The ground trembled faintly with each of her footsteps, metal boots crunching over the cracked stone of the old outpost like a war drum. She wore silver armor dulled by time, not fashion — heavy pauldrons, a notched breastplate, a blade as tall as MC and probably twice as judgmental. Her hair was short, ash-blonde and sharp like the rest of her, and her eyes glared through every member of "Linked Hearts" like they were unworthy of air.
Ciel.
She didn't introduce herself. She didn't have to. The guild had barely set foot into the outskirts of the borderlands when they found her singlehandedly knocking out a group of corrupted mercenaries with precision so brutal it looked choreographed. No fancy magic. No flashy interface floating in the air. Just raw skill, grit, and a level of swordsmanship that made even Iris whistle softly.
When MC tried to wave and say hi, she stabbed her greatsword into the ground hard enough to crack the earth.
"I don't do guilds."
"Okay, fair—"
"I don't do Systems."
"Right, well—"
"And I definitely don't follow some hormonal amateur who collects girls like loot drops."
MC blinked. "I—wait, is that how people see me?!"
Ciel scoffed, crossing her arms. "You reek of System dependency. You can't even tie your shoes without that little glowing cheat sheet popping up."
MC looked down at his boots. They were... actually untied. He quickly knelt to fix them, trying to salvage the moment. "Not the best example," he mumbled.
Kira stepped forward, arms crossed in her usual "I will fight a mountain to make a point" stance. "You don't know him. He's dumb, yeah, but he's not useless."
Lina followed, cheeks puffed in mild annoyance. "He saved all of us. More than once."
"And you're saying he didn't use System tricks to do it?" Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Did he sweat for it? Bleed for it? Earn it?"
"I bled once," MC muttered. "Like, a lot. There were bees involved."
Jax leaned against a tree nearby, sipping from a mug that smelled strongly alcoholic. "Look, if she wants to judge us, let her. Not like we're normal either."
There was a moment of silence as everyone seemed to silently agree with that.
Eventually, Luna, quiet and observant, stepped forward. "Why are you out here alone?"
Ciel's jaw tightened. She looked past them, toward the deeper forest, where the Forbidden Zone's mists still lingered. "Because the world's gone soft. Everyone relies on their flashy powers and glowing stats. They don't train. They don't earn their strength. And then they wonder why they die the moment their System breaks."
The wind carried her words a little farther than intended. There was weight behind them. History. Pain.
Iris tilted her head, thoughtful. "You lost someone."
Ciel didn't respond. Just turned away.
MC took a deep breath, stepped forward, and extended his hand.
"You don't have to join us forever," he said. "Just for now. You're strong. We're... chaotic. It evens out."
She looked at his hand like it was covered in slime. "You expect me to follow someone who uses something called Harem King as a primary ability?"
"Oh god," MC groaned, "why do people keep learning the name?!"
Kira smirked. "It is on your public profile."
Ciel sighed the sigh of someone trying to decide whether dying of embarrassment is contagious. Then, with an irritated grunt, she pulled her sword from the ground, slung it over her shoulder, and walked past them.
"I'm not joining. I'm supervising," she said.
Jax grinned. "That's what I said. Three weeks later I was leading drinking songs."
"You're still terrible at those," Iris added.
Ciel ignored all of them.
But when she walked, it was beside them.
Not ahead.
Not behind.
Beside.
And the party — now six strong and one heavily armored tsundere heavier — moved forward again.
END OF CHAPTER 65