Chapter 95: A Goodnight’s rest
David closed his eyes.
Nothing.
He adjusted the pillow beneath his head.
Still nothing.
"..."
Maybe if he stopped thinking.
That sounded reasonable enough.
He took a slow breath and let it out, forcing himself to relax.
Monsters.
Mrs. Walbury.
The dungeon.
Holly.
Mrs. Walbury again.
"...Seriously?"
His eyes opened.
The ceiling greeted him exactly where he’d left it.
David stared at it for a long moment before letting out a quiet laugh through his nose.
"So that’s where we’re at."
He’d spent the entire day wishing for a chance to lie down.
Now that he finally had one...
His brain had apparently decided this was the perfect time to replay every questionable decision he’d made over the last twenty-four hours.
Very helpful.
Beside him, Holly shifted in her sleep, mumbling something completely unintelligible before absentmindedly burrowing closer. Her forehead rested lightly against his shoulder, her breathing slow and even.
David looked down at her.
"...How are you sleeping this peacefully?"
She’d fought in the dungeon too.
Granted, she’d spent significantly less time trying not to become monster food, but still.
Not fair.
He envied that ability.
If someone offered him the skill to shut his brain off for eight hours straight, he’d probably accept before they finished explaining the conditions.
His gaze lingered on her for another second before a small smile found its way onto his face.
"...Lucky."
Whether he meant her...
Or himself...
Even he wasn’t entirely sure.
Carefully—very carefully—David eased her hand from his shirt.
Holly frowned almost immediately.
"...Uh-oh."
He froze.
For one terrifying second, he thought she’d wake up.
Instead, she simply reached for the nearest warm object she could find.
Which happened to be his pillow.
"..."
"...I lost to a pillow."
He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Shaking his head, he pulled the blanket a little higher over her shoulder before quietly climbing out of bed.
The room was dim, lit only by the pale moonlight spilling through the curtains. Cool air brushed against his skin as he wandered over to the window, stretching until a satisfying series of pops traveled through his back.
Better.
Not enough to make him sleepy.
But better.
He glanced toward the bed again.
Holly hadn’t moved.
"...Guess it’s just me, then."
David rested one hand against the window frame, looking out over the sleeping city.
Most apartments had already gone dark.
The streets below were quieter than usual, the occasional passing car little more than distant headlights gliding through the night.
Peaceful.
A strange word for today.
He’d walked into a dungeon expecting to survive.
Instead, he’d walked out with enough materials to keep the system happy for who knew how long, a text from Mrs. Walbury waiting for him the moment he got home...
...and Holly asleep in his bed.
"...Huh."
When he put it like that...
Today sounded a little ridiculous.
A familiar blue glow flickered at the edge of his vision.
Patient.
Unhurried.
Almost as though it had been waiting for him to run out of excuses.
[Conquest Rewards Available.]
[Forging Interface Ready.]
David looked at the screen for a few silent seconds.
Then he sighed.
"...You’re not going to let this go, are you?"
The translucent panel remained exactly as expressionless as ever.
"...Yeah."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I guess sleep isn’t happening either way."
With a resigned shake of his head, David lifted a hand...
David’s finger brushed against the Forging tab.
The familiar blue interface rippled before dissolving completely.
Instead of menus...
A forge appeared.
An anvil stood at the center of the space, surrounded by floating blue flames that burned without heat. Weapons and armor hovered neatly around it, slowly rotating as though waiting for their turn.
"...Well."
David looked around.
"I was expecting another list."
This...
This looked considerably more expensive.
His eyes drifted toward the floating equipment.
Only two items remained illuminated.
Everything else was dark.
Locked.
[Dragon’s Claw]
[E-Rank Armor]
"...Figures."
He hadn’t exactly been collecting equipment lately.
With a casual tap, he selected the armor.
The chest piece drifted toward the center of the forge, rotating slowly beneath the blue flames. Every scratch, every tear and every ugly patchwork repair from the dungeon remained painfully visible.
David stared at it.
"...You really took a beating."
After a brief pause, he snorted.
"So did I."
Another panel unfolded beside the armor.
Unlike the equipment list...
This one was painfully short.
Available Materials
Ironhead Boar HideIronhead Boar TuskIronhead Behemoth PlateIronhead Behemoth CoreSilverback Rabbit Fur ×3
"...That’s it?"
David frowned.
"I risked my life for an entire dungeon..."
"...and this is all I get?"
The system, as always, chose not to defend itself.
"...Right."
"My mistake."
Curiosity got the better of him.
He dragged the Ironhead Boar Hide toward the floating armor.
The forge responded immediately.
Blue flames wrapped around the leather chest piece.
The worn surface slowly repaired itself before his eyes. Torn seams stitched back together. Cracked leather became smoother. The dull brown finish deepened into a darker, cleaner shade.
"Hm."
"Looks better."
He added the Ironhead Behemoth Plate next.
Metal slowly spread beneath the leather around the chest and shoulders, reinforcing weak points without making the armor look bulky.
David tilted his head.
"...Not bad."
It wasn’t flashy.
It wasn’t glowing.
It simply looked...
Reliable.
Like something that had finally been made properly instead of barely surviving one fight after another.
He couldn’t help smiling.
"You cleaned up pretty nicely."
Without another word, he selected Forge.
The blue flames surged.
Every material dissolved into countless motes of light before flowing into the armor.
The forge hummed quietly.
A few seconds later...
The light faded.
The armor floated back into view.
It looked undeniably better than before.
Cleaner.
Stronger.
Far more refined.
Yet...
David’s eyes immediately found the line waiting beneath it.
[E-Rank Armor]
Upgrade Complete
Rank: E
"..."
"...Seriously?"
He looked at the armor.
Then the rank.
Then back at the armor.
"So..."
"I gave you a makeover."
"And that’s it?"
Almost on cue, another notification appeared.
[Insufficient High-Grade Materials.]
[Current materials are suitable for refinement, not evolution.]
[Acquire stronger monster materials to increase equipment rank.]
David stared at the message for a long moment.
Then he laughed.
A genuine laugh this time.
"...Fair enough."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I guess looking good and getting stronger aren’t always the same thing."
His gaze drifted back toward the forge.
David’s eyes drifted away from the armor.
Only one item remained illuminated within the forge.
[Dragon’s Claw]
The dagger floated silently above the anvil, its dark blade catching the blue glow of the forge. Compared to the armor, it looked almost untouched.
He reached out...
Then stopped.
"...No."
His hand dropped back to his side.
The armor had been an easy choice. It had practically begged to be repaired after everything it’d gone through.
Dragon’s Claw was different.
It was still serving him well.
Besides...
He’d just learned something important.
"Materials matter."
If the armor couldn’t even leave E-Rank with everything he’d gathered from the dungeon...
There was no point wasting the rest on his weapon.
Not yet.
He’d rather wait until he had something worthy of using.
David dismissed the forging interface with a wave of his hand.
The glowing workshop dissolved into countless blue particles before disappearing completely, leaving only the quiet darkness of the room behind.
"...Productive enough."
He stretched his arms above his head, a yawn finally escaping him.
"...There you are."
About time.
Maybe keeping his mind occupied had done the trick after all.
David made his way back toward the bed.
Holly hadn’t moved much.
Well...
Except she’d somehow managed to steal the entire blanket this time.
He stared at it.
"...I’m impressed."
There couldn’t have been that much blanket to begin with.
Yet somehow...
She’d found a way.
David sighed dramatically before lifting one corner and carefully slipping beneath it.
The mattress dipped.
Almost immediately, Holly shifted.
’No, no... don’t wake up...’ he prayed inwardly.
Without opening her eyes, she rolled toward him until her head rested against his shoulder once more. One hand lazily settled against his chest, as though she’d been searching for him the entire time.
David looked down at her.
"...You know..."
"I don’t think you’re actually asleep."
Holly answered with a tiny, sleepy hum.
Nothing more.
"...Yeah."
"Thought so."
Despite himself, he smiled.
His arm slipped around her waist almost automatically.
Comfortable.
Natural.
Strange how quickly something unfamiliar could start feeling normal.
The room fell silent once again.
No system.
No monsters.
No forging.
Just the soft rhythm of Holly’s breathing.
David closed his eyes.
Tomorrow...
He had the gym.
Mrs. Walbury.
And whatever she had planned for him.
"...First things first, I need to figure out how to solve my harem problem..."
But then it hit him. His thoughts
For the first time that night. His thoughts finally slowed.
His body relaxed. His muscles deepening into the comforting softness of his bed. Sleep came quietly.
And before he knew it...
The darkness took him.