Volume 3 Chapter 180: The Rewards They Didn’t Need

The dungeon had finally fallen quiet.

For the first time since the battle began, the ruined chamber was no longer filled with the sounds of clashing weapons, gunfire, or the desperate shouting of Necroshama's soldiers. The last traces of the battle were gradually disappearing as the system processed the defeated players and their equipment. Broken stone covered the floor, deep cracks stretched across the walls, and the enormous crater left by Ryota's final attack dominated the center of the chamber. Dust drifted through the air, settling over shattered pillars and fragments of armor that had been abandoned during the fighting.

Despite the destruction, the dungeon's reward chests remained intact. They stood in their designated chamber, untouched by the chaos, waiting to be collected by the players who had defeated the boss. Their polished surfaces looked almost absurdly pristine compared with the devastation surrounding them.

Sayanaki was still examining the loot she had taken from Redus and Erik, occasionally opening a system window to inspect an item's properties. Skoll and Hati rested nearby, their enormous bodies occupying a considerable portion of the remaining space. Every so often, one of the wolves raised its head to observe the people moving around the dungeon before settling down again.

Ryota stood beside Rio, looking over the battlefield with the satisfied expression of someone who had just finished a particularly enjoyable workout. Considering that his final attack had destroyed a substantial portion of the dungeon, he seemed remarkably unconcerned about the damage.

Meanwhile, Rabbit and Suo remained near the protective stone barrier he had raised earlier. Although the barrier had been chipped and fractured by Necroshama's gunfire, it had done its job. The two women had survived the attack, and the immediate threat was finally gone.

Both were exhausted. Rabbit had recovered enough to stand after drinking the health potions Rio had given her, but being shot and watching her companions fall had clearly taken a toll. Even with her wounds healed, the memory of the battle remained fresh in her mind. Suo wasn't in much better condition, although her injuries were comparatively minor. She repeatedly glanced toward the dungeon entrance, as if half expecting another group of Necroshama players to come charging through it.

Fortunately, no one appeared.

After a while, Rabbit released a long, weary sigh. She lowered her shoulders and rubbed her face, trying to gather her thoughts after everything that had happened.

"...Well, that was certainly something."

Rio, who had been checking the dungeon's status through her interface, glanced up at the sound of her voice.

"Something" was certainly one way to describe the evening. They had entered the hidden dungeon, defeated its boss, dismantled Necroshama's forces, destroyed a significant portion of the surrounding architecture, and somehow ended up with Sayanaki's summoned wolves standing beside them as though the entire affair had been an ordinary expedition.

Rabbit looked toward Rio, her expression gradually becoming more serious.

"About what happened earlier..."

Rio closed her interface and turned to face her.

"Hm?"

Rabbit hesitated. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully, perhaps worried that she might say something inappropriate after everything Rio and the others had done for them. Eventually, she took a breath and continued.

"I understand why you kept your identity secret. Being the leader of an Apex guild must attract a lot of attention, and judging by what happened today, I can see why you wouldn't want everyone knowing who you are."

She gave Rio a small, understanding smile.

"Honestly, I don't mind. You had your reasons, and you didn't owe us an explanation before we even knew each other."

Suo looked at Rabbit before nodding in agreement. Although she had been surprised to learn that Rio was the guild master of Crowned Era, the explanation made sense to her. A player carrying the name of a powerful guild would inevitably attract attention, and not all of that attention would be welcome. Some people would seek help, others would try to exploit the connection, and still others might approach Rio with expectations she had never agreed to fulfill.

"I was surprised when you told us, but I understand," Suo added. "If I were in your position, I'd probably want to keep people from treating me differently just because of my guild."

Rio's expression softened. She had expected questions, perhaps even suspicion, after revealing her identity. Instead, Rabbit and Suo had accepted her explanation without demanding anything more.

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

Rabbit straightened slightly, then looked around the ruined chamber. Her attention settled on the intact reward chests, and the practical concerns of their situation gradually returned to the forefront of her mind. The fighting was over, but there was still plenty to do before they could leave the dungeon.

"Anyway, what should we do now?" she asked. "The boss is defeated, and the dungeon rewards are still here. Should we collect everything and divide it between our groups?"

Rio shook her head.

"No. You and Suo should take the loot."

Rabbit blinked, momentarily unsure whether she had heard correctly.

"...What?"

Rio closed her interface and gestured toward the reward chamber.

"Take everything from the dungeon and divide it between yourself, Suo, and your two companions who were killed. Make sure their shares are kept for them when they respawn."

For several seconds, neither Rabbit nor Suo responded. They simply stared at Rio, trying to determine whether she was serious.

Rabbit slowly raised a hand.

"Wait. All of it?"

"Yes."

"You're giving us the entire dungeon's loot?"

Rio nodded as though she had just explained something obvious.

"That's right."

Rabbit stared at her in disbelief. Suo looked equally bewildered, her gaze shifting between Rio and the reward chests.

"But..." Suo began, glancing toward Ryota. "Ryota was the one who fought the boss. He defeated it almost immediately, and Rio was the one who brought us here. We barely contributed anything to the fight."

Rabbit nodded quickly, eager to reinforce her companion's point.

"Exactly! If anyone deserves the rewards, it's you two. We didn't even get the chance to fight the boss properly."

Ryota looked between them, then gave a casual shrug.

"She's right about one thing. I did kill the boss."

Rabbit's expression brightened slightly, as though she expected him to argue in favor of keeping at least part of the rewards. Perhaps he would claim the boss's rarest drop, while Rio took the most valuable equipment and the remaining items were divided among the others. That would have been a perfectly reasonable arrangement after everything they had accomplished.

Then Ryota continued.

"But we don't need the loot."

Rabbit's hopeful expression froze.

"...You don't?"

"Nope."

He casually gestured toward Rio, as though the decision had already been settled and there was nothing left to discuss.

"She's already decided, and when Rio makes up her mind about something, arguing is usually a waste of time."

Rio slowly turned toward him.

"That's a rather unflattering way to describe it."

"Would you prefer 'decisive and confident'?"

"That would be more accurate."

Ryota grinned.

"See? That's what I said."

"No, you didn't."

"Close enough."

Rabbit and Suo stared at the pair.

They had expected a negotiation. Perhaps Rio would take the rarest equipment, Ryota would claim the most valuable materials, and the remaining rewards would be divided among the others. Even if the two of them decided to be generous, Rabbit had assumed they would at least keep something for themselves after carrying most of the burden of clearing the dungeon.

Instead, the two strongest players in the chamber were casually giving everything away.

Rabbit looked toward the reward chamber again. The chests contained valuable materials, equipment, potions, and currency. For a small guild like Rabbit Hole, those rewards could make a substantial difference. They could repair damaged equipment, replace lost supplies, and help the surviving members prepare for future expeditions. The materials alone might save them hours of gathering, while the currency could cover expenses that would otherwise force them to delay their plans.

Yet Rio and Ryota were willing to surrender all of it without asking for anything in return.

Rabbit struggled to understand why.

"But why?" she finally asked. "You went through all this trouble to bring us here. You fought Necroshama, defeated their officers, and cleared the dungeon. Don't you want anything for yourselves?"

Rio answered without hesitation.

"We don't need the resources."

She briefly opened her status window, checking a few details before closing it again.

"Ryota and I are already well ahead of most players at this stage of the game. We have equipment, money, and enough resources to continue progressing. The rewards from this dungeon would be useful, but they wouldn't change much for us."

She looked directly at Rabbit.

"For your guild, though, they could make a real difference."

Rabbit's expression gradually changed as Rio explained. She had been so focused on the immediate question of who deserved the rewards that she hadn't considered how differently the same resources might affect their respective situations.

Rio continued, her tone practical rather than boastful.

"You have two companions who were killed today. When they respawn, they'll have lost a substantial portion of their equipment and resources. Your guild is small, and replacing everything could take a long time."

The consequences of death in Evermount were severe enough that even experienced players had to consider the risks before entering dangerous areas. Losing equipment, experience, and money could set a player back considerably, and the burden was even heavier for those who lacked a wealthy guild to support them.

Rio's gaze softened.

"Keep the loot. Use it to help your members recover. That's what matters."

Suo lowered her head.

She remembered the way Necroshama had treated them. Their small guilds had been dismissed as weak, their contributions overlooked, and their lives treated as expendable. They had been expected to accept whatever treatment stronger players chose to impose because they lacked the strength to resist.

Rio was doing the opposite.

She wasn't asking them to repay her. She wasn't demanding loyalty or offering help in exchange for joining Crowned Era. She wasn't even trying to turn the situation into an opportunity to recruit them. She was simply giving them the means to stand on their own.

Rabbit finally bowed.

"...Thank you."

Her voice was quiet but sincere.

"Both of you. I don't know how we're supposed to repay this."

"You don't have to," Rio replied.

Ryota nodded in agreement, although his expression soon shifted into the familiar mischievous smile that usually meant he was about to say something troublesome.

"Besides, if you really want to repay us, try not to let Necroshama bully you again."

Rabbit gave a weak laugh.

"I'll certainly try."

"Good. Because next time, they might bring a bigger hammer, and I don't want to have to destroy another one."

Rio sighed.

"Please stop encouraging them to attack us."

"I'm not encouraging them. I'm warning them about the consequences."

"Somehow, I don't think they'll interpret it that way."

Sayanaki, who had been sorting through the loot taken from Redus and Erik, laughed softly without looking up from her inventory window.

"They'd be welcome to try. I'd appreciate the exercise."

Rabbit glanced toward her.

Then she looked at Skoll and Hati, who were resting beside their master. Both wolves seemed perfectly content to wait for their next command, but their enormous bodies and sharp fangs made it difficult to forget what they had done to Necroshama's officers.

"...I'm beginning to understand why everyone in your guild is terrifying."

Sayanaki smiled proudly.

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

Rio rubbed her forehead, already regretting how easily the conversation had devolved into another exchange of teasing remarks.

"Can we please finish this conversation before she decides to demonstrate something?"

Sayanaki shrugged and returned to sorting the loot.

Rabbit and Suo exchanged a look. Neither quite knew how to respond to the group's strange combination of overwhelming power and casual humor. The three players had dismantled Necroshama's forces with a level of efficiency that should have been frightening, yet they spoke to one another as though they were simply passing the time during an ordinary afternoon.

Still, the tension that had gripped Rabbit and Suo throughout the battle was finally beginning to ease.

After a moment, Rabbit took a breath and nodded.

"All right. We'll accept the rewards."

She looked at Rio and Ryota again, her expression becoming more resolute.

"Thank you. I'll make sure the loot is divided fairly between everyone in Rabbit Hole, including our two companions when they return."

"Good," Rio replied. "That's all I ask."

Suo smiled faintly.

"And... thank you for bringing us here in the first place."

Rio waved away the gratitude.

"You're welcome."

Then, as though remembering an important detail she had neglected to mention, Rio turned back toward the dungeon's information panel.

"Actually, there's one more thing you should know about this dungeon."

Rabbit immediately straightened.

"Something else?"

Rio nodded.

"Once your companions have respawned and recovered, you can come back here and fight the boss again."

Both women froze.

"...Again?" Rabbit repeated.

Rio nodded.

"That's right."

Suo looked toward the ruined arena, where the boss had fallen during the earlier battle. The remains of the fight were still visible in the damaged floor, and it was difficult to imagine the enormous creature returning to life after the destruction it had caused.

"But the boss is dead," Suo pointed out.

"At the moment, yes."

Rio opened the dungeon information window and adjusted its display so the two women could see the relevant details.

"This is a special type of hidden dungeon. Unlike ordinary dungeons where a boss might require a full reset or a specific condition to reappear, this one has a boss that respawns every few hours."

Rabbit's eyes widened.

"Every few hours?"

"Yes. You can return and clear it repeatedly."

Suo stared at the information panel, carefully reading the details as though she expected to discover some hidden restriction that would make the opportunity less valuable than it sounded.

"...So we could farm it?"

Rio smiled.

"Exactly."

The revelation seemed to hit both women at once.

A hidden dungeon was already valuable because it was difficult to discover and usually offered better rewards than ordinary hunting areas. Such locations could provide rare equipment, valuable materials, and substantial experience for players willing to overcome the challenges required to reach them.

But a dungeon with a boss that repeatedly respawned after only a few hours was an entirely different opportunity.

For a small guild, it could provide a reliable source of equipment, materials, experience, and currency. Instead of competing with larger groups for limited hunting grounds or searching for rare monsters across the map, Rabbit Hole could return to a location whose rewards they now understood and whose boss they could prepare to fight again.

There was, of course, one important condition.

They would need to become strong enough to defeat the boss consistently without relying on Rio and Ryota to carry them through every encounter.

Rabbit looked at Rio with renewed amazement.

"You brought us to a dungeon we can farm repeatedly, gave us all the rewards from the first clear, and now you're telling us we can come back whenever the boss respawns?"

Rio nodded.

"Provided you're prepared for the fight."

Rabbit pressed a hand against her chest, apparently struggling to process the scale of the opportunity.

"I don't even know what to say."

"Then don't worry about saying anything," Rio replied. "Just use the opportunity wisely."

Suo turned toward Rabbit, and a hopeful expression appeared on her face.

"Rabbit... this could really help us."

Rabbit nodded slowly.

"It could."

For the first time since Necroshama had begun intimidating them, Rabbit could imagine a future in which her guild wasn't constantly struggling to survive. They could rebuild their equipment, strengthen their members, and gradually become more capable of defending themselves. The dungeon wouldn't magically solve every problem they faced, but it would give them something they had been missing for a long time: a reliable opportunity to grow.

She looked back toward Rio.

"Thank you. Truly."

Rio smiled.

"You're welcome."

Rabbit bowed once more, and Suo followed her example.

The two women then began collecting the dungeon rewards, carefully organizing the materials and equipment so they could be divided later. Rabbit checked the items against their respective categories, while Suo helped gather the smaller drops scattered around the reward chamber. They made certain that everything valuable was accounted for, including the portions that would be reserved for their two fallen companions.

Rio and Ryota didn't interfere. They allowed Rabbit and Suo to decide how best to use what they had earned, knowing that the rewards would be more useful if the guild members themselves determined how to distribute them.

Sayanaki, meanwhile, continued sorting through the loot taken from Redus and Erik. Every so often, she made a quiet comment about an item's value or suitability, but she otherwise left Rabbit and Suo to their work.

Once the most valuable items had been secured and the reward chamber had been cleared, the group finally began preparing to leave.

However, before they reached the entrance, Ryota glanced toward Sayanaki.

"By the way, when did you actually arrive?"

Sayanaki looked up from the inventory window she was examining.

"Hm?"

Ryota pointed toward the entrance.

"You said you followed us here, but I never saw you enter the dungeon. Were you waiting outside?"

Sayanaki's smile returned.

"Not exactly."

Rio turned toward her.

"Go on."

Sayanaki crossed her arms, clearly enjoying the attention.

"I'd just received some information about Sarrow, the guild leader of Epsilon Dawn. I wanted to find you and tell you about it, so I started looking for you."

Rio's expression became more attentive at the mention of Sarrow.

"Did you learn anything useful?"

"Enough to discuss later," Sayanaki replied. "I was heading toward the forest when I noticed you and Ryota leading a group of beginners toward this area."

She gestured vaguely toward the ruined chamber, as though the destruction surrounding them were merely a minor detail in the story.

"Naturally, I became curious."

Ryota stared at her.

"So you followed us?"

"Yep."

"And you didn't think to announce yourself?"

Sayanaki smiled innocently.

"I was interested in seeing how the two of you handled a hidden dungeon boss."

Ryota narrowed his eyes.

"You were watching us fight?"

"More or less."

"How long were you here?"

Sayanaki paused to consider the question, then answered with the casual confidence of someone admitting to having arrived a few minutes early for an appointment.

"Since before the Drillmole appeared."

Ryota's expression went blank.

"...You've been here the entire time?"

"Pretty much."

He looked toward the arena where the Drillmole had been defeated, recalling the chaotic battle that had culminated in his final attack. He had punched the enormous creature into the air, struck it with overwhelming force, and finished the encounter in a way that had left the surrounding dungeon in ruins.

All the while, Sayanaki had apparently been nearby.

Ryota slowly turned back toward her.

"You watched me punch the boss into the ceiling, kill it, and destroy half the dungeon, and you didn't say anything?"

Sayanaki nodded.

"Correct."

"Why?"

"Because it was funny."

Ryota stared at her, his expression filled with genuine disbelief.

"...You're unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"Again, not a compliment."

"I know."

Rio sighed, although she couldn't completely hide her amusement. She was more interested in one particular detail of Sayanaki's explanation, however, and she turned to the assassin with a questioning look.

"Wait. If you were here the entire time, how did you get past the entrance without us noticing?"

Sayanaki's smirk widened.

"To be fair, Rio noticed me immediately. I told her to be quiet."

Ryota's head snapped toward Rio.

"WHAT?"

Rio shrugged.

"What?"

"You knew she was here?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't say anything?"

Rio gave him a perfectly composed look.

"It was a clone of her."

Ryota fell silent.

For a moment, he appeared to be waiting for the rest of the explanation, as though surely there had to be some distinction that would make the situation less ridiculous.

Rio continued matter-of-factly.

"The real Sayanaki didn't show up until a while later. The one I noticed at first was a clone, and she asked me not to reveal her presence."

Ryota looked from Rio to Sayanaki, then back to Rio again.

"So you knew an assassin was secretly watching us, and you decided that the best course of action was to say absolutely nothing to me?"

Rio tilted her head.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she asked me to."

Ryota stared at her in disbelief.

"That's your explanation?"

"It's a perfectly reasonable explanation."

"How is that reasonable?"

Rio folded her arms.

"Would you have behaved differently if I'd told you?"

Ryota opened his mouth.

Then he paused.

He thought about it for a moment, apparently considering the possibility that he might have reacted by looking for Sayanaki, demanding an explanation, or attempting to convince her to help with the fight.

Finally, he reluctantly admitted, "...Probably."

Rio gave him a small, satisfied nod.

"Exactly."

Ryota looked as though he had just lost an argument he hadn't realized he was having.

Sayanaki, meanwhile, seemed delighted by the entire exchange. She watched him struggle to formulate a response before allowing her smirk to widen.

"Don't feel too bad. You were entertaining enough without knowing I was there."

Ryota turned toward her.

"That doesn't make me feel better!"

"It wasn't supposed to."

Rio shook her head, silently wondering how two people could turn a simple explanation into such an unnecessarily complicated conversation.

Sayanaki then lifted a finger, returning to the original subject.

"Anyway, I sent a few of my clones to deal with the reinforcements who were following you. They were armed, so I figured I should take care of them before they could interfere."

Ryota slowly turned toward her.

"How many reinforcements?"

"Enough."

"Sayanaki."

She laughed.

"Don't worry about it. They won't be bothering anyone again."

The casual answer did little to clarify how many players she had intercepted, but Rio didn't press her for an exact number. Given the pile of Necroshama emblems Sayanaki had produced earlier, it was clear that the assassin had dealt with a substantial group before joining them.

Rio studied her for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. We'll discuss Sarrow's information back at headquarters."

Sayanaki immediately brightened.

"So we're going home?"

Rio nodded.

"Yes. We've done enough for today."

"Excellent."

Sayanaki turned toward the entrance, already looking far too pleased with herself.

"Come on, then. I want to sit down somewhere comfortable."

Ryota glanced at her.

"You were sitting inside a dungeon for the entire fight."

"Yes, and the floor was terrible."

"You could have used a chair."

"Where would I get a chair inside a hidden dungeon?"

Ryota opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

After a moment, he let out a reluctant sigh.

"...I hate that I can't argue with that."

Rio shook her head and began walking toward the entrance.

"Both of you, stop talking and start walking."

That finally ended the discussion, at least temporarily. The group gathered what remained of their belongings and began making its way out of the hidden dungeon, leaving the shattered battlefield behind them.

Rabbit and Suo walked together near the front, carrying the loot Rio had given them. Their steps were still somewhat tired, but the uncertainty that had weighed on them earlier had begun to lift. They now had a clear plan for what to do next: return to their guild, distribute the rewards fairly, help their fallen companions recover, and prepare for another attempt at the dungeon once the boss respawned.

Before they reached the forest path, Rabbit turned around and bowed one last time.

"We'll remember this. Both of you."

Rio nodded.

"Take care of your guild."

"We will."

Suo waved toward them.

"Thank you again!"

Ryota raised a hand in farewell.

"Good luck with the boss farming!"

Rabbit smiled.

"We'll need it!"

After one final exchange of goodbyes, Rabbit and Suo continued toward the Town of Beginnings. Their path led away from the dungeon and back toward the familiar roads of the beginner region, where they could reunite with their guildmates and begin planning their next expedition.

Rio watched them leave until the two women disappeared among the trees.

Only then did she turn toward Ryota and Sayanaki.

"Let's go."

The three began walking deeper into the forest, heading toward the route that would eventually lead them back to Crowned Era's headquarters. Their immediate business in the dungeon was finished, and Sayanaki's information about Sarrow and Epsilon Dawn would have to wait until they were somewhere they could discuss it properly.

None of them noticed that someone was watching them.

A short distance away from the main path, Suo had stopped behind a broad tree trunk. Partially concealed by its thick bark and the surrounding foliage, she watched Rio, Ryota, and Sayanaki move farther into the forest.

Rabbit had continued toward the Town of Beginnings with the dungeon rewards, trusting that the others would return to their headquarters. Suo, however, had hesitated before leaving. She had spent the entire walk thinking about something she still wanted to ask Rio, and the longer she considered it, the more difficult it became to abandon the question without an answer.

She hadn't wanted to bring it up while Rabbit was present. Nor had she felt comfortable asking while the group was still dealing with the aftermath of the battle. There had been too many other concerns, too many people to help, and too many things that needed to be settled first.

But now the opportunity was slipping away.

Suo watched the three figures grow smaller between the trees, her hands tightening nervously at her sides. She knew that following them without permission was probably a bad idea. Rio was the guild master of an Apex guild, Ryota was one of her closest companions, and Sayanaki was an assassin who had apparently eliminated an entire reinforcement group without anyone realizing how much she had done.

Following such people into the forest without explaining herself was hardly a sensible decision.

Even so, Suo couldn't bring herself to turn around.

"...Just one more question."

She took a careful step away from the tree, then another. Before moving any farther, she paused to make sure the group hadn't noticed her. Rio and the others continued along the forest path, their conversation growing quieter as the distance between them increased.

Suo waited until they were far enough ahead that she wouldn't immediately draw their attention. Then, keeping to the trees and following the trail they had left behind, she began moving after them.

She knew she was taking a risk. If they discovered her following them, she would have to explain why she hadn't simply asked her question earlier. And if they were heading somewhere they didn't want others to find, she could be intruding on something far more important than she realized.

But she had already come this far, and the question had become too important to leave unanswered.

With her resolve finally settled, Suo followed them deeper into the forest, determined to speak with Rio one last time.