An Extra’s POV

"Huu…"

Once Rey was done collecting all the Monster Cores, he heaved a heavy sigh.

As misty breaths escaped his lips and nostrils, he could clearly see the gateway to the next Floor.

The doorway existed at the furthest end of the ring—almost as if it was being guarded by the Boss Rey had just defeated.

That was his next destination.

"I Leveled Up three times just now…" Rey mumbled, realizing just how much EXP he must have received from the Boss and his minions.

With every Level Up, it got increasingly difficult to do so again.

Considering the fact that Rey had Leveled Up a total of five times before reaching the Boss Room by killing hundreds upon hundreds of BigFoot Monsters, it was surprising that he was able to Level Up three times just from a hundred others and a Boss.

'The BigFoot Monsters here were holding weapons, so they're probably stronger than the ones I faced outside…' Was Rey's line of reasoning.

The Boss had to also be quite strong.

With those thoughts in mind, Rey was happy he didn't dawdle at all.

'I still have about two hours left. I can still challenge the next Floor, right?'

Rey knew he was pushing it, but he liked his current streak.

He didn't want to ruin the momentum.

'If I can reach Level 30—no, Level 35—today… I'll be satisfied!'

He stared at the black gate that led to the next Floor. It wasn't covered in frost or anything, which surprised Rey.

That had to mean that the gate had special properties, or… the Floor that it led to was extremely hot.

Rey braced himself more for the second possibility.

"I'll have to speedrun this one…" He whispered, more white clouds of cold air escaping his lungs.

Time wasn't on his side.

*******

Alicia silently read her book in the library, flipping through the pages with a small smile on her face.

She wasn't smiling due to what she was reading, but because of something else.

… Someone else.

'In a few more hours, Rey will come here.' She didn't want to explicitly admit to herself why she was happy about this prospect.

But she was.

in her hands—a literature text regarding the common practices of the people of H'Trae which

but that was so long ago—back when she just started frequenting the

then, and so she wanted to revisit the literature and see if she could have a new, more informed,

had encountered a bunch of mundane things—like the

sanitation of the streets and to

this rule only applied to high-brow areas like the Capital. Places such as the Adventurer City were exempt from

couple of financial limitations and transactional oversights were also mentioned

for Alicia to grasp in the

way, she found this whole

a world that she intended

about all of this…' As she chuckled, a dark

doesn't want to go back…

thought was enough to cause her bright smile to

too much, though, she quickly brought her attention back to the

mundane, inconsequential regulations recently placed on previously accepted

them was

to believe that the Kingdoms used to practice slavery up till

rising conflict beteeen the Humans and other Races, as well as the most important one

rise of the

invaded, and the Human Kingdoms began to band together, a lot of reforms

of them was the

were still some who engaged in the

among the highest kinds of criminals in the United Human

secret—deep in the inner

just awful… selling humans as

no matter the world, the stain of slavery

it wasn't

As Alicia had these thoughts, she noticed someone enter

presence she could spot from a mile away, and seeing him made her

'R-Rey?!'

she had been thinking of for so long now entered the Library

he doing

came to the Library in the night. She still didn't know what he did in his spare time, and while she had been meaning to ask him about it, Alicia didn't think it was

Rey said with a smile as

'Hmm. Strange…'

to her,

'He smells nice!'

time

least, Alicia didn't want to think he did—but

She responded with a smile

I was thinking we

her brow in

to hang out with her in the library. He was often very interested in reading as much as he could, and he even sought her consultation on some books

the current book she was reading