Volume 3 Chapter 179: The Wolves Of The Crimson Assassin

Redus couldn't speak.

The Necroshama officer stood frozen amid the wreckage of the dungeon, staring at the crimson-haired assassin who had just emptied nearly a hundred guild emblems onto the shattered stone floor. Each emblem bore the unmistakable insignia of Necroshama, and every single one represented a player who had been dispatched to reinforce the battle. The small metal tokens lay scattered among broken tiles and fragments of collapsed walls, their familiar markings illuminated by the faint light filtering through the ruined ceiling.

None of their owners had arrived.

Sayanaki had intercepted them before they could reach the dungeon, and judging by the blood coating Fenrir's Fang, she hadn't needed much time to accomplish it.

The assassin seemed entirely unconcerned by the number of people staring at her. She stood with one hand resting near her waist, calmly wiping the blade of her dagger with a small cloth. Her crimson hair fell over one shoulder as she inspected the weapon, turning it slightly to examine the edge. When she noticed a stubborn stain near the guard, she clicked her tongue in mild disapproval.

"Honestly," she muttered, "you'd think people would learn to stop bringing so many weapons they don't know how to use."

Redus's mouth opened slightly.

Then it closed again.

He looked toward the remaining Necroshama players near the entrance. Their rifles were still in their hands, and several had their fingers resting on their triggers, but none seemed particularly eager to resume firing. Some had instinctively taken a few steps backward, while others stared at the pile of guild emblems as though the tokens themselves had become a warning of what awaited them should they make the wrong decision.

The situation had deteriorated beyond anything Redus could have anticipated.

Their reinforcements had vanished before reaching the battlefield. Their original force had been crushed by Rio and Ryota, whose combined attacks had transformed the dungeon into a graveyard of broken weapons, shattered armor, and defeated players. Erik's prized hammer had been destroyed, Redus himself was barely able to remain upright, and the dungeon they had occupied as their stronghold was now little more than a crater surrounded by fractured walls.

And now Sayanaki had arrived.

Redus finally understood the true nature of their predicament. Rio and Ryota had already been more than enough to overwhelm Necroshama's forces, but the addition of an assassin who could eliminate nearly a hundred reinforcements before they even reached the battlefield made their situation incomprehensibly worse. Their numerical advantage, the very thing they had relied upon to intimidate smaller guilds, had become meaningless.

They had brought more people into the fight.

All that had accomplished was giving Sayanaki more targets.

She finished cleaning her dagger and lifted her eyes toward Redus. The officer immediately stiffened, his battered shoulders tensing as though he expected her to attack him without warning.

Instead, she smiled.

It was a pleasant, almost friendly expression, the sort of smile someone might offer an acquaintance in passing. Somehow, that made it considerably more frightening than an outright threat.

"What's wrong?" Sayanaki asked. "You've gone awfully quiet."

Redus said nothing.

Sayanaki tilted her head, allowing a few strands of crimson hair to slide across her cheek. "Oh, don't tell me you've run out of threats already. You were doing so well earlier."

His jaw tightened, but no answer came. The same man who had confidently promised to send wave after wave of reinforcements against Rio and Ryota now seemed incapable of producing a single coherent response.

Sayanaki gave a small, disappointed sigh before turning away from him. Her gaze swept across the remaining Necroshama soldiers, most of whom were now watching her with barely concealed fear. She seemed to be considering them the way a person might inspect a collection of tools, deciding which one to use first.

Then her attention shifted toward Rio.

"Hey, Rio."

Rio glanced back from where she stood beside the wounded Rabbit and Suo. The protective stone barrier Ryota had raised earlier still stood between them and the entrance, although its surface was riddled with bullet marks.

"Hm?"

Sayanaki pointed casually toward the remaining enemies.

"Can I have them?"

The question was delivered with the same easy tone someone might use to ask for an extra serving of dinner.

Ryota slowly turned his head toward her.

"...Have them?"

Sayanaki nodded as though the request were perfectly ordinary. "Yep."

She lifted Fenrir's Fang and examined its edge once more. "They've been causing trouble for you, right? I figured I'd help clean up."

Ryota stared at her for several seconds, apparently searching for an appropriate response.

"That's a very concerning way to describe a fight."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

Sayanaki's smile widened, leaving Ryota to reconsider whether there was any point in continuing the conversation.

Rio watched her for a moment before giving a small shrug. She had no particular reason to object. The remaining Necroshama players had participated in the attack, and their willingness to use their numerical advantage against weaker players had already made their intentions clear. If Sayanaki wanted to deal with them, Rio wasn't about to stand in her way.

"Sure," she replied.

She nodded toward the remaining soldiers, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

"Do what you want. Just don't let them reach Suo or Rabbit."

Sayanaki's face brightened immediately.

"Understood."

Redus's eyes widened.

"Wait—"

But Sayanaki had already begun walking toward his remaining subordinates.

She moved slowly, almost lazily, with Fenrir's Fang hanging loosely in one hand. Her footsteps echoed through the ruined dungeon as she crossed the shattered floor, stepping around broken stones and unconscious players without sparing them a glance. There was no urgency in her movements, no visible preparation for the battle ahead. She walked as though the outcome had already been decided and the only remaining task was to finish what she had started.

The remaining Necroshama soldiers immediately raised their weapons.

"STAY BACK!"

One of them shouted so loudly that his voice cracked. He held his rifle in both hands, pointing it directly at Sayanaki, but the weapon trembled enough to make his aim unreliable.

Sayanaki didn't stop.

"I SAID STAY AWAY!"

Another soldier raised his own rifle, his eyes darting nervously between the approaching assassin and his companions. "She's just one player! There are still enough of us to take her down!"

The declaration sounded more like an attempt to convince himself than a genuine assessment of their chances.

Sayanaki's smile never faded.

"Oh? That's encouraging."

The first rifle fired.

BANG!

A bullet streaked toward her chest, propelled through the dim chamber with a sharp crack that briefly drowned out the sound of falling rubble. Sayanaki shifted her upper body by the smallest possible amount, allowing the projectile to pass beside her shoulder. She didn't even break her stride.

A second rifle fired.

She tilted her head.

The bullet passed through the space where her forehead had been a fraction of a second earlier, disappearing into the darkness behind her.

Then three more weapons joined the barrage.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The gunshots reverberated throughout the chamber, their flashes illuminating Sayanaki's face in brief bursts of orange light. Dust rose from the floor as stray bullets struck the broken stone around her, sending tiny fragments skittering across the ground.

Yet Sayanaki continued advancing.

She stepped between the projectiles with astonishing ease. One passed beside her cheek, another skimmed past her waist, and a third struck the floor behind her. She moved with the casual rhythm of someone strolling through a crowded marketplace, occasionally leaning aside whenever a bullet came too close.

There was no visible strain in her movements. She wasn't frantically dodging or desperately searching for cover. She didn't even appear to be concentrating particularly hard.

She looked bored.

Worse, she looked entertained.

"Come on," Sayanaki called, her voice carrying clearly above the gunfire. "You have rifles. Surely you can do better than that."

"SHUT UP AND SHOOT HER!"

The soldiers fired again, their formation deteriorating as panic began to overcome discipline. Muzzle flashes filled the chamber, and bullets tore through the space Sayanaki occupied only moments before. One of the soldiers even abandoned his original position to obtain a clearer angle, nearly colliding with the person beside him in the process.

Then Sayanaki suddenly disappeared.

For a fraction of a second, the entire group lost sight of her.

The gunfire faltered.

One soldier blinked rapidly, sweeping his rifle across the empty space ahead of him.

"...Where—?"

A crimson shadow appeared directly beside him.

Sayanaki stood within arm's reach, her smile visible beneath the strands of hair framing her face. She was close enough that the soldier could see the faint reflection of his own frightened expression in the polished surface of her dagger.

His eyes widened.

He barely had time to inhale before she moved.

Fenrir's Fang thrust forward with a short, precise motion.

The dagger pierced his skull, and his body went rigid. His rifle slipped from his hands and clattered against the floor as his avatar registered the fatal damage. A burst of luminous particles scattered around him, dissolving his body before he could even collapse properly.

Sayanaki withdrew her weapon and watched the particles drift away.

Then she looked toward the remaining soldiers.

"One."

For a moment, silence settled over the group.

The Necroshama players stared at the empty space where their comrade had stood. Their rifles remained pointed in Sayanaki's direction, but the confidence that had accompanied their first volley had disappeared. They had watched her evade their shots without difficulty, vanish from their field of vision, and eliminate one of them before anyone could react.

They finally understood that they weren't fighting an ordinary opponent.

Then panic overwhelmed them completely.

"RUN!"

One player dropped his rifle and sprinted toward the entrance. Another turned toward a side passage, desperately trying to find an escape route through the damaged dungeon. The others followed, abandoning their formation entirely as they scrambled over loose stones and broken equipment. Weapons fell from shaking hands, boots slipped against the rubble, and several players collided with one another in their frantic attempt to escape.

Sayanaki watched them flee.

Then she smirked.

"Too late."

Her voice was quiet, almost gentle, but it carried through the chamber with enough clarity to make several of the fleeing players hesitate.

"I already killed you all ten minutes ago."

The nearest soldier froze.

"...What?"

A thin crimson line appeared across his armor.

Then another.

And another.

For a moment, nothing happened. The soldier looked down at his body, confusion replacing his fear as he examined the faint marks spreading across his equipment. The cuts were so fine that he hadn't even felt them when they were inflicted.

His companions slowed as they noticed the same thing happening to them. Thin lines appeared across their armor and clothing, tracing invisible paths over their bodies. One player raised a trembling hand toward a mark on his chest, while another stared at the growing number of cuts across his arms.

Then the delayed effects of Sayanaki's earlier strikes finally took hold.

The invisible slashes she had carved into them during their frantic exchange of gunfire activated almost simultaneously. Their avatars registered the accumulated damage, and their health bars emptied before any of them could understand what had happened.

Their bodies jerked as the fatal damage took effect. Blood effects flashed across the dungeon, and the soldiers collapsed one after another, their avatars beginning to dissolve into particles of light before they could take another step.

The player nearest the entrance reached out as though he could somehow grab hold of the doorway and pull himself to safety. His hand never reached it. He disintegrated into shimmering particles that scattered across the broken floor, joining the remnants of his fallen companions.

One by one, the remaining Necroshama soldiers were eliminated.

The gunfire stopped.

The shouting stopped.

Even the frightened footsteps faded into silence.

Within moments, the entire group had been wiped out.

Sayanaki remained standing where she was, Fenrir's Fang held loosely at her side. She watched the final particles vanish before casually wiping her blade again, apparently satisfied with the result.

"See?" she murmured. "That wasn't so difficult."

Ryota stared at her from across the ruined chamber. He had witnessed plenty of ridiculous things since meeting Rio, but Sayanaki's casual attitude toward slaughter was rapidly establishing itself as a separate category of absurdity.

"...You just killed an entire reinforcement group while making fun of their aim."

Sayanaki glanced over her shoulder.

"Would you prefer that I complimented them?"

Ryota considered the question with surprising seriousness.

"...No, actually."

"Thought so."

She sheathed Fenrir's Fang and began walking back toward Rio. Her steps were as unhurried as before, as though she had merely stepped away to handle an insignificant errand. The bodies of the defeated players had already vanished, leaving behind scattered equipment and the occasional item dropped during the chaos.

When Sayanaki reached the center of the chamber, she turned her attention toward Redus and Erik.

Both men were horrified.

Redus remained on one knee, his body covered in wounds and his armor shattered from Rio's attacks. His breathing was ragged, and one hand rested against the floor to keep himself from collapsing completely. Erik leaned heavily against the broken pillar, one arm wrapped around his injured side. Several meters away, the remains of his destroyed hammer lay scattered across the stone, its once-impressive head reduced to twisted fragments.

Neither officer attempted to stand in Sayanaki's path.

Neither seemed capable of finding the words to threaten her.

Their entire force had been destroyed. Their reinforcements had been killed before reaching the dungeon, and the soldiers who had arrived moments earlier had been eliminated in front of them without inflicting so much as a meaningful injury.

Now the woman responsible for that massacre stood directly before them, smiling as though she were enjoying herself.

Redus looked toward Rio.

Then Ryota.

Finally, his gaze returned to Sayanaki.

He understood now that there was no realistic path to victory. Their weapons, numbers, and reputation had failed them, and the people standing before him had barely seemed inconvenienced by the effort required to dismantle Necroshama's forces.

Not with these three fighting together.

Sayanaki noticed him staring and gave him a cheerful little wave.

"Hi again."

Redus's face twitched.

She laughed softly.

"Still not feeling talkative?"

He remained silent, his expression rigid with humiliation and fear.

"That's fine," Sayanaki continued. "I can work with quiet people."

Then she slowly raised her left hand.

A system notification appeared before her eyes, its translucent lettering hovering in the air as she activated another skill.

[Assassin Skill: Fenrir's Fang]

A dark-red magic circle formed beneath her feet. Its intricate patterns spread across the fractured floor, casting a crimson glow over the surrounding rubble. The air seemed to grow heavier as particles of light swirled around Sayanaki, gathering into two distinct shapes beside her.

The first silhouette emerged from the darkness like a shadow taking physical form. Four paws struck the shattered stone with a heavy thud, followed by the appearance of a powerful body covered in black fur. Its shoulders were broad, its legs long and muscular, and its thick coat seemed to absorb the faint light around it. When it raised its head, two sharp eyes glowed with a faint crimson radiance.

The enormous wolf opened its jaws slightly, revealing a row of formidable fangs.

A second creature materialized beside it.

This wolf was just as imposing, but its coat was completely white. Its fur reflected the remaining light in the chamber, making it appear almost ghostly against the dark stone. Its pale eyes moved across the battlefield with cold, predatory focus, briefly passing over the scattered weapons before settling on the wounded officers.

A system notification appeared above the two creatures.

[Summon Successful]

Skoll — Black Wolf of Fenrir

Hati — White Wolf of Fenrir

The wolves lowered their heads and growled.

The sound rolled through the ruined dungeon, deep enough to make several unconscious players stir before falling still again. Their claws scraped against the stone as they shifted their weight, and their eyes remained fixed on the two men who had been left at Sayanaki's mercy.

Skoll's black lips curled back, revealing its fangs as it focused on Erik.

Hati slowly moved to the opposite side, its pale eyes settling on Redus.

Neither wolf seemed interested in anything else.

Sayanaki rested one hand on her hip and regarded her summons with obvious satisfaction.

"Good boys."

Both wolves continued growling, their attention unwavering.

She then looked toward Rio.

"So, what should we do with these two?"

Rio glanced over her shoulder.

Redus and Erik immediately stiffened beneath the attention of the three players standing before them. Even in their battered condition, they seemed to understand that whatever happened next would be determined by the people they had spent the evening trying to intimidate.

For a moment, Rio considered the situation.

Redus was a ranking officer of Necroshama, while Erik had been directly responsible for harassing Suo and intimidating Rabbit's small guild. Both had participated in the attack, and neither had shown the slightest intention of stopping until their opponents were dead or exhausted. They had treated the dungeon as their personal territory and everyone weaker than them as someone who could be threatened into submission.

Rio had no intention of pretending otherwise.

However, she also had no interest in wasting the rest of the evening listening to their excuses. She had already spent enough time dealing with Necroshama, and there were more important matters that required her attention. Suo and Rabbit were still recovering from the attack, the dungeon had been reduced to ruins, and the consequences of revealing her identity would need to be considered.

Redus and Erik were no longer her priority.

Rio turned away.

"Do what you must. I have more important things to prioritize."

Sayanaki's smile widened.

The answer was all the permission she needed.

"Understood."

She looked down at the two wolves, and the playful amusement in her expression sharpened into something far more deliberate.

"Skoll. Hati."

Both creatures immediately focused on her.

Sayanaki's voice remained calm, but there was no mistaking the command behind it.

"Leave no survivors. Tear them apart."

The wolves lunged.

Skoll crossed the distance to Erik in a single explosive leap. The black wolf struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him away from the pillar before its jaws clamped onto his armor. Erik screamed and desperately tried to push the creature away, but his battered arms could barely support his own weight, let alone resist the enormous beast bearing down on him.

"GET IT OFF ME!"

He clawed at Skoll's head and tried to summon another weapon, but his damaged condition and dwindling resources left him unable to mount a proper defense. The wolf's claws tore through what remained of his armor, and it dragged him across the shattered floor as he struggled helplessly.

On the opposite side of the chamber, Hati attacked Redus.

The white wolf slammed into the officer before he could reach for his fallen greatsword. Redus struck the ground hard, coughing as the impact forced the air from his lungs. He tried to crawl away, scraping his hands against the broken stone in a desperate attempt to put distance between himself and the creature.

Hati caught up with him almost immediately and pinned him beneath its forepaws.

"NO! GET AWAY!"

Redus swung a trembling arm toward the wolf's face. Hati snapped its jaws, forcing him to recoil before the creature attacked again. The officer tried to twist free, but his injuries had left him too weak to escape the wolf's weight.

Their screams echoed through the dungeon.

Erik shouted for his men, but there were no soldiers left to answer him. Redus tried to command his subordinates to help, only to remember that the reinforcements who had entered moments earlier were already dead. The few players who had survived the earlier fighting were either incapacitated or had fled, leaving the two officers completely alone.

The realization seemed to break what little composure Redus had left.

He had spent so long relying on Necroshama's numbers that he had never seriously considered what would happen if those numbers failed him. He had believed that enough weapons, enough reinforcements, and enough pressure could force anyone to surrender. Against smaller guilds, that belief had worked often enough to become a habit.

Now he was learning what happened when intimidation stopped working.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Sayanaki watched the wolves work with a satisfied expression, while Rio walked away without looking back. Ryota lingered for a moment, watching the two creatures overwhelm the officers, before deciding that there was little reason to interfere. The battle had already been decided, and neither Redus nor Erik had shown any willingness to surrender or take responsibility for their actions.

The screams eventually faded.

The two officers' avatars collapsed beneath the wolves' attacks, and their bodies dissolved into the familiar particles of light that signaled defeat. Their equipment remained scattered across the dungeon floor, joining the weapons and armor abandoned by their subordinates.

Skoll and Hati stepped away from the empty spaces where their targets had fallen. Both wolves returned to Sayanaki's side, their tails moving slowly as they waited for their next command.

Sayanaki crouched and patted each of them on the head.

"Good work."

Skoll answered with a low growl, while Hati nudged her hand as though asking for more attention.

Sayanaki laughed.

"Yes, yes. I'll get you something later."

Ryota watched the exchange with a mixture of fascination and concern. The two wolves were large enough to make even experienced players think twice about approaching them, yet Sayanaki treated them like ordinary household pets. The contrast was difficult to reconcile with the scene that had unfolded only moments earlier.

"...You know, I think you're the only person I've met who can make summoning two giant wolves look like getting home from work."

Sayanaki stood and smiled at him.

"Practice."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"It explains enough."

Ryota sighed, shaking his head.

"Of course it does."

Sayanaki merely smiled as though his frustration were a source of personal amusement. While she returned her attention to the loot scattered around the dungeon, Rio had already reached Suo and Rabbit.

The two women were still behind the protective stone barrier Ryota had raised earlier. Much of its surface had been chipped away by the gunfire, and several deep cracks ran through the thick stone. Nevertheless, the barrier had held long enough to prevent the bullets from reaching them, and that had been enough to keep the situation from becoming even worse.

Suo immediately stood when Rio approached.

"Rio!"

"Easy," Rio said gently. "The fight's over."

Suo looked past her toward the center of the chamber, where Sayanaki's wolves stood beside their master. Their enormous silhouettes were difficult to ignore, particularly with the faint crimson light still reflecting in Skoll's eyes.

"...Is it really?"

Rio followed her gaze.

"For now."

The answer wasn't particularly reassuring, but Suo seemed too exhausted to argue. She had spent the battle trapped behind the barrier, listening to gunfire and the sounds of combat while knowing that Rabbit and the other members of her small guild had been targeted by Necroshama. Even after the fighting had stopped, the tension remained in her shoulders.

Rio crouched beside Rabbit.

The young guild leader was pale and visibly shaken. Her left shoulder and right knee had been struck by bullets, and although the bleeding had stopped in places, the wounds still caused her considerable pain. She had been trying to remain quiet throughout the fight, perhaps out of fear that any movement or sound might draw the attention of Necroshama's soldiers.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, however, the adrenaline that had kept her composed began to fade. Her hands trembled as she tried to steady herself, and her breathing remained shallow.

Rio opened her inventory and withdrew several health potions. Their glass containers caught the light as she placed them within Rabbit's reach.

"Here. Drink one first."

Rabbit stared at the bottles as though she couldn't quite believe what Rio was offering her.

"...For me?"

"Yes."

"But these are expensive."

Rio placed the potions carefully into Rabbit's hands.

"And being shot is expensive too. Drink."

Rabbit blinked at her.

For a brief moment, she seemed unsure whether Rio was serious. Then she glanced at Suo, who gave her an encouraging nod, and finally looked down at the potions again.

Rio's expression remained patient, but there was a firmness in her voice that made it clear she wasn't going to accept another argument.

Rabbit hesitated for another moment before opening one of the bottles and drinking its contents.

A soft glow spread across her body. The bleeding wounds gradually closed, and the pain in her shoulder and knee began to ease as the potion restored her health. Her breathing became steadier, although the exhaustion and fear left behind by the battle didn't disappear so easily.

After Rio examined her status and confirmed that the first potion hadn't fully restored her, Rabbit drank a second one. The remaining pain gradually faded, allowing her to breathe more comfortably.

She carefully lowered the empty bottles and looked down at her hands. They were no longer trembling as violently as before.

Then she tried to stand.

Her right knee wobbled beneath her, and she nearly fell before Suo caught her arm.

"Careful!"

Rabbit grabbed Suo's shoulder and steadied herself, taking a moment to regain her balance. After another attempt, she finally managed to stand on her own, though she still leaned slightly toward her companion.

She looked toward Rio, then toward Ryota, who was approaching with his sword resting against his shoulder. Sayanaki followed a short distance behind him, accompanied by Skoll and Hati.

For several seconds, Rabbit seemed unable to speak. Her eyes moved from one person to the next, as though she were trying to find the right words to express everything she had been holding inside since the attack began.

Then she bowed deeply.

"Thank you."

Her voice trembled, but this time it wasn't from fear.

"All of you. You saved us."

Suo bowed beside her, her expression filled with relief and gratitude.

"Thank you for coming when I contacted you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

Rio shook her head.

"You don't have to thank us for doing the right thing."

Ryota nodded in agreement.

"Besides, destroying a barricade and beating up a bunch of bullies was surprisingly satisfying."

Rio glanced at him.

"That's not the reason we came."

"I know. I'm just saying it was a nice bonus."

Suo couldn't help smiling at their exchange. The tension in her face softened, and Rabbit let out a small laugh as well, although her eyes remained damp with the shock of what had happened. It was difficult to return to normal after watching an armed group attempt to overwhelm them, but Rio and Ryota's casual banter gave them something else to focus on.

Sayanaki approached the group, wiping the remaining blood from Fenrir's Fang before returning the dagger to its sheath.

"Well, that was entertaining."

Rabbit looked at the two wolves following her, their massive bodies making it difficult to pretend they weren't there.

"...Those are yours?"

Sayanaki smiled.

"Of course."

Skoll lowered its head toward Rabbit, its crimson eyes examining her with what might have been curiosity.

The young woman immediately stiffened and stepped behind Suo.

Sayanaki patted the black wolf's neck.

"Don't worry. They're friendly."

Skoll opened its mouth, revealing a full set of sharp teeth.

Rabbit slowly leaned farther behind Suo.

"...I'm sure they are."

Ryota covered his mouth, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh.

Sayanaki noticed his reaction and grinned.

"What? They haven't bitten anyone in at least a few minutes."

"That is not a reassuring measurement of time!"

Rio sighed, although a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Even after the violence of the previous few minutes, Sayanaki somehow managed to make the situation more ridiculous than it needed to be.

For the first time since Necroshama's attack began, the atmosphere around the group finally started to relax.

The relief didn't last uninterrupted, however. Suo's expression gradually changed as she began looking at Rio more carefully. The questions she had been suppressing throughout the battle were finally catching up with her. She remembered the blue-scarlet aura that had surrounded Rio's attacks, the strange temporal effects that had interfered with her opponents' movements, and the devastating slash that had cut through Necroshama's formation.

She had seen Rio fight before, but never like that.

Nor had she expected someone who carried herself so casually to possess the power to dismantle an entire group of armed players. Rio hadn't merely survived the encounter; she had dictated its pace from beginning to end, treating Necroshama's numbers as an inconvenience rather than a serious obstacle.

Suo hesitated before speaking.

"Rio..."

Rio turned toward her.

"Hm?"

Suo glanced at Ryota, perhaps hoping his expression might give her some clue, before returning her attention to Rio.

"Are you really... Crowned Era's guild leader?"

The question caused Rabbit to look up immediately.

She had heard of Crowned Era. Most players who followed the major guild rankings had. It was an Apex guild, one of the highest classifications in Evermount, and its name had begun appearing more frequently in conversations among experienced players. The guild's reputation had spread well beyond its own members, reaching even players who spent most of their time exploring dungeons or gathering materials rather than participating in large-scale battles.

But Rabbit had never imagined that the woman who had helped them find a safer dungeon would be its leader.

Suo swallowed before continuing.

"And you and Ryota... are you really members of Crowned Era? The Apex guild?"

Ryota glanced at Rio.

For once, he didn't interrupt with a joke. He seemed to recognize that Suo's question was more than simple curiosity. Their identities carried weight, and learning the truth would inevitably change how the two women understood the encounter.

Rio looked at them quietly.

She could have denied it. Their guild identities had been concealed for a reason, and revealing them would inevitably draw attention. However, Necroshama had already witnessed her weapons, her skills, and the level of power she possessed. Keeping the truth from Suo and Rabbit would accomplish very little now, especially after everything they had experienced together.

Besides, they had trusted her enough to follow her into the dungeon and had relied on her when Necroshama threatened them.

They deserved an honest answer.

Rio nodded.

"Yes."

Suo's eyes widened.

Rio continued in the same calm voice she used when discussing an ordinary matter.

"I'm Rio, the guild master of Crowned Era. Ryota is one of my closest companions and a core member of the guild."

Ryota raised a hand in greeting.

"Hello."

Rio slowly glanced at him.

"That's your contribution?"

"What? I thought introductions were supposed to be friendly."

Rabbit stared at him, apparently struggling to reconcile his casual manner with the scene she had just witnessed. Then she looked at Rio, hoping the guild leader might provide a more serious explanation.

"...You destroyed Necroshama's barricade, defeated their officers, and fought through an entire armed group. And you're telling me you're from an Apex guild?"

Ryota scratched his cheek.

"Technically, Rio did most of the dramatic stuff."

Rio raised an eyebrow.

"You punched a crater into the floor."

"Yeah, but yours had butterflies."

"...That's not a valid comparison."

Suo let out a small laugh, though her expression remained full of disbelief. The exchange between them was so casual that it almost seemed impossible to connect it with the destruction surrounding them. Yet that ease with one another also made their strength easier to understand. They had fought together as though they already knew exactly what the other would do.

"So it really was true..." Suo murmured.

Rio tilted her head.

"What was?"

Suo looked toward the ruined battlefield. The shattered walls, scattered weapons, and empty spaces where defeated players had vanished served as a rather convincing answer to the question of what Crowned Era was capable of.

"The rumors about Crowned Era. I heard your guild was different from the others, but I didn't think..."

She paused, struggling to find the right words. Her eyes dropped briefly toward the ground before returning to Rio.

"...I didn't think the guild leader herself would come to help someone like me."

Rio's expression softened.

"Someone like you?"

Suo lowered her eyes, her fingers tightening slightly at her sides.

"I'm an Explorer Scout. I'm not a frontline fighter. I can't deal much damage, and most guilds only want me when they need someone to check a route or look for traps. Once the expedition reaches the dangerous part, they expect people like me to take the risks first."

She glanced toward Rabbit.

"Rabbit and her guildmates were in the same position. Necroshama treated us as though we were disposable because we weren't strong enough to fight back."

Rabbit's hands tightened around the empty potion bottles. She had experienced the same treatment often enough to recognize the truth in Suo's words. Being part of a small guild had meant learning to avoid conflicts with stronger groups, even when those groups took resources, claimed hunting grounds, or threatened players who had no way of defending themselves.

Rio listened without interrupting.

Suo continued, her voice becoming quieter as she spoke about the belief she had gradually accepted.

"I thought that was just how the game worked. Strong players make the rules, and everyone else has to accept them."

She finally looked up.

"But you didn't."

Rio met her gaze.

"No."

Her answer was simple and firm, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

"Being stronger doesn't give someone the right to treat other people as disposable."

Suo stared at her, apparently taken aback by how readily Rio said it. There was no grand speech or self-important declaration behind the words. Rio spoke as though the principle were obvious, something that should never have needed to be explained in the first place.

She continued, her tone remaining calm.

"Explorers find paths that combat players can't see. Scouts identify danger before an entire party walks into it. Gatherers provide materials that keep equipment and supplies available. Crafters turn those materials into something useful. Every role has value."

Rio glanced toward Rabbit.

"And a small guild isn't worthless just because it can't defeat a large one in a straight fight."

Rabbit looked up at her, her expression slowly changing.

Rio's gaze shifted toward the wreckage left by Necroshama's attack.

"Necroshama wants people to believe that numbers and intimidation are the same thing as strength. They're not."

Ryota folded his arms.

"Besides, if their idea of leadership is pointing rifles at beginners, I don't think they have much to brag about."

Sayanaki smiled from behind them.

"Personally, I think they're excellent at dying."

"That's not helping," Rio said.

"I thought it was."

"It wasn't."

Sayanaki shrugged, entirely unbothered by the criticism. She seemed perfectly content with her own assessment, and judging by the number of defeated Necroshama players scattered throughout the dungeon, she had little reason to doubt her effectiveness.

Rabbit let out a shaky laugh. It was small and tentative, but it helped release some of the tension that had kept her shoulders rigid. Suo followed with a softer laugh of her own.

For the first time that evening, Rabbit didn't feel as though she had to apologize for being weak.

She had spent so long believing that survival depended on staying out of the way of powerful players that she had begun to mistake helplessness for an unavoidable part of the game. Yet Rio had come to help without demanding anything in return, and neither she nor Ryota had treated Suo and Rabbit as burdens that needed to be carried.

That realization was difficult to put into words.

Suo, however, still had one question she couldn't ignore.

"Then... why did you hide your identity?"

Rio considered the question for a moment.

"Because I prefer people to judge me by what I do, not by the name attached to my guild."

She glanced toward the destroyed dungeon entrance, where the broken remains of Necroshama's barricade lay scattered across the ground.

"Although, given what happened here, I suspect keeping that secret will be more difficult from now on."

Ryota looked at the crater.

Then at the shattered walls.

Finally, he looked at the piles of defeated players and the equipment scattered between them.

"...You think?"

Rio gave him a flat look.

"Don't start."

He smiled innocently.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"That's not a crime."

"With you, I'm not sure."

Ryota placed a hand against his chest as though deeply wounded by the accusation.

"Wow. After everything we've been through together, you still don't trust me."

Rio turned away.

"Correct."

Suo laughed again, and this time Rabbit joined her. Their laughter wasn't loud, and neither woman had completely recovered from the ordeal, but the sound carried a warmth that had been absent since Necroshama first appeared.

The dungeon was still ruined. Necroshama had not disappeared, and there would almost certainly be consequences for what had happened. A guild with that many members and that much influence wasn't likely to accept the destruction of its officers and the humiliation of its forces without responding. Even if Redus and Erik had deserved their defeat, the guild might still seek revenge against the people responsible.

But that problem could wait until they had dealt with the immediate aftermath.

Rio looked toward Suo and Rabbit.

"For now, let's get you both somewhere safe. We'll discuss what happens next after you've rested."

Suo nodded. Her expression remained serious, but some of the uncertainty that had weighed on her earlier had begun to disappear.

Rabbit bowed once more, this time without the desperation that had filled her earlier thanks.

"Thank you, Rio."

Rio smiled.

"You're welcome."

Behind them, Sayanaki had already crouched beside the remains of Redus and Erik, opening their loot windows with the casual enthusiasm of someone browsing a market stall. The defeated officers' equipment and possessions were displayed in translucent system panels, allowing her to inspect what had been left behind.

"Let's see what these two were carrying..."

Ryota glanced over.

"...Are you looting them already?"

Sayanaki didn't even look up.

"Of course. They'll be gone for five hours before they can respawn, right?"

She smirked as the system displayed their defeat timers. The officers would be unable to return immediately, leaving plenty of time to sort through whatever they had dropped.

"That's plenty of time to sell anything we don't want."

Rio closed her eyes for a moment, briefly wondering whether it was worth arguing with her.

"...Please don't steal anything that belongs to Suo or Rabbit."

Sayanaki looked offended.

"Rio. I'm an assassin, not a thief."

Everyone stared at her.

The silence stretched just long enough to make the statement sound increasingly ridiculous.

Sayanaki paused.

Then she smiled.

"...Well, not exclusively."

Ryota burst out laughing. He bent forward slightly, one hand resting against his knee as he struggled to contain himself, while Suo and Rabbit exchanged an incredulous glance.

Even Rio couldn't stop herself from smiling.

The dungeon remained a wreck. Necroshama's surviving members were scattered and defeated, their officers had been sent into their respawn timers, and the guild's carefully cultivated reputation had suffered a humiliating blow. The immediate threat had passed, but the consequences of the battle would undoubtedly reach beyond the ruined chamber.

Yet as Suo and Rabbit stood beside the people who had come to help them, the fear that had dominated the beginning of the evening finally began to recede.

They had learned who Rio and Ryota really were.

They had seen what Crowned Era was capable of.

More importantly, they had discovered that the strongest players in Evermount didn't all believe strength gave them the right to rule everyone else. Power could be used to intimidate and exploit, as Necroshama had demonstrated, but it could also be used to protect people who had no way of defending themselves.

For Suo and Rabbit, that realization might have been more important than any rare loot the dungeon could have offered.

Because for the first time since Necroshama began claiming the public dungeon as its own, they could imagine a future in which they didn't have to face the guild alone.