Genichi knew Demeter wanted him to challenge the Black Dragon, but he had no interest in becoming a hero.
Challenge the Black Dragon?
Whether he could win was beside the point.
What would he gain from challenging it?
Absolutely nothing.
If he won, this world would be saved, but what would he get in return?
If he lost, there was even less to discuss.
He would die without leaving so much as a trace, perhaps before he could even open the Transmigration Gate.
No matter how he looked at it, the risks far outweighed the rewards.
Why would he do something so dangerous when there was nothing in it for him?
Thus, Genichi rejected Demeter’s attempt to test him without a second thought.
Call him selfish if they wanted.
Any ordinary person would make the same choice.
He had no reason to risk his life for others, much less people who had absolutely nothing to do with him.
He was merely a traveler who had stumbled into this world, not some reincarnated savior.
Nor did he believe that greater power automatically came with greater responsibility.
All he wanted was to grow stronger in peace, wait for the Transmigration Gate to finish cooling down, then take his new abilities to the next world and enjoy his freedom.
Anyone who wanted to be a hero was welcome to it.
…
The next morning, Genichi prepared to enter the Dungeon again.
His goal was simple: keep hunting Goblins, polish his combat skills, and perhaps find a few stronger monsters to test the limits of his S999 ability values.
He had slaughtered plenty of monsters on the first two floors yesterday, but those creatures were still nothing more than basic fodder.
None had forced him to reveal his true strength.
He needed stronger opponents—not ones powerful enough to threaten his life, but ones capable of forcing him to get serious and placing him under some pressure.
Only through battles like those could he adapt to his body’s S999 ability values and turn those numbers into genuine combat strength.
However, the moment he stepped out of his room, he saw Demeter waiting by the entrance to the Familia headquarters.
She wore a pale green dress, and her hair had been carefully styled with a white flower tucked beside one ear.
She looked completely different from her usual relaxed and carefree self.
Genichi stopped and tilted his head in confusion.
“Goddess, are you going somewhere?”
“Mhm~”
Demeter clasped her hands behind her back.
A sweet smile that immediately put Genichi on guard appeared on her face.
“You’re coming for a walk around Orario with me today!”
Genichi froze for a moment, then quickly guessed what she was planning.
He knew this goddess too well.
She rarely invited anyone shopping, much less dressed up so carefully first thing in the morning.
Something was clearly going on.
In this entire city, the only person Demeter was currently determined to change was Genichi himself.
“Goddess, if you’re trying to convince me to become a hero, there’s really no need.”
Genichi did not bother dancing around the subject.
He simply told her outright that he would never become the hero she wanted.
“You already know what kind of person I am.
I’m selfish, and I won’t gamble my life for strangers.”
Demeter’s smile did not fade.
If anything, it became even brighter, like a flower blooming beneath the morning sun.
“Who said anything about making you a hero?
I merely want you to walk around Orario with me and become familiar with the city.”
“You’ve been here for several days, yet you don’t even know what the city center looks like.
As your goddess, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to show you around?”
“That’s all?”
Genichi narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“That’s all.”
Demeter blinked innocently, looking as harmless as a newborn fawn.
Genichi studied her amber eyes for a long time, hoping to catch the slightest sign that she was lying.
Unfortunately, Demeter’s acting was far better than he had expected, and he could not find a single flaw.
In the end, he sighed in resignation.
“Fine, fine.
I don’t have anything urgent to do today anyway, so I’ll walk around with you.”
He shut the door behind him and followed her across the courtyard.
Truthfully, Genichi was curious about Orario himself.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had spent almost all his time hiding inside the Demeter Familia headquarters.
His life followed the same dull path each day: his room, the Dungeon, then back to his room.
He still had no idea what Orario, the renowned Labyrinth City, truly looked like.
Thus, Genichi followed Demeter out of the Familia headquarters and onto Orario’s main street.
Orario was already bustling in the early morning.
Stalls lined both sides of the street, and vendors called out to passing customers while the scents of fresh bread, flowers, and soil mingled in the air.
Adventurers in worn leather armor hurried past with weapons over their shoulders.
Merchants in fine robes haggled at stalls, uniformed Familia members patrolled in formation, and barefoot children chased one another near the alleys.
Everything was full of life.
As Genichi took in the lively scene before him, an odd feeling rose within him.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he truly sensed the presence of everyday life.
Until now, he had always regarded himself as a passerby—a traveler who might leave at any moment.
That was why he had remained detached and indifferent toward everything in this city.
Yet as he stood on the crowded street, surrounded by real voices and faces marked by joy, worry, or exhaustion, he suddenly realized something.
Orario was alive.
“Well?
Orario isn’t bad, is it?”
Demeter walked beside him with a faintly proud smile.
She had clearly noticed the brief flicker of emotion in his eyes.
Genichi turned to her, but his response remained cold.
“Goddess, you’re wasting your time.
I’m not changing my mind.”
…