"Quaaack!!!"

Various monsters howled, asserting their presence and fighting for territory in the ruins.

Arriving at the outskirts of this place, Sion exhaled deeply as she retrieved the hidden tracker and sniper rifle she had concealed, then checked the time.

"Huff...! Huff...!"

Perhaps it was because she had sprinted with all her might to shake off the worrying thoughts that rattled her mind.

Unlike her crowded thoughts, there was more time left than she had expected.

'I hope I wasn't discovered.'

The excuse of not moving from her position for extended periods would have been flimsy if it weren't for sniper training.

Fortunately, Sion had actually undergone such training.

"..."

The girl with the massive gun on her back placed the tracker in her vest pocket.

She lifted her head and stared blankly at the night sky.

Honestly, right now she wanted to ignore all dangers and run straight to Tigrova to confront the Seolho Master.

With testimony from someone who experienced the events firsthand, the outlines of the past would become clearer.

But.

A towering figure like the Seolho Master wasn't someone you could meet just because you wanted to.

'That's all just fantasy in the current situation.'

Facing reality, Sion looked at the hamburger occupying one of her hands.

On the now-cold food was written the same number she had noted in her memo pad.

"..."

Considering her relationship with Rohan, what reason did she have to trust and eat this?

Normally, she would have refused to eat it out of spite even if her stomach was clinging to her back.

Yet Sion unwrapped the packaging with a rustling sound.

Without checking the smell or contents, she took a bite of the hamburger.

If something went wrong after eating it, she felt she could accept that outcome with indifference.

A mental state remarkably similar to resignation.

That perfectly described the girl's crushed spirit.

"Mmm..."

There didn't seem to be any immediate problems.

How long had it been since she'd eaten such flavorful food? It was delicious enough to evoke feelings of ecstasy.

Sion quickly devoured the hamburger and gulped down water from her canteen.

"Phew!"

With her stomach somewhat filled, she felt her energy returning.

Crinkle!

She clutched the empty wrapper. It seemed like a dream that she had been in Elysium Academy City until just moments ago.

The fact that she had such conversations and heard such things.

'...Rohan.'

Surely it was an alias.

Nevertheless, Sion was certain she would never forget the name Rohan.

Though she hadn't encountered many people during her time outside, she knew that none of them had been ordinary.

The people the elders had contacted and summoned all exuded a terrible bloodlust.

'What kind of life has he lived?'

Based on that experience, Sion's intuition told her:

Compared to Rohan, everyone she had seen until now was ordinary and commonplace.

'...What an interesting person.'

He was a figure who sparked curiosity in many ways.

At times, she felt an immense weight that greatly contrasted with his appearance.

The quality of that gravitas was fundamentally different from the elders who had lived long lives.

If she had to compare, it reminded her of looking up at her father when she was young.

Beep beep beep!

The girl looked at her watch as it sounded again.

It was time to return without delay.

"Huuuuuh..."

Sion filled her lungs with the night air and steeled her resolve.

'If all the information I heard today is true...'

Crackle!!!

The electric current flowing from Sion's hand cleanly incinerated the wrapper.

*****

As days passed.

The moment Rohan opened his eyes in bed, he thought:

'I wonder if Sion made it back safely.'

Without any means to contact the elf girl, he could only feel anxious.

Being in a position where he could only wait didn't sit well with him.

Of course, Sion's combat abilities and talents were excellent.

But that's not everything when it comes to living, is it?

From Rohan's perspective, Sion was just a girl who caused him worry.

"Hmm."

Rohan raised his upper body from the bed.

'At least I didn't mention the guys who fed false information to the elders...'

Though his mind was always churning with different subjects, his body moved as it always did.

Even if something special had happened the day before, Rohan's daily routine rarely changed.

Until warning signs appeared or unexpected situations arose, he focused on building his strength and keeping tabs on key figures.

Additionally, he diligently attended Orion Academy.

'Alright. Let's go again today.'

Since Rohan quite enjoyed his repetitive daily life.

He energetically turned the doorknob.

..

..

Today again, Rohan met Ichinose at the training room.

At the academy, he sat next to Gilbert and attended Juyeon's class.

After class, his routine was to have a quick meal in the cafeteria before heading to Kkonmureut Bookstore.

"Then work hard for me."

"Yes! Thank you for the snacks!"

With the manager's departure, the last part of his repetitive daily routine began.

Bzzzz──!!!

His phone vibrated before he could even put it in his apron pocket.

Rohan's gaze shifted.

[Clara: (⊙_⊙)‼]

Since he could roughly guess what the emoticon-only message meant, Rohan looked up.

Looking to one side, he saw Clara peeking her head out just like before, watching him.

'She was already here today.'

She must have been suppressing her presence because of other customers browsing books.

Clara's presence, when she decided to be quiet, was impossible to detect.

Since it seemed awkward to call out, he waved his hand slightly.

Unlike before, she didn't run away but nodded her head slightly.

Truly a remarkable improvement.

'Should I reply to her message?'

When he asked if she was okay waiting until closing time, mentioning he was looking forward to the weekly boss fight.

The girl nodded while timidly twitching the corners of her mouth.

Her obvious excitement was adorable.

As the late hours approached and the bookstore quieted down.

While Rohan started mopping the floor for closing, Clara quietly went outside to wait.

"Phew."

Clatter! Click!

After confirming that Rohan had closed Kkonmureut Bookstore and secured the key, Clara recited the line she had practiced while waiting.

"...Good work today!"

"Thank you. It's just my job, but you must have been tired waiting."

Clara shook her head, indicating that wasn't the case.

"Let's go quickly. I was troubled thinking about the game even while working."

"Ah! I, I understand that too!"

Seeing Rohan start walking, Clara began to follow.

After leaving the alley and reaching the main street, Rohan looked around at the open shops.

Then he entered a franchise café with Clara.

"I'll add a muffin and sandwich... What would you like to drink? Choose whatever you want."

"You don't have to buy me anything! I have money too...!"

"Hmm?"

"I'll just... have coffee. The smallest size!"

Clara emptied her pockets and pulled out 23 tokens.

Worth about 2,300 won in Korean currency.

The girl's eyes sparkled as if asking "how about this?"

But it was such a pitifully small amount that Rohan couldn't possibly accept it.

"I'm the one getting help today. You should let me pay in situations like this."

"But last time too..."

Rohan had to reluctantly cut off the girl's words.

"Will you be okay drinking coffee at night?"

"..."

Had she only thought about it being cheap and nothing else?

Seeing her unable to answer and rolling her eyes as if unsure, Rohan smiled and looked at the menu.

"Let's see. Decaffeinated drinks— Hmm, fruit yogurt?"

While Clara was flustered and unable to respond.

Rohan had already ordered two drinks and enough food to fill their stomachs.

"Don't think too deeply about it and eat. You can repay me by helping with the game."

"Uuu... th-thank you!"

Rohan carried the tray to their table and neatly arranged the food.

— Company Wave!

As Rohan sitting across from her launched the game.

Clara's expression became serious, as if she had transformed into a different person.

She tapped her phone with her glittering nails and showed him the screen.

"This is a build I created."

Her smartphone's notepad contained everything from team composition to skill timelines.

Rohan observed quietly and then asked about the character pool she was using.

"You made this yourself?"

"Yes. I can join you today, but there might be days when I can't. If you refer to this on those days, you should be able to clear it within a minute."

"The structure is no joke..."

"After trying it out, I realized you don't need to spend all your resources on the tank. Glass only needs level ups to increase HP to hold out until skills charge, and Order can clear without problems if skill level is 3 or higher."

"Wow."

What eloquence was this?

With gaming as the subject, she had become quite articulate.

They cleared all the weekly bosses together, and Rohan spent his mine resources on character pulls but failed.

The two shared moments of joy and sorrow in an instant.

After enjoying the game together for who knows how long.

Having exhausted all the content available in a day.

Clara eventually returned to her usual self.

"It really is more fun playing together."

"Hehe..."

The girl agreed with a smile.

Then she pressed her moist lips against the straw and sipped while stealing glances at Rohan.

A sweet taste lingered in her mouth.

After finishing the game, Clara stared blankly at Rohan as he typed on his keyboard, seemingly replying to someone.

Without realizing it, she spoke in a drawling voice.

"Um..."

When her eyes met Rohan's as he put down his phone.

Clara fidgeted with her fingers and continued.

"I'm always at the bookstore until closing time, right...?"

"Yes."

A known fact.

He nodded in affirmation without denying it.

"Did you hear anything from the manager?"

"No, I haven't."

"But, but you don't ask anything? Like why I'm there every day...?"

If he wasn't mistaken, she seemed about to reveal something.

Rohan sensed it.

The progress he had been waiting for had arrived.