-337- A fan of that person?

"Heh... heh... heh..."

Under a large tree in the Forest of Wandering, Silica, holding her short sword, sat back against the trunk, breathing heavily as if exhausted.

"Chu..."

Pina also lay beside Silica, looking as if she had worked too hard.

Only Rozen remained standing, holding a one-handed sword. He checked his inventory while assessing their gains from the encounter.

"Truly the strongest monsters in the 35th-floor Forest of Wandering. Whether it's experience points, money, or dropped items, the rewards are quite impressive."

Rozen examined the spoils with an indifferent attitude. Even though they had just faced seven Drunk Apes, he seemed unfazed, his nonchalant demeanor inspiring envy.

But Silica was still angry.

"Why didn't we run away, Rozen-nii?"

Silica exclaimed in frustration.

Rozen's response was somewhat perplexing.

"Why run away?"

It was a succinct and insightful response.

Yet, it was the truth.

"We could have beaten them easily. Look at us now, aren't we fine?" Rozen said, leaving Silica at a loss for words.

No, she had plenty to say.

For example, why did Pina suddenly awaken such a unique ability?

That was the first thing Silica wanted to know.

But Rozen had already explained that it was because Pina had eaten food he provided.

"Don't judge me by appearances. We have a beast tamer in our guild, so I do know a bit about how to train familiars."

Rozen, as if reading Silica's thoughts, preemptively explained with a smile.

At this point, Silica realized that the man before her wasn't ordinary.

Even though he appeared just a couple of years older than her, his mixed-race features were lazy and somewhat childlike. However, he was still a player belonging to the "Crimson Wing," the strongest guild. Even if he seemed carefree, he possessed something that Silica could never measure up to.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to command Pina so easily or feed her with precious items from who knows where, causing her to awaken new abilities.

This realization first brought a sense of relief to Silica, followed by a considerable sense of dejection.

Initially, Silica had been proud to be known as the "Dragon Master." She even felt a bit conceited, and she held a certain superiority over other players. She believed that with her abilities, as long as she wasn't on the frontlines, she would certainly be admired and welcomed by everyone.

However, now, facing Rozen's extraordinary actions, Silica realized that her sense of superiority was hardly noteworthy. Even though she was popular among mid-level players, in the eyes of someone like Rozen, a member of the most elite frontline guild, it probably meant very little.

After all, "Crimson Wing" was filled with powerful players, even boasting a beast tamer among them. Moreover, that tamer was widely recognized as the strongest, smartest, and most likely to lead players to complete clearing. This legendary figure had never experienced losses when leading groups, maintaining an untarnished record.

Compared to that person, Silica didn't deserve to have any sense of superiority.

In fact, if she were to interact with that person, Silica was certain she wouldn't have even a trace of superiority.

The reason was simple.

"I'm a fan of that person..."

Silica muttered softly.

It was a perfectly normal thing to think, right?

Any beast tamer would inevitably regard that person as an idol.

Being the true strongest beast tamer, even the leader of the frontline clearing group, the Guild master of the strongest guild, and the commander bearing the hopes of all players—such a person was not only idolized by beast tamers, but also by all players, let alone Silica.

Perhaps, in the past, some might have been hesitant due to that person's status as a closed beta player, even having a negative impression of them. However, as the well-known closed beta player guild "Crimson Wing" became more active on the frontlines, and that person, belonging to the "Crimson Wing," maintained an untarnished record and continued to progress through clearing, players' aversion to closed beta players had lessened significantly.

In that case, it wasn't strange at all for that person to become an idol for many mid-tier and even lower-tier players.

Honestly, if Rozen hadn't allowed closed beta players to join the "Crimson Wing," there would likely have been a continuous stream of players hoping to join.

Of course, that included Silica.

Silica saw that person as her idol. She had even secretly resolved to nurture Pina into a being that could rival that person's familiar and then join the clearing group to fight alongside them.

Thus, Silica was undoubtedly a devoted fan of that person.

Now, Silica couldn't help but reveal this secret.

This made Rozen turn to her with a puzzled expression.

"What did you just say?"

"Uh... it's nothing!"

Rozen curiously inquired, causing Silica's cheeks to redden. She quickly denied it.

However...

(This... could be a great opportunity!)

What kind of opportunity?

Certainly, it was an opportunity to learn more about her idol!

At this moment, Silica couldn't let this rare chance slip by. She wanted to obtain some information about that person from Rozen.

But Silica noticed.

She noticed that Rozen's expression had turned somewhat strange for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

Silica asked, surprised.

"...Nothing."

Rozen scratched his cheek and awkwardly turned his head away.

Although Silica found it a bit strange, she still looked at Rozen earnestly.

"Please, Rozen-nii, tell me." Silica clenched her small fists and held them up in front of her, speaking with great determination. "I won't share it with anyone else, I promise."

Silica closed her palms together and bowed to Rozen in a request.

Seeing this scene, Rozen's expression became awkward.

"Well, uh..." Rozen could only cautiously say, "What would you think if I told you that I'm the Guild leader of 'Crimson Wing'?"

Upon hearing this, Silica raised her adorable eyebrows.

"Come on, don't tease me like that. I'm being serious."

Silica protested this way.

Rozen really wanted to say,

"I'm being serious too!"

Unfortunately, at least in Silica's eyes, she wouldn't choose to believe that.