Finally, after Calyra had successfully defeated the Silk Tyrant, the Deepmarch Dungeon event was over.

With the aid of Seraphine, they were quickly escorted out of the depths of the dungeon and brought together at the original point, where the academy staff had already arrived in large numbers to offer immediate aid.

Medical staff, as well as supervising officials, were also seen rushing around the area, checking the state of the returning scholars while recording their reports and verifying the events that had transpired within the dungeon.

In the end, the entire expedition was officially cancelled.

Yet, despite the chaotic circumstances that had unfolded within the dungeon, there were no casualties among the participants.

Because of that outcome, everyone present who had taken part in the expedition received +30 Points as compensation for their participation.

Except for Calyra.

For defeating a Malice-class Voidspawn, the Silk Tyrant, she alone was awarded a staggering +100 Points.

And as all of this was being organized and processed, Seraphine calmly stood beside one of the academy officials, formally reporting every detail of the incident.

Ruvian sat on a low stone near the edge of the clearing, idly turning a thin twig between his fingers.

"Well, it’s reassuring to see that everything went well."

Then, he sensed someone approaching.

Ruvian slowly lifted his eyes.

It was Calyra.

’Ah... did I speak too soon?’

Her arm was wrapped in a fresh bandage and faint frost mist still clung to her clothing, likely residue from the intense mana she had released earlier. A healer had clearly tended to her injuries too.

Ruvian’s grip on the twig paused.

’Am I going to get a beating from her too?’

’I mean... I never explained anything to her. She must’ve been wondering the entire time during the fight why we never came to help.’

’And she must’ve also realized that if they weren’t helping her... it was because of my order.’

He swallowed.

Calyra stopped a short distance in front of him.

"I believe we got a lot to talk about."

Her gaze was calm, yet there was a cutting edge within it that felt colder than the magic she had unleashed during her battle.

Ruvian rubbed the back of his neck and looked slightly to the side, avoiding her eyes for a moment. For some reason, Calyra was staring at him so intently that it felt as if she might bite his nose at any second.

"Well," he said with a small shrug, "I also have a lot of things to talk about, so... sure."

But Calyra spoke again before he could continue.

"No, not today. I didn’t mean it now. I’m somewhat tired."

Then her eyes narrowed slightly.

"But... I’m somewhat curious, what are you trying to find out from having me fighting that creature?"

Ruvian blinked.

’Ah....’

’So she was already aware of it...’

A faint smile appeared on his face, then he sighed.

"Your future."

Confused, Calyra tilted her head.

"My future?" she repeated, lifting her eyebrows.

Ruvian nodded.

"Yes. I need to know how strong your current strengths are. It was necessary."

Calyra remained silent, watching him. She doesn’t look convincing enough with his answer.

Ruvian gave a quiet sigh.

"I wish I could explain more about it in detail, but..."

His voice trailed off.

’The problem is... you’re bound to forget it again even if I explain.’

That was what he wanted to say, but it was meaningless.

Ruvian lifted his gaze back to her.

"There’s a curse, Calyra. A curse where if you learn the truth about it, you’ll forget it."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"That’s all I can say for now. I know you probably have many questions, but even if I answered them... it wouldn’t change anything."

A short silence followed.

For several seconds, Calyra simply stared at him.

Her expression did not change.

There was no surprise, no disbelief, and no visible reaction.

The quiet between them stretched for a moment as the distant sounds of the camp continued behind them.

Then Calyra gave a small nod.

"I see. Understood."

Ruvian blinked at the simplicity of her response. The tension he had been holding inside his chest slowly eased.

"And thank you for answering my question."

She nodded slightly.

"Honestly, I still have many things I want to ask, just like you said," Calyra admitted quietly. "But we can talk about them another day."

Then, her voice softened slightly as she continued.

"But Ruvian..."

"Your ability is truly impressive."

Ruvian looked at her with mild confusion. His eyebrows lifted in surprise.

’Huh? Where did that suddenly come from?’

Calyra continued speaking as if his confusion was obvious to her.

"Silvena already told me that because of you, Irene’s life was saved," she explained. "She did not tell me the details. She said it was a secret. But that is not the point," she said gently. "Your foresight has the power to save many people."

For a moment, Ruvian did not know how to respond. Well, because praise was not something he expected to hear from her.

Calyra’s expression remained composed, though there was a quiet sincerity in her eyes.

"So I want you to understand this clearly..."

She held his gaze for a moment longer before adding in a firm, reassuring voice.

"...I trust you."

"And you should place that same trust in me as well. If there is anything you need, I am more than willing to lend my help. So the next time something like this happens... you do not need to carry everything alone."

A faint gentleness appeared in her otherwise composed expression.

"...You can simply tell me the details."

With that, she turned around and began walking back toward the field camp where the healers and academy staff were still working.

Ruvian remained where he was, watching her figure gradually blend into the movement of the camp as the distant sounds of work carried through the air.

The twig in his fingers slowly stopped turning.

He let out a sigh and leaned back slightly on the stone.

’Can’t believe she accepted that way too easily.’

’Still... it’s reassuring to have her trust.’

For some reason, seeing her that way made him even more at ease.

[You have received +2500 Plot Points!]

Hearing the runes, Ruvian suddenly remembered something. He had not checked yet how much Mana Resonance he had accumulated from burning the spider nest.

With a simple thought, he summoned his [Runeheart] and inspected his Mana Resonance.

[Mana Resonance: 8/500]

[Spellcore: Tier 1 → Tier 2]

’Hmm, so from this dungeon trip, I have managed to accumulate +95 Mana Resonance...’

That... was genuinely astonishing!

Even among seasoned Bronze and Silver ranked adventurers, achieving such a gain within a single dungeon expedition was far from common.

Many of them would spend multiple trips facing danger after danger and still fail to gather an amount comparable to that.

For someone who had only just stepped into the world of magic, the sheer scale of that accumulation was nothing short of remarkable.

Since his Spellcore had now advanced to Tier 2, Ruvian could finally regenerate his Mana Essence passively. And beyond that, the limitation that once restricted him to casting only one spell at a time had completely disappeared.

From this moment onward, he would be able to weave two spells at once, or perhaps even three depending on how refined his mastery became, which was undeniably an extraordinary improvement for him.

’Good... reaching Spellcore Tier 2 before that auction event is necessary.’

Afterward, before they began their return to the academy, Ruvian decided to hand over the instructions he had carefully written on a piece of paper the night before to Silvena.

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 117: What She Chose to Believe]

Plot Points = 17,930