Risa nodded. Now, she was no longer in the Blood-Cursed tribe's village, which meant she couldn't order Ethan around anymore.

As long as she stayed near Ethan, Risa had to listen to his commands. It was for her own safety—and for the larger plan to relocate the villagers to the 50th floor.

Still, Risa had to admit that this journey outside the village made her feel excited. Her whole life, she had only seen the wooden houses of her tribe and the trees surrounding the village.

Now, traveling with Ethan, she finally had a chance to see what the world beyond looked like.

What were the lives of outsiders like? How did they dress? What kind of food did they eat? What did their civilization look like?

Those were just a few of the questions Risa wanted to ask Ethan. In truth, there were many more, but for now, those were enough.

When they reached a fork in the dead forest, Ethan led Risa toward the eastern region, where a village full of strangers awaited her. Leon had also said he'd be waiting there.

"Are you sure we can reach the 50th floor?" Risa asked curiously.

"With my strength, it's possible. As long as you follow my words and don't argue," Ethan replied.

"Alright. For the sake of the tribe and everyone in it, I'll do it."

Ethan smiled. The side quest he received happened to align with his goal—to climb the Tower's higher floors.

That made things easier, since he didn't have to split his focus between two missions.

In the distance, Ethan narrowed his eyes as he spotted the village gate.

Risa widened her eyes and swallowed hard. It was her first time visiting an outsider's village.

The closer they got, the clearer the view became. The village was beautiful and filled with people.

The buildings were made of stone and cement, their clothes stylish and colorful, made from fabrics that looked smooth and elegant.

"Ethan?" Leon called, waving his hand.

Leon's eyes quickly locked onto the young woman walking beside Ethan. Her outfit looked strange—made of animal skin and decorated with bone accessories.

Ethan's arrival with Risa immediately drew everyone's attention. People whispered, commenting on her clothes and the red tattoos on her body.

What shocked them most was the red cursor above Risa's head—a clear sign that she was an enemy of the Tower, not an NPC or a player.

"You're dead!" someone shouted.

Ethan turned fast and saw a crimson slash flying toward Risa from behind.

He summoned his Bloodblade Ashura and activated Ashura Mode. Crimson energy flared around him, and his black hair turned deep red.

He drove his sword into the ground, forming a barrier that blocked the crimson slash completely.

The attack shattered into pieces upon contact. Ethan didn't even flinch.

Everyone was stunned, including Leon, who hadn't expected Ethan to protect the girl.

As the smoke cleared, Ethan's gaze locked on the man who had tried to kill Risa.

"You want to kill her? Too bad—you'll have to get through me first," Ethan said sharply.

"You're protecting her because she's pretty? Are you insane? She's our enemy!" the man shouted, pointing at Risa.

Ethan gripped his sword tightly. That man had no idea how hard it had been to bring Risa out of her village alive.

"I'll listen to you if you can withstand my attack," Ethan said.

He swung his sword, sending a crimson slash forward—stronger than the man's earlier strike, this one crackled with red lightning.

Just like Ethan did, the man planted his sword into the ground to form a defensive barrier.

But when the attacks clashed, his wall shattered, and his sword broke apart.

"What—"

BLAST!

A powerful explosion followed, with maroon smoke rising into the air. No one could see the man's condition, but Ethan was certain he was either dead or close to it.

Risa stood behind Ethan, watching in shock as he displayed such deadly strength.

She couldn't imagine what would've happened if Ethan had lost control back in the Blood-Cursed village—he could've wiped everyone out in one night.

As the crimson smoke faded, the man lay broken on the ground, his sword destroyed, his body shattered.

Fortunately, a priest from his party was still trying to heal him.

"Oh! I know who that is."

"That name… I just remembered. He's on the Red Notice."

"That's EthanArk! The guy who killed thousands and destroyed guilds!"

People started realizing who Ethan truly was. His identity was now exposed. Leon sighed—he had expected this moment to come.

Risa heard their words, then turned her eyes to Ethan.

So he's that strong… strong enough to kill thousands? Who exactly is he?

Even though they now knew who he was, none of them dared to challenge Ethan—not after what they'd just seen.

With the danger gone, Ethan sheathed his sword and deactivated Ashura Mode. He motioned for Risa to follow him into the village, but Risa hesitated.

"There are too many people who want to kill you in there. How can we just walk in?" she whispered.

"Don't worry about that."

Leon approached and greeted Risa. He still didn't know who she was—Ethan hadn't explained anything yet.

"Who is she?" Leon asked.

"It's complicated. I need clothes for her," Ethan said.

"That's impossible. She's not a player; she's not connected to the system," Leon replied.

"Even if you buy her clothes, she won't be able to wear them," he added.

Ethan paused and realized Leon was right. How foolish of him—to think of buying Risa new clothes when she didn't even have a system like other players.

Whether he liked it or not, she'd have to keep wearing those tribal clothes until they reached the 50th floor.

"I'll explain everything on the way. We should move before more people start targeting us," Ethan said.

Leon nodded. The three of them left the village and headed north, toward the teleport crystal that led to the second floor.

Since the kobold boss had already been defeated, Leon's raid party was granted access to move up.

As they walked through the forest, Ethan explained everything about Risa to Leon. Leon listened carefully, occasionally glancing at Risa walking quietly beside Ethan.

"How did you even get a side quest?" Leon asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because of my sword—it might have triggered it."

"Hmm, that makes sense. That red sword of yours is strange," Leon said, agreeing.

"So we're taking her all the way to the 50th floor?" Leon asked again.

Ethan fell silent for a moment, then nodded. That meant he and Leon would have to work together to protect Risa and reach the 50th floor.

During their journey, Leon took on the role of guarding Risa whenever Ethan cleared monsters ahead. With Ethan's strength, it was easy work.

After about two hours of walking, they arrived in front of the floor boss's castle.

Other players were entering to challenge the boss, but Ethan and Leon had a different goal—to reach the second floor through the teleport crystal.

Leon opened his guild panel and activated the teleportation link from the first to the second floor. Once everything was ready, he signaled Ethan.

Because Risa wasn't part of Leon's raid party, Ethan had to hold her hand tightly.

In an instant, a flash of light surrounded them—and then they were gone.

Risa successfully traveled with Ethan and Leon to the second floor. Her journey continued, and her curiosity about the outside world grew stronger.

When they arrived, the environment looked almost the same as before—dead forests, leafless trees, crimson skies, and red soil.

Leon frowned slightly. It felt just like the first floor.

"This looks exactly the same as before."

"What should we do now?" Leon asked.

"We'll look for a village to rest in," Ethan replied.

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