Chapter 7: War Shadows

Akira looked at Kaguya. Her expression was blank, yet her words carried clear concern. Just like that, the heavy pressure on his chest seemed to melt away. A smile quietly bloomed on his face. "Yeah... I understand, Kaguya-mom." "Haa? What did you just call me?! Idiot! Stupid! Fool!" Kaguya's expression instantly shifted, like a thundercloud ready to burst. She spun around and grabbed Akira's cheeks without mercy and said, "You dare call me 'Mom' just because I treat you a little well?! I'm really too nice to you!" "It hurts! It hurts! I was wrong, Kaguya-nee! Kaguya-nee!!" — — — The second floor welcomed them with four grotesque clown-like monsters and a gecko-shaped lizard clinging to the wall. "Heh, let me show you something I just came up with." Akira raised his spear. Wind began to swirl at its tip, spinning like a tightly compressed drill. The vortex of air blew through his black hair as he grinned. "Wind Spear—Charge!" He lunged. The spear struck out three times in rapid succession, each blow piercing into one of the clown monsters. In an instant, all three dropped lifelessly, their bodies dissolving into ash. At the same time, he twisted just in time to dodge the snapping tongue of the wall-crawling lizard. Power surged through his legs as he stepped forward, twisting his waist and hurling the spear. It whistled through the air and pinned the lizard cleanly to the wall, ending its life in one move. The last remaining clown monster trembled, screeching in fear as it turned to flee. "Hmph. You think it's that easy to escape?" Akira smirked and said. He mimicked the shape of a pistol with his fingers. A sharp ice cone formed at the tip, wrapped in a howling vortex of wind. With a snap, the projectile shot forward. The cone caught up to the fleeing monster in an instant. Upon impact, the swirling wind erupted like a blast, shattering the creature's body and dropping a glowing magic stone. "Hah~" Akira blew on his fingers as if cooling a real weapon, then tucked his hand back to his waist like a cowboy. Kaguya stood frozen, watching Akira's bizarre theatrics unfold one after another. She said, "...You really are an idiot. You've changed too much. And hurry up, go retrieve your weapons!" "Ahahaha, sorry. I just got the sudden urge to play around." Akira said, scratching his cheek with a goofy grin. "Even if it's easy for you to reach the fifth floor, don't get complacent." Kaguya scolded him, her expression serious now. "Remember this. Never use up all your strength. Always save some, no matter what." "You never know what accident will strike next—whether it's a monster or another adventurer." "There are no prisons in Orario. If you kill someone, you just pay compensation. That's it." "Only your familia will care enough to avenge you." "Especially in the dungeon... there are no witnesses." "No one will ever know what happened." She continued lecturing while leading him down toward the sixth floor. "Since the monsters on the fifth floor are no longer a challenge for you, it's time to try facing the War Shadows." Along the way, Akira continued clearing out goblins and ogres with smooth, practiced movements. Once he became comfortable, he even started fighting barehanded, deliberately letting some hits land in order to sharpen his instincts. Kaguya, acting as a temporary supporter, picked up magic stones and materials behind him. By the time they reached the fifth floor's depths, Akira's DFO status had already risen to Level 4. After wiping out the surrounding monsters, Kaguya finally called out. "Alright, time to eat." She pulled out the lunch box she had packed in the morning, filled with a variety of neatly prepared ingredients. Akira praised, "Mmm~ So good. Kaguya-nee really is a kind person." Kaguya replied with a huff, "...If you don't know how to compliment someone properly, just stay quiet." "I thought you were a smart kid when I met you. But now I see you're just another idiot—just like our captain and that numbskull Ryuu." Akira smiled faintly as he looked at her and said, "Hehe... Can't help it. We can't turn back time, so we've got to find some way to keep moving forward." "If the people in Astraea Familia hadn't been so kind... if they hadn't let me in..." "I might've ended up crawling to the Hostess of Fertility and begging Aunt Mia for a job in the tavern before I starved to death." "And if that didn't work... maybe I'd just pray they'd give me some leftovers to survive on." Ending up in this demon-filled world, if the Astraea familia hadn't shown me kindness, I probably would've become a beggar. Would a half-elf like me even get accepted into a familia? "I see... So you've been struggling too." Kaguya murmured. Her expression softened. She reached out and pulled Akira into a warm hug. Akira felt the peaceful warmth radiating from her embrace, a gentle promise that he wasn't alone. After a moment, he patted her hand and smiled. "Thanks, Kaguya-nee. You're... really warm." Kaguya clarified, "Hehe. Don't misunderstand, I'm not comforting you or anything. I just couldn't stand seeing you sulk like that. Now come on. Go challenge the War Shadows so we can head home." She stood up, brushing herself off, and took the lead. — — — The creature before them resembled a human silhouette but lacked skin, hair, or any sign of flesh. Its entire body looked like it had been dyed in pure black ink. Its head was shaped like a cross, and its face was adorned with round, mirror-like plates. Its wrists were long and thin, each ending in three blade-like claws. In short, it was a shadow-like entity—black from head to toe, humanoid in form, standing roughly 1.6 meters tall. Its combat style was simple—slashing with its claws—but its physical prowess was far above that of any monster from the first five floors. Those claws could slice through flesh like a butcher's cleaver. For rookie adventurers used to facing goblins or kobolds, this was a walking death sentence. Hence its nickname: [Rookie Killer]. When more than five appear together, even a seasoned Level 1 adventurer could fall victim to their assault. Because of this, War Shadows are regarded as one of the most dangerous threats in the upper floors. "Two War Shadows. Want me to handle one?" Kaguya asked, her hand resting on her weapon. "No need, Kaguya-nee. I want to see how far I can push myself." Akira's voice was calm and firm. "...Alright. If you're in danger, I'll step in." Akira nodded. Without hesitation, he charged at the War Shadows. With each level up, Akira found it easier to control elemental magic. Now, the moment he thought about it, a whirlwind curled around his spear like it belonged there. The two monsters lunged simultaneously, claws slashing with a shriek of air. Akira parried the first blow with his spear, then shifted sideways to dodge the second. His weapon lashed out like a whip, slamming into one of the War Shadow's legs. The claws came again. Akira ducked low, letting them slice through empty air above his head. He thrust upward—his spear piercing through the War shadow's face. The whirlwind exploded under his feet, launching him into the air. As he landed on the wall, he twisted, yanked his spear free, and hurled it like a bolt. The whirling wind carried the spear straight through the second War Shadow's chest, pinning it to the ground. "It's over!" Akira shouted. Both monsters dissolved into nothingness, like melting ice. All that remained was a pair of glimmering items: a magic stone, and the curved black blades once attached to their claws. [Personal Information] Name: Akira Age: 13 Level: 8 Status: Tired