Chapter 94: An End To A Pleasing Night
David let out a slow breath and allowed his head to sink into the pillow.
"...Yeah."
That...
That had been quite something.
For the first time since stepping into the dungeon, there wasn’t anything trying to kill him. No monsters. No objectives. No countdowns ticking away in the corner of his vision. Just silence.
Well...
Mostly silence.
The steady rhythm of Holly’s breathing rose and fell beside him, warm against his chest as she slept with one arm lazily draped across him. At some point she’d stolen most of the blanket. He considered reclaiming it.
"...Nah."
She’d probably complain if she woke up cold.
His eyes drifted toward the translucent blue screen still hovering patiently at the edge of his vision.
[Conquest Complete.]
[System Points Available.]
[New Forging Materials Acquired.]
[Would you like to begin forging?]
David stared at it for a few seconds.
The system really had impeccable timing.
It was almost impressive.
"I just finished conquering an entire dungeon," he muttered under his breath. "Give me... I don’t know... ten minutes before throwing homework at me."
The screen, unsurprisingly, offered no response.
He rubbed a hand over his face before dismissing the notification with a casual wave.
"No."
Not now.
The materials weren’t going anywhere.
Neither were the points.
He’d sort through everything later.
Right now...
He honestly couldn’t bring himself to care.
His body felt pleasantly heavy, the kind of exhaustion that settled into every muscle after pushing yourself far beyond what should’ve been possible. The only thing he wanted to forge at the moment was a deeper impression into the mattress.
Yeah, that sounds a whole lot better.
David shifted lower into the bed and closed his eyes.
Finally... Sleep.
’It’s about damn time.’
bzzz.
David’s eyelid twitched.
No.
He’d imagined it.
After everything that had happened today, his brain was probably still ringing.
He shifted slightly, pulling Holly a little closer without thinking. She responded with a tiny murmur, pressing against him before settling again.
Better.
He closed his eyes.
...
Bzzz.
"...You’re kidding."
The faint vibration came again.
Not from the room.
From somewhere lower.
His brows knit together as he looked toward the pile of clothes scattered carelessly across the floor. A sliver of white light seeped through the pocket of his discarded trousers, blinking once before disappearing.
His phone.
David stared at it for a second.
Whoever it was...
They had terrible timing.
He considered ignoring it.
Actually, no.
He wanted to ignore it.
If the world was ending, someone else could save it tonight.
Another vibration answered that thought.
"...Persistent."
With a quiet sigh, David carefully slipped Holly’s arm from around his waist. He moved slowly, supporting her shoulder before easing her back against the pillow. She shifted slightly, her brows scrunching for the briefest moment.
He froze.
"...Easy..."
A soft breath escaped her lips, and just as quickly, her expression relaxed again.
David let out the breath he’d been holding.
That was close.
He pulled the blanket over her shoulder, lingering for half a second to make sure she was comfortable before quietly climbing off the bed.
The wooden floor felt cool beneath his feet.
A few steps later, he bent down, picked up his trousers, and reached into the pocket where the phone was still vibrating against the fabric.
The screen lit up the moment his thumb brushed across it. David glanced down. His eyes settled on the sender.
Mrs. Walbury.
David stared at the name for a moment before unlocking the phone.
Somehow...
He already had a bad feeling about this.
Two unread messages waited for him.
Mrs. Walbury:Be at the gym before 5:30.
His eyes dropped to the second one.
Mrs. Walbury:Don’t make me wait.
"..."
Short.
Direct.
Somehow more intimidating than a paragraph would’ve been.
He could practically hear her voice saying it.
David rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I don’t even get a ’good evening’ first."
Not that he’d expected one.
Mrs. Walbury wasn’t exactly the type to waste words. She’d tell you what she wanted, expect it done, then look mildly disappointed that you hadn’t finished five minutes earlier.
He looked at the messages again.
Tomorrow.
So that was already decided.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard for a second before stopping.
What exactly was he supposed to reply?
"Yes, ma’am?"
"Looking forward to it?"
"Can we postpone until my skeleton remembers how to function?"
None of them felt right.
...Besides.
Something told him she’d already assumed he was coming.
The texts weren’t really an invitation.
They were a schedule.
David sighed and lowered the phone.
His shoulders suddenly felt a little heavier.
"...Man..."
Only now did he realize just how tired he actually was.
Not the kind of tired a shower could fix.
The kind that settled into your bones after spending an entire day fighting for your life... only to come home and spend the rest of your energy somewhere else entirely.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Holly was still asleep, curled beneath the blanket exactly where he’d left her.
His gaze lingered for a second.
"...Five rounds."
He gave a small, disbelieving shake of his head.
"How the hell am I still standing?"
The scary part...
He already knew the answer.
His body wasn’t the problem.
Ever since the system had begun strengthening him, recovery had become almost ridiculous. His stamina, vitality... even simple muscle fatigue wasn’t what it used to be.
Physically?
He’d be fine by tomorrow.
Mentally...
That was a completely different conversation.
His eyes drifted back to Mrs. Walbury’s messages, and despite himself, an image surfaced in his mind.
Her confident smile.
The way she’d looked at him.
The quiet certainty she carried like it was the most natural thing in the world.
David clicked his tongue.
"...Yeah."
A helpless grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Guess I’m not that exhausted after all."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket, still smiling faintly as he turned toward the bed...
The room was quiet again.
Only the soft hum of the air conditioner and Holly’s steady breathing filled the space.
David crossed the room without another word, his footsteps instinctively light. Old habit, perhaps. Or maybe he simply didn’t want to wake the woman who looked entirely too peaceful after everything the two of them had put each other through.
He reached the bed and paused.
Holly had somehow managed to claim even more of the blanket while he’d been gone.
"...Seriously?"
The corners of his mouth lifted.
"Asleep and still winning."
She answered with nothing more than a tiny murmur, snuggling deeper into the pillow.
David shook his head, amused.
Carefully, he slipped back under the blanket, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. Holly reacted almost immediately. Still asleep, she instinctively rolled toward him until her forehead rested lightly against his shoulder.
"...Guess you already made your choice."
He didn’t mind.
His arm found its way around her waist almost on its own, settling there comfortably. Holly let out a soft contented sigh, relaxing completely against him.
For a while, neither of them moved.
David stared at the dark ceiling.
Today had started with monsters.
It had ended with... this.
Life really had a strange sense of humor.
He wasn’t complaining.
Not this time.
His eyelids gradually grew heavier, the lingering ache in his body finally beginning to outweigh the adrenaline that had kept him going for so long.
Tomorrow. Mrs. Walbury. The gym.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow.
The gym.
His thumb absentmindedly tapped against Holly’s waist as the thought settled in.
The gym...
It was where everything with Mrs. Walbury had started.
The first time she’d cornered him.
The first time she’d looked at him as more than just another member.
...The first time things between them had become something neither of them could pretend hadn’t happened.
David exhaled through his nose.
"So that’s why the gym..."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
Was this...
Her way of saying she missed him?
It wasn’t exactly the most romantic invitation he’d ever received.
Be there before 5:30.
Don’t make me wait.
"...Yeah."
That sounded like her.
His smile didn’t last.
His gaze drifted downward to Holly, peacefully asleep against him, completely unaware of the message he’d just received.
Then...
Mrs. Walbury’s face resurfaced in his mind.
One girl asleep in his arms.
Another expecting him tomorrow.
"..."
David blinked.
It was only now, lying in the quiet with nothing demanding his immediate attention, that a rather inconvenient realization chose to introduce itself.
He’d spent so much time thinking about getting here...
He’d never actually stopped to think about what came after.
How exactly was he supposed to make this work?
Holly worked at the gym.
Mrs. Walbury owned the gym.
They saw each other almost every day.
"...Ah."
A slow breath escaped him.
"I think I fucked up."
As if responding to his words, Holly shifted in her sleep.
Her fingers lazily found the front of his shirt, lightly clutching the fabric before she settled against him again with a quiet, content sigh.
David looked down at her.
Then toward the phone resting on the bedside table.
"Shit." Then he looked back at Holly. "...How exactly am I supposed to explain any of this?"