Chris

While thinking of his annoying brother's face, Vergil suddenly heard a voice from behind. Immediately, he turned around. Standing behind him, unnoticed until now, was a slender figure with silver hair, a scar on her right cheek, and amethyst-like purple eyes.

"I saw it! What's with that weapon!? I've never seen anything like it..."

"Don't move."

Vergil interrupted the woman, who was approaching, with a stern command. Around her, phantom swords had already been set up, warning her that any suspicious movement would be met with a piercing strike.

"Answer me. Who are you? How long have you been here? Why are you here?"

He felt no presence at all. How had she managed to approach him? With an unknown woman before him, Vergil's wariness increased as he questioned her.

Upon hearing his questions, the woman, with a satisfied expression, responded without hesitation, despite the threat of the phantom swords.

"Sorry, my bad. I forgot to deactivate 'Lurk.' Um... My name is Chris. I'm an adventurer living in Axel. My profession is thief. You didn't notice me because I activated the thief skill 'Lurk.' I came to this cave to search for treasure."

The silver-haired woman, Chris, answered Vergil's questions properly. She took out a card from her pocket and showed it to Vergil.

It was an adventurer card, similar to the one Vergil possessed. The guild had said that forgery was impossible, and it was written in the rulebook.

"'Lurk,' you say?"

"Yeah. It's one of the skills thieves can learn. It allows me to conceal my presence from the surroundings. Since there are powerful monsters in this cave, I used it to avoid battles as much as possible. Of course, I was planning to use it against the dragon earlier, too. But then, I was surprised to see you already fighting. It seemed dangerous, so I tried not to get involved..."

Chris openly discussed the skill 'Lurk.' Though she was an enigmatic woman, Vergil didn't sense any hostility from her. Her nonchalant attitude in front of the phantom swords was intriguing, but... there was probably no need for extra caution.

With that in mind, Vergil pointed the tip of the phantom sword he had aimed at her downwards and stabbed it into the ground. After a brief pause, the phantom swords shattered. Chris smiled, thinking that she had earned his trust. However, Vergil had only slightly eased his guard; if she showed any suspicious behavior, he would pierce her with the phantom swords without hesitation.

"Before I arrived here, most of the monsters along the way were already defeated... Could it be that you defeated them all?"

"...That's correct."

"They were quite high-level monsters, weren't they? You managed to defeat them all solo. Moreover, you even took down a specially designated monster... What level are you?"

Asked about his level by Chris, Vergil thought it would be quicker to show her his adventurer card than to explain verbally. He took out his card from his pocket and showed it to her.

"Let's see... Whoa!? You, you came all the way to the deepest part with this level!? And your stats are so high!? Moreover, it's only been one day since you became an adventurer!?"

Bending over to get a closer look at the card, Chris reacted just like the receptionist and Gary. Without saying anything in particular, Vergil attempted to put the card back in his pocket.

"...? What's going on?"

Looking at his adventurer card, Vergil realized that his level had not changed at all since he entered the Shura Cave earlier—his level remained the same as before.

Despite defeating so many monsters, even a specially designated one, his experience should have increased. However, Vergil's level hadn't changed at all from before entering the dungeon.

Vergil wondered why, but he currently had little evidence to make a judgment. For now, he decided to accept that this dungeon was just like that and didn't dwell on it further.

"Hmm, I see..."

Vergil returned his adventurer card to his pocket. Chris, standing before him, wore a pensive expression as she gazed at Vergil with curiosity and interest, but he remained cautious. Slightly intrusive in Vergil's opinion, Chris suddenly made a proposal.

"Hey, how about becoming partners with me?"

"...What?"

"Yeah! Let's become party members!"

She suggested inviting him to a party. Judging from Vergil's perspective, he still didn't have detailed knowledge of this world. To learn more about the world, he definitely needed companions from this world. However...

"I refuse. I have no intention of befriending anyone."

He promptly rejected her proposal. Since the time he began living as a demon, he had always lived alone. There had never been a time when he formed a coalition to help each other. Even if there were temporary truces or momentary alliances for mutual gain, nothing more.

He hadn't even considered gaining companions in the future. However, if she persistently persisted, he would drive her away as he did with that female knight. While thinking so, Vergil waited for Chris's reaction.

"Hmm... Then, how about a cooperative relationship?"

"Hmm?"

Unexpectedly, she proposed something beyond Vergil's expectations. Not as companions, but a cooperative relationship. The fact that she deliberately worded it differently indicated that the two proposals she made had entirely different meanings.

"While I'm doing adventures, I often search for treasures like today. However, there are many dangerous places where treasures lie dormant... But if you're with me, those dangers will be nothing. I think treasure hunting will be smoother with you. At the same time, there are benefits for you, too. You've just become an adventurer, so there's still a lot you don't know, right? So, I'll teach you various things. In return, you'll help me with treasure hunting. How about it?"

Chris explained the benefits of a cooperative relationship. Although it sounded good when called a cooperative relationship, the reality she described was that they would mutually utilize each other's strengths, Vergil's power and Chris's knowledge. Accepting this proposal, Vergil showed a gesture of considering it rather than an immediate response.

Judging that the amount of information she possessed was an appropriate compensation for assisting her in treasure hunting, Vergil decided to form a cooperative alliance with Chris. Moreover, he admired her attitude of trying to use the other party. Her attitude was somewhat more appealing to him than that of the female knight.

"...Fine, woman. I'll accept your invitation."

Seeing Vergil accept her proposal, Chris didn't smile, but for some reason, puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction. Observing her reaction, Vergil tilted his head in confusion.

"Chris. When calling someone, use their name properly."

"Mmph..."

The exchange gave Vergil a sense of déjà vu, leaving him slightly puzzled.

"By the way, Vergil. You're carrying a pickaxe on your back, were you here for mining?" After forming a cooperative relationship, Chris asked Vergil with curiosity as she glanced at the pickaxe he was carrying. He wondered when she learned his name, but he recalled showing her his adventurer card earlier. He assumed she saw it then and continued the conversation.

"I came to this cave to obtain the ore materials written on this paper. Exploring the Cave of Shura was just a side trip."

"So, you defeated a special designated monster while mining... Let's see, which ones were they..."

Despite feeling sorry for the dragon collapsing behind him, which had been defeated as a mere side task while mining ore, Chris peered at the paper Vergil showed her, listing the names and quantities of ore materials.

"Oh! I know the place where you can get this ore!"

"Really?"

Having little knowledge about mining, Vergil was pondering how to search when Chris unexpectedly delivered good news.

"If you want to get these, you'll have to leave the cave first... From here, it might be better to use an item. Just wait a moment."

Saying so, Chris took out a beautifully crystalline object emitting blue light from her pocket. It was a crystal that Vergil had never seen in his original world. There were ugly blood crystals of various colors, but nothing like this.

"What's that?"

"It's a warp crystal, It was a crystal that could warp the user to a designated location. It's quite expensive but famous for its convenience. Alright then, Vergil, put your hand on my shoulder."

Learning about its considerable usefulness, Vergil gazed at the crystal with interest as prompted by Chris. Perhaps it could become a useful item in the future.

Prompted by Chris, Vergil silently placed his hand on her shoulder. Confirming this, Chris placed her free hand on the dragon's body behind her and raised the crystal she held towards the sky.

"Alright, let's warp to the grassland field outside!"

As soon as she uttered those words, the crystal, which had been glowing blue, shone even brighter, enveloping Vergil and Chris in its azure light.

And then... the figures of the two and the dragon's corpse that had fallen behind them vanished without a trace.

*****

After escaping from the cave with Chris, Vergil finally began the originally intended ore mining task with her.

For him, it was his first experience in mining. Expecting to see a splendid mining scene, instead, his movements shown during the battle with the dragon seemed to have disappeared. While his posture was good, his awkward movements with the pickaxe gave him a clumsy appearance. It could be described as "clumsy" mining rather than "stylish." Watching Vergil's clumsy mining, which had a stark contrast from before, Chris couldn't hold back her laughter.

After successfully finishing the mining, the two left the cave, only to find it was already pitch black outside. From the time Vergil entered the cave, a whole day had passed without him realizing. However, the fact that he had conquered the Cave of Shura in just one day was an unimaginable story for adventurers.

Leaving the dragon's body in the grassland, Vergil and Chris returned to the guild. When asked why she brought the dragon along, Chris explained, "As part of the reward, the guild pays for the monster's remains along with the reward money. Therefore, the guild needs to recover the dragon's corpse. So, I made sure to warp the dragon along with us to save the guild from having to dive into the cave."

After reporting the quest completion to the receptionist, they were met with a silent scream from her upon hearing that, despite being a newcomer, Vergil had hunted a special designated monster instead of simply going for a mining quest.

Anticipating that it would take time for the guild to recover the dragon's corpse, as it did with the Giant Toad previously, Vergil simply stated that he would come back tomorrow to claim the reward and walked away from the counter. The receptionist remained frozen until another adventurer approached her.

After finishing the quest report, the two left the guild. On the way, Chris couldn't help but smile wryly when she saw a recruitment poster on the bulletin board, seeking suspicious party members so much so that she almost wanted to see them for herself. However, Vergil paid no attention to it.

It was already pitch black outside. It was time for good kids to be in bed. Assuming that the blacksmith's shop was already closed, Vergil decided to hand over the materials to Gary tomorrow and chose to stay overnight at an inn.

"See you later! Count on me for treasure hunting!"

"Yeah."

With a cheerful wave of her hand, Chris bid farewell, offering nothing more as she turned her back on him, walking away without looking back.

As Vergil's figure faded into the distance, Chris paused for a moment, murmuring to herself as she watched him vanish into the town.

"I'll be watching to see what kind of impact a sinner like you will bring to this world."