The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

5/5

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"So lame... Did I do something wrong? I don't think I treated her that harshly..."

After the agreed three-day partnership came to an end, the girl named Liliruca had fled from Yoru like she was escaping for her life, panic written all over her face.

Yoru couldn't understand what he'd done to make her avoid him like the plague.

Sure, he had used a bit of trickery to get her to draw out monsters as bait—but he'd always stepped in at the perfect moment to save her. She hadn't suffered a scratch.

"Why...? Everything was going perfectly. Why did she still run away?"

Thanks to Lily, Yoru had encountered a lot of monsters in the past two days. Aside from a few where he accidentally shattered the magic stones with his magic, he'd managed to defeat most of them with his longsword.

He was getting more and more proficient with the weapon—to the point that even he was surprised by how natural it felt in his hands.

It was as if he had been born to wield a sword.

However, his physical strength hadn't improved much. He was mostly relying on refined technique combined with frost magic to take the monsters down.

No matter how much he tried to hold back, he still couldn't suppress his cold aura completely. The frost would often act on its own, freezing monsters solid even before his blade reached them.

Still, by restraining himself as much as possible, Yoru at least managed to collect some magic stones, unlike before when he was left staring at piles of shattered ice.

"But why did she run away in fear...? I treated her pretty well, didn't I?"

Yoru sighed helplessly as he sat in a corner of the dungeon's fifth floor. Thanks to the girl, he'd earned over ten thousand valis in just two days. A decent sum, but still far from enough to buy a luxurious new home.

"Should I go find another supporter?"

Without his "bait," he once again found himself unable to attract monsters. As he pondered the idea of hiring another supporter, a sudden pulse ran through his chest.

This feeling—could it be?

Yoru widened his eyes and stood up, then walked off in a specific direction.

Two adventurers had just entered the fifth floor.

But not from above—rather, they had come from below.

With no obvious injuries and steady steps, Ais and Riveria had spent nearly three days making their way up from the 37th floor. Even though the journey required constant vigilance against monster attacks, neither of them showed any signs of fatigue.

They were almost back to the surface—but just as they reached the fifth floor, Ais suddenly stopped.

Riveria, walking behind her, called out to the girl with the beautiful golden hair.

"What is it?"

"He's here."

Her voice carried a trace of excitement. This girl who had recently defeated the floor boss of the 37th level solo—and was now qualified to ascend to Level 6—had a bright glint in her eyes.

"He… is?"

Riveria blinked, confused by Ais's words. And then, a figure stepped out from around the corner.

"Y–Yoru?!"

To run into Yoru here, and like this, even Riveria hadn't seen it coming.

After their last parting, Riveria had subconsciously tried to avoid seeing him again. She couldn't explain why, but some part of her feared what might happen if they spent time alone together.

When she'd heard Loki complaining after the Monster Festival, her first reaction had been disappointment—and then relief. Relief that she wouldn't have to be alone with Yoru again.

If it came to that... if they were alone together again, and Yoru actually did something—how would she react?

"Riveria..."

At first, when Yoru spotted her, he felt a rush of emotion. But now that they were actually face-to-face, he felt strangely calm.

A quiet sense of satisfaction filled him—just knowing she was safe and well was enough.

Though the heat in his chest didn't show on his face, his love for Riveria had only grown deeper. That was just the kind of man Yoru was—his emotions burned bright, even if he rarely showed them.

Ais had initially been excited when she saw Yoru. After defeating the floor boss, she'd wanted nothing more than to rush back and challenge him to a duel.

She hadn't expected to run into him like this—but they had crossed paths again.

Unfortunately, that meant she now had to watch the two of them flirt right in front of her.

"Hey… Are you two just going to pretend I'm not even here?"

Ais finally spoke up, a hint of resentment in her tone. Only then did Riveria snap out of her daze and awkwardly avert her gaze.

"Sorry, Ais… It's just that it's been so long since I last saw Riveria, I couldn't help myself."

Yoru smiled at Ais as he said this, causing Riveria to blush in embarrassment again.

Can you not just say those things with a straight face…? How am I even supposed to respond to that?

"Yoru, I defeated the floor boss of the 37th floor and gained enough feats to ascend to Level 6."

Ais said this proudly, and Yoru blinked in surprise—then smiled.

"Congratulations, Ais."

"But before I level up, there's one thing I must do. In order to settle things in my heart—I want to spar with you!"

"…Huh? Spar with me?"

Not only was Yoru caught off guard, even Riveria looked stunned.

"Why me? I don't think I'm strong enough to be your opponent, Ais."

Yoru said, but Ais shook her head.

"You defeated Bete like he was nothing. That alone makes you worthy. And unless I fight you—I won't be able to move past what happened."

As she said this, she recalled their first encounter.

If I want to reach Level 6… I must overcome the shadow of that frost. I must defeat it!

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