Laios spread his arms and closed his eyes, letting Marcille pull on his wrist without budging an inch.
He was fully prepared! Prepared to become the new dungeon master!
He was already imagining what kind of wish he would make once he inherited the title.
Would he become the most handsome chimera like the one Kairo Retsu showed him in that vision of the future?
Would he summon a host of monsters?
Or maybe...
But as these thoughts swirled in Laios's head—
Nothing happened.
Laios slowly began to realize something wasn't right.
Why hadn't the Winged Lion chosen him yet?
When he opened his eyes, he saw Marcille kneeling on the ground, clutching his shirt in relief—
But the Winged Lion had vanished.
"Where's the Winged Lion?!"
Laios looked around in bewilderment, then down at his hand.
"Wait, am I already the dungeon master? I don't feel any different though…"
"The Winged Lion already left," Marcille said, exhaling deeply.
She could feel the power of the dungeon master gradually leaving her body. There were still some lingering traces, but even that told her clearly—
The Winged Lion was no longer here.
"Damn it! The Winged Lion didn't choose me?!"
Kairo Retsu cursed, then crouched to start sharpening his Charge Blade, its sharpness long since dulled.
"Forget it! The Winged Lion must've gone to find some other Hunter to become dungeon master! I'm not giving up! I'm gonna fight for that spot today no matter what!!"
"?"
Laios was at a loss.
After all that talk, he really thought the Winged Lion was going to pick him…
So now it went off to pick someone else?
Why?!
Laios felt a twinge of injustice—he was the one who had gone through all the effort to persuade the Winged Lion!
But before he could sulk any further, he was suddenly tackled to the ground by Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi.
"Laios, you idiot!!"
Marcille yelled, furious.
"What the heck were you thinking?!"
"Hey!! Just how many things have you been hiding from us?!" Chilchuck shouted.
"How do you even know so much about the Winged Lion?!"
"Looks like we need a hearty meal to regain some strength..." Senshi, ever unchanging, focused on the most practical issue.
"Wait—"
Laios tried to speak, but was buried beneath a flurry of his companions' reprimands.
—
Meanwhile…
Tanjiro Kamado's side.
After jumping off the Rathalos, Tanjiro had continued his journey through the Dungeon alongside Ijitsuzumi.
Although his keen sense of smell helped him navigate, Ijitsuzumi's erratic movements had slowed him down considerably.
Only after investing some time and effort did he manage to gain a small measure of her trust.
At this pace, Tanjiro figured he'd eventually catch up to Marcille.
But then—
The Winged Lion's book, which Kairo Retsu had previously entrusted to him, suddenly stirred.
A large lump began to protrude from inside Tanjiro's clothing near his chest.
"!"
Ijitsuzumi startled at the sudden movement, and Tanjiro also flinched—
Until the Winged Lion emerged from within his shirt, drawing a loud, anxious squeal from Ijitsuzumi.
"Tanjiro Kamado."
The Winged Lion looked down at him with a gentle smile.
"Do you wish to become the dungeon master and realize your heart's desire?"
"!"
Tanjiro froze for a moment—then understood.
The hunt had entered its next phase.
Even though… he felt satisfied with his life now and had few desires to chase,
He raised his head and met the Winged Lion's gaze.
"Yes."
"Please, make me the dungeon master."
"What a kind child,"
The Winged Lion's smile widened.
It extended a claw and gently patted Tanjiro's head.
"Then—
You are now the dungeon master.
Go, and realize your wish."
—
Back on the 1st Subterranean Level, where the exit to the surface lay,
The elves had gathered a sizable force—preparing to face off against the invading monster army they expected Marcille to unleash.
But after waiting for so long, not a single monster appeared.
The elves began to doubt.
What exactly was Marcille planning?
Was she abandoning her push toward the surface?
But the serpent familiar she had sent had already broken through the dungeon—
It was a dangerous situation already.
Why wasn't she taking further action?
Was this a trap?
Was she luring them in?
As speculation swirled among the elves—
Suddenly, something changed within the Dungeon.
To be precise—
Some of the architecture, ruins, and visible terrain within the dungeon began to subtly shift in style.
"?"
Jukuro furrowed his brow in confusion.
Why did the Dungeon suddenly look like his hometown?
"What's going on?!"
Flaimella snapped irritably.
"Why is the Dungeon changing again?! What's that dungeon master even thinking?!"
Patadru's expression was tense.
"We can't leave this alone. We must take Marcille out of the picture, no matter what!"
Marcille herself was still unaware she was being blamed for this.
But the Dungeon's transformation continued.
Soon, a new town appeared.
And a few familiar mountains materialized—ones that Tanjiro knew well.
"So this is your wish?"
The Winged Lion looked over at Tanjiro, who had changed out of his Hunter's gear and into a simple Japanese-style outfit.
"I thought your desires would be more extravagant."
"This is enough."
Tanjiro smiled at the familiar landscape.
"I've already received so much from others."
"I don't have a lot of unfulfilled wishes…"
Tanjiro said quietly—
But then his eyes landed on the closed door of his family's house.
"…But I do have one."
"Big Brother!"
A joyful voice called from behind.
Ijitsuzumi fluffed up again at the sudden noise.
Nezuko came running toward him, followed by Zenitsu and Inosuke.
"Big Brother! Is she your friend? Hello! I'm Nezuko!!"
"Big Brother! Let's go home!"
Nezuko beamed as she grabbed Tanjiro's hand.
At that moment, the sealed door behind her slowly opened.
Tanjiro's mother, his younger siblings—
All came out to greet him with warm smiles.
"Everyone's waiting for us at home."
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