ZZZ/SL: Apex Predator

There was a long, awkward silence following that revelation. Then, the Golem lowered its blade.

"This is.. true." Belle proudly looked up, avoiding the intense eye contact Nicole was giving her.

Nicole's face was almost as pink as her hair. And that's after she did her best to fight away her embarrassment and the butterflies in her chest. Was Belle always this bold?

"But remove the stipulation of 'currently'. What is your greatest, deepest desire in life?" The Golem asked once more.

Billy, Anby and Nicole stared at Belle, as if expecting some dark secret.

"Hmm...~" Belle tapped her chin. Her mind immediately going to-

Zhu Yuan, Nicole, Grace, Ellen, Caesar, Burnice, Jane Doe and Rina flashed through her mind.

"No.. That's definitely a factor but not deep enough to be considered my greatest desire.." Belle muttered.

"Uh.. you know we can just fight them, right? I think..? They shouldn't be that strong.." Billy stated, looking over the golems before suddenly changing his easygoing demeanor.

"No.. I was wrong. They feel.." Billy and Anby shared a look of concern.

"I want strength. Enough to change the fates of others, and myself." Belle finally answered after a minute of contemplation.

This time, the other Golem moved. The blue caped Golem knelt down in front of Belle, its head still towering over her, despite kneeling.

"I see the potential of greatness in you. But also, the potential to destroy. Just as those beings destroyed our homes. Our maker has traveled across these worlds, these battlefields. What she saw, drove her to build these 'tests'. All on different worlds. You have passed the first and thus may claim the spoils." The golem then stood up once more and stood to the side, revealing the large door.

"Spoils!?" Nicole's eyes shone in excitement, stepping forward until the golem planted his blade in front of her.

"Only the girl who answered may enter." The caped golem stated firmly.

"Don't worry, Nicole. I'll share." Belle winked and walked inside the room as the robed golem opened the massive doors.

It was a simple looking stone room, much like the rest of the place. Only, inside, was a rather large treasure chest, sealed with a heavy stone lid. Belle tried to lift in, imagining the 'O' button mashing to open the lid popping up above her. Sadly, she was no Kratos. The lid was very heavy, even for a newbie Hunter.

"Nggghhhhh!!" Belle started to push the lid off, using her full body weight to inch it off.

After a, frankly embarassing, full minute, the chest was finally opened. Looking within, she saw a few interesting things. One being a longsword made of a unique material, some spherical blue crystal, 10 red essence stones and a silvery breastplate that looked quite similar to the ones the golems wore.

'I have an idea..!' Belle thought after looking over the treasure.

She reached her hand inside and activated her inventory, pulling out Nikana Prime. This was to make it seem like it was just another part of the treasure. Belle scooped up all the items after leaning down into the chest.

Nicole, excited about the treasure, suddenly became excited about something else. The shape, size and curvature of Belle's rear could be clearly seen by her as she gathered up the treasure. Nicole took in a deep, nasal exhale and shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of this sort of thing.

"Got it!" Belle gathered the treasures in both her arms and walked out.

The two golems immediately hunched over, as if they lost power. After fulfilling their purpose, they became inactive. Effectively 'dying' in the eyes of the dungeon.

"ARE THOSE A RANKED ESSENCE STONES!!?" Nicole screamed in excitement and carefully checked the red crystals in Belle's possession.

"This was definitely not a typical dungeon." Billy stated, still on edge.

"We should go, Nicole. We can count our loot later." Anby added, agreeing with Billy's cautiousness.

"You have a point.. Alright, come on Cunning Hares!" Nicole regained her confidence and began to move out, back to the dungeon entrance once more.

Only after they returned to New Eridu did Billy and Anby finally relax. It had to be said that unique dungeons, all around the world, were usually regarded with extreme caution. They don't happen often, which is why Jin-Woo's future team carelessly pressed on.

"Welcome back." Zhu Yuan sighed in relief and looked at them as they came through the gate.

The gate then closed soon after, and Zhu Yuan walked over to some of the other officers.

"Hey.. we don't need to pay any dungeon taxes, right?" Belle quietly asked Nicole.

"Hah. No, not in New Eridu. We're good to go. But just in case.. let's count our loot when we get back to our base." Nicole said, urging Belle to come along with her.

"Oh! Sure. Bye officer!" Belle waved to Zhu Yuan and followed after Nicole.

Zhu Yuan simply blinked and waved back. She knew Belle from Random Play and had a decent impression of her. But there was a minor worry for the girl she had during the dungeon clearing. Perhaps because she looked so innocent and small, she felt extra protective toward her?

-Gentle House office-

As soon as they got inside, Nicole practically glued to Belle.

"Now.. What'd we get!?" She asked happily.

"Ehehe.. I like seeing you this excited. Here's what we got." Belle placed all the loot on Nicole's desk.

Anby scrutinized the treasure thoughtfully, while Nicole held out a notebook and pen.

"Magic metal longsword. Twenty thousand Dollars. Some sort of magical device.. Craftsman? Unknown. Ten A rank essence stones. Fifty thousand each. B rank magic resistant light armor. Fifty-five thousand. Katana.. unknown materials. I suggest we save three essence stones. You can sell the rest, Nicole." Anby finished.

"Wow.. You don't play when it comes to money, eh Nicole?" Belle said with a teasing smile.

"Of course not. Our monthly expenses are no joke!" Nicole huffed.

"Anby, I want you to take the magic device to be appraised. We'll sell the two stones, as you recommended. And Belle.. You get to choose which item to take for yourself first. Since you did get this for us. We'll also see if we can craft something for you with one of those stones." Nicole stated with a small smile.

"Aww.. Thanks, Nicole! Going out dungeon raiding with you guys was fun!" Belle took Nikana Prime and held it in her left hand.

[Affection points +5!] [Affection points +5!] [Affection points +10!]

The last notification made Belle blink rapidly. Why was that one higher? And who was it from? She looked at them again, the culprit was obvious.

Nicole had been looking at her more thoughtfully. Maybe it was due to their relationship progressing? Either way, it was all benefits.

While Belle was excited about their relationship improving and getting points easier, Nicole had an entirely different thought in her head.

'She.. She wanted me to sit on her face.. Maybe the sword and gear rewards weren't enough? If it's Belle.. maybe...' Nicole gathered her courage, but before she could even speak, she felt a soft sensation on her cheek.

"Mwah~ Gotta go! I'll buy you a burger next time, Anby! I'll bring the Starlight Knight movie next time, Billy! See ya!" Belle practically skipped out the door.

"...I like her." Anby said, suppressing her hunger.

"We really gained a good teammate huh.." Billy got emotional, excited at the prospect of a Starlight Knight movie night.

Nicole felt her lips tremble as she touched her cheek.

[Affection points +10!]

"WOO-HOO!!"