'...fuck my life.'

Consciousness returned to Aria not with a jolt, but as a slow, reluctant tide.

The first thing to breach the surface was sensation— a deep, resonant ache in her chest, a phantom echo of the shattering impact that had promised her oblivion.

It was a dull throb now, held at bay by a gentle, pervasive warmth that seeped into her bones.

"Qwy."

The second thing was sound: a frantic, high-pitched chirping, close to her ear.

"Qwy...?" Her voice was a dry rasp, barely scraping its way out of her throat or what would be her vocal organs if she had them.

"Qwy! Qwy, Qwy!"

A soft, feathery weight crashed into her cheek, then cuddled desperately into the crook of her neck.

"Oh baby..."

Aria lifted a heavy hand, her fingers finding the familiar, leathery skin and fluffy feathers of her companion.

Through the Soul-Latch bond, a torrent of raw emotion flooded her, bypassing words entirely.

She felt the chilling terror Qwy had experienced watching her fall, the desperate, clawing hope that had followed, and a fierce, blazing pride that they had survived.

Woven through it all was a new, distinct thread: a clear, shining wave of admiration that was not directed at her, but away from her.

"Him?"

Aria pushed herself up onto her elbows, the movement stiff but not as painful.

The green light of the Safe Zone pulsed around them, its energy actively knitting the last of her wounds, restoring her depleted stamina simultaneously.

She felt… fine, under that green warmth.

Remarkably so, given she was supposed to be a red smear on the dungeon floor by now.

'Savi came for the rescue once again.'

She had the thought that she was becoming too reliant on her assistance skill, but then again, she was in no position to find different ways right now.

'Thanks again, Rose.'

Her gaze, guided by Qwy's intense focus, landed on Cass.

He lay a few feet away, looking deceptively peaceful.

The harsh lighting of the dungeon softened his features, the last traces of the ugly bruise on his temple fading into nothingness.

"Sleeping like a baby, are we?"

He was the picture of innocent slumber. And the profound, reverent admiration Qwy was projecting was aimed squarely at him.

He saved us.

The certainty of it settled in her mind, unbelievable but solid.

It wasn't a question or conclusion from the bond she shared with the little eyeball.

The evidence was scattered around them in nine neatly segmented pieces of what was once an unstoppable Dungeon Warden. The cuts were clean, precise, and almost artistic in their lethality.

It was the work of a master, not the chaotic result of a system error or a lucky break.

But how?

Her eyes traced the lines of the fallen guardian, then returned to the boy who fumbled his spells and looked at his staff like it was a lifeline.

The dichotomy was absurd here.

"Qwy?"

Qwy, sensing her doubt, let out a determined, almost scolding chirp, bumping her head against Aria's chin.

He's not weak! He's strong! The gesture screamed.

Aria let out a soft, breathy chuckle, the sound strange in the silent chamber. Then, she stroked Qwy's feathers, calming the little creature's fervor.

"Okay, okay, little one. I believe you." And she did. She just didn't need the specifics.

The 'how' felt like a door she had no right to open. In a world of skills and secrets, prying was the quickest way to turn an ally into an enemy. Or worse, to shatter the fragile trust they'd built.

[ "The Dungeon Core has issued a formal acknowledgment of its miscalculation." ]

Rosaviel's voice chimed in her mind, velvet and serene, as precisely timed as usual.

[ "As compensation for the erroneous threat escalation and the temporary suspension of privileges, you are granted permanent salvage rights to the decommissioned guardian's materials. They will not be reclaimed for recycling." ]

She glared at the pink screen for a moment and then shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, that's one hell of a severance package," She muttered, finally finding the strength to stand. Her body protested, but only slightly.

"Ughhh."

She walked over to the pile of stone and crystal that had, just minutes ago, been their death sentence.

She wasn't completely healed yet, but she managed to find her strength with each step, recovering a little more with her calm breathing.

"What will we get from this one now...?"

Placing a hand on the largest of the nine segments, she focused her will and activated {Material Collection}.

The colossal remains shimmered, then dissolved into rivers of shimmering light that flowed into her, recorded by her status.

[You have acquired: 5,000 Coins.]

[You have acquired: Guardian Core Shard (Intact) x2.]

[Acquired: Fortified Mana-Stone x40.]

A fantastic haul spread out across the area, with all the coins going straight into my status window.

The fragmented red cores hummed, Mana dense and pulsing with potent energy.

"Wow..."

She could tell they were more precious than ordinary beast cores from their radiating energy alone.

The stones felt impossibly solid and saturated with mana, almost perfect, prime materials for an architect's ambitions. It was, once again, a king's ransom, offered as a peace treaty.

She turned and walked back to the heart of the Safe Zone. And as if on cue, Cass began to stir.

His eyelashes fluttered first, then his eyes— the soft, fearful gray she was accustomed to were finally opening.

Once back alive, they found hers, then darted to the space where the Warden had loomed.

A lightning-fast flicker of pure, unguarded panic crossed his face before he masterfully schooled his features into a mask of dazed confusion.

"Miss Aria?" he stuttered, pushing himself up weakly. "What… how are we…? Is it…?"

"We're alive," she answered with a smile, her voice deliberately light and calming.

She then offered a hand to pull him up, while her tone was the same as always— a mix of casual warmth and slight teasing.

"Turns out the dungeon has a customer service department. They called the whole thing a 'systematic error.' A big misunderstanding essentially."

He took her hand, his own trembling slightly in hers.

She could see the gears turning behind his eyes, frantic and desperate, constructing a fragile web of lies and half-truths to explain the impossible.

The disappearance of the guardian's remains had only given him more opportunities and scenarios.

But she didn't give him the chance to voice any of them.

"Come on," she spoke calmly, dropping his hand and turning her back to him, starting a slow walk towards the far wall of the chamber. Her demeanor was utterly unchanged.

"We're clocking out early. My nerves are officially fried. I think this calls for a stack of those honey-drenched pancakes you pretend not to love that day."

"Huh?"

Cass stood frozen for a heartbeat, the elaborate lie dying unspoken on his lips.

"Miss Aria...?"

He watched her walk away, the casual set of her shoulders, the lack of a probing stare over her shoulder. She was treating him exactly as she always had— the clumsy, endearing mage who needed a bit of looking after.

The relief that washed over him was so potent it felt like a physical blow, leaving him lightheaded and weak-kneed.

He knew for a fact... She knew already.

She was Miss Aria, a gold star adventurer. And she was choosing, deliberately and kindly, to look the other way.

It was, yet again, her way of showing her eternal consideration for him.

'Cool...'

He hurried to catch up, falling into step beside her like his usual clumsy self. "P-pancakes sound good," he managed somehow, his voice barely a whisper.

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiish...

Ahead, a soft blue barrier, a mirror of their own Safe Zone, shimmered into existence on the stone wall— a dedicated exit conjured by a repentant dungeon.

Without a word, they stepped through it together.

-Oooooooooooooong.

Just like when they came here earlier, just like during the exams, the world dissolved and reassembled right before them.

The damp, ozone-charged air of the dungeon was once again replaced by the warm, sun-baked scent of a city afternoon.

"Potions on sale!"

"Try this sample! Free only for today!"

"Fifty! No less than that!"

"A good day to die, huh?"

They stood in a small, secluded plaza, one of the dungeon's many discreet service exits, away from the prying eyes of the main adventurer crowds.

The sounds of Westford, distant merchants, their chatter, the clatter of the carts, all was a comforting, mundane symphony.

"Hmmm~."

Aria tilted her head back, letting the sun wash over her pretty face. She then glanced at Cass, a familiar, mischievous glint in her eyes. "See?" she announced with a wink. "Nothing to it."

She had asked no questions.

She had demanded no answers.

She simply let the unspoken truth hang in the air between them, a quiet pact sealed not by oaths or explanations, but by the profound and simple currency of respect.

However, throughout all this, she had forgotten one important thing...

"Qwy~."

The green dorm she had created earlier still pulsed in the depths of the first floor... it's light healing, not just the beings allowed inside, but, now, without the presence of the owner, everything that walked inside of it,

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