The eighteenth floor of the dungeon was also a safe zone. Ren carried one person on his back and another in his arms. The blonde girl's hair fell over Ren's chest, hiding her face from view. His hard armor bumped against his legs as he moved.
The girl in his arms was small and delicate, appearing extremely quiet. Reaching the eighteenth floor, this combination attracted a lot of attention, because this was still a dungeon, and some adventurers came looking for trouble.
Ren held Lefiya in the crook of one arm while carrying two girls on him. With his free hand, he swung his sword to knock out anyone who tried to intervene, then looked around at the others.
With that display of power, no one dared cause trouble. They could only watch as Ren carried the two girls away.
"That outfit, and that sword… could she be the Sword Princess of the Loki Familia?"
"Could it really be?"
"Wow, looks like that guy's having fun."
"Hah, go notify the Loki Familia." Some, jealous or unwilling to admit it, headed straight for the exit.
At a nearby inn, Ren booked a twin room. The innkeeper had worked here for many years and knew the rules—he wouldn't reveal his emotions or pry into the guests' affairs. As long as the money was paid, anyone could be accommodated.
Ignoring the stares of others, Ren placed the two girls on the bed. He only removed the Sword Princess's armor and didn't meddle further.
Today's impulsive actions were part of his test. He only knew that the enhancement magic would amplify his abilities, though he wasn't sure by how much. It was a good data point.
Of course, he also earned the admiration of the beautiful girl. Bell hadn't been wrong—seeking encounters in the dungeon wasn't a bad idea. Ren picked up the Sword Princess's armor and began maintaining it.
"Lefiya, get up if you are wake."
"When… did you notice?" Lefiya's ears turned red.
"When I held you in one arm. Sorry, I needed to face the enemy," Ren apologized.
"It's…it's okay," Lefiya said, shaking her head repeatedly. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had actually woken up while in his arms. Though being held was a little uncomfortable, most of the time, she felt extremely happy.
"Ren, what's your full name?" Lefiya asked seriously.
"Full name? My name is just Ren. I don't have a surname," he replied.
"No surname?" Lefiya looked puzzled.
"I was abandoned at birth and grew up in a place for foundlings. From the start, I never planned to give myself a surname." Ren's past in this world hadn't been kind.
But because the children there helped one another and the head of the orphanage had taken him in, his personality didn't turn bitter.
The sharing with his other selves had given him more than just strength—it also taught him how to deal with villains.
"Sorry…"
"Lefiya, why are you apologizing?" Ren stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the elf who was bowing her head in apology.
"Because…"
"My past was so terrible, and I really am sorry it affected you."
"Pfft—" Lefiya laughed, but realizing it wasn't appropriate, she tried to hold it in, which only made it more painful.
"By the way, how did we first meet?"
"Our first meeting… back then, I just thought you were so rude, and Tiona too, you didn't even give me a chance to refuse."
"I, on the other hand, thought it was nice to meet a beautiful girl by chance," Ren said sincerely.
The atmosphere grew quiet. Lefiya lowered her head so Ren couldn't see her face, her pointed ears flushed bright red.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Ren went back to repairing Ais's armor.
After a while, Lefiya quietly lifted her head to glance at Ren. She saw him focused on the maintenance and felt uneasy, comforting herself that it was only because she admired Ais that she didn't want others touching her.
Early the next morning, Ren had stayed up all night, keeping himself disciplined. Lefiya had long fallen asleep, and he spent the night in the dungeon again. When he returned, he'd definitely get lectured.
At that moment, the inn door was kicked open. A werewolf burst in, followed by the Amazon sisters and Riveria.
"Damn, I'm late." Bete saw the two women on the bed, and with the Sword Princess's armor on the table, it was obvious it had already happened. Without thinking, Bete unleashed his full strength, aiming straight for Ren's head.
"Wait, Bete…" Ais woke up just in time and saw Bete ready to strike, quickly moving to stop him.
Lefiya, without hesitation, leapt at Ren. Bete was level 5, and her level was too low to oppose him directly, so this was the only way to intervene.
Bete couldn't hold back now; his last strike had been fueled by anger.
"Lefiya, don't try to force me into a hero-rescues-the-girl scenario," Ren sighed, catching her midair and quickly dodging Bete's attack.
Bete's expression grew serious. Seeing someone casually save another under his full-strength attack meant that their power could surpass his by far. But because of Ais's words and Lefiya's actions, he didn't act recklessly.
"Looks like you two got yourselves into something serious," Riveria said as she entered.
"Ren, you're amazing. You got Lefiya to risk herself to save someone in one move," Tiona said, giving a thumbs up.
"Don't… don't say that," Lefiya panicked, struggling to free herself from Ren's arms.
"Although I'd like to disagree, I can't argue with what just happened," Ren joked.
"Ha ha ha." Tiona laughed outright.
"Which floor did you go to this time? Staying here for the night?" Riveria asked.
At that moment, Bete realized he seemed to be the only one completely in the dark and immediately interrupted, "Wait, what's going on? You two know each other?"
Ren ignored Bete's question and answered directly, "The Floor Boss of the 37th floor."
The room fell into a dead silence. The Floor Boss of the 37th floor was a Level 6 monster, incredibly powerful.
"You're not saying you beat them, right?" Even bold Tiona looked utterly incredulous.
"It was Ais. She challenged the Floor Boss alone. She should be able to reach Level 6 now." Ren cut her off before she could say more.
"Really?" Bete looked at Ais.
"Mm." Ais, who rarely spoke, understood Ren's meaning and nodded in agreement.
"Hmph. No matter how strong you want to get, don't drag others down." Bete said and left the room immediately, clearly provoked.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Tiona asked worriedly.
"He's at least Level 5 now. He won't act recklessly, but he'll probably spend a long time in the dungeon." Riveria said, fully aware of the situation.
"Since you're here, I'll be off. Ais, here's your armor. It's been repaired." Ren pointed to the armor on the table.
"Wait, you're also a blacksmith? Is there anything you can't do?" Tiona was amazed; every encounter with him brought a new surprise.
"Just a hobby." Ren replied casually before leaving. He still had to hurry back before getting scolded.
"He's gone for quite a while." Tiona patted Lefiya on the shoulder.
"Ah~" Lefiya woke up with a start.
"This is bad. We've completely lost control." Tiona sighed. Even after explaining everything to her, she hadn't been cautious enough.
**********
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