With that, Kaguya took her leave, stepping out of the dining hall with elegant poise.
"Don't mind her," Ryuu said. "She's not a bad person by nature—she's just… shameless."
Hearing that, Xien broke out into a few beads of cold sweat. He was also relieved she'd already gone—because with that tone, it really felt like those two might start throwing hands.
And in the back of his mind, he couldn't help thinking:
…That's a brutal evaluation. You two definitely have history. This level of mutual sabotage—what, some kind of grudge?
He shook it off.
Whatever. Not my business right now.
He refocused on eating, staring at the not-particularly-delicious food and silently vowing that when it was his turn to cook, he'd make something genuinely good—let them experience the power of Chinese cuisine.
After they finished, they rested for half an hour.
Then the two of them returned to the training grounds—still just the pair of them. Only this time, they headed to the archery range.
"Instructor Ryuu," Xien asked as they neared their destination, "I've been meaning to ask… is everyone busy today? The headquarters feels really empty."
He wasn't wrong. Astraea Familia wasn't large, but the base wasn't big either. At lunch it had only been the two of them—plus Kaguya showing up briefly. It was strange that no one else was around.
"The captain took the others into the Dungeon to train and build experience," Ryuu answered gently while preparing a practice shortbow. "The Evilus factions have been growing more rampant. Even if their arrogance has eased lately, we need to raise our strength so we can strike hard the moment they show themselves."
Her expression shifted for the briefest moment—so fast Xien didn't notice.
"Ah… I see," Xien murmured. "Everyone's working hard…"
Ryuu tugged the bowstring again, confirming it worked properly. Inside, she felt a little tense—because she hadn't told him the whole truth.
There was another reason.
After Xien joined, everyone had started worrying about the familia's overall combat formation.
A special role like his—more valuable than even a mage in the party—was often the exact kind of target an enemy would exploit to break a formation.
So to protect him more effectively, they'd gone into the Dungeon to test formations while also accumulating real combat experience.
In plain terms: they were practicing how to protect a healer who—right now—couldn't fight at all, so that he could integrate into the squad in the future instead of becoming a deadly weak point.
Of course, teamwork was mutual. While they worked on that side, Ryuu was responsible for giving him foundational training here. Later, the other key members would also teach him what they specialized in.
Alise's plan was to make Xien a genuinely positive contributor to the team within one month—something they'd all agreed on.
That was why, at the moment, only four people were at the base:
Xien and Ryuu, Kaguya, and the goddess herself.
Ryuu and Kaguya's primary job wasn't only instruction—it was also contingency defense. If Evilus attacked suddenly, they'd be the shield.
So right now Ryuu was both instructor and bodyguard.
"Next I'll teach you the fundamentals of archery," Ryuu said. "We'll train here for a while, and then I'll take you to meet your advisor. She'll teach you basic adventurer common sense."
She handed him the checked shortbow as she spoke.
"Understood!" Xien answered without hesitation.
He'd always believed that before you could judge whether something fit, the first step was doing it. Problems could be solved after they appeared. And besides, he was genuinely interested in archery.
He looked down at the bow, pulled the string—and realized it needed real strength. Even using everything he had, he could only barely draw it fully.
"Alright. Same as this morning," Ryuu said. "Watch my movements."
She set her stance and nocked an arrow in one smooth sequence. To let Xien see clearly, she deliberately slowed down—just like earlier.
Even so, the scene was strangely beautiful. As an elf with long practice, her posture looked as if it had always been meant to exist that way.
A motion that should've taken less than a second was stretched to three—
Then a crisp wind-snap sounded.
The arrow struck the bullseye fifty meters away without the slightest suspense.
Xien had already activated the assist mode, eyes wide as he captured every detail.
After her demonstration, he shut his eyes for a few seconds to replay it in his mind, then nocked an arrow and drew.
Whoosh—
His arrow flew out too.
But compared to Ryuu's perfect center, his shot was wildly off to the side—so far it was practically in another postal code.
"Multiple muscle groups exerting force incorrectly. Breathing frequency misaligned. Please correct…"
Red markers flashed across his vision, highlighting the muscles where he was applying force wrong—an alarmingly direct critique.
"Hmm. You didn't miss the target entirely. That's a little unexpected," Ryuu said. "But for a first attempt, it's already quite good."
Xien's face twitched.
She was being honest… but this woman really had no idea how to compliment someone. If his ego was more fragile, he'd probably start resenting her on the spot.
Still, he knew her temperament. At this point in time, she was straightforward to a fault—so he let it go.
He pulled another arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and adjusted his posture deliberately toward the system's suggested alignment.
"Relax. Don't lock your arm so tightly. Imagine the arrow becoming an extension of your arm…"
Ryuu held her weapon—Yggdrasil's branch—and tapped the parts of his body that were wrong with controlled force, correcting his form.
Why do other protagonists get hands-on instruction and I get beaten into shape? Life is unfair…
Xien wanted to cry, but he still adjusted seriously.
Painful, but satisfying.
An hour later—
Whoosh—
The arrow landed dead center in the bullseye.
"Congratulations, Host. Skill acquired: Archery (Beginner). Interference +20. Please keep it up."
"Yes…!" Xien clenched his fist, exhilarated.
That sense of achievement was unbeatable.
"Mm. Not bad," Ryuu said, keeping her face neutral as she suppressed her shock. "Try a few more. If you can maintain that level, we'll switch to moving targets."
Alise had told her not to let him get too arrogant. Otherwise, with Ryuu's blunt nature, she'd have blurted out the truth: his talent was absurd.
But seeing how excited he was, she decided the current amount of praise was perfect.
First time touching a bow, and within an hour he could hit a fifty-meter bullseye.
What kind of monster aptitude was that?
Only the best among elves could rival that—and for elves, archery was practically instinct.
At the same time, Xien made another exciting discovery:
If the system acknowledged a skill as "learned," it didn't regress.
That sudden "click" feeling from the bullseye shot stayed inside him. Now, if he wanted to, he could draw and release—and the arrow would hit.
The next few shots proved it.
Within fifty meters, he was now basically point-and-shoot.
Ryuu, watching, felt genuinely happy.
Even without counting that ridiculous healing ability, this kind of talent could grow into something unbelievable.
He might even have the potential to stand alongside the "Empress" of Hera Familia—an absolute peak powerhouse, once a cliff-like Level 9.
With the first training phase achieved, Ryuu brought out the moving targets: many disc-like plates.
"Your next training task is to shatter these discs as I throw them," she said. "Understood?"
"Yes."
Ryuu nodded, then signaled him to ready up.
Once he raised his bow, she tossed a disc with her strength. Xien seized the timing and shattered it with a single arrow.
Compared to a stationary target, moving targets were far harder.
But Ryuu didn't stop.
She kept throwing—gradually increasing speed and choosing trickier angles without even announcing it.
Xien started feeling pressured.
And when he finally missed at a certain difficulty, Ryuu didn't scold or explain. She simply continued throwing at that exact speed and angle, forcing him to challenge the limit again and again—until he hit it.
Then she increased the difficulty again.
Over an hour later, after hundreds of draws and releases, the ground ahead was carpeted with shattered fragments.
Xien's hands trembled. His whole body felt emptied out—unable to move anymore.
Yet he was grinning.
Because on the system panel, the words were unmistakable:
Archery (Intermediate)
Plus an additional +50 Interference.
That sense of accomplishment flooded him.
"Alright. We'll stop training here for today," Ryuu said. "Rest a little, then I'll take you to the Guild."
"Okay."
Xien flopped down onto the ground, looking at his right hand—rope-burned until it had split and bled.
He bared his teeth in a pained smile.
This feeling of steady improvement—this was addictive.
Ryuu returned with a cup of training drink. Seeing he couldn't even lift his hands properly, she simply brought it to his lips.
"Come on," she said. "Open your mouth. Ah—"
She was feeding him like a child taking medicine.
Half-embarrassed and half-secretly pleased, Xien accepted it.
Watching her refined, expressionless face, he couldn't help thinking how "rookie" she still was—she really didn't seem capable of feeling shy at all.
What he didn't know was how hard Ryuu was fighting to keep that calm mask in place.
If anyone could hear her heartbeat, they'd realize it was faster than after her most intense battles.
Thankfully, the moment didn't last long—otherwise, she wasn't sure she could've held it together.
"Alright. Rest like this for a bit," Ryuu said, hiding her slightly trembling hand. "I'll clean up."
She turned and walked toward the range, collecting broken discs. Once she was far enough that Xien couldn't notice, she finally loosened her breathing rhythm and tried to calm her body's abnormal reactions.
Half an hour later, Xien had mostly recovered.
Ryuu had also restored the training area. It was a shared facility—keeping it clean was every member's responsibility.
And Xien made yet another discovery:
When his body was injured, his natural recovery was far beyond normal. It wasn't as instant as magic, but it shortened the required time dramatically.
Like now—
His right hand had already returned to normal, looking nothing like the bloody mess it had been half an hour ago.
He couldn't help marveling again at the Apothecary's power.
Do all people on the Path of Abundance live this well…?
He decided from now on he'd let his body heal naturally after training—might as well build pain resistance too.
"Alright," Ryuu said. "Let's go. We'll return, pack up, and then I'll take you to the Guild."
"Okay."
Half an hour later, the two of them arrived at the Guild.
Just as Xien expected, the half-elf girl named Eina Tulle practically came running the moment he appeared—as if she'd caught his scent.
After the three exchanged greetings, they entered a private room lined with many books.
Next to it was the Guild's library area. There were many similar rooms nearby, meant for advisors and adventurers to exchange information.
Eina had rented this room in advance.
Between yesterday and this morning, she'd already organized all the information and knowledge Xien needed—she only needed him to actually show up.
Fortunately, he hadn't stood her up.
That alone raised her impression of him.
"Then, Mr. Xien," Eina said, bright-eyed, "let's begin by understanding the Dungeon…"
As she explained with lively enthusiasm, Xien finally gained a clear understanding of the entity called the Dungeon—
A labyrinth that had suddenly appeared in the Lower World three thousand years ago, and one of the world's three great mysteries.
The Dungeon was considered a living existence with awareness.
It had some kind of special relationship with the gods—and harbored hatred toward them.
It lay beneath Orario, the root source of the ferocious monsters scattered across the continent.
In the ancient era before the gods descended, before humans received Falna, monsters from the Dungeon could freely invade the surface.
Those monsters that escaped went on to reproduce on the surface, leaving descendants—so that even outside the Dungeon, monsters could be found throughout the world, tormenting humanity.
Later, as history evolved, the gods sought a method to suppress the Dungeon's expansion.
Led by the great god Uranus, they established the fortress city Orario, and created the profession of "adventurer" through the granting of Falna.
The Dungeon had multiple entrances, but nearly all had been sealed.
Only the entrance beneath Babel in Orario remained open.
Putting everything else aside, the main duty of adventurers now was to suppress the Dungeon's monster population.
At the same time, because of the production of magic stones, Orario monopolized most of the world's supply.
A mature industry built around magic-stone products formed—attracting merchants and laborers from across the world.
In fact, those non-adventurers far outnumbered the adventurers who explored the Dungeon.
That old man Xien had met earlier? He was one of the laborers responsible for construction.
He'd come to the city in his youth—and had been here for decades.
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