Anime: Passive Inheritance System

He gently reached out and caught the soft green speck on his fingertip. It had a fine, powdery texture.

Looking up, he saw countless glowing motes slowly drifting down from the crystal ceiling above.

In the original Danmachi story, there were no such things as falling light specks on the 18th floor.

"Is this… because of me again…"

Gazing at the rain of glowing particles, Kai's expression grew grim.

Because of his presence as a transmigrator, many events from the original timeline had already changed—some drastically. Plotlines were shifting, outcomes diverging, all due to his interference. And each deviation carried a ripple effect that changed even more.

The most recent major divergence had been the enhanced Goliath they encountered on the 17th floor.

Not a fond memory, by any means…

He stared at the sky full of light for a while. Seeing nothing else unusual, he shook his head and looked away.

Hopefully, he was just overthinking it.

…

The camp of the Loki Familia wasn't very large, but the people moving in and out of it were diverse. There were Loki Familia members, support workers, merchants delivering supplies from the surface, and adventurers from other familias using it as a temporary rest stop.

In the dungeon, everyone shared the same enemy. That common threat unified interests and blurred divisions, so even adventurers from other groups were allowed to rest here while traveling to or from deeper floors.

Thanks to that openness, Kai had been allowed to sleep in a proper tent instead of somewhere cold and rocky.

After a bit of wandering, he found the person he was looking for.

Sitting at an outdoor table, carefully sharpening a silver dagger with a whetstone, was a female adventurer in a gray-brown hooded cloak.

"Hello."

He raised a hand in greeting and took a seat across from her, placing the rapier on the table and sliding it forward.

"Here's your sword. Thank you."

"…"

She looked down at the rapier without saying anything, her hands still methodically working the whetstone as her eyes lifted to meet his.

Though the hood obscured her features, the pale chin peeking out was enough for Kai to be sure—she was beautiful.

"I… don't remember saying I'd lend it to you."

Her voice was calm but carried a cold edge. Still, it was clear and pleasant to the ear, not harsh.

Just as he'd expected…

Being called out like this was no surprise. Kai forced a smile.

"Well, it was a desperate moment. I didn't really have time to ask properly…"

"Hmph. Slick talker."

She scoffed and went back to sharpening her dagger, clearly not interested in continuing the conversation.

"…Either way, thank you. Without your sword, I probably wouldn't be alive to return it."

Though he'd just been brushed off, Kai still offered sincere thanks and stood to leave.

Shing!

The sound of a sword being drawn came from behind him.

Then he heard her voice again.

"But this child—" she said, referring to the sword, "—said it really liked you. For its sake, I'll forgive you this once. I'm Ryuu. Ryuu Lion."

Ryuu Lion?

He turned in surprise to get a better look at the woman behind the name.

She had drawn the rapier and was gently running her fingers down its blade. Her hood was now down, revealing a breathtaking face and a pair of sharp, elegant ears.

An elf.

Kai had already guessed she was one—and had seen her image countless times in the anime—but facing a real elf now, he was still stunned.

Unlike the divine beauty of a goddess, Ryuu's presence reminded him of wind through the hills, of the moon in a quiet night sky. Just looking at her made his mind conjure vivid images of a lush, thriving forest.

She noticed his dazed expression and frowned, letting out a small huff.

"Kai-san, if you have no further business, please leave."

"N-No, nothing else… But Ryuu-san, how did you know my name?"

She paused mid-sharpen, looked up, and replied in the same aloof tone.

"Kai-kun's name is already well-known throughout Orario. What's so strange about me knowing it? Or do you prefer I call you… the Dark Holy Sword?"

"Cough…"

Hearing her utter that ridiculous nickname—a prank by the gods—Kai's face turned red. He waved his hand quickly.

"Well then, goodbye, Ryuu-san."

"Ryuu."

"Hmm?"

"Calling me Ryuu-san is too formal. You can just call me Ryuu."

That caught him off guard for a moment. Then he smiled and nodded.

"In that case… see you, Ryuu."

"Goodbye, Dark Sword Saint."

[Forgot his title so we're going with Dark Sword Saint]

"…"

He glanced back at her as she returned to sharpening her dagger, her expression unreadable.

He suddenly had a flashback—

[Then…Lili, please stop. This is way too embarrassing.]

[Yes, Kai-sama.]

Yeah… this really felt familiar.

This seemingly cold, aloof ice-cold elf beauty—could it be she's secretly a mischievous one, just like Lili?

"Hmm?"

Noticing the strange look in Kai's eyes, Ryuu paused her motion and shot him a sharp glare, cold as a blade.

"Cough, cough…"

Afraid that she might see through his thoughts, Kai quickly looked away and turned to leave.

…

The dungeon didn't have day or night, so there was no natural sense of time. But on the 18th floor, there was at least one way to keep track—the massive glowing white crystal embedded in the ceiling.

This crystal's brightness followed the sun's cycle. Around noon, it would blaze with intense brilliance, while at night, it would dim.

Veteran adventurers could judge the time based on its glow. Right now, it was clearly noon.

All around the camp, stoves were set up or bonfires lit. Members of the same familia gathered in groups to eat meals brought down from the surface by merchants.

Before the Hestia Familia's tent, a bonfire crackled, radiating a fierce heat.

Kai held a tray in his hands containing a lumpy mash of meat and potatoes. It tasted salty, and frankly, it wasn't good. Just barely edible.

As for the texture… what kind of texture do you expect from something half-liquid?

"Kai-kun, aren't you going to eat?"

Seeing him just stirring the food around with his spoon, never taking a bite, Hestia scooted over and sat next to him.

Hearing her, Lili—sitting not far away—also looked over.

"...Sorry, Lady Hestia, I'm… not very hungry."

Not wanting to be seen as a picky eater even at his age, Kai forced a bitter smile to deflect.

But what he was really thinking was…

Meat! I want meat! I want to eat meat so badly!!

After a whole night of constant battles—especially against Goliath and that enhanced version—his stamina was running on empty. Right now, he felt like he could eat half a cow.

And yet, what the hell was this stuff? Potato mash? Mashed meat with potatoes?

Forget the taste—how could anyone fill their stomach on this?

As he stirred with a spoon full of frustration, a strong, savory scent of roasted meat wafted over from behind.

Grr…

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and turned around to see a silver-haired werewolf.

"Bete Loga…?"

The man was none other than the Loki Familia's front-line powerhouse, the werewolf Bete Loga.

Kai only glanced at his face briefly—then all his attention was immediately drawn to what Bete held in his hand.

"Hey, swordsman Kai, I heard you weren't hungry. So I guess you don't need this, huh?"

Looking down on Kai like a predator, Bete sneered and held up a whole roasted lamb leg, pretending to toss it away.

"Wait—! Wait a sec!"

Kai slammed his tray of potato mush down and grabbed Bete's wrist—perhaps a little too forcefully in his desperation. "Please don't! I'm starving!"

"Oh?"

Bete raised an eyebrow at the grip. A smirk spread across his scarred face, etched with lightning-shaped tattoos.

"In that case…"

He shook Kai's hand off, flipped the lamb leg in his hand, and grinned. "I wasn't planning to do this, but your bold attitude really surprises me. A mere Level 2 newbie dares to grab a high-level adventurer like that?

"Or maybe after beating the floor boss, you think you're strong enough to challenge us veterans?"

"No, I didn't mean—"

"Doesn't matter."

Bete cut him off, voice sharpening. "Now I really want to teach you a lesson. Show you what it means to follow the rules down here. Here's the deal—one-on-one. Win or lose, the lamb leg's yours. You game?"

Hearing Bete's mocking tone, Kai's excitement from the smell of roast meat cooled off. His expression darkened.

Then he shook his head slowly.

"Tch. What, scared?" Bete's eyes gleamed with disdain.

He hated cowards more than weaklings.

"It's not that I'm scared. I just think your terms need a tweak." Staring into Bete's eyes, Kai said calmly, "I'll take your challenge. If I win, the lamb leg is mine. If I lose—I'll take nothing."

That caught Bete off guard. He raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to be angry or amused.

"Hah! I'm a Level 5 elite of the Loki Familia—the 'Ferocious Wolf'! And you're just a Level 2 upstart… You'll regret this!"

His face closed in until it was less than ten centimeters from Kai's, his sharp beast-like eyes brimming with malice and bloodlust.

Bete had already been itching for a fight with this so-called swordsman since he saw him on the 17th floor.

But Kai stared back without flinching.

"Then… you'd better be ready."