The black-haired girl—clearly the most composed of the three—finally straightened, brushing a lock of damp hair behind her ear before stepping forward. Her eyes glead with intelligence beneath the glow of the cave lights.
"Hey there," she said with a confident but friendly smile. "I’m Aria. Mid-tier guild mber, Aqua Fangs."
Rhys looked up from where he sat, the soft hum of his mana still faintly visible around his hand. "Rhys," he replied simply. "No guild affiliation."
Aria blinked, taken aback. "No guild? You’re soloing this place?"
"Mostly," he said, tone calm, almost casual. "He helps." He nodded toward Moonbounce, who had returned to his resting position, pretending to ignore everyone while still keeping one eye half-open.
The red-haired girl crouched beside the turtle again, practically sparkling with energy. "You tad him, right? That’s insane! I’ve never seen a familiar with that kind of aura before."
The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "And those cannons—he’s got divine-grade components, doesn’t he? How’d you even manage to capture sothing like that?"
Rhys gave a faint smile, his tone sowhere between polite and evasive. "Long story. Involved a lot of running. And so luck."
Aria tilted her head, curiosity deepening. "You’re not exaggerating—your readings are off the charts. My detector’s been spiking since we walked in here."
The blonde one laughed. "So basically, we found a walking radar jam."
"Or a walking nuke," the redhead added, grinning at Moonbounce, who grumbled low in his throat at the word nuke.
Rhys exhaled softly through his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You girls usually approach random people in dungeons, or am I just lucky today?"
"And what was that about the radar talk?" he asked.
Aria smiled faintly. "It’s my skill. It lets see people in different colors based on their power level and danger rating. Yours shows up as black, which basically ans absolute death if we ever go against you." She said it matter-of-factly, like she was simply stating the weather.
"Wait—color, and the na Aria..." Rhys’s thoughts flickered inward for a mont. Oh. I rember now. She’s that extra who appeared in one of the dungeon runs in the real world. The one who saved the hero’s life—and died doing it.
He kept his expression calm. "I see. Useful skill."
"By the way," the red-haired girl chid in, pointing to herself, "I’m Sophia. And this blonde one is Caria."
Rhys nodded in greeting. "Nice to et you. Are you three siblings?"
They all smiled at once. "We’re triplets," Aria said. "Though we have the sa hair color in real life. We just changed it in-ga for fun."
Rhys chuckled softly. "I’m the sa. Nothing changed."
The three girls exchanged doubtful glances, then Sophia leaned closer, eyes narrowing playfully. "We don’t believe you. That face is way too perfect to be untouched."
Rhys blinked, not sure whether to laugh or sigh. He wasn’t being arrogant—it was just the truth. His looks bordered on model-tier even in the real world, sothing that usually drew attention whether he wanted it or not.
To prove his point, he flicked open his real-world sync holo-tab for a second, showing a glimpse of his actual registered appearance.
The three girls stared.
"...Okay," Caria muttered. "We believe you now."
Sophia crossed her arms with a small pout. "That’s just unfair."
Aria laughed, leaning forward slightly, her crimson hair catching the soft blue light. "By the way—are you single?" she asked bluntly, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
The question made the other two perk up instantly, all eyes turning toward Rhys.
"I am," he admitted without hesitation, then added with a calm shrug, "but I’m not really looking for a relationship right now."
All three girls smiled in unison, clearly amused by his answer. Aria tilted her head, voice dripping with mischief. "You know, we have a rule between us. If any one of us starts dating soone, that person automatically gets shared between all three of us. So technically, it’s a two-for-one offer. Still not ready to date us?"
Rhys almost choked on air. For a mont, the word yes nearly escaped his mouth—before reason (and mory) kicked in.
He rembered the stories from the forums—rumors about the Aqua Fangs triplets. They were famous not just for their teamwork and charm, but for their intense competitiveness with each other. The whole "shared boyfriend" thing wasn’t about romance; it was a ga between them. Any guy who accepted usually found himself caught in an endless tug-of-war, both in-ga and out.
So, he smiled politely and shook his head. "No thanks. I’m fine on my own. I’m a super introvert who prefers so peace and quiet."
Moonbounce made a low, rumbling sound beside him—sothing between a snort and a chuckle. His glowing eyes seed to say, Yeah, sure you are.
Rhys shot him a sidelong glance. "Don’t give that look," he muttered under his breath.
The girls blinked in surprise at his calm refusal. For a mont, all three just stared at him, clearly not expecting to be turned down so easily.
Sophia tilted her head. "Wait—you’re serious?"
Caria frowned slightly, exchanging a quick glance with her sisters. "Most guys usually jump at that kind of offer..."
Aria leaned back with a playful smirk, though there was a flicker of genuine curiosity in her eyes. "Huh. Didn’t think we’d actually get rejected."
Rhys just gave a small shrug, unbothered. "I told you—I’m not looking for anything. I prefer keeping things simple."
The triplets looked at each other again, clearly trying to figure him out. Their reactions were a mix of surprise and mild disbelief, like they couldn’t decide if he was being humble, shy, or just impossible to impress.
Only Moonbounce seed entirely unfazed. The divine turtle gave Rhys a slow side-eye, his expression radiating quiet amusent—one that clearly said, Sure, "introvert." Whatever you say.
Rhys caught the look and sighed quietly. "Don’t start."
Moonbounce made a deep rumbling sound that was far too much like a chuckle for Rhys’s liking.
Aria crossed her arms, finally grinning again. "Alright, mister mysterious. You win this round."
Sophia nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Not every day we et soone who says no."
Rhys smiled faintly, stretching his arms. "Guess there’s a first ti for everything."
"Anyway, back to the topic," Aria said, leaning forward. "Would you like to join our party? We’re planning to head to the second layer soon. Since you’re not part of any guild, you can still co along if you want."
Rhys tilted his head, thoughtful. "Wouldn’t that get you in trouble? Taking a non-guild mber to a restricted floor?"
Aria smirked, while her sisters shared the sa knowing grin. "Not really. Our elder sister is one of the founding mbers of Aqua Fangs," she said. "No one’s going to question what we do."
Rhys nodded slowly. Of course he knew that. He’d read about the Aqua Fangs in the forums—and more than that, he rembered the events of the novel this world followed. He already knew how powerful and well-connected these three were.
"Tempting offer," he said, his voice calm. "But for now, I plan to clear this floor first. There are thirteen minor bosses scattered across it. Once I’m done with them, I’ll head down to the second layer."
Sophia grinned, twirling her staff. "Then let’s make it easier for you. We know the locations of all thirteen. We’ve fard this floor plenty of tis."
Rhys raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "Alright then. Looks like my break’s over."
He stood, brushing the dust from his gloves, while Moonbounce shifted beside him—massive shell gleaming faintly as divine runes rippled across it.
"Good," Aria said with a spark in her eyes. "Let’s start with one of the easier ones—The Jade Sniper Shrimp."
Rhys’s expression turned focused as he recalled the na. "That one, huh..." He rembered the boss well—small, no larger than a tenth of a human’s size, but true to its title. It was a precision attacker, capable of firing compressed water blasts strong enough to pierce even rare-grade shields with ease.
"Alright," he said at last, gripping his blade. "Lead the way."
The four of them moved through the forested wetlands of the first floor, where the light bent strangely through the mist. Silver reeds swayed in the shallow pools, their tips glowing faintly like fireflies caught mid-breath. Every ripple carried whispers of unseen movent—small monsters scattering from the party’s presence.
Moonbounce floated at Rhys’s side, its runes pulsing softly. Despite its calm deanor, the faint vibration through the air made it clear it was ready to fight.
Aria took point, stepping lightly over the marsh stones. "The Jade Sniper Shrimp’s lair is near the central basin," she said. "It hides under the algae mats and attacks from range. If you’re not careful, it’ll pop your shield before you even realize where it’s sniping from."
Sophia added with a playful tone, "Don’t worry, though. We’re pros at catching the little nace."
Rhys gave her a half-smile. "So you’ve fought it before?"
"More tis than I can count," Caria replied. "But that thing’s still annoying. It drops good loot though—sniper pearls, jade cores, and sotis the Shrimp’s Eye ring."
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