Rex awoke after a four-hour Reverie at around eleven in the morning. He grabbed his toothbrush, made his way to the bathroom, and stood at an empty sink, lazily brushing his teeth while staring at his reflection.
'...Damn,' he thought, his eyes lingering on the handsome man staring back at him. 'I really am attractive.'
He looked like one of those dark-skinned shoujo male leads—the kind who would be extremely clingy and borderline yandere. If he were in a shoujo manga, he'd be described as: a lean, tall, handsome dark-skinned man with a sharp jawline, piercing amber eyes, a straight, high nose bridge and shoulder-length jet-black hair…
'Wait, shoulder-length?' He focused on his hair. 'My hair has grown longer!'
This came as a complete surprise. The last time he had cut his hair was about two years ago, and in the first few months, it had grown back to neck length. Since then, it had never grown longer due to his DNA.
Now, in just a few days, it had reached his shoulders. 'Is it because I'm entering my mid-twenties—'
He abruptly flinched, jerking his head back from something and almost swinging his right fist at the mirror. He stopped himself just before his fist slammed into the glass when he realized what it was. Glancing around to see if anyone saw, he noticed the cat man shaving a few sinks down gave him a side-eye before returning to his task.
Rex cleared his throat, spat out the toothpaste, and turned back to his reflection. He stared for a while, watching as his Nictitating Membrane blinked. He had completely forgotten about this physical property, so when it happened without his control, he thought it was something else.
'So this is how it looks,' he thought, blinking the secondary eyelid again, this time on purpose.
Blinking with it felt smoother and faster than a normal blink, with a faint sensation of moisture and tightness as it moved. To test how good his vision was with it, he kept his regular eyelids open but closed the membrane, and continued looking at his reflection through it.
'I thought things would be clearer through the eyelid.' Though it wasn't as opaque as regular eyelids, it created a blurred, slightly tinted vision, like looking through a translucent film. It was almost as bad as his vision was back on earth, where he needed the glasses.
Quickly cleaning his right hand, he raised it and touched the membrane with his index. It felt smooth, slick, and slightly rubbery, like a thin but firm layer of gel-like tissue. It was tougher and more elastic than the soft skin of a regular eyelid, somewhat moist, and not as sensitive as the eye itself.
There was a slight resistance when pressed, similar to touching a firm contact lens or a thin, flexible plastic sheet. Curious, he pulled it slightly, and it stretched before snapping back into place when he released—
"Hhhrk—!" He glanced to the side to see the cat guy gagging over the sink like he was trying to spit out a hairball. "Don't do that shit in public, man," the cat guy said, looking away as Rex still had his fingers in his eyes. "Have some fucking decency."
"Right, my bad," Rex apologized, removing his fingers from his eyes. He finished brushing, washed his face, and then walked past the guy to leave the bathroom. 'Lunch should be served now.'
Meals in the Familia dining hall were served three times a day at set hours, where members lined up and received their portions, similar to a college dining hall. During non-meal hours, only basic snacks like bread, fruit, and dried goods were available.
Cooking for yourself was permitted but regulated. A storeroom clerk tracked ingredient usage to prevent hoarding or waste, and higher-quality ingredients were restricted to the Familia's brewers and elite members. The communal kitchen had designated cooking hours, and personal cooking outside those times required permission.
At night, the kitchen was locked, preventing unauthorized access to food. Only Soma, the captain, and a few senior members had access after hours. Of course, Rex also had access to the kitchen due to his skill at lockpicking. You learned a few things when you grew up in Daedalus Street.
There were a few food options for lunch, but he chose the grilled fish with herb rice and a hearty venison stew—a thick, slow-cooked stew with chunks of meat, root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, onions), and a spiced broth. With his tray, he took a seat at a four-seater table that overlooked the Familia garden and started eating.
'After this, what should I do?' he thought as he ate. Obviously, he wanted to go back to the dungeon to finish his Infant Dragon extermination, but he was wondering if he should first sell the items he had scavenged or the drops from last night's hunt.
He didn't really need a new weapon since he had scavenged a battleaxe that worked similarly to a halberd, albeit without the same versatility. However, he didn't want to carry his full bag back into the dungeon, nor did he want to leave the items lying around on the floor of his room—
*Bang.* A tray was slammed down in front of Rex, startling him out of his thoughts. 'Who?' He had noticed the person approaching but assumed they would just walk by. Now, they were sitting across from him. He looked up and paused.
"Yo," the white-haired rabbit-girl greeted with a wave as she pulled out the chair across from him and sat down.
"Good afternoon," Momiji politely greeted with a smile as she took her seat beside Kaede.
"Afternoon," the quiet Coco murmured, sliding into the seat beside Rex.
"Afternoon..." Rex went back to eating, then paused. "...Wait, why are you guys here?"
"We're part of the Soma Familia, duh." Kaede said, looking at him like he was stupid. "Ya really think just anyone can waltz in 'ere?"
"Indeed, you are," Rex nodded, realizing he could have figured that out himself. "So, why sit here?" He glanced around; there were plenty of empty tables.
"'Cause ya looked all sad 'n lonely," Kaede said, exaggerating a frown, her ears twitching. "Sittin' there all quiet, pokin' at yer food like ya wanted someone ta feel sorry for ya." She puffed out her chest. "So, we did! Now ya owe us another favor, 'course."
"You're just throwing that favor around like it's candy," Rex said, turning his attention to the girl. "How many is it now? Seven?" Apart from the three initial favors he owed, Kaede had tacked on more after 'saving' him from monsters while they were climbing up the dungeon together.
"Uh..." Kaede glanced up, pretending to count on her fingers. "Yeah, sounds 'bout right."
"Nine," Momiji corrected.
"Yep, nine" Kaede nodded, then stuffed a spoonful of soup into her mouth. "'N if ya count how our cute lil' faces make yer food taste better, that makes ten!"
"..." He just stared at her.
"You just came back from the dungeon?" Momiji asked and he nodded. "We saw you a few hours ago when you returned with your full bag, so we came to find you at lunch." She gave a small smile, "Who would have thought we will be in the same Familia."
"What a small world." Rex nodded before asking. "And how haven't I heard of you guys before?"
They were strong—all high-level ones capable of hunting in the lower upper floors without much trouble. That's something 99% of the three-man squads in the Soma Familia couldn't do. With how strong they were, everyone in the Familia should know them, just like everyone knew the now-dead Canoe due to how he had a lot of money and always met his quota.
"Captain Zanis is a very greedy man," Momiji continued. "All he cares about is money, women, and more money. If our strength became known by the other Familia members, they'd greedily attack us, which would slow us down. So he keeps our stats a secret as long as we keep up our weekly quota."
"Probly doin' the same with you." Kaede said, and he just nodded.
"And what are you guys going to do after this?" he asked, looking at Coco beside him, who hadn't said a word, before turning his attention back to the other two. "Going dungeon diving?"
"Nope," Kaede said, poppin' the P. "Denatus is today, so we're just chillin'. Gonna mess 'round the city, then see what dumbass titles folk get stuck with." She pointed her fork at his plate. "Yo, ya eatin' that fish head?"
"Nah," he replied. "Don't like fish heads."
"Then lemme borrow it." she said as she chewed.
"How are you going to borrow my fish head?" he asked, feigning confusion. "Are you going to give it back?"
Momiji held back a laugh while Kaede rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine, lemme 'have' it."
"What about you?" Momiji said as she slid her own fish head onto Kaede's plate. "What are you going to do today?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.
"Dungeon run," Rex replied. "After taking care of some business."
"Didn't ya just go in last night?" The rabbit asked, diggin' into Momiji's fish head.
"Yeah, I did," Rex nodded. "Came back about four hours ago."
"And you're going back!?" Momiji's voice rose in disbelief.
"Uh..." Coco asked as she turned to him. "Di...did you sleep?"
"Yes, I did sleep, and it was good," Rex nodded.
"Four hours of sleep isn't healthy, mister Rex," Momiji shook her head, her expression serious. "We might be superhumans, but we still need as much sleep as normal people. At least six hours of sleep. You might feel awake now, but when you're fighting in the dungeon, that lack of sleep will catch up to you, and it might lead to an accident—which could then lead to your death,"
"You're right," Rex said, which caused Momiji to smile briefly. But then he continued, "That is, if you're talking to someone else. But not for me, because," He turned to his reflection in the mirror.
"I'm built different."
"..." Momiji stared silently at him, while Kaede mumbled, "I should start usin' that." She took note of what he said.
"Let's forget about your lack of sleep for now," Momiji said as he turned back to her. "There's something else I just realized. Yesterday evening, you got so hurt that we had to help you get up to the surface—ignoring the fact that you left us on the eleventh floor. Do you remember that?"
"Yes," Rex nodded. "That was our first meeting."
"Yes, yes," Momiji nodded. "And this morning, you were returning from the dungeon."
"Yep."
"That means you spent the night in the dungeon, and went in around... four? Five?"
"Around ten pm yesterday."
"Okay, ten yesterday—" She paused as her eyes dilated. "NANI!?" Momiji shouted, shooting up from her seat. Luckily, the dining hall was loud enough for her scream to go unnoticed, or else all eyes would have been on her.
"Ya went back into the dungeon just a few hours after ya damn near got yerself killed?" Kaede asked, trying to make sure she had heard him correctly.
"That seems about right," Rex replied casually.
"Are you crazy?" Coco didn't stutter this time when she asked that question.
"I am perfectly sane," Rex replied before taking a sip from his cup. "You remember I have a regenerating magic, right? You all saw it at work. I was back in peak condition in no time when I returned to my room so I went back to the dungeon."
"Don't try to explain your reasoning, mister Rex," Momiji said, forcing her voice down to a harsh whisper. She mumbled something in Japanese before switching back to Koine. "Did you even sleep before going back?" She asked him.
"Yeah, four hours."
"He has a death wish," Coco mumbled.
"He does," Kaede echoed.
Momiji took a deep breath. "Okay," she said, trying to calm herself. "Let me try to see it from your perspective—I can't." She shook her head without even taking a second to think.
"You didn't even try," Rex pointed out.
"Because I can't," she whispered, her voice barely audible as she locked eyes with him. "All I know is I wouldn't go back in there, not even five hours after I was almost killed. And now you're going straight to the dungeon after this?"
"See, that's where you're wrong," Rex replied, shaking his head as if her words were a minor inconvenience. "I'm going to the guild first to sell some things, then I'm going into the dungeon."
The three of them stared at him, their expressions flat and unamused.
"But let me put it in another perspective," Rex continued, clearing his throat as if preparing for a grand speech. "You work at a restaurant to pay your bills and stuff, right? Then an accident happens that almost kills you. After you've recovered, wouldn't you return to the restaurant to work for that money? It's not like that accident happens all the time, right?"
Before any of the girls could respond, he barreled on, his tone shifting to mock their hypothetical thoughts. "And I know you might be thinking; Oh, my glorious, handsome Rex—"
"Handsome?" Kaede blurted, her brow furrowing as she interrupted him.
Rex ignored her, plowing ahead. "—Every time you go into the dungeon, you always have to face that near-death situation, so that perspective doesn't make sense..." He paused, his own words catching up to him. That perspective really didn't make sense now that he thought about it.
"Anyway," he said, quickly shifting gears and turning his attention back to them. "What can I say except 'you've got to keep the grind going'? Stay on that Sigma mindset."
"Sigma?" Coco mumbled.
"Ya ain't got a life outside the dungeon, huh?" Kaede leaned forward, eyes squinting as she studied him, her tone mixing disbelief with exasperation. "Don'tcha got friends?" She glanced around the busy hall, like she expected someone to pop up outta nowhere. "Where they at?"
"Dead," Rex replied without hesitation, his voice flat and matter-of-fact. "Dead as hell. All died to the Minotaur that came up to floor eight three days ago."
A heavy silence fell over the group, and Momiji was the first to break the quiet, nodding slowly as if piecing together a puzzle. "Now I see why you're doing what you're doing."
"You are depressed," The Pallum mumble.
"No, I'm not," Rex said, shaking his head dismissively. 'They technically weren't even my friend.'
"Yep. Ya depressed as hell." Kaede smirked, leaning back. "N' lucky for ya, I know just how to fix it. Today, ya takin' a break. No dungeon, no hunting, just us—'round the city, havin' fun." She jabbed a thumb toward herself, her voice leaving no room for argument. "No complaints, yeah?"
"Good," Kaede grinned wider when the other two didn't object. "Then that's settled." She clapped her hands together, then turned to Momiji. "But first—yo, follow me. Gotta get more food."
"You always do this," the fox sighed, though there was no real annoyance in her voice as she stood up. "Let's go. I'll be your emotional support." The rabbit grinned, and the two walked off together, leaving Rex and Coco alone at the table.
"Welp," Rex said, standing abruptly with his tray in hand. "I'll see you kids later," he added, looking down at Coco, who stared up at him in confusion. "This lunch has been fun, but those dragons aren't going to kill themselves." He pushed his chair back with a scrape and began to walk away. "Adios."
He appreciates their concerns, but; 'I have almost maxed out my stats. Ain't no way I am resting now.' Maybe after he maxed out his stats and level up will he consider taking them up on their offer and explore the city. But for now;
The grind never stops.
[Author's Note: Chapter was originally 3200 words but I had to do a lot of cuts and trimming as I felt like it dragged on too much in certain part. I was also thinking of making him accept the offer and go with them, but that wouldn't have made sense based on his personality, so I ended it the way it did.
Anyway, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day~.]