Chapter 62: Delinquent and The Best Woman

The moment combat ended. Everyone seemed to stop thinking. Once the prince died, a passage opened, revealing the exit.

Sheila, with a determined look, used her magic to heal Erika. Ryuji, deep in thought, pondered the monster's words while Simon tended to his blades with meticulous care. In the background, Yumiko, with a firm grip, helped hold down Erika as they pulled out the spear.

"Ryuji, are you alright?" Paul asked.

He looked at Ryuji, covered in blue blood, while frozen in thought. The disgusting stench of the frog caused him to cover his face.

"What? I'm fine."

Ryuji grabbed a towel to wipe off the blood before applying antiseptic to his wounds. Then, he used a healing potion to cleanse the wounds.

"Did something happen?"

Paul looked stunned. He didn't know why. But Ryuji seemed different from his usual self.

"No, it's fine. I'm okay."

Ryuji tried to scrub the blood that soaked his hands. For some reason, he felt filthy after hearing those words from the dying monster. The expression it showed was one of betrayal.

"I'm fine, let's go."

"Well... Okay."

Paul had never seen Ryuji act like this before, so he just sighed and readied his equipment. The look in Ryuji's eyes somehow scared him.

"Simon, how is she?"

"Hmm."

He stopped cleaning his blade to check on Erika.

"She'll live, but we need to take her back to town as soon as possible. This is outside of my knowledge. It would be best if we got her a proper doctor."

"The girl is..."

Deep in thought, Simon gazed at the unconscious Erika and then became calm. He realised heroes were different from them. Ryuji finally snapped out of his strange mood. His gaze fixed on Erika while he inched towards her. "We should be taking dungeons more seriously."

Sheila noticed the two looking at Erika with worried expressions. She could not help but giggle. The next moment, her magic stopped. Only a small scar remained.

"My, what gentle faces you guys have."

"Erika will be fine."

"I know; it's just that she's the same age as my little sister. It kind of made me feel awkward, Y'know?"

"And if we could prevent this type of injury, it would be great."

Ryuji added, noticing that Sheila, Alicia, and Paul's looks seemed absurd. He couldn't help but ask. "Why do you look at her with those twisted faces?"

He could feel their strange feelings. Ryuji didn't know why. It felt like instinct, but he sensed their feelings and emotions.

—Self Repairing.

Sprint - For five seconds, increase all speed and evasion abilities by 100%

***

"Erika, are you alright?" Ryuji walked over, holding the boots, and kneeled. He then pulled off the leather and fur boots she wore."Do the other heroes not get spare socks to wear?" "Not unless they spend their coins, or maybe she doesn't like the feeling?"He remained unfazed after cleaning her dirty feet.

Ryuji gave her a pair of his socks, slipping them on before he placed the boots on her feet."This is the best we can do for now."

He gazed at Erika, checking her breathing rate and temperature. She appeared fine, but that meant nothing. He lacked knowledge of the world. She could die from a disease or infection for all he knew.

"Shall we get moving, then?" Ryuji tossed the gold to Sheila because she always managed it."As usual, please hold onto it for me."

"Sure, sure."

Sheila smiled and examined the coins before she pulled out the party coin purse, which was now filled with copper, silver, and gold coins.

"With this, our funds are two gold each, and the remaining can cover all the expenses we used to get here."

"Yeah."

Ryuji was grateful that they used Sheila's purse instead of a separate one for each member. His nature and lack of desire for money made him forgetful, which caused him to lose things when he went into the dungeons.

"Are we going to camp?" Simon asked, rubbing his new bracer.

"Unlikely. Let's focus on getting to the third floor." Ryuji wrapped one arm under the waist of Erika, her mouth releasing a lovely moan before draping her arms around his neck. Her silky, long blond hair rested on Ryuji's shoulders. Ryuji couldn't help but enjoy the sweet scent that lingered on her body, enduring Yumiko's pinch on his side.

"Mmmm."

She moaned in her sleep and tightened her grip. Thankfully, with Ryuji's strength, he could ignore her weight while grasping Yumiko's hand, trying to soothe her mood.

"Fufu."

Yumiko's frown turned into a smile at Ryuji's subtle actions. The group travelled down the hallway in a muted silence.

Ryuji listened to everyone's movements, absorbing them from his environment. He could still feel their emotions, but now they were more positive, without doubt or fear. The monsters gave Ryuji a chance to train this strange new power.

"The gate to the third floor is open." Paul lifted a large metal gate. They headed down a staircase, and at the bottom of the stairs, they found a gigantic door. "First heat, then cold. What do you think comes this time?" Paul asked, his lips curling into a curious smile as he looked back.

"You should pray it isn't wind or water." Simon frowned as he realised he had no methods to cope with the conditions of the third floor. "I can't handle any more cold!"

With a kick, Ryuji smashed the gate open before stepping down the stairs. He wanted to have a floor that wasn't difficult to complete.

"Hey, Ryuji?" A voice came from behind him, attracting his attention. With his gaze lowered, he caught Yumiko observing Erika, her expression filled with deep thought.

"Hmmm, what is the matter, Yumi?" Ryuji asked. Yumiko leaned against his ear before whispering a question. Her tail swayed as she looked away. Their steps down the stairs echoed throughout the massive doorway.

"Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice, ehehe."

"Uh..." With a smile, Ryuji couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of her body against his. He felt this might be the life, fighting monsters and holding a cute fox woman afterwards. "Let's hope it's a place we can camp this time!" He grunted while stepping forward, with a smile on his face.