"Senior."
"Hmm?"
"Where are we going, exactly?"
It was a question both new and obvious.
Thanks to Lete's question, Rohan recalled the structure of the Sand Sea dungeon. Then he casually shared some information.
"For now, I'm looking for any special structures. From my experience in dungeons so far, places with Monoliths were never ordinary."
"Ah! I understand!"
"To list a few examples, there were places like buildings packed with thorny vines or a succubus's luxurious mansion."
"To have survived such dungeons twice...! You're amazing, senior!"
"This makes three times, so maybe I can be a good example for juniors."
Lete liked Rohan's boldness. Despite being caught in dungeons multiple times, he showed no signs of considering himself unlucky.
Her heart raced at his refreshing attitude, not lamenting what could easily be called misfortune.
"I know it seems overwhelming to wander around searching, but please understand. We don't have any other options right now."
"Of course! I think if we keep wandering, we might even save regular people caught up in the Monolith!"
"That would be killing two birds with one stone."
First, to a high place for a better view.
After climbing a large sand dune and looking around, they repeated the process of finding and crossing other dunes.
After completing this routine and descending a slope, Rohan stopped walking.
"Something's coming. It's just one, so Lete, you can rest."
As Rohan finished speaking, he grabbed the handle of the sword on his back.
Only then did Lete feel a slight vibration.
— Tsurkrrrk!
This ambush came not from below but from the front. A sand viper shot toward Rohan like an arrow.
Rohan leaned his upper body, drew his sword, and extended his foot.
He swung his sword horizontally.
— Tsurkruk?!
The sand viper's body was split in half and fell to the sand.
The monster, not understanding what had happened to it, flopped its severed body before meeting its death.
"Shall we continue?"
"Y-yes...!"
Rohan sheathed his sword and calmly resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
Lete followed, replaying the brief exchange of attacks she had just witnessed.
'I could barely see it. Senior has definitely gotten stronger.'
Rohan was strong when she saw him at the shopping mall too.
But now he was in a completely different league. His overall capabilities had clearly improved.
It was difficult to even follow the trajectory of the greatsword he wielded with one hand.
Having grown up in a martial arts family that ran a small dojo, Lete knew.
No matter how amazing the training at Orion Academy might be, such improvement only comes from proper effort.
'Above all...'
What impressed her about Rohan's strength wasn't flashy skills.
It was his simple, fundamental movements that exuded extraordinary quality.
While Lete herself had grown rapidly due to her skills, Rohan was different.
She couldn't help but be amazed every time she watched him fight.
After repeating this pattern of combat, movement, and chatting for some time...
"Hmm?"
Rohan, who had been walking ahead, narrowed his eyes as if spotting something and changed direction.
"Did you find something?"
"We'll have to get closer to know for sure."
Following Rohan's steps, Lete also saw small fish-like monsters clustered together.
"Senior?"
"Looks like my guess was right."
As Rohan and Lete approached, the monsters fled into the sand.
A corpse that had been consumed as food by the small monsters was revealed.
"Lete. You can look away if it's too difficult."
"I'm fine...!"
The badly decomposed corpse had died with its eyes open.
Rohan closed its eyes, then moved his gaze around.
"Looking at the wounds, they're too clean. This person wasn't killed by being bitten by fish-type monsters or stabbed by sand vipers."
"There might be different kinds of monsters besides those fish-like creatures."
"That's true, but there's another possibility."
At Rohan's words, Lete blinked, seemingly unable to think of anything.
Rohan pointed to the cleanly opened wound.
"See how the chest and stomach are cut along the same line, all the way through the bones and organs? It was deeply slashed by a blade. Most likely killed by either a person or a monster with weapons or claws."
"...!"
The girl's eyes widened.
Rohan's message had been properly conveyed.
"Lete. You must always remember that sometimes people can be more problematic than monsters. The same applies outside dungeons in extreme situations."
"Yes!"
"Honestly, I don't know what the situation was. Just know that these kinds of scenarios can frequently occur in dungeons."
"I'll remember that...!"
After reminding Lete that she shouldn't be lenient and must act decisively when needed, Rohan took the lead again.
..
..
As the sun set over the desert and the temperature began to cool...
A temple-like building came into Rohan and Lete's view.
"Finally found one."
"Wow! There really is something strange!"
Rohan and Lete headed toward the building without hesitation.
They were greeted by a sturdy ceiling and a spacious area where voices echoed. Though it was dark without any lights, this wasn't a major problem for the two.
Rohan and Lete carefully observed their surroundings with heightened senses.
They confirmed there were no hidden monsters or traps.
"Let's rest here tonight."
"I'm glad we found a place like this!"
It would be perfect for avoiding the scorching sun in the morning and the cold winds at night.
If they found someone who needed help, they could have them wait here.
Lete gathered dried branches and plants from outside.
Meanwhile, Rohan was walking around with a serious face, feeling along the temple walls.
"Are you looking for something?"
"Just doing one final check, just in case."
"As expected...! You're so thorough!"
Rohan smiled at Lete's sparkling eyes and finished his final check.
'This isn't it.'
A bust. This wasn't the temple he was looking for.
But that was fine. In reality, it was an excellent shelter.
"Lete. Let's eat first."
With those words, Rohan used his shop skill to take out water and combat rations.
A luxurious meal unimaginable in a dungeon. Lete swallowed hard.
"No need to refuse. You've hunted monsters, so you deserve a proper reward."
"I'm embarrassed because I only caught a few compared to you, senior..."
"That's more than enough."
In reality, Lete had earned over 100 points.
Enough to feed her all the food and water she wanted.
While waiting for the combat rations to be ready, Rohan and Lete lit a fire.
A warm light spread throughout the previously dark temple interior.
"Let's get some sleep after eating. You must be tired from all the walking and fighting."
"Alright! Thank you for the meal!"
The combat rations quickly disappeared, apparently tasting good even to Lete who was trying them for the first time.
After finishing a bottle of water, Rohan exhaled with satisfaction and began preparing for rest.
"Do you want to sleep first, Lete?"
"I'm not sleepy yet, so I'm fine! You should sleep first, senior!"
"Then here's my phone with a timer. Use this to keep track of time and wake me up."
"Yes!"
After handing his phone to Lete, Rohan untied the sword from his back.
He placed the hard scabbard on the ground to use as a pillow.
Rohan fell asleep shortly after laying his head down.
"..."
Lete quietly watched over Rohan, who slept with a worry-free face in the brutal space of a dungeon.
'Was he tired? Or is he the type who can sleep well anywhere?'
Was this the composure that comes from experience? Even with someone on watch, it took extraordinary courage.
"Hehe..."
Just looking at his sleeping face made Lete smile, and she felt like her watch duty time would pass in an instant.
But just about 10 minutes after Rohan fell asleep...
Lete faced an unexpected problem.
"Ugh!"
Unlike the brick house where Rohan had insisted on staying outside with his friends, sharing the same space created a situation.
'This is terrible... This is really terrible...!'
The situation was both simple and serious.
Lete's magical power, gained from her skill, contained an aura that stimulated men, similar to a succubus.
When Rohan fell asleep, he became unresponsive to anything except killing intent or hostility, leaving him completely exposed to Lete's non-hostile aura.
As a result, changes occurred in Rohan's healthy lower body.
His swollen lower half, reacting to the problem, emitted an even stronger yang energy that stimulated the succubus's instincts.
The process interlocked, causing the result to repeat.
It endlessly tested Lete's patience.
The problem was that she couldn't move away or distance herself.
She didn't want to, and standing watch from a distance that would nullify her influence would defeat the purpose.
It was also out of the question to completely cut off her magical power while on watch.
She needed to be ready to use her power at any moment to deal with potential crises.
'This is mental training. This is mental training. This is mental training...'
For Lete, it was a time that was both blissful and torturous.
Reason and instinct fought wildly in her mind.
'If I taste senior's essence, there's truly no going back... It's over, completely over!'
Her succubus instincts told her.
Rohan's essence was incomparably superior to that of ordinary men.
Her intuition told her that once she experienced the world's finest taste, she would be unable to consume any other man's essence.
"Ah."
Black began to creep into Lete's eyes.
A realization led her toward rationalization. Her instinct silently broke part of her reason.
'Since I've never been interested in anyone but senior anyway... does it really matter...?'
She had made such a resolution before meeting Rohan.
That she would not absorb the essence of men that disgusted her, but would steadily train and become stronger as she had been doing.
But feeling Rohan's essence didn't disgust her at all—it only created a stimulating heat in her lower abdomen.
Lete's gaze shifted.
'If I use my skill, I could probably consume it without him noticing... and he looks uncomfortable too...'
That bulging pants about to burst. The unresolved desire must be painful.
Since it was caused by the aura she emitted, wasn't she also responsible?
Gulp.
The girl swallowed her saliva as her mind continued its rationalization without pause.
*****
"S-senior. It's time to switch."
"Hmm...?"
As soon as Rohan opened his eyes, he felt a strange refreshment accompanied by an unexpected achievement update.
After waking Rohan, Lete hurriedly headed to a corner instead of going to sleep.
Lifting her baggy hoodie to check her abdomen, Lete's eyes widened.
A tattoo-like heart shape had appeared on her smooth lower belly.
The lower part of the black pattern...
A small amount of pink light was sloshing around inside it.
'W-what am I going to do...!'
She strongly felt that she had made a terrible mistake.