'Guess I was worried for nothing.' Shye thought, delighted that Seira didn't take his news negatively.
He knew she had some kind of problem she wasn't ready to share, and he wasn't sure if his promotion to the main branch would crush her hopes of resolving her issues.
'Judging from her reaction...I guess not?' He pondered, staring deeply at Seira who was blabbering her heart out, singing his praises.
Still, he realized that it wasn't wise to assume.
'It might be rude but...it might be for the best if I simply ask her.'
"S-Say, Seira. You told me before that you needed to be promoted as quickly as possible to the main branch, correct?"
Hearing Shye's words, the "enthusiastic" Seira momentarily flinched.
"A-Ahh...hahaha, yeah but don't worry about it, boss! With the huge boost you gave me, my odds of accomplishing my goals are higher than ever. I'll make sure to see you again in Valenzia City so just remain legendary, okay? You better not disappoint me!!"
Naturally, despite her tough and cheerful words, Shye knew she was suppressing her emotions, as she had been very considerate since the beginning of their friendship.
He understood that Seira didn't want to burden him with her problems, which was commendable.
However, in Shye's opinion, sometimes, it would be better to just ask for help.
"Seira, I'm serious, you can at least tell me about your problem, you know? Also, don't worry about my career as I'm already way ahead of my expected progress. I can at least spare a few months to help a friend in need."
Hearing Shye's words, tears finally streamed down Seira's cheeks
However, she quickly wiped it off, feeling embarrassed about crying in a public place.
"Aha...hahaha...sorry, boss. Give me a few moments."
Naturally, Shye would give her all the time she needed to reorganize her thoughts and emotions.
The slightly heavy atmosphere lightened as the delectable foods they had ordered—lobsters, crabs, shrimp, scallops, and more—arrived, filling the air with heavenly aromas that tantalized their senses.
*GROWL~*
Shortly after, someone's stomach finally couldn't take it.
"Hahahaha! Boss, you sure love seafood. Let's eat, I shall tell you my problem while eating."
And so, she did.
"What's going on here? Why are you blocking my way? Will you move or should I make you move?"
Hearing the sudden disdainful voice behind them, the entire party subconsciously turned their heads.
"Huh? And who the hell are you?"
Seira was about to speak to introduce the invincible legend of Balkrow, however, this time, she was one step slower than another party member—a talented bootlicker of an emerald standing behind Luna.
"Hahahaha! We told you, didn't we?! You guys should've left with whatever meager reputation you had! Now, it's too late for you guys to do so. I recommend that you prepare your faces for the face-slapping of a lifetime!"
"Hahahahaha! Indeed, you shouldn't have come here, you idiots! You're just inviting humiliation upon yourselves!"
"Hahahaha! Crowley could probably defeat all of you at once!"
Hearing the words of their guildmates, Seira was stupefied. She couldn't help but sneakily whisper: "Boss, what happened to these guys? Why did they suddenly have a change of heart?"
"Heh, I forgot to tell you but I defeated Luna in a duel a few days ago."
[Congratulations! You've earned 1 point!]
"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"
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Unfortunately, Shye couldn't answer Seira as Dodge's infuriated voice sounded first.
"Good, good, good. So you're Shye Crowley? The sneaky bastard who stole the dungeon core from us..."
"Huh? What the hell are you saying? It's not like the dungeon core was yours to begin with. I got it first so it's mine, you moron."
Dodge wanted to expose Shye as he simply did not believe that a rookie, no matter how talented, could clear the dungeon alone.
He didn't know how Shye managed to bypass the enormous shark lurking in the depths of the pitch-black sea, but he was sure that the ashen-haired bastard could never have defeated it.
"Heh, fine. However, do you dare prove you're stronger than us?"
"Hahahahaha!"
"Heh, what? You can only laugh because you don't dare? Trash like you does not deser–"
"Sure, I can even fight all of you at once if you want!"