CHAPTER 102: CHAPTER 102: A STRANGE REWARD, AND RYOTA’S CONFUSION

The mechanical voice in his ears abruptly cut off.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with this.

He’d experienced the same kind of delay when the rewards were being tallied for completing the second phase of the main quest.

"Another perfect score... I wonder if the reward will be more generous this time."

Standing atop the massive skull, Ryota looked down at the Valgang Dragon below, which was rapidly disintegrating into black ash. His expression was blank.

The dragon that had haunted the nightmares of countless Adventurers was now reduced to little more than a bug splattered underfoot.

It didn’t even feel like he’d just slain the "apex predator from Floors 52 to 58"—more like he’d wiped away a stubborn speck of dust.

But the next second—

BOOM!!

A violent tremor rumbled above Ryota’s head.

The entire floor of the 52nd level of the Dungeon began to groan in protest, as if it were about to collapse under its own weight.

"Shit, I forgot about this part!"

Everyone knew Valgang Dragons weren’t your average monsters. It was the most ferocious creature in the Dragon’s Vase, that prowled between Floors 52 and 58.

Aside from its towering body, it possessed a nearly precognitive sensory instinct: any living being that entered the Dragon’s Vase would be immediately detected.

So the moment the Loki Familia stepped into Floor 52, it had already opened its massive maw.

Its scorching breath, so hot it could warp space, erupted from the depths of Floor 58 like a volcanic explosion, blasting straight through Floors 57, 56, 55...

All the way to the ground of Floor 52!

And on top of that came Ryota’s fully manifested Susanoo—towering higher, exuding pressure far more intense than the Valgang Dragon itself.

At last—

Floor 52 couldn’t take it anymore.

CRACK CRACK CRACK——!!

The sound of collapse echoed like the overture to death.

The entire geologic layer shook violently.

The stone cracked apart in vast swaths.

The once-stable floor split like shattered porcelain, and chunks of floating terrain lost support and tumbled into the depths below.

At that moment, the members of the Loki Familia, still reeling from the shock of Ryota’s one-hit dragon slay, finally snapped out of it.

"Wh...what’s that noise?"

"The floor’s collapsing!!"

By the time they realized the ground beneath them was quaking, it was already a moment too late.

Finn’s face twisted in alarm.

"Caref—!"

CRACK!!

The platform he stood on gave out completely. His body lost balance and plummeted downward.

"Captain!!"

Tione cried out, instinctively leaping to catch his arm.

But the moment she moved, the ground beneath her crumbled too. A wave of vertigo hit as her whole body was hurled downward.

"Damn it—!"

Tiona gritted her teeth and cursed, but there was no stopping the fall.

Meanwhile, Ais noticed the fractures widening beneath her feet and tried to use the rubble to stabilize herself, flashing from spot to spot—but the collapse was far faster than she anticipated.

"Don’t panic! Adjust your posture!"

"Shift your center of gravity—look down!!"

Riveria’s voice rang out.

But the entire 52nd floor had become a maelstrom of falling debris. Even for a Level 6 like her, it was impossible to stay steady amid the chaos.

Everyone was caught mid-fall in this disintegrating sky.

And then—

A massive left hand of Susanoo suddenly shot upward from below!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a series of muffled impacts, the three executives—Finn, Gareth, Riveria—along with Ais, Lefiya, and others, were all caught firmly in its palm.

That overwhelming power was both solid and gentle, instantly neutralizing the sensation of freefall.

"—Hold on tight."

Ryota’s voice rang out from the center of Susanoo’s forehead.

ZWING!!

A brilliant yellow flash zipped through the air, slicing across crumbling stone, thick fog, and shattered debris.

Before anyone could react, space around them blurred. It felt like their very souls were being forcibly yanked from their bodies.

The next moment, Susanoo—along with everyone in its palm—vanished in a thunderous burst.

Only a faint trace of distorted light was left behind, quickly consumed by the storm of collapse.

It was—

The Flying Raijin Jutsu!

No—

To be precise, it was Flying Raijin activated within a fully manifested Susanoo infused with Sage Chakra!

...

Dungeon, Floor 50. Safe Zone.

As everyone’s consciousness reassembled, their vision gradually stabilized.

"Wh...where are we?..."

Lefiya clutched her staff tightly, her voice trembling.

As a mage, she was never good at handling sudden freefalls like that.

It was the first time the elven girl had truly tasted the breath of death.

This wasn’t some minor mishap where you fall a few floors in the upper levels.

This was a plummet through hell, starting from Floor 52 and crashing all the way down to 58!

Everyone else seemed to have collectively suffered "spatial shock"—their minds still muddled.

Finn, Riveria, Gareth—they all stared blankly around them.

Ais looked down at the massive Chakra hand she was still sitting on, not yet withdrawn.

The bluish-violet glow of Chakra bathed everyone around.

No rubble, no wounds.

It was as if the entire fall and explosion had been a hallucination.

Confusion. Silence. Awe.

An overwhelming mix of emotions crashed down on everyone like a cold tide.

No one spoke. No one moved.

They just sat there, staring at the hand that had saved them all... and the towering form of Susanoo in the distance... and the boy who stood high above, looking down at them.

Ais looked up. Her golden eyes reflected his lone, proud figure.

Her throat trembled slightly—but she couldn’t say a word.

She wanted to ask something, but had no idea what.

Lefiya, standing off to the side, gripped her cloak tightly over her chest. A whirlwind of emotion churned inside her.

It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t shame.

It was the overwhelming powerlessness of a witness.

She had seen it with her own eyes. The Valgang Dragon—whose breath alone had once driven the entire Loki Familia into full retreat—

Didn’t even survive a single attack from Ryota.

There hadn’t even been a real "fight."

The whole floor had just... collapsed.

What expedition?

Finn looked around at his teammates, all unscathed.

He let out a wry laugh and shook his head.

"So... is that it? We’re done?"

"Was this really an expedition? Or did we just go out for a stroll?"

No one replied.

Even the ever-composed Riveria remained silent.

Finn trembled slightly, slipping into his old habit of gnawing his thumb.

As captain of the Loki Familia, he’d run countless simulations of the Valgang Dragon in his mind—analyzing its patterns, resistances, power.

He’d crafted over a hundred tactical formations, multiple contingency retreats, backup plans within backup plans.

And now—

Ryota jumped down, and within one minute: one slash, one pressure wave, one collapse.

The dragon died. The floor broke. Everyone got rescued.

It was like some kind of all-inclusive "Slay-a-Dragon" service.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to celebrate his Familia’s safety... or question his entire approach to strategy and leadership.

After a long silence, the small Pallum captain muttered under his breath—though it sounded like he was speaking to everyone:

"...Maybe we need to reassess this expedition’s difficulty rating."

Everyone’s expressions shifted at that.

But before anyone could respond, the giant Chakra hand slowly descended.

After gently lowering them to the ground, the stream of Chakra light quickly dispersed.

And as if its mission were complete, the towering godlike figure of Susanoo dissolved before their eyes—disintegrating into a shower of blue sparks that floated silently through the calm air of Floor 50.

Once on the ground, Ryota glanced around.

Seeing all those familiar faces still sitting there dazed, he gave a small, amused smile.

"What’s wrong?"

"Why aren’t you standing?"

His voice wasn’t loud, but it shattered the silence like a hammer through glass.

"I-I’m fine! Just a little... overwhelmed..."

"Er, uh... the floor’s kinda soft? Surprisingly comfy..."

"Haha, that palm was pretty stable actually..."

The responses were scattered and awkward as everyone scrambled to their feet.

But even after standing, they remained quiet.

Not because they didn’t want to talk.

But because they were still trying to process the unfathomable shock.

If before they had considered Ryota "gifted," "full of potential," or "promising"...

Now—

He didn’t even seem human.

It was like a god had wrapped itself in mortal flesh to come "experience life."

Ryota could see the change in their eyes—but this time, he didn’t break the silence.

He simply stood there with a relaxed smile, watching as everyone stood there dazed, wide-eyed, dumbfounded.

He appreciated this kind of silence.

Because he knew: the deepest awe couldn’t be put into words.

And while they were still processing, he took a moment to check his own condition.

Outwardly calm, but inwardly turbulent.

Exhaustion? Yes.

But not physical fatigue—mental strain.

To force his Susanoo from its initial form all the way to a fully manifested version in one go—especially with Sage Mode infused—was a massive drain on his mental energy.

That was just who Ryota was.

If he made a move, it was always with full force.

He didn’t hold back against the Valgang Dragon.

And afterward, he maintained Susanoo’s full form to carry the others and execute a Flying Raijin teleportation.

Anyone else would’ve passed out.

Or more likely, blacked out mid-air.

But he didn’t—not even his breathing had faltered.

Because within Ryota’s body, two completely different yet perfectly compatible forces flowed in harmony:

Hashirama Cells and Sage Jutsu Chakra.

These two cheats had formed a delicate balance within him, like twin engines that never shut down—interweaving and complementing each other.

So even if he expended massive amounts of energy, he wouldn’t experience the usual post-battle crash.

Unless he were forced into hundreds of days of non-stop combat.

And at that moment—

Soft footsteps approached. Ais slowly stepped forward, stopping in front of Ryota.

She didn’t say anything.

She simply walked into his arms.

Ryota blinked.

His gaze fell upon the soft golden strands of hair by her shoulder, and the faintly lowered face nestled against his chest.

Ais’s hug wasn’t romantic, but it was sincere.

And somehow, it made the air around them feel gentler than ever before.

She had seen it clearly—the flicker of exhaustion deep in Ryota’s eyes.

No matter how powerful he was, to Ais... he was still a person. Someone who got tired.

Lefiya stood off to the side, wanting to say something too—but upon seeing Ais take the initiative and hug him, she hesitated.

In the end, she could only smile faintly—equal parts disappointed and admiring.

"You dummy. Next time, get in there faster."

Ryota lifted his hand and gently patted Ais’s back.

Everything was eerily quiet.

No one spoke.

They just watched in silence.

A moment later, Ryota said softly:

"I’m fine. Really, it was nothing."

The instant the words fell, the mood was completely shattered.

"Huh? You’re really fine? Then do that big hand thing again! I wanna sit in it!"

Tiona jumped out, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, that full-body one—can you summon it again? I wanna see if all four swords actually work!"

"And that Flying Raijin... can you use it to hop back to Orario real quick? I wanna grab dessert and come back!"

"Shut up, idiot... he just finished fighting. Let him catch his breath."

Tione grumbled, though she couldn’t suppress her smile.

Tiona scratched her head, completely unfazed.

"Hehe, I was just kidding... but come on, you wanna sit in that big hand again too, don’t you?"

"...Not gonna lie, it was pretty cool."

These two polar-opposite sisters had an uncanny knack for shattering any heavy atmosphere with their bluntness—no matter the situation.

Finn looked at the group, smiling.

"Alright, everyone."

"Whatever the process, this expedition... is officially over."

It didn’t matter how much of the terrain had collapsed, how easily the monster was killed, whether the battle plans had been followed, or if the team stuck to its original route.

The result was the same: they were alive. They’d completed their goal. They’d conquered Floor 58.

That—was victory.

Even if that victory came solely from a god in human skin steamrolling everything.

It still belonged to the entire Loki Familia.

"We’ve got a lot to explain to Loki when we get back."

Riveria massaged her brow.

"You mean the mission report?"

Tiona was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Or... the part where Ais hugged Ryota?"

"You better hope Loki doesn’t beat you to death."

Tiona shrank back slightly at that.

Everyone in the Familia knew how obsessed Loki was with Ais.

And now she was wrapped around Ryota.

If Loki saw this... who knew what face she’d make?

Finn turned to Ryota.

"Ryota, could I trouble you to use Flying Raijin again and take us home?"

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

"Yes! Straight to Twilight Manor, please!"

"Better yet, drop us right at Loki’s front door! I wanna see her face when she finds out you soloed the dragon—"

"No, no! Make it the Guild entrance! That’d be way funnier!"

The group laughed and joked, full of anticipation.

But—

Ryota didn’t respond.

He stood there, unmoving. His eyes suddenly contracted sharply—out of his control.

"Ryota?"

Ais noticed the shift in him and called out softly.

But Ryota didn’t seem to hear.

Because just then, the reward summary finally arrived in his ears:

[Ding! Reward calculation complete—]

[Reward 1: Dōryoku +80%!]

Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan fully awakened!

[Reward 2: Chakra capacity +200,000!]

[Reward 3: Chakra Fruit ×1!]

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