Chapter 12
Chapter 12
The Adventurer Goes to a Stronger Dungeon
After Siu left, Rinshu sat neatly in the middle of the training hall and took a slow breath.
His words echoed in her mind.
“Trust me, so just rest for a day or two.”
Rest. Rest meant stopping.
But what was rest, really?
Rinshu had never once “rested” in her life.
If she wasn’t moving or training, she felt like she would go insane.
And yet, someone who believed in her told her to rest.
“Father, what is rest?”
“Hm? Rest?”
Her father looked surprised, as if he didn’t expect such a question.
“You… simply stop what you are doing and recover.”
“Stop what I am doing…”
Rinshu repeated it slowly.
“If I stop, will I not fall behind?”
Still uneasy.
“No. All living things need rest. Even the wind pauses sometimes.”
Rinshu looked up at the sky.
And indeed, the wind seemed to be caught in the clouds.
Her tense shoulders loosened slightly.
“…Understood. I will rest today.”
“…You will?”
“Yes.”
Her father laughed in disbelief.
The same daughter who never stopped training was now agreeing to rest.
Rinshu lay down in her room.
Rest was… surprisingly difficult.
Her body kept twitching. Her mind kept itching.
But Siu told her to do it, so she endured.
Eventually, she fell asleep.
And for the first time, she heard the wind in the grass.
A day passed.
Something felt different.
A strange sensation ran through her fingertips.
Without thinking, she stood and walked to the training hall.
There, her disciples were practicing.
Their gazes were the same as always.
“The cursed talent.”
“The shame of the Kirin Sword.”
But Rinshu ignored them and approached the wall painting of the divine beast Kirin.
“Please watch over me.”
She stared into the painting.
And then—
Something exploded.
Light filled the hall.
In that light, she understood.
Her world was being reconstructed.
She saw it.
Siu.
Her star.
Endlessly repeating something in countless cycles.
When the light faded—
She held a sword.
One became two.
Two became three.
Three floating blades circled her.
She stepped forward.
And walked on air.
Thunder shook the hall as she moved.
She danced.
With swords of light.
When she landed, the training hall was in ruins.
She stood calmly.
Blue lightning flickered across her eyelashes.
Breath like frost escaped her lips.
A perfect manifestation of Kirin Sword.
“Amazing… Rinshu!”
“She is the true successor!”
“Our sect will become the greatest!”
Lies.
They had never believed in her.
Not even her father truly had.
But it didn’t matter.
“Rinshu of the True Bright Kirin Sword Sect, 11th head.”
“I will walk only as Kirin guides me.”
But there was one thing.
One small thing that shook her heart.
“Master Siu…”
The reaction was explosive.
“Holy shit Rinshu! When did you get this strong?! Are you hiding your power or something?!”
Rose shouted in disbelief.
Elena was also clearly shocked.
The awkward, clumsy Rinshu from days ago was gone.
Now, she carried the aura of a true master.
Three floating swords circled her gracefully.
“Good job, Rinshu. Hard work pays off.”
I smiled.
Rinshu knelt immediately, emotional.
“Master… this is all thanks to you.”
“No, it’s your effort.”
Honestly, I felt a bit relieved.
Last night’s gamble had paid off.
Rinshu’s build in Rolf had always been unstable.
A mage with absurd intelligence but sword-based inheritance.
Normally, there were two routes.
First: turn her into a mage.
Safe, efficient, but you lose Kirin Sword identity.
Second: force sword usage onto a mage build.
That was what I chose.
Aether Sword.
A flashy, inefficient skill that creates magical blades.
Not practical for mages or warriors.
But it worked.
It worked for Rinshu.
Still…
I regretted the dice I spent.
Rinshu suddenly bowed deeply.
“Master Siu, I belong to you. Please use me as you wish.”
“…That’s a bit intense.”
Too grateful.
She didn’t even know I used the dice.
Was she just naturally like this?
“Well… let’s do our best together.”
I smiled awkwardly.
Then—
Elena placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Master Siu.”
“Yes?”
“You really became Rinshu’s ‘koala bear uncle,’ didn’t you?”
“…It’s ‘kind old uncle,’ not koala.”
She smiled.
“Same thing.”
Ow.
My shoulder hurts.
A lot.
Three days later, we arrived at Dusthill.
“Siuuuu!”
Kaoli greeted us warmly.
I bowed respectfully.
Thanks to him, we were able to reach a Yellow Dungeon early.
He looked at our team and paused.
“…Are these your members?”
“Yes.”
His expression darkened slightly.
I understood why.
They were all ex-members of another rejected party.
He frowned at one in particular.
“That one… looks like he can’t even fight properly.”
“That’s our pack mule.”
“…Pack mule?”
Morian.
Former combat member, now logistics support.
Arms and legs replaced with prosthetics, a massive backpack on his back.
He had the Inventory skill.
Perfect for dungeon logistics.
Kaoli still looked doubtful.
“This is Yellow Dungeon we’re talking about.”
“I know.”
He sighed.
But didn’t press further.
That was enough.
We entered the camp.
Other parties were already there.
Big, rough-looking adventurers.
One of them laughed.
“Kaoli, did you bring people from a brothel?”
Tension rose instantly.
I smiled faintly.
“Should I show you something?”
“…?”
Cold steel pressed against his stomach.
Silence.
The camp froze.
Kaoli quickly stepped in.
“Stop. Both of you.”
The man stepped back.
“…Not a weakling, huh.”
“Good. He passed.”
That’s how adventurers are.
Weak test the strong.
Strong respect the bold.
The dungeon expedition was about to begin.
Excitement and tension filled the air.
Then—
“Elena, put the axe down.”
“Should I kill them?”
We were definitely going into a Yellow Dungeon.
Together.