The journey north was quieter than expected.
After leaving the Town of Beginnings behind, the roads became less crowded the farther Rio and Ryota traveled.
The scenery slowly changed from grassy plains—
to rougher terrain filled with cliffs and towering stone ridges.
Dragon's Peak.
Even from miles away, the massive mountain range dominated the horizon like the spine of some ancient beast sleeping beneath the earth.
Gigantic stone formations pierced the clouds.
Wind roared constantly through the narrow paths.
And occasionally—
distant dragon cries echoed somewhere beyond the peaks.
Ryota looked upward while walking beside Rio.
"…That mountain still feels unreal."
Rio nodded.
"Most players avoid this area right now."
"Because of the level gap?"
"Partly."
Rio adjusted the straps of her equipment bag.
"But mostly because Dragon's Peak has terrible reputation during the early game."
Ryota tilted his head.
"Why?"
Rio pointed toward the mountain trails ahead.
"Random elite spawns."
"Flying monsters."
"Low visibility during snowstorms."
"Cliff ambushes."
"And hidden boss territories."
Ryota stared.
"…That sounds awful."
"It is."
Rio then smirked slightly.
"Which is exactly why almost nobody comes here."
Ryota immediately understood.
Meaning—
hidden opportunities.
Hidden events.
Hidden rewards.
Rio always moved toward places players avoided.
Not because she liked danger.
But because she already knew where the future treasures were hidden.
The two continued walking through the winding paths while the evening sky slowly darkened above them.
Eventually—
small lights appeared in the distance.
A village.
Tiny compared to the Town of Beginnings.
But lively enough to survive near Dragon's Peak.
Wooden fences surrounded the outer edges while lanterns illuminated the snowy pathways between buildings.
NPC guards stood watch near the entrance carrying spears tipped with dragonbone.
[Safe Zone Discovered]
[Village of Vareth]
Ryota looked around curiously.
"So this is the final village before Dragon's Peak?"
Rio nodded.
"Pretty much."
She looked toward the distant mountain.
"After this point…"
"…things get dangerous."
The cold wind blew through the village streets as they entered.
Unlike the busy capital-like atmosphere of the Town of Beginnings—
Vareth felt quieter.
More isolated.
More like a frontier settlement surviving at the edge of the unknown.
Players here looked stronger too.
Most carried heavy equipment.
Many had visible scars on their armor.
A few glanced suspiciously toward Rio and Ryota before returning to their own business.
Ryota stretched tiredly.
"…I'm exhausted."
Rio laughed softly.
"That's because we've barely stopped moving for days."
The two slowly walked through the village together.
Then Ryota suddenly looked down at the broken remains of Iron Steve attached to his waist.
The weapon looked terrible now.
The blade had snapped earlier during the battle against Allure.
Only half remained.
Yet Ryota still carried it carefully.
Almost protectively.
He looked toward Rio quietly.
"…Hey."
"Hm?"
"Is there a place here that repairs weapons?"
Rio blinked.
Then glanced toward the broken sword.
"Oh."
Without thinking much about it—
she answered casually.
"No."
Ryota paused slightly.
Rio continued walking.
"You should probably just buy a new sword here instead."
Silence.
The wind blew quietly through the snowy streets.
Rio kept talking naturally.
"I mean, Iron Steve was useful early game but its durability and scaling are outdated now. Getting a better weapon would help you a lot."
Still—
silence.
Rio blinked.
"…Ryota?"
He smiled slightly.
But it looked smaller than usual.
"…Yeah."
His voice was quiet.
"I guess that makes sense."
Rio slowed her steps slightly.
Something about his tone felt… off.
But before she could think deeper about it—
Ryota simply nodded and kept walking beside her normally.
"I'll think about it later."
Rio stared at him briefly.
Then slowly nodded too.
"…Okay."
But she didn't notice it.
Not fully.
Because to her—
Iron Steve was just an old beginner weapon.
Weak.
Outdated.
Replaceable.
But to Ryota—
it wasn't.
It was the very first thing Rio had ever given him in Evermount.
Back when everything still felt confusing.
Back when he was scared.
Back when he had nobody else.
That sword represented the beginning of his journey beside her.
And replacing it felt strangely painful.
Even if he understood Rio didn't mean any harm.
The two eventually arrived at a small inn near the center of the village.
Warm orange light spilled from the windows while snow drifted quietly outside.
Rio stretched tiredly.
"Finally…"
Ryota nodded.
They rented two small rooms using a few copper coins before heading upstairs.
Before entering her room—
Rio suddenly stopped.
Then looked back toward Ryota.
"…Good work today."
Ryota blinked slightly.
Then force a smile.
"You too."
For a brief moment—
the two simply stood there in the quiet hallway.
Tired.
Exhausted.
But strangely peaceful.
Rio slowly opened her system menu.
[Log Out]
The glowing option reflected softly in her blue eyes.
"…We continue tomorrow."
Ryota nodded without saying a word.
Then slowly—
their bodies dissolved into particles of light.
And disappeared from Evermount.
Leaving behind only the quiet mountain village beneath Dragon's Peak—
waiting for their return.
The familiar sensation of disconnecting from Evermount faded slowly.
The cold mountain winds of Vareth disappeared.
The distant dragon cries vanished.
And reality returned.
Ryota slowly opened his eyes.
The soft glow of Rio's room greeted him first.
The faint hum of the computer.
The evening light slipping through the curtains.
For a few seconds—
he simply sat there quietly on the floor mattress beside Rio's bed.
Still.
Silent.
His hand unconsciously drifted toward the VR headset resting beside him.
And then—
toward the broken feelings lingering in his chest.
"…You should just buy a new sword."
Rio's voice replayed in his mind again.
Ryota lowered his eyes slightly.
He knew she didn't mean to hurt him.
He knew that logically.
Rio wasn't the type to think emotionally about equipment.
To her—
weapons were tools.
Things meant to grow stronger.
Things replaceable by better gear.
But for Ryota—
Iron Steve wasn't just a weapon.
It was proof.
Proof that he had started this journey beside her.
Proof that she believed in him even when he was weak.
The first sword she had ever handed him.
And somehow—
he couldn't explain why hearing her call it replaceable bothered him this much.
The bedroom door opened.
Rio stepped out of her own headset quietly.
Her long dark hair slightly messy from hours inside the game.
She stretched lightly.
"…My whole body hurts."
No response came.
Rio blinked slightly.
Ryota was already standing.
"…Dinner's probably ready."
His voice sounded normal.
Too normal.
That was what made it strange.
Rio slowly looked at him.
"…Yeah."
The two headed downstairs together.
Usually—
their conversations continued even outside the game.
Arguments.
Teasing.
Talking about builds.
Plans.
Future goals.
But tonight—
there was only silence.
The sound of utensils.
The ticking clock on the wall.
And footsteps across the wooden floor.
Rio's mother smiled warmly as they entered the dining area.
"There you two are."
The table was already prepared.
Steam rose from bowls of rice and miso soup.
Grilled fish sat neatly arranged in the center alongside vegetables and sliced omelet.
Akari immediately looked up from her seat.
"You guys took forever."
Ryota smiled politely.
"Sorry."
Something about that smile felt weaker than usual.
Even Akari noticed.
The four sat down together.
"Thank you for the food."
"Itadakimasu."
Dinner began quietly.
Too quietly.
Usually Ryota reacted dramatically to Rio stealing food from his plate.
Usually Rio complained about Akari eating too slowly.
Usually somebody laughed.
Tonight—
none of that happened.
Ryota simply ate in silence.
Polite.
Calm.
Quiet.
Rio occasionally glanced toward him.
Every time she tried to speak—
something stopped her.
Because she genuinely didn't know what happened.
Had she said something wrong?
Did something happen in-game she missed?
Was he tired?
Her thoughts became increasingly restless the more silent he became.
Akari slowly narrowed her eyes suspiciously while chewing.
Her instincts immediately sensed tension.
Rio's mother also noticed it.
But unlike Akari—
she said nothing.
She simply observed quietly.
Ryota eventually finished eating first.
He carefully placed his chopsticks down.
"…Thank you for the food."
Rio's mother smiled gently.
"You're welcome."
Ryota stood afterward.
"…I'll head back upstairs."
No teasing.
No jokes.
No dramatic complaining.
Just quiet politeness.
Then he left.
The sound of his footsteps slowly disappeared upstairs.
Silence filled the table again.
Akari immediately looked toward Rio.
"…Did you two fight?"
Rio blinked.
Then slowly lowered her gaze.
"…I don't know."
That answer surprised even herself.
Because she genuinely didn't know.
Akari stared harder.
"You seriously don't know?"
Rio frowned slightly.
"I didn't think anything happened."
Rio's mother finally spoke softly.
"Sometimes people get hurt even if you don't mean to hurt them."
Rio froze slightly.
That sentence lingered in her mind longer than expected.
Akari leaned back in her chair.
"Well he definitely looks upset."
Rio quietly stared at the untouched tea beside her.
Trying to remember everything from earlier.
The village.
The walk.
The sword.
"…Oh."
The moment finally hit her.
Iron Steve.
Rio's eyes widened slightly.
"…No way."
Akari tilted her head.
"What?"
Rio slowly looked away.
"…I told him to replace his sword."
Akari blinked.
"That's it?"
Rio nodded slowly.
"I said there wasn't any point repairing it."
Akari stared at her blankly for several seconds.
Then sighed dramatically.
"…Nee-san."
"What?"
"You're unbelievably bad at this."
Rio immediately frowned.
"At what?"
"Feelings."
Rio looked offended.
"I understand feelings."
Akari and her mother both gave her the exact same look.
Rio's confidence immediately weakened.
"…Okay maybe not perfectly."
Akari sighed again.
"That sword probably meant something important to him."
Rio slowly looked downward.
And for the first time—
she started realizing something she overlooked.
Ryota treasured things differently than she did.
He remembered moments.
Attachments.
Meaning.
Even small things.
Meanwhile Rio—
after everything she experienced in her previous life—
had slowly learned to detach herself from things.
Gear broke.
People disappeared.
Guilds collapsed.
She had taught herself not to cling too tightly to anything.
But Ryota wasn't like that.
And she accidentally stepped on something important to him without realizing it.
Rio quietly stood from the table.
"…I'm done eating."
Her mother nodded gently.
"Go talk to him."
Rio hesitated slightly.
Then quietly headed upstairs.
The hallway felt strangely tense.
She slowly opened the bedroom door.
Ryota was sitting near the window.
The moonlight illuminated the side of his face softly.
He wasn't playing games.
Wasn't on his phone.
Just sitting there quietly.
The broken emotions in the room were almost tangible.
Rio stepped inside carefully.
Then closed the door behind her.
For once—
she didn't immediately know what to say.
And neither did he.
So silence remained between them.