Chapter 111: A New Beginning

The female Awakener lazily leaned against the cold stone wall.

She let out a small yawn before stretching her arms.

"...How long are they planning to stay in there?"

She had been standing guard ever since the other B-Rank Awakeners entered the Labyrinth.

Hours had already passed.

Nothing happened.

Not even the slightest movement.

She glanced toward the exit portal once again before letting out another sigh.

"At least let something happen..."

The moment those words left her mouth...

Buzz!

The dormant magic circle suddenly lit up.

The runes carved into the ground began glowing one after another as ancient mana quietly filled the surroundings.

Her sleepy eyes instantly widened.

"The portal!"

She immediately straightened herself.

Someone was coming out.

Almost instinctively, she reached for the communication device clipped to her waist before stopping herself.

"...Right."

She clicked her tongue.

Inside a Dungeon Gate, modern technology was practically useless.

Phones lost signal.

Cameras refused to function.

Even bombs became nothing more than lumps of metal.

It was as though the Gate itself rejected anything too advanced.

Trying to record what happened here was impossible.

’I have to see it with my own eyes.’

Without another thought, she quickly hid herself behind a massive boulder several meters away.

Only her eyes remained exposed as wide like an owl’s as she stared intently at the glowing portal.

The light became brighter.

Brighter.

Then...

Two figures slowly emerged.

Her heartbeat quickened.

’The Night Empress...’

Even though she couldn’t clearly make out the woman’s face beneath the cloak, the overwhelming presence alone made her breathing unconsciously become quieter.

Then her gaze shifted toward the second figure.

Her pupils immediately shrank.

’It’s actually real... the Night Empress actually came in with someone!’

She thought it was just a made up story by fans but her eyes definitely couldn’t lie to her.

Just as she leaned forward, hoping to catch even the slightest glimpse...

Reiji’s footsteps suddenly paused.

His calm eyes quietly shifted toward the boulder where she was hiding.

The female Awakener froze.

’Did... did she notice me?’

Impossible.

She hadn’t made a sound.

She hadn’t released any mana.

She had hidden herself the moment the portal activated.

There was no way anyone should have noticed her.

Reiji said nothing. He simply wrapped one arm around Aoi’s waist.

Aoi blinked in confusion.

"Wha..."

Before she could finish speaking...

[Shadow Step.]

Their figures instantly melted into the surrounding shadows.

The female Awakener’s eyes widened.

"They disappeared?!"

She immediately rushed out from behind the boulder.

There was no one.

Only the slowly fading glow of the teleportation circle remained.

She hurriedly looked around the surrounding area.

Left.

Right.

Behind the massive rocks.

Nothing.

Not even a trace.

She clenched both fists in frustration.

"So close..."

She had been only a few seconds away from seeing the legendary Night Empress with her own eyes.

And that mysterious companion...

The one who had entered the Labyrinth alongside her.

Whoever that person was...

The Night Empress trusted them enough to raid one of the country’s most dangerous Labyrinths together.

That alone was enough to shock anyone.

The female Awakener slowly looked down at the fading magic circle before letting out a helpless sigh.

"I was this close..."

She raised both hands, showing the tiny gap between her fingers before dropping them again.

Now...

She had nothing.

No recording nor photograph. Not even a proper description.

Only the certainty that, for a brief moment...

The legendary Night Empress had stood less than ten meters away from her.

"Hehe... Thank goodness the Captain chose me. I’m so happy I waited patiently and diligently."

The Awakener said with a smug expression, completely forgetting that just minutes ago she had been complaining about how boring the assignment was.

***

Reiji and Aoi stood a short distance away from the Gate.

Military vehicles surrounded the entire area while countless reporters and journalists crowded nearby buildings, many of them standing on rooftops with cameras aimed toward the Gate’s entrance.

"There are so many," Aoi muttered.

She instinctively lowered her hood a little further. Even from this distance, camera lenses continuously swept across the area, searching for anything unusual leaving the Gate’s restricted perimeter.

"Which one?" Reiji asked. "The military or the reporters?"

"The reporters."

Aoi stared at the unhealthy number of reporters and immediately felt her head grow dizzy.

She couldn’t help but glance sideways at Reiji.

’Doesn’t he know they’re all here because of him?’

Reiji, however, looked completely unbothered.

"We’re lucky you have that strange skill. Otherwise..." Aoi shook her head before she could finish.

She didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if Shadow Step didn’t exist.

Reiji smiled faintly.

"So... you were afraid of something like this, and you still decided to blackmail me?"

Aoi was caught completely off guard.

"I..."

She instinctively tried to defend herself, but no words came out.

Reiji slowly walked toward her.

"You blackmailed me without even thinking this far ahead, didn’t you?"

Aoi let out an awkward laugh as she unconsciously took a step backward.

"Haha... well..."

Reiji didn’t stop.

As she retreated, he calmly continued walking toward her.

"So confident back then."

Another step.

"And now you’re retreating."

"U-Uh..."

Aoi hurriedly searched for a way to change the subject, but her mind was completely blank.

’What is this pressure...?’

It wasn’t mana.

It wasn’t bloodlust.

Nor was it killing intent.

Yet every step Reiji took somehow made it increasingly difficult for her to oppose him.

It wasn’t suffocating.

If anything, it was strangely gentle.

Yet that calmness somehow made it even harder to resist.

’I can’t take this...’

A cold sensation spread across her back as she bumped into the wall.

She froze.

Reiji stopped directly in front of her.

Without saying a word, he placed both hands against the wall on either side of her.

The distance between them disappeared.

A gentle breeze swept through the area.

The hood covering part of Reiji’s face shifted slightly as the moonlight slipped through, illuminating his features.

Aoi’s breathing stopped.

For a brief moment...

She simply stared.

His face, which had remained hidden beneath the hood all this time, was now partially revealed beneath the pale moonlight.

Her heartbeat unconsciously quickened.

’Reiji... is...’

Before she could finish the thought, Reiji spoke.

"I remember someone saying she’d expose me."

His calm voice pulled her back to reality.

"So..."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"What happened to the girl who kept threatening me every five minutes?"

Aoi’s face immediately turned bright red.

"T-That..." She looked away. "I was just..."

For the first time since meeting Reiji...

The usually sharp-tongued Aoi Tachibana couldn’t think of a single comeback.

Staring at her expression, Reiji felt strangely satisfied.

But he also knew that if he pushed things any further, it would start looking as though he was bullying her.

He quietly removed both hands from the wall.

Aoi blinked in confusion.

She was relieved that he had stopped, but that only made her feel even guiltier about everything she had done.

"I’m sorry..."

Reiji turned his head slightly.

"Hm?"

"I’m sorry for blackmailing you," Aoi muttered apologetically.

"Why are you apologizing? I’m not mad."

"No..."

Aoi slowly shook her head.

After everything that had happened inside the Labyrinth, she finally understood.

If Reiji had truly been angry with her, he wouldn’t have protected her over and over again.

Despite everything she had done, he had never looked down on her.

He had never insulted her.

He had never once used his strength against her.

"I’m really sorry."

She bowed deeply.

Reiji scratched the side of his head helplessly.

"You know... if you keep apologizing like this, it’ll start feeling like I’m the one blackmailing you."

He gently raised her back up.

Aoi looked at him for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.

"Can we start over?"

She extended her hand before Reiji had the chance to say anything.

"I’m Tachibana Aoi."

Reiji looked at the outstretched hand.

Then at the hopeful expression on her face.

After a long moment, he let out a quiet sigh.

"You’re really a handful."

He reached out and shook her hand.

"I’m Kurosawa Reiji."

A bright smile immediately bloomed across Aoi’s face.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kurosawa."

Reiji frowned. "What’s with the formalities? You’ve been calling me by my first name ever since we partnered up. Don’t suddenly become polite now."

Aoi couldn’t help but giggle. "Nice to meet you, Reiji."

A gentle breeze swept through the area.

The wind lifted Aoi’s hood just enough for the moonlight to illuminate her face.

Reiji unconsciously paused.

She was beautiful.

For just an instant, the sounds of engines, distant conversations, and clicking camera shutters seemed to fade into the background.

In terms of appearance, Aoi wasn’t lacking compared to Hina.

The smile on her face, the moonlight gently falling across her features, and the evening breeze made the entire scene look like something straight out of a painting.

His heart skipped a beat before he quietly looked away.

’...This might be troublesome.’

___________

Hello, everyone!

First of all, I’m sorry for the late upload.

I’m happy to say that this month performed much better than last month, and I hope we can keep that momentum going. Hopefully, this new month will perform even better! Thank you all for your continued support. Every comment, Power Stone, and gift means a lot to me and motivates me to keep writing.

Some of you may have noticed that a few recent Chapters had heavier exposition than usual. That’s because I relied on AI more than I normally would. I was in the middle of my exams and didn’t want to stop uploading altogether.

I hope you can forgive me for that. From now on, the writing will be my own work again, and I’ll do my best to deliver Chapters with the quality you deserve.

Thank you once again for sticking with me. If you’ve made it this far into the story, I hope you’ll continue to enjoy what’s coming next. There’s still so much more to come, and I hope that one day, if you feel the novel deserves it, you’ll consider supporting it with a super gift. 🥹

Once again thank you, everyone!