The Corridor Mountains of Floor 1 Area D.
Siloque was dressed in a dungeoneering set consisting of a windbreaker and trousers.
Hill wore her usual set of light armor, though her boots were a newly purchased pair designed for slip resistance and increased speed.
Countless sharp stones hung from the ceiling of the wide cavern.
Siloque walked along the edge, leading Hill through several twists and turns until they stood before a wall.
Siloque channeled the magic within his body and activated [Alchemy].
The wall vanished silently, revealing a square space with a transmission gate standing right in the center.
He and Hill stepped inside.
After peering out to confirm no one was nearby, they sealed the wall behind them once more.
The two passed through the transmission gate and arrived—
“Brother, did we take a wrong turn? This is the Second Floor.”
Hill stepped out of the hidden cave and immediately recognized the location by the grassy plains and the bulls in the distance.
“Didn’t you say we were going to find the Dragon sisters? Are they on the Second Floor?”
“We didn’t take a wrong turn. We’re going to Asmodi’s to stock up on some goods first. Once we’re prepared, then we’ll go. If we do run into Andre and his group, I want our current equipment to at least maximize our ability to escape, if not win.”
As they walked along the grass path of the Second Floor, a bovine monster leaped out.
The monster was called a “Ball-headed Bull.”
In truth, it was exactly as its name described: a massive bull that used its bulging, rounded forehead to launch incredibly powerful heavy-ramming attacks.
Siloque and Hill watched as the monster—standing 5 meters tall at the shoulder with four horns on its head—scraped the ground repeatedly with its thick front legs.
The monster let out a “Moo—!!” and charged toward them.
Hill didn’t even bother to shout.
Raising her buckler, she deployed the [AT Defense Field] skill.
The Ball-headed Bull slammed into the shield with the sound of snapping bone, yet the massive impact—comparable to a crashing SUV—failed to move Hill even a fraction of an inch.
Taking advantage of the monster’s stagger from the head-on collision, Hill aimed for its soft underbelly.
With her right gauntlet glowing with a golden special effect, she punched through its abdomen and pulled out the Crystal Core.
The Ball-headed Bull turned to dust before it could even let out a dying scream.
The entire sequence was fluid and practiced.
Siloque couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
He didn’t even have to lift a finger, yet the Experience Points flowed into his body automatically.
‘My sister is getting more and more skilled at combat. Her style is all about maximum efficiency.’
Although he had already equipped her with the high-tier damage skill [Flare Poison Lightning], the upgrade to [Poison Flame], she rarely had the chance to use it.
Part of the reason was that he accompanied Hill every time they went dungeoneering, and they rarely provoked large groups of monsters… but the main reason was that Hill seemed to prefer the physical sensation of fists hitting flesh.
Hill used a cleaning towel to wipe her gauntlets and then cleaned the blood off the finger-sized Crystal Core.
She tossed it into her storage bracelet and continued toward the bridge with Siloque.
“I get it. Prepare first before acting. Otherwise, even if we went, we’d just be watching from the sidelines. Or we’d rush in yelling ‘Stop it!’ only to be defeated in a fit of powerless rage, then mocked by the villain with lines like ‘Run back and cry to your mommy’ or ‘Go ahead and scream, no one will hear you no matter how loud you shout’—something like that, right?”
She continued the conversation nonchalantly, even throwing a few practice punches into the air.
“…Well, yeah. Exactly. You understand quite well.”
“It’s a classic feature of old GALGAME protagonists, usually to trigger some fanservice plot. The protagonist usually likes to ‘watch’ from the side due to ‘lack of ability’ until the heroine is beaten up and her clothes are shredded.”
“Then he jumps in to take a blow for her… I always wondered if the protagonist was doing it on purpose. Why watch for so long if you have no chance or strength?”
“Older harem manga followed similar tropes. Though I know it wasn’t just these useless protagonists, and there were works with invincible main characters, those tropes were what blew up back then. Plenty of people started drawing them to follow the trend.”
“Exactly! …Brother, you better not start a harem. We are all about pure love.”
“Oh, that? ‘Pure affection between family,’ referred to as pure love for short.”
‘W-What harem? Beiren and I are in a healthy relationship.’
Siloque felt a twinge of guilt.
“Ahem. Setting aside whatever you mean by pure love, I remember you picked up some bones from an Abyssfire Dragon Remnant last time?”
Seeing Siloque’s blatant attempt to change the subject, Hill murmured, “Brother is such a coward.”
“Yeah, I have them. Does Brother want to use them for soup?”
His sister’s face instantly shifted into a smile, her previous seriousness vanishing.
“Those bones are hundreds of years old. There wouldn’t be a hint of marrow fragrance in a soup…”
Siloque’s gaze swept over Hill like a scanner, looking her over from head to toe.
“Including the dragon horns we collected before, the Fenru Monster hides, and the Whirlwind Bee stingers… it should be enough.”
Hill hugged her body shyly but happily.
“B-Brother, what are you saying? You’re staring at me with such lecherous eyes.”
‘I’m looking at your armor.’
‘I was clearly looking with emotionless eyes. How was that lecherous?’
After crossing the barrier of tree roots and exchanging the secret code, the two were transported to a specific space: Asmodi’s Domain.
***
“Yo! Lady Boss! We’re here! …Whoa, today’s style is even more daring.”
Hill showed a look of envy.
“I thought it was impressive before, but your figure is seriously amazing.”
Siloque agreed wholeheartedly.
‘Maintaining a body like that without training or exercise—that’s the charm of the 2D world.’
Splash, splash.
The sound of water.
In front of the shop, there used to be a small grand hall.
Now, there was a swimming pool about 50 square meters in size.
He wasn’t sure what the logic was, but since this was Asmodi’s space, she could change it however she wanted.
Every time they visited, there was a chance they would see Asmodi doing something different.
Sometimes she was in a maid outfit, sometimes a kimono, and sometimes even office lady attire.
“You’re here. Welcome.”
Asmodi was wearing a purple bikini that accentuated her figure, accented with black trim and straps that exuded a mature aura.
She was sexy, bold, and beautiful.
The straps at her waist and shoulders looked as if they would come loose with a gentle touch, making one’s heart race just by looking at her.
Her long, straight legs were more than enough to put any Miss Universe to shame.
She sat atop an inflatable blue bat with a cute design, drifting in the center of the pool.
Surrounding her were three fluffy creatures.
They were “Jukei,” familiars that looked like a cross between a wolf and a lion, with short limbs and square bodies about 50 centimeters tall.
They held trays laden with pastries and hot tea, floating around their mistress as she enjoyed the sun and snacks.
Siloque mentally cheered for the glory of swimsuits, but then he noticed his sister peeking at him from time to time with a dissatisfied pout.
Learning from the last time, he spoke up before Hill could cast a sharp glare his way.
“Hello, Lady Boss. I’m here to buy a few things today.”
‘Honestly, Hill, you were staring blankly yourself. There’s no need to be so strict with your brother.’
Siloque pushed aside his appreciation for art and took a piece of paper from his Ring Chart.
It was a pre-written shopping list.
By quickly grabbing everything they needed and cutting down on browsing time, they could go find Tiana and the others sooner.
“Um, Lady Asmodi?”
Asmodi was staring blankly at the sky.
She lay on her floatie, holding a teacup and drinking tea, looking like she had absolutely no intention of moving.
“Can you have your familiars bring this to you?”
The Jukei showed no sign of moving either.
‘…What are they doing? No service today?’
Siloque didn’t want to get his clothes wet, nor did he want to shout every single item on the list out loud.
He folded the paper into a paper airplane and threw it over, only for it to circle around and fly right back to him.
Asmodi watched with a look of amusement.
“Hmm…”
Siloque was speechless.
He figured this swimsuit demon was just putting on airs.
Just as he was wondering whether to use a skill to create a bridge to walk over—
“Brother, that’s not how you do it.”
Hill picked up the paper airplane and dusted it off.
She then began to take off her clothes, revealing the large expanse of soft, fair skin on her stomach—
Siloque turned his head away.
“You’re going into the water?”
He hadn’t reached the level where he could watch his sister undress with a straight face.
However, Siloque was confident he could watch any beautiful woman other than his sister undress without batting an eye.
“Yeah! It just so happens I have some things to give her too.”
The sound of rustling fabric reached his ears, and Siloque couldn’t help but recall the night the three of them shared a bathroom.
“Hee hee, it’s okay for Brother to look. I’ve seen yours too, after all.”
“This isn’t exactly a fair trade.”
When Siloque felt enough time had passed, he looked back at Hill.
She had changed into a white T-shirt, with the hem tied up to expose her waist and abdomen, paired with loose-fitting ultra-short shorts.
Hill picked up the paper and tentatively dipped her toes into the water.
“Ooh—Brother, the water is cool and feels great.”
“Don’t go in without warming up. Watch out for cramps.”
“I’m not exactly swimming, and the pool isn’t that deep.”
In fact, with Hill standing on her tiptoes on the bottom, the water level only reached her lower abdomen.
She waded through the water, holding the paper high to keep it dry.
When she reached Asmodi, she presented it with both hands.
“Here you go, Big Sister. It’s Brother’s shopping list.”
Asmodi nodded with satisfaction while patting Hill’s golden, grain-colored hair.
She looked at Siloque with an expression that said, “See that? You should learn from your sister.”
‘So that’s it. She just wanted to feel pampered.’
‘How troublesome.’
Siloque’s lip twitched; he couldn’t quite understand the mindset of the elderly.
Asmodi scanned the contents of the paper and gave a look to the Jukei.
In less than 3 seconds, there was the sound of footsteps and the pleasant ringing of metal.
Two Jukei emerged from the villa carrying large bags, brushing against the wind chimes as they crossed the threshold.
The bags contained the items Siloque needed—mostly fire talismans, barrier-breaking tools, magic engines, and various other miscellaneous goods.
One Jukei walked up to Siloque, holding the Balance of Things in its short hands.
Siloque quickly paid in cash and stored the pile of items into his Ring Chart.
In the pool, Hill was excitedly chatting with Asmodi.
Hill pulled a brand new NS handheld console from her storage bracelet and gave it to Asmodi.
She taught Asmodi how to use the handheld to play games, specifically casual games like PVZ.
Asmodi nodded repeatedly, clumsily tapping the screen with one finger, occasionally letting out a kind and surprised smile.
‘…Good grief. Is my sister wooing Asmodi?’
Siloque couldn’t help but rub his temples before making his next request.
“Lady Boss, one more thing. I’d like to ask you to craft a new set of armor for my sister.”