Mason’s heart pounded heavily in his chest, a wave of indescribable, complex emotions surging up.
He didn’t know whether to be ecstatic about discovering such a powerful ally or to feel a hint of instinctual fear at this near-mythical strength.
“Red…”
He swallowed hard and spoke slowly.
“These Tracking Falcons… what’s the maximum number you can release at once?”
“Only about dozens or so,” Red shrugged.
“They don’t consume much Mana, but correspondingly, their attack power isn’t very strong. I might need to optimize them further later.”
“Doz—Dozens?!”
The corner of Mason’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Especially seeing Red’s slightly disgusted expression, as if he were saying ‘it’s not good enough,’ a strong scent of humblebragging wafted toward him, making him want to bury his face in his hands and sigh.
Unbelievable.
What did he mean by ‘just so-so’?
Currently, Red was only on the Twenty-Third Floor, and his combat power was neither high nor low.
If he waited until he climbed to the areas above the Thirtieth Floor…
It might not be dozens of Tracking Falcons, but dozens of soul-reaping harvesters!
“Honestly, Red, why don’t you join us at Judgment Holy Night?”
Because he knew of Red’s terrifying potential, Mason threw out the olive branch once again.
“With your skills, being just a Weapon Shop Owner is truly a waste of talent.”
Facing Mason’s heartfelt recruitment, Red only sighed helplessly.
A hint of weariness appeared on his face as he refused in a gentle tone.
“I’m sorry, Mason. The Dungeon… those days of living on a knife’s edge, never knowing if I’ll see tomorrow, I’ve long had enough of that.”
“Now, I just want to look after my shop, find a wife in the future, and live a stable and peaceful life. So, for the time being, I have no intention of joining any Hero Party.”
Regret flashed through Mason’s eyes, almost becoming tangible.
He knew Red’s value, but he also understood his choice.
However, Mason did not give up.
He said patiently, “If the day ever comes when you pick up the idea of adventuring again, please be sure to find me.”
“Yeah, I’ll consider it.”
After the conversation with Mason ended, the team of three people and one dog continued forward along the small path.
***
In Nightbright Town, the cold light of early morning filtered through the window, casting a dim, lattice-like pattern on the floor.
Letia sat up abruptly in bed.
Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her temples throbbed as if struck by an invisible hammer.
She clutched her aching head and struggled to prop herself up.
From the moment Red stepped into the Twenty-Fourth Floor of the Dungeon, her dreams had been dragged completely into the abyss.
There were no longer clear images, only a boundless, churning mist of chaos, so thick it wouldn’t dissipate.
Deep within the mist, countless malicious gazes felt like cold maggots, slimily clinging to every inch of her consciousness, bringing a bone-chilling sense of suffocation.
To put it simply… it was like being in that game from her previous life called Silent Hill.
Everything around her had become distorted and oppressive, filled with indescribable malice and whispers.
In such a twisted dream, the boundary between reality and illusion had completely dissolved.
She was like a lone boat lost in a turbulent current of consciousness, having lost even the most basic sense of space and time.
Even when she woke up, she felt a wave of relief and lingering fear.
However, after calming down, Letia let out a sigh of relief.
Although the Script was becoming blurred, one thing was certain: just like before on the Twenty-Seventh Floor, the plot of the Twenty-Fourth Floor had become fragmented and indistinct.
It was like a mirror completely covered in thick steam, no longer reflecting any certain future.
From this perspective, letting Red enter the Dungeon was the right choice.
If she were still the Letia nailed to the role of the Villain by the Script, and had never bothered to ‘grind’ Red’s favor, then he wouldn’t have trusted her so easily.
It would have been impossible for him to willingly return to the Dungeon that buried his past just because of her evidence-less claims.
And if there hadn’t been the character of Litt to pull him back from the darkness, he would likely have left Nightbright Town quietly with a body full of scars, disappearing into some unknown corner.
He had changed a lot now… and so had she.
Now that the content of the Script had begun to change, all her previous efforts had not been in vain.
However, because she could not follow Red into the Twenty-Fourth Floor, the only thing she could do now was place all her hope and trust in him.
Thinking of this, a hint of worry inevitably arose in Letia’s heart.
True, thanks to her warning, Red had made preparations far beyond the norm.
His level of readiness even crushed the Dawnblade team, which was specifically assembled to conquer the Twenty-Fourth Floor.
But… what if?
Last time on the Twenty-Seventh Floor, hadn’t the Script been changed then too?
But if she hadn’t desperately followed him in…
Red would have died in that Monster Tide long ago.
In such a desperate situation, she didn’t believe some random hero would just appear out of nowhere to save him.
So what about the plot of the Twenty-Fourth Floor this time?
Would the Correction Force of the Script strike back in some dangerous way?
“Ugh…”
Letia scratched her messy silver hair in frustration and let out a sigh of resignation.
“At this point, what else can I do but trust him?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to follow.
But the cold sentence in the Script that read ‘Dies on the Twenty-Fifth Floor’ was like a guillotine hanging over her head.
Who could guarantee that her death wouldn’t be triggered by going to the Twenty-Fourth Floor?
Therefore, the safest, most survival-focused plan was to do exactly what she was doing now.
Stay obediently in the safe Stronghold, stay put, and wait for Red to get through this damn plot.
As long as she could endure this period and avoid triggering that damn Death Flag…
She might be able to become completely safe.
At that time, the sky would be the limit.
To celebrate such a wonderful thing, she wouldn’t even mind giving her meager body to Red once.
Anyway, with his lack of experience, he’d probably be like a barbarian king—a true man for only five seconds.
“There’s still more than a day before the Ritual begins. I’ll go to the Sacred Heart Monastery and take a look first.”
Letia originally intended to put on her Mask, but thinking of what Otto had said to her before, the hand holding the mask gradually lowered.
It was undeniable… after waiting for Red to complete this plot, there would be no need for her to continue disguising herself as Litt.
Or rather, she wouldn’t be able to disguise herself as Litt.
But here was the problem: how should she, who was no longer disguised as Litt, explain things to Red…
…so that he wouldn’t hang her up and beat her with a big stick?
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