The light from Lucian's body dissipated like golden dust, rising toward the ceiling of the ruined hall. The final echo of the swords' impact still vibrated through the shattered walls.
And that was when, in the middle of the respectful silence, a voice shattered everything:
— So you really called yourself Heron.
Sienna.
With a smile just as mocking as it was exhausted.
Kaelyn, still catching her breath, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
— Don't make things up, Shorty. I didn't call myself anything.
— Heron — Sienna repeated, savoring the word. — You said it yourself, I heard it. "A Heron never runs." — She crossed her arms. — Poetic, I'll give you that.
Kaelyn was about to respond when something caught her attention.
Marcus.
The soldier was still breathing heavily, his sword resting against his knees, staring at the fragments of Pride floating in the air. Kaelyn walked toward him and stopped in front of the warrior with the posture of a captain evaluating a recruit… and smiled.
A rare smile.
Warm.
Dangerous.
She grabbed his shoulders firmly and pulled him into an unexpected side embrace, tight enough to nearly crush his armor.
— You… are an excellent soldier. Extremely strong. Precise. What a beautiful strike that was at the end. I think you would make a magnificent partner with me on the front line.
Marcus' brain shut down.
His body too.
Jay had to nudge his arm to make sure he was still breathing.
Sienna's eyes widened.
— W-WHAT??? P-PARTNER?! — She practically choked. — Excuse me? PARTNER?! Since when are you recruiting Marcus, YOU STEEL HERON?!
Kaelyn slowly released Marcus without taking her eyes off Sienna. Her smile turned even more mischievous.
— Interesting. You felt… uncomfortable, Shorty.
Sienna blushed instantly, as if someone had lit a fire under her feet.
— Uncomfortable MY FOOT! I'm just… protecting my group! — She pointed at Marcus, outraged. — He's our DPS, not your collectible doll!
Kaelyn tilted her head and deliberately looked Marcus up and down.
— Ah, I see. But the one who decides that is him. A soldier probably prefers strong women. Tall. Competent.
She made a cruel pause.
— …not short ones.
Sienna nearly exploded.
— DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!
Kaelyn stepped forward.
— Try.
— I WILL! COME HERE, OSTRICH LEGS!
The two stared at each other as if the boss were still alive in the hall. And honestly, their energy felt more lethal than Lucian's had ever been.
Ethan sighed.
— Here we go…
Jay grabbed Sienna by the waist.
Boros grabbed Kaelyn by the arm.
The two tanks were sweating more than they had during the entire fight.
— For the love of God, girls… — Boros grumbled. — Kill each other outside later. There's still loose marble here.
The shining fragment slowly floated toward Ethan's hands, and he held it with reverence.
Seven fragments.
Seven colors.
Seven sins defeated.
When they touched, a circle of light rose up, enveloping everyone. The energy condensed, spun, shone… and became a single object.
A black medallion with a golden rune.
The key to the Fourth Floor.
Emanueru watched with admiration.
— We did it… for real.
Kaelyn crossed her arms.
— You did it because I held that bastard off alone for two days.
Sienna scoffed.
— Oh, here comes the Heron autobiography. You're only alive because we saved you. S-A-V-E-D Y-O-U!
The two were about to start World War Three when Boros lifted the fallen crimson sword from the ground.
The Sword of Pride.
He looked at Jay in silence and inclined his head.
Jay nodded back, approving.
Kaelyn walked toward Boros.
— This sword… — he murmured — is strong. Very strong.
Kaelyn placed a hand on his shoulder.
— And if everyone agrees, it's yours now.
Everyone nodded.
You lost your weapon in the fight. Pride fell… so his blade is your reward.
Sienna crossed her arms.
— Everybody gets a present EXCEPT me? That's absurd.
Kaelyn smiled.
— Should I make you grow too, Shorty?
Sienna lunged forward again.
Marcus and Jay grabbed her arms like two nervous guard dogs.
When they left the castle, the sky seemed bluer. The wind felt lighter. The echoes of wrath, greed, and vice felt distant.
The people of the city applauded when they received the notice that the Fourth Floor had been unlocked. Flowers were thrown.
They were heroes, even if they had never asked to be.
Kaelyn and Sienna walked side by side…
I mean…
side by side arguing.
— You act pretty smug for someone who passed out during the Wrath fight — Kaelyn provoked.
— And you talk too much for someone who got beaten for two straight days — Sienna shot back.
Emanueru whispered to Marcus:
— They're never going to stop, are they?
Marcus sighed.
— Never.
Jay laughed.
— It's good to have a bit of that in the group. Even when it's annoying… it reminds us we're alive.
Ethan looked at the Fourth Floor medallion.
— Tomorrow… we climb another level.
He pressed the rune into his palm.
— And this time, all of us are going to need to get even stronger.
Moonlight fell over the Citadel of Pride, now silent and free. The distant echo of applause and celebration still lingered in the air, but for the adventurers, exhaustion finally settled in.
Kaelyn, Boros, and Riven accompanied Ethan's group to the main portal. The two women — the Heron and the Shorty — still stared at each other like two sparks searching for firewood.
Kaelyn crossed her arms, analyzing the rival group like a general evaluating new soldiers.
— You're not bad — she said dryly. — You still take too many hits… but you're not bad.
Sienna shot back immediately:
— Oh, thank you, Queen of Arrogance. I'll write that in my diary: "Survived the Heron and even got a disguised compliment."
Kaelyn smiled crookedly.
— Don't get used to it. I only give compliments once a month.
Marcus coughed, trying to ease the tension.
— So we'll see you on the next floor?
Kaelyn cracked her neck, far too energized for someone who had almost died hours ago.
— Of course. And next time, Shorty… — She looked Sienna up and down on purpose. — Try not to faint before the boss, okay?
— Oh, go scr—
Jay covered the summoner's mouth before she set the square on fire.
Boros raised a hand to Jay in silent respect.
— Thanks… for the shield.
— Use it well — Jay replied. — And don't break it on the first hit.
Riven discreetly waved at Elenya, as if saying "See you… and good luck controlling this bunch."
Ethan, more diplomatic, stepped forward.
— Good luck to you too.
— Not luck — Kaelyn replied, turning her back. — Skill. Only the weak need luck.
Sienna raised her fist, ready to charge.
— DOES SHE WANT TO DIE TODAY? OR SHOULD WE SCHEDULE IT?!
Jay, Marcus, and Elenya dragged her through the portal before a second war could begin.
Kaelyn laughed, satisfied with the chaos she left behind.
Crossing the portal felt like diving into fresh water after a day in the desert. The green grass, the soft breeze, the paper lanterns swaying in the starting village, the smell of hot food coming from the stalls… it felt like coming home.
— Finally… — Marcus sighed.
— Finally a bed — Elenya added.
— Finally a bath — said Emanueru, lifting his arm and discreetly smelling himself. — Mercy…
Sienna raised her hand.
— Finally EAT until I explode… — for a moment she remembered Kaelyn telling her not to grow sideways. — Maybe I shouldn't eat that much.
Jay raised his.
— And finally… sleep without fear of dying from wrath, hunger, or pride.
Ethan laughed, relieved by the lighter atmosphere.
— Let's settle the deliveries first.
The guild hall was nearly empty at that hour, with only a few torches lit. The receptionist, a man with large glasses and an eternally tired expression, lifted his head when they entered.
— Ethan's group…?
— Yes — Ethan placed three heavy sacks on the counter. — Items collected from the last three floors.
The man's eyes widened. He opened the sacks, and the light from rare stones, hardened scales, mana essences, and monster fragments illuminated the entire counter.
— You… you really… did all this?
Jay scratched the back of his neck, proud.
— Quite a lot to sell, right?
The receptionist nearly hit his head on the desk when he calculated the total.
— It's… 4,980 gold coins!
— WHAT?! — Sienna jumped forward. — Say that again!
— Four. Thousand. Nine hundred. Eighty.
Sienna ran to Ethan and shook him by the shoulders.
— WE'RE RICH!!! WE'RE RICH!!!
— Calm down, calm down! — Ethan laughed. — It's for supplies, equipment, potions, lodging…
She stopped, thinking.
— …so we're poor again, right?
— Exactly — Elenya completed.
Even so, it was more gold than they had ever seen since entering the game.
Jay took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility, but also the new confidence Taiga had placed in him.
Marcus separated part of the gold to repair armor.
Ethan bought mana replenishment scrolls.
Sienna… bought food. A lot.
Their final stop of the night was the tavern, lit by candles, filled with the smell of baked bread and hot soup. The owner smiled when he saw them.
— Welcome back! You look like you fought a volcano. Try our new batch of red grape juice. It's delicious.
Sienna threw herself into a chair.
— A volcano dressed in black armor with a red sword.
Jay sat carefully, the new shield leaning against the wall like a trophy.
Ethan raised his mug.
— To the sins we've defeated.
Marcus raised his.
— To the Fourth Floor.
Emanueru smiled.
— To better days.
Sienna lifted a chicken leg with predatory shine in her eyes.
— And to FOOD, FOR THE LOVE OF THE SYSTEM.
The mugs clashed. The tavern vibrated with the sound.
And for a moment…
a precious moment…
they stopped being warriors, chosen ones, heroes, or pieces in a cruel game.
And were simply friends.
Tired.
Alive.
And ready for tomorrow.
The group left the tavern, went to an inn to bathe and sleep. The next day, when they gathered again, the sun of the First Floor felt warmer, more welcoming than they remembered. Maybe it was just relief. Maybe it was the nostalgia of finally touching safe ground after weeks facing death.
Jay stretched his sore shoulders, feeling the Aegis vibrate faintly on his arm.
— I forgot how this place… doesn't try to kill us all the time.
Sienna chewed on a skewer bought at the local fair.
— Oh, I didn't forget. I missed it. Here nobody explodes, nobody screams "GLORY TO WRATH," nobody tries to trade a child for a crown… it's almost boring.
Elenya laughed, leaning against a wooden post.
— You can even breathe without smelling blood, ash, or despair.
Emanueru sat by a fountain, letting water run through his hands.
— So this is what… peace feels like.
Marcus approached the group with bags of food and supplies.
— I've already bought everything for tomorrow. Rations, antidotes, mana potions, arrows for Elenya, catalyst crystals for Ethan…
Ethan nodded, focused.
— Good. The more prepared we are, the better. The Fourth Floor won't be easy.
The group fell silent for a few seconds, taking it all in. They were already starting to forget what it felt like outside… but they wanted to finish this as quickly as possible.
What will they find on the Fourth Floor?