

The day continued to pass, and the sun slowly moved across the horizon.

Later, Riven and his family went to a restaurant inside the park that featured an open outdoor area. There they enjoyed an early dinner while watching the beautiful sunset together.

Meanwhile, deep inside the Dungeon, Vladimir reached the second floor and continued his investigation. Using his refined skills as an Assassin, he easily avoided most danger.

"A second Whispering Scream hasn’t spawned yet," he noted under his breath. "Myconids are everywhere though. Annoying." He leaped over a group of them and cut them to pieces with precise dagger strikes. "I’ll keep moving. Hm?!"

His eyes widened when he suddenly noticed dozens of glowing pieces of high-quality loot scattered behind him. "What’s this...?!"

They were all SS Rank or higher!

Even though neither Riven nor Daniela were physically present inside the Gate, their presences still seemed to count somehow.

How could this be possible?

"Could it be my authority as a Dungeon Master?" Riven wondered silently to himself while calmly drinking white wine and enjoying a delicious grilled tuna steak that was nicely seasoned, served alongside salmon ravioli with pesto sauce. "Hm..."

He quickly sent another message to Vladimir and ordered him to continue hunting without stopping.

As the day finally ended and the family returned home after checking out the nearby mall, Vladimir had already reached Floor 3 and gathered dozens of high-ranked items.

Once on Floor 3 he was greeted by packs of furious ghosts, armored knights, and skeleton warriors. He took them down quite easily while continuing to grow and level up again, steadily regaining his former strength.

The floor boss was naturally no longer present either.

Once he finished clearing the area, he returned home just as the family was watching a movie and eating popcorn. In the kitchen the oven was silently cooking a whole rotisserie chicken that they planned to have for a late dinner... or rather, a second dinner.

"Ah, you’re back," Riven said when he noticed the assassin. "How much loot did you gather?"

Vladimir sighed heavily and collapsed onto a sofa while still gasping for air. He waved his hand and opened his storage bracelet, dumping a large pile of glowing items onto the floor.

"E E E E H?!" Daniela screamed in pure disbelief. Daniela, still struggling to believe what she was seeing, started stuttering uncontrollably. "W-Wha...! So many?! How?! We weren’t even there!"

Not just Daniela — even Riven felt completely taken aback by the sheer amount of high-quality loot scattered across the living room floor. It just didn’t made sense, how was Vladimir able to farm all these items without her and Riven’s being physically there?

It was completely insane!

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