Chapter 47: Between Two Worlds

After securing the shard, they didn’t rush.
That had never been their way.

The fifteenth floor still had more to offer, and Kael wasn’t the kind to leave things half understood. So they continued—mapping the remaining areas, collecting what they could, observing what they hadn’t yet noticed. The shard rested quietly now in her possession, no longer pulling, no longer reacting, as if satisfied for the time being.

Three more days passed like that.

Routine.
Controlled.
Purposeful.

By the end of it, there was nothing left on that floor that Kael felt they needed immediately.
So she turned back.

“We’re going out,” she said.

Neither Aerin nor Mira questioned it.

The descent was faster.
Cleaner.

And when they finally stepped out of the Tower—
The world outside felt… different.

Not because it had changed.
But because they had.

Still—
The eyes came first.

They felt it the moment they walked into the outer market.

People noticed.

Not quietly either.

Whispers moved faster than they walked.

“That’s them…”
“They’re back already?”
“They stayed on fifteen, right?”

But this time—
There was something else mixed in.

Respect.

Because the materials they carried weren’t ordinary.

Pure minerals.
Refined herbs.
High-quality resources that only came from higher floors.

The kind that made vendors pay attention.

The kind that made the guild take notice.

Transactions happened quickly.

The guild accepted their materials without question, weighing, verifying, and paying accordingly. The coins they received were heavier than before—not just in number, but in meaning.

They had earned this.

And once that was done—
They separated.

Like always.

Aerin returned home first.

The tension was still there.
His parents still carried worry in their expressions, still hesitant when they looked at him with the armor, the build, the confidence he hadn’t had before.

But something had changed.

He wasn’t the same boy who had left.

His shoulders were broader.
His stance firmer.
His voice steadier.

He spoke.

Not loudly.
But clearly.

And for the first time—
They didn’t argue.

Not because they fully agreed.

But because they could see it.

He was growing.

Stronger.
Safer.

And maybe—
In the right place.

Mira’s return was quieter.

The orphanage welcomed her the same way it always had—with warmth that didn’t need to be loud. The others asked questions, some curious, some indifferent, but Mira answered only what she wanted to.

She stayed for a while.
Watched.
Listened.

And left again.

Because she had already chosen her place.

Kael—
Went somewhere else.

She stopped by her shop first.

It was still there.
Closed.
Waiting.

Dain was the first to notice her.

“Well, look who decided to come back,” he said with a grin, though there was relief beneath it.

Lera followed soon after, her eyes scanning Kael in a way that wasn’t subtle.

“You look less like a walking stick,” she commented flatly.

Kael rolled her eyes. “Good to know that’s your standard of concern.”

But she didn’t deny it.

Because she had changed.

Physically.
Subtly.

Healthier.
Stronger.

And—
More present.

She still spoke with sarcasm.
Still kept her words limited.

But when she talked now—
There were more of them.

And people noticed.

They stayed like that for a while.
Talking.
Trading.
Sharing small things without saying too much.

Two days passed.

Quiet.

Almost normal.

Then—
They went back to the guild.

Not for information.

For ranking.

The test was the same.

And yet—
Different.

Because they were.

Even while holding back—
They passed.

D rank.

In just two months.

The news spread quickly.

Faster than before.

“They reached D already?”
“But they’re still on the fifteenth floor?”
“What kind of team does that?”

Comparisons followed.

Other teams were climbing higher.
Faster.

And yet—
Team Snail stayed.

Slow.

Steady.

Unbothered.

Because none of it mattered to them.

Not the rankings.
Not the opinions.

Only the climb.

Before entering again, they stopped by the familiar place.

The shabby stall.

The old woman didn’t ask questions.
Didn’t need to.

She simply turned toward the kitchen the moment they stepped in.

Three plates.
Like always.

They ate.
Quietly.

Before leaving, she looked at them once.

“Still alive,” she muttered.

Kael gave a slight nod.

“Unfortunately.”

Aerin laughed.
Mira smirked.

And then—
They left.

This time—
Faster.

What had taken them days before—
Now took less.

They moved through the lower floors without delay, without struggle, without stopping longer than needed.

And within three days—
They were back.

On the fifteenth floor.

Stronger.

And ready to move forward again.

End of Chapter 47