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.

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

read this particular book before, but that was so long ago—back

had happened since then, and so she wanted to revisit the literature and see if

mundane things—like the outlawing of eating

proper sanitation of the streets and

to high-brow areas like the Capital. Places such

of financial limitations and transactional

grasp in

way, she found this whole

so much about a world that she

I get back, I should write a novel about all of this…' As she chuckled, a

to go back…

thought was enough to cause her

much, though, she

lot of mundane, inconsequential regulations recently placed on

of them

to practice slavery up till even

stopping the slave trade was the rising conflict beteeen the Humans and

rise of the

Kingdoms began to band together, a lot of reforms were

them was the abolition of

book, there were still some who engaged in the slave trade—both

were considered among the highest kinds of criminals in the

secret—deep in the inner

selling humans as a

the world, the stain of slavery remained in their

it wasn't

place.' As Alicia had these thoughts, she noticed someone

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

'R-Rey?!'

for so

doing

in his spare time, and while she had been meaning to ask him

Rey said with a smile as

'Hmm. Strange…'

got close to her, she usually had

'He smells nice!'

time

didn't want to think he did—but he just didn't have the same

She responded with a smile

hang out? I was thinking we

her brow

would want to hang out with her in the library. He was often very interested in reading as much as he could,

to the current book she was