Half an hour later.
Luo Ge, Rudeus, Rujierd, and Eris sat around a square table on the second floor of the inn.
Several cups of coarse tea were on the table, but no one touched them.
The sky outside the window had darkened, and the lights of Winn Harbor were lighting up one by one. Looking out the window, you could see the lanterns hanging on the masts in the distance, swaying gently in the night breeze.
"... Um, Luo Ge, you're not dead? I... I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Rudeus still could hardly believe it was real.
His gaze kept sweeping back and forth across Luo Ge's face, as if to make sure that the face wouldn't suddenly disappear.
"..."
Luo Ge looked extremely depressed.
However, it's truly baffling that everyone I've met, whether it's Paul, Rudeus, or even Eris just now, almost mistook me for a ghost.
It's baffling who first spread this baseless rumor.
Luo Ge became increasingly speechless, so he walked up to Rudeus in front of everyone and suddenly slapped him across the face.
With a "smack!"
A clear, resounding slap echoed in the empty hotel room.
Rudeus instantly spiraled into the air, his entire body tumbling off the chair and spinning several times before finally collapsing.
"Are you crazy?"
"Ugh... wait, why did you slap me all of a sudden? I didn't offend you." Rudeus covered half of his cheek with his hand, glaring at Luo Ge indignantly.
"Um? Didn't you want to know if it was a dream?"
"Then let me ask you, do you feel any pain now?" Luo Ge asked seriously.
"Hiss..."
Rudeus grimaced and rubbed his face. "Ouch, of course it hurts! It hurts!"
That's more like it.
"If you know what pain is, then you should know now that this isn't a dream, right?" Luo Ge's lips curled up slightly, his narrowed eyes revealing a hint of cunning.
"... Yeah, that's true."
Rudeus nodded, then suddenly realized something was wrong and asked, "Hey, why don't you hit yourself?"
"Hehe, of course I'm not stupid, why would I slap myself for no reason?"
"Huh? I... I'll fight you to the death, you evil little brother!"
Rudeus was furious when he saw Luo Ge's smug face. He was truly furious.
However, he only got angry for a moment.
The moment Rudeus lunged forward, Luo Ge slammed him to the ground and gave him a good thrashing, a "teaching of love."
Rudeus, who was being brutally beaten by Luo Ge while straddling his face, desperately covered his face with his hands and begged for mercy, "Hey, Yama, it's fine to hit me, but don't hit my face, you evil little brother..."
The way the two brothers interacted was so bizarre, lacking any of the touching scenes of brothers reuniting after many years and embracing each other warmly.
Upon seeing this strange art style, Rujierd was taken aback and remained silent for a moment.
He turned to look at Eris: "By the way... Eris, has this always been how the brothers get along?"
"..."
Eris shook her head, giving her an expression that said, "Don't ask me, I don't know either."
Although Eris wanted to help Rudeus when she saw him being beaten, she hesitated because of the fear of being dominated by Luo Ge.
Even Eris couldn't help but start to have second thoughts.
The fight between the two brothers lasted for several minutes before finally ending with Rudeus being beaten black and blue and then knocked out.
As for Eris, she's nothing but a useless rabid dog.
"Ugh, really... how come I've never won even once?"
Rudeus was bruised and battered, and he was extremely frustrated.
From childhood to adulthood, he has never won a fight between the two of them.
I don't know why, even though we were born to the same parents, he was so strong and healthy, while I was so weak that I couldn't even entangle myself with Touki.
Looking at the other person's eight-pack abs.
This made Rudeus extremely envious and jealous, which made him seriously suspect... that while Zenith was pregnant, this wicked little brother absorbed all the nutrients by himself.
As a result, he was not only malnourished, but also short and weak.
Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for many years, the two brothers had changed a lot in appearance. Although they were twin brothers, their lifestyle habits could gradually change their appearance.
For example, although the two are similar, if you look closely, you can see that Rudeus is more like a child, looking fair-skinned, thin and weak, with a feminine temperament.
After a long period of training, Luo Ge developed even better, and even at a young age, he already had eight-pack abs.
to be honest.
Hmm... the psychological gap caused by this difference made Rudeus feel a little jealous.
"Oh, right."
Rudeus rubbed his still-aching cheek. " Luo Ge, weren't you supposed to be dead? How did you come back to life?"
"You're the one who's dead! Your whole family is dead... Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Realizing he had misspoke, Luo Ge quickly corrected himself, "Speaking of which... I never died, okay? These are all rumors, rumors? Understand?"
"This is a long story, but since you've asked, I'll make it short."
"When I was five years old... I left the Fittoa Territory, completely unaware of what an opponent was. Then, on the Red Dragon's Jaw... I met someone, someone I will never forget."
He paused deliberately at this point.
" The Dragon God of the Seven Great Powers, Orsted."
The air fell silent after those words were spoken.
Especially Rujierd, who was standing to the side, suddenly became more serious.
Then, Luo Ge continued to recount how he escaped from the Dragon God and miraculously survived, and Luo Ge also briefly described his journey to the Sword Sanctum.
When Luo Ge finished recounting this legendary encounter, even Eris was shocked and shouted excitedly.
"... As expected of Rudeus's brother, he's just as good as Rudeus."
"It's not just amazing, it's almost unbelievable."
Rujierd, standing to the side, also looked surprised.
Having lived for many years, Rujierd knew very well what kind of monsters those people from the Seven Great Powers were...
The Seven Great Powers.
They are all at the pinnacle of the world's combat power, having reached God Rank in a certain field. Even he cannot reach their level.
But this boy in front of me kept saying that when he was five years old, he encountered the Dragon God, the second-ranked of the Seven Great Powers.
Even while being pursued by the enemy, he not only survived but miraculously escaped with his life.
It can be said that...
If he hadn't personally witnessed the terrifying strength of this young man before him, he would never have believed this Rujierd, even if he were beaten to death.
Seeing Rujierd's surprise, Rudeus couldn't help but ask curiously, " Rujierd... what are the Seven Great Powers? Is that Dragon God very powerful?"
"Hmm... that's impressive."
Rujierd looked at everyone, his voice deepening, " The Seven Great Powers stand at the pinnacle of the world's strength, ranked in the following order: Technique God, God of Dragon God, Battle God, God of Demon God, God of Death God Sword God, and North God."
"These people... without a doubt... are all stronger than me."
"Ha?"
"Even better than... Rujierd?"
Upon hearing what Rujierd said, Rudeus and Eris exchanged bewildered glances.
It's worth noting that the people they encountered along the way were all saved from danger thanks to Rujierd's care.
When he accepted the mission before, he encountered the A-rank monster, the Red-Eating Serpent. Monsters of that rank were powerless against Rujierd.
In Rudeus and Eris's eyes, Rujierd was already a very, very powerful person.
However, to everyone's surprise, Rujierd himself admitted that there were seven people more capable than him.
This further shocked Rudeus.
Honestly, isn't my "brother" a bit too outrageous?
When I was five years old, I had only barely reached the Water Saint Rank of magician, but wow... Luo Ge was already able to fight against the Dragon God was ranked second in the world in terms of combat power.
Everyone thought that Oudoudou was dead... dead beyond any doubt, but it turns out that not only is he not dead, he's actually alive and well.
And she seems to be living a more comfortable life than him.
After Luo Ge finished recounting his experience, he looked at Rudeus and said, "Alright, I'm done. Now, isn't it your turn?"
"Hmm... that's how it is..."
Rudeus then recounted his experiences over the years.
Since Luo Ge left home, he has stayed at home for two years and hasn't made much progress in magic.
Later, in order to earn tuition fees... she was knocked unconscious by that guy Paul and sent to Roa, where she became Eris's tutor.
... Later, she and Eris were unexpectedly caught up in this transfer disaster and teleported to this unfamiliar Demon Continent.
In a situation where one is unfamiliar with the place and its people.
They encountered the kind-hearted Rujierd, a warrior of the Superd Tribe, who agreed to escort them both home.
So the three of them formed an adventurer team, "Dead End," and traveled... taking on quests to earn money for their journey... Over the past year, they have practically traversed the entire Demon Continent.
"Waaaah, little brother... I really didn't expect... that you would actually travel all the way from the Central Continent to the Demon Continent for me. I'm so touched."
"Huh?"
Luo Ge was taken aback, wondering if Rudeus had misunderstood something.
However, seeing his expression, Luo Ge didn't explain anything, but instead looked at Eris beside him.
"By the way, Rudeus... this lady next to you is Eris, the eldest daughter of the House Boreas, right?"
"Right!"
Before Rudeus could speak, Eris eagerly declared, her voice crisp and clear, "I am Eris Boreas Greyrat, nice to meet you!"
"Since that's the case, then there are some things... I think I should tell you in person."
"Huh?"
"... What is it?"
"Anyway, it's about the Great Transfer, Eris... I hope you're mentally prepared."
Then, Luo Ge approached Eris, whose expression was serious, and uttered the shocking words. " Eris... your whole family is dead."