Morning arrived quietly.
Soft golden sunlight entered through the thin curtains and spread across the wooden room.
Outside—
Birds chirped continuously.
Cold morning air drifted inside from the slightly opened window.
Downstairs—
People talked quietly while cups and wooden plates occasionally made soft sounds.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Ren did not wake instantly.
No battlefield instincts.
No sudden alertness.
No feeling of danger.
His eyes opened lazily.
And for several seconds—
He simply remained still.
Then he slowly turned.
Lyra was sleeping beside him.
Her silver hair spread over the pillow.
The blanket covered her body while only her face and silver tail remained visible.
Her expression looked peaceful.
Safe.
Not like the frightened girl he first met.
Ren quietly watched her.
His gaze remained calm.
Then—
Her wolf ears twitched.
Slowly—
Her silver eyes opened.
She blinked once.
Then noticed him staring.
Her face immediately became slightly red.
"…What are you looking at?"
Ren smiled faintly.
"In my world…"
"There were only humans."
Her expression softened.
He looked at her ears.
"So I got curious."
Her ears moved.
"…Curious?"
Ren nodded.
"…Can I touch them?"
Immediately—
Her face heated further.
Her ears stood upright.
She looked away.
Several seconds passed.
Then quietly—
She nodded.
"…Only because you're my partner."
Ren slowly reached his hand.
The moment he touched her ears—
His expression changed.
Soft.
Warm.
Smooth.
And unexpectedly fluffy.
Lyra instantly shivered slightly.
Her shoulders moved.
Her ears folded halfway.
"…T-Tickles…"
Ren quietly laughed.
"…Sensitive?"
She nodded.
"…Very."
He touched them carefully again.
Lyra hid half her face under the blanket.
"…Stop smiling…"
Ren asked curiously.
"I have a question."
She looked at him.
"What?"
"Why do you have four ears?"
Lyra blinked.
Then understood.
She pointed toward the human-like ears.
"These are for normal hearing."
Then touched the wolf ears.
"These are different."
Her ears moved slightly.
"They help us hear farther."
"Detect wind changes."
"Track movement."
She looked proud.
"Find prey."
Then quietly added—
"…And enemies."
Ren nodded.
Interesting.
Actual biological differences.
Then—
His eyes slowly moved lower.
Toward her tail.
Immediately—
Her tail disappeared under the blanket.
Her face became red again.
Ren looked back.
"…Tail?"
Lyra immediately looked away.
"…No."
Ren laughed.
Her ears twitched.
Several moments later—
She sighed.
"…You really are curious."
He nodded honestly.
Several seconds later—
She slowly let the tail come back outside.
"…Only because you're my life partner."
Ren gently touched it.
Again—
Soft.
Warm.
Thicker than expected.
His eyes followed where it connected.
Lyra immediately covered herself more.
"…Don't stare…"
Ren quietly asked—
"It's attached directly?"
She nodded.
"…To the spine."
Interesting.
This world really wasn't humans with animal features.
After several moments—
Ren moved closer and gently kissed her.
She blinked.
Then kissed back.
Short.
Warm.
Comfortable.
When they separated—
Lyra smiled shyly.
"…Good morning."
Ren smiled.
"…Morning."
After quietly getting ready—
Ren sat briefly at the edge of the bed.
Then focused.
A familiar panel appeared.
Only visible to him.
[ SYSTEM ]
Host: Ren
Level: 9
Party Members: • Lyra
Party Feature: • Experience Share — Active
Inventory: • 115 × 9mm rounds
• Twin Face Ogre Greatsword
• Twin Face Ogre War Club
• Weapon Fragment ×7
• 600 Gold Coins
Shop: • Locked until Level 10
Manufacture: • Available
Blueprint: • AK-47
Requirements: • Special Hardwood — Missing
• Processed Metal — Available
Current Party Mission:
Kill 300 Monsters / 4 Days
Reward: • Party EXP ×2
• Polaris Sportsman MV850 ATV (Military Grade)
• Military Trainer Knowledge
Ren silently looked at the final reward.
Military Trainer Knowledge.
Not weapon knowledge.
Not survival knowledge.
Training.
Groups.
Organization.
His thoughts slowed.
Why does the system keep giving rewards that scale?
Vehicle.
Manufacturing.
Training.
Army-related rewards.
I'm only one person.
So why does the system keep preparing me for more?
His eyes remained on the panel.
Then it disappeared.
He quietly stood.
"…Let's go eat."
Lyra nodded.
Downstairs—
The inn atmosphere felt peaceful.
Travelers talked.
Merchants laughed.
Adventurers prepared equipment.
Breakfast itself—
Honestly—
Was average.
Hard bread.
Simple soup.
Dry meat.
Nothing special.
Lyra quietly chewed.
Then looked at Ren.
"…Your system bread is softer."
Ren laughed.
"…Even nobles probably don't eat bread that soft."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"That expensive?"
Ren nodded.
"Probably."
After breakfast—
They headed directly toward the Adventurer Guild.
The building was crowded.
People looked through requests.
Merchants talked.
Weapons clinked.
But Ren wasn't searching for work.
He was gathering information.
Routes.
Road quality.
Travel times.
Safe zones.
Monster areas.
Forest locations.
He quietly memorized the complete map hanging behind the registration counter.
Old habits.
Know roads.
Know exits.
Know terrain.
After asking around—
They learned something surprising.
Half a day from town—
There was a forest.
Inside—
A Tyrant Tree.
Rare.
Dangerous.
Valuable.
But something else surprised them.
This town had no dungeon.
Ren asked nearby adventurers.
"No dungeon?"
The adventurer laughed.
"There used to be four."
Ren raised eyebrow.
"What happened?"
The adventurer crossed his arms proudly.
"Guildmaster."
Ren became interested.
"He cleared all four."
"In four months."
Ren paused.
Four months?
The man continued proudly.
"Greatest achievement in town history."
Ren asked—
"How long normally?"
The adventurer answered casually.
"Easy mode?"
"Two to three months."
Ren frowned.
"And permanently closing one?"
The man became serious.
"Hard mode."
"Usually six months."
"Need experienced people."
Then—
Something connected.
Ren quietly asked—
"What if someone enters without guild dungeon card?"
The adventurer blinked.
"Then hard mode automatically starts."
Ren became still.
The man continued.
"Guild gives cards."
"They take percentage from rewards too."
Everything connected.
Difficulty.
Boss.
Rewards.
Gold.
System.
Then—
Ren understood.
He didn't clear the dungeon.
He permanently closed it.
His expression slowly changed.
Lyra noticed.
"…Ren?"
He quietly looked at her.
Then laughed.
"…We accidentally did something insane."
She tilted her head.
"What?"
Ren looked ahead.
"…We didn't raid that dungeon."
"…We destroyed it."
Lyra slowly widened her eyes.
Then quietly whispered—
"…That explains everything…"
Both became silent.
Then Ren looked toward the forest direction.
Tree Tyrant.
Special hardwood.
Mission.
AK-47.
Things were becoming bigger.
Much bigger.
By afternoon—
They exited the guild.
Cold wind moved through the town.
People walked normally.
Everything looked peaceful.
Far away—
Near another street—
A large muscular figure quietly stood.
Broad shoulders.
Strong frame.
Arms crossed.
His gaze silently followed Ren and Lyra as they walked away.
Neither noticed.
The man watched for several moments.
Then turned.
And disappeared into the crowd.