GUARDIAN OF THE MARVEL REALM

Dungeons—especially low-difficulty, early-stage ones—are straightforward.

With a powerful teammate, you can practically coast through.

That's exactly how Shen He felt right now.

The kobolds in front of him stared with wide, innocent eyes as they floated midair, suspended by psychic force. Meanwhile, Shen He continuously practiced his shooting under the guidance of Saiki Kusuo.

The reason they could be this relaxed was simple: Saiki had removed his superpower suppressor.

"The spawn rate for these monsters is too slow," Saiki commented flatly. "Can't we just go to a higher-level dungeon?"

Shen He sighed. "Didn't we already try? The moment we reached the boundary, we couldn't move forward. The system must be waiting for me to level up first."

While meditating on his stance and shooting technique, Shen He glanced at his status on the system interface.

He needed 100 experience points to level up. Each kobold kill earned him just one. Six more to go.

Through testing, he had confirmed that it didn't matter who dealt the finishing blow—whether it was him or Saiki—the experience gain remained the same. However, Saiki himself wasn't gaining experience. The only way to strengthen him was by using the Primary Enhancement Stones dropped by monsters.

Leveling up Saiki required 150 stones, and each enhancement consumed 1 mana point per 10 stones. Shen He only had 10 mana, meaning even if they farmed enough materials, he wouldn't have the energy to upgrade Saiki yet.

At least the drop rate was near 100%, though it seemed these low-level mobs only provided primary enhancement stones.

"Last point of experience."

Shen He narrowed his eyes, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The familiar wave of energy surged through his body. This time, however, all the accumulated energy seemed to activate at once. Shen He immediately felt lighter—stronger.

He waved his arms, testing the changes. It was clear that his physical capabilities had improved, but without an official status screen, he'd need to find a way to measure the difference later.

His mana cap had also increased to 15.

More importantly, the "Dungeon" interface had updated.

Now, it read: "Dungeon: Floors 1-5 Unlocked."

At that moment, Saiki abruptly clenched his fist. Every monster still floating in the area was instantly crushed to death.

"This… this is—"

A startled voice echoed from behind them.

A small group of adventurers—clad in armor and wielding weapons—had appeared at the entrance of the passageway. At a glance, Shen He noticed that some weren't even human—one of them, a brawny man with feline ears, stood out the most.

"This section of the Dungeon's Earth Spirit Zone has already been cleared?"

"Shhh, looks like a high-level adventurer power-leveling a newbie."

"Let's find another hunting ground."

They weren't speaking in Chinese, yet somehow, both Shen He and Saiki could understand them perfectly.

Just as they turned to leave, Shen He called out.

"Which Familia are you with?"

The feline-eared warrior stopped and answered respectfully.

"Minos Familia, sir."

"Got it, just curious." Shen He flashed a polite smile.

As the adventurers disappeared, Saiki's voice echoed in Shen He's mind.

"Your thoughts tell me this is another fictional world?"

Shen He sighed. "That's right."

Now, he was nearly certain where they were.

DanMachi—Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

A world where literal gods existed—not just one, but many.

"Let's move. Our hunting grounds just expanded, and we still have half an hour left."

Setting aside his thoughts, Shen He focused on his immediate goal—powering up.

"…Alright."

---

Half an hour later, Shen He and Saiki reappeared in Manhattan.

Somehow, their return had gone unnoticed, even though Saiki's earlier arrival had caused a scene. It was almost as if some kind of protective force had kept them from drawing attention.

They exchanged glances—both of them feeling an undeniable rush of excitement.

Half an hour.

In that short time, Shen He had jumped from Level 2 to Level 4.

Saiki, meanwhile, had practically wiped out half the map on his own, collecting enhancement stones at an absurd rate. Nearby adventurers had stared in shock, unable to believe that such a high-level adventurer was grinding in the newbie zone.

Sorry, we're actually beginners.

More importantly, Shen He had finally discovered how to acquire the Summoning Stones needed for his system.

The dungeon reset at midnight each day, and upon completion, it automatically granted an Advanced Summoning Stone.

"Saiki, do you want to return now?" Shen He turned toward him. "Since you're a summoned servant, you can return to your world and come back whenever I call you."

This information should have already appeared in Saiki's mind via their shared link.

"It doesn't matter," Saiki replied. "If I return, time in my world will rewind to when I left. Nothing will change."

"Got it. Then I—"

Screech!

A sudden, ear-piercing tire skid interrupted Shen He's words.

An ambulance veered out of control, skidding toward them. Pedestrians—children—were in its path!

—!

Before impact, the vehicle slammed into an invisible force field and came to a dead stop.

Shen He blinked. "An accident?"

He had never witnessed a car crash before. Could this really be happening right after they got back?

Saiki's voice echoed in his mind.

"It's not an accident."

Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

---

Meanwhile, 800 meters away, atop a high-rise hotel, a man in casual clothes hurriedly packed his belongings.

Sniper rifle. Scope. Air gun.

Everything was swiftly stowed away.

"Using an air gun to shoot glass shards into a tire, making it look like a blowout-induced accident—clever trick."

A voice suddenly spoke directly into his mind.

The man's eyes widened in horror. He spun around, reaching for his gun.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired wildly at the figure standing in his room.

Every bullet froze midair before even reaching its target.

A moment later, the shooter himself was lifted off the ground, suspended by an unseen force.

Saiki Kusuo stared at him, expression unreadable.

"Interesting." He mused. "This is the first time I've been shot at. But—"

His gaze sharpened.

"You dared to target my friend. Now tell me, how would you like to die?"

The sniper grinned and bit down—hard.

Crack.

The cyanide capsule hidden in his tooth burst, sending lethal poison rushing through his bloodstream.

Through gritted teeth, he hissed:

"Hail Hydra."

His vision darkened instantly.

However—

Rewind.

Saiki's hand glowed faintly.

Ten minutes.

The man's body reversed to just before he bit the capsule.

Too close. Saiki narrowed his eyes. I can't save the dead.

Reaching out, he used telekinesis to extract the poison from the man's mouth.

Now, he had another problem.

This wasn't his world.

Knocking the guy out with a single blow wouldn't work here, and teleporting with him might cause a scene.

More importantly, the assassin might have accomplices.

At the same time, elsewhere, Shen He had run into trouble of his own.