[Spirit Calling Bell].
Lynn's pupils constricted into needlepoints in an instant.
What was this?
Big Brother! Big Sister! I've missed you all so much!
Lynn's heart hammered against his ribs; he could practically hear the blood rushing through his veins. This was a strategic-level item that could completely change the game's difficulty.
His gaze slowly drifted down, landing on the string of numbers.
[Price: 3,000 Runes]
Buy!
There wasn't a shred of hesitation in his movements. With a sense of sacred ritual, he extended his finger and pressed the [Purchase] option without looking back.
[Runes -3,000]
Then, he waited. He waited with bated breath for the divine artifact to descend.
However, nothing happened.
Aside from his Bloodhound's Fang and a few miscellaneous items, there wasn't a trace of a bell anywhere on his person.
"Huh?"
The grin on Lynn's face froze.
What was going on? Was there a delay in the purchase?
He closed the shop interface and reopened it, toggling back and forth several times.
Nothing. Still nothing.
His Runes had definitely decreased by three thousand, but the Spirit Calling Bell he had placed so much hope in seemed to have vanished into thin air. Not even a shadow remained.
A sense of foreboding began to crawl up his spine.
"No... you've got to be kidding me, right?"
Lynn's face darkened inch by inch, his lips twitching violently. A truly cursed possibility occurred to him.
"You old bastard... did you seriously just swallow my Runes?!"
A low growl, suppressed with fury, echoed through the alley. He felt like dragging those two old hags out and asking if they had dementia—taking the money but not delivering the goods!
But on this damned system panel, there was nothing but a cold list of items. The image of the Twin Maiden Husks remained half-dead and unresponsive, as if silently mocking his naivety.
"God dammit!"
Lynn finally couldn't hold back. He kicked the adjacent wall, rattling a layer of dust loose. Three thousand Runes wasn't a fortune, but he couldn't accept giving them away for nothing. He wouldn't mind losing Runes by being killed by a boss, but he absolutely could not accept losing them because he stepped into a glitchy hole on flat ground.
"Fine. You win." Lynn gritted his teeth and closed the panel, his belly full of fire with nowhere to vent. "I'll remember this debt."
He turned away indignantly, deciding to leave this depressing alleyway. But as he stepped around the corner of the passage, his footsteps came to a dead stop.
He froze in place, as if a Petrification spell had been cast on him.
Not far ahead, sitting quietly atop a pile of discarded wooden crates, was a figure.
She looked like a doll meticulously crafted from the finest white porcelain, wearing a heavy, ornate dark robe and a wide witch's hat that looked like fresh snow. Beneath the shadow of the brim was a face too exquisite to be human. One of her eyes was closed tight, while the visible blue eye watched him calmly.
Four arms were folded across her lap in an elegant, mysterious posture. The air itself seemed to carry a cold, crisp scent—the scent of the Dark Moon.
"Ra... nni?"
The name squeezed out of Lynn's dry throat. The towering rage in his chest was extinguished the moment he saw her, replaced by wisps of white smoke and a chaotic, empty void in his mind.
The doll-witch tilted her head slightly. Her physical set of arms moved, uncrossing from her lap. Her voice was like a whisper from a distant star—cold, ethereal, yet ringing clearly in Lynn's ears.
"It has been a long time."
She paused. In her blue eye, Lynn's stunned face was reflected. Then, she spoke a sentence that made his soul tremble.
"My King."
King.
That title...
This wasn't just any Ranni. This was the witch who had made a covenant with him at the end of his countless loops, after he had defeated the Golden Order and chosen the Age of Stars. This was his deity, his goddess!
His Ranni!
Back then, he had finally managed to depart for the stars with Ranni, only to be yanked back to the Chapel of Anticipation to restart. He had been depressed about that for a long time.
"How... how are you here?" Lynn's voice trembled with a trace of emotion he hadn't even noticed. He walked forward step by step, as if afraid of disturbing an unreal dream.
"The path of the King is also my path."
Ranni's answer was simple and direct, spoken as if it were the most natural thing in the world. One of her translucent, spectral arms slowly rose, and a pale blue light gathered in her palm, manifesting an object out of thin air.
It was a small, silver bell engraved with intricate patterns.
[Spirit Calling Bell].
"You were seeking this, were you not?" she said softly. "As the witness of our covenant, I have brought it to you. This bell brings back memories."
Lynn's brain was struggling to keep up. So... the three thousand Runes weren't "swallowed"; they were paid to Ranni? Was she the boss behind the shop?
"The things in the shop... are you the one selling them?"
"That would not be entirely accurate." Ranni shook her head. "I do not govern this shop, nor am I certain who is responsible for it. However... items intertwined with the fate of the stars shall pass through my hands."
He took the bell in a daze. The cold sensation of the metal against his fingertips felt incredibly real. The moment it touched his hand, a cool mana spread up his arm, seemingly resonating with his soul.
"And this."
Ranni's other spectral arm rose, her palm holding a slab about the size of a hand, composed of grey cinders. On the slab, a faint relief of three wolves could be seen.
"Until you find a more powerful soul, they shall be your loyal companions."
Lynn silently accepted the Ashes, feeling the soul-power contained within. He looked at the doll-witch before him, a thousand questions burning in his mind. Why was she here? How did she cross between worlds? What was her current state?
But ultimately, there was one question more important than any other.
"Do you..." He weighed his words carefully. "Do you remember... the events of the Lands Between?"
"Of course." Ranni's answer didn't hold the slightest hesitation. In her deep blue eye, a trace of a gentle smile seemed to flash. "How could I ever forget the journey of my Lord? You brought the Age of Stars to us, and I shall follow the covenant, staying by your side forever."
Her tone was calm, but the weight behind her words was as heavy as a mountain. This wasn't a game line. It wasn't a fixed script. It was a promise.
Lynn's heart skipped a beat for no reason. He looked at that expressionless doll face, yet he felt as if he could see the true soul beneath the mask.
"So, right now, you're basically my... delivery girl?"
Lynn thought for a long time before coming up with a term he thought was appropriate. Ranni seemed stunned by the novel vocabulary for a moment, then she shook her head gently.
"I am your Witch," she corrected him. "No matter where we are, no matter how time and space shift, this is the eternal law."
She stood up from the wooden crate, her small frame looking exceptionally slender before Lynn.
"O King, this world... is different from the Lands Between." Her tone turned serious. "The gazes of many gods intersect here; the threads of fate are tangled. Your Great Rune is a key, but it is also a shackle. It has unlocked the limits of your growth, but it has also made you the most conspicuous torch in the darkness."
"What do you mean?" Lynn frowned.
"I mean..." Ranni extended a doll arm, her cold finger lightly tapping Lynn's chest. "...Soon, sharks who have caught the scent of blood will be drawn to you. They may call themselves gods, or they may be monsters, but in essence, they are all the same. They are all... usurpers of Runes."
As her voice trailed off, Ranni's silhouette began to turn transparent, like stardust scattered by the wind.
"Wait!" Lynn shouted urgently. "How do I find you?"
"There is no need to seek me out." Her final words drifted through the star-like particles. "When you require guidance, simply gaze upon the stars... I am always there."
The deep blue light completely dissipated into the air, leaving only a lingering scent of the cold moon. The alley returned to silence. Lynn looked down at the bell and the ashes in his hands, then up at the now-empty crate, speechless for a long time.
He suddenly felt that those three thousand Runes were the best damn money he'd ever spent.
Lynn hummed a tuneless song as he pushed open the door to Eina's house.
He was experiencing a deep-seated joy, the kind you feel when you finally drop a rare piece of gear you've been grinding for, or when you finally beat a boss that's been torturing you for hours without taking a single hit.
The smile on his face was impossible to hide. His grin almost reached his ears, and his entire being radiated an aura of "I feel amazing today." Because today, he knew he hadn't come to this world alone.
"I'm back." His voice had a light, upward lilt.
Eina, who was at the living room table organizing Guild documents, looked up to give her usual "Welcome back," but the words died in her throat the moment she saw his expression.
The Lynn she knew was either stoically flat or casually easygoing with a hint of sarcasm. But she had never seen him grinning like a mouse that had just broken into a honey jar.
"Lynn? Did... something good happen?" Eina put down her pen, her curiosity piqued. "Was the Dungeon exploration very smooth today? You look like you had a massive harvest."
"Ah, it was more than just smooth." Lynn plopped down into the sofa and stretched comfortably, his whole body going limp with relaxation. "It was... a fated encounter, an epic harvest."
He was, of course, referring to Ranni's appearance, his limit-broken stats, and the calling bell. But to Eina, the meaning of those words changed completely.
A fated encounter? An epic harvest? Were those words used to describe killing monsters?
Eina's half-elf ears twitched imperceptibly. She scrutinized Lynn, trying to find some clue. His clothes were the same as this morning; though there was some dust and wear, there were no injuries. His gear was all there.
But the person... the person seemed different. That joy radiating from the inside out set off her professional Guild advisor "radar." This was definitely not the expression of someone who had simply collected a few more magic stones.
"Was it... with the ladies from the Loki Familia?" Eina asked tentatively, quickly running through the list of Lynn's companions today. Tione? Tiona? Lefiya? Or... Miss Ais Wallenstein?
"Yeah, that's right," Lynn replied casually.
At the confirmation, Eina's heart sank. Instantly, the image of that golden-haired, golden-eyed girl—beautiful and delicate as a doll—flashed through her mind: the Sword Princess. The genius known to everyone in Orario, the idol of countless adventurers.
Then she looked at the boy in front of her, smiling like an idiot...
A bold thought, one that startled even her, popped up without warning. Could it be?!
"Lynn..." Eina's voice lowered instinctively, carrying a trace of caution. "Did you and Miss Wallenstein... get along well today?"
"Ais?" Lynn paused, snapping out of his thoughts of Ranni. He recalled the scene of fighting side-by-side with Ais today and nodded honestly. "Yeah, pretty well. She's a very talented warrior."
It's over.
Eina felt her heart skip a beat. That kind of evaluation... that tone of appreciation and a hint of closeness... As a Guild employee, Eina had seen far too many stories of sparks flying between adventurers. Relying on each other in life-or-death combat was the easiest way to breed romance. Moreover, one was a profound and mysterious newcomer, while the other was a genius Sword Princess longing to grow stronger. It was the standard template for a bard's tale!
"Was it... just like that?" Eina felt like an older sister interrogation a younger brother who came home late, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting to know more.
"What else would it be?" Lynn gave her a strange look, then climbed off the sofa and stretched. "Ah, I'm a bit tired today. I'm heading to my room. I need to properly digest today's harvest."
With that, he hummed a little tune and walked toward his room with a light step, leaving Eina sitting alone in the living room, her mind a complete blank.
Digest... the harvest?
Eina's cheeks flushed a bright red instantly. No matter how she heard it, that phrase sounded wrong in this context! What exactly did he harvest? Why did he need to close the door and be alone to "digest" it? Was it a memento from Miss Ais? Or was it...
An even more outrageous image forced its way into her mind: in a secluded corner of the Dungeon, after the battle ended, the atmosphere was just right, the two shared feelings, and then...
No!
Eina felt as if a fire spell had been cast on her head; the heat rushed straight to her scalp. She shook her head violently, trying to toss the ridiculous imagery aside.
Impossible! That's Ais Wallenstein! The 'Doll' Sword Princess who is cold to everyone. How could it happen so fast...
But then, how could she explain Lynn's unusual, goofy smile today? And what did he mean by "fated encounter"?
Eina's thoughts were a complete mess. She looked down at the documents on the table, but the sacred text looked like dancing little figures. She picked up her pen to continue working, but found her hand was trembling too much to hold it.
"No, no..." she whispered to herself, trying to use logic to convince her heart. "I'm just his advisor. I'm just worried he'll get dragged into the complicated relationships of a major Familia... Yes, that's it. The Loki Familia isn't easy to approach. What if he gets cheated..."
But even to herself, those self-assurances felt hollow and weak. What was this inexplicable irritability and... this tiny trace of bitterness rising from her heart?
She stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, arms crossed and brows furrowed. Why? Why do I feel this sense of crisis?
Eina Tulle, you are a professional Guild employee. Keep your public and private lives separate! An adventurer's private life is not something you should interfere with!
But the "mini-theater" in her head wouldn't stop.
Lynn returns to his room, pulls out a handkerchief Ais gave him, smells it, and breaks into a moronic grin... Lynn lies on his bed, reminiscing about the chemistry of fighting with Ais, his smile widening uncontrollably... Lynn might even be planning the next "date," and the location is still the Dungeon!
The more she thought, the redder Eina's face became, and the faster her heart beat. She even began to unconsciously compare herself to Ais. In terms of strength, she wasn't even an adventurer. In terms of looks, the Sword Princess's beauty was legendary. In terms of... in terms of figure... Eina instinctively puffed out her chest, then slumped again. While she wasn't lacking, still...
"Aaaaah, what am I thinking?!"
Eina finally broke down, covering her burning face with both hands and crouching down.
That night, she didn't sleep a wink. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lynn's goofy smile and Ais's expressionless face. The two faces kept getting closer and closer in her mind...
"Stop!"
Eina bolted upright in bed. The faint light of dawn was already peeking through the window. She had faint dark circles under her eyes, and her gaze was bloodshot, yet exceptionally determined.
No. Absolutely not.
She didn't know exactly what wasn't okay, but it just wasn't okay! A sense of crisis, like a dark cloud, loomed over her heart. She felt she had to do something—at least, she had to figure out what exactly had happened!
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