The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

5/5

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The festival continued smoothly afterward. Despite the major incident of monsters escaping, it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of many participants. In fact, the chaos only served to further boost the fame of the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein. Her swift and elegant defeat of the monsters left a lasting impression on the crowd.

In contrast, Yoru had left so quickly that hardly anyone even noticed him. Though there were a few murmurs about the mysterious swordsman who froze and defeated a Silverback, no one had any idea who he actually was.

Hestia, after waking up, finally seemed to understand why Yoru came back from the Dungeon every day with no earnings.

"It must be because you're just too strong, right? The monsters probably get frozen to pieces—magic stones and all!"

Her big round eyes blinked at him expectantly, and Yoru wasn't quite sure how to respond. Should he just admit that he hadn't even encountered any monsters at all?

Scratching his head in frustration, Yoru decided to make one last attempt. This time, he would bring along a supporter. If even then he couldn't find any monsters, he'd come clean with Hestia and ask if she knew any way to fix this.

Come to think of it, it wasn't that there were no monsters in the Dungeon—it's that he never encountered them when he went in alone.

Monsters typically emerged from the Dungeon walls. But whenever Yoru entered solo, not a single one would appear.

That didn't mean he hadn't seen monsters—he frequently saw other adventurers fighting them. But snatching kills was considered a serious offense, especially on the upper floors. Since he never ran into any real danger himself, there was no excuse to intervene.

Beyond the fifth floor, adventurers became few and far between. The ones who did venture that deep were extremely cautious and avoided unnecessary contact with others.

So if he always came up empty-handed when acting alone, maybe bringing a supporter would finally trigger a monster spawn?

With that thought, Yoru proposed the idea at the Guild. Sitting across from him in the consultation booth, Eina frowned deeply before giving a slow nod.

"Given the circumstances, we still can't explain why you aren't encountering any monsters. Bringing a supporter sounds like a good plan."

Then her expression turned stern.

"But! If you're going to bring someone with you, you need to be even more careful. Don't go below the fifth floor. You got that? Absolutely no going deeper! Don't forget—you haven't even completed your original mission of killing a single goblin yet!"

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Yoru replied with a confident nod, though Eina clearly didn't share his optimism.

"You know what you're doing?" If only that were true…

She muttered in her heart, eyeing the large, cloth-wrapped sword strapped to Yoru's back.

"New weapon, huh? But are you sure you can even use a sword like that?"

Yoru had been registered as an adventurer for nearly a month now, but as far as she knew, he hadn't even fought once. And wasn't his goddess saying he might go down the mage route?

Why was he carrying a greatsword, of all things?

Rookie adventurers were usually given rapiers or short swords—something agile and light. Even Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess, wielded a thin, elegant sword.

But a greatsword? That was no joke. Even seasoned veterans struggled with that kind of weapon. For a greenhorn like Yoru, it was completely unreasonable.

"I'm telling you, bigger isn't better. A sword like that is just dead weight. And in the Dungeon, where danger is everywhere, you might not even be able to draw it in time if a monster ambushes you!"

The bulky sword wrapped in cloth certainly looked impressive—but it wasn't practical. A good weapon should be easy to grip and swing at any moment. This oversized thing was just flashy and utterly unsuitable for a newbie.

"You never change, Eina. Always worrying about this and that."

Yoru laughed, shaking his head.

"What do you mean 'this and that'?! Everything I've said is important! These things could literally be the difference between life and death!"

"I know… You're looking out for me. But you really don't have to worry so much…"

Eina frowned, about to retort—when suddenly, an unnatural chill spread through the small booth.

Her entire body trembled involuntarily.

The half-elf girl instinctively hugged herself and glanced around in confusion.

W-What's going on? Why did it suddenly get so cold?

"I'm not some child that needs to be coddled and protected, Eina."

His voice—gentle, deep, and intoxicating—whispered by her ear.

Their eyes met.

The warm expression on Yoru's face caused Eina's breath to hitch, her heart pounding.

W-What the hell is with that look?! That's cheating… totally unfair…

Lost in her own flustered thoughts, she suddenly realized she was already leaning into his chest—and the chill in the air had somehow vanished completely.

"W-What did you just do…?"

Her face turned bright red as she tried to push away from him—but his arms held her securely.

"H-Hey! Don't mess around, okay?! My coworkers are right outside!"

Yoru tilted his head, confused by her reaction, and simply placed one hand on her forehead.

"Don't struggle. Just feel it. My power."

As his words settled in the air, Eina stopped resisting. Her expression shifted to one of stunned realization.

She felt it at last.

That faint but overwhelming presence in the room—a power colder than ice.

A force so terrifyingly pure it made her soul shiver.

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FF92E

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